Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church

A prequel to the next sermon series, Transformed, the week's message "Change Your Seat" shares the first three elements God uses to grow our faith and transform our lives.

The message becomes personal in this final edition of the “Rebuilder” series. Think of the walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day as a metaphor for the walls of protection in our day. Glean the principles that are evident and step forth to apply them.

Don’t be surprised by resistance as you step into the calling of God, but don’t respond poorly and make it worse! Thinking clearly about resistance and how to respond is difficult. Lean into this second message on the subject and learn from Nehemiah.

Resistance! It comes in all shapes and sizes as you step into God’s calling. Some ideas are better than yours; some can sharpen yours; some comes from the enemy of our souls. How do you sort these out and decide how to respond. Watch Nehemiah as he steps into God’s calling.

Our lives are spiritual journeys. Too often our faith is compartmentalized and relegated to one hour on Sunday morning. We work out our faith in our everyday lives.

… A small word, but for many of us it’s one of the toughest words to say … It’s seen as a sign of weakness / a confession of no confidence / a statement of laziness … whatever it is, some of us don’t do it very well … But Nehemiah used the word — he’s our example in this sermon - and God provided help.

“Which way do I go?” We ask that question so many times a week that we lose track of the times. We want so much to make the right choice that often we delay and do nothing. Nehemiah was able to avoid that trap and serves as a great model for us.

“God Needs?” How can that be possible? How can God need anything or anyone? Listen carefully to decide if we can say, “God Needs”. If you conclude that He does, determine how you can meet that need.

Nehemiah is all in! He’s reflecting the heart of God as he responds to the bad news coming from Jerusalem. How do we know that? Take a look at his response, and you’ll see. Take a look at ours and you’ll see if we reflect the heart of God or not!

We’re beginning a new sermon series called “Rebuilder.” It's about God, the REBUILDER, and Nehemiah, His right-hand man, as they rebuild the walls of Jerusalem so God's people could serve Him there, and from there, serve all nations. We’ll see in Nehemiah an incredible level of trust in the living God, a commitment to making the changes that would need to be made, and a wisdom in his approach that can only come from God. We’ll meet an incredible group of people who get on board with Nehemiah — walking through times of great change -- they get it done together! "That's All I Can Stands": God loves to share the burdens of His heart with those who love Him and take time to listen. Nehemiah asked a question that changed his life and that of his people. If you’re wondering what God would have you do to serve Him, Nehemiah’s question is a good place to start.

Jesus has commissioned us to put our faith into action . . . passing it along to others. The transference of faith is at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus . . . it’s what we DO . . . it’s who we ARE . . . and it’s our privilege and responsibility. Let’s be prayerful, intentional and relational as we ARISE to the calling God has given to us to pass our faith along.

We are launching the ARISE! vision today at LCPC. It’s a bold vision - bold visions can be intimidating. We tend to avoid them, like the soldiers of Israel avoided Goliath! But David stepped up, and as he did, God gave victory. Listen carefully as Pastor Peter draws from Malcolm Gladwell’s "David and Goliath" to shed light on this ancient battle.

Our church wants to “Go!” We want to reach out to all people, including the community around us. Most of all, we want to share the Good News of God’s love in Christ. But we’re not all evangelists, so where do we fit into the “Go”? Listen for the two avenues for evangelism and see where you fit!

Guest preacher Darwin Zacarias shares a special message during the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Hearts For Honduras School. Each of us has received a special call...a call that changes lives.

Many churches appear to be in decline. Some are! Various factors are lowering the numbers, but an unseen culprit is also lurking. If recognized and reversed, the trend in many churches could be reversed. They can thrive once again and their people can grow strong for the days ahead.

“Arise!” It may sound more to you like Madison Avenue than like the Bible! Actually, the idea is rooted deeply in God’s Word and might even be used to characterize His Church in the Book of Acts. Listen carefully as we begin to unfold this call to action - we’ll be landing on two snapshots of our first century sisters and brothers.

So, Easter is over! What’s next? We tend to think in terms of holidays, events, vacations, and other items we can post on our calendars. What would happen if we simply said, “Abiding is next.”? Why is that important? Because it’s the foundation for the rest of life. Folks who “abide in Christ” can find joy and meaning in all the events of life AND when there are no events on the calendar. It’s a lesson Peter was learning. Are you?

Is Christianity is irrational? Should we believe in spite of the facts? Must we dismiss our brains to believe that Jesus rose from the grave? You may be surprised to learn that we have good reason to believe. Believe the facts! Consider the testimony of those who were there!

Over the course of hours that Thursday into Friday that saw Jesus betrayed, arrested, falsely convicted and crucified, we have great detail about who was where. What do we learn from one who was surprisingly distant . . . and those who were understandably close . . . but, surprisingly not what you would call near. God came near to us, so that we could be near to Him. Whatever you consider your proximity to Jesus to be . . . we can each commit to being closer.