Facebook

Twitter

Website

Gathering, Growing & Sowing the love of Jesus for the transformation of our families, church, communities and world.

Love Is Greater Than Knowledge

"This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God (1 Corinthians 8: 2-3)."

We've all met them. They are annoying…know-it-alls. Let your mind go back to a time when one of these people made you feel small because they were rubbing something they knew that you didn’t in your face. In life, we need people around us who know more than we do and who use that knowledge for our good. You want a doctor who knows quite a bit about your condition. You want a mechanic that knows more about cars than you do. But no matter how much a person knows, if they do not love, their lives are diminished and so are those they live and work with.

Paul is writing to warn mature Christians who have decided that they can eat food that once was part of an offering to an idol that made its way to the market place. Since they are smart, they realize that there really are no other gods than the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, therefore they feel no guilt or worry about eating that meat. The problem is that some newer Christians who have joined their church have just turned away from idol worship to life in Jesus, and, at the sight of the meat that they know was once offered to idols, memories flooded in of the gods they previously worshiped. Maybe doubt crept in…maybe fear…maybe worry. Regardless of the emotions, these new Christians were being distracted from their focus on Jesus by the behavior of other Christians.

Paul argued that mature Christians, even though they were morally right, should be more concerned about the spiritual well being of their new brothers and sisters than about being right. In this way, they would be acting like God, showing the world the love of Jesus. When have we been right about something but expressed it without love for someone else? In the Christian community, love is even more important than being technically correct. Let us love one another as Jesus Christ has loved us.

Peace of Jesus,
Pastor Cameron

Don't Miss The Sermon Series "Why?" Starting This Weekend.

Ever wonder why God does certain things and doesn’t do other things? Ever wonder why it’s hard to know God’s will sometimes or why prayers seem to go unanswered or why the innocent suffer? Join us starting this weekend as we explore the questions that lurk in the shadows of our hearts and minds when we face difficulties in our faith. It’s time to look for the light of Christ in those places too. We’ll end with our Easter celebration focusing on “Why God’s Love Prevails.”

New Bible Study Sundays at 9:45am

Where is God when tragedy and suffering strike?

When the ground shakes, and a poor nation’s economy is destroyed; when the waters rise, washing away a community’s hopes and dreams; when a child suffers neglect and abuse; when violence tears apart nations; where is God? If God is all powerful, and if each one of us is a beloved child of God, then how can God allow tragedy and suffering to infest his creation?

In Why?, best-selling author Adam Hamilton brings fresh insight to the age-old question of how to understand the will of God. Rejecting simplistic answers and unexamined assumptions, he lays out core ideas for comprehending God’s plan for the world, including:

God will not take away our free will, even when we use it to grieve him. God will never abandon us, especially in the midst of our suffering. While God is not the author of suffering, God will bring blessing out of tragedy.

Sign up online or in the lobby.

Other Important Dates:

Preschool Registration for the 2016/2017 going on now. VPK Provider.

3.13 3rd Grade Bible Presentations during the Contemporary Service. If you have a 3rd grader, contact Wendy Votino for more information.
3.25 6:30pm. Good Friday Service at Grace United Methodist Church in Lake Mary
3.27 Easter Services at Lakeside: 8:30am & 10:45am.
4.1-4.3 Women's Retreat
4.3 9th Annual Dodgeball Tournament
4.15-4.17 Dad and Me Weekend at the Life Enrichment Center.
5.15 Confirmation Sunday
5.22 Graduation Sunday

Sunday Service Times:
Traditional Service: 8:30am
Contemporary Service: 10:45am

Love Is Greater Than Knowledge

Don't Miss The Sermon Series "Why?" Starting This Weekend.

New Bible Study Sundays at 9:45am

Other Important Dates:

Sunday Service Times: Traditional Service: 8:30am Contemporary Service: 10:45am

Sunday Service Times:
Traditional Service: 8:30am
Contemporary Service: 10:45am