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The Power of the Team

Series: The Life of David
October 19, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 21:10-22:2; 2 Samuel 23:13-17

You have heard of Robin Hood and his merry men?  Well in this message Peter gave his final message at Ocean5 on David and his mighty men. And he also shared about what's next for him and Sandy and also the great plans that are in place for One Hope in the coming months.

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The Power of Friendship

Series: The Life of David
October 12, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 18:1-4;19:1-6;20:16-17,41-42

As an off the chart introvert, I would like to tell you that we don't really need people and that friendships are optional.  Years ago I learned the hard way that this is simply not true.  But why is it not true?  Sunday we will be looking at the greatest friendship in the Bible but also at the theological reason friendships are so critical!

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The Power of Substitution

Series: The Life of David
October 5, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 17:32-51

What is the main lesson from the story of David and Goliath?  The bigger they are the harder they fall?  If you have the faith of David you can face the giants in the your life?  Those may be true things, but they are not the main point of the story.  What is the main lesson?  Find out Sunday at One Hope Church!

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The Training of a King

Series: The Life of David
September 28, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

In 1 Samuel 16:1-13, David is anointed by the Prophet Samuel to be the next king of Israel.  But then David goes back to tending his flocks for months (maybe years).  And then when he does become Israel's hero, he is on the run for over a decade before he actually becomes the true king of the land.  Why the delay?  Find out this Sunday as we continue our Life of David series!

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Before David

Series: The Life of David
September 21, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 13:16-39

He's a warrior, a hero, a great statesman and prolific songwriter.  Who am I talking about?  No, not your pastor.  But good guess.  We're talking about King David, and on Sunday we start a new series called "The Life of David" as we look at one of the three most important figures in the Old Testament and the one who most profoundly prefigures the Person of Jesus the Christ!

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Women, Slaves and Gentiles

Series: Book of Acts
August 17, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 16:1-31

Think of all the beautiful cathedrals in Europe and the rich history of Christianity on the European continent.  On Sunday we read of how it all began.  Acts 16 records the very first church plant in Europe!  And it all happened because God said "no".

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The First Council Meeting

Series: Book of Acts
August 10, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 15:1-11

What would the church be without council meetings?!  Turns out even the early church had them.  Join us this Sunday as we look at Acts 15 and ask two important questions and land on two important principles that flow out of this first great council of the church.

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Philip: Five Keys to Evangelism

Series: Book of Acts
July 6, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 8:26-40

Stephen was one of the first seven deacons, but so was a man named Philip.  Toward the end of his life he began to be called Philip the Evangelist and Acts chapter 8 shows us why.  Join us Sunday as we look at Philip's story and from that story discern five keys to evangelism.

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Stephen: First of Many

Series: Book of Acts
June 29, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 6:1-15

Many thousands of Christians have been killed for confessing Jesus over the last 2000 years.  Stephen was the first.  But he was more than just the first martyr.  Join us Sunday as we explore the life, teaching and character of one of the brightest lights of the early church.

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Peter: Profiles in Courage

Series: Book of Acts
June 22, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 4:1-13

One of the most famous figures in history is the Apostle Peter. But if it were not for meeting Jesus he would have died as a complete unknown in a backwater province of the Roman Empire. What was it that Jesus saw in this uneducated fisherman and how did God use him in the book of Acts? This Sunday we will trace Peter's career through the gospels and the book of Acts as we seek to learn some key lessons for our lives by looking at this wonderfully flawed Jesus follower.

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Call Team Affirmation Vote

Series: Pastoral Transition Updates - 2025
June 19, 2025 By Peter Churness

The votes are in and our slate of seven team members overwhelmingly passed 44-5.  The five "no votes" each graciously shared a very reasonable concern about the demographic makeup of the team.  If any of you shared that concern, please see the response below one of our Elders shared with a person who also had that concern. Call Team Members:  Mark Sims, Ron Richards, Amanda Pearsall, Hannah Churness, Mark Hooper, Michael Schmitz, Trielle Alstead

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The Life Together

Series: Book of Acts
June 15, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 2:42-47

Part of our search for a new pastor involves putting together a congregational profile of our congregation for a potential candidate to take into consideration before applying.  What if the early church of the Book of Acts were looking for a new pastor.  What would their congregational profile be?  Find out Sunday as we dive into two striking summaries of that very first church in Jerusalem.

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How It All Started

Series: Book of Acts
June 8, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 2:1-21

What does a tower, an overworked prophet, an exile's eccentric vision and twelve not-so-angry young men all have in common?  They all help us to understand the Pentecost event.  Join us this Pentecost Sunday for week two of our Book of Acts summer series as we look at Acts chapter two!

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Marching Orders

Series: Book of Acts
June 1, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 1:1-8

Pastor Peter this last week announced the process of moving on, but Jesus has not, and never will.  And the Holy Spirit is just getting started with One Hope Church.  God has amazing things in store for this church family.  Peter has been talking about passing the baton.  But the baton is not just being passed to a new pastor but to YOU.  You are the church and this summer we will be exploring the book of Acts as we recalibrate our mission with God's mission and get ready for the "next shepherd" for our flock who will lead us in the next chapter of the adventure of following the "Chief ...

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Passing the Baton

May 25, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service

In this video Pastor Peter shares with the congregation about his decision to begin the process of passing the baton to a new lead pastor for One Hope Church. He also does a five minute teaching and ends by answering a few questions people have had.

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Passing the Baton

Series: Pastoral Transition Updates - 2025
May 25, 2025 By Peter Churness

The Sunday after his video announcement, Pastor Peter used the sermon time to share his decision making process concerning the decision to begint he process of passing the baton to a new lead pastor and  also shared what he will be doing in his next ministry role.

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Christus Victor!

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
April 20, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 20:1-18

If you were to receive a letter in the mail saying that you have a long lost relative who has left you with a million dollars... you would be skeptical. Is this a scam? But that's a lot of money. So you would absolutely vet it. Why not do that with the resurrection of Jesus. On Easter Sunday we looked at the evidence for the Resurrection but also it's meaning and implications.

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The Day Before Palm Sunday

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
April 13, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 12:1-12

This Sunday is Palm Sunday.  In our sermon for Sunday we'll look at the significance of that special day.  But we will also focus on what happened the day before and the night before.  For Jesus, what happened then was perhaps even more meaningful than the crowds and the palms and the shouts of Hosanna.

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Showdown

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
March 30, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 9:1-41

It's six months before Jesus goes to the cross.  He is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  He has just said two startling things.  Now in our text for Sunday he brings it all together in a way that changes one man's life forever and sets the stage for a dramatic showdown with the religious powers of the day.  What is the text?  Find out in this message!

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Secret Weapon

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
March 23, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Mark 11:12-25

Jesus said some rather radical things about prayer and faith.  If I'm honest, what he said does not often line up with my personal experience.  In this message we will wrestle with that reality for many of us as we discover ten lessons about prayer and faith that the Enemy does not want us to learn.

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The Radical Center

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
March 16, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 13:24-43

Some Christians would like to see the church engaged to change the world through the politics of the right.  Other Christians want the church to spur on change in our world by embracing the politics of the left.  Jesus had a different plan.  It's called the Kingdom and it follows different rules.  Find out in this message.

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The Greatest Sermon

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
March 2, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 7:13-29

Matthew 7:13-27 is the ending to the greatest sermon ever preached.  But it's also a very challenging text.  Join us Sunday as we wrestle with the text and discover the masterful way Jesus ties the whole Sermon on the Mount together!

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The Greatest Parable

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
February 23, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 5:1-12

Arguably the greatest parable Jesus ever told was what we call the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  Many have noted that it's equally about the older brother too.  But most significantly it was a story that would have outraged its hearers.  

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The King Builds an Army

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
February 2, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 1:35-42

Jesus came not just preaching the Kingdom but doing the works of the Kingdom.  He healed the sick and cast out demons.  And then he gave that same authority to his disciples.  Question:  Do we still have that authority?  If so, how and when should we be praying for healing and how do we safeguard ourselves from falling into unhealthy extremes?  Those are the questions we will tackle in this message as we look at nine Biblical clues about healing for the church today.

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The King Declares War

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
January 26, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 4:12-25

Jesus began his public ministry preaching the Kingdom and healing every sickness and casting out demons.  Far from "gentle Jesus meek and mild", Jesus came on the scene making a declaration of war!  In this message we begin to look at the nature of that war and what our part is in it. 

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The Coming of the Dawn

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book Two - Cure
January 5, 2025 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 2:1-12

Who were the three kings who brought gifts to the baby Jesus in the stable?  Well, first off there weren't three of them and they weren't kings.  And Jesus wasn't a baby and there was no stable.  Find out who they really were and what really happened in this message as we celebrate Epiphany!

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The Silent Years

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis
December 29, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Isaiah 40:1-8

400 years go by between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. We call these years the "silent years" because no prophets arose during this time nor were any inspired Scriptures written during this time.  However, God was not really silent.  He was working "under the hood" to get things ready for Jesus.  In this message we explore what happened during these forgotten years.

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The Widow and the General

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis
December 8, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 8:4-22

The most powerful king followed by civil war and the emergence of two kingdoms.  That happens and then it just gets confusing.  In this message we make sense of the period of the kings of Israel and Judah and discover an Advent season romance embedded right in the heart of ancient Israel's story.

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Absalom the Usurper

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis
December 1, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 2 Samuel 18:19-33

In this message we begin the season of Advent.  We will light the Prophecy Candle in expectation and hope of the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David.  And we will also look at the tragic life of another "son of David" (Absalom) and how David's "father-fail" set the stage for a Descendant of his to accomplish what David could not bring himself to do.

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The Life Between

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis
November 3, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Numbers 13:26-14:9

God dramatically rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and into a destiny for them in the Land of Promise that he is taking them to. But before getting to that land of promise the Israelites experience 40 years of wilderness wandering. In this message we do an overview of that "wilderness wandering" period for God's people and see what we can learn about our own wilderness seasons in our lives.

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The Great Rescue

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis
October 27, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Exodus 3:1-14

Everything in the Old Testament are like shadows for which Jesus and the Gospel is the real object casting the shadow. Two of the greatest shadows in the Old Testament are the Passover and the Red Sea Crossing. In this message we explore those two shadows and what we learn about the gospel from them. NOTE: The first half of the sermon did not record the audio so this video is only of the second half of the message.

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The First Believer

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis
October 6, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Genesis 11:27-12:8

The three great monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - each regard him as the father of their faith. But he grew up worshiping  the moon goddess Nana in present day Iraq. His name is Abraham and in this message we will explore where his faith in the One True God came from and what it was that made Abraham one of those most significant figures in all of human history.

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The Flood and the Tower

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis
September 29, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Genesis 6:9-22

In this message we continue our "through the Bible" series with a look at the next two key events in the early chapters of Genesis:  The Flood and the Tower of Babel.  Why did they happen and what function did they play in God's plan of redemption?  Find out in this message.

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The World Before the Flood

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis
September 22, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Genesis 4:1-16

Cain killed Abel and then was banished to the east.  Then he found a wife, had a kid and built a city.  So... if Cain is the firstborn of Adam and Eve, where did all the people come from?  Find out one possible answer to that question, along with three core lessons from the Cain and Abel story in this message.

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Broken Beautiful World

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis
September 15, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Genesis 3:1-15

If the stories of the Bible were a trilogy of books, book one would be the Old Testament, book two would be the gospels and book three would be the history of the early church in the book of Acts.  Or maybe we could give them the three titles of "Diagnosis", "Cure" and "Treatment".  In this message we begin a 12 month journey through the Scriptures and see the thread that ties it all together.

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Peter's Meltdown of Regret

Four Things to Do With Our Regrets

Series: Epic Meltdowns of the Bible
September 8, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 26:69-75

What did Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Sir Isaac Newton all have in common?  They were individuals who all left a positive mark on history, but who suffered with severe bouts of depression.  Another such individual was the Prophet Elijah.  In this message we look at what contributed to Elijah's meltdown of depression and the three things God did to help him out of it.

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Elijah's Meltdown of Depression

Series: Epic Meltdowns of the Bible
September 1, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 1 Kings 19:1-18

What did Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Sir Isaac Newton all have in common?  They were individuals who all left a positive mark on history, but who suffered with severe bouts of depression.  Another such individual was the Prophet Elijah.  In this message we look at what contributed to Elijah's meltdown of depression and the three things God did to help him out of it.

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Word Studies - Teshuvah

Series: Words Matter
August 11, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service

This Sunday we wrap up our four week series called "Words Matter".  Each week we've been doing a word study on a significant Hebrew word in the Old Testament.  Our final word?  Teshuvah!  Often it is translated 'repentance'.  But that's a bit misleading.  Find out in this message.

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Word Studies - EMUNAH

Faith in Action

Series: Words Matter
July 28, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Lamentations 3:1-24

EMUNAH is the Hebrew word for faith.  But it doesn't exactly mean the same thing as the Greek word for faith.  And the difference is kind of a big deal.  Find out what that difference is Sunday as we continue our Word Studies sermon series.

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Jesus Is TOUGH

What Made Jesus Angry?

Series: Jesus Is _____
July 7, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Luke 9:20-25,51-62

In our final message of our "character study of Jesus" series we get to some of the harder sayings of Jesus.  But we can now look at these challenging words of Jesus in the context of what we already know about him - that he is compassionate, forgiving, gentle and protective. And we'll be able to conclude that there are times when he also shows some tough love.

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Jesus Is PROTECTIVE

What Made Jesus Angry?

Series: Jesus Is _____
June 30, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Mark 11:1-18

What triggers you?  You can learn a lot about a person based on that question.  In this message we looked at what triggered Jesus to anger and what that reveals to us about what Jesus most cared about.

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Jesus Is GENTLE

Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild - Really?

Series: Jesus Is _____
June 23, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 11:16-30

Gentle Jesus meek and mild.  Does that truly describe the Jesus who overturned tables in the temple and said I didn't come to bring peace but a sword? And yet... Jesus says in Matthew 11, "I am gentle".  Was Jesus bipolar?  Or did he just have massive mood swings?  Find out in week three of our series learning about God by looking at the character traits of Jesus.

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Jesus Is FORGIVING

...and generous

Series: Jesus Is _____
June 16, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Luke 5:17-26

What is God really like?  How can you know you're not just believing what you would like to be true?  We can know for sure by looking at Jesus and how he acted and what he taught.  Jesus came to show us what God is like.  This week in this series we look at the forgiving nature of God, and also his radical generosity.

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Jesus Is COMPASSIONATE

Series: Jesus Is _____
June 9, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Mark 1:40-45

How Can We Really Know What God Is Like?  We can know what God is like by looking at His Son Jesus and how he interacted with real people.  This message starts a new five-week series looking at the character of Jesus with a view to learning what God is really like and how he truly feels about us and interacts with us.

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The Ending Credits

Series: Romans
May 26, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 16:1-27

The grand finale of the book of Romans may seem a bit anticlimactic.  Romans 16 is a bit like watching the credits roll at the end of a movie.  But, it turns out there are some great lessons embedded in the credits!  In this message we wrap up our nine month journey through the greatest letter ever written.

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When We Passionately Disagree

Series: Romans
May 12, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 14:1 - 15:13

What do you do when you have a fellow Christian with whom you passionately disagree with about something and you're pretty sure you're right and they are wrong?  Of course this is a complete hypothetical and would NEVER happen in real life... *cough* *cough*.  In this message we look at Romans 14 and see five guidelines to use in handling disagreements with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Twelve Marks of the Church

Series: Romans
April 21, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 12:9-13

After eleven chapters of Romans giving theology and doctrine, maybe you're the type of person who says, don't give me theory... just tell me what to do!  Be careful what you ask for.  In our text for this message we have only five verses but in them are twelve marks of the church - twelve things we're to do as Christians!

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Gifted

Series: Romans
April 14, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 12:3-8

Christianity is not a spectator sport. What are the unique gifts God has given you and how can you better use them (together with the rest of us) in fulfilling the mission Jesus gave us to be his visible presence in the world?

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The Israel Question

Series: Romans
March 10, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 10:16-11:12

Support for the modern day nation of Israel has unfortunately become something of a hot topic these days. What should the Christian's attitude be towards Israel?  Romans 11 gives us some helpful hints towards a balanced perspective.  In this message we wrestle together with an important topic.  Text is Romans 10:16-11:12.

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The Missions Link

Series: Romans
March 3, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 10:1-15

Romans 9 to 11 is not about divine election.  It's about global evangelism.  It's the "missions link" that is often the "missing link" from most studies of the book of Romans. In this message we look at Romans 10:1-15 where Paul uses that missions link to start to pull it all together.

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The Chapter People Skip

Series: Romans
February 18, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 9:1-16

Romans 8 is the chapter everyone loves.  Romans 9 is the chapter everybody skips.  In this message we begin a new section in Romans 9-11 which on the surface appears to be about happy-fun topics like election and predestination.  But it's actually about something else.  And that 'something else' happens to be the key to the entire book of Romans.

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How Change Happens

Series: Romans
January 28, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 8:1-17

If the book of Romans is the Himalayas of the Bible then Romans chapter 8 is Mt. Everest.  In this message we begin spending three weeks hiking up the highest peak in the Bible!

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Slaves of Righteousness?

The Power of the Gospel to Free You

Series: Romans
January 14, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 6:15-23

Paul in our Romans text for this Sunday (Romans 6:15-23) says that we are no longer a slave to sin but have become a slave of righteousness.  I personally used to struggle with that verse until I learned the secret of what that verse really means.  That secret is shared in this message.

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The Goal of the Gospel

The Power of the Gospel to Change You

Series: Romans
January 7, 2024 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 6:1-14

If salvation is really a free gift and not dependent on how we live, then why can't we just live anyway we want?  That is the question that Paul asks as we move into Part Two of Romans, beginning with Romans chapter 6.  And once he answers that question, the rest of Romans 6 (and Romans 7 and 8) is all about how real transformation happens.

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When Heaven Came To Earth

The Coming of Heaven

Series: Heaven
December 24, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Luke 2:1-14

Part Three of our Heaven series happened as part of our Christmas Eve service.  We looked at the FIVE reasons God became one of us.  Heaven collided with Earth that first Christmas.  One day it will happen again!

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Saved by Faith... But What is Faith?

Series: Romans
November 12, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 4:1-25

Short five minute message giving a summary of Romans 4 which is all about what faith actually is by looking at the example of Abraham and asking three questions.  How was Abraham saved?  When was Abraham saved?  And what were the elements of Abraham's saving faith?

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Inclusive Exlucivity

Series: Romans
November 5, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 3:27-31

In the year 49 AD the Roman Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from the city of Rome.  Five years later they were allowed to return.  What does that have to do with our study of the book of Romans?  Find out Sunday as we finish off Romans chapter three with a look at Romans 3:27-31.

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The Mirror

Series: Romans
October 22, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 3:1-20

Last week the central message of our Romans 2:16-27 text was that Religion Can't Save You!  Well, then what is it good for?  That's the focus this Sunday as Paul wraps up this first major section of Romans and prepares for the greatest pivot in the whole Bible.  Text is Romans 3:1-20.  And the pivot starts in the very next verse!

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The Big Setup

Series: Romans
October 8, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 2:1-16

It was all a set up.  That's what last week's text was, Romans 1:18-32. This Sunday we'll revisit that text and the downward spiral of humanity and the decadence of a corrupt culture flowing from the Fall... and THEN see how Paul springs his trap in Romans 2:1-16. Paul was just setting you and me up.

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The Downward Spiral of Humanity

Series: Romans
October 1, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 1:18-32

Houston, we have a problem!  Last Sunday we started our new series in the book of Romans by looking at Paul's thesis statement for Romans - that the Gospel is God's power to save everyone!  Starting this Sunday, Paul begins to defend that thesis.  Why the gospel? Why is it so needed?  Why can't there be some other way? Paul forcefully begins to give an answer to those questions in the second half of chapter 1.  This Sunday... Romans 1:18-32.

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The Thesis Statement

Series: Romans
September 24, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 1:1-17

This Sunday we start our new year long series in the Book of Romans!  This will be a rich study in what some consider the greatest letter in the New Testament.  It's Paul's magnum opus!  And it's all about the Gospel of Grace, as well as how to make sense of the Old Testament in the light of Jesus!

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The Covenant of the Kingdom

Series: Covenant
August 27, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 2 Samuel 7:8-13

It’s been almost one year since Queen Elizabeth II died after being the longest reigning English monarch in history, over 70 years.  And then back in May of this year was good to see Charles finally get a real job at age 73 and stop living off his mom. Isn’t it interesting how fascinated our nation continues to be with the British Royal family?  Why is that?  This Sunday we delve into the answer.

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The Covenant of the Law

Series: Covenant
August 20, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Exodus 19:1-6,21-25

For our summer series we are going through the six covenants of the Old Testament, and as we come on Sunday to the fourth covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, we come to a bit of a plot twist in the salvation drama unfolding in the Old Testament.  This Sunday we'll explore what the plot twist is, and how it plays into the overall storyline of God's great rescue mission of humanity.

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The Covenant of the Promise

Series: Covenant
August 13, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Genesis 17:1-8

The three great monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - each regard him as the father of their faith. But he grew up worshipping the moon goddess Nana. His name is Abraham and in this message we explore where his faith in the One True God came from along with the incredible meaning of the Abrahamic covenant. 

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The Covenant of Creation

Series: Covenant
July 23, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Genesis 1:1-4,24-31

Sunday we started a brand new series called "Covenant".  Using the covenant theme in Scripture to do a six week overview of the Old Testament.  The first covenant we looked at Sunday was the Covenant of Creation where we learned in those early chapters of Genesis THREE things about God, TWO things about us and ONE thing about Jesus!

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Three Abuses of Wealth

Series: Book of James
July 2, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: James 5:1-11

In the message we enter into the final chapter of James and the first six verses are a blistering indictment upon the "rich"! Well... lest you get comfortable, by the world's standards... you are one of these "rich".  In this message we'll see how Scripture (and James) teaches it's no sin to be rich. But James does identify three abuses of wealth and so it's a warning to all of us. But he also gives us the solution in the second half of our text.

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Sticks and Stones

Series: Book of James
June 4, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: James 3:1-12

Here's an irony for you.  The last few weeks we've been looking at James chapter 2 where the message is, "It's not so much what you say that matters but what you do!"  In this teaching we move into chapter three where the message is, "But what you say does matter!"  In this sermon we look at the power of words to direct the course of a life, to bless people, to damage people, to reveal what's inside, and to heal.  

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Faith and Works

Series: Book of James
May 28, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: James 2:14-26

Paul said in Romans 3 that we are justified by faith apart from works.  But James in our sermon text this Sunday says a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.  In this message we discover how James and Paul are really in complete agreement with each other.  

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This Is the Way

Series: Book of James
May 21, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: James 2:1-13

In this message we finally get to chapter two of James!  James 2:1-13 says we should not show personal favoritism. Who would disagree with that? But James says it with such force and emotion. Why? Why is this such a big deal and what is the real heart of the matter? Find out this teaching.

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The Sin Cycle

Series: Book of James
May 7, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: James 1:12-18

Our text for this Sunday was James 1:12-18 which shows clearly that James is a real pastor who understands the complexities of how human beings work.  In this message James gives us a remarkably positive solution to a very ancient problem we all share.

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Asking for Wisdom

Series: Book of James
April 30, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: James 1:5-8

James says that if we lack wisdom, we should ask for it. But what does James mean by wisdom? It's not what you might expect. In this message we dove into James 1:5-8 and saw how those verses relate to last weeks text on putting our trials into the joy column of life.

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Putting It in the Joy Column of Life

Series: Book of James
April 23, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: James 1:1-4

The Book of James teaches us to put our trials and hardships into the joy column of life.  But how do we practically do that?  James tells us that as well.  In this message we do a quick introduction to the Book of James and then dive right into the opening verses of James 1:2-4.

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Parable of the Net

Series: Kingdom Parables
April 2, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 13:47-52

This Sunday is Palm Sunday.  It's also called Passion Sunday because it marks the beginning of Christ's week of passioniate suffering for us.  Why has Jesus come to this point?  Why is he here?  What motivated him to come to Jersualem knowing it would end in his death five days later?  We learn of his motivation in the last of the seven parables of Matthew 13.

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Parables of the Kingdom

Series: Kingdom Parables
February 26, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 13:1-17

In Matthew 13 Jesus says that it has been given to his followers to know the secrets of the Kingdom.  In this series we will be sitting at the feet of our Rabbi Jesus as He unveils for us the secrets of the Kingdom of God hidden since the creation of the world.

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Clearing Up the Confusion About Tongues

Series: Gifted
February 19, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 13

So what really is the deal with the tongues gift? Is it auto suggestion? Could it sometimes be demonic? Is it legit? And if authentic, what is it's purpose and how should it be used? 1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14 has the answers. In this message we take a deep dive into what the Bible actually teaches about the gift of tongues as we wrap up our series on the Gifts of the Spirit.

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The Nature of the Gifts

Series: Gifted
January 15, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1,4-6

Can you tell the difference between real gold and counterfeit gold?  Experts can tell the difference because they understand the nature of true gold.  In this weeks teaching we look at the nature of the gifts.  This will help us in discerning what is authentic and what may be counterfeit.

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The Importance of the Gifts

Series: Gifted
January 8, 2023 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Ephesians 4:1-16

On the cross Jesus won the victory.  He set us free.  And then he distributed the spoils of war among us.  The gifts are the spoils of war.  In this message we explore what that means as we launch our new six week series on the spiritual gifts.

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When God Turned the Volume Down

December 24, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Luke 2:1-20

Do you ever have doubts?  I do.  Even though I believe we have reason to believe as we do and even though I have experienced God in several ways, still we believe in something we cannot see and that means doubts will naturally come.  Why?  Why does God make believing him so hard?  This Christmas Eve message explores that question.

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The Mary Miracle

Series: The Unexpected King
December 18, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Luke 1:26-36

There are four parts to the Mary Miracle.  In this message we explore what that those four pieces are and how we can all get in on the Mary Miracle. NOTE: I'm indebted to Dave Johnson for this message who I heard preach this message way back in 1993.  It has stuck with me all these years so glad to be able to share this message with each of you as well.

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The Casting of the Characters

Series: The Unexpected King
December 4, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Genesis 22:1-7

The second advent candle is called the candle of faith.  In this message we continue our Advent series with a look at how faith is the basis for the casting of the characters in the big God Story and how the oppositive of faith is fear.  God calls each of us out of fear and into faith.

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The Writing of the Play

Series: The Unexpected King
November 27, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Luke 1:5-20

In this message we enter the season of Advent with a new series entitled, "The Unexpected King."  Each week of Advent will center around a significant birth in the Bible and how it points to the meaning of Christmas.  In this message we look at John the Baptist and the role he played in the big God Story!  

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Malachi - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Twelve

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
November 20, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Malachi 1:1-11

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: Psalms 63:1-8; Tuesday: Isaiah 55:1-13; Wednesday: Psalms 42:1-11; Thursday: Matthew 5:6; Friday: John 7:37-39 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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Zechariah - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Eleven

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
November 13, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Zechariah 1:12-17

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21;1 John 3:1-3; Tuesday: Jeremiah 1:4-9; Wednesday: Ephesians 1:3-14; Thursday: Romans 8:31-39; Friday: 1 Peter 2:1-10 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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Haggai - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Ten

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
November 6, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Haggai 1:1-10

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: Matthew 6:19-24; Tuesday: Matthew 6:25-34; Wednesday: Philippians 3:1-11; Thursday: Luke 10:38-42; Friday: Mark 12:28-34 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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Zephaniah - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Nine

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
October 30, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Zephaniah 1:1-7

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: Zephaniah 3:7-20; Tuesday: Luke 14:25-35; Wednesday: Joshua 14:6-14; Thursday: Mark 10:13-31; Friday: 1 Peter 2:1-10 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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Habakkuk - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Eight

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
October 23, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Hab 1:1-2, 2:2-4; Heb 10:37-38

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: Psalms 13:1-6; Tuesday: Ecclesiastes 8:14 - 9:6;1 Corinthians 15:32; Wednesday: Habakkuk 2:2-4;Romans 1:16-17;Galatians 3:11-14; Thursday: James 2:18-19;Matthew 7:21-23;Romans 10:9-13; Friday: Isaiah 55:1-11 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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Nahum - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Seven

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
October 16, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Nahum 1:1-7

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: Romans 11:11-24; Tuesday: Hebrews 12:4-11; Wednesday: Hebrews 10:19-31; Thursday: Ezekiel 33:7-11; Friday: Romans 5:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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Micah - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Six

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
October 9, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Micah 6:6-8

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: Ephesians 2:1-10; Philippians 2:12-13; Tuesday: James 2:18-26; Romans 4:1-5; Wednesday: Colossians 3:1-17; Thursday: Galatians 2:19-3:9; Friday: Romans 6:1-18 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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Jonah - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Five

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
October 2, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Jonah 1:1-17

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: Jonah 1:1-17; Tuesday: Jonah 2:1-10; Wednesday: Jonah 3:1-4:4; Thursday: Jonah 3:10-4:11; Friday: Matthew 12:38-45 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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Obadiah - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Four

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
September 25, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Obadiah 1:8-18

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: Matthew 18:21-35; Tuesday: Luke 15:11-32; Wednesday: Romans 12:9-21; Thursday: Matthew 5:38-48; Friday: 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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How God Ended the Feud in OBADIAH

Series: Messengers: Exploring the Minor Prophets
September 25, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Obadiah 1:8-18

Week Four of our new series going through the Minor Prophets!  This week we look at the Book of Obadiah, the shortest book in the Old Testament - only 21 verses!  On the surface its a judgment against Edom.  Digging deeper we find its all about a family feud going back 1500 years.  This message is all about how God ended the feud.

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Amos - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Three

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
September 18, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Amos 5:18-24

Here's the readings for upcoming week... Monday: Deuteronomy 15:1-11; Tuesday: 1 Timothy 6:6-10,17-19; Wednesday: James 2:1-17; Thursday: Mark 12:41-44; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Deuteronomy 16:17; Luke 6:38; Friday: Malachi 3:10; Matthew 6:1-4; Luke 12:32-34 And here's Peter's Podcast setting the stage for the week...

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Calling Out Injustice in AMOS

Series: Messengers: Exploring the Minor Prophets
September 18, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Amos 5:18-24

Week three of our new series going through the Minor Prophets!  This week we look at the Book of Amos.  Amos was a farmer turned prophet who acted as a whistleblower calling out the northern kingdoms oppression of the poor during a period of unprecedented wealth.  Amos is a book that speaks as powerfully today as it did back then. 

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Joel - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week Two

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
September 11, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Joel 1:1-4,2:4-13

Below are the readings for WEEK TWO of our journey through the Minor Prophets (an email will also be sent M-F with that days reading as a reminder).  This week we centering around the book of Joel and the major theme that flows out of Joel which has to do with making sense out of suffering tragedies in our lives and in world.  Click the Podcast Audio link for some further background and for unpacking that main theme a bit more. As you do the readings for the week, note that they are all related in some way to God's absolute sovereingty in history, in our lives and in salvation.  Wrestle with these texts and also ...

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Hosea - Sunday Introduction

Themes in the Minor Prophets - Week One

Series: Bible Reading Challenge - Fall 2022
September 4, 2022 By Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Hosea 3:1-5

Below are the readings for WEEK ONE of our journey through the Minor Prophets (an email will also be sent M-F with that days reading as a reminder).  This week we centering around the book of Hosea and the major theme that flows out of Hosea comparing our relationship with God to a marriage relationship and our sin of idolatry (in all its various forms) to the sin of adultery.  Click the Podcast Audio link for some further background.   As you do the readings for the week, be asking the qestion, "How do these readings all tie together and relate to the central theme of Hosea?"   And then ...

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God's Covenant Love in HOSEA

Series: Messengers: Exploring the Minor Prophets
September 4, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hosea 3:1-5

This message is the first in our new 12 week series going through the Minor Prophets. Each week we will do a brief overview of one of the Minor Prophets as well as look at one theme from the text. In this message we give some context for the Minor Prophets and then dive into the first book: Hosea. It's all about how God saved his marriage... and ours!

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Adopting Jesus' View of the Bible

Series: Public Faith: Joining Jesus on His Mission
July 31, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 5:31-40

When it comes to the Bible, how should we view it?  Is it authorative?  Good advice?  Inspiring stories?  Outdated?  Irrelevant?  Well, for the Christian there really is only one answer.  And that is how did Jesus view the Bible.  As Jesus followers we will want to see the Bible as Jesus did.  That's the focus for this message which can also aid us in sharing with others what we believe the Bible is and why.

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Doing the Work of Pre-Evangelism

Series: Public Faith: Joining Jesus on His Mission
July 24, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Romans 1:18-20; 2:12-16

Last weeks message was about What IS the Gospel? This message is both about how to share the gospel and also how to do the work of "pre-evangelism" by helping people wrestle with the questions of... "how can you know that God exists?" and... for the person with a worldview that says all truth is relative, how can you help them see that there ARE absolute moral laws and that they actually believe that there is, even if they don't think they do.

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Outside

Series: Hebrews
June 19, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hebrews 13:10-14

In this message we hit the grand conclusion of our months long Hebrews study with a challenge to join Jesus on his mission... outside the gate.

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Showing Hospitality

Series: Hebrews
June 12, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hebrews 13:1-6

In our text for this Sunday, Hebrews 13:1-6, we have a list of things Christians are to do and not do.  There's a couple strange things about this list.  Find out what they are in this week's message.

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Overcoming the Esau Syndrome

Series: Hebrews
May 29, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hebrews 12:11-17

Ice cream... with Blue Diamond almonds... and peanut M&M's... and Hershey's chocolate on top.  How could you possibly say "no" to that?  That's the question we tackle as we explore how to overcome the Esau Syndrome of Hebrews 12:11-17.

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The Father's Discipline

Series: Hebrews
May 22, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hebrews 12:1-11

The text for this message is Hebrews 12:1-11 which is all about what to do when life is hard.  This text is perhaps even more relevant today than it was 2000 years ago for never has there been a culture such as ours with a lower pain threshold.  Join us as we tackle this important topic together.

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The Great Cloud of Witnesses

Series: Hebrews
May 15, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:29-12:2

Romans 8 is probably the greatest chapter in the entire Bible.  Hebrews 11 is probably a close second!  It's also some of the most majestic prose ever written.  In this message Peter continues our look at this amazing chapter.

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True Fantasy

Of Elves, Orcs and the Resurrection of the Son of God

April 17, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Matthew 28:1-10

How does Tim Keller, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Resurrection of Jesus all relate to each other?  Find out in our 2022 Easter message.

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Losing My Religion

Series: Hebrews
March 27, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hebrews 8:1-13

Jesus did not come to start a new religion but rather to end the need for ALL of them and to give us in it's place a radical new covenant relationship with God.  That's was the focus in this weeks teaching from Hebrews chapter 8.

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Falling Away

Series: Hebrews
March 6, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hebrews 5:11-6:12

This is the text Peter has been dreading coming to the whole series. In this message we tackle the controversial question of "Can someone lose their salvation?" The question comes up in our text where it talks about the person who has fallen away and who cannot come back to repentance. Tough text. But this is the Word of the Lord - thanks be to God. Hebrews 5:11-6:12.

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The Drift

Series: Hebrews
January 30, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hebrews 1:1 - 2:4

Peter continues our Hebrews study with a crash course on Angels 101 along with an overview of where we're headed in Hebrews.  Also, we receive the first of five warnings in Hebrews.  The first one is about "The Drift".

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Who Wrote the Book of Hebrews?

Series: Hebrews
January 16, 2022 Peter Churness View Full Service

In this message Peter kicks off our new series in the book of Hebrews. Lots of history and background in this message as we seek to work the puzzle of Hebrews by finding the four corner pieces - WHO wrote Hebrews, WHERE was it written to, WHY was it written and WHEN.

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The Christmas Psalm

December 26, 2021 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Psalm 98

Isaac Watts wrote "Joy to the World" based on Psalm 98.  In this First Sunday After Christmas message we explore the central teaching of each.

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A Tale of Two Mountains

Series: Life of Moses
December 19, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Deuteronomy 32:48-52

Moses had three mountain top experiences with God during the course of his long life - two on Mt. Sinai and one on Mt. Nebo. In this message we wrapped up our Life of Moses series by reflecting on that last encounter with God which ended his incredible journey with Yahweh God and what that teaches us about our own journey. 

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Show Me Your Glory

Series: Life of Moses
December 12, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Exodus 33:12-23

Glory is a slippery word. What does it actually mean? In this message we explore that question as we look at the passage where Moses prays, "Lord, show me your glory." That prayer is the climax of a fascinating multi-part conversation between Moses and God containing several lessons for us today.

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Just Look

Series: Life of Moses
December 5, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Numbers 21:4-9

How in the world did the universal symbol of healing become a pole with a snake wrapped around it? Find out in this message on Numbers 21:4-9 in our Life of Moses series.

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Lessons from the Desert

Series: Life of Moses
November 21, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Exodus 15, 16, 17, 18

You ever do a travelogue?  On this day we went "here" and saw "this" and this is what we discovered.  That's what Moses and the Israelite troop did as they trounced through the wilderness from the Red Sea to Sinai.  In this message we take a look at their travelogue and five significant things that happened on the trail and five lessons learned along the way. 

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The Great Escape

Series: Life of Moses
October 31, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Exodus 14:10-31

The cross is the most important event in the New Testament. In this message we look at the most important event in the Old Testament.  Both events are about the exact same thing - the great escape. 

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Where's the Lamb?

Series: Life of Moses
October 24, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Exodus 12:1-13

In real space-time history, at one moment in time, the ultimate force in the universe swept through the greatest power on earth to destroy... and the only thing that will protect on this night... is a little lamb.  

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Why the Plagues?

Series: Life of Moses
October 17, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Exodus 4:29-5:2; 5:17-6:8

This week at One Hope we look at the "cheery" topic of the 10 plagues inflicted upon Egypt during the time of the Exodus.  So why did God do that to Egypt?  Was it really necessary?  That's the focus of this weeks message.

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The Encounter

Series: Life of Moses
October 3, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Exodus 3:1-15

Moses had almost everything he needed to be a great leader. Educated in the courts of Egypt, nurtured by his Hebrew family in his younger years, and given the humility he needed during his desert years. He only lacked one thing. An encounter.

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Friend

Series: Gospel of John, Part 3
July 4, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 15:9-17

Jesus in John 15:9-17 offers his disciples (and us) friendship with God. What does that mean? Find out in this weeks worship service video (that is, if you can... Peter for some reason felt it was a good idea to record the message OUTSIDE on the weekend of the Tacoma-Narrows Air Show! - final third is quite humous actually...).

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Joy

Series: Gospel of John, Part 3
June 27, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 15:9-11

What is joy? Why is it important? When should we have joy and how do we get it? Those are the main four questions we ask about joy, but there's a bonus fifth question too - all flowing from John 15:9-11.

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A Different Peace

Series: Gospel of John, Part 3
June 13, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 14:26-28

In John 14:27 Jesus says he is leaving his disciples with peace, but not as the world gives peace. What did Jesus mean by that? What did Jesus mean by the world's kind of peace and how is it different from the kind of peace Jesus gives. That's the question we explore in this weeks message.

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Show Us the Father

Series: Gospel of John, Part 3
May 30, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 14:-6-14

How can you really know what God is like?  The book of Hebrews says that Jesus is the exact presentation of his being.  If you want to know what God is like... look at his Son Jesus.  Our text this week communicates the same thing.  Jesus says if you've seen me, you've seen the Father.  He is what the Father is like.  So in this weeks teaching we did a blitz through the gospel accounts to discover four things that describe Jesus... and the Father.  The first two are predictable.  The second two may surprise you.  Listen this weeks message to find out what they are!

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Judas and Peter

Series: Gospel of John, Part 3
May 16, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 13:18-38

Judas and Peter both denied Christ in their own way. And both were deeply sorry for what they did. One ended up hanging himself and the other became the leader of the church. Why? What was the difference maker between the two? That's the question that this message seeks to ask.

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The Book of Signs

Series: Gospel of John, Part 3
May 2, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 12:37-50

We conclude a major section in John in this weeks message. Our text John 12:37-50 is John's closing statement in the first twelve chapters of John, in what has been called the Book of Signs. We also hear the last think Jesus ever publicly said.

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This Changes Everything

Series: Gospel of John, Part 3
April 4, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 20:19-31

In this Easter message Peter prepares us for the third part of our John study by having us look at the second half of the John 20 account of the resurrection.  In it we find how the resurrection changed a band of fearful men into revolutionaries who turned the world upside down.  We also relate to Thomas who needed proof.  Jesus gives us what each of us needs to believe if our hearts are toward him.

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The Living Word

Series: Reboot
January 17, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Hebrews 4:12

What do we believe the Bible is our authority?  And does biblical authority even mean?  What does it "look like"?  Those are the questions explored in this weeks teaching on Acts 2:42 and the four things the early church devoted themselves to.

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The Missio Dei

Series: Reboot
January 10, 2021 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 1:8

In this message Peter launches a new five part series called "Reboot". In this series we'll be looking at the four things the early church devoted themselves to. But for this first message in the series we talk about the Missio Dei - "The Mission of God". We do the four things so we can better participate in the Missio Dei!

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He Came To Set Us Free

Series: Gospel of John, Part 2
November 15, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 8:31-59

Jesus came to set us free. But what is freedom? And set free from what? From sin so we go to heaven when we die? Yes... but it means so much more than that. Jesus came to set you free NOW... in this life. That's the focus of this teaching from John 8:31-59.

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True Sabbath Rest

Series: Gospel of John, Part 2
September 27, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 5:1-18

The Old Testament Sabbath Rest points to the true Sabbath Rest that Jesus came to bring.  What is that deeper Sabbath Rest, what is it we are resting FROM and how do we enter it?  Those are the questions we tackls in this exposition of John 5:1-18.

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Four R's to Help in Navigating 2020

Regroup, Resolve, Resist, Rest

September 20, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service

What do you do when there are just so many pressure points pressing in on you that it leaves you feeling overwhelmed and powerless?  In this practical message Peter shares four steps you can take to keep yourself moving forward when life is weighing you down.

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The Thirst

Series: Walking in the Spirit
August 16, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Psalm 63; John 7:37-39

Jesus didn't come to earth to die on the cross for us. He came to give us the Spirit. It just so happens he couldn't give us the Spirit until he first died on the cross us. Now the Living Water is poured out, quenching the thirst of every human heart that receives Him.

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The Guidance of the Spirit

Series: Walking in the Spirit
August 2, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Acts 16:1-10

Wouldn't it be great if we had a crystal ball to just tell us what to do whenever we faced a major life decision.  Some people treat the Holy Spirit like a crystal ball.  But the Holy Spirit is not a crystal ball.  The Holy Spirit is a person.  The Holy Spirit a peron on a mission.  And so His guidance usually has something to do with that mission.  The guidance of the Spirit is usually about our marching orders for the day!

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The Unity of the Spirit

Series: Walking in the Spirit
June 28, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: Ephesians 4:1-6

How does a politically diverse church speak to the issues of the day without being political and while also maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?  That's what this message is about.  As well as the glories and wonders of Smart Bulbs...

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The Filling of the Spirit

Series: Walking in the Spirit
June 7, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service

In this first message in our series on "Life in the Spirit", Peter addresses topics such as who is the Holy Spirit, the importance of our understanding of the Trinity, the difference bewteen being indwelt by the Spirit and being filled by the Spirit, and how to be filled with the Spirit on a daily basis.

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John: Bread of Life, Part 2

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
May 17, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 6:41-63

In this text Jesus says some of the most shocking things you'll ever hear him say in the Bible.  "Unless you my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you."  "My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink."  What?!  Find out what this means (I think) in this weeks message.

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John: Behold the King

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
April 5, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 12:9-19

For Palm Sunday we jump ahead in our John series to John 12 and the record of Jesus entering Jeruslam with crowds hailing him as a hero, hoping he'll become a second but greater Simon Maccabees.  Jesus is more ambitious than that though.  He's after the whole world.  

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John: How Faith Comes

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
March 29, 2020 Peter Churness View Full Service
Scripture Text: John 4:39-54

In this message we learn all about faith:  what it is, where it comes from, how it matures.  And we need faith right now as we battle the fears associated with the coronavirus crisis.  We need to learn how to choose faith over fear.  This text points the way.

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John: He Must Increase

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
March 1, 2020 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: John 3:22-30

In this weeks text we return to John the Baptist who we spent time with in chapter one.  John, the gospel writer, seems to be offering us a contract between John the Baptist and Nicodemus who we looked at last week.  In this weeks teaching we ask the question where does your joy come from?  For John the Baptist it comes from Christ.  But can we really have that kind of joy even when things are not going well?  Pastor Peter shares his own struggles in that arena this week but also offers some hope and direction for how to return to that true source of real joy every single day.

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John: The New Birth

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
February 23, 2020 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: John 3:1-15

Jesus said to Nicodemus unless you are born again of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.  Being born again, Jesus said, is an absolute necessity.  Why is that?  And what does it mean to be born again and how do you know that you are born again?  Those are the questions tackled in this message on John 3:1-15.

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John: Cleansing the Temple

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
February 16, 2020 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: John 2:13-22

Jesus was zealous for the temple, for His House, meant to be a house of prayer for all people - for the nations.  It was distorted and corrupted in his day, and so came in anger.  But through his death and resurrection he has restored the true temple, access back to Eden and so now made us to be His New Temple - filled with the Holy Spirit we are to be that reflection of his glory and light to the nations.  He is still zealous for His temple.  He is zealous for you!

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John: The First Sign

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
February 9, 2020 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: John 2:1-11

The miracle of Jesus turning water into wine was more than just saving a bridal couple from social embarrassment.  It's a sign that reveals something significant about who Jesus, what he means and why he came.  The lesson in this miracle is to be the lens through which we view the call of Jesus to follow him with total commitment.  What it points to is our relationship to Jesus as that of a bride to her groom!  In viewing Christ like that, total commitment takes on a new dimension.

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John: Come and See

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
February 2, 2020 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: John 1:35-51

The text for this message is about the calling fo Jesus' first disciples.  It's all about what it means to be a Jesus follower.  What is he calling us to when he calls us to follow?  Three things we found in the text.  Listen find out what those three things are.

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John: Lamb of God

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
January 26, 2020 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: John 1:19-34

In week two of our series in John we look at John the Baptist and how he viewed himself and how he viewed Christ.  Turns out he didn't even really see himself, he just saw Christ.  And he saw Christ as three things:  Lamb of God, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit and Son of God.  In this weeks message we explore what that meant to John and what it means to us.

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John: Introduction

Series: Gospel of John, Part 1
January 19, 2020 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: John 1:1-18

In this message Peter kicks off our new series in the Gospel of John.  We will be taking all of 2020 to go through John, 40 weeks with John the Evangelist, spread out over the coming year.  In this opening message we learn about who John really was, when and why he wrote this Gospel, and we receive an invitation to allow God to plant new life in us and to see it grow and to be birthed in the coming 40 weeks.

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Christmas Eve 2019

December 24, 2019 Peter Churness

Christmas Eve message for 2019 focussed on the Epic nature of the Christmas Story and how every epic ever told is a faint echo of this true one.

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Incarnation: Philippians 2

Series: Incarnation
December 22, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Phil 2:1-11

In this final message of our Incarnation series, and the final teaching text of the year, Peter ties in our overarching Kingdom theme of 2019 with a look at how Jesus through the Incarnation gave us the ultimate Kingdom Example for us to follow.  

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Incarnation: Colossians 1

Series: Incarnation
December 8, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Colossians 1:15-20

This is part two of a three part look at the Incarnation of Christ the Son of God.  As we give into this majestic text of Colossians 1:15-20 what we find is this is not a doctrine to be studied but it's a song to be sung and dance to be danced.  Listen to hear the Song of the Incarnation - Jesus from Beginning to End.

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Four Steps for Breaking Free

Series: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds
November 24, 2019 Peter Churness

This is part four of our series on Spiritual Strongholds.  Last week we learned about how it often begins with a wound, followed by lies believed, vows made and the stronghold established.  This week we learn how to peal back those layers so we can experience the healing embrace of the Father who alone has the power to heal the wound.

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Practicing the Presence through Singing

Series: Practicing the Presence of God
October 6, 2019 Peter Churness

Why do we worship?  Why do we sing?  Is worship and singing for everyone or is it just for the musical or those with a more emotional makeup.  In this message Pastor Peter makes the case that singing really is for everyone and then leads us through some practical steps we can take each week and throughout the week, to lead ourselves into worship - you can learn to be your own worship leader.

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24 Hour Prayer Event

October 18/19 - 8pm to 8pm

October 5, 2019 By Peter Churness

One Hope is linking arms with several other area churches to sponsor a 24 hour prayer event.  From Friday, October 18th, 8pm through Saturday, October 19th, 8pm, there will be continuous prayer for Gig Harbor happening at Peninsula Christian Fellowship.  To participate, go to www.praygigharbor.com and click the Prayer Event button and then the Sign Up button, where you can sign up for as many one hour timeslots as you would like to or have time for.  There will also be an opening worship service Friday, 7pm to 8pm - all our welcome!

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Practicing the Presence through Reading

The Spiritual Discipline of Bible Study

Series: Practicing the Presence of God
September 22, 2019 Peter Churness

One of the chief ways that God has given us to connect with His Son Jesus is the Word of God, the Bible.  The Bible is the Holy Spirits book, and as Jesus said to the Pharisees, it all points to Him.  We abide in Jesus as we abide in His Word.  But how do we do that?  In this practical message Pastor Peter gives 10 tips and resources for digging into the Word.

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Practicing the Presence through Thinking

The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation

Series: Practicing the Presence of God
September 15, 2019 Peter Churness

Satan does not want us to experience God's presence throughout the day, and so he uses his two chief weapons against us:  the lie and distractions.  Learn how to use meditation on God's Word as means for combating those two weapons of the enemy and so move into a deeper ongoing experience of Jesus throughout the day.

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Jacob: The Winner

Series: The Messy Life of Jacob
September 1, 2019 Peter Churness

On the night before what Jacob thought was to be the critical moment of his life - his reunion with a brother who had wanted to kill him - he has an encounter with a man who wrestles with him all night long.  Turns out this man was God himself.  But God could not win the fight.  Jacob won.  How as that possible?  Find out in this message as Peter wraps up a four week study of the messy life of Jacob.

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Peru Mission Trip 2019

August 24, 2019 By Peter Churness

Our Peru team had a great 10 days facilitating an Immerse Camp teaching English to Peruvians and Bolivians at the Go Missions property.  It was also an amazing time of ministry with some very significant God moments, great relationship building, and some new faith commitments as well.  Attached is the latest newsletter from the Krafts which spotlight some of what our team did.  I encourage you to download it and give it a read. Note:  Go Missions in Peru is one of our core ministry partners that we support with finances, prayer and shared ministry.

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Jacob: The Struggle

Series: The Messy Life of Jacob
August 18, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Genesis 29:13-35

People with an inner emptiness give themselves to the hope that there is that person out there who is their one true love that will solve everything and will meet every need. Jacob and Leah were two such people. Which one will a find a way to fill that inner void? Find out in part three of our Jacob series this Sunday.  Note:  Indebted to Tim Keller who I borrowed from liberally for this series.

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Jacob: The Dream

Series: The Messy Life of Jacob
August 11, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Genesis 28:10-22

Part 2 of our journey the life of Jacob, the messy like of Jacob.  First week we saw Jacob trying to dress up like someone else to get the blessing, something we all tend to do.  This week, after losing everything, and not even looking for God, God finds Jacob.  God finds Jacob in the midst of his brokenness because he is attracted to his brokenness.  Just as he is attracted to us when we come to him just as we are in the midst of our failure and sin and need. Jacob has a dream in this moment of destituteness.  Find out what it means for Jacob... and for us. Note:  Indebted to Tim Keller who I borrowed ...

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Jacob: The Blessing

Series: The Messy Life of Jacob
August 4, 2019 Peter Churness

Jacob tried to do what all of us do.   He tried to get the blessing by dressing as someone else.  But it didn't really work.  Only when we come to God just as we are do we receive the true blessing of the firstborn found in Christ alone. Note:  Indebted to Tim Keller who I borrowed from liberally for this series.

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The Startling Conclusion

Series: Sermon on the Mount
June 30, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Matthew 7:13-29

In this message Pastor Peter brings our six month series in the Sermon on the Mount to a close as we look at how Jesus brought the Sermon home with a startling ending.  In this challeging word, Jesus emphasizes that you must pass through the narrow gate to enter the Kingdom.  He also gives the stern warning that some people who think they are Christian really are not.  Find out in this message what are the true marks of an authentic Christian.

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What If It Were True?

Series: Sermon on the Mount
June 9, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Matthew 7:7-11

In this message Peter asks the question, What if it were true that God Really was your Good Father.  If you knew for certain this truth in your heart, not just your mind, how would that truth impact what you ask for ... what you seek?  

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Breaking Free From Worry

Series: Sermon on the Mount
May 19, 2019 Peter Churness

In this message Pastor Peter continues our journey through the Sermon on the Mount with a look at what Jesus says about worry in Matthew 6:25-34.  Turns out he is still talking about the mammon we looked at last week.  Jesus wants us free from mammon and from worry.  Explore how in this message.

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Kingdom Economics

Series: Sermon on the Mount
May 5, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Matthew 6:19-24

We continue our focus on the Kingdom of God and how the Kingdom works as we move into this important text on our relationship to our money and possessions as Kingdom people.  The key is God calls us to be smart investors as he makes the appeal to our desire.

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Living Hope

April 21, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: 1 Peter 1:3-9

For Easter this year, Pastor Peter preaches on 1 Peter 1:3 and our living hope that comes through the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  We all need that Living Hope that serves as an anchor for our souls.

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Doing the Secret Things

Series: Sermon on the Mount
April 7, 2019 Peter Churness

How do you do the Kingdom?  You have to believe something and you have to do something.  You have to believe God is your Father and that He is for you.  And you have to do the secret things.  Last week we looked at the importance of seeking God as our Father.  This week we explore what it means to do the secret things.

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No Third Thing

Series: Sermon on the Mount
March 31, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18

Pastor Peter continues our journey through the Sermon on the Mount and our theme of the Kingdom of God but asking the question HOW do we "do the Kingdom"?  In Matthew 6 Jesus gives us the clue.  Turns out we have to believe something and we have to do something.  Find out what those things are in this weeks message.

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Jesus and Divorce

Series: Sermon on the Mount
March 3, 2019 Peter Churness

As we cotinue to use the Sermon on the Mount as our framework for looking at the Kingdom of God theme this year, we come to the part of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus talks about the very painful but relevant topic of divorce.  

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Anger Management

Series: Sermon on the Mount
February 17, 2019 Peter Churness

As we continue to follow the Sermon on the Mount we come to a passage in which Jesus addresses the topic of anger.  Anger is basically a good thing, but it's gone wrong, and can become destructive.  How can it be healed?  How can we be angry well?  Find out in this weeks message...

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Who Gets the Kingdom?

Series: Sermon on the Mount
January 13, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Matthew 5:1-15

In this message Pastor Peter goes through the first three beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount showing how Jesus in these verses is describing the values of the Kingdom and the kinds of people who get the Kingdom.

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The Proclamation of the Kingdom

Series: Sermon on the Mount
January 6, 2019 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Matthew 4:12-17

Pastor Peter launches a new series on the Kingdom, which is also the beginning of a year long theme that will be the thread that ties various series and sermon topics together over the course of the next 12 months.

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Galatians 2: Dying to Live

Series: Galatians
July 15, 2018 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Galatians 2:15-21

If we're saved by grace and totally free, but that we still can't just do whatever we want... what's up with that?  How does this grace thing work and what does it really mean?  The secret is in Galatians chapter 2.

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Seven Things I Tell Myself Every Morning

April 2, 2018 By Peter Churness

Some time ago when I was in college I finally got tired of learning the same spiritual truths over and over again only to forget those lessons and have to relearn them (usually the hard way). Then one day in my college apartment it occurred to me that we had this amazing new technology called writing and that I could actually write down and recall to mind on a daily basis some of these key truths.  Over the next several years I added to my personal “top truths” list until I landed on seven that would be foundational for me over the next 20 years. (Actually there were eight, but seven was a more spiritual ...

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The Way Home

Series: Jesus In the Present Tense
March 18, 2018 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: John 14:1-6

The week this message was given our church was "in between" worship locations and found ourselves homeless for a week.  So we met in six different homes and watched the following a message in which Jesus tells us how to get home.  Below is the audio from that message.

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Are You Desiring Too Little?

January 1, 2018 By Peter Churness

Matt 19:29: And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. The call to live the Christian life is a call to follow Christ. It’s a call to take up ones cross as he did and to surrender to the will of the Father. It’s a call to a life of total obedience. And yet connected to this call to live the Christian life is something that we sometimes miss - an appeal to desire. It’s not an appeal to earthly desire, but rather to a desire for something greater than anything ...

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Growing In a Devotional Prayer Life

Expectant Prayer

Series: Back To Basics
March 13, 2016 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Luke 11:1-13

Final message in our series on Back to Basics.  This week we look at how the early church was devoted to prayer.  This is a big topic.  There are various types of prayer we want to grow in as a church.  Devotional Prayer, Ministry Prayer and Strategic Prayer.  This week though we focus why pray?

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The Real Presence of Jesus in Worship

Experiential Worship

Series: Back To Basics
February 21, 2016 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: 1 Cor 10:16; 1 Cor 11:24

The early church devoted themselves to the "Breaking of Bread" which we generalize in this series as "experiential worship".  But at the core of that experience in worship then and now is the Lord's Supper.  Communion is a key focus of this weeks message.

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Going Deeper With Each Other

Authentic Community

Series: Back To Basics
February 7, 2016 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Acts 2:42

Continuing our focus this week on the second thing the early church devoted themselves to - Fellowship - i.e. Authentic Community.  Last week we defined the meaning of true fellowrship.  This week a call to put it into practice.

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What Is Koinonia?

Authentic Community

Series: Back To Basics
January 31, 2016 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Acts 2:42

We continue our series on Unpacking Acts 2:42 by looking at the second thing the early church devoted themselves to - Fellowship.  What is Fellowship?  That's the focus of this weeks series.

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The Authority of the Bible

Biblical Authority, Part 1

Series: Back To Basics
January 10, 2016 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Acts 2:41-47; 2 Tim 3:16-17

As we look at the four things the early church devoted themselves to, we see the first one is the Teaching of the Apostles.  For us this means devotion to the authority of the Bible, which is the teachings of the Apostles.  In this message we look at why the Bible is our authority and what that means.

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Overview: Glory Days

Series: Back To Basics
January 3, 2016 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Acts 2:42

We begin our new series unpacking Acts 2:42 which will look at in detail the four things the early church devoted themselves to as we seek to devote ourselves to those same things as well.

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Mark 10: Baby Faith

Series: The Gospel of Mark
March 22, 2015 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Mark 10

Having saving faith is so simple, Jesus said, that the best ones capable of it, capable of receiving the kingdom, capable of saving faith, are babies and small children.  In fact, not only are they the best ones, they are the only ones capable of saving faith – you also as grown-ups, in order to have saving faith, must be converted like children (Matthew 18), converted to a child’s state of simple faith, even to a babies state of simple utter dependence, in order to receive the kingdom.

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Mark 9: Transfiguration

Series: The Gospel of Mark
March 15, 2015 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Mark 9

Jesus wants to invite you into his inner circle.  He wants to elevate you into the place of his presence.  Ephesians says we are seated with Christ in heavenly places and that we will one day be reigning with Christ, and judging the angels.  You have a high calling.  He wants to use you, reveal things to you, he invites you to be his partner in the kingdom work he calls us to!

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Mark 8: Follow

Series: The Gospel of Mark
March 8, 2015 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Mark 8:34-35

Do you struggle with depression?  Here’s the solution.  Deny yourself, and take up your cross and follow him.  Do you struggle with worry and anxiety?   Then lose yourself for Jesus and for the gospel.  Do you have fears that seem to control you?  Then the answer is here:  deny yourself and take up your cross… Do you harbor bitterness and resentment over things done to you?  Deny yourself and take up your cross…    Do you fear death?  Then don’t wait for death to come – die now!   Why wait for inevitable.  Death will come to us all. ...

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Mark 7: Clean Heart

Series: The Gospel of Mark
March 1, 2015 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Mark 7

Some of us, are still trying to fix the externals of our lives, to make ourselves clean, but still deep inside we don’t feel clean.  And no amount of positive thinking helps to remove the self-doubt or the need to try to validate yourself or look good in the eyes of others, trying to convince yourself that you’re okay.  But you’re not okay.  You have a heart problem. 

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Mark 6: Power and Faith

Series: The Gospel of Mark
February 22, 2015 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Mark 6:1-56

Lots of action in Mark chapter 6.  One key lesson.  It's all about the connection between faith and power.  But that connection is all about Jesus' power, not ours.  His authority, not ours.  

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Mark 1: Quiet Times

Series: The Gospel of Mark
January 11, 2015 Peter Churness
Scripture Text: Mark 1:35

In chapter one of Mark we learn of Jesus' practice of going out early in the morning and spending time with his Father.  If Jesus needed to spend time with His Father to prepare Himself for the day, how much more we?  Let's learn how together.

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Mark: Introduction

Series: The Gospel of Mark
January 4, 2015 Peter Churness

This introduction to our new series going through the Gospel of Mark provides us with "three links", "three questions" and "three responses" for us to be looking for as we travel through this action packed Gospel.

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The Friendship and the Fear

April 21, 2010 By Peter Churness

Recording artist Matt Redman's 1997 album was entitled The Friendship and the Fear. The phrase is a profound one and contains within it one of the keys to living the Christian life. The concept of friendship with God is central to us as believers. In 1 John 3:1 we read, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” Jesus said to his disciples, “I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). And Paul prays, “…that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you ...

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