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)

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 second value: Pregnant Hope! The Apostle Paul said, “For I live in eager expectation and hope…”-Philippians 1:20 AMP Hope comes from the promises of God rooted in the work of Christ. Biblical hope is a confident expectation and desire for something good in the future. Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future — it expects it to happen. And it not only expects it to happen — it is confident that it will happen. There is a moral certainty that the good we expect and desire will be done. We need to understand that if God is going to do something, He will look for people who are operating in a spirit of expectant hope! But, O my soul, don’t be discouraged. Don’t be upset. Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise him for all that he will do. He is my help! He is my God! - Psalm 42:11 TLB

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 Pastor Ron talks about our first value: Bold Faith! We believe God for BIG THINGS!

The great evangelist, D.L. Moody said, “If God is your partner, make your plans BIG!”

God honors big dreams because big dreams honor God.

1. Bold Faith is our reasonable response to the greatness and goodness of God!

2. Bold Faith pleases God. 3.Bold Faith goes first!

3. Bold Faith prays preposterous prayers!

4. Bold Faith CHOOSES to Believe!

“Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!” - I Samuel 14:6 NLT

In the book of Acts we find the expression of the first Church of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. The church was filled with signs and wonders, great fellowship, generosity, and God added to their fellowship daily! How many of us would like to be a part of a church like that?! Well if you flip a couple pages ahead to Acts 4:32, you’ll discover what I believe is a powerful secret to their success:

“All the believers were united in heart and mind.” Acts 4:32 NLT

The opposite is also true…

“Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.” Luke 11:17 NLT

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!

Our 7 values:

1. Daring Love: Love that is courageous

2. Bold Faith: Faith that believes for big things

3. Pregnant Hope: Hope filled with anticipation

4. Covenant Relationships: Relationships that last forever

5. Kingdom Generosity: Giving that overflows

6. Growth Mindset: Reaching our full potential

7. Increasing Excellence: Always offering our best

Doesn’t God know that it is virtually impossible to be thankful when our lives seem to be fraught with one challenge and one disappointment after another?

We live in a sin-filled and broken world. How does God expect me to be filled with thanks when my circumstances are disastrous?

As we come to the final leg of this year, I want to equip you with a powerful weapon to help you win the battle over discouragement and to enable you to move in the joy and power of the Holy Spirit no matter what your circumstances look like.

“No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

Do you really want to live for God and for His awesome purposes? The first step to live for God might not be what you are typically taught in churches. To truly make Jesus the King of your life, you must first dethrone the tyrant who has been whispering lies all your life: Fear. To walk in the supernatural, to listen and obey God's voice - we must first expose and remove the debilitating voice of fear. And God has already given us a path of victory to overcoming fear in His promises. Come find out what that means for you today. Scriptures: Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Jeremiah 42:11 “Do not fear him, declares the LORD, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand.” Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Joshua 1:5-9 “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”

In America today, the public square is more toxic than ever, and many Churches have resolved to steer as far away as possible from anything controversial. But is that the proper role of the Church? It turns out that we have one more sermon left in this series. Into this dark mess of moral morass, God raised up men and women to be light in our generation. God has done this throughout every generation, and I believe He is doing it even now in our own. We need men and women to stand up and face the darkness. Heroes are made in perilous times. Pastor Ron discusses the advice we must take from David's 3 Mighty Men. We must learn to: 1) Raise our spear; 2) Stand firm; and 3) Defend our ground. “Surely our law-breaking and sins are hurting us. They will kill us. What can we do so we will live?” -Ezekiel 33:10  NCV