Holly Springs Bible Fellowship Podcasts

Matthew 28 / Acts 1 - Missions is at the heart of God.  The story of the "good news" is the focus of the ministry of Jesus Christ.  A focus on missions honors the things that are near to the heart of God.  When we focus on others who need Christ, it reminds us that life is not about us, but about those who need Christ.  

Colossians 3:22-4:1 - God has called each of us into the job that He has for us.  He has placed us as a light in a special part of the world.  Our real job is to reflect Christ and serve Him in the workplace.  The paycheck we get each week is just an added benefit.  It is not the reason we do what we do.  We do not work for a paycheck, we work for the Lord. 

John 11 - Jesus explains to us that the resurrection focuses on 2 things.  It is about a person - the person of Jesus Christ.  The resurrection is about life.  Life here on this earth and life in the world to come.  The key question is whether we genuinely believe in Christ.

Luke 16 - Jesus uses this unusual story to remind us that we are to be good stewards of our money.  We don't waste money, trust it, love it or live for it.  We learn to use it wisely for God's Kingdom.  We recognize that we are to manage it wisely since it all belongs to God.  We use it for things that have eternal value and understand that we will give an account for how we manage the money God has entrusted to us while we are on this earth.  

Genesis 3 - We are reminded that relationships are easily hurt by our self imposed fears.  In order to honor God, we must understand the ways that God loved us.  As we try to emulate God's love and Christ's example, we can develop relationships that reflect Christ.  Our goal should be to show the love of Christ as we become people of grace and truth in a world that is self centered and based on lies.  

Mark 12:29,30 - The emotional side of our being has a great impact on our thinking and physical well being.  God wants us to be well balanced and healthy in all three areas.  God created us as emotional beings who feel and express emotions.  As believers we must identify, challenge and control our emotions.  This will help us develop a healthy emotional life.  

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - Healthy thinking requires a healthy input.  Many of us need to get rid of some unhealthy ways of thinking.  We need to start new healthy patterns of thinking.  We need to spend more time focused on God and the needs of others.  We also must remind ourselves that the things here are temporary.  

Psalm 23 - It is important that we take a serious look at our physical health.  Stress is crippling many of us because we are failing to trust and respond to God properly.  We need to get back to keeping a healthy focus on life from God's perspective.  We need to embrace the idea of a Sabbath in our lives.  We need balance as we seek to honor God in our physical lives.  * This is part of the Transformed Campaign by Rick Warren.  Messages adapted to my preaching style and personal material, but are based on the framework of key points established for the campaign.   

Luke 11:15-24 - Spiritual growth is intentional, it does not   happen automatically.  It starts with a desire to have a different type of spiritual life.  It requires us to realize that we are responsible for our spiritual growth.  After we have taken ownership of the situation, we have to be humble enough to get the help we need to make the changes we need to make.  Finally, we remember to celebrate our present and future and not allow Satan to get us focused on the past.  

Romans 12:2 - God wants us to change and transform our lives. The ultimate goal is to be more like Christ in our thoughts, beliefs, and behavior.  In order to grow, we have to be honest with ourselves in every area of our life.  We have to set goals, make plans, and focus our energy on the things that will make us more like Christ.  That process involves God's Spirit, His Word, and His people.  As we begin this 8-week journey together, may God guide us as we seek to transform our lives in line with His perfect will for us.  *Transformed is an eight week church wide campaign developed by Rick Warren at Saddleback Church.  The messages have been adapted from their source material which we are using as a framework for my weekly preaching and teaching.   **Please note no messages were recorded for the previous 2 weeks due to weather.

Ephesians 6:18 - 23 Paul ends the book focused on prayer as a central aspect of our battle against Satan.  He challenges us to stay focused on Peace (wholeness of life).  He reminds us to be loving and show the word and others the love of God.  He encourages us to be faithful and not allow the world to shape us.  Finally he expects us to remember that we are people of grace because of God's love to us.  The world must see a group of people who are different because of Christ in us. 

Ephesians 6:16,17 First we must put on truth, righteousness, and the gospel of peace.  Paul then challenges us to focus on salvation to protect our thinking.  We focus on God's Word to defeat Satan when he attacks.  We stand solid on our faith in Christ alone. 

Ephesians 6:10-15 - The Christian life is a battleground.  We are surrounded by an unseen world that is fighting for our hearts and minds.  Paul challenges us to stand firm with truth, righteousness, and our security in Christ and the gospel.  The world must see Christ in our lives as we walk in the path that God has laid out for us this week.  May they see Christ in Us this week.  

Ephesians 6:5-9 - Paul challenges the issue of slavery by encouraging people to treat one another with dignity and as people.  Slavery is confronted by focusing on our personal responsibility instead of our rights.  As Employees, we are serving God when we do our job with a right attitude and actions toward our employer.  As employers we create an environment in which we would be willing to work for us.  We see the most valuable people in our organization as those who have chosen to work for us.  We invest in their lives eternally, not just materially.  

Ephesians 6:1-4 - Parenting is tough and it is not a job for the weak.  Paul reminds children to obey and honor their parents.  He reminds fathers and parents that they must set boundaries and provide instruction to prepare kids for the real world of being an adult.  We choose our battles carefully and model what we expect.  Our goal is to prepare our children to live godly lives in an ungodly world.  We want our children to be lights in a world of darkness.  

Ephesians 5:21-33 - As Paul begins to talk about relationships, He reminds us that Christ is involved and we must look to serve others and focus less on ourselves.  As married couples we need to love and submit to one another so that we demonstrate Christ's love to us and the church's obedience to Christ.  We show the world what marriage was intended to be.   

Ephesians 5:15-20 - Paul concludes the concept of walk in love and light by challenging us to walk carefully.  He reminds us that we are surrounded by opportunities every day.  We must make the most of them by walking daily by God's spirit.  God should control our lives and direction our paths according to His will and plans for our life. Make the days count. 

Luke 2:8-20 - The angels announced the birth of Jesus to the world.  God started with shepherds and the word spread from there.  God was no longer distant but came to be "God with us" (or me).  Jesus was a personal God who wants a personal and real relationship with you.  He is a gift you must receive. 

Matthew 1: 18-25 - The Christmas story is the story of a God who dwelt with us to make a way for us to be saved.  Christmas is not about religion, ritual or rules.  It is about a God that came to end the separation between you and Him.  He provides salvation as a gift.  All you have to do is accept His gift and make Him your savior.  

Matthew 1:1-16 The genealogy of Jesus Christ reminds us that Jesus is surrounded by history, not just mystery.  His background is one of common people who have an extraordinary heritage.  These people teach us that the Christmas story is a story of Faith, Hope, and Love.  Ultimately it is about Jesus being the king of your life and mine.