LWCF Teachings

With all the current events of our day, it's important to ask ourselves, "How big is our God?" Pastor Shane kicks off a new sermon looking into the attributes of God. When the world around us gets shaky, it's important to have a firm understanding of the true character of God so we are not blown by the wind.

After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus walked the earth for a few more days and gave instruction to his disciples before He departed to heaven. Before Jesus ascended, He promised to return some day and the Holy Spirit descended upon His believers. Jesus charged us with a mission while we wait: to make disciples of all nations.

On the day Jesus was crucified he was put on the cross between two criminals who were justifiably in trouble. The two criminals on the cross had different responses to Jesus: one of mockery and one of repentance. Through this small glimpse into the story of the crucifixion we see the patience and genuine love of Jesus, reminding us that we're never too far gone to accept the grace of God.

As the crucifixion drew nearer, Jesus reclined with his disciples for a meal which ended in Him washing the disciples feet. This act was one of humility and a symbolic reminder about His authority to forgive sins.

In a unique encounter with Jesus, he is tempted in the wilderness by Satan. This encounter emphasizes the humanity and deity of Jesus. Because of his time on earth, Jesus is able to relate with us in suffering and temptation. He also promises to provide a way out when we are tempted, and he himself never fell into temptation.

In today's message, Pastor David dives into the story Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was not one who was thought of highly due to his social status and career. Despite these facts, Jesus chose to dwell with him and Zacchaeus' life was changed from that day forward.

Through the encounter with Jesus studied in today's message we see a rich young ruler inquiring of Jesus about who goes to heaven. In the context of those days, social status dictated a lot to do with who they believed would make it to heaven. The teaching of Jesus goes beyond social status and takes a deep look at the heart behind those who are truly in relationship with Him.

The story of the man born blind is one that illustrates spiritual illumination: coming out of darkness and into the light offered only by Christ. Pastor Shane teaches that through this encounter of Jesus, a man formerly blind is now able to see due to his obedience and faith in Christ. Scripture teaches that faith without works is dead, and this story is one that illustrates what faith along with works looks like. Not that the works are what healed the man, but his obedience and trust in God.

In one encounter that Jesus has, a group of men bring an adulteress woman to Jesus asking how they should punish her for her sins. While the intent of the persecutors was to trap Jesus by quoting Mosaic law to him, he remarkably disputes their arguments by allowing the first one without sin to throw the first stone, which none of the persecutors were able to do. We see through this story the forgiveness that comes from Jesus, not the condemnation. For Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17).

Pastor David continues our series studying the Encounters with Jesus with the story of Nicodemus, a Pharisee leader and ruler of the Jews. Jesus tells Nicodemus how we can be saved through a spiritual birth, and we all are able to choose whether we accept this gift of God or not.

As believers we have been called to be in community with one another as we walk with God. Pastor Shane emphasizes the importance of Christian community such as that we see illustrated in Mark 2. The community that we surround ourselves with should be one that encourages us to walk closer with Jesus.

Many of us approach the Bible with our own preconceived notions of who Jesus is. Pastor Shane kicks off a new series diving into the encounters Jesus had with people and the cultural barriers he overcame to be relatable and personable with those he came to save.

Pastor David shares a message exploring the different responses to the birth of Jesus and urges listeners to emulate the wisdom, determination, and worshipful attitude of the wise men.

The birth of Jesus involves stories of multiple individuals, most notably Mary and Joseph. Through this story we see a mother's great faith and a father's honorability. Despite their unconventional situation, their response to Jesus was "yes". What is your response to Jesus this Christmas season?

As we enter into the Christmas season it can be easy to feel forgotten and unseen in our day to day lives. Pastor Shane encourages us with the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth being blessed with a child in their old age as a result of their faithfulness to God. God does not always answer our prayers the way we might like, but he does take good care of his children and we have lots to be thankful for this holiday season.

As humans we get used to our routines and sometimes forget the value of spending time with God. Through the story of Malachi we learn the importance of having an appropriate position of the heart when entering the presence of God for worship.

As believers we have been given the manuscript of God's Word as a tool to learn more about His character and how we can have life through Him. But how can we know that what is written is true? Pastor Shane goes into historical and Biblical records to discuss the legitimacy of the Bible that we hold in our hands today.

A Thanksgiving celebration reminding us of all the blessings God has given us!

Pastor David wraps up our series through Ephesians with the armor of God. Throughout Ephesians we see encouragement to believers on how to live in such a way that reflect Christs love, and in today's part of the letter to Ephesus we read how to prepare for spiritual battle so that we might be victorious through it.

God has a unique design for every relationship a believer has. We all have our roles in how each of these are intended to play out. In today's message Pastor Shane takes a closer look at what our God-driven purpose should be in relationships and how that plays a deeper role in God's grand design.

In light of the current events going on in the world, Pastor Shane shares a timely message to the church.

David Kaya with Empower One shares with us an encouraging message about remaining vigilant in the pursuit of truth. Not every spirit is to be trusted, and as believers we are called to test the spirit to be sure they are from God. Take a listen to hear from Pastor David and his heart for missions.

As believers we have been called to imitate Christ. Pastor Shane dives into what it looks like for Christians to imitate someone they admire while discerning actions that act in obedience to God's design.

Followers of Christ have been called to walk differently by turning away from our fleshly ways of living full of lust, anger, and foul language. Through the renewal of our minds we are called to kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiving others as Christ forgave us. Find encouragement through the words of Paul as he instructed the church at Ephesus how to live holy lives.

As believers we have been charged with being part of the body of Christ. The body cannot operate well without all of its parts operating in their gifting. To find out the areas God has equipped you, take this quiz: https://gifts.churchgrowth.org

Paul calls believers to live a life worthy of the many blessings and gift God has given us. While it is difficult for us in our worldly nature to measure up, Christ took the ultimate sacrifice for us, calling us to live in unity with one another.

During Pauls imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel, he encouraged believers to not fret because of his suffering, but to spread the great mystery of the Gospel to those who do not know. As believers we have been united into one body and we are called to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ.

As believers we have been unified with Christ despite all of our worldly differences. The only way to be unified is through the blood of Christ, and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ.

Pastor Shane highlights the transformational power of God's grace through faith in Christ, revealing how we are saved from spiritual death and sin, not by our own efforts, but by God's mercy. This salvation leads to a life of good works, reflecting our new identity in Christ.

Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus is one of encouragement. He offered up a prayer for them that establishes vision for their identity and reassert the nature of the faith-life into which they have been called.

Pastor Shane starts a new series of messages through the book of Ephesians, which is Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus. He begins the letter with praise to God for his many blessings here on earth and in heaven. We have been adopted, chosen, sealed and given the Holy Spirit as confirmation of our inheritance waiting for us in heaven.

Pastor Shane wraps up this series on the questions of Jesus by focusing on the restoration of Peter. Peter made a huge life altering decision when he denied Christ 3 times before Jesus went to the cross. In this story of redemption found in John 21, we see Jesus asking Peter a very important question three times: "Peter, do you love me?" Even though Peter had betrayed the Son of God, Jesus offered redemption and assured Peter that He is still valued by Christ, and He offers us the same love today.

Trials and tribulations are part of life. Often they leave us questioning God and even our faith. During a literal dangerous storm the disciples sought the help of Jesus when they thought they had met their doom, and Jesus responded with an important question: "Where is your faith?" Jesus has the power to calm to wind and waves in our life, but do we truly trust Him when we are no longer in control of our circumstances?

Everyone has questions for Jesus, even the most seasoned believers. Not everything this side of heaven will make sense to us. But what if we flipped the roll and let Jesus ask the questions? Who is Jesus to us? Do we live our lives fully devoted to him trusting that he is the Messiah?

God's plan from the beginning was for people to live together in unity with each other and with Him. In the world we live in today we don't find much of this unity, but in the book of Revelation we see this unity being restored because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Lance uses these scriptures to remind us that the greatest form of unity we can have in our life is being close to the heart of God.

Pastor David continues "The Final Countdown" with the events that Jesus prophesied would happen leading up to the return of Christ and the tribulation to follow. In the scriptures Jesus described in detail the antichrist and the false prophet that would rise up in the end days to distract people from following the one true God. As believers we should be encouraged to long for the return of Christ and keep our eyes focused on Him because when Christ comes, He comes on a white horse with the armies of heaven behind Him!

Jesus reminds his followers to stay alert for no one knows when the coming of the Lord will be. Pastor David encourages us to remain vigilant as we wait for the Lord, and not to lust after the things of this world as they are all fleeting.

As Jesus was preparing for the end of his time here on earth he warned the disciples of things to come. He described for them events that would take place from earthquakes to famines, wars and false prophets. Dive into Matthew 24 with us as we recognize the events that God prophesied would happen and learn how we as believers can handle these trying times.

Pastor David kicks off a new series of messages looking at how to live with confidence in the "last days". The rapture is the next main event on God's prophetic calendar where Jesus fulfills his prophecy from John 14 that he is preparing a place for us and will return to take us home with him when the time is right. Paul shares with the believers in Thessalonica what this event will look like and what we can look forward to as followers of Christ.

Pastor Shane wraps up the series on The Helper talking about spiritual gifts. God gives believers different gifts of the spirit that all work together to further the kingdom of God. Spiritual gifts are intended to point others to Christ and reveal His love. Take this quiz to find out what your gifts may be: https://gifts.churchgrowth.org

As followers of Christ, we have been given the presence and the ministry of The Holy Spirit. Pastor Shane reminds us of our need for the Holy Spirit's guidance in our lives and our role to keep in step with His leading.

Pastor Shane continues with Jesus' introduction to the Holy Spirit and His role of conviction in the world.

Pastor Shane kicks off a new series on the Holy Spirit diving into its role in our life and how it is demonstrated through Christians. As believers we have the Holy Spirit living in us and can build our relationship with him as our friend.

On this Mother's Day weekend Pastor David encourages each believer to reflect on their priorities and see how they align with God's calling on our lives. God has equipped each of us in our own ways to make more disciples of Christ and it is important that we remain clinging to God and focusing on the things He has called us to do to further His kingdom.

Pastor David continues our post-Easter conversation about making disciples and what that looks like in the life of a believer. He encourages us that if God can change our life, he can change the life of others too, even those that seem hopeless. God has called and equipped each of us to share His love with others, and what a great commission that is!

Jesus gave his disciples the greatest commission of all-time: to go and make disciples. Throughout Jesus' ministry he modeled how we were to do this with the original 12 disciples. We learn through His life that we can achieve this commission by knowing Jesus, following Jesus, and allowing Him to transform our lives as a testimony to others.

With life getting back to normal after the high of Easter Sunday, Pastor David challenges believers with the question of "what now?" So often we allow Jesus to become another item on a checklist of things we need to do, but Jesus teaches his disciples to make Him the priority of their lives by letting everyone know about the risen Savior, and we are to follow their example.

All of the disciples, except John, deserted Jesus at the cross. They misunderstood and doubted Jesus, but Thomas is singled out in the gospels because he put his doubt into words. We are encouraged through Thomas's story to trust God and know that Jesus saved us with his torture, death and Resurrection. Blessed are those who believe though they do not see.

Happy Easter, He is risen indeed! Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross our sins are forgiven and we can live with purpose. Our fulfillment no long comes from the temporary pleasures of the world. Don't miss out on the joy the comes from trusting in Jesus!

On this Palm Sunday Pastor Shane dives into the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The King didn't come in the way people expected a king to come, but instead came in on a borrowed donkey. This day leading into Holy Week is a good reflection on the humble kinghood of Jesus leading to the series of events that would have him killed later that week.

Pastor Shane continues the series on "Crucible" with a message about sacrifice. David, during a crucible moment could have chosen to accept Araunah's free offer for the land to offer a sacrifice but instead he sacrificially pays for the land. "I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing." Sacrifice, not entitlement, is a virtue in the Kingdom of God.

Every decision we make has consequences, good or bad. In today's message Pastor David talks about the redemption that came after King David's disappointing actions regarding Bathsheba and Uriah. God was able to redeem the mess that David had made, and He can redeem our story too.

Today in the story of David and Bathsheba, Pastor Shane points out that good people are capable of doing some really bad things. He also shares the destructive pattern of giving into our desires as well as the promise of God to always provide an exit ramp.

Pastor Shane continues in our series focusing on the choices that change our life forever with continued application from the life of David. David faced difficult decisions in his life despite the anointing God had placed on him. Despite the dreadful situation David found himself in when he was threatened to be stoned, he chose to be confident in the Lord rather than choosing to live a life of despair.

After the slay of Goliath, King Saul became intimidated by David and set out to kill him. David had the opportunity to kill his opponent on several occasions but he chose to leave the vengeance to the Lord. Through this story of David, Pastor Shane reminds us to place our faith in the Lord and allow his will to prevail.

As we continue to dive deeper into our core values as a church and as individuals, Pastor Shane focuses on the importance of teaching biblical truths in a practical manner. According to 2 Timothy, the word of God has many useful purposes, one of which being to equip its hearers. As believers it is important that we fix our eyes on the practical truths written in scripture so we can be prepared and ready for the work God has for us.

Pastor Shane continues the series talking about our core values and as a church and as individuals with the topic of authenticity. A life committed to authenticity must be Gospel-centered, model humility and be sincere. Vulnerability and authenticity provide the fertile soil for God to work in and through us.

Pastor Shane kicks off a new series focusing on our core values as individuals and as a church. Today's focus is on hospitality; what it looks like in the world we live in today and how we can demonstrate it as followers of Christ.

Pastor Shane kicks off the new year with a very encouraging message on using the time we have been given wisely. Be encouraged with this gentle reminder of how we can have a healthy relation with our time involving God, family, and work.

Pastor Shane shares an encouraging and challenging reminder on this Christmas morning: God is love. Love is a verb, and God showed us His love by sending us Jesus in a miraculous way. How do we show love to the people in our lives?

Pastor Shane shares the story of Mary and Joseph being told they would be parents to baby Jesus. During the shock and confusion of how this could happen, Mary still chose to say, "I am your servant". God's interruption brought Jesus to us, and we should not fear the disturbances God has planned for our lives.

Pastor David continues the wait for Christmas by looking into two important characters in the Christmas story that don't get very much recognition. The stories of Simeon and Anna are examples of waiting in expectation and never loosing faith in what God has spoken. Even though there were long seasons of waiting and the world around them was in desperation, they never doubted that the Messiah was sent in the form of a newborn baby.

What are you waiting for this Christmas season? As we take a look into Luke chapter 1, we see the start of the Christmas story that takes place after 400 years of silence. After this time of waiting, the silence was broken and the Christmas story begins with the promise of new life.

Lance shares a challenging reminder of our need to be thankful in all things.

Pastor David wraps up our series, #Blessed, with an encouraging message on being grateful at all times. Through a story in the Bible about several severely ill men we are reminded of the blessings that come when we recognize the work of God in our lives. We are indeed #blessed.

Pastor David shares a good reminder that those of us who know Christ are secure in Him and nothing can pluck us away. As followers of Jesus, we are eternally secure in our salvation and our eternal life that we will live with Him.

Pastor Shane continues our series looking closer at a few of the many blessings we have as children of God. As His children, we are justified through the blood of Jesus Christ. We are blessed because we are forgiven.

As children of God we have been chosen to be part of the family of God. We are blessed to be called his children and should never forget and take for granted the eternal separation he has saved us from.

Pastor David kicks off a new series focusing on the blessings we inherit as believers in Christ. God is love - agape love, and because of how he loves us we are called to love others.

Pastor David continues our Greater Than series focusing on the call believers have to live our lives with purpose, focusing on Jesus and finishing our race well. God has set a path before each of us and it is important that we remain focused on the purpose God has for our lives rather than being weighed down by the things of this world.

Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice on behalf of humankind. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus abolished the old covenant established in the book of Exodus. We are now able to come to the Father through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Pastor Shane continues in our series through Hebrews as he discusses the greatness of Jesus as the mediator between God and man. This was a controversial subject during this time because the high priest was always respected as the mediator with God. Jesus's life, death, and resurrection abolishes the previous law and he takes the place as the greatest mediator.

Throughout the early church's history Moses was revered as a great leader - miraculously saved from genocide and chosen by God to lead His people out of bondage. Jesus and Moses had several similarities, but one thing sets Jesus far apart from Moses: Jesus is the Son of God, embodying the fullness of God while clothed as a man. Pastor Shane diagnoses the similarities and differences in the two, and what makes Jesus a greater leader.

Pastor Shane continues in our Greater Than series focusing on the greatness of angels compared to the greatness of Jesus. Although Jesus took on the form of a human and suffered the lowliest death on a cross, Jesus is greater than all the heavenly beings as the Son of God.

Pastor Shane kicks off a new series titled "Greater Than" where we focus on who Jesus is as described in the book of Hebrews. Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life, took our place on the cross for our salvation, and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. Jesus is Greater!

Lance shares a parable from the book of Luke including two men, one who exalted himself in prayer and another who humbled himself. We learn from this story that we can never be justified by our own works, it is only through Christ we can receive this gift.

Mike Johnson with Gospel for Asia shares about the work being done for the gospel in unreached parts of the world. Through our support as a church, they have been able to share the hope we have through Jesus to many people, and several thousand have come to know Him as their personal Lord and Savior.

Pastor David share an encouraging message from Romans 8. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God.

Pastor Shane wraps up the summer series on parables with the story of the wise and foolish builders, one who built their house on the sand and the other on a solid foundation. Jesus tells this story as a reminder that as believers our foundation determines our ability to weather the storms of life that will come. A solid foundation built on Him is one to surely stand while one built on sandy soil will succumb to the stormy weathers.

David Kaya, founder of Empower One, shares an important reminder with us to always keep our eyes focused on the things above. As Believers we can be encouraged that our hope and assurance does not rest in the things of this world and we should courageously go after those around us who do not share the same hope.

In today's world we like the hear the sugar-coated, happy ending to the story, but Jesus tells a story that is not so heartwarming. Pastor Shane dives into the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus which takes us through a story of a man who went to heaven when he passed on from this earth, and a man who went to Hades. The details in this story remind us that this world is not our forever home and it is important to share the hope we have through Christ with those around us before it is too late.

What do you do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Pastor Shane continues in the Moral of the Story series by teaching on the parable of the three servants where we learn that two servants multiplied what their master had given them while the third buried his in the ground. We are reminded of the reality that, much like the first two servants, true believers of Christ grow in Him and bear fruit for the world to see unlike the third servant who took what the master had to offer and buried it.

Pastor Shane teaches on the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids and the importance of salvation today as we are not guaranteed tomorrow. No one knows the day or the hour of Jesus' return, and while he is preparing a place for us in heaven, we should be preparing our hearts for His coming.

Pastor Shane continues the Moral of the Story series by sharing the parable of the Good Samaritan. Throughout the story we see that we can not earn our salvation through our good deeds, but because of our salvation we do good to those around us.

Jesus once told a story of an individual who was unable to pay the debt he owed. He was graciously forgiven so he forgave another persons debt, but that person refused to show the same mercy to anyone. Pastor Shane reminds us that as believers we are called to forgive others just as God has forgiven us, even though it is not always easy.

Pastor David teaches on the parable of the rich fool, a story told by Jesus to reiterate the importance of having priorities aligned with those of the Kingdom of God. A sobering reminder to all that the things of this world are merely temporary pleasures and when we remain focus on those, we lose sight of the heavy spiritual issues our world is plagued with. Contrary to the worldly treasures we store up, how we handle these 'hot topic' issues will impact many generations to come.

Jesus tells a story about a prodigal son being welcomed back into his family with celebration even though it was not deserved. He uses this story to illustrate to his disciples and the Pharisees that each lost person returning home to their Father is worthy of celebration, despite what cultural norms will tell you. Join us on this Father's Day as Pastor Shane dives deeper into the context of this parable and what our response as believers should be to those wandering from the fold of God.

Jesus often told stories in the form of parables to discuss challenging truths in a way that the recipients could understand. Pastor Shane kicks off a new series diagnosing different parables used by Jesus starting with one about seeds that fall on different types of soils. The moral of the story is this: Your reception of the Word depends on the condition of your heart.

Psalm 45 describes the Messiah and His church by comparing him to a groom and his bride. Join us as youth pastor Lance Myers unfolds this description of Christ that we find in scripture and how we as believers respond as the bridegroom of Christ.

Pastor Shane answers questions that are submitted by the church family.

When Jesus' time dwelling on this earth was coming to an end he left believers with the most important charge of all: go out and make disciples. Pastor Shane dives into the importance of these final words on earth and how they still ring true in our lives today even after several generations.

When we have a face to face encounter with Jesus our life is forever changed. We have the choice to either lean into the call or reject the revelation of Jesus. Join us as Pastor David teaches the story of Paul's transformation from a prominent persecutor of Christians to the most well-known missionary for Christ of the New Testament.

Grow with us this Mother's Day as Pastor Shane discusses the great faith shown by a Gentile woman. Her faith not only resulted in the healing of her daughter, but poses a valuable question: How great is your faith?

As Christians we have a call on our life to spread the good news about Jesus and make disciples for Christ. Join us as Pastor Shane discusses the Great Commission given to the early disciples and how it translates into our lives today.

Pastor Shane shares the hope we find in Jesus even in the midst of our greatest mistakes. As humans we are prone to errors and we are not always quick to forgive those that offend us. However, Jesus has a different attitude, and there is a lot to glean from his approach to forgiveness and restoration.

Belief is difficult, especially belief in something so supernatural the human mind can't come close to making sense of it. Join us this Easter as Pastor Shane walks through the transition from doubt to belief and how we can have confidence in the truth of who Jesus is.

Pastor Shane dives into Holy Week by challenging believers to think about their "because". Everybody has a reason for choosing whether or not to follow Jesus, but are our hearts in the right place? Join us as we celebrate Palm Sunday and remember the true reason to worship our Savior.

Pastor Shane challenges the church to broaden their view of what worship looks like.

Pastor David teaches that there is only one way to have an abundant and fruitful life, and that is by remaining in the vine, Jesus. In a world full of distractions and to-do lists, Jesus assures his followers that he will continue to nourish them so long as they abide in him.