As we look into what our vision is for the church, we must ask ourselves who are we and where are we going? We get many of our answers to these questions in the book of Matthew where Jesus tells us that sight/vision is more than just physical - there is also spiritual sight. We are reminded that, while we must "go and make disciples of all nations," church is not just about getting more people into the church but about transforming lives through love. The post Eye That See appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 tells us that there is a time for everything, including death. Today's sermon looks at death as our eternal retirement (from life) and asks us how we are preparing for it. We are reminded that even Jesus was conscious of time and that what we do with our time is critical. We are reminded that God has expectations of his children and their time on earth. What are you doing with your time? The post What Time Is It? appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more

Holiness is often misunderstood even by Christians. Our minds might picture Puritan preachers yelling or solemn church services in cathedrals. There’s much that we can learn from Moses’ encounter with our holy God at the burning bush on Mount Horeb. When we better understand the holiness of God, holy living as disciples of Jesus becomes more accessible. The post Moses – The Wilderness appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more

Moses’ unlikely but divine path to becoming Israel’s deliverer challenges us to look for ways that God can use his followers to be deliverers. We often over simplify the amazing and unique things that happened in our lives to allow us to be delivered from sin. This can lead to many in our churches feeling like they can’t really contribute evangelistically. In this message you’ll see how little things in Moses’ early life set him up to be a great deliverer for God. The post Moses in Egypt appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more

We’ll focus on the life of Judah instead of Joseph, just as this week’s podcast episode masterfully does. But we’ll trace the line even further through other key moments in the line of Judah that culminate with Jesus – not just on the cross – but in his reign as lion and lamb in Heaven.… The post Joseph, God is with him appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more

Hebrews 11:1-20 reminds us of God's faithfulness - from creating purpose out of chaos and nothingness to our lives today. We are reminded that, without faith, it is impossible to see God. Instead, we must trust God in our limitations because God is incapable of being unfaithful. If you wait until your life is in order to let God in, you will be waiting forever because (as with creation) only God can bring order to the chaos and nothingness of our lives. The post Faithfulness of God appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more

Jacob's story highlights that blessings come about in unexpected ways if we’re willing to look for them and even work toward them in a sense. We may have ideas about how we want God to work in our churches but they don’t always match up with his. How might God be working unexpectedly in your church? Is the Spirit working in a way that you didn’t see coming? What trends do you see? What ministries are producing fruit? The post Jacob: Birthright and Blessing appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more

The saga of Sarah and Hagar is raw and real. We are not unfamiliar with feelings of emptiness and hopes deferred even with thousands of years separating our lives from the lives of these women. How do we deal with brokenness and loss? How can we trust when the answers to our prayers may not be seen in our lifetimes? Where is God in our deepest struggles? He sees us. He hears us. The post Sarah & Hagar: The God Who Sees and Hears appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more

As Christians, we have an advantage over Abraham and the faith heroes of the Old Testament. What they looked forward to in hope, we can look back upon with awe and gratitude. However, even though we’ve received such precious promises, we can often forget that God has kept his word. We need to remember the precious promises of God. Even the ones we still wait and hope for. The post Abraham & Covenant appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more

One of the remarkable things about Abraham, who God chose to enter into a covenant with, was that his faith was not compartmentalized. He worshiped God wherever he went. Wherever he set up his tent, he also built an altar to the Lord. When he won a war he worshiped a Jesus type in Melchizedek. He involved his family in worship, albeit in one of the wildest texts in the Bible, as Isaac carries the wood for his own sacrifice. The post Worship On The Way appeared first on Ottawa Church of Christ ..read more