Below are Pastor Ben's sermon notes from this past Sunday, in case they may be helpful for further study. Intro: (1) what does it look like to be filled with the Spirit? (2) first must recognize our spiritual emptiness apart from Christ (cf. Jeremiah 2:13, John 4:14, 7:37-38) (3) all forms of spirituality outside of Christ are empty, for it is only through Christ that we can be filled with God via...  Read More

I recently ran across the following quote: “Maturity requires suffering. Some of [the suffering] may be petty, some of it may be serious, and some of it may be so psychologically scarring that you’ll be getting over it for a long time.” Suffering comes in a variety of forms and can ebb and flow through various seasons. But one thing is for sure: it is often the catalyst for spiritual maturing. Her...  Read More

Below are Pastor Ben's sermon notes from this past Sunday, in case they may be helpful for further study. Intro: (1) 5:1-2 — John 8:12 — Mt. 5:14-16 (2) “how has Christ brought light to my darkness, and WHO was pivotal in that?” (3) evangelism emphasis (4) read v.7-8 — four ways to reflect the light of ChristCultivate Fruit (9): (1) new life intended to produce new fruit — can only be produced by...  Read More

Mark 10:45a, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve”For as long as I can remember, serving others, especially those less fortunate than me, has been a vital part of my life. I can vividly remember when I was about 5 years old Dad and his small group from church decided to do a service project in our neighborhood. The project was cleaning up an elderly lady’s yard of overgrown...  Read More

I recently read the account of an actress who auditioned for a particular part in a play. Instead of getting the part she wanted, she was given another part that she was far less interested in. Despite her initial disappointment, she went on to talk about all the things she learned from accepting a role that she would have rather not had. What a helpful picture for thinking about our own lives. In...  Read More

Below are Pastor Ben's sermon notes from this past Sunday, in case they may be helpful for further study. Intro: (1) Jeremy’s question of “who am I?” (2) a question of what provides my sense of value, worth, meaning, purpose — Emma Thompson (3) attempts to answer this externally through achievement or internally through soul-searching (4) what about asking God?Disconnected from Christ (17-19)1. De...  Read More