Friday, July 4th, we in American celebrated our Independence Day, the day we declared our freedom. This type of freedom is precious and is a gift from God. We celebrate and honor those who have given their lives to secure this freedom and to make sure we stay free. And yet, there is a freedom that is far greater still. Today we explore the issue of spiritual freedom, its only source, and arch enemies of freedom which masquerade as agents of liberty.

Jesus is Coming! (Are You Ready?) We have this promise: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Today we take a look at what the Bible tells us about the promised return of Jesus, and examine what our response to this fact should be.

The Bible tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Today we discuss what this means in practical terms, and discover the battle plan, given to us by God himself, which will guarantee we stand through whatever the enemy brings our way.

Is love determined by the heart? Can we accurately define love by what we feel is right and wrong, and what our heart tells us is love? Today we explore this issue, and expose some of the falacies of the human perception of love, showing that what our world thinks is love, in some ways is really hate, and the train on which its passengers sleep is heading for eternity in hell.

Jesus made it clear that children hold a special place in his heart. He said that the kingdom of heaven is of such as these. He also said that whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depth of the sea. Today we take a look at some facts that might shock you, seeing how far we have fallen and how our children are being exposed to things that, just a few years ago, most adults would never see or even imagine.

When we hear the Scripture in which Jesus says, "If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to myself," we generally think that means if we lift Jesus up, he will draw people to himself. Today we explore what this passage is really saying, which is something quite different from what we may have previously thought, and consider how this applies to our lives.

Leprosy has always been seen as a curse, something that alienates and makes one unclean and an outcast. While we don't see many traditional lepers today, our nations are filled with them. Just as with physical leprosy, spiritual leprosy numbs you to vital forms of pain and discomfort, resulting in spiritual infection, rot, and destruction, and it is destroying the peoples of the earth. Join us for our discussion of this deadly epidemic, and we ponder how it affects each of us and how we can find healing.

Is the fear of the Lord simply reverence for God? Or is it something more? And is it really that important, or does it not really make a difference whether we fear God so long as we think we love him? Today we explore the Bible for truth concerning what the fear of the Lord is and how it impacts our life and our nation, pointing out seven results of the fear of the Lord. Then we talk about how we can learn to have this holy fear of God.

Can we dialog with God, or do we only have prayer as a monolog and the Bible as God's only method of speaking to us today? Since our relationship with God is more important than any other relationship or any other thing in our life, our perception of the nature of that relationship will affect everything else in our life. So today we discuss this issue, exploring the nature of God and the role he wishes to play in our lives today.

In today's climate of spiritual deception, it is a valid question to ask what part spiritual experiences should play in the life of the believer. Should we embrace and follow them, or toss them aside altogether? Today we explore this topic, turning to the Bible to see where experiences fit into the Christian walk, discussing whether God wishes to give us spiritual experiences, what those might be, and whether they are important for fulfilling the plans and purposes of God.

Hope is something we all need if we are to have the will to live in the abundance Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). But hope, in and of itself, is not necessarily a good thing. In fact, hope can destroy us. You see, hope in something or someone which cannot or will not deliver, according to Proverbs 13:12, makes the heart sick. It can take away your feeling of purpose, and even your will to live. So today we talk about the kind of hope that brings life, a hope which will not disappoint.

Today we take a brief look at the lives of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, and ponder their emptiness and desperation. They had everything, and yet they were empty and without hope. They had something we all have, only much more of it, and that one thing is "glory." More specifically, they had "misdirected" glory. Today we take a look at how we all should handle the glory we're given if it is to produce life instead of death.

We hear the cry for peace all around us, from anti-war protests to meetings of the leaders of different world religions to talk about peace and unity. Our first reaction might be to remember the words of Jesus, "Blessed are the peace makers, for they will be called children of God." But let's take a closer look. The Bible warns of a time of false "peace and safety," and today we explore the Word of God on this issue of peace, putting present-day efforts for peace into their proper perspective. This is a message which I pray will help you to steer clear of a very powerful deception which is sweeping the globe today.

Some would say that the gifts of the Spirit passed away with the first apostles. Some would say that the gifts of the Spirit are active today, but not in the way they were in the early church. Some would say that the gifts of the Spirit are active today as in the early church, but there are certain clear and orderly restrictions on his activity. To determine where we stand and to stand with truth, we must go to the final authority on truth -- the Word of God as found in the Holy Scriptures.

It's easy to swallow the idea of Jesus as an ascended master, a guru, an always-peaceful figure with light radiating from his head. We tend to forget about the times he turned over the tables and chased merchants out of the temple, or the many other times he demonstrated great passion and emotion. Today we take a look at some of the all-too-often overlooked characteristics of God and ponder how these Scriptural truths can affect our appreciation of God's amazing grace.

There's one thing that separates Christianity from all the religions of the world, and it is that, while the founders of all other religions are still in their graves, the tomb of Jesus is empty. No disciples would desecrate their master's tomb, but Jesus robbed his own grave, defeating death for all those who call upon his name. Jesus didn't rise from the dead just so we would have another holiday to celebrate. Rather, Jesus rose from the dead so that, just as our sins were nailed to the cross, and just as our old lives are burried with him, so we too are raised together with Christ into new and glorious life that will never end.

In Luke 16:1-13, Jesus tells a parable about a steward who is about to lose his job because he had been wasting his master's goods. When the steward learns that he is going to be fired, he marks down the bills of people who owe his master. He is commended for acting shrewdly, and Jesus says the children of light should learn something from this story about interacting with others in the world. Today we take a look at the issue of true discipleship from the point of view of business wisdom, and explore what the Bible says a true Christian is, seeing that the world does for their profit what the church has largely failed to do for the Kingdom of Heaven. Finally, we are issued a challenge that, if accepted, will change our lives and the eternal destiny of more souls than we can imagine.

Today we see many church movements, some good and some not so good. How do we judge what is right? Do we go by what appeals to our personality? Do we go by what sounds right? Do we go by what makes us feel the most at home? Scripture describes the heart of mankind as being deceitful. If we follow our hearts, we will eventually go the wrong way. But God did not leave us in this state without hope. In the Psalms we read, "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." We have been given a solid, unchanging roadmap and a yardstick by which we should measure any spiritual teaching or practice before accepting them. And by doing so, we will walk in the light.

The Psalmist writes, "You have searched me and known me." He goes on to list some of the ways in which God knows him, everything about him, all his ways, and even the meditations of his heart. There is never a time or a place where God is far away. He is always there, and is always thinking about us. And his thoughts are thoughts of good, to give us a future and a hope.

There are many examples in the Bible of times during which a nation turned against God and surrendered to sin. And there are different ways in which God handled the situation. Today we look at four such scenarios. Three of them took place in the Old Testament times. In one of those, the people repented and were spared. In two of those, they did not and were destroyed. The fourth example is the focus of today's message, and it involves you.

We've all heard the quotes from Scripture, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first," and, "Many are called, but few are chosen." But what do these statements mean? Today we take a look at these important Bible truths in a new light that will challenge and encourage your lucid walk with the Master.

Today California Condor presents us with Hope in the midst of sorrow, giving us a fresh message blown accross the pages of Scripture by the wind of the Holy Spirit. We can take comfort in the message of life, knowing that no matter what it is through which we're going, there is Hope in the midst of our sorrow.

When we think about class, we generally think in terms of a person's financial position. The upper class has always been the wealthy and the lower class has always been the poor. But this is in terms of the worldly system, and we live under a heavenly King. So before you allow yourself to be defined by the world, consult the King's Book and see where you stand not in this temporal, earthly system, but in the eternal Kingdom of God.

Today we take a look at the first miracle Jesus performed. It was not raising someone from the dead, or giving sight to blind eyes, or opening deaf ears. It was not casting out a legion of demons, or rising from the dead, or ascending into heaven. Jesus' first miracle seemed trivial and of no consequence, and yet when he turned the water into wine, he summed up the Gospel, our desperate need for him, the difference between the Old and New Covenants, and the redemption of all mankind.

Today our women's pastor shares a word the Lord has placed upon her heart. There are many voices that call to us, but there are only two choices we can make. As today's speaker points out, we can listen to the voice of God, or we can go our own way. Join in with us today as we look at examples throughout Scripture of those who listened to and obeyed the voice of God, and of those who went their own way.

If you've been in the Christian world very long, you've most likely heard the words, "That's just emotion" referring to "excessive" praise or various moves of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you've used that phrase yourself, "Just emotions." We tend to fall into the trap of believing that emotions are somehow either less or more spiritual than the actions of the intellect. But today we explore this issue in light of the truths of the Bible, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we just might begin to see emotion in a new light.

Sometimes it's beyond a blessing to hear what God has done in the lives of others. It strengthens our faith and reminds us that God is alive and well, working in lives all around the globe. Today we celebrate the new year by sharing what God has done in, through, for, and around us in 2007.

We know that we are saved by grace through faith, and not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any one should boast. But what about the Scriptures that seem to say we must do this or that to receive salvation, such as baptism? Today California Condor brings us a Scripture-packed message explaining the relationship between faith and works, and shows us clearly how Faith Works by Love.

While December 25th isn't the actual birth date of Jesus, it is the time we celebrate the coming of the Messiah into the world. Join in with us today as we remember Jesus' birth with Christmas hymns and a reading of the Christmas story from the Gospel according to Luke, ending with an invitation in the form of a song.

During this time of year, we celebrate the coming of the Messiah into the earth. But before Jesus came onto the scene, the way had to be prepared for him. This was the calling placed upon the life of John the Baptist. The angel told John's father that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. Today we go back in time and witness this event through the pages of Scripture, and then ponder how this relates to us and the promises and callings God has placed within you.

Most of us have heard the verse, "Do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit." We generally think this is a verse speaking against drinking alcohol, but today we explore some of the other sources of dissipation, what dissipation means, and how we can become "dissipation busters" and instead be filled with the Holy Spirit. Even if you don't drink at all, most of us live lives of daily dissipation and intoxication which keeps us from being filled with the measure of the Spirit God desires for us and we desperately need. But the Word of God can illuminate these traps for you so that you can live life to the fullest.

Sometimes God likes to surprise us by leading us in a direction other than our "regularly-scheduled program." Sometimes he just wants us to turn aside from everything else and just seek after him. This is exactly what happened in today's service. We hope that you are challenged to press on to a new level in your relationship with God, and that you allow the Holy Spirit to blow a fresh wind in your life.

Sometimes it can seem as though our prayers go unanswered. We may pray for healing, but our loved one dies instead. Or we may pray for a promotion or raise and get fired instead. It's during times like this that we may begin to question whether God is hearing our prayers or if he's just not answering them. It's been said there are three answers to prayer, but today we talk about four answers. God does answer our every prayer with "Yes," "No," "Not Now," or "Maybe."

In today's conclusion of this 10-week series on prayer, we talk about the eternal nature of God, and the fact that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; he does not change. In the midst of a world that is in increasing turmoil, we have a rock, a refuge, and solid foundation. And this is the One to whom we go at the beginning of every day proclaiming that his is the kingdom, the glory, and the power forever and ever. Amen!

All too often we forget that Scripture instructs us to flee from temptation and the sin that so easily trips us up. Modern society presents temptation as something that should be enjoyed, and we all to often buy into that disasterous mindset. Today we talk about walking in the paths of righteousness and Godly opportunity instead of paths that would lead us into temptation. We also talk about taking charge over the evil from which, by the Spirit of God, we will be delivered.

Today's prayer point is "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Jesus expounded upon this part of prayer in the parable about the servant who owed his master millions of dollars. He could not pay, and his wife and children and his own life would be the payment for that debt. But his master had compassion on him and completely wiped his debt off the records. This same man went out and found someone who owed him a small amount and demanded he pay. Instead of having compassion on him, he threw him into debtor's prison. The master was very angry and this wicked man's debt was now payable in full, and he was turned over to the torturers until he could pay the last penny. Today we talk about how to forgive and the freedom and healing that is found in forgiveness.