How Does Faith Grow?
Sunday, January 3, 2016
The Case for Growing Faith
Pastor Steve Brown
Although we have already attained eternal life through the work of Jesus, every living follower of Jesus is not done growing in faith. Until we are with God in heaven, God is continually working to grow our confidence in Him. Continuing to grow in faith brings incredible benefits in the life of a Christian. This sermon will introduce the series and make a case for why we should continue to seek growing in faith.
After hearing this sermon, we hope you will name any barriers you have to growing in faith, confess them before God, and ask God to help you remove those barriers so as to be truly open to what will be taught in this series.
Lessons: Philippians 3:10-16, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Faith Grows Through Practical Teaching
David Drees
Worship is a funny thing, most of us hear the word and immediately think of singing in church. While this is part of worship, it is so much deeper than this! Today we will look at how we are natural worshipers and how The Word, our songs, and mission of Christ drive us deeper into sweet and meaningful worship.
This topic hits all of the cornerstone points of St. Luke's by learning what true worship is, living it out through our faith, and unleashing the hope and excitement this brings on our world!
After hearing this sermon, we hope you will 1) take ten minutes to prepare yourself for worship—ask the Lord to prepare your heart; 2) Reflect on how you can apply what you’ve learned in the sermon to your daily life, or ask someone else how they apply what they’ve learned in a sermon to their lives.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Faith Grows Through Private Disciplines
Pastor Steve Brown
The private disciplines of prayer and meditating on Holy Scripture usher us into the transcendent presence of God where He speaks personally to us. There we experience intimacy with God and accountability before God in our path of faith. Our hearts are tuned into God’s heart. “There is a direct correlation between a person’s private devotional life and his or her personal faith. When God peaks to us personally through His Word or answers a specific prayer, our faith is strengthens.” (Andy Stanley)
After hearing this sermon, we hope you will begin a daily quiet time with the Lord of prayer and reading and meditating on Scripture.
Lessons: Joshua 1:7-9, 2 Timothy 3:14-16, Matthew 6:5-6
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Faith Grows Through Providential Relationships
Greg Osborne
Chances are you didn’t randomly just walked into a church today to see what it was about. It is more likely that someone talked to you about God, shared their story with you or maybe just invited you to come to church. No matter how you decided to come to church today God planted a seed in your mind about faith though someone. These types of encounters are what we call providential relationships and today we are going to talk about the importance of those relationships.
Who is your group of people that live life with you and help you grow in your faith? If you can’t name a group maybe it is time to hop into a life group this week.
Lessons: Genesis 2:18-22, Hebrews 10:19-25, John 15:9-16
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Faith Grows Through Personal Ministry
Pastor Steve Brown
The Bible is filled with accounts of God calling people into ministry before they thought they were ready, e.g., Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Peter, Saul of Tarsus. When we step into a ministry for which we do not feel prepared, our faith grows. Some people have called this “stepping out of our comfort zones.” It is simply the case that when we bring all that we have to Jesus and he works through what we have to make an eternal difference in the lives of others, our faith is supercharged. Everyone can serve, invite, and give in some way to meet the hopes and hurts of others.
After hearing this sermon, we hope you will volunteer for a ministry. If you are already serving in a ministry, reset your vision of what you doing to see that God is making an eternal difference through you.
Lessons: Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Acts 20:32-35, Matthew 14:13-21
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Faith Grows Through Pivotal Circumstances
David Drees
Everything that happens to us in a day shapes us, C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying something to the effect of, all our decisions move us closer to Heaven or closer to Hell. There are however, some moments in our life that stand out above the rest, moments that are pivotal on our faith. It is in these moments that God moves the needle of our faith lives in tremendous ways.
After hearing this sermon, we hope you will ask someone what pivotal moments in their lives that have shaped their faiths. Then write some down that happened in your own life and: thank the lord for them, reflect how they shaped your faith, and share it when a loved one! Spend time praying for God to move in big and small moments in your life.