God describes our life on this broken earth as a battle, a race, a contest. The idea is clearly that it’s not easy and it takes resilience and endurance to complete the race. In this session, we’ll look at some ways and reasons people fall in this race and why God doesn’t reject us when we do. Restore us, O Lord, and bring…
know God…be holy…make Him known
know God…be holy…make Him known
Messages by Mike Crook (Page 3)
Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:8b (Living Bible) One of the best things about grace is also one of the worst things. Forgiveness. We all want it but we don’t always like giving it. Even when we give it, it often has strings attached. Today, we’ll understand what true forgiveness is and how God working in you can miraculously…
You began your life in Christ by the Spirit. Now are you trying to make it complete by your own power? That is foolish. Galatians 3:3 (New Century Version) One of the great enemies of grace is perfectionism. You know, trying to prove my worth by being perfect. There is a book in the Bible to battle perfectionism. It’s called Galatians. Today…
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV) Question. Who is responsible for my growth; me or God? What is spiritual growth? In this session we’ll attempt to answer these questions and help us to balance God’s grace with our growth.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 (NIV) We’ve all been hurt both physically and emotionally. As to which type of hurt scars the deepest, the verdict is still out. But the good news that God brings to our hurts is a grace that heals all hurts. The interesting part of this healing grace is that it doesn’t always…
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (New Living Translation) We’ve all felt like giving up before. Whether it was a school assignment, trying out for a sport, or simply being nice to people, weariness can cause us…
And the person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is. James 2:10 (Living Bible) In this session we’ll look at the difference between real guilt and false guilt. Then we’ll look at how humans tend to handle guilt and we’ll compare that idea to…
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Psalm 145:8 (NIV) If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. We’ve all been in the situation where we didn’t want to miss a free gift but we also didn’t want to be fooled by the trickster offering us something that seemed to good to be true. God, through…
He said to them, “I have wanted so much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer! For I tell you, I will never eat it until it is given its full meaning in the Kingdom of God.” Luke 22:15,16 Good News Translation Today is a very special day. It’s Easter and it certainly is kind of a big deal. Today…
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25 NIV Jesus claimed to be a lot of things. God, the way, the truth, the life and even the resurrection. But up until his actual death, burial, and resurrection, the verdict was out as to whether he was a liar, a…