Several ladies from the local Teen Challenge share their stories of how the Gospel of Jesus transformed their lives. Tabatha Mello, one of the directors and also the leader of Ren’s ministry of prayer, preached a powerful message about counting the cost of following Jesus.
Standalone Sermons: Making Space for the Spirit
As followers of Christ we are commissioned by Jesus to bring the Gospel whenever we are planted. That may be in a far away land where people have never heard about Jesus, or it may be at work, in our school or our neighborhood. In order to be effective in this mission we must be filled with the Spirit. And in order to be filled we must make room for the Holy Spirit. Special guest Jeremy Ugumba, a campus missionary at Brown University with Inter Varsity, expounds these important ideas with passion, clarity and with inspiring stories. Jeremy lays out several practical ways we can make space for God at the end of his message.
Standalone Sermons: Moving Forward
In Philippians 3, Paul sets forth a lofty standard of how we ought prioritize Jesus above all else. He also recognizes that he has not obtained it or arrived at this standard. Undaunted by his past, he presses on toward the goal. In this sermon, we look at some of the roadblocks in growing in our life with Christ. How should we deal with our sin (as well as our success) in order to “move forward”?
Standalone Sermons: Waiting
This is a message taken from Acts chapters 1-2 addressing the great need of the Church to receive spiritual power in order to be effective witnesses. Jesus told his disciples not to rush out and try to reach the world until first waiting for the promise of Holy Spirit power to come upon them. The disciples already had a measure of the Spirit’s power to pray, to believe, to love one another, to joyfully worship, and so on. But Jesus revealed that there was a greater power needed that would only come to them as they waited in prayerful anticipation for it. About 120 disciples spent 10 days hungering and thirsting for God’s Spirit to be poured out. On the day of Pentecost the Spirit came like a mighty rushing wind and with tongues of fire! This was the birth of the Church and the beginning of turning the world upside down. 3000 people were added to the Church. Pastor Scott exhorts at the end to continue pressing into prayer during this season for the power of God to fall upon the church in such an extraordinary way that the city would be transformed.
Standalone Sermons: Kingdom Reality
How do we live in the tension between the brokenness we see, feel, and touch, and the reality that Jesus is the King? We must identify what’s broken, identify the King, and live into His Kingdom. This sermon was given by one of our REN missionaries who serves with the Campus Ministry of Cru, which is mobilizing students and faculty to reach the world with the love of Jesus.
Standalone Sermons: Fuel
This is a message aimed to motivate from Hebrews 12. The call is to run the race with endurance. The simple metaphor encourages us to live the Christian life with a similar intensity a runner in a race would have. The problem we often have is that we find ourselves fatigued, discouraged, confused about God, not motivated, and so on. Where will the drive come from to press forward with passion? Hebrews 12 contains several rich truths that can motivate us to run the race with fierce determination.
Standalone Sermons: Desire For Prayer
We all know we should pray, but if we lack understanding of God’s desire for prayer it can seem to us more drudgery than delight. In this message guest speaker Colin McNulty shares on how God is both the author and sustainer of our prayer life. Prayer begins not with human willpower but with God’s word sparking desire and igniting faith in our hearts. God doesn’t need us to pray but he wants us to pray because he desires partnership with His Church.
Standalone Sermons: House Of Prayer
In 2009 the Lord brought a strong call to the church to be a house of prayer for all nations. As we approach almost a decade of following that call Pastor Scott brings some needed assessment to how we are doing. The message is a reminder of the key ideas God spoke to the church in 2009 and a fresh motivation to press in. The last part of the message includes several practical initiatives unveiled which are intended to foster this renewed emphasis on prayer.
Standalone Sermons: Showing No Partiality
This particular Sunday was special as it was the Sunday before the launch of the CityLove initiative. The main message from the Word came from Sarah Batchelor who works as an engineer in Boston who has been attending, serving, and loving the Ren community for over 6 years now. She gave us a very fresh “laypersons” perspective on the story in Acts 10 when the Gospel expanded to the gentiles. Pastor Scott followed up the message with some practical exhortations on how this call to reach all kinds of people plays out in the local church. The double sermon morning was like a one-two punch to motivate the church to fulfill her mission with great passion in this season while there’s still time!
Standalone Sermons: Take Heed
It is common to see people become Christians with great joy, get involved for a season but then fall away. This happens all the time for a variety of reasons. It might be the allure of sin or the pursuit of money or just plain busyness that draws them away. It is a fight for Christians to endure through the years and cross the finish line strong. Satan and the forces of darkness work tirelessly to tear Christians away from simple devotion to Jesus. It’s a daily war and it’s a war that doesn’t end until we breathe our last breath. Pastor Scott brings a strong warning about what to watch out for on the Christian journey. Strong exhortations are given about what it takes to stand firm till the end. The message is rooted in Paul’s words to the church at Corinth found in 2 Corinthians 11. This message was given on baptism Sunday with new believers in mind but the message is an important reminder for all who desire to follow Christ till the end.