Manchester Church of Christ
Weekly Sermons at the Manchester Church of Christ in Manchester, CT
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English language
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Weekly Sermons at the Manchester Church of Christ in Manchester, CT
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Every great narrative about a hero begins with an origin story. It doesn’t matter if it’s Spiderman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, etc., all of the greats begin with an explanation of how it is that the hero came to be. Yet, the origin story does more than just explain; it also points forward and foreshadows the type of person the hero will turn out to be. In many respects, this is what happens with Moses. Here in Exodus 2, we get two glimpses into the life of Moses: one in Egypt and the other in Midian. In each episode, there is a moment of injustice. And in each moment, Moses attempts to p
It seemed like it was the end of the road of the Israelite people. Here they are in Egypt. They’re enslaved. Forced into hard labor. Then Pharaoh declares this all across the land: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” Could it get any worse for the people of God? The initial command given to kill their baby boys was only given to the midwives but now it has become a nation-wide mandate. It is amidst this context that a Levite couple have a baby. More specifically, a baby boy. Even more specifically, a fine baby boy. They do their best to hide t
How many of the decisions that we make are guided by fear? Whether it’s fear of sickness, missing out on the next big thing, or general social pressure, fear can play a prominent role in our lives. The questions that we must ask are: What are we fearful of? What is our fear driving us towards? We are beginning a brand new series through the book of Exodus called “God With Us,” where we’ll be following the story of God’s people out from under slavery to the Egyptians to their communion with God. Exodus 1 begins by describing the state of the Israelites and the Egyptians. There are three words t
This Youth Sunday, we are exploring the story of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:35–41 and were reminded of a powerful truth: storms are a part of life. Whether they come because of our own choices, spiritual warfare, personal growth, or simply living in a broken world, Jesus never promised a storm-free life. He promised His presence in the storm. The challenge is not avoiding the storm but learning how to survive it as followers of Christ—what I call “Storm Troopers.” First, we must remember it’s going to rain. Jesus told His disciples they would face trials, so we shouldn’t be surprised wh
Why is it that God has given the church various roles of leadership? Is it because he knows we would have this compulsion to neatly organize ourselves? Or that it would help us find parallels across industries later down the road? Or could it be that God has a grand purpose behind all of it? Paul seems to answer the question in his letter to the Ephesians. He writes that God has given the church various leadership roles in order “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith” (Eph 4:12-13). Church leaders are not lead
This is an exciting time around Manchester Church of Christ! The elders will have more to share, but we’re in the process of adding to our leadership team, specifically in the role of deacon. However, this does raise a couple of important questions: Who is a deacon? And what exactly does a deacon do? We learn first and foremost about who a deacon is from Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Here, he is writing to his young protégé about serving the church in Ephesus, a city known for political influence, spirituality, and magic. In other words, Ephesus is a difficult place to be a Christian. About
Many of us claim that we believe in Jesus Christ, but how many of us can explain why in detail? That’s what we will be talking about today! The purpose of the lesson is to help you explain exactly why you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. To be able to apply 1 Peter 3:15, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. We as Christians want to be able to explain to the world with excitement not only what we believe, but why we can believe
So, we’ve come to the end. After six months, our journey through Galatians ends this Sunday and we are left with one question: What are you boasting in? Paul has been writing this letter to a series of churches throughout Galatia who have been dealing with the issue of church unity. How can Gentile and Jewish Christians be one? Enflaming this tension are false teachers proclaiming that the simplest way to achieve unity is for the Gentile Christians to circumcise themselves and observe Jewish traditions. Paul then raises a challenge to the church. You have one thing that you can boast in; one t
What would it look like if the way we use our efforts and resources was shaped by the gospel? Not just our beliefs and relationships, but our entire being? In Galatians 6:6-10, Paul begins with a simple principle: whatever you sow, you will reap. I’d wager that this is something we all know instinctively. For example, you don’t plant carrots and expect corn to grow. Rather than providing a farming lesson, however, Paul is trying to teach the churches of Galatia (and us today) what it looks like to have our entire being transformed by the gospel. Is what we’re sowing with our lives, efforts, an
What happens when someone in the church falls into sin? What does it actually look like to help them? And what’s the difference between carrying someone else’s burden and carrying your own? In Galatians 6:1-5, Paul gives the church a surprisingly practical word about how gospel community and relationships in the reality of everyday life. He calls the believers to restore one another, but in a specific way: gently. The word he uses for restore is the same word that you would use to describe the setting of a dislocated bone. Skilled. Careful. Gentle. Not unnecessarily harsh, but not naively soft
