Summit Spokane Church

Extra money? That phrase sure seems like a joke, but our bank statements sure will reveal how we're able to find extra money and what we spend it on. Shoes, coffee, scratch tickets... whatever it may be, we usually can find a little extra to spend on the things we enjoy most. In this message title, "Extra," Brad explores the conversation of what it means to truly be blessed by the Lord, not just monetarily, why we all have extra, and what we should really be doing with it.

There is a word associated with money that makes everyone uncomfortable and cringe... and that word is, debt. The statistics of American debt are staggering and are rising every year. This Sunday Student Ministries Pastor, Grant Bruscoe, leads us through the Biblical perspective of debt and how the Bible teaches us as Christians to view and steward our money, and how to stay out of unhealthy debt. We all owe a much greater and eternal debt that we can never repay, and when we accept the free gift of salvation, our ledger with Jesus reads, "Paid in Full."

In week 2 of our current series, Right on the Money, we look at 1 Chronicles and the story of a majestic temple being planned and built for the glory of the Lord during the reign of King David. David, however; would not get to be the one to oversee this project, he gave billions of dollars of his own money to the project, and we see how he responds to the Lord's decision to have another ruler building the temple. David could have become upset with God, but we instead see a surrendered heart that chooses a different perspective, for he knew that all his wealth came ultimately from God.

This is the first message of a 6-part series looking at Biblical perspectives on how we as Christians should use and view our money, or should we say, God's money. Most people cringe when a Pastor talks about money in church, thinking this is just another "ask" for people to open their checkbook and add some zeros. In Jesus' time on earth he never once asked anyone for money, he knew that isn't the most important thing in life. We all want to be "right" in life, it feels good to be right on track with any given thing in life. This week Brad opens this series on how we can all be, "Right on the Money" with our finances.

Brad finishes the Take the Land series and the book of Joshua. Joshua is at the end of his life and challenges the Israelites that they had a choice to make... would they go back to the false gods of past generations, or would they choose to surrender everything to the one true God. We see how this choice is relevant and important in our lives today.

We often have a tendency to confuse outcomes with objectives in life. What we're obsessed with in today's day and age, what we're focused on, and what gets us into all kinds of messes both physically and emotionally, is when we focus on the outcome. We want to skip ahead in the story, we don't want to do the hard work and go through the process. Joshua and the Israelites had taken all of the land before them, but God wanted them to take full possession of it, to fully take ownership of it. Jesus has won the battle, but, are we supposed to just sit back and relax because of it? We are called to possess our possessions, to press forward. Jesus has overcome and he wants us to continue to overcome things in our lives. Pastor Brad unpacks these ideals in his message, "Peace & Affluence."

Everyone in life has made decisions they regret, wouldn't it be nice if we could just figure out how to make only good decisions? We base our decisions on facts and information that is available to us, but that information doesn't always guarantee the right decision. In Joshua chapter 9, Joshua was put in a place where he didn't have all the information in a tough situation, and he had a decision to make. Would he respond with anger and revenge, or with mercy based on what is honoring to God? And we all face this same stalemate every day. Brad takes us back a chapter, to chapter 9 in Joshua to look at a time where the Israelites were in a perplexing situation.

Do you believe God answers our prayers? Maybe He only answers prayers like, "Please provide me with a new job Lord." Or "Help me be a nicer person to my coworkers and family." But do you believe God to answer the seemingly outlandish prayers we offer up to Him? Joshua prayed and fervently asked God to hold the sun still in the sky. Pastor Nick Kimmet teaches on Joshua 10, in the midst of Joshua's sun stand still prayer. He brings this story to life in our day and age today as we look at how we can believe God for the impossible situations in our lives.

HE IS RISEN! But, do you believe this? That’s the question Jesus asked then, and that’s the question he asks now. They will take my life, and I will die, Jesus says, but that will not be the end. And when you find yourself assuming that it’s over, when it’s lost, gone, broken and can never be put back together again, when it’s all been destroyed and you swear that it could never be rebuilt… hold on a minute, because in that moment, things will in fact have just begun. A decision must be made, and if you decide that the resurrection is real, then everything changes. This life, that you’re living has every opportunity to come to life. You can wake up and you can know, there’s reason. There’s a life to be lived, and there’s a freedom to be experienced. You then believe that Jesus truly was raised from the dead so that you now would be too.

Summit Student Ministries Pastor Grant Bruscoe teaches through the same text Brad taught last Sunday. Grant dissects the story of Achan's sin even farther as we see how one man's blatant sin effected an entire nation. Achan's sin patterns that led him to disobey the Lord show themselves in our lives today: we see, covet, take and then we hide. Sin will always hold us back from what God's plan is for our lives, but because of Jesus, we can accept his forgiveness and walk into the promises he has for our lives.

We come to the part of the story in Joshua where things get a little more serious. Some very real tensions and questions arise that many people today struggle with understanding. Israel had captured the city of Jericho. The people and everything in it was to be, destroyed. There are many arguments and viewpoints for why God decreed this had to happen, Brad takes us through a Biblical and God-centered perspective of this story.

If you're leave on a trip, what is the salutation someone will most likely give you? "Safe travels!" We're pretty concerned these days with our safety; however, do you think God's greatest dream for our lives is safety? When it comes to us Taking the Land in our lives, it will rarely feel safe. Do you think the people of Israel felt safe as they marched around the walls of Jericho - a fortified city? They probably felt pretty crazy. This Sunday we look at Joshua 6 and the how we can feel certain in the midst of uncertain situations.

In Joshua chapter 5, the Israelites now found themselves wandering in the dessert on the edge of their Promised Land. The generation that had disobeyed God in the dessert was now gone and a new generation needed to be circumcised. Boys and men of all ages needed to be circumcised and you can just imagine their reaction to this news from Joshua. Why is that important? Why teach a whole message around this subject and story? Brad explains why in this message titled: Signs, Symbols, & Sacraments. 

We were pleased to have Guest Speaker David Louw with us Sunday. He continued in our current series, Take the Land, covering Joshua chapters 3 and 4. God was leading the Israelites to cross through the Jordan river in their search of The Promised Land. Taking the land means nothing apart from the presence of God. God wasn't going with Israel through the wilderness, they were going with God as He led them. The same is true in our lives, we need to go with God as His presence is in us and leads us. 

This week we look deeper into the story of Joshua in chapter 2. God has led Israel to the city of Jericho, the land God wanted them to take. This story is full of unlikely characters - spies, a prostitute, and ordinary people that God hand picked to use in big ways. What will you say to God when he calls you to a big step of faith? What are some things God has called you to, in your life right now? Will you choose to step out in faith and to do the unordinary and unlikely? 

In Joshua 1, God is getting Joshua fired up to take over command of leading the Hebrews into the Promised Land. Moses wasn't there any longer, his time was over and now it was Joshua's time. God's promises are always accompanied by his presence. God was with Joshua, and He is with us. Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Think about what God has done for you, in Christ. If he'd do that, think about what he'll do to see it take place in your life.

This Sunday we started a new series on the Old Testament book, Joshua. Why is the Bible full of so many stories? And why tell this story in particular? It’s because God makes promises, He made them then and He still makes them now. Another reason is because God does great things out of the messes that are our lives. We see both of these things play out in the book of Joshua - a mess of a story, but one where God has made promises, and in the end transforms an entire nation. We look back at stories of the past to be reminded that God can take any situation, no matter how broken or messed up, and can do amazing things through and in the midst of our brokenness. 

We took a half-time on this Super Bowl Sunday, to set up a new series starting next week. God wants to do new things in our lives. Routines are good, we all have them, but with that sometimes we can get stuck in a rut. In his time here on earth Jesus was constantly doing new things, things that surprised everyone, these were all things directly from his Father. Be thankful for what God has done in the past, but, move with what God is doing in the present. What's the new thing God is doing in you?

Two sisters, Mary and Martha, were having a dinner party and invited Jesus. Martha was distracted with many things that day - the house had to look right, food had to be perfect, and people needed to be impressed. Mary on the other hand, could only be found in one place - at the feet of Jesus. Jesus told Martha, “Only one thing is necessary.” It was exactly what Mary was doing, spending time with Jesus. The realities of every day life are important and must be done, but, one thing truly does rise above all others, relationship with Jesus. From this one relationship flows everything else in life, and is truly “What a Soul Needs.”

You know how the song goes... "What a soul wants and what a soul needs..." in this message Brad unpacks the first part of that phrase as we look at the Biblical depiction of what the soul desires in life. A soul without Jesus wants more. More money, stuff, beauty, popularity. But the soul redeemed by Jesus, longs and desires for a whole new set of heavenly desires that last for eternity.