Does God still speak to us today in a personal and intimate way? This is the topic we are exploring in our new series: Voices. God is looking to have a conversation with men and women who are called according to His purpose! Throughout history, the voice of God has transformed, impassioned, and guided those who have consecrated themselves to serve God. He is looking to speak to us. Are we listening?

We have talked about how important it is for God to speak to us through both the Word AND the Spirit. This week, we discuss 3 additional ways God speaks to us - through doors, desires and dreams. God often uses open or close doors to direct our paths. God also uses the passions and the desires of our hearts to guide our way. Finally, the Lord still speaks to us using dreams! 

“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.” - Joel 2:28-29 NLT

Does God still speak to us today in a personal and intimate way? This is the topic we are exploring in our new series: Voices. God is looking to have a conversation with men and women who are called according to His purpose! Throughout history, the voice of God has transformed, impassioned, and guided those who have consecrated themselves to serve God. He is looking to speak to us. Are we listening?

The Gospel is the greatest love story ever told! From Genesis to Revelation, we see example after example of God’s relentless pursuit to redeem a Bride for His Son, Jesus! The Father uses the language of covenant love to give us a picture of his passionate pursuit for His people. The written Word and the Holy Spirit work in tandem to lead us into a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus! The goal is learning to recognize and respond to your heavenly Father’s voice so you can grow in intimacy with Him. When we take the Holy Spirit out of the equation, we’re left with the letter of the law, which leads to lifeless legalism. In contrast, the language of redemption is all about relationship. “Let me see your face; let me hear your voice. For your voice is pleasant, and your face is lovely.” - Song of Solomon 2:14

Does God still speak to us today in a personal and intimate way? This is the topic we are exploring in our new series: Voices. God is looking to have a conversation with men and women who are called according to His purpose! Throughout history, the voice of God has transformed, impassioned, and guided those who have consecrated themselves to serve God. He is looking to speak to us. Are we listening? This week, we will talk about how God talks to us through both the Word of God and the Spirit of God. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” - 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” - John 14:26 NLT

Does God still speak to us today in a personal and intimate way? This is the topic we are exploring in our new series: Voices. God is looking to have a conversation with men and women who are called according to His purpose! Throughout history, the voice of God has transformed, impassioned, and guided those who have consecrated themselves to serve God. He is looking to speak to us. Are we listening?

This week, we turn to the journey of a young Samuel, and his process to hear God's voice. Though Samuel was consecrated for God's purpose, "Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before." (1 Samuel 3:7). What can we learn from Samuel in how to tune our ears to the frequency of heaven? Find out in today's message.

“Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. 4 Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. 6 Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” 7 Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. 8 So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 1 Sam 3:1-20

The Acts 2 Church was part of a powerfully unified community connected by shared values and purpose. The culture was so countercultural that people were drawn into their community. You see, if the culture isn’t right, nothing else really matters, and that’s because culture always wins! If you have a great culture, your church will thrive. A great culture enables you to do great things! In our current series: Our Tribe - we will clarify what Living Stones is all about! We will talk about the 7 things we value here, and how these values shape what we do! Our culture must be incarnated! Today we talk about our 7th value: Kingdom Generosity! Our English word generous comes from an old French word meaning “of noble birth.” This is the reason for our generosity – we come from noble birth. We are children of the King! And we want to be like our Dad! My generous LIFE magnifies the work of God’s generous GRACE in me! “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” - Matthew 5:48 MSG

The Acts 2 Church was part of a powerfully unified community connected by shared values and purpose. The culture was so countercultural that people were drawn into their community. You see, if the culture isn’t right, nothing else really matters, and that’s because culture always wins! If you have a great culture, your church will thrive. A great culture enables you to do great things! In our current series, Our Tribe, we will clarify what Living Stones is all about! We will talk about the 7 things we value here, and how these values shape what we do! Our culture must be incarnated! Today we talk about our 6th value: Excellence! Excellence is the continual pursuit to grow and to maximize the resources that God has given us to steward. Excellence refers not to the AMOUNT of talent, authority, or resource you have been given, but to the level of FAITHFULNESS in which you demonstrate. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 is the basis for excellence – culminating in this: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness” - Matthew 25:23 When we operate in excellence, it is not in a carnal or worldly sense of performance, but rather it originates from our passion and desire to serve our Father and King well! “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3:23

The Acts 2 Church was part of a powerfully unified community connected by shared values and purpose. The culture was so countercultural that people were drawn into their community. You see, if the culture isn’t right, nothing else really matters, and that’s because culture always wins! If you have a great culture, your church will thrive. A great culture enables you to do great things! In our current series: Our Tribe - we will clarify what Living Stones is all about! We will talk about the 7 things we value here, and how these values shape what we do! Our culture must be incarnated! Today we talk about our 5th values: Covenant Relationships! There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family. That is the church of Jesus Christ. One of the marks of the Church is the quality of relationships that are modeled before a watching world. Jesus said they would know we are Christians by our love. Jesus set the gold standard of what covenant relationships look like: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” - John 13:34-35 NLT When we love like Jesus, the result is relationships, lots of them, which stand the test of time. The Church is a multi-generational, multi-ethnic family. Come and find out more about the 5 defining marks of a Covenant Relationship!

The Acts 2 Church was part of a powerfully unified community connected by shared values and purpose. The culture was so counter-cultural that people were drawn into their community. You see, if the culture isn’t right, nothing else really matters, and that’s because culture always wins! If you have a great culture, your church will thrive. A great culture enables you to do great things! In our current series: Our Tribe - we will clarify what Living Stones is all about! We will talk about the 7 things we value here, and how these values shape what we do! Our culture must be incarnated! Today we talk about our 4th values: the growth Mindset! Having the growth mindset means that we view life through a lens that really values growth – that we don’t get stagnant. But we are not just talking about growing in general – but  growing to be like Jesus. And since we will never be fully like Jesus in our life time, our life is about the journey and not the destination. Every day we wake up we are looking forward to our pursuit to become more like Christ! Having the growth mindset means that we embrace adversity, we embrace our failures, we embrace authenticity, and finally we embrace brokenness. Come find out more in our sermon today! Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:12-14

The Acts 2 Church was part of a powerfully unified community connected by shared values and purpose. The culture was so countercultural that people were drawn into their community. You see, if the culture isn’t right, nothing else really matters, and that’s because culture always wins! If you have a great culture, your church will thrive. A great culture enables you to do great things! In our current series: Our Tribe - we will clarify what Living Stones is all about! We will talk about the 7 things we value here, and how these values shape what we do! Our culture must be incarnated! Today we talk about our third value: Daring love! Christ’s love is daring – it’s bold and courageous; it’s fearless and adventurous. And that’s the kind of love which He invites us to enjoy and to share with others. Daring Love is supernatural in that it is beyond our normal reach and ability. We need Christ to transform our hearts and we need the Holy Spirit to work this kind of love through us. Daring Love is critical in that it inspires others to love boldly and courageously. When Love has no evidence, it believes the best. When the evidence is adverse, it hopes for the best. And when hopes are repeatedly disappointed, it still courageously waits. (Robertson and Plummer - 1Corinthians  13-Critical and Exegetical Commentary)