Sermons on Church Life
The Journey of the Commissioned Life
The Journey of the Commissioned Life Part 2 in the series, Building His Church: The Commission Wall Download the sermon notes (adult version)
Sheep, Wolves and the Shepherd
Sheep, Wolves and the Shepherd Part 8 in the series, Building His Church: The Called-Out (Ekklesia) Wall There are sheep—that’s the Body [of Christ]. There are wolves trying to disintegrate and erode the Kingdom of God work in this world. And then there are shepherds—and in this context, the shepherds are the leaders of the church. … We will not be able to move forward until we recognize, know and pray for our leaders. BILLY ARNOLD Download the sermon notes (adult…
Dependent Prayer
Dependent Prayer Part 4 in the series, Building His Church: The Community (Koinonia) Wall Download the sermon notes (adult version) Download the sermon notes (kid version)
A Seat at the Table
A Seat at the Table Part 3 in the series, Building His Church: The Community (Koinonia) Wall ‘A seat at the table’ means a seat at the table of faith—because the Word of God is at the center. … To be a fully functioning follower of Christ, you sit at the table. BILLY ARNOLD Download the sermon notes (adult version) Download the sermon notes (kid version)
Devotion to the Word of God
Devotion to the Word of God Part 2 in the series, Building His Church: The Community (Koinonia) Wall Let’s make sure we raise up the value of the Word of God. … When the Koinonia [church fellowship] family took place, what did they do? The first line in [Acts 2:42-47] says they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the Word. It’s the centerpiece of the table. It is the centerpiece of our lives. BILLY ARNOLD Download the sermon notes…
The Koinonia (Κοινωνία) Wall
The Koinonia (ΚΟΙΝΩΝΊΑ) Wall Part 1 in the series, Building His Church: The Community (Koinonia) Wall Koinonia, in its simplest form…is often translated as fellowship. But it is much deeper than ‘potluck.’ … The building of this church is really about you, about me. It’s not about ‘the orator’—it’s about us. It’s about the family of faith, who are willing to commit to God’s plan, in God’s way, in all of this. BILLY ARNOLD Download the sermon notes (adult version) Download…
The Kingdom Church at War
The Kingdom Church at War Part 5 in the series, Building His Church: The Kingdom Wall As we’re building this wall, we’ve got to understand what real soldiers are—because there are soldiers in the Kingdom of God. We’ve got to understand what the real battles are—because we do face battles when we build the Kingdom Wall of His Church. And we’ve got to understand what the real enemy is—because I want you to know, the enemy is here. BILLY ARNOLD Download…
The Kingdom Treasure
The Kingdom Treasure Part 4 in the series, Building His Church: The Kingdom Wall The Kingdom Wall of this church is built by Holy Spirit-empowered citizens who freely share God’s treasure with all those who would receive it. BILLY ARNOLD Download the sermon notes (adult version) Download the sermon notes (kid version)
Building His Church: A Prelude
Building His Church: A Prelude An introduction to the series, Building His Church We need to understand what the Body [of Christ] is about, what we do—how does the Body work, how is it all put together, how is it organized? We’re going to talk about all those things throughout this year. We’re going to learn how to deal with the successes and failures as well as the pitfalls of a church … and the places and things that we…
Wisdom in “Iron Sharpens Iron”
Wisdom in “Iron Sharpens Iron” Part 11 of the series, Proverbs: Merging God’s Wisdom with Real Life When we read Proverbs 27:17 that says, “Iron sharpens iron,” it’s not just like, “Man, I want to be a better me.” I want to be a tool used in the toolbox of the Almighty God, for the purposes of God for this generation. BILLY ARNOLD Download the sermon notes (adult version) Download the sermon notes (KidVenture version)
Until Joy is Complete (The Postcard Epistle, Part 4)
Our obedience to walk in the truth and love together will lead to the experience of the fullness of joy. And it’s that experience of the fullness of joy that then leads to an experience of the fellowship of the family. … John’s call to abide in the teachings of Christ remain the same for all of us: Will we be on guard against the deceivers in the world, and will we remain true to the Father and to the…
To the Woman (The Postcard Epistle, Part 1)
The Elder is concerned first and foremost for the truth of the gospel—and then he is concerned for his people. … Would they be the elect, who embrace and enjoy the truth and love? And ultimately, will we? KEVIN Download the discussion guide Reading plan through John’s writings
Uncharted Territory, Part 9: The Church Crosses the Divide into Uncharted Territory
Uncharted Territory, Part 9: The Church Crosses the Divide into Uncharted Territory An ambassador is the greatest job in the world. To represent your country… This is the greatest job that we have, because we represent the King of kings and Lord of lords, the One and Only, there is no other. It is not to be shared in any way. We are ambassadors in that. And we are a unified Body — as a church, and you as an individual.…
Uncharted Territory, Part 6: Guided by the Holy Spirit
Uncharted Territory, Part 6: Guided by the Holy Spirit This is what Spirit-empowered disciples do: they share the good news. They witness to the work of Jesus. And this is what Spirit-led churches do: they send out these Spirit-empowered disciples. The question for us today is, are we that kind of a church? Are we those kinds of disciples? … The Holy Spirit guides all of this. Without the Holy Spirit, we are just a gathering of mostly nice people who…
Uncharted Territory, Part 5: From Imprisonment to Freedom
Uncharted Territory, Part 5: From Imprisonment to Freedom What does it mean to us that God is sovereign? It says that if God is sovereign — and I do believe that He is — then it is right for you and me to surrender ourselves to Him. We surrender ourselves to God and we allow Him to do whatever He wishes with us. James surrendered his life to God. Peter surrendered his life. It is no use fighting against a sovereign…
Uncharted Territory, Part 4: From 1st Generation to 2nd Generation
Uncharted Territory, Part 5: From 1st Generation to 2nd Generation My dream for LifeWay is that we become a next-generation church, just like Antioch. … [a church that] says, “I am not afraid to live on the frontier lines of anything as a church, to face the issues of what may come our way. And the only way I’m going to do that is [to be] an authentic follower of Jesus.” Download the PDF above to follow along with notes.
Uncharted Territory, Part 1: From a Safe Community to the Frontier
Uncharted Territory, Part 1: From a Safe Community to the Frontier I have said that [Philip] was the very first Acts 1:8 man, so I don’t disagree that he was a pioneer. But I don’t think that Philip was trying to be a pioneer. I don’t think that he was trying to say, “Here I am! I’m the first one to try to evangelize past Samaria!” I think he was just trying to be a Christian. … My encouragement in…
Refresh, Part 6: Real Relationships
Refresh, Part 6: Real Relationships The church family should not be a place for ‘polished’ believers to come and compare how good we look; rather, the church family should be a place for imperfect people to point each other to Jesus. We should be a place where the broken and the hurting can come together and be transformed by relationship with Jesus. Real relationships mean that we will be upfront and open and honest about where we are, and who…
Refresh, Part 5: Real Engagement
Refresh, Part 5: Real Engagement Real engagement is deeply engaging in the complexity of God’s Word, and bringing it to the complexity of life around us. … The Bible has real-life answers to the complexities this world offers us. Download the PDF above to follow along with notes.
Refresh, Part 4: Real Ownership
Refresh, Part 4: Real Ownership You play a critical part of the body [of Christ] because this is a family. It’s a body. It’s not just a family in the human sense of the word; it is literally the working of God in this world. … The body of Christ will recognize that everybody has to take ownership of their part. Download the PDF above to follow along with notes.
Refresh, Part 3: Real Life
Refresh, Part 3: Real Life Our everyday lives demonstrate our belief and our experiences of the gospel. … [Moses says in Deuteronomy 6,] use everyday life to pass on the truths about God. Love God with every part of your being, and use every part of your life to live out your relationship with him. That’s the core value of real life. …Instead of just looking for rituals or practices that are disconnected from the rest of our lives, God has…
Refresh, Part 2: Real Priorities
Refresh, Part 2: Real Priorities These stories that Jesus is telling [of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the Prodigal Son] are meant to clue us in to God’s heart. He’s cluing us in to God’s priorities. God is willing to do the unthinkable to save the broken … [and] He wants us to be a part of that plan. Download the PDF above to follow along with notes.
Refresh, Part 1: The Mission of LifeWay Church
Refresh, Part 1: The Mission of LifeWay Church ‘Church’ in the New Testament is a Greek word: ecclesia. That term literally means ‘the assembly of called-out people.’ … You’re called out of this world, you’re assembling together in order to accomplish something that has a very different eternal consequence. It is not a marketing term in any way, shape or form. It is a reality of who we are as church. Download the PDF above to follow along with notes.
Let’s Talk, Part 5: Let’s Talk About Money (2/2)
Let’s Talk, Part 5: Let’s Talk About Money (2/2) Delayed gratification is huge with an eye to the future if—if—they’re goals that we’re led by, by the Holy Spirit. I think we get wrapped up into saving just to save, and to have this financial security. There’s no such thing as financial security. There is in the world’s eyes, but there’s really no such thing as financial security. Our security and hope is only in one thing, it can only…
Let’s Talk, Part 4: Let’s Talk About Money (1/2)
Let’s Talk, Part 4: Let’s Talk About Money (1/2) Earning allows us to provide for our families, of course, but it also allows us to bless others and to help the Kingdom work. And knowing that everything is God’s to begin with helps us to better understand why giving is ultimately the first thing that we need to do with our money — and, frankly, our time and talents as well. [Our apologies — due to technical difficulties, the recording…
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