Road Tips With Jesus

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to take a road trip with Jesus? Pastor Mark examines the story of 12-year-old Jesus traveling with his parents in Luke 2. We consider 4 tips for traveling with Jesus.

Five Present Presents

God grants us five Christmas presents from that first Christmas. In Sunday's sermon we discover 5 godly gifts from Gabriel and Mary's exchange in Luke 1.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Identity Choices

I’m a product of my past, but I’m not a prisoner of my past! I can’t control everything in my life, but I can control the controllables. In this audio version of Sunday's sermon, I teach about the 5 factors that shape our identities. Then we discover 5 winning choices that will help us become the people that God designed us to be.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

The Faith Factor

Without God’s power in our lives we’ll be running on our own energy, which runs out. God has an infinite energy supply that will empower us to reach our physical goals. We tap into God’s power by faith. In this week's sermon I talk about choosing God’s dream, risking failure, expecting God to bless, and never giving up - all vital factors of faith.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks  sermon outline.

The Group Factor

God never meant for us to walk through life as Lone Rangers. We need one another. This is especially true when it comes to improving our physical bodies. We need the encouragement of those around us. And we need to give the encouragement too! In this audio sermon I talk about 5 reasons why the group factor is so important in the life of a Christ follower.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blank sermon outline.

Setting Goals

Accomplishing a healthy goal requires that we first have one! Why do we need goals? Even more importantly, what kind of goal will God bless? In this audio sermon I help us to set God-sized goals in this 3rd talk on physical fitness.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blank  sermon outline.

Principles For Lasting Change

Have you ever tried to make a good change in your life, only to find yourself back into your old bad habits? How do you make changes that stick? I talk about 6 Biblical principles for making lasting changes.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blank  sermon outline.

Body Motivation

What is the correct Christian motivation for taking care of our physical bodies? I propose six Biblical reasons why we should be as healthy as is possible.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Seeing The Unseen - Part 2

How do we navigate from the temporary grief we see and experience so vividly in this temporal life to the unseen glory we experience in the real, eternal life God provides His children? Join Pastor Todd Pierce in this second part of a two-part sermon, "Seeing The Unseen." So much of what is real to us - like a broken heart - cannot be seen. Most of what we DO see with the human eye is, in fact, not real. Todd helps us to understand that the one real thing we do not see correctly is… “me.” Buckle up for a fascinating trip through the universe, revolving 4 ways at once, and moving from the “public me” to the “real me.”

Seeing The Unseen - Part 1

How do we navigate from the temporary grief we see and experience so vividly in this temporal life to the unseen glory we experience in the real, eternal life God provides His children? Join Pastor Todd Pierce in this first part of a two-part sermon, "Seeing The Unseen." What is unseen? Everything that matters except for every thing and except for matter! We can see matter but not what’s the matter!

We Know

I wrap up our study of 1 John. We can know God's protection, God's adoption, as well as God's insight.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Confident Prayer

How do we pray with boldness - and in a way that gets answers? We consider 1 John 5:14-18 to learn that God hears our prayers, answers in unlimited ways, often before we even can see the answers accomplished.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

As God Is My Witness

Can you imagine a courtroom scene where God Himself testifies on your behalf? I describe 5 ways God testifies on behalf of the Christ-follower in the courtrooms of our hearts. This sermon is based on 1 John 5:6-13.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline .

Nike Christian

God saves us so that we might overcome the world. This means that Christians should be victors, winners, overcomers. In this sermon from 1 John 5:1-5, I talk about who is included as a Nike Christian, how Nike overcoming happens, and why being a Nike Christian is so important to God and therefore to us.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks  sermon outline.

Love Flow

God's love flows all around us. Sometimes though we don't experience God's love. In this sermon from 1 John 4:16-21, I talk about fear and apathy as blockers to God's love. To experience God's love we must also express God's love.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

The Love Cycle

God is love. In our own ability we cannot love God. What we can do is love Him back! Pastor Todd Pierce, filling in for his brother Mark, explains the love cycle from 1 John 4:7-16. God is love and His love flows! We, who are the children of God, find lasting satisfaction when, and only when, God’s love sacrificially shows up through us to soothe the pain of a hurting world.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Superhero Christian

If you are a Christ-follower then you are also a superhero with a secret identity, super powers, kryptonite weaknesses and a charge to change the world! I continued the Walking The Light Path sermon series with this powerful message from 1 John 4:1-6. "Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world!"

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

How To Be Sure

We can know for sure that we are one of God's children. No doubts! This past weekend I offered 6 ways we can be assured of our salvation through Christ. From 1 John 3:19-24.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Mark Of The Christian

How do people know if we are Christians or not? The mark of Christ-followers is how they love one another. In this audio version of Sunday's sermon I talk about what this love is and what it is not, the consequences and the confidence that also comes from this kind of love.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Sin Battle

Every Christ-follower will face a sin battle in his or her life. This past Sunday I reached back 1600 years to St. Augustine to explain the history and future of our struggle with sin. Then we considered 4 questions to ask ourselves, when (not if) temptation comes our way.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks  sermon outline.

Ready Child

Jesus taught that we should always be ready for His return. We don't know the day or the hour but we should always be ready. How do we do that? In this Church Requel sermon, Pastor Mark considers 5 ways that we should be R.E.A.D.Y. if we are indeed God's C.H.I.L.D.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks  sermon outline.

Live D.E.E.P.

Is your Christianity 3,000 miles wide but only 3 inches deep? Don’t wallow in the shallows. God is deep and His name will keep. In this sermon, written in collaboration with my brother Todd, I  consider 4 ways to live D.E.E.P. in God.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Deception Protection

Not everything that looks like Christianity actually is. Never has our orthodox Christian faith been more under attack. Never have we been more susceptible to deception! Deception is NOT obvious. It looks like Christianity. It sounds like it. It almost is. Often it has the appearance of success. How can we know? How do we protect ourselves from being taken in by people who themselves are deceived? In this sermon, I describe the 4 ways Christians can be protected from deception that are described in 1 John 2:18-27.

You can follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Counterfeit Cravings

In the audio version of “Counterfeit Cravings” I warn us to be careful about what we love. I explain 3 reasons why loving the wrong things takes us away from the good things God has in store for us. I also describe 3 counterfeit loves that can leave us wanting, wanting, wanting. Along the way I share humorous insights into Oreo cookies and the Pierce family story time, as well as quotes from the singing group, Plumb, the Narnia author, C.S. Lewis, and my brother, Todd.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Our Response To The Gay Marriage Decision

What should be our response to the recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that gay marriage is now legal in all 50 states? What is our authority on this issue? In this audio sermon I consider the decision written by Justice Kennedy through a Biblical lens.

Follow along with the online sermon verses at YouVersion.com.

Am I Growing Up?

Jeff Barnes looks at the process of spiritual maturity and challenges us to ask, "Am I growing up in Christ?" This sermon, given at Church Requel on June 21, 2015, is based upon 1 John 2:12-17.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

The Choice To Love

The kind of love God gives to us, and the kind of love he wants us to give to others, is not a feeling. It is a choice. The choice to love is also the choice of remaining in God's light or moving away from God into darkness. In this sermon from 1 John 2:7-11, I teach that God's L.I.G.H.T. provides us the power to love God's way.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

The Real Deal

How can I know if I am a real Christ-follower? How can I know if someone else is a Christ-follower? The first is the question of assurance. The second is the question of authenticity. In this past weekend's sermon I talk about what makes for a Real Deal Christian in our study of 1 John 2:3-6.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

The Greatest Advocate

Jesus is the greatest advocate we could ever have. In this audio version of Sunday's Church Requel sermon I highlight 6 ways Jesus is such a great advocate. We also consider why He is so successful. Jesus is not only our advocate, but also our propitiation.

Follow along with these online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Light Walking

Light walking is the practice of every Christ-follower. What does it mean to walk in the light? What are the benefits? How do we keep ourselves walking in the light each day? In this audio version of Sunday's sermon, I talk about light walking as we study 1 John 1:5-10.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Faith Foundation

We begin our study of 1st John with the importance of Scripture - the eyewitness accounts of Jesus, the Word of Life. He is our connection to God and to one another, and the source of great joy.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Blessing Of Encouraging Words

Join me for this special Mother's Day 2015 audio message as we talk about how to bless our children and one another with encouraging words. Words are powerful and we should focus them to encourage. We start by changing what we fills our minds and hearts.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Eight Truths Every Child Should Know About God

The Lord's Prayer is not just a prayer to pray. It’s a template for life! In this model prayer we will learn 8 truths, which are the antidote to the 8 biggest emotional problems kids of all ages face today.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Four Jobs Of The Parent

The job of raising kids today is tougher than ever. Sunday morning I  taught moms and dads about the 4 main jobs of parenting: #1 Prepare your kids for life; #2 Protect your kids in storms; #3 Play with your kids for fun; #4 Point your kids to God.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the fill-in-the-blanks PDF sermon outline.

Radical Resurrection

For Church Requel's Easter morning, I talked about why belief in the resurrection is so important to our authentic Christian faith.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon notes.

Lifeless Lazarus

What do you do when you feel disappointed by Christ? Most Christ-followers experience a dark time of their soul when God does not respond the way they thought. In this podcast I consider the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus from John 11 to discover how our faith survives grief and disappointment.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Adulterous Act

Like the John 8 woman caught in adultery, we stand before Jesus alone and accused. Jesus does not condemn the woman and, if we stand with Jesus, he will not condemn us either.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Born Blind

Jesus miraculously healed a man born blind. That was an incredible miracle. Today He does an even greater miracle all the time - He heals us of our spiritual blindness when we become Christ followers. Sunday morning I considered 6 responses from the man born blind to help us SEE how to respond to our own miracle today.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Fish Feed

Sometimes God wants to do the impossible through us just to remind us that everything is possible through him. In this week's podcast I consider Jesus' miracle of feeding the five thousand. Along the way we will discover 4 lessons about financial faith miracles. We also learn how to discover the possible within the impossible.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the fill-in-the-blanks PDF sermon outline.

Water Walk

If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat! We consider the gospel story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus. Along the way we learn 8 ways to to great steps of faith in becoming the people God has created us to become.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the fill-in-the-blanks PDF sermon outline.

Melancholy Mat

Why do some people receive miracles while others don't? Here is the audio version of last Sunday's sermon. We considered the miracle story from John 5, when Jesus heals the lame man stuck on his mat. We learn 4 lessons about miracles. Do we know what we really want? When it comes to our prayer life, we should be specific and not be a wandering generality.

Follow along with these online sermon notes or download this fill-in-the-blanks PDF outline.

Relative Recovery

Christians should exhibit a faith in Christ regardless of their disappointments and discouragements from life. But what about a Christian's faith in Christ when disappointment and discouragement comes from Christ Himself? In last Sunday's talk, I considered that Jesus doesn't always respond the way we expect. Surprisingly, we also discovered that Jesus is never the author of an "easy believism."

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Inside Info

Jesus has the inside info on what we need to be able to worship Him in spirit and in truth. In this audio sermon, I use the story of the woman at the well from John's gospel to examine 4 pieces of inside info Jesus freely offers His followers.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Wedding Wine

Jesus turns the water into wine. A miracle! Do miracles still happen today? We watch the pattern of dependence of Mary upon Jesus, a pattern we can also follow. We discover that God still gives gifts bigger and better than we could have ever hoped for.

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Since The Change

God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have done so much for us as Christ-followers. So what should our response be?How do we live our lives as Christians? In this audio version of today's sermon, I talk about being filled with God's contentment, peace and approval as we mature in our Christian walk.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Under New Management

God didn't just come and go. He came to stay. In this sermon, I talk about the very special relationship we enjoy with God the Holy Spirit. Listen to how God's Spirit wants to turn your life from doom and gloom to delight and excite!

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Beyond Here And Now

Living the Christian life is like those old Magic Eye books where you stared at the picture a long time so you could eventually discover the hidden 3D image inside. We live inside a 2D Here and Now created by God, Who Himself lives outside this Here and Now. How do we focus so we can see beyond this Here and Now, in which we find ourselves? By focusing on THE PRESENCE in our present - the Lord Jesus. In this talk we learn 5 things that happen when we focus on Jesus.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.