Chris Wall • Ezra 8
Seeking the Lord helps us recognize how God’s hand moves for our good. When God’s people repent, it is remarkable to see how God brings His blessing. In this passage, you see God’s people coming with a heart to seek the Lord. There is fasting. There is focus. This is an example for us regarding how to live. Living our lives focused on seeking the Lord produces a tremendous amount of fruit in our lives. Let’s lean into the example of seeking the Lord. At every point in our lives, it is critical for us to seek the Lord. As the people of Owasso’s First Baptist Church, turning our face to the next seventy-five years will require us to seek the Lord today so we can be ready for all that lies ahead tomorrow.
Chris Wall • Nehemiah 5 ESV Nehemiah Chapter 5 is quite surprising when you put this passage intocontext. God's people had just banded together to rebuild the Walls of Jerusalem in under two months cooperating in masterful ways. Next, a new threat arises coming against the people of God and it comes from within. We see up close and personal there is a bad way to use wealth and resources provided by the Lord. When we disregard others to gain more for ourselves, we miss the entire point of God's blessing in our lives. Nehemiah helps us see there is a good way to steward resources while being generous to others advancing the Kingdom of God. God's people tripped financially in Chapter 5 providing an incredible lesson for us as we live life together during difficult times. ...
Chris Wall • 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 When Jesus established the church, he was not launching a building campaign. He was not describing an organization. He was not starting a business. He was describing an unstoppable force that he would personally build until the end of humanity. The gathered church is the body of Christ and this body fleshes itself out in a local context. Our congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through an established process of self-governance. In our congregation, each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Our scriptural officers are elders and deacons. In this passage, the church is identified as the body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all ages. ...
A reluctant King.An underestimated boy.A nation unwilling to hear the heart of God. It's not a fairy tale or an ancient story of kingdoms long forgotten. It's the story of us. ...
