REFUGE KENOSHA

A modern slogan that many of us have bought into is “It’s all about me.” Most of us wouldn’t admit it out loud, but our hearts are drawn to a “me-first” mentality. What if true joy was found not only in God Himself, but in God’s mission over our lives? Today, as we look at Philippians 1:12-18, we are going to see how true joy is found in pursuing the fame of Jesus.

In a culture that is very individualistic, what is our ultimate source of joy? Today, as we continue through Philippians 1, we are going to look at how individualism isn’t all bad, but our greatest joy will come from being Christ and gospel focused.

We are kicking off our series on the book of Philippians, and today we’re talking all about joy. How, in modern America, are we miserably joyless, and yet the Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Philippi while in prison, can have so much joy? We’ll see that he found joy in making himself less and becoming a slave to Jesus Christ and His purposes.

In a world that embraces change, we are very aware of changes that are happening all around us, especially when it comes to a change in people. This week, one of our Elders Mark Lehmann shares a bit about his testimony, how Christ completely changed his life, and how Christ changes everything in the lives of those who follow Him.

Pastor Tom shares about the story of his first son, Josiah, who was stillborn on October 9, 2018. Everyone who walks through grief experiences a wide range of emotions, but the one question that all Christians should ask is: How will I worship God through my grief? Today, we'll see how godly grieving involves receiving. We have to receive the bad, our own brokenness, and God's care and truth.

What actually matters? Have we reached the end of Ecclesiastes and realized that nothing in life matters? Is our only hope to try and make sense of the world on our own? As we close out this brilliant book, we are going to find that life with God is actually overflowing with meaning. We will find that because God exists, everything has true significance and meaning.

Modern culture has bowed down at the altar of the cult of youth. Young and old are most certainly affected by it. For the young, older people can tend to be seen as getting in the way. To the older, you long for youth, investing time and energy to try and hold on to it at all costs. However, the Bible tells us there’s a proper way to embrace both youth and old age. Today, as we look at Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8, we will see how we are called to embrace life responsibly.

Failure is simply a reality in life. Even successful business people will tell us that we need to embrace failure. However, when it comes to living the call to make disciples, why are we so crippled by the fear of failure? Today, as we look at  Ecclesiastes 11:1-6, we will look at how we ought to focus on action, and let success or failure rest in the hands of God.

Two relevant challenges for the modern person are the ability to control one's speech, and the ability to avoid laziness. As a culture looking for a quick fix and quick comforts, we can ignore key responsibilities in life, as well as use harsh speech to get us ahead. As we look at both the work ethic and the speech of the fool, we will be challenged to live wisely in this short life that we are given. Pastor Tom finishes off chapter 10 of Ecclesiastes.

In our modern, fast paced culture, we place our highest value on things that bring us enjoyment, free up our time, or simply distract us. What happens when we don’t value the wisdom that God gives us through the Bible? Today, as we start through Ecclesiastes 10, we’ll be looking at how when wisdom is not valued, foolishness (or what the Bible calls folly) will rapidly take its place in our lives.