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When Christ Rebuilds a Church

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   The Church Christ is Building -2   TITLE : When Christ Rebuilds a Church TEXT: Ephesians 2:11-22 THESIS: A church in need does not become new by minimizing its wounds, managing its decline, or pretending its fractures are small. A church becomes new when it remembers what Christ has done: He brings the far off near, makes enemies into family, and builds broken people into a dwelling place for God.   This is a call to receive the reconciling work of Jesus, repent of division and discouragement, and rise together as one Spirit-filled household on mission with God.   TRUTH: There are seasons when a church can feel tired in its bones. The songs may still be sung, the calendar may still be full, and the lights may still come on every Sunday -but beneath the surface, people know something needs to be healed. Relationships may be strained. Vision may feel cloudy. Trust may be fragile. Hope may be thin.   Into that kind of c...
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The Church Belongs to Jesus

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         The Church Christ is Building- 1   TITLE: The Church Belongs to Jesus TEXT: Matthew 16:13-20 THESIS: Because the church belongs to Jesus, we must confess Him boldly, trust Him completely, and serve Him faithfully.   TRUTH: Imagine hiring a crew to remodel your house. You give them the keys, show them the plans, and entrust them with the work. Then one morning you arrive and discover they have changed everything. They removed walls you wanted preserved, abandoned the architect’s plans, and redesigned the house around their own preferences. When you object, they say, “But we work here, so we decided this is what the house should become.” You would remind them of one basic fact: Working in the house does not make them the owners of the house. Sometimes the church forgets that same truth. We worship here, serve here, give here, and hold cherished memories here—but none of that makes the church ours. We are not the owners; ...
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Location: Edmond, OK, USA
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Faith Wins and Bleeds

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    By Faith- 20   TITLE: Faith Wins and Bleeds TEXT: Hebrews 11:33-38 THESIS: To move hearers beyond faith in a preferred outcome to faith in the unchanging character of God—trusting His power when He delivers, His wisdom when He delays, and His goodness when deliverance does not come.   TRUTH: Think of gold in two different states of processing. The Crown. Gold that has been shaped, polished and set into a royal crown. It represents the “winning” faith -visible, triumphant, and celebrated by everyone. The Crucible. Gold that is currently sitting inside a furnace heated to 2,000 degrees. It looks like a bubbling, ruined mess, trapped in the dark fire. To the untrained eye, the gold in the crown is blessed and the gold in the furnace is cursed. But the goldsmith values both equally. In fact, he watches the crucible even more closely. Winning faith shows God’s power in the world ; bleeding faith shows God’s value to the soul as the dross is burned awa...
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Location: Edmond, OK, USA
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A Portrait of Living Faith

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   By Faith -19   TITLE: A Portrait of Living Faith TEXT: Hebrews 11:32; 1Samuel THESIS: Samuel’s life teaches us that genuine faith is not merely professed; it is practiced through attentive listening, courageous obedience, and persistent intercession.   TRUTH: On May 11, 1685, in Wigtown, Scotland, two ordinary believers -Margret Mclachlan, an older widow, and Margret Wilson, about eighteen years old -were taken to the edge of ocean, where the tides rolled in and were tied to stakes. Their offense was refusing an oath that would have acknowledged the kings authority over Christ’s church. The older woman was placed farther out so that the younger Margaret would watch as the water claimed the older woman first and perhaps surrender. As the tide advanced, Margret was given repeated opportunities to save her life by compromising her confession. She refused. She could not know whether a pardon would arrive, whether the authorities would r...
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