Greater Life Church

The story of Goliath is one that is familiar to us all. He was a man among men who stood between seven and eleven feet tall who wielded enormous weapons. He stood before the nation of Israel defying them to come to the battle. God’s people cowered in their tents and did not answer the call. After forty days, David stepped forward to answer the challenge. We all know the outcome that David was victorious and slew Goliath with a sling and then cut the giant’s head off with his own sword. David did not keep the sword, but turned it over to the house of God. Out text takes place many years later. David while fleeing Saul came to the house of God to seek refuge. He had not brought with him any weapons. The priest offers Goliath’s sword. David recognized that sword to be the best thing available to him. He had the spiritual perception to know that there was none like it. There was a spiritual drive in David to seek the best, something that was tried and proven. Bro. Hugh

There are times in life when we fighting and doing our best, but life seems to be getting the best of us. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that was very much like our world today. This first century church was divided. The people there rebelled against any authority in their lives. They were consumed in an atmosphere of false teaching. Bro. Hughes sees a great deal of similarity between the Corinthian church and our modern world. Our scripture text is Paul’s strategy for dealing with the battle that life was presenting the Corinthian church as well as our world today. Bro. Hughes tells us that we will all have some kind of battle in our life. Whether we have been living for God forever, or just converted last week, we will all fight spiritual battles. Out scripture mentions a strong hold. Bro. Hughes defines a stronghold as anything in life over which we have lost control. A strong hold is a mindset that accepts a situation as unchangeable even though the situation is contrary t

Often in life the things we think should happen do not. We often have a vision of how life will go, and it does not always go that way. Life can change in a moments notice and life can turn upside down. Life is filled with the unexpected. No matter what we may be facing, we are all blessed. Even though we may be facing the trial of our life, we are still blessed people. As thankful as we are for the blessings of God in our life, we need to be even more thankful for what God will do in the future. Bro. Hughes declares that our best days are before us not behind. God has a purpose for our life. Often times the hard part for people to believe that God wants to do good in our life. Many people do not see the hand of God in our life due to the process that He uses to bring about his purpose. The things that He allows to happen, or blocks from happening confuse us. Bro. Hughes tells us that the process God uses is just as important as the outcome. For many people, when they begin to meet resistance o

The God we serve is by no measure small. There are things that God set into motion that He does not need to visit or to tend. He established laws that have become cause and effect. If we praise, He will inhabit our praise. If we pay our tithes, He will bless our lives. God does not look into the offering plate to see how much is placed there. He does not have to. If we obey God’s law, we will receive the blessing. It is possible to live by God’s laws and receive the blessings of a Godly life, but still be lost. Bro. Custer warns us to not mix up obedience to the law and salvation. If we live by the laws, but miss that He desires a relationship, we will miss out on the life that God wants us to live.

Who can measure the value and power of a mother’s influence? For good or bad, nothing can compare to the influence that a mother has on her children. The bible says that a wise woman builds up her home. On this Mother’s Day 2011, Bro. Hughes uses this scripture in Proverbs to describe the light of a mother’s life.

Bro. Hughes observes current events and declares that we are truly living in the end times. With all the glorious description of Heaven, how could anyone not want to go there? Prophecies’ from over 2000 years are happening in our world today. We need now more than ever be living in such a way that they are ready to go to heaven at any time.

Often in life we worry about the things. We face facts, dilemmas and odds that overwhelm and confuse us. These things confront and confound us, but God is not confounded. Our scripture text is from a journey that Jesus and the disciples took across the Sea of Galilee. This trip takes place right after the miracle of the loaves and fish. These disciples began to be concerned about their lack of food on this journey. Jesus questions them: “Why are you so troubled?” After witnesses the various miracles, they were still worried about their current lack of bread. Jesus ask them to consider what they already knew. The question they should have ask is one that is relevant to us today: When has God NOT met a need in our life? Bro. Hughes uses this story to ask the same question. The God that helped in the past will be the same God that can help today. Whatever we may be going through today, God knows and can help us. Remember from where God has brought us. If God can feed 4000 with seven

Every man at some point wonders if his life is in vain. We all want to feel that our live matter. People like to see the result of their labor and effort. Often in our prayer life, we do not see the results of our prayers. Bro. Hughes tells us that the result of prayer is never nothing. God may not give any sign of His receiving our prayers, but all prayers are heard. Our scripture text references the prophet Elias. God we first meet Elias in 1 Kings 17 where he learns from God that there will be a drought in the land. Bro. Hughes looks at Elias and sees three points He was a man of faith. Faith is not always enough He showed us how to act and respond when God did send an answer.

At the turn of the last century, polish artist Jan Styka created two paintings. One of them, the Crucifixion, is an enormous 195 feet long and 45 feet high. Bro. Hughes remarks that one of the messages of such a work of art is that the Crucifixion and the Resurrection are both larger than life events. Jesus did more than just die an innocent death, he blotted out our sin. He nailed our debt to His cross. No one can say that they are excluded, His love embraces all. His love is deeper than our sorrow or our guilt; it is deeper than our deepest sin. It is wider than our largest transgression. On this Easter Sunday, we can do what he has done and nail our sin to His cross.

In the subway system in New York and Washington DC, the tunnels and passages crisscross underground in a seeming endless array. There are signs posted in the terminals that point the traveler to their destinations or to the exit. In life, we are often presented with situations that make it difficult to know which path to take. Our scripture text seems to be Paul’s attempt to advise someone who found it difficult to live and live for God in the sinful land of Corinth. He first assures them that the pressures and issues they were dealing with were common to all men. The people of Corinth perhaps felt as if they were alone in their struggle, but Paul reassures them that they were not alone in their temptations. No matter what the Devil says, we are not the only ones struggling with the things with which we are struggling. Then Paul reminds them of God’s faithfulness. God will not tempt us beyond our capacity to handle that temptation. God knows our limitations, and will provide a way out f

Morning Service Words are part of our life. It is said that men speak 25,000 words each day. Women speak 45,000 words each day. All of our words have meaning, but not all of our words are thought out. Our text indicates that our words have the ability to build up, or to tear down. Not only do our words affect others, the words we use affect our own lives. Words have power and influence. Because of the power and influence of words, we need to guard our words and choose our words carefully. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that not only are words powerful, but that we will eat the fruit of our words. The bible tells us that a good word can change the tide of our life. Bro. Hughes tells us that a good word will be true and kind.

There is no such thing as a self made man. There are those who have done well in life, and have appeared to have done so without any help from others. The truth is that all of us rely upon others in some way. It is common in American society to think that we are owed certain things. Bro. Hughes declares that none of us are entitled to anything in this life, but each one of us owe something to others. If all we do is take from life, we will be like the Dead Sea. Life will be empty and void if we do not give as much as we take. In our scripture text, Paul declares that he is a debtor. One could look at Paul’s life and question how he could feel that way, but he was keenly aware that he owed everything to God. Each of us owes a debt to God because of His mercy and grace and we owe an obligation to His church. Each of us has found a home in the church. We have found forgiveness, mercy, restoration and love in the church. We in turn have an obligation to extend the same to others in the church a

Bro. Hughes' scripture text is part of Paul's report to Agrippa about how is life changed and he began to live for Christ. He sums up his story by saying from that moment he had lived up to that heavenly vision. Bro. Hughes asks each of us: "Are you living up to the heavenly vision in your life?"

Everyone has faced a situation in life where we did not know where to turn. Bro. Hughes asks "What do you do when you don't know what to do; when we have said all you know to do, and all that you are capable of doing, but nothing changes?" In our text Paul outlines who our enemy is and he makes it clear what we are facing. Then he gives us the needed armor and arsenal to deal with this enemy. After he describes this armor and the enemy, he offers the most difficult strategy for dealing with the enemy and his attack: Stand. This advice is not in our nature. We either want to do something, or to turn and run, but to stand still is not natural to us. Bro. Hughes reminds us that it is better to stand still, especially when we do not know what to do.

The most dangerous thing to life is not a poison, a dangerous animal or some physical challenge. Jesus encountered this thing when he returned to his home town. The miraculous work of Jesus in other areas of the country had no power in the place he grew up. The familiarity with Jesus, left the people of his home town unable to believe in Him as anything other than what they had known. It has been said that familiarity breeds contempt. They knew him too well. Their "knowledge" of Him left them unable to see Him for what He was. We too must guard against familiarity. This thief called familiarity does not steal your blessing. It hides the blessing, or to camouflage its existence. Familiarity dulls our senses to the point we forget how blessed we truly are. We are blessed, but we don't see it. This can cause us to lose sight of how good our life is. The devil cannot steal our blessing, but he can use familiarity to hide the true nature of our blessing from us. This thief cannot steal our salvation;

Bro. Custer uses as his text the familiar parable of the prodigal son. Often when this scripture is used, we identify the younger son as a back slider. In truth, that prodigal son can be any one of us. We do not have to be back slid to realize that we have gotten too far away from God and want to come back. It is easy to think that we have disappointed God and feel like we are not worthy to return to His favor. The parable demonstrates to us that this is not the case. The father threw a party for the young son. The party was to raise the spirits of the young son and to help restore him to full status. The party guests can be identified as the members of the church. Bro. Custer declares that as church members, it is our duty to reach out to the “prodigals” in our midst and help to restore them to full status as a child of God.

We do not know the worth and value that faith has brought to our lives. Faith is beyond value because faith has made all of us better than we would otherwise be. Most of us would agree that we are all better off now than we would have been without the Lord in our lives. Not only that, but because we are connected to the church, we are connected to and associated with a better group of people than we would be if we were to only associate with the world. Bro. Hughes proclaims that he would rather live a life of faith than any other kind of life. Faith has also elevated our horizon. With faith we can always reach for and expect more, because we know that God can far exceed our needs. Our scripture text states that God was not ashamed to be their God. This implies that there are those about whom God is ashamed. Our text offers characteristics of the people about whom God is not ashamed. • They walked by faith • They could have gone back, but they did not • They d

Our scripture text is the last words of King David. Bro. Hughes uses the last words of this great man to deliver a stirring message.

Bro. Hughes uses the parable of the sower to encourage us to improve our opportunities.

Bro Hall uses the story of the prodigal son as his scripture text tonight. Both the young son and the father had a story. The son’s story was that he was not worthy. The father’s story was that he son had returned. The son had a choice of which story he would believe. The older brother also had a story. The older brother’s story was that he had been faithful and never disobeyed. He was resentful that he had never been treated like the younger brother was being treated. He felt he was not being treated fairly. Bro. Hall explains that grace and mercy are not fair. The grace of God is not built upon our earning it. So we have three stories. The story that each man chose to believe will go a long way in determining the life that each would live. The difference of what story to believe is the difference between enjoying the blessings of God or living in a virtual hell.