Colossians 3:16–17
In order to “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill our lives,” our text says there are three things we have to do:
Colossians 3:1-14 A Gospel hymn based on the 10 Commandments, which are really only one Commandment and a bunch of commentary. If you want life to go well for you, you should probably do it like this.
First, we will share a little of why NewChurch exists in the first place with a baptism and a "wet wedding"—you'll have to listen to the story in order to understand. Then Frank gives a powerful little message on how Christianity is not about a bunch of "don'ts."
Colossians 2:6-15 Fight the powers. There are spiritual battles that are part of the Christian life that we must be aware of.
There was a mystery about God that was hidden for a long time (ages and generations) but now it’s been revealed to everyone. This is the mystery—you ready? “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” That’s the most important thing you’ll ever hear. Everything’s different now because “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Also, the Astros won the World Series.
We're not very good at glorifying God. Let me help you understand why it's so important to give glory to God alone, and offer a few suggestions on how to do it. Psalm 96
We all wanna be happy and wanna have joy—the more we trust in Christ alone—not ourselves, or what we do, or what we know, or even what we want—the more we will come to realize that He will never let us down. Romans 5:1-10, John 8:31–38
What's the Bible good for? What are we supposed to do with the parts of Scripture that we don't like? We think the Bible speaks to all of life in principle, precept, and example. God's Word is sufficient—it is enough. Enough is enough.
Sola Fide—faith alone. We’re gonna talk about what faith is, what it’s not, and how faith is the way the grace of God is actually applied to us. If the grace of God is the cure for what is killing us, then faith is how we receive the medicine. Romans 3:21-31
Karma says we get what we deserve—do good and you’ll get good in return, be a selfish jerk and somehow the universe will find a way to crush you. Grace isn’t like that at all. Grace is a completely unique Jesus idea. Grace says we get what we don’t deserve—we get life, blessing, hope and all of God’s love. We don’t get what we deserve, we get what Jesus deserves—just because He says so. Grace awakens grace. Ephesians 2:1-10
In this passage, we’re confronted with transcendent majesty—the kind of holiness that defies comprehension and is almost completely beyond us, except that maybe in it we can glimpse the faintest hint of the true glory and splendor of Christ.
The beginning of a message series walking through the Book of Colossians. Who brought you to faith, and what difference does it make?
This is the sermon that was preached on the morning before Harvey hit Houston. Due to the impending doom of the storm, we had a virtual service on Facebook Live. This message was preached in Frank's living room to his family. What is the church? What does the church do? What can cause it to actually happen?
A look at the story of Nehemiah and how it might relate to our current Harvey disaster, how we might be able to get some perspective on what God’s calling us to do by looking at what God called him to do and how He used a lowly butler to rise up and do something amazing for the kingdom and glory of God.
This is a message of comfort for those who have suffered a disaster, a message of encouragement for those who want to help, and a message of hope for those who want to know the God who is revealed in Jesus Christ. You are the light of the world and a city on a hill—you don't have to shine very brightly or be on much of a hill in Houston to make a big difference.
What do we do if Jesus infers that we are dogs who who worship idols? May we suggest that you answer Him with His own words?
HESED II. Psalm 13. This is a message of hope for those who are seeking an answer to their prayers. (Apologies for the audio quality this week, we had a technical problem).
What is the secret ingredient to making life taste sweeter? I'll answer that question and I'll also let you know an important secret — even if we don't do it, God's never ending, merciful lovingkindness will still save us. It's a good deal.
In which Frank talks a little about his vacation in New York and compares it to how life is full of transitions—the transitions are the painful part. This is a message for people who need hope, people who are facing difficulties.
Last week we considered the chaos and distractions that bombard and assault us from every direction—from outside us. This week, we’re gonna look inside. It seems to me that we have just as much chaos and distraction bubbling up from inside our own hearts and minds as we do from the outside world. Today we’re gonna look at how God gave us specific commands to make His will known to us, for our benefit because He loves us as His dear children. Maybe we can learn to trust what He’s told us to help us navigate through all the noise of our inner chaos.
Every day is so full of distractions and chaos that it seems impossible to find a single moment of stillness or quiet or peace. Be encouraged, remember that Jesus is God, He is not asleep and He is concerned with our every trouble. We do not fear the world but we trust in our God so that we can have peace now.
If a man is to be characterized by a Biblically informed understanding then he will be a prophet, a priest, and a king in his reflection of Christ to the world.
You may feel hopeless, or insecure, or in pain. It's not a bad place to be. God likes to work against the odds—He likes to use the weak and the underdogs to confound the strong. This is always something to keep in mind when things seem hopeless and when you feel like you don’t have what it takes—that’s exactly the kind of person and situation God is always looking for.
The parable is called “The Prodigal Son.” Prodigal isn’t a word we use much anymore—it means “spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.” The younger son is definitely the prodigal son. It could also be called the prodigal father, though—accepting the lost son back home, the best robe, the gold ring, the fatted calf—that all seems pretty extravagant, too. But the world isn’t full of Prodigal Fathers, it’s full of sons who grew up to be ManBoys.
Jesus spent a lot of time hanging out with the wrong kind of people, partying with sinners, eating and drinking with the kind of bad company that good people shouldn’t associate with. Are Christians more known for eating and drinking with sinners? Or for standing off to the side casting judgement on people? I think most of the modern church doesn’t get what we’re supposed to be doing.