http://www.metrocommunitychurch.com Metro's vision: to build a biblically functioning community as we turn non-churched people into fully devoted, growing, followers of Christ. This podcast includes messages from Pastor Paul Westbrook and others from the pastoral team. For more information check www.metrocommunitychurch.com. en Metro's vision: to build a biblically functioning community as we turn non-churched people into fully devoted, growing, followers of Christ. This podcast includes messages from Pastor Paul Westbrook and others from the pastoral team. For more ... Metro Community Church no Sermons Metro Community Church, Edwardsville, IL ℗ & © 2012 Metro Community Church 720 There is nothing bad about money. What we do with it is the issue. When it comes to our stuff, we need to rethink our life objectives; we need to rethink what we depend on; and we need to rethink what "enough" is. We shouldn't live mesmerized by things. Money doesn't satisfy our inner peace. We should live mesmerized by the One who provides us with all things. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/restraining-our-desires http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/bewisewk4audio.mp3 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:28:34 GMT Paul Westbrook Be Wise desires,god,rethink,money,enough,things,satisfy,provides We need to learn to leverage the advice of others in our decision making. God uses the wise advice of godly people to guide us. When we ask for advice, then we need to listen and respond. In order to hear from God through the right people, we need to choose someone who won't just tell you what you want to hear; choose someone who is where you want to be in life; ask more than one person for advice and go into these conversations sensitive to the fact that God may speak to you. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/being-teachable http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/bewisewk3audio.mp3 Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:51:08 GMT Paul Westbrook Be Wise advice,god_wise,people,guide,listen,respond,hear None of us are immune to the influence of others. In Proverbs, God gives us direction on monitoring our relationships. We need to be selective about the people we spend our time with. We need to intentionally pursue healthy relationships; intentionally shield ourselves from those with anger issues; intentionally choose who we are going to look up to; and intentionally position ourselves to grow as a person. Our friends determine the direction and quality of our life. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/being-selective http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/bewisewk2audio.mp3 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:14:35 GMT Be Wise intentional,influence,god,direction,friends,friendships,relationships,selective God wants us to live a life fully focused on Jesus. Following Jesus requires a willingness to move beyond personal comfort; requires action now; and requires prioritizing Him above all else. We need to give our life fully to His work so that we can make a difference. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/focus http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/focuswk1audio.mp3 Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:20:46 GMT Paul Westbrook God wants us to live a life fully focused on Jesus. Following Jesus requires a willingness to move beyond personal comfort; requires action now; and requires prioritizing Him above all else. We need to give our life fully to His work so that we ... focus,focused,god,jesus,following,requires,comfort,action,prioritizing Jesus came into this world to offer us a new life. God decided to visit this world to have a relationship with us and help us to be the best version of our self that we can be. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/the-new-you http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/anewyouwk1audio.mp3 Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:18:32 GMT Jesus came into this world to offer us a new life. God decided to visit this world to have a relationship with us and help us to be the best version of our self that we can be. new,life,world,birth,jesus,god,relationship There are 3 essentials for living as an overcomer. Replace lies with God's truth; connect consistently with other Christ-followers and tap into power of God. When we become overcomers, we can own our identity in Christ. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/overcomers http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/identitytheftwk6audio.mp3 Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:34:36 GMT Identity Theft overcomer,lies,truth,power,god,identity,christ If we are going to find wholeness, we have to base our identity on what God says about us. We are a Very Important Person (VIP) to Christ. Our identity in Christ tells us we are chosen so we need to stop focusing on what others think of us; we are royalty so we need to stop comparing our self to others; we are holy so we need to stop treating our self like junk; and we belong to God so we need to stop allowing sin to dictate who we are. We are special to God and he chose us. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/vip http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/identitytheftwk5audio.mp3 Sat, 03 Dec 2011 18:27:02 GMT Paul Westbrook Identity Theft wholeness,god,christ,vip,identity,chosen,royalty,holy,belong We don't have to let our past define who we are. As a Christian, we are totally forgiven in Christ. God no longer sees our sins. We are seen as pure through the righteousness of God. There are 3 observations about God's forgiveness: God's forgiveness is a free gift, God's forgiveness is complete, and God's forgiveness makes us fully acceptable to God. God's forgiveness, not our past, should define our identity. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/totally-forgiven http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/identitytheftwk4audio.mp3 Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:27:37 GMT Identity Theft christian,define,forgiven,forgiveness,accept,identity,gift,free,complete As a Christ-follower, our identity is based on what God says about us, not what the world says about us. Our identity in Christ tell us that we are deeply loved by God. Human love is conditional, but God's love is unconditional and is available to all of us. If we want to experience the fullness of God's love, we need to accept Christ into our life and become a child of God. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/deeply-loved http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/identitytheftwk3audio.mp3 Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:36:14 GMT Identity Theft love,god,unconditional,accept,fullness,christ As a Christ follower, we are Christ's ambassadors and have a new identity. With our new identity, we need to quit hiding from our problems (our Goliaths), and learn to trust God. We tend to look at who we were rather than who God says we are. David's perspective allowed him to look at his problem from a different angle. More than anything, David's story is about a guy who had complete confidence and trust in God no matter what. In Christ, we have a new ID and we need to stop defaulting to the old one. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/my-new-id http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/mynewidwk1audio.mp3 Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:43:53 GMT Russ Klenke As a Christ follower, we are Christ's ambassadors and have a new identity. With our new identity, we need to quit hiding from our problems (our Goliaths), and learn to trust God. We tend to look at who we were rather than who God says we ... identity,follower,ambassador,god,christ,goliath,perspective,david,new,id Culture tells us our identity is based on what others think of us or based on our mistakes. As a Christian, our identity shouldn't be based on our performance or what we have or haven't done. It should be based on what God says about us. Wholeness and significance is found only in Jesus. Scripture tells us that we need to take off our "old self", reorient our thinking, and put on the new self. We need to identify the lies and replace the lies with God's truths. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/who-am-i http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/identitytheftwk1audio.mp3 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:24:28 GMT Identity Theft identity,god,performance,lies,truths We often live by default, handling life issues on our own. We need to learn to live our life in a way that God's way becomes our new default. In order to transform our default into God's default, we need to adjust our perspective and embrace reality; we need to decide to die to ourselves daily; we need to allow the Spirit to guide our living; and we need to engage in ongoing self-assessment. We need to transform our default to God's default by stirring up the Spirit within us. We need to train ourselves to be Godly and learn to yield to God. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/default http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/reactiontimewk2audio.mp3 Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:23:20 GMT Gary Steffaniak Reaction Time default,god,own,yield,transform,spirit Life can be complicated. Our culture complicates things, but Jesus simplifies. Having a relationship with Christ is simple. God loved and God gave. We believe and we live. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/its-simple http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/reactiontimewk1audio.mp3 Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:46:29 GMT Todd Korasick Reaction Time life,complicated,relationship,christ,simple,gave,believe,live We need to acknowledge and identify our fears and turn to God. When facing decisions, we need to ask "Is this decision drive by fear." Scripture tells us we need to refuse to cave into fear, we need to replace fear with love, and we need to rely on God for the mental discipline to make wise choices. The wisest decision will never contradict God's word. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/facing-fear http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/perplexedmakingthediceydecisionswk5audio.mp3 Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:18:24 GMT Paul Westbrook Perplexed: Making the Dicey Decisions fear,god,decisions,love,rely All glory, honor, and praise belongs to God. As Christians, we need to filter our decisions through the question, "What would be most honoring to God?" We need to honor God with our behavior/actions, honor God with our bodies, and honor God in every area of our life. Everybody lives for somebody's glory. We should not absorb honor but deflect it back to God and live a life of humility. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/beyond-right-and-wrong http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/perplexedmakingthediceydecisionswk4audio.mp3 Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:52:31 GMT Paul Westbrook Perplexed: Making the Dicey Decisions glory,honor,praise,god,filter,decisions,humility In making the dicey decisions in life, one of the questions we need to ask is, "Is there a tension I need to pay attention to?" If we are going to follow David's example in the bible and pay attention to the inner tension, we need to weigh the advice of others carefully, refuse to go to the seemingly obvious solution, and trust the Lord with the outcome. God takes full responsibility for the life that is fully devoted to Him. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/tension http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/perplexedmakingthediceydecisionswk3audio.mp3 Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:30:30 GMT Perplexed: Making the Dicey Decisions decisions,attention,david,example,bible,tension,god,solution,devoted Our decisions in life become part of our life story. As we are making decisions, we need to ask the question, "Would I be embarrassed for this to be part of my life story?" We have to think, what is the story I want to tell. Just like the story of Joseph, in spite of the difficult situations we need to choose to pursue God, choose to make the most of our circumstances, choose to focus on long-term implications of our decisions. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/embarrassed http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/perplexedmakingthediceydecisionswk2audio.mp3 Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:24:42 GMT Paul Westbrook Perplexed: Making the Dicey Decisions decisions,embarrassed,story,life,joseph,pursue,choose When making decisions, we need to think about what the motivation is behind our decisions. We need to ask our self, "Am I being completely honest with myself?"....really? We need to understand and internalize that the heart is deceitful, the heart is beyond cure, and the heart is beyond being fully understood. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/really http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/perplexedmakingthediceydecisionswk1audio.mp3 Sat, 17 Sep 2011 17:25:15 GMT Perplexed: Making the Dicey Decisions decisions,motivation,really,honest,heart,deceitful We all need meaningful relationships to move us closer to God. We were designed to flourish in connectedness. We need to motivate each other toward love and good deeds, we need to be intentional about staying connected with other Christ followers, and we need to encourage each other. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/loving-relationships http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/offroadonpurposewk7audio.mp3 Sat, 10 Sep 2011 17:24:35 GMT Paul Westbrook Off Road On Purpose relationships,love,god,connectedness,intentional,christ,encourage We need to accept people where they are and find common ground to point them where they could be. We need to present God's truths in today's culture. We need to find common ground with people, we need to maximize our opportunities, and we need to maintain a sense of urgency in our lives. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/staying-in-touch http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/offroadonpurposewk6audio.mp3 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 17:29:23 GMT Paul Westbrook Off Road On Purpose truth,connect,accept,culture,god,urgency If we want to experience the blessings of God, we need to give Him our best. We need to prioritize God in every area of our life. We need to offer God our best, not the leftovers. Some categories for us to assess what it would look like to pursue God passionately: Calendar God in our schedule first; honor God with our stuff; offer our talent to God; honor God with our relationships; and live all out for God. 95% devotion to God is 5% short. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/our-best http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/offroadonpurposewk5audio.mp3 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:37:47 GMT Off Road On Purpose devotion,god,best,passionately,leftovers,prioritize,blessings Only an intimate relationship with God can fill the deepest longing of our heart. To experience this kind of relationship with God, we need to move beyond religion to a relationship; we need to slow down and get alone with God; and we need to surrender fully and daily to God. There are four things we will always need: Time to talk to God, which is through prayer; time to listen to God through reading and reflecting on scripture; time for being with God's people; time to serve and partner with God in what He is doing. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/intimacy-with-god http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/offroadonpurposewk4audio.mp3 Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:53:59 GMT Off Road On Purpose relationship,god,religion,heart,alone,surrender,prayer God commands us through the Great Commission that we should share our faith with others. In doing so, we need to understand that we don't save people, God saves people; we need to build relationships with people who don't know God; and we need to share the hope that we have with the world. Share 3 Model is that we should share our church, share our story, and share God's story. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/concern-for-the-disconnected http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/offroadonpurposewk3audio.mp3 Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:35:51 GMT Caleb Westbrook Off Road On Purpose commission,god,faith,relationships,hope,church,others We don't reach the level of maturity in our Christian faith that God wants us to until we are serving. Why should we serve? We should serve because Jesus modeled serving for us; God called us to serve through the church; we benefit from serving; and other people benefit from our serving. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/selfless http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/offroadonpurposewk2audio.mp3 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 17:32:45 GMT Todd Korasick Off Road On Purpose serve,serving,god,maturity,modeled,benefit,church Maximum freedom is found under God's authority. Jesus found his freedom under this same authority. Like Jesus, we need to acknowledge the trustworthiness of scripture; function under God's authority; and surrender to and follow the bible. The true road to greatness is following God's truths. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/uncompromising http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/offroadonpurposewk1audio.mp3 Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:52:28 GMT Paul Westbrook Off Road On Purpose god,authority,freedom,function,surrender,bible We need to live our lives with a concern for others not just in our own life, but around the world. While we can't do everything, we can do something. We need to have a heart for the world, as Acts 1:8 teaches us. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/heart-for-the-world http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/heartfortheworldaudio.mp3 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 17:29:33 GMT Paul Westbrook We need to live our lives with a concern for others not just in our own life, but around the world. While we can't do everything, we can do something. We need to have a heart for the world, as Acts 1:8 teaches us. heart,concern,god,love,world,others Are we going to trust God or turn away in our times of trouble? We need to decide in advance that we are going to trust in God. We need to trust that God can do even the seemingly impossible; we need to trust that God can give us a fresh start; we need to trust that God wants to do powerful things in and through our life; we need to trust that God is bigger and more powerful than death. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/uncompromising-loyalty http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/legends7audio.mp3 Sat, 16 Jul 2011 17:38:30 GMT Paul Westbrook Legends trust,faith,god,advance What does it mean to live all out for God? It is impossible to please God without faith. If we are going to follow the example of Moses, we need to forsake a self-centered life for a God-centered life, we need to forsake comfort for impact, and we need to forsake an immediate perspective for an eternal perspective. Living daringly by faith multiplies our fulfillment and impact exponentially. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/living-for-a-higher-purpose http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/legendswk6audio.mp3 Sat, 09 Jul 2011 17:20:30 GMT Paul Westbrook Legends faith,god,forsake,self-centeredness,impact,purpose What are we doing to with our faith to affect the next generation? We need to be intentional about our relationship with God, intentional about handing off our faith, intentional about investing relationally in generation next, intentional about investing in things that will outlast us. We need to ask ourselves, "What have I done today that will outlast me?" http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/inspiring-the-next-generation http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/legendswk5audio.mp3 Sat, 02 Jul 2011 17:27:32 GMT Todd Korasick Legends faith,generation,god,intentional,investing,relationally,outlast Our lives are only as big as our faith. Our faith is only going to be as big as God is in our lives. Living by faith requires us to be willing to step out of our comfort zone. Legendary faith requires a willingness to obey, often requires a willingness to wait, and requires living with an eternal focus. Wherever God guides, he will provide. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/stepping-beyond-whats-safe http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/legendswk4audio.mp3 Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:36:02 GMT Todd Korasick Legends faith,god,comfort,provides,guides,step,obey,wait The best way to live is by faith. If we are going to activate our faith, we need to maintain a holy fear and we need to respond to God now. Faith involves responding to God BEFORE we see outward evidence of positive results or negative consequences. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/unsinkable-faith http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/legendswk3audio.mp3 Sat, 18 Jun 2011 17:23:38 GMT Paul Westbrook Legends faith,respond,activate,god,fear Faith pleases God. Four keys of faith are trust, faith is required to please God, faith has obstacles, and faith is a choice. To live out our faith, we need to walk with God. Walking with God starts with belief and ultimately a relationship. Walking with God requires us to continually reinforce our faith. Walking with God involves taking new steps of faith. Walking with God is an adventure, and we should be sharing our adventure with others. Walking with God is worth it. Faith has action tied to it. People who please god take a step and then keep walking. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/the-walk-of-faith http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/legendswk2audio.mp3 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:37:21 GMT Mike Knight Legends faith,trust,steps,relationship,belief,god,action What separates Christianity from other religions is faith. Faith is our response to the Word of God and the will of God. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/the-way-of-faith http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/legendswk1audio.mp3 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 22:17:07 GMT Paul Westbrook Legends faith,christianity,grace In order to recalibrate our focus and carry out God's purpose for our life, we need to remain in Christ, prioritize love, play to our strengths and use our strengths to serve others, and live with an eternal perspective. Having a right focus is energizing. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/recalibrating-our-focus http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/bouncingbackwk6audio.mp3 Sat, 28 May 2011 17:15:32 GMT Bouncing Back recalibrate,god,hope,focus,purpose,strengths,serve,others The foundation of life is faith. In order for us to be the best version of who God wants us to be, we need to build on top of our faith from the bottom up. We need to stretch ourselves to grow in goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and and the most important...love. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/keep-stretching http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/bouncingbackwk5audio.mp3 Sat, 21 May 2011 17:47:28 GMT Paul Westbrook Bouncing Back faith,god,version,stretch,goodness,knowledge,self-control,perseverance,godliness,kindness,love In order for us to bounce back when we've tripped ourselves up, we need to identify and eliminate the distractions from our life that keep us from God; we need to break free from wrong doing/sin; and we need to pursue Jesus and His plan for our lives. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/keep-moving http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/bouncingbackwk4audio.mp3 Sat, 14 May 2011 17:18:06 GMT Paul Westbrook Bouncing Back bounce,christ,god,tripped,break_free,sin,pursue,jesus,plan,eliminate,distractions If we are going to bounce back from issues in life, there are 3 gauges we need to keep our eye on. We need to make sure we take care of our physical health; make sure we take care of our spiritual health; make sure we take care of our emotional health. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/getting--staying-recharged http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/bouncingbackwk3audio.mp3 Sat, 07 May 2011 17:49:16 GMT Paul Westbrook Bouncing Back gauge,god,health,physical,spiritual,emotional We need to redirect our thoughts and quit focusing on negativity. In order to bounce back from negativity, there are five critical choices we need to make: 1) Choose joy in our life; 2) Choose to take the focus off of ourselves; 3) Choose to turn to God for help; 4) Choose to be thankful; 5) Choose to focus on the positive. We need to worry about nothing and pray about everything. We need to internalize that we deserve nothing and then we will learn to be more grateful. What we focus on is our choice and a right focus paves the way to an energized life. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/choosing-our-outlook http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/bouncingbackwk2audio.mp3 Sat, 30 Apr 2011 17:28:23 GMT Paul Westbrook Bouncing Back negativity,choice,joy,thankful,thoughts,god,gratitude,positive,pray We are going to run into troubles in this life. If we are going to bounce back from issues in life, we need to take hold of God's offer of a hope-filled new beginning; we need to take hold of God's offer of a breath-taking inheritance; and we need to take hold of God's offer of his own power. God specializes in helping people bounce back. In order for us to be the best version of us, we need to be anchored in Christ. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/anchoring-your-life http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/bouncingbackwk1audio.mp3 Sun, 24 Apr 2011 16:30:47 GMT Paul Westbrook Bouncing Back trouble,bounce,anchored,christ,version,life,issues Teaching others what we know about Christ will have an exponential impact for Christ. In teach others what we know about Christ, we will reproduce other Christ followers. Teaching others is all about relationships. We need to invest and invite. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/how-to-have-exponential-impact http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/howwk2audio.mp3 Sat, 09 Apr 2011 17:41:49 GMT How? apprenticing,christ,exponential,impact,teach,followers,relationships We should read our bible because it teaches us about God and teaches us how to live our lives. In choosing a bible to read, we should pick a bible that we understand. In reading the bible we should pick the bible apart (study the bible) and we should let the bible pick us apart. In picking the bible apart, we should ask ourselves, what sin is there to confess; what promise is there to claim; what example is there to follow; what command is there to obey; and what knowledge is there to believe. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/how-to-read-the-bible http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/howwk1audio.mp3 Sat, 02 Apr 2011 17:22:53 GMT Todd Korasick How? bible,god,teach,lives,apart,study,understand As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Metro Community Church, we look at what Metro is all about. We're about loving God and loving people. We're about stepping out of comfort zone in faith. We're about presenting God's truth in a relevant and helpful way. We're about pointing people to Jesus. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/the-dream-20-years http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/01thedream-20yearsaudio.mp3 Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:08:46 GMT Paul Westbrook As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Metro Community Church, we look at what Metro is all about. We're about loving God and loving people. We're about stepping out of comfort zone in faith. We're about presenting God's truth ... loving_god,jesus,truth,people Our priorities with our finances are up-side-down. For most of us, our priorities with our finances are all about taking care of ourselves. God ends up being last in our financial priorities. Our plan should be to get our finances straight so we can honor God with all we have. What we do with our money is a picture of where our priorities are. We need to re-prioritize our finances and put God first, then save, pay taxes, repay debt and then spend what's left on ourselves. We need to give, save, and live on the rest. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/developing-a-plan http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/up-side-downwk5audio.mp3 Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:37:36 GMT Up-Side-Down up-side-down,finance,god,priorities,first,slave,give,save Managing our finances according to scripture will keep us out of debt. We need to get God involved in our finances. God always portrays debt in a negative light. God doesn't want us to be in debt to anyone. The borrower is always a slave to the lender. The reason we get into debt is because we lack self-control. A lack of self-control always leads to trouble and debt is an issue of a lack of self-control. Practical steps that we can take to get out of debt is to make ourselves accountable to someone and to get on a debt retirement plan. A simple plan is to stop adding to our debt, generate some "extra" and focus on paying off the debt with lowest balance first. How we manage our money is a spiritual issue. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/getting-back-in-the-black http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/up-side-downwk4audio.mp3 Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:20:56 GMT Up-Side-Down debt,self-control,god,surrender,finances,money,slave,lender,borrow What we choose to do with our extra stuff is a reflection of our heart. We need to rethink what we do with our extra. We need to own the fact that we are all susceptible to greed; own the fact that life is more than stuff; own the fact that there is more to life than just taking care of ourselves. Our life doesn't exist on what we have. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/another-category http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/up-side-downwk3audio.mp3 Sat, 05 Mar 2011 18:26:09 GMT Paul Westbrook Up-Side-Down stuff,extra,god,greed,ourselves,more The truths we need to understand and internalize in order to understand the primary objective through which we filter our decisions about our stuff, is that everything ultimately belongs to God; everything comes from God, and everything is distributed by God. Our objective should simply be to Honor God by surrendering all that we have to him. We need to be praying that God shows us how to honor him with all that we have. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/clarifying-the-objective http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/up-side-downwk2audio.mp3 Sat, 26 Feb 2011 18:33:08 GMT Paul Westbrook Up-Side-Down objective,god,honor,belong,surrender,all,stuff,praying,everything In order for us to understand discontentment, we need to be aware of what fuels discontentment. In order to break the grip of discontentment, we need to rethink success. Success isn't about stuff. True success is godliness combined with contentment. We need to acknowledge that discontentment is dangerous and we need to redirect our focus in life. What do we need to become less of and what do we need to become more aware of? http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/the-spending-challenge http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/up-side-downwk1audio.mp3 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:13:40 GMT Up-Side-Down discontentment,success,godliness,god,content Message provides guidance for laying the foundation of intimacy in marriage. God needs to be the foundation of our marriage. Three things we should have in our marriage: Intimacy, passion and commitment. Hebrews 13:4 tells us we should all honor marriage. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/preparing-for-intimacy http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/preparingforintimacyaudio.mp3 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:04:19 GMT Paul Westbrook Message provides guidance for laying the foundation of intimacy in marriage. God needs to be the foundation of our marriage. Three things we should have in our marriage: Intimacy, passion and commitment. Hebrews 13:4 tells us we should all ... marriage,intimacy,god,foundation,passion,commitment,honor Based on John 6; we learn how Jesus does not want us to be a fan of his but a follower of his. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/not-a-fan http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/notafanaudio.mp3 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:01:29 GMT Todd Korasick Based on John 6; we learn how Jesus does not want us to be a fan of his but a follower of his. follower,jesus,sacrifice,significance God wants every one of us to be an influence. We need to leverage our life experiences to bring others to know Christ. We need to be praying the prayer of Jabez: That God will bless us so we can be a blessing to others; that God will expand our sphere of influence allowing us to do more for Christ; live our lives dependent upon God, pray that God will keep us from harm so we will be free from pain. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/think-influence http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/dreambigwk4audio.mp3 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:30:46 GMT Paul Westbrook Dream Big influence,jabez,prayer,god,blessing,others,territory,christ,pain In order for us to build and sustain momentum, we must take the first step in the right direction, we must expect opposition, and we need to stay focused. Our dreams have to be grounded in Christ. Our dreams have to be in alignment with God's dreams for our lives. http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/momentum http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/dreambigwk3audio.mp3 Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:17:12 GMT Paul Westbrook Dream Big dreams,momentum,step,god,big,grounded,christ Based on life of Joshua living a life characterized by "audacious faith": Learn to see opportunities where others see obstacles; remain consistent even when I don't see immediate results; Step out of my comfort zone and expect God to do big things; and Pray and do all I can do. Audacious faith is active not passive http://www.sermoncloud.com/metro-church/audacious-faith http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/115/dreambigwk2audio.mp3 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:26:24 GMT Paul Westbrook Dream Big faith,god,joshua,dream