Revelation 19-22, Luke 2:8-10, 13-14, 22-35
Barbara Sunofsky. Revelation is not about a terrible war that will happen at the end of time. It's about then and it's about now. It's about the war that's been happening since creation not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. it's about Jesus Christ the lamb who reigns on the throne.
Read MoreRevelation 13-18
Pastoral Team. In this message, we hear from the new Pastoral team as they teach on John's message to the church in Revelation 13-18 and what that means for us today.
Read MoreRevelation 5-12
Matt Cullen. Jesus paid the cost to redeem us from our personal sin and the curse of sin on humanity. How do we get hold of our "Boughtness" and how does it make a difference? Recognizing our need for His forgiveness and understanding the price that was paid for us to have a relationship with Jesus is what gives us perspective in the midst of the difficulties that we see presently in our day, as well as the tribulation and judgment here in the book of Revelation. He IS worthy of all of our honor and praise and thanksgiving and glory.
Read MoreRevelation 1:1-3; 4
Ryan Longnecker. John’s emphasis for the seven churches in Revelation 1-4 (as was the prophets for their time), was action in this life, and a hope and trust that the all-loving and powerful God has the future.
Read MoreJude
Steve Thomas. Jude encourages Christ followers to remain vigilant in faithfully living out the Good News when challenged with deceit and falsehoods. In doing so, He keeps us in His love, which results in freedom, joy, protection, and blessings.
Read More3 John 1-15
Barb Sunofsky & Sam Smidt. In this message, we look at what it means to live in the truth of Jesus Christ’s love as we show hospitality to one another and to the stranger. The church addressed in this letter is in disagreement about loving those God has given them to love, namely the stranger and is following the leadership of a man that believes he alone is enough. How often do we live out of fear rather than out of the love God gives us? How does that affect how we love others?
Read More2 John 1-13
Robert Smidt. In this message, we explore the truth that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth of the gospel is that Christ has commanded us to love not just those that are easy to love but also those that we may find difficult to love.
Read More1 John 2:1-2, 7-8; 3:23; and 4:7-20
Barb Sunofsky. The grand story of the Bible is “one of love.” We are designed for love; to be loved by God, to love God, and to love others; to respond to love if you will! So LBCF, can we become this community that demonstrates something even approaching the love of God? Are we willing to make mistakes trusting that love covers a multitude of sins? Can we rise above the ordinary and become even more generous, open, inclusive, honest, and wise? Can we care for one another with fierce and healing love, even those among us who we don’t find so easy to love? Can we love those outside of our boundaries, welcoming them in large and gracious ways? Can we change without losing ourselves? Can we repent, ask for forgiveness, receive forgiveness, and go again? Can we work to make community happen even in this COVID pandemic? Because goodness and love are not accidental…they happen when we allow ourselves to be fully loved by a radical God. We love, because he first loved us. AND, the world is scary as hell!!! LOVE ANYWAY.
Read More2 Peter 3:17-18
Matt Cullen. How do you hang onto your faith in difficult times? The pathway that helps us not lose our own secure footing, is the practice of growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. We learn to receive His grace for ourselves and give of His grace to others. Live out what the Scriptures say, be consistent with other scriptures, and warn others of things to come.
Read More1 Peter 3:8-12
Ryan Longnecker. Peter reminds us that our Christian suffering is not met with force or rebellion, but a subversive charge to love and bless and grieve - not alone, but together.
Read MoreJames 3:1-12
Steve Thomas. In this message, we discuss the true potential of the tongue as stated in James 3. During this season of anxiety, confusion and injustice, we can either speak words of life or death in our daily interactions. What will we choose?
Read MoreHebrews 11:1-12:2 (The Voice)
Barbara Sunofsky. And what is hope? We fight, suffer, contend, and grieve for our hope! It is defiant and resistant; rooted in our grief, anger, suffering, and despair. And it is not finished with me yet! And when it disappoints, I will hope anyway…and it turns into faith. And I assert that the best kind of faith is the one that has adapted to change, in order to survive.
Read MoreHebrews 1:1-4
Rob Smidt. In this message, we explore how the author of Hebrews compares Christ and His good news to what the audience and we today hold in high regard. He encourages us to question, what are we wrapping our identities in? What are we holding in higher esteem than Christ? Ultimately we are called to wrap our identities in the supreme goodness of Christ who is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature.
Read MorePhilemon 1:1-25
Barbara Sunofsky. This book of Philemon is crazy rich and multi-layered. One of the sources that I read, James Earl Massey, calls it a “social layer cake!” Think about that! We’ve got power, Paul, at the top and “uselessness” at the bottom, which is Onesimus! And then, the entire middle layer of the cake; Philemon, his society and social construct.
Read MoreTitus 3:3-9
Ryan Longnecker. We need so much of what Paul wrote in his letter to Titus. The U.S. church, like the church in Crete, needs to be reminded of our true hope, our true allegiance. We have to be reminded of our identity, a continual baptism into a life in Christ. That frees us up to pursue the good works that make way for the gospel.
Read More2 Timothy 1:13-14
Matt Cullen. If you knew you were dying and wanted to communicate what you valued as the most important thing in life, who would you communicate that to? and what would you say to them? Paul chose Timothy. He told Timothy to value his heritage - those principles his mom and grandma had taught him. He told him to value the Scriptures - to study them and hold fast to them. He told him to value relationships.
Read More1 Timothy 4-6
Robert Smidt. In this message, we look at Paul’s closing words to Timothy and how our lives are shaped by the gospel we believe. A life lived from a False Gospel is marked by discontentment. A life lived from the True Gospel of Jesus Christ breeds contentment and bears the fruits of the Spirit.
Read More1 Timothy 1-3
Alvia Lee. Paul writes to encourage young Timothy as they lead a community that they love dearly. In doing so, he hopes to ensure that all believers will be filled with the love of God. Let’s consider together, Paul’s view of good news. How wide, how deep, and how great is God’s love?
Read More2 Thessalonians 1-3
Steve Thomas. Through Paul’s letter to a young community in Thessalonica, we are encouraged that God chooses us to glorify Him by living out our calling on earth during a challenging 2020. With the imminent return of Christ, we are also motivated to remain faithful and persevere with the strength and courage Jesus provides during these unprecedented times.
Read More1 Thessalonians 1-5
Barbara Sunofsky. Paul summarizes it this way—a church characterized by faith, hope, and love. These three terms, properly understood, describe a radical, THE RADICAL!!! the revolutionary movement of God's Spirit in and through his people.
We are asked to do “unto the least of these, as doing unto Jesus” Because that is where Jesus lives! That is where we find him, we don’t bring him, he is already there!! That is how the kingdom comes to earth, how we walk toward the reign of God. If LBCF is ever to truly learn to live and love like Jesus, we must always be open to the surprises of history, to as Nestor O. Miquez says, “the unthinkable that bursts into reality from what has been excluded, to see what is not that undoes what is.”
Read More