Inspired by the movie of the same name, James Becknell explores what it means to be truly spiritually happy. He points out that hapiness should be defined differently in God's church than in the world, and uses the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3 to describe the person who will receive true spiritual happiness.

This is the first in a three-part series on Stewardship. In this sermon, Tony Singh uses Luke 19 to show us that there is a fundamental relationship between the condition of someone's life and their attitude toward giving. He also gives examples in Mark 10, and Acts 2, 4, and 19 of people whose willingness to give up their goods and possessions reflected the change in their lives in response to Jesus. And he reminds us from Matthew 6:19 not to store up for ourselves "treasures on earth" but to store up "treasures in heaven."

This is the second in a three-part series on Stewardship. In this sermon, Curt Ammons uses Romans 1 to remind us that the world desparately needs us to be great stewards of the Gospel of Christ. Using Psalm 19, Luke 12 and Acts 2, he shows us that, as Christians, we have an obligation to the world to share God's plan for salvation and to call the world to righteousness.

This is the third in a three-part series on Stewardship. In this sermon, Jeff Balsom uses Revelation 5 and 1 Peter to show us that stewardship begins with ownership, and we are owned by the Lord. He teaches us that God has placed an extreme value on each one of us, and that God wants us to value each other as caretakers of each other for God. He reminds us that whatever we need in the church we have in the church through our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, God's valued people.

Tony Singh teaches us from Matthew 5:13 and Genesis 18 that a little bit of righteousness can go a long way towards saving those around us.

During our Teen-led worship service some of our Westland Region Teens, Alex, Tricia, Aaron, Morgan, and Tim, share how the humility, forgiveness, acceptance and servitude of Christ can help build a strong spiritual family at home, at school, and at church.

Tony Singh explores Jesus' miraculous healing of the invalid at the pool in John 5, where Jesus asks the question: "Do you want to get well?" He clears up some misconceptions about what it takes to receive spiritual healing from God. We learn from the example of the invalid that Faith in Jesus is not a prerequisite to receiving healing from God. We also learn that Deep Knowledge of God is not necessary to receive this healing. Tony shows us that the path to healing begins with humbly admitting that we are not well, and implores us through Matthew 11:28 to seek healing from God and to learn from God.

Curt Ammons uses the example of David's life in 1 Samuel 15-30 to teach us that the confidence and faith that comes from a personal walk with God can allow us to respond faithfully to any battle that we may endure in life.

Ed Dawson teaches that we are each God's temple, and that God cares about us and what we do with our temple. He shares from 1 Kings 8 and 9 that God puts his Name on his temple forever and that his eyes and heart will always be there. He holds up Jesus' concern for the Father's temple in John 2:12-22 as an example for us to follow. And he reminds us, using 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, that we were each bought at a price and therefore our temples belong to God, not ourselves.

The challenge of the bible is to finish strong; The goal is not to become a Christian, but to die a Christian. That's the wisdom Don Splitt leaves us as he and Jennifer prepare to move on from Chicago. He warns us from 1 Corinthians 1:17-20 to follow God's wisdom and not the wisdom of the world, or we may find the power of the cross diminishing in our lives. He uses the example of Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6 to show us that when we become too comfortable with God, obedience to God can become optional. Don also warns us, through 2 Corinthians 1:8, against the temptation to rely on our own strength reminds us that God leads us purposely into situations where we must rely on His strength. Finally, he encourages us through 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 that our troubles are light and momentary and ultimately achieve for us an eternal glory in heaven. Jennifer Splitt also shares a few parting thoughts to encourage us in our walk with Christ as well.

In celebration of Easter, Curt Simmons shares about Jesus' many great escapes from capture and death along with his ultimate escape from death through the resurrection. And he shows us how God's power over each of those situations is made available to us, allowing us to escape from the attacks of satan, and ultimately escape from death.

We have the same call, but everyone has a unique perspective on that call.  Our Chicago vision is designed to be a shared framework within which each disciple can joyfully fulfill and live out God's call to worship and serve him alongside our brothers and sisters.  But to do that, we must listen, and after listening, we must act according to what we've heard.  Jeff delves into the story of Balaam, who was "allowed" to go do what he wanted--but only after rejecting what God had already made clear to him!  He also likens worries and wealth to a massive freight train in our lives that threatens to drown out the important things God is saying to us.

The Sh'ma (or Shema) is the most important prayer in Judaism, the beginning of the passage we know as Deuteronomy 6:4.  Curt goes back to the Shema as a key for parents to successfully pass on the heart of their faith to their children AND GRANDCHILDREN.  He exposes a face of the enemy--the popular Media--through sobering statistics and information, in order that parents may identify specific ways in which they can overcome the Enemy, retaining their rightful place as the primary influence in guiding their children's spiritual development.

This is the slide presentation that accompanied Dave Pocta's sermon, Zeal For Your House.
Note:  This file is very large (23MB) and may take a long time to download.

Dave Pocta recaps his closing message from the Family Teen Ministry Conference about the need for zeal for our houses in raising children with a genuine heart to love and serve Jesus.