Ephesians 2:8-10
Welcome to our 2018 theme. This year we will explore the arc of grace. There are two parts: First, and perhaps most well understood, there is God's grace to us. He loves us enough to overlook our mistakes and shortcomings. He loves us enough to make up the difference for those by sending His son! We are saved by the grace of God, through the blood of Jesus on the cross. The arc of God's grace doesn't end with what I receive from God. The second incarnation of grace is what we do with it. Grace transforms our treatment of others, it transforms our view of others, and it transforms the church. Not just a place where grace is received; but a place where grace is given. Join us this year as we continue to make Lakeview a Space for Grace.- Jan 14, 2018Redemption And Freedom
Jan 14, 2018Redemption And FreedomBy: Ben CookSeries: A Space for Grace
Ephesians 2:8-10
Welcome to our 2018 theme. This year we will explore the arc of grace. There are two parts: First, and perhaps most well understood, there is God's grace to us. He loves us enough to overlook our mistakes and shortcomings. He loves us enough to make up the difference for those by sending His son! We are saved by the grace of God, through the blood of Jesus on the cross. The arc of God's grace doesn't end with what I receive from God. The second incarnation of grace is what we do with it. Grace transforms our treatment of others, it transforms our view of others, and it transforms the church. Not just a place where grace is received; but a place where grace is given. Join us this year as we continue to make Lakeview a Space for Grace. - Jan 7, 2018When You Say, “I Do!”
Jan 7, 2018When You Say, “I Do!”By: Dennis BakerSeries: A Space for Grace
Malachi 2:10-16
When a couple gets married, most of the time it is done with the best of intentions. But despite the best intentions, too many marriages end in divorce. This might suggest that one or both involved in a broken marriage got married for the wrong reason or reasons. Scripture gives us a different set of motivations for marriage. Discovering these will help our marriages endure. - Jan 7, 2018Face to Face
Jan 7, 2018Face to FaceBy: Ben CookSeries: A Space for Grace
Hebrews 10:23-25
It's probably impossible to live without experiencing loneliness at time. Statistically, loneliness, isolation, and depression are growing problems, especially in the heart of our biggest cities. Experts agree that this generation is the loneliest generation ever recorded, despite being the most connected generation ever. While loneliness may be the experience of the average American, it should not ever be the experience of the church. Regardless of your race, income, or social standing; you will find that the church is a place for you to belong. If it's not that place for you, we need to lean harder into each other as a community. This happens - it only truly happens - face to face. - Dec 31, 2017On the Verge of Bigger
Dec 31, 2017On the Verge of BiggerBy: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
2 Timothy 1:6-12
Many churches, like many people, never experience their full potential. Full potential is defined as, more than we can ask or imagine. This is a vision of success that God puts before us. It’s a vision that is not achievable by human means alone. It’s something that God hopes for and directs the course of those who want it for themselves. If your vision for the future is achievable through your skill and ability, it is not big enough.
- Dec 24, 2017Key People in the Story
Dec 24, 2017Key People in the StoryBy: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
Luke 1:26-38
When we think about the story of the Messiah, His life and His mission, we may identify better with one or more of the people involved. This is normal because the experiences we have may remind us of the people in the story. To which person in the story of Christ do you more closely connect? - Dec 17, 2017Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
Dec 17, 2017Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?By: Ben CookSeries: Our Identity in Christ
This year I've had 4 different people ask this question. As you can imagine, some believe with great conviction that the answer is no while others don't even know that there's a question to ask. There are good reasons why many believers abstain completely from this holiday, and likewise, many reasons why families participate with their neighborhoods. There are also good reasons why we, as a church, actually put on a Trunk or Treat. Tonight we will open our Bibles and take a good, Biblical, look at this together. Some of this may even spill over to how we think about Christmas and yoga.
- Dec 17, 2017Careless Worship
Dec 17, 2017Careless WorshipBy: Ben CookSeries: Our Identity in Christ
Malachi 1:6-8
Every relationship in your life requires an investment from you, including your relationship with God. It is important for us to develop habits of spiritual discipline - reading, fasting, praying, and assembling; habits. By themselves, these activities become hollow and meaningless. Malachi brings our attention directly to this problem in ancient Israel: people who worshiped God but didn't actually care about God. He surely has something to say to us today in the busy, frenetic pace of the Holiday season.
- Dec 10, 2017The ABCs Of Maintaining Boundaries In Families
Dec 10, 2017The ABCs Of Maintaining Boundaries In FamiliesBy: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
- Dec 10, 2017The Shepherd Protects
Dec 10, 2017The Shepherd ProtectsBy: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
Ephesians 6:1-4
What happens when sheep don’t have a shepherd? Literally, they will die. They are not clever or bright, and when threatened, their only defense is to run; off a cliff, into a river, toward danger. All they can do instinctually is eat. If they are to remain useful for their wool, milk and as a food source, they must be guided and protected.
- Dec 3, 2017He Saw the Wind
Dec 3, 2017He Saw the WindBy: Ben CookSeries: Our Identity in Christ
Matthew 14:22-33
What shifted inside Peter? Only a few lines separate his request for Jesus to call him out of the boat, from his fixation on the wind. His swing from great faith to great doubt should break a record in anyone's book. Maybe it gives us comfort to know that this happens. Too often we believe that faith is a linear thing - it just builds and never looks back, but there are many things that can shake our faith. The truth is we often swing - wildly - from faith to doubt, and at every turn, Jesus is still there to lift us up. He is faithful even in your doubt. - Nov 26, 2017The Shepherd Leads
- Nov 19, 2017The Shepherd Knows
Nov 19, 2017The Shepherd KnowsBy: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
John 1:1-14
To know just doesn’t mean acquiring knowledge. It includes how to conduct yourself according to that knowledge. Shepherd leaders get to know the flock, and they have a unique way of gathering information. - Nov 12, 2017Shepherding: A Model for the Home
Nov 12, 2017Shepherding: A Model for the HomeBy: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
John 10:1-10
Shepherding is usually defined in terms of church leadership. The Shepherd (pastor/elder) is charged to lead the flock (church). A closer look reveals that effective leadership in the home is a pre-requisite for leadership in the Family of God (see 1 Timothy 3:4-5). Anyone who leads should consider the 4 principles of biblical shepherding: knowing, leading, protecting and providing. - Nov 5, 2017When Your Only Option Is To Look Up
Nov 5, 2017When Your Only Option Is To Look UpBy: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
Habakkuk 3
What happens when the solution that God offers goes against everything you have determined to be right? Because I don’t always understand the ways of God, I have to look for the place where wills collide and do some serious soul searching.
- Nov 5, 2017Each One Serves
Nov 5, 2017Each One ServesBy: Ben CookSeries: Our Identity in Christ
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Cardiac Arrest is the medical definition but you and I know it as a heart attack. It's weird that you and I have a part of our body that we don't see, we don't think about, we don't actively direct, and, until modern medical science, we knew very little about. Yet this hidden, unknown body part silently faithfully plods along. When it doesn't, the body has a big problem. Paul uses this metaphor of the body to describe the church, and yes, the church has many members who are very visible, well known, and understood. They are no more important than the hidden ones. This morning we will talk about how God supplies all the parts in the body to contribute to it's function, including you. Let's build a healthy church together.
- Oct 29, 2017Watching and Waiting
Oct 29, 2017Watching and WaitingBy: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
Habakkuk 2
The prophet is watching and waiting for God’s reply to his questions. What God reveals will not surprise Habakkuk if he watches with his eyes wide open. - Oct 29, 2017With All Your Heart
Oct 29, 2017With All Your HeartBy: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
Philippians 2:1-11
There is a call from Scripture for us to be engaged and active in the work of the church. However, it seems the passive response to the gospel is more common than the active response. Paul encourages us to have the same mind, same love, same feeling and the same focus on the goal. When God’s people occupy this common space, the church grows, even in times of crisis. - Oct 22, 2017Does God Even Care?
Oct 22, 2017Does God Even Care?By: Dennis BakerSeries: Our Identity in Christ
Habakkuk 1
One of the main critiques of Christianity, by cultural voices, centers around the idea that God seems indifferent and inconsistent in His dealings with people. We assume that God is like us or that we are god-like, and would do things differently. Habakkuk thought that as a prophet he would have some insight about the mysterious ways of God, but he came to a different conclusion as he interacted with God. - Oct 22, 2017The Lens of Grace
Oct 22, 2017The Lens of GraceBy: Ben CookSeries: Our Identity in Christ
Romans 5:15-16
As agents of God's reconciliation, it's important that we see people through God's eyes. Last week we looked at how our neighbors are the objects of God's love and as a result, they are the mission. This week we will look at how we view each other in the church. We are not righteous because we have earned it, we are not righteous because we live it, and more than anything, we need to view each other through the lens of God's grace.