The gospel, with all its good news, revelations, and illumination, is not simply the door we walk through—it is the whole house. For the believer, it is where we spend the entirety of our days on this side of salvation. In the majority of moments where the gospel is preached in the Bible, the aud...
We must not be like those who have received the gospel but don't want to be inconvenienced with suffering or costly discipleship—resistant to obedience. We embrace discipline knowing it rarely feels like a burden when we are in love.
We often look to others and their giftings and compare them to the ways God has wired us. We question our purpose and wonder if this is all there is. But the body can only function with a diverse variety of parts. God uniquely wired each of us, and the more complacent we are in our giftings, the ...
Jesus makes the invisible God visible. He ranks above all creation, and no one is like Him. All things have been created through Christ and for Christ. He sustains us and holds it all together. He has you in His hands.
While the world offers disintegration, Jesus Christ provides soul-level integration. So we look to Him, and we labor to see Him rightly. We behold Christ in His glory, seeking to grow more like Him and to gather together those who need Him.
We belong to a vast, intricate web of discipleship. Today, we walk in faith because other believers were faithful in their day to disciple others. So we too press on, growing in maturity and grace while carrying on the legacy of discipling others.
The kingdom of God does not advance through programs, but people. The priority and the focus of the Church today is to make disciples of Jesus. There is a litany of good and right things in the world to take part in and give our attention to, but the primary role of the follower of Jesus is to ma...
Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/make-disciples-conversation/
Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/make-disciples-context-setup/
The body without water cannot perform. It cannot take the spontaneous extra mile. It cannot care for others. It turns inward. Likewise, our spiritual bodies cannot serve people when we are not connected to the source of Life, our God. You cannot drink from an empty well. Abide in Him, replenish, ...
Josh Patterson explains how we will be using week two of our construction closure Mission Statement Series to consider and practice loving people through acts of service.
Josh Patterson hosts a conversation with Nick Crawford, Andy Green, and Juliana Wootten to discuss the second phrase of our mission statement, “Love People” and its application through the practice of Sabbath.
God created the world and everything in it, and on the seventh day He rested. In the law given to Moses, God set aside the seventh day as holy, a day for His people not to provide for themselves, but to worship and delight in God Himself, their provider. It serves as a reminder that life is more ...
Josh Patterson hosts a conversation with Nick Crawford, Mason King, and Ryan Wester to discuss the first phrase of our mission statement, “Love God” and its application through the practice of Sabbath.
Josh Patterson explains how we will be using our construction closure weekends to teach on our mission statement and put it into practice: “We exist to love God, love people, and make disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Creature to the Creator, the only thing we contribute is our need. We cannot earn the love of God. His grace is the unmerited favor we receive in Christ Jesus. It is the free affection of God.
As a counter to the prevailing Stoic view that satisfaction and stability are found within oneself, Paul tells the Philippians he has found the secret to contentment. The secret is outside of the body and fully in Christ. We can live in plenty or in want, in safety or through tragedy, and can do ...
Theology has to be lived out. It is lived knowledge, not knowledge for knowledge's sake. Paul has been unpacking humility, maturity, and faithful Christian living, and now is the time for actions. So, first things first, Paul says to rejoice!
Like a boxer keeping step, making offensive advances and defensive counter steps, the believer works in balance. We are humble yet audacious. We forget what slows us down and remember what pulls us forward. We yearn for the destination but keep our steps in the right direction.
Putting no hope or assurance on human effort, we rejoice with the family of God and keep an eye out for those that would lead us away from the confidence we have in Him.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we put our faith into action, working out our Salvation in the real world. We exchange complaints for blessings, excuses for confession, and seek unity in the church—that we might shine like stars in the darkness.
Paul, deeply encouraged by the church’s resilience and commitment to spreading the gospel, calls the Philippians into the next season of their ministry through the posture and practice of unity.
Through drought and harvest, in mansions and in prisons, in every season, Christ is the ultimate gain, and the work is worth it.
Paul begins his letter to the Philippians with deep gratitude, joy, and affection. He is confident that God will finish the good work He has started there among them. As partners in the gospel, we seek to grow in our affection for Christ and for each other and to live our lives with confidence th...
How might we stand in His holy place? We lay down idols. We remove any hindrance between God and us. We hate our sin and fear God. Give us clean hands and pure hearts, O Lord.
