Counter Culture – Burning the Plow – 1 Kings 19:9-21
All alone with the Lord. Hiding in a cave on Mt. Sinai is where we last found the Prophet Elijah. He had fled from Jezreel for his life for fear of what wicked king Ahab and his vile wife Jezebel might do. Wishing for the Lord to take his life, it is fairly obvious from the Word of God that Elijah was not only feeling like a failure, but that he was depressed.
Yet as we read in 1 Kings 19, the Lord is not done with Elijah, and He gives Elijah an opportunity to experience His power and presence with him on that mountain top. He gives him a three-fold command to anoint three men, two as kings, and Elisha to be his understudy. We would like to encourage you to turn in your bible to 1 Kings 19 and follow along as Pastor Anton teaches on what God's calling is going to require for faithful servants. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged.
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- Sep 25, 2016Counter Culture – Burning the Plow – 1 Kings 19:9-21
Counter Culture – Burning the Plow – 1 Kings 19:9-21
All alone with the Lord. Hiding in a cave on Mt. Sinai is where we last found the Prophet Elijah. He had fled from Jezreel for his life for fear of what wicked king Ahab and his vile wife Jezebel might do. Wishing for the Lord to take his life, it is fairly obvious from the Word of God that Elijah was not only feeling like a failure, but that he was depressed.Yet as we read in 1 Kings 19, the Lord is not done with Elijah, and He gives Elijah an opportunity to experience His power and presence with him on that mountain top. He gives him a three-fold command to anoint three men, two as kings, and Elisha to be his understudy. We would like to encourage you to turn in your bible to 1 Kings 19 and follow along as Pastor Anton teaches on what God's calling is going to require for faithful servants. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged.
- Sep 18, 2016Counter Culture – Prophet on the Run – 1 Kings 18:41-19:9
Counter Culture – Prophet on the Run – 1 Kings 18:41-19:9Have you ever experienced a "mountain top moment" in your life? such an event could be described as a joyful moment of victory after a long-fought battle or sporting event. It could also be the emotion and sense of accomplishment following the completion of a difficult test, or just having been given a raise at work. As several examples have been mentioned, no doubt some of your own "mountain top experiences" have been flooding into your memory banks.In 1 Kings 18, the prophet Elijah experiences not one, but two mountain top experiences back to back. The showdown on top of Mt Carmel between the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah and Elijah and the one true God ends in an awesome display of God's absolute power and authority. And literally hours later, God sends the much needed rain across the lands where there had been drought for three straight years. We can be sure that Elijah is thrilled! Yet what happens next might come as a surprise, I believe it was for Elijah. His expectations were not yet, wicked Ahab and his queen Jezebel did not repent. Instead Jezebel orders that Elijah be killed! Fear sweeps in like the winds of the rain, and Elijah suddenly flees out of fear for his life. What would you have done? What is your default reaction of opposition or even unmet expectations? We would like to encourage you to download the teaching notes, and follow along in your own Bible at 1 Kings 18 & 19 as Pastor Anton teaches. We hope and trust that you will be challenged and encouraged.
- Sep 11, 2016Counter Culture – “Baal is Busted” 1 Kings 18:17-40
Counter Culture – “Baal is Busted” 1 Kings 18:17-40Would you rather have the entire world behind you, and be warring against the true God of the universe. Or would you rather have the entire world against you and have God almighty on your side (or at least you be on His side)? The reason why we must ask ourselves that question at the start of this teaching is because in many ways, that must have been what Elijah the prophet was feeling in 1 Kings 18. He is called by the Lord to confront wicked King Ahab (King over the northern tribes of Israel), and lay out a challenge before the king. Call for all of Israel, and the entire company of 850 prophets of the false gods Baal and Asherah and let us have a showdown at Mount Carmel to see who is the true God.We encourage you to download the teaching notes, and turn in your own Bible to 1 Kings 18 as you listen to this week's sermon by Pastor Anton Folz. We trust that you will be encouraged.
- Sep 4, 2016Counter Culture – Elijah at Empty Jar Graduate School – 1 Kings 17:1-24
Counter Culture – Elijah at Empty Jar Graduate School – 1 Kings 17:1-24What would you be willing to lay down in order to place the Lord first? In a culture that seems to be entirely headed in one direction, would you be willing to go against the flow in order to serve God?Elijah was called by the Lord to do some very bold and dangerous things. And in the midst of following the Lord, he became public enemy number one. Yet while all the nations seemed to be against him, Elijah was on the side of One True God. in 1 Kings 17, we read of some miraculous and counter cultural ways in which God used to provide for Elijah. We would like to encourage you to turn in your Bible to Kings 17, and download the teaching notes as Pastor Anton teaches on this part of the life of Elijah. We trust that you will be encouraged.
- Aug 28, 2016Counter Culture – Elijah at Dry Brook University – 1 Kings 17:1-7
Counter Culture – Elijah at Dry Brook University – 1 Kings 17:1-7
The northern tribes of Israel underwent the rule and leadership of many wicked kings from the time of their beginnings with Jeroboam till the time of their destruction in the hands of the Assyrians. But none were known to be as evil and downright vile as King Ahab. Under he and his wife Jezebel, the people of the northern tribes did what was detestable in the sight of the Lord, far greater sins did they commit than any who were before them. It was a spiritual climate that seemed to accept the worship of anything and anyone other than the One True God of Israel. And it was in that context that the Prophet Elijah is sent by the Lord to speak His truth to the people. We would like to encourage you to turn in your own Bible to 1 Kings, as well as download the teaching notes and follow along as Pastor Anton teaches valuable life lessons that can be learned about standing up for the truth in the midst of Pagan culture. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged. - Aug 21, 2016Too Good to be TRUE – His Grace Satisfies us Gal. 5:1-15
Too Good to be TRUE – His Grace Satisfies us Gal. 5:1-15
Have you ever not eaten all day in anticipation to going out-to-eat at amazing restaurant that evening? Didn't the dinner taste amazing? The reality is that the food would have still tasted good even if you had eaten during the day, but when you or I fast in preparation, it cause the flavors to be all the more intense. The same is true of our spiritual hunger. When we "snack" all throughout the week on entertainment, food, etc., then when we come to our time with the Lord we are already filled up on "stuff," and we discover we have less of a hunger for God and His presence in our lives. We would like to encourage you to turn in your Bible to Galatians 5, and download the teaching notes as you listen to the message by Pastor Anton about how His Grace Satisfies us. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged. - Aug 14, 2016Too Good to be TRUE – Grace makes us His – Galatians 4:1-7
Too Good to be TRUE – Grace makes us His – Galatians 4:1-7
How might you live your life differently if you knew that you had a sizeable inheritance coming your way down the road? Would you save less of your own earned money? Would you take larger risks with starting a new business? How might you think differently about your future? How often would you think about how you would spend it? Might you or I ultimately be preoccupied with the inheritance that is coming our way? In Galatians 4, the Apostle Paul speaks to the Church about the reality that because of the Grace of God they have an unimaginably awesome inheritance coming their way. And it is God's wealth, an inheritance that could never be compared too or fully valued. it is of limitless value! It cannot be lost through stock market declines, and no rust can ever erode its value. The problem is this, often as born-again believers we question and doubt whether or not we are truly heirs to this incredible wealth. We question whether God really loves us, and whether or not we are truly sons and daughters of the most high God. We would like to encourage you to turn in your Bible to Galatians 4, and download the teaching notes as Pastor Anton teaches through the passage. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged! - Aug 7, 2016Too Good to be TRUE – Jump the Creek – Ephesians 2:1-10
Too Good to be TRUE – Jump the Creek – Ephesians 2:1-10Did you ever play the game "Jump the Creek" growing up as a kid in the neighborhood or in your elementary school gym time? Jump the Creek, for anyone unfamiliar with what we are referring too is a simple game where each person participating must try and jump from one stop to another without falling or touching the gap or space between. Now the longest recorded jump ever made was by an American Athlete named Mike Powell back in 1991. He jumped 29 feet and 4 1/4 inches!!! That is an incredible jump! And as of today, it has neat to be beaten as the world's longest recorded jump. However if we apply this spiritually, the space between us and God is much further than 29 ft 4 1/4inches... comparatively it would be like having to jump a thousand feet. That distance is an unimaginable, unfathomable distance that could never ever be made by any human. That is where God steps into the picture with grace. What we can't do, Jesus has DONE. We encourage you to download the teaching notes, and follow along as Pastor Anton teaches on Ephesians 2:1-10, and the reality of what God has already done on our behalf. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged!
- Jul 31, 2016Too Good to be TRUE – Grace is for the Next Generation – Acts 20:6-12
Too Good to be TRUE – Grace is for the Next Generation – Acts 20:6-12Have you ever had a "bad" church experience? Or maybe for some, have you every had a terrible church experience? I am guessing that many of us have had at least one bad church experience in our lifetime. But I am also going to assume that if you are reading this that you have never died as a result of attending church. This could not be said for the young man that Pastor Anton will be teaching about today. We encourage you to download the teaching notes, and open your Bible to Acts 20. We hope that you are encouraged by this teaching on Grace and how it is for the Next Generation.
- Jul 24, 2016Too Good to be TRUE – Grace is Greater – John 15:1-5
Too Good to be TRUE – Grace is Greater – John 15:1-5Have you ever seen a dead vine grow grapes? I am talking a completely dead, no leaves left on it, crispy and dry vine growing healthy grapes. Healthy, full, tasty looking grapes that you would like to eat? I highly doubt it. And the reality is that I haven't seen that either.In John 15 Jesus shares with his disciples that He is the True vine, and that any branch that is attached to Him as the True vine will produce much healthy long-lasting fruit. However Jesus also mentions that any branches that have been separated from the vine will produce nothing.We are called to be branches that "remain in" or "abide" in the vine. We are to be cared for by the loving and wise gardener who prunes the branches so that we will produce healthy fruit.In this week's teaching, Pastor Anton shares about the two greatest hindrances that stand in our way of abiding in Jesus as the True Vine; Comparison and Condemnation. We would like to encourage you to download the teaching notes and follow along with the sermon recording. We hope that you will be encouraged to receive the gift of grace offered by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.