Fall Creek Christian Church

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15, 16 NIV) What are your thoughts about Jesus? Every major religion on earth has an opinion on who he was. Mostly they say that he was a good man, a powerful teacher, and a peacemaker. All of that is true. But what about him being the Son of God? Peter, after being with Jesus non-stop for 4 years was confident of his identity. He was assured that Jesus was God in the flesh, the Messiah that was to come. You essentially have three options when it comes to what you believe about Jesus: 1) He was a Liar 2) He was a Lunatic (out of his mind) 3) Or that He was Lord If he was, and is, Lord, then he deserves our worship and our entire lives. If Jesus is Lord, it is true that we have access to God by His sacrifice on the cross. Join us Friday night at 7, as we reflect on Jesus going to the cross for the sins of the entire world (Good Frida

“Now the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish leaders to ask him to come and heal his slave. ... So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, 'Lord, don't trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. ... Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. ... When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd, he said, 'I tell you, I haven't seen faith like this in all the land of Israel!' And when the captain's friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed." Luke 7:1-10 When was the last time you were absolutely and utterly amazed? I've recently witnessed entire households receive Jesus as their Savior and be baptized. I've looked into the eyes of a dying friend and seen not only peace that passes understanding,

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:11 NASB) Ever wanted to become more disciplined? I think we all have. We do well for 3 or 4 days, then we completely fall off on our commitments--and our last state is worse than the first. The key to being disciplined in your relationship with God, and your war against sin, is found in this verse. You have to let discipline break you down. It makes you sorrowful. You have to give up your old life and its negativity in exchange for something brand new. When you come out on the other side, you realize why you've put yourself through all the discipline and sorrow. Out of the discipline comes this peaceful fruit of righteousness. This is something that money can't buy. We sleep better. We are happier. We feel less pressure. We become more like Jesus, because he was the epitome of discipline. S

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. - 2 Corinthians 3:12 People cannot shut up about things that they are looking forward to. When was the last time you had a co-worker or family member that was headed to a tropical island, and didn't taunt you with it each day before they left? We love talking about that which we are looking forward to, and we don't care who hears it. When was the last time you were like that when it came to your faith in Jesus? When was the last time you were unafraid to talk about what God was teaching you and what he was doing in your life? Most of us are a little bored with our faith, and to be sure, it doesn't have anything to do with God being lackluster. Maybe we are bored because we have ceased to engage God like we did before. Challenge for today? Recapture that passion for reading, studying, and applying what you find in the Bible. Hit your knees in prayer at the end of the day. Interact with the God who loves you mo

“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'" - Luke 3:21-22 I've got a great dad, for whom, I am very thankful. I am reminded on a regular basis that not everyone has a great dad, but I do. My children are very gracious to me and assure me time and again that I'm a great dad too. I often times feel I fall woefully below the "great dad" threshold, but at the very least their comments give me something to live up to. In our verses today, we are privileged to hear the greatest Father of them all speaking to his child. It is so personal that we're tempted to leave to give them privacy. However, God the Father wanted us to hear and learn from him what a great dad gives their child. "You are my Son" - Belonging, Identity

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV) It is one thing to say that God will take care of all your financial needs, it is quite another to live like it. Paul gives us an excellent view of what it looks like to live the generous life. All things. At all times. Having all that you need. So that we will abound in every good work. Is this how you view generosity? Many of us begrudgingly give. We give with a tight fist wrapped around the money that we have. The generous life not only acknowledges that God is able to provide, but it also lives in day in and day out. Every transaction is planned to honor and glorify God.

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18 NIV) Who in your life do you need to go to God, in prayer, and forgive? Does it make what they've done ok? No. Does it say that you will all of the sudden feel differently about them the next time you see them? Probably not. So what does forgiving, letting go of your grudge, actually do? It sets you free. It kicks those people out of your head. It allows you to fully relate and embody Jesus through your life. How would you want them to treat you? Do that. Be like Jesus. What follows this will change your life.

“And the Lord said to Moses, 'Say to the people of Israel: 'Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach the tassels at each corner with a blue cord. The tassels will remind you of the commands of the Lord, and that you are to obey his commands instead of following your own desires and going your own ways, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God." Numbers 15:37-40 It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but there has been more than one occasion where my wife has not let me leave the house without first pinning a note to my shirt or putting a post-it on my steering wheel. One strategically pinned note even said, "Ask me about this note" just in case I forgot the note was there. You see, I forget stuff. Big stuff, little stuff, pretty much any sized stuff. This tendency has proven to be a source of frustration for my sweetheart.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (Romans 8:35 NIV) How much do you think God really loves us? It is really difficult to wrap our minds around the question. He, first, created us. He sent Jesus to die for us. He, then, has invited us into his family, if we'll only come to him in faith. He loves us more than we deserve. The Apostle Paul, who wrote the verse above, endured so much persecution for the gospel. He was beaten, shipwrecked, abandoned, snake-bitten, mocked, put in prison, and ultimately decapitated. So if he can know that God still loved him, even in all his hardships, so should we. Nothing can separate us from God's love for us. It goes beyond circumstance.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22, 23 NIV) Notice Paul doesn't say in this verse: fruits, he says: fruit. All of these words mentioned are actually all or nothing for the Christian. Do you see loving others in your life? Do you have joy? Are you at peace? Are you patient with difficult people? Are you kind and considerate of others? Does your life mirror what is good? Are you reliable? Are you careful not to fly off the handle at others? Can you control your emotions? If the answer is no to any of these questions, we might need to ask ourselves another question: "How much time do I send interacting with this fruit-producing God?" Are we in the Bible daily? Are we praying throughout the day? Do we spend intentional time with other Christians? Then the fruit will come.

“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each man under his standard with the banners of his family." Numbers 2:1-2 On many occasions, I have enjoyed the wonder of a canoe ride down a beautiful river. The sights, the smells and the sounds of God's creation provide a soul refreshing moment of connection and contemplation. To maximize the moments in a canoe, one must remember one simple rule: Keep your weight in the center. A sudden shift to the side can quickly turn a canoe trip into a scuba dive. It's very telling to me that God would have Moses organize the people around the Tent of Meeting. The place where God revealed himself was the bulls-eye for the nation. If the peoples' hearts were in keeping with their campsite, all was good. They were centered. They would enjoy a great adventure of exploration and discovery. However, if they moved off center, shipwreck awaited. As a hus