New Life Community Church, Atwater, CA

"You may as well fight."

“You May as Well Fight.” 

presented by:

Visiting Missionaries Clayton & Celia Chamberlain along with their children Cameron, Connor and Coral, serving Christ in Darkan, Mongolia with Team Expansion. 

“A Really Helpful Summer Series” (part 3) “Watch Your Mouth!” Proverbs 10:11-14

“A Really Helpful Summer Series” (part 3) “Watch Your Mouth!”
Proverbs 10:11-14 

Life can be a complicated mess, filled with choices to make and circumstances to react to. The purpose of the Proverbs is to offer insight on how to navigate the complexities of life. Last week we considered the question of “how do we listen?” and today the question of “how do we speak?” What we say and how we say it has both the power to build up as well as the power to destroy. 

“A Really Helpful Summer Series” (Part 2) “Learning to Listen” Proverbs 12:14-18

“A Really Helpful Summer Series” “Learning to Listen” Proverbs 12:14-18 

Life can be a complicated mess, filled with choices to make and circumstances to react to. It is easy to get lost or overwhelmed, not knowing where to turn. When things get tough, we often resort to “going it alone”. This human impulse rarely leads to the best outcome, yet listening to the wrong advice is even worse. According to the Book of Proverbs, the learning to listen is the first step on the Way of Wisdom. 

“A Really Helpful Summer Series” (Part 1) “The Way of Wisdom” Proverbs 1:1-7

“A Really Helpful Summer Series” “The Way of Wisdom” Proverbs 1:1-7 

Life can be a complicated mess, filled with choices to make and circumstances to react to. It is easy to get lost or overwhelmed, not knowing where to turn. Enter the “The Book of Proverbs”, is a collection of ancient wisdom, intended to be a help navigating the complex realities of life. The book is filled with practical, helpful statements on a variety of topics that when considered, meditated upon, and implemented into our lives will help guide our steps closer to the life God intends for us. Today we’ll begin a walk along the way of wisdom. 

“Keep Calm and Carry On” John 6:16-21

#7 in the series:
“The Magnificent Seven (Exploring the miracles of Jesus in John’s Gospel)” “Keep Calm and Carry On”
John 6:16-21 

Overwhelmed by the challenge, facing fears bigger than our ability to cope, we get impatient, we get bitter or we give up. The final miracle we examine today reminds us that it is in the middle of the storms of life that we need Jesus the most, and it is here that we meet him again and again. 

“Help for the Helpless” John 5:1-15

#6 in the series:
“The Magnificent Seven (Exploring the miracles of Jesus in John’s Gospel)” “Help for the Helpless”
John 5:1-15 

When life takes a bum twist, where do we turn? When the challenge is greater than our strength, is there another way? Today, Jesus meets a man who’d been stuck in his circumstance a long time, yet He brings a new start and a new perspective. Can God meet us even in our brokenness? Can He use us to reach the broken around us? 

“Out of the Box Love” John 4:43-54

#5 in the series:
“The Magnificent Seven (Exploring the miracles of Jesus in John’s Gospel)”
“Out of the Box Love” John 4:43-54 

How far would you go to save the life of your child? There are probably no boundaries that one can imagine getting in the way. So we are not surprised by the father in today’s passage who walks 24 miles to request the healing miracle of Jesus for his son. Still, Jesus’ response surprises. Amazing Grace always does! 

“Lazarus and the Elephant in the Room”

#4 in the series:
“The Magnificent Seven (Exploring the miracles of Jesus in John’s Gospel)” “Lazarus and the Elephant in the Room” John 11 

“Lazarus was dead, to begin with...This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate...” The raising of Lazarus is a profound demonstration of the power of God to overcome the impossible, but it also reveals that God’s answers do not always come in our timing or in the way we expect. So what do we do when we find ourselves caught between the adversity and God’s answer? 

“You Are Very Special” Genesis 1:26

“You Are Very Special” Genesis 1:26 

You were created in the image of God, and that makes you very special. He knows you by name and loves you. He loves you. He loved you enough to die for you, that makes you worth a great deal... 

“Who’s to Blame?” John 9

#3 in the series:
“The Magnificent Seven (Exploring the miracles of Jesus in John’s Gospel)” “Who’s to Blame?” John 9

We are quick to rush to judgement. We like to find a scapegoat or at least a reason for what we don’t understand. We want to be able to assign blame when things go wrong, and even though it doesn’t really change anything, we feel a little more in control. We are so human! So were Jesus’ disciples and most everyone else in the healing miracle story of John 9. Yet Jesus chooses to glorify God rather than magnify the problem.