Easter 2018: He’s still not dead. He has risen! He is alive! You can also catch the message on our Youtube channel!
Good News!
Going Vertical
This year we are kicking off a new series to encourage our faith as we launch into the new year! Thanks for taking this journey with us, and we are so excited to see what God does through us here at VLC!
Episode 1
Episode 2
The Joyset
Here at VLC, we love to study God’s word as we walk in our core value of Unyielding Truth! During this series, we will be studying through the book of Philippians, and discovering what God, through the Apostle Paul, teaches about having and experiencing joy in our faith journey. We are blessed that you are taking this journey with us, and pray that you experience His joy here at VLC!
1. Introduction
2. Find Your Lane
3. What Really Matters
4. The Bigger Picture
5.Unity of the Church
6. Thought Patterns
7. Desire and Power
8. (Not Recorded)
9. Reset
10. Don’t Worry Be Happy
Advent
The number 40, is a significant number in the Bible. It is a demarcation of the end of one season, and the beginning of a new season. The Israelite wandered the desert for forty years. This period was the transitional period between slavery in Egypt, and dwelling in the promise land. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days. This was the transitional period between his formative years, and beginning his ministry. Advent, is the season we set aside as Christians to reflect on the first coming of Jesus. The time of his birth, and every benefit that comes with knowing the saving grace and love of God. Advent, begins 40 days prior to Christmas, and stands as a transitional period, between the events of the past, and who we can become after encountering the coming Lord. As a church, we too find ourselves in transition. This year, we are setting aside these 40 days, to reflect on, and pray through the promises of God, looking forward toward their fulfillment, as those in times past looked for the coming of Jesus. Our prayer is, as we look to the coming of Christ, and the celebration of His birth, that God radically transforms us, as begins a movement of the Holy Spirit among us! Join us in prayer, as we celebrate Advent!
1.Lifting Burdens and Granting Peace
2. Thankfulness
3. Wisdom and Vision
4. Holy Spirit Come
5. The Healer
Eat the Meat
What would you think if you saw an adult in a diaper, sitting in a highchair, waiting for a bottle in the restaurant where you were about to enjoy an nice dinner? There is nothing physically or mentally wrong with the person, but yet they are impatiently waiting for their next feeding in a most awkward fashion. I think we would all have to pause a second and wonder what is wrong with this picture. The reality is, many followers of Jesus, who have known him for a long time, are much like this immature adult. They age physically, but yet, have not aged spiritually. The Writer of Hebrews reveals that many followers of Christ have yet to move from spiritual milk, to solid foods (Heb 5:12). He reveals that God has so much more in store for them to know, learn, understand, and apply, but yet they cannot receive it because they have not grown in their faith. It is easy to get to a place where we feel we have everything under control, we have heard all the stories, and we could probably quote our pastor’s illustrations by heart. However, in this state of stale faith, we close ourselves off to the deep things of God because we feel as if there is nothing left to learn. The truth is, that no matter how much we have learned in our faith journey, we are only scratching the surface of who God is! Join us in this series as we attempt to leave spiritual milk behind, and eat the meat. To grow in our faith, and in our knowledge of God as we pursue the deep and wondrous things he is ready to reveal.
1.Introduction
2.Foundations
3.Trinity: Part 1
4.Trinity: Part 2
5.Trinity: Part 3
6. Angels And Demons
Unfortunately due to technical difficulties this episode was not recorded.
7. Undeserved Privilege
Back to the Basics
It has been 3 years since the launch of our church back in May of 2014! As awesome and exciting as that was, just like anything new we begin, the excitement can begin to wain and we can lose focus. We founded this ministry on 6 core values you can read about here. These values shape the culture and DNA of our church. We believe God’s will for the New Testament Church as well as every believer is to live these values out for the Glory of God! As time goes by, and we get caught in the rut of ministry and the everyday flow of life, it is easy to forget why we exist, what our values are, and how we should be living them out daily. So, for the next six weeks, we are going to discuss these values, to re-center, and refocus our lives and ministry as we walk together toward engaging people where they are, and leading them to becoming fully developed followers of Jesus Christ!
1.Wholehearted Worship
2.Unyielding Truth
3.Unceasing Prayer
4.Unrelenting Witness
5.Intentional Community
6.Crazy Generosity
Creation
The cultural climate has not changed for many years surrounding the subject of origins. Many well educated and respected people from both sides of the debate have dedicated their lives to discussing and discovering the truth. Even though secular society believes the topic to be a settled argument, the scientific community continues to make discoveries that challenge long held beliefs that verify the Bible. No matter what side of the tracks you have grown up on, this discussion is still relevant to today because if in fact God did create the heavens and the earth, then what happens in Genesis 1:1 gives validity and factual basis to what God did in John 3:16. And praise God that through his unfailing love he sent Jesus into the world to be the savior of our souls! Listen to Discipleship Pastor Luke Beuthin teach on this controversial subject and how by looking at the evidence we can cling to our faith with an ever increasing hope!
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Habitudes
It’s commonly known that humans are creatures of habit. Scientists have now discovered that we are operating on the habitual level anywhere from 40 to 90 percent of the time. That means for at least half of our lives if not more, we are are coasting on autopilot not even really in control. We develop habits to acquire rewards. God designed us to enjoy pleasure. Everything He created was meant to be enjoyed by His creation. Our brains are hard wired to seek out and enjoy pleasurable things. When we experience pleasure the brain remembers how it experienced it, and creates habits to help recreate the experience. Jesus said in John 10:10 is was purpose was to give us a rich and satisfying life. That life is within our grasp if we honor God with our attitudes and behaviors. Good habits lead to a more rich and satisfying life. Even though creating habits can work out in our favor, because of our sinful nature, we also form bad habits. These habits work against the rich and satisfying life Jesus came to provide. Bad habits may make us feel good for a moment, but then produce struggle and dysfunction in our lives. The problem with breaking habits is that you first have to start with the attitude driving them. We don’t just need good habits, we need good attitudes too. We need good Habitudes. And the way to get good Habitudes is revealed in our theme verse for this series, Philippians 2:5 (NLT),” You must have the same attitude Christ Jesus had.” Jesus enjoyed the favor of God and everyone around him. He lived a rich and satisfying life even as a young man (Luke 2:52). His attitude, led to good behaviors, which led to good habits. He honored God with his life, and he enriched and blessed the lives of those around. In turn, he was bathed in a wealth of favor. Join us for this mini series called “Habitudes,” and discover how you can begin simple changes that will produce incredible results!
1. Wealth of Favor
2.Position isn’t Everything
3. Humble Yourself So you Don’t Have to Be Humbled
Fight For Your Life
Have you ever wondered why you struggle so much in this life?
Why it seems like you can never overcome certain habits and hangups, or why your relationships continually self destruct? Have you ever wondered why you battle with emotional issues, and or why life never seems as “abundant” as what Jesus said we could enjoy if we trusted in him?
Paul the Apostle in Ephesians Chapter 6:12 (NLT) says, 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Unbeknownst to most of us, we are in a battle every second of every day. This is a wrestling match where we are in a contest to see who can be on top, or in control. Paul says, we are fighting demonic spirits who desire to do nothing but steal, kill, and destroy. When spirits gain leverage in your life they bring about their plans of destruction bringing struggle, difficulty, and brokenness. If we don’t wake up to the reality of this fight, and become aware of the Devil’s schemes, we will succumb to his attacks and help him in his efforts to destroy us. Praise Jesus, that through his finished work on the cross He broke the power of the enemy! Through our faith, we receive the power we need to succeed against our foe! Join us as we discuss the fight for your life, and how you can live victoriously over the enemy.
1. Sin is Crouching at the Door
2. Doorways
3. Strongholds
4. The Economy of God
5. Curses
6. Curses Part 2
7. Disarmed
8. Power
9. Self Defense
10. Echelon
Hope
A very famous verse of the Bible says,
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
“Faith is the evidence of things we can not see” can also be understood today as the evidence for the existence of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Faith is vital to the Christian life not just to show the world that Jesus is the son of God and to affirm his sacrifice on the cross, but also is required to receive the salvation we need to be right with God. Paul in Ephesians chapter two said its by God’s grace we are saved through faith. We need faith, in order to receive the grace of God that provides our salvation. Faith is what surfaces in the life of a person who recognizes who Jesus is, and trusts in him as their Lord and savior. Faith is what motivates our obedience to the word and taking action according to what we believe. Faith is a big deal. It is the by product of hope. Faith doesn’t exist without first having hope. But where does faith come from? God gives us hope in Jesus because through his sacrifice we have power to overcome our mistakes of the past, power to get through our trials today, and peace to know tomorrow will be okay. So for those who are struggling to overcome problems of the past, trials of today, and fears for tomorrow join us this month as we explore Hope!