Access Point Church

This week, we learn that Satan uses two primary tactics to deceive people. For those who are in Christ and are thus forgiven, He seeks to make us continually feel guilty so that we are debilitated from serving the Lord. For those who are indeed guilty, he blinds them to their sin making them feel innocent in them so that they will continue in sin. We see that God wants us to remember who we are in Christ and that we have been given new life when we are in Him. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

In this message, we see that God is calling Israel to return to Jerusalem. This is a call that is both geographical and spiritual--ultimately, it was a call for them to return to the Lord. Here, we see that repentance is not only necessary, but possible. For us today, repentance is possible because of Christ's work on the cross where we see God's greatest pursuit of His people. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

As we begin this series through Zechariah, we see God's call for the remnant of Israel to not only rebuild the city of Jerusalem, but to return to Him. We see His righteous anger as the result of their constant wandering and rejection of Him, but we see His mercy and grace on display as He calls them back to Himself. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

In our final week in this series, we see how we each have unique giftings and callings. Just as the human body is composed of many parts--each with its own function--the Body of Christ is also made up of many members, each having specific gifts given by the Spirit. The ultimate purpose of our gifts is that we would glorify God as we use them to serve His Body!  We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

This week we look at the reason behind why God has given us spiritual gifts, and we see that they exist primarily to glorify Him, but also to help build up the Body of Christ so that we can more effectively serve and minister to our community and world. Just as every part of our physical bodies has an essential function and role, so does every member of the Body of Christ. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

In our first week of this series, we see that God equips those He calls, and He calls every believer to contribute to the building of the kingdom. Because we are loved and chosen by God, we live in a way that honors Him. We long to obey and serve Him with hearts of gratitude in light of His grace toward us, and the Holy Spirit equips us with spiritual gifts that enable us to serve others in unique and meaningful ways!

In this final week in our series on Identity, we see how our identity in Christ sets us free to live lives of obedience for His glory. Because our salvation is based solely on His mercy and grace and not on anything we have done, He is worthy of our lives. When we understand this beautiful reality, we are compelled to share His love with those that we meet--not as a means of earning His favor or love, but because we are secure in His love and want to glorify Him!

This week we look at what God has saved us from. Paul tells us in this passage that prior to Christ giving us new life, we were dead in our sin, separated from God and without hope. But God, in His mercy and love redeemed us and gave us a new identity in Him. It is only when we realize that our salvation is a completely undeserved gift from Him that we can love others they way that He has called us to. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

As we continue our study in Ephesians, Paul shows that we were chosen by God to be adopted as His sons and daughters, not based on our worthiness, but solely on the basis of His grace. In this reality, we find hope and security. We no longer have to be defined by other markers. Instead, we know we are His and nothing can change that! We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

As we begin our new series on identity, we look at Ephesians 1:1-14 where Paul explicitly reminds us that the believer's identity is found only in Christ. It is the understanding of our new identity in Him--forgiveness of sins, adoption as his children, and the gift of the Holy Spirit--that we can live from a place of security and strive to live lives that glorify and honor Him. We pray this message is helpful to you!

As we bring this series to a close, we see that the Israelites are questioning God's justice since it seems that the evil around them are flourishing, while they--God's chosen people--are suffering. God reminds them that justice is coming, but because He is merciful, it has not come yet. Jesus will come and purify the hearts of men, changing them forever through a refining process. As believers today, God is working to purify us and make us more into the image of Jesus! We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

This week, we look at Malachi's message to the priests of that day who were treating marriage with contempt. God defines marriage as a Holy Covenant between a man and a woman, and this relationship puts on display His love for his people, and thus it is considered sacred. When we honor marriage (defined according to His terms), we honor God! We pray this message is helpful to you!

In light of God's love for His people, He calls them to turn back to Him and to worship Him as only He deserves. The priests were offering vain worship, offering blemished animals that cost them nothing on the altar, simply going through the motions without true heartfelt adoration towards God. God says that He would rather them close the doors of the temple than to continue to offer worthless worship. As we consider our own lives and churches today, this is a challenging call for us to offer true sacrificial worship to the Lord. We pray this message is encouraging to you!

As we begin a series in Malachi, the Israelites are comparing their situation after the exile to the Edomites (not God's chosen people) and God reminds the Israelites that His love displayed in choosing them as His people was of greater value than the prosperity of the surrounding people. Just as it was for the Israelites, it is for us today--the reality that we are God's people and have been loved by Him in spite of our sinfulness should cause us to reciprocate that love and give our lives to worshipping Him!

This week, we look at Peter and the familiar story of the Transfiguration. There, Jesus was declared to be the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, as well as the superior Son of God. This revelation brought weight to Jesus' words and message, and Peter was put in his place as a result. Like Peter, we must realize that Jesus is not primarily concerned about anything we can do for Him, but rather that we would surrender to Him and allow Him to reorient our lives around His plans and purposes. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

This week, we take a look at Daniel and his commitment to prayer, even when faced with the reality of being thrown into a den of lions. We see that Daniel's ultimate allegiance was to God, not to the government, and Daniel showed this by his unwavering commitment to praying to God boldly and openly even when the king's decree made it illegal. Daniel's story challenges us to give Christ our ultimate allegiance and to be people committed to prayer, trusting in God's sovereignty and protection when faced with trials. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

This week, we look at the story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers because of their envy and jealousy of him. When he is reunited with His brothers and offers incredible forgiveness to them, He acknowledge God's sovereignty over His life, even in the difficulty, struggle, and injustice that he endured. Ultimately, we learn that God was working behind the scenes of Joseph's life, and as a result Joseph was in a position to supply the needs of his family in a time of famine. This is a powerful reminder that God uses everything that touches our lives (even the hard things) for His glory and our good!

This week we take a look at what Moses' story shows us about how to respond to doubt in our own lives. We often feel insufficient or as though God has forgotten us, but in Moses' story, we see that we should not focus on ourselves, but rather on God who has promised to be with us. And we can trust His promises, knowing that He is always faithful! 

This week, we look at the life of Paul and see a model for being content in Christ, regardless of our circumstances. Paul tells us that He has learned to be content in whatever situation He is in because He trusts in God's faithfulness to Him. Like Paul, we are to trust deeply in God's sovereignty over our lives and live from a place of trust in His sufficiency, even when we find ourselves in places we do not necessarily want to be in. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

As we come to the end of this series, we see Paul, despite many difficult circumstances and challenges, remaining faithful to the mission, boldly proclaiming Christ and the message of the Gospel wherever he found Himself. The mission to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth did not end in Chapter 28 of Acts, but continues for disciples of Christ today. We are called to live on mission, boldly proclaiming the Gospel wherever we go, making an impact for the kingdom of God! We pray this message encourages you to live for Christ!