Petra Podcast

Today we’re going to have a family conversation about money. For some of you it’s not easy to talk about. It feels very painful. It feels very personal. That’s why we need to talk about. There are few things that impact your life more than money. That can cause you such anxiety, or such joy. Wrap you up in bondage, or set you free. To cause you to live a small and self-interested existence. Or empower you to fulfill your purpose by making an impact in the world around you. God cares about your financial well-being. God cares about how you relate to money.

Our generation is quick to call people heroes. We have sports heroes, superheroes, the list goes on. But so many of you women and moms out there are the real heroes and I salute you. You are an amazing group of people. And you’ve overcome much. We’re continuing our sermon series on Unlikely Heroes. These are people in the scriptures who are flawed but we can learn something from their lives and see how God used them through their weaknesses. Today we’re going to be spending some time looking at two women who approached Jesus very differently. Mary and Martha.

The people we read about in the bible were flawed people like you and me but that didn’t stop God from calling them and using them. The primary lesson in all of this is that you don’t have to have it all together to be used of God. Today we are looking at the unlikely person of Peter. Peter's original name was Simon until Jesus changed it to Peter. Peter live the tough life of a fisherman. He and James and John were partners in the fishing business. Peter was married and he and his wife would often travel together in ministry. Peter met Jesus through his brother Andrew who took him to meet Jesus. In the natural Peter was a poor candidate for the ministry. He wasn’t the most pleasant, kind and considerate person to be around. If he was in the school year book he probably would have been listed as the most unlikely to succeed as a leader in the church. The most unlikely to be chosen.

Today we’re going to learn a very important lesson from a failure in the life of Abraham’s wife Sarah. Sarah went through a test that every person in this room will walk through, at one time or another. If we’re not careful, our response to our test can cause someone else’s duress. When Jesus went through his test, people were blessed. I do confess that our test can bless instead of oppress. So let the caress of Jesus possess you so that you can address your mess with success. That might take a moment to digest.

Over the next few weeks we are going to study a few characters from the bible...Sarah, Peter, Mary, Martha, and today, Samson. The purpose of this series is to remind you that even the greatest characters in the bible, the ones whose lives are surrounded by the miraculous, were just people and they were flawed. Their families had problems, they had a past they were embarrassed of, and in essence they were a lot like you and me. Our hope is that you will not be trapped by the lie that you have to be perfect or have it all together to be used by God; or even just loved by God.

The theme for our Good Friday Service was The Price of Hope and todays theme is Hope Lives. Hope is one of the most powerful forces on the planet. It is what keeps the human spirit alive, enabling people to overcome the most overwhelming circumstances. Easter Sunday is a day of great celebration. Easter is about forgiveness and hope. Jesus paid the price on the cross for our forgiveness and for us to have an eternal hope. We have hope because Jesus overcame the powers of darkness.

Celebrating the day Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, five days before they crucified him. He had taken the 100 mile journey down from Galilee, with hundreds of thousands of other Jews arriving from all over the country to worship YHVH at the temple during Passover holiday. 5 Days. If you had five days to live. What would you do with them. What’s on your bucket list?

The willingness to forgive can bring people through the deepest kinds of pain and transform their lives into something beautiful, propelling them into their destiny. The unwillingness to forgive shrivels up a person’s soul, physically destroys their health, and produces all kinds of spiritual bondage. • Forgiveness is the power to heal wounds and right wrongs. • It is the power to overcome offenses. • It is the power to show grace and mercy. • It is the power to restore relationships. • It is the power to heal memories and walk in new freedom. Of all the spiritual traits, the one that is the most important and probably the hardest is the ability to forgive. If you want to live a joy-filled life, a spirit-filled life, and a life that makes a difference, it is important to walk in forgiveness toward others.

This morning is a unique morning in that we will be talking about a subject that feels very private and we don’t typically address to such a broad audience. That is the topic of sexuality, and what is healthy sexuality, and how can broken identity lead to unhealthy sexuality? To help me with our topic I’ve invited Ben & Marci Dodd to join me. Ben & Marci often share on marriage and sexuality at various churches, seminars, conferences and so on. Ben also serves as the head of our Counseling Department here at Petra so he brings a unique perspective.

Today we wrap up our series on Living Supernaturally. In this series we have been exploring what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Being a follower of Jesus is much more then praying the sinner’s prayer, trying to live a good moral life, and going to Heaven when we die. When we follow Jesus, we don’t just become good people. We become kingdom citizens empowered by our king to live supernatural lives. If we as followers of Jesus are going to make a difference, we need to know how to walk and live in the supernatural. Our mission assignment is to continue to do the works of Jesus of seeking the lost, setting those in bondage free and proclaiming the good news of Jesus. To do the works that Jesus did we need the same spiritual power tools that Jesus used. And the good news is they are still available to us today.

Living supernaturally is not just living spiritually. Living supernaturally means that the spiritual world and the physical world are one, and the spiritual world affects the laws of nature. We never know when God has set up a divine appointment or a “chance” encounter that could potentially change the course of history. So when God is doing something supernatural, how can we be sure not to miss it?

We are continuing our series on Living Supernaturally. Kara Sensenig and I will be tag teaming on this message. In this series, we are talking about what normal Christianity looked like in the early church. And since Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever it is how normal Christianity should look like in our lives today as well. We are presently exploring the subject of healing and how to pray for the sick. The goal in this series is to keep these concepts simple and doable for all of us. Everyone in this room can be used of God to pray for someone who is sick and see them healed.

In this sermon series we are focusing on the reality of the supernatural in the life of the believer. In this message we want to look at the topic of supernatural or divine healing; specifically a Biblical foundation for healing.

This morning we are beginning a new message series focused on how to experience the supernatural in our lives on a regular basis. The supernatural is not some weird ghostbuster fictional movie. It is a part of our daily reality whether we are aware of it or not. We live in both a physical and spiritual world. They can’t be separated. It is easy for us to see the physical realm that we can touch. The spirit realm is just as real even if we can’t see it as easily. It is a little like the wind. We can’t really see wind but we can see and experience the effects of the wind blowing.

As we talk about praying for the nations, there is a key foundational truth we need to understand. Beyond what we see on CNN and Fox News, beyond all of the rumors of wars, political craziness and all the rumbling of problems, there is a greater roar that is happening from the depths of the nations. That roar is their desire for Jesus. We need to understand the people have a need and longing for Jesus.

Senior Pastor Lester Zimmerman brings the second message in our series Powerful Prayer. Today's message is also the official launch of our church-wide fast starting Monday January 16 through Sunday January 22.

Today we’re going to unbox what prayer is, and then talk about the two basic forms of prayer: praying by yourself, and praying with others. And both are profoundly important but also very different. What is prayer? It's our direct-line of communication with our loving Father. It’s all about relationship. We need to stop making it out to be something we only do during our morning devotions. It’s not just asking God for something. Prayer can be a joy, it can be thrilling, it can be raw and uncomfortable, but prayer is absolutely essential for the thriving Christian.

Welcome to a new year. A year full of destiny and purpose. We don’t know what lies ahead for anyone of us or for our nation and world this year. But I want you to lift up your heads today and put your hope in our God who is advancing his kingdom and his purposes on the earth. This is not a time for fear but a time to be bold, for the Lord is strong and mighty on our behalf. Every year we ask the Lord to give us a theme for the year that would reflect what is on his heart for our church. Something for us to focus on and go after in the Spirit. Our Theme for 2017 is … Empowered by God for Daily Encounters Let me unpack this and share what we feel God wants to do in our lives this year.

One of the themes of Christmas is gift giving. In addition to all the lights and festivities the giving of gifts is a special part of the celebration. There is a certain joy in giving a gift and seeing the person excited about receiving it. It is also a joy in receiving a gift from someone you know cares about you. It’s true Christmas has become commercialized but the exchange of gifts is a great reminder of the greatest gift of all which was wrapped in a blanket and laid in a manger on that very first Christmas. The baby Jesus was God’s gift to us!