God calls us to submit in many different ways but it is very difficult to do so in our current cultural moment. Our culture is mostly bent towards anything other than submitting to authorities and to God. Join me this Sunday as we explore how we have let our culture bleed into the church and how to instead live out the blessings that come from submitting together to Christ.
There’s an old axiom that states, “It is better to give than to receive.” Is that really true? If it is, then what does that mean for you and me? Join us as we look at “Giving Together.”
Confessing something can be both difficult and freeing. There’s something incredibly humbling about admitting your mistake, but also it is so beautiful to admit your fault and to receive grace. The Bible talks a lot about confession. It commands us to do it and also instructs us in different ways of confession. This Sunday we will take a look at different ways of confession and why it’s so important to confess your sins. Then we’ll actually take some time at the end of the service to practice “Confessing Together”.
What if you knew just what to say, where to go, what to do, or how to respond to all the opportunities, trials, choices, relationships, and situations you are facing or will face? How valuable would it be for you to have that kind of wisdom? That would be some kind of wisdom, a wisdom that we can’t find here but one that God offers. Join us this Sunday as we continue our series in “Our Rhythms of Discipleship” as we look at, “Gaining Wisdom Together.”
One of the ways we grow together spiritually across generational lines is by serving together. Serving others is a high priority for Jesus. If we want to be great in God's kingdom, we must become a servant to others. What does that look like today? We will explore several ways to serve, especially teaching and modeling for our children to learn to serve others.
As Christians we long for the day when Jesus Himself might say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant..."
Most of us know what it means to pray, but many of us have a hard time praying. Jesus taught His disciples to pray and shares some key elements if we are going to pray effectively. Join us this Sunday either online or for the first time outside in the back parking lot as we look at, “Praying Together”.
I know many of you, like myself, miss being able to physically meet on Sundays. And while next week we begin our process of shifting towards physical gatherings, I must say I have been so proud and impressed with how the Laurelwood Community has embraced our online gatherings. What we have seen the past 16 weeks is a beautiful picture of worshipping together; still engaging in church and relationships even when we can’t physically meet.
And I think the reason our church has responded so positively to online church is because many people are aware, on some level, of the value and importance of worshipping together and being in relationship together. So this Sunday, we will explore the theology behind worshipping together. We’ll look at WHY it really is important, even during a pandemic, to find ways to worship together. And of course, we will take time during the service—during the message even—to worship together through declaring who God is, through scripture, and through song. Join us for this special time of worshipping together.
This Sunday join us as we go over the importance of reading scripture together. While reading scripture alone is a great practice to do as disciples, there is also great power in reading scripture as a community. I hope this message inspires all of us to grow in this area of following Jesus together.
Some people dance because they are happy, some do it to compete with others, some as a romantic gesture, and sadly, many of us don’t dance at all. Yet, God invites us into the dance of discipleship as we follow Him together. Let’s see what some of the movements in this new series, “Our Rhythms of Discipleship” in “The Dance of Discipleship.”
All of us have been hurt, frustrated, and angered over the death of George Floyd and what has happened in our nation and around the world following his brutal and senseless death. How does a follower of Christ make a difference in this life? Join us as we look for answers as we finish this series on Following Jesus Together in “Go and Make.”
When I was 13, I made a decision to re-dedicate my life to Christ and follow him with my whole heart. That decision was a moment where I said no to living how I wanted to live, and yes to living the way God wanted me to live. Essentially, I made the decision to die to my fleshly desires and follow God. Join us this Sunday as we unpack what it means to Come and Die and how we all are called to Follow Jesus Together.
As Jesus began His earthly ministry he spent time walking through the land, healing many and teaching crowds. But it was to a few men He called to “Come and Follow.” As we seek to Follow Jesus Together as a church, let’s look at this next level of growth in our discipleship journey.
Most churches are designed for church people. They have a tendency to cater to meeting their own needs and interests instead of engaging the lost with the Gospel. Yet, Jesus, the holiest person in the world attracted the worst of the crowd. It was the religious people who were offended by Jesus and even called Him, “a friend of sinners”; and God was okay with that. How should the disciples of Christ connect with those who need Christ to follow after Christ together?
Following Jesus together as one church body seems like a simply task. However, there are many things working against us as a church. Together we will be taking a look at the unique roles that Paul gives to us in our life stages, and dispelling some of the lies that prevent us from fulfilling those roles.
Who are the people that helped you understand what it meant to be a follower of Christ? How are you currently helping others do the same? Join us as we look at the role of the church in following Jesus together in “Intentional Intergenerational Discipleship”