Sin is the problem – YOU are not the answer. In this message (9/9/2012) Kent unpacks this idea and puts the puzzle pieces together to help us find movement in our relationship with Christ.
If you have been encouraged by Kent’s messages, we would encourage you to join Epic in helping people connect to God one person at a time by partnering with us through an online contribution!
The most confusing doctrine of Christianity is the Trinity – the idea that God is both 3 individuals and yet 1 cohesive entity. This week (7/15/2012), Kent tackles this foundational Christian idea and challenges us on why it matters to our everyday life.
If you have been encouraged by Kent’s messages, we would encourage you to join Epic in helping people connect to God one person at a time by partnering with us through an online contribution!
Rustin (7/1/2012) talks about what enabled David to move from confessing his sin on to an actual life change.
If you have been encouraged by Kent’s messages, we would encourage you to join Epic in helping people connect to God one person at a time by partnering with us through an online contribution!
This week (6/24/2012) we looked at the sin of David, Kent challenged us with the idea that when men forsake their call for comfort, they open themselves up to sin.
If you have been encouraged by Kent’s messages, we would encourage you to join Epic in helping people connect to God one person at a time by partnering with us through an online contribution!
Marriage can be rough, there is no doubt about it! Part of the difficulty is when we miss God’s intent for marriage. This week (2/12/2012) Kent unpacks the idea that married couples need to cling to one another as they pursue each other. Adding pursuit into your relationship will draw life back into your day to day lives!
If you have been encouraged by Kent’s messages, we would encourage you to join Epic in helping people connect to God one person at a time by partnering with us through an online contribution!
I’ve been reading the book of Jeremiah in personal celebration time of God and connecting with Him. I’m struck by the idea that, as a Christ Follower, none of my treasure, success, position, possessions, or power are “mine” in the sense that I have the right to use them exclusively for my own ends. They are a responsibility placed upon me by Jesus, one in which I will be called to account for. I serve, live, and breathe at His pleasure…
This could sound frightening and controlling until you understand the goodness of God, He knows me and loves me and will lead you and me in paths of righteousness if we will submit our all in all to Him. It is good to know God!
Where is God in this world? People are asking this question all the time. The answer is that He has chosen to use you and I to infect and change the world around us – to be his presence in Wichita. Sometimes, we are so caught up in what’s going on in our own lives that we can’t even see how He could use us. Tune in (11/27/2011) as Kent unpacks this idea and gives practical advice on how to change it…
If you have been encouraged by Kent’s messages, we would encourage you to join Epic in helping people connect to God one person at a time by partnering with us through an online contribution!
Lately I’ve been thinking about the American spirit to be an individual. We want to make a statement with our life, we want to be famous, we want to pursue our dreams, want to make it on our own. We want to be a shining star in the night sky. Here is the problem, you and I were created for community. I even believe we are better in community. I’m challenged in community, I’m encouraged in community, I’m supported in community, and I’m able to support in community.
There is a big push in American Christianity for “Personal Evangelism”, it is the idea that you personally are sharing your faith with other people. I’m, obviously, a big proponent of this – I don’t think anything gets my proverbial engine revving as much as sharing Jesus with another person. But lately, I have been thinking about how often in scripture there are instances of one person sharing their faith on their own. Honestly, I can only think of two – Phillip with the Etheopian Eunich in Acts and Paul at the Aeopogus in the book of Acts as well. There may be more, but that’s what comes to mind. As I thought about it, most of the evangelism in the book of acts and even the Gospels came in at a minimum of 2 and was really uber effective in larger groups (think of Acts 2 at Pentecost – we know that there were at least 12 who were speaking in other languages and possible as many as 120 – thousands were added to their number that day as evangelism was done in community).
Often times Christians of today bauk at the idea of doing evangelism as a group – but Jesus sent out missionaries 2 x 2 (Luke 10), John & Peter (Acts 3) went to the temple and stirred up some minds, Acts 5:12-16 tells us that the disciples met daily in Solomon’s colonnade and that people were added daily to their number. Paul & Silas, Paul & Barnabas, Paul & Timothy – any of those names ring a bell – interesting that we talk about them together, why? Because they went as a team, as community.
What does this mean? It may mean that Christians engaging their community at large as a Christian community has tremendous power that we may just be missing. It means that doing it alone is not bad, but it may be harder than having the momentum of a community of Christ followers living out the gospel with people who don’t have gospel. It may mean that as Christians, our Connection Groups need to join together to start thinking of ways to impact the world. That our churches should start to come together to interact in the “Colonades” of our day – the YMCA’s, the fairs and festivals, the mall, wherever it is that people are and we can find ways to positively impact them with the gospel.
What have we been missing by simply missing community…?
So, on Sunday we talked through the idea of why we don't always feel God… Here are the passages we went through with some questions to ask yourself about why you might not be feeling God like you used to… If you want to watch the sermon, you can click here http://epicchurch.us/nature-response-series-seeds-8282011-2/…
———– ARE YOU OVERSENSATIONALIZING IT? "Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." 30 So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?" John 6:29-30 IS YOUR HEART HAS HARDENED? You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Matt 13:14-15 ARE YOU BEING OBEDIENT? Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him…
I am really enjoying preaching through the book of Romans, it has been really challenging to me. One of the things that I am not going to be covering in my sermon but I thought I would point out is Romans 2:12-16. The idea is that God’s law is the standard by which all people will be judged. The question then becomes, what about people who’ve never heard God’s law – the tribe in Papau New Guinea? Paul’s answer is that when someone does something that is written in the law without knowing the law, then that person has become a law unto themselves and thus accountable. The problem, I then have, is once that person is accountable to God for the law how are they to be exposed to grace?
Paul already spoke to this a bit in chapter 1 when he says that through creation God is revealing Himself. But I think the best answer is to look at the story of Jonah. I won’t go into full detail, but I do think the heart of this story is God’s passion and love for all people, not just those with the “law”. The answer is, that God is not idolly sitting back – rather He is actively pursuing people. Even supernaturally constraining forces to bring about the redemption of people groups (ie. a giant fish, whale, whatever, decides to up and eat ol’ Jonah after the crazy storm get’s him tossed overboard. All of this to bring to the place God had called him to speak redemption too).
I have to believe that God is faithful, even when all men aren’t and that He is working ways to draw men to Himself – even if it takes the supernatural. This is why it’s so important that each of us take the mission of connecting people to God one person at a time so seriously, because people cannot hear if no one speaks to them. We are the ambassadors of Christ!