February 12, 2017 |
Matthew 28:18-20 |
disciple making, discipleship
Disciple making begins with being a witness for Christ, sharing the gospel and inviting others to attend church with you. But why don’t more Christians witness? Recent statistics state that “86% of people who visit were invited by a friend or relative.” Yet, “only 2% of church people have invited an unchurched person to church with them.” What kind of a disciple are you? Do you want to be a disciple who makes disciples?
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus commissioned his disciples to be disciple-makers. We call this the Great Commission. Christ made being a disciple and making-disciples inseparable. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, you will be a disciple-maker. In Christ’s Great Commission, he taught them how to make disciples. We can obey Christ’s call to be disciples who make disciples.
[Note: Pastor Gary was visiting the Rocky Mount campus, Eastgate Community Church, this Sunday. This campus did not have the ability to record video of his message, so only audio is available for this sermon]
February 5, 2017 |
Matthew 16:24 |
discipleship
Full Transcript Available
In the book of Matthew, Jesus described what it meant to answer the call to come after Him and be one of His disciples. We can answer the call to be a disciple of Jesus.
January 29, 2017 |
Luke 5:1-11 |
finances, financial freedom, vocation
Full Transcript Available
Do you want to be free from financial worry and stress? Why do we want to be financially free? Will it lessen our anxiety? Yes. Will it reduce our stress? Yes. But life has a way of causing us to have worry and stress anyway. Following biblical principles for financial freedom will help, but it won’t solve all of your problems. Nor is it a method of becoming wealthy for the sake of your own comfort and pleasure. God doesn’t want us to be a slave to the lender. He wants us to be free to serve the Lord. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus called Peter to follow Him, turning all that he was and all that he had over Christ. Peter obeyed and followed Christ. We can turn all that we are and all that we have over to Christ and be set free to fully follow Him.
January 22, 2017 |
2 Kings 4:1-7 |
debt, finances
Full Transcript Available
Americans are awash in credit card and consumer debt! We are tempted by ads like, “Buy now, pay later.” Or “Now you can own anything, any time, anywhere!” Do you feel overwhelmed and trapped by debt? Maybe even a little ashamed? The truth is that your financial condition says a lot about your spiritual condition. There is a way out. God wants you to be debt free, so that you are free to be what He has called you to be.
January 15, 2017 |
Luke 15:11-24 |
debt, finances
Full Transcript Available
Jesus told a parable that illustrates how our spiritual condition and our finances are linked. We know this story as the parable of the Prodigal Son. This parable is often taught to warn us against rebellious living or illustrate the love of the Heavenly Father and both of those applications are correct and useful. But in this sermon, we look at this story from a different angle and see that it gives us both a warning and a proper perspective on how to handle money. Here’s a man who learned lessons on financial freedom the hard way.
January 8, 2017 |
Matthew 6:25-33 |
worry
Services were cancelled January 8th, 2017 because of inclement weather, so Pastor Gary and Robin took the opportunity to do a Facebook Live service with some songs and a devotion from that morning’s One Year Bible reading in Matthew.
Check out the live stream of comments and reactions on the Facebook Live video
January 1, 2017 |
1 John 2:7-17 |
New Years
Are you one of the 45% of Americans who make New Year’s Resolutions each year? Check out our New Year’s Day sermon for 2017 to learn how to view resolutions from an eternal perspective.
December 24, 2016 |
Luke 2:1-20 |
children, christmas
“This shall be a sign to you”…
Why was a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes a sign of Christmas?
December 18, 2016 |
Matthew 2:1-13 |
christmas, movies, popular culture
We all know this Christmas classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! This children’s book was written in 1957 by Dr. Seuss. In 1966, an animated Christmas cartoon was released based on the story, and in 2000 a Ron Howard Film, starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch was released. But did you know that there really was a “Grinch” who tried to steal Christmas? His name was… King Herod.
December 11, 2016 |
John 3:16-18 |
christmas, movies, popular culture
Several movies and plays have been based on Charles Dickens’ book, which was first published in London in 1843. The most recent movie version was by Disney featuring the voice-over of Jim Carrey. We learn in this movie that Scrooge doesn’t know how to “keep” Christmas until several spirits visit him and bring about a change of heart. But does the book and movie miss what it means to keep Christmas?
