There is salvation in no other name than Jesus! So when people get around us, do they recognize that we have been with Jesus?Pastor Mike Patz continues our Reorient series, saying, "All that Jesus began to do, we continue..." We are looking for Book of Acts happenings to abound in us today. The Lord added to their number, day by day, those who were being saved.Let us be faithful to speak of the things Jesus has done in and through us, the urgency of the whole truth. Half truths create complacency, but the full truth creates urgency. Why was the early church so urgent in sharing their faith? They were convinced of the goodness of God as well as the judgment of God. We must live ready to meet our Maker!
We are a culture who hates to wait! Addicted to the dopamine hit of the immediate, the temptation is to get lost in scrolling. Pastor Mike Patz continues our Reorient series saying, "All that Jesus began to do, we continue..." We are looking for the Book of Acts to be happening in us today. The key is the promise Jesus made, "You will be baptized in the Holy Spirit." If you want the power of Acts 2, you need to wait like they did in Acts 1. This power comes from God, and the waiting time to receive is about preparing for the power. Be willing to wait on Him, and be fully filled with the Holy Spirit today!
Pastor Mike Patz continues our look at the gaps between the early church and the modern church in the Reorient series. All that Jesus started we continue... we are looking for the Book of Acts to be happening in us today. The devotions of the disciples included "the breaking of bread", which we now know as the Lord's Supper, or communion. The Book of Acts church was regularly remembering Jesus, the Passover Lamb, through celebrating communion together. If you're oppressed, afflicted, or depressed, the breaking of bread is good news for you! When the bread is broken, the presence of Jesus comes closer. He breaks bondage, heals, and sets free! May our expectation of experiencing Jesus being present with us become a greater reality, right here, right now!
In this message of our Reorient series, Pastor Mike Patz takes a look at the Book of Acts chapter 2, focusing on the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship. Luke wrote the Book of Acts three decades after the time of Jesus. How did the disciples turn the world upside down in that short period of time? The early church was devoted to the temple, the table, and the word of God. It is not enough to go to church and hear the gospel. We have to continue at the table in fellowship, following Jesus' words to take the gospel to all people. His word always brings life. As a church, we want to reorient our lives in seeing the kingdom of heaven embodied in us on earth! What Jesus began, we must continue to do, going from being hearers of the word to doers of the word, with others.
Do you have a clear vision for your life? What do you burn for in your heart? When you get a vision, you can see farther than you could before. You're seeing with your heart, and you'll start to live by faith, and not by sight.Pastor Mike Patz open the Book of Acts chapter 1, as he begins a new series, Reorient. Greenhouse is a movement of disciples who reorient their lives around Jesus' call to make more disciples. We ask for people to receive the gift of sight, for as a church God has given us a vision that is clear! The words of Jesus are our compass. Spiritual growth is our goal; we burn for making disciples that make disciples. Jesus wants us to continue what He started!
These days, social media is used to mask the truth of our lives. It's like the fig leaves in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. In the series, Love Lies and Redemption, Pastor Mike Patz looks at the lie that comes when shame is allowed to control our lives. Our shame is literally killing us. We've been covering ourselves since the fall in the garden. Shame is the name of the game. Shame says you can either be fully loved or fully known but not both. It tells us, don't be vulnerable. Yet the best marriages, families, and businesses are vulnerable. God gave Adam the opportunity to reveal himself. There was no guilt. Nakedness is more than a lack of clothing; it's when someone knows you, fully. Even when we do Him wrong, God still desires to connect with us! God reveals, you can only be fully loved when you're fully known. If we're covered by God, we feel security, peace, and shalom. When we are fully loved and when we are fully known, that is like a slice of heaven!
These days, we don't exactly have great examples when it comes to relationships. In the series, Love Lies and Redemption, Pastor Mike Patz looks at the lie that we need that perfect someone to complete us. Jesus always took things back to the creation, because before the fall we have a picture of what God intended for us. In Genesis 2, we see Adam in the garden. He did not tell God he was lonely; it was God's idea that man needs someone to compliment him. Adam knew his purpose and mission for life before he was given a mate. We cannot look to humans to complete us! If you come to God and still feel empty, lonely, and incomplete, you don't need a guy, you need your Master. Until you have God, everything else in your life will never be enough. The best way to know you are ready for a relationship is when you realize you're already complete in Him.
In Genesis 1, God had created everything so good. But in verse 26, God said, "It is not good for man to be alone!" No bueno! Adam is in a perfect relationship with God, and it still isn't good. Pastor Mike Patz begins a three-part series, Love Lies and Redemption, the lies that we believe about relationships, and the truth that sets us free. Today we are tackling the lie that I'm good by myself. I can do it alone! These days people are increasingly lonely. Surface level relationships are not working. Our anxiety, our addictions, and our sins cannot be healed alone. We're told there is a God-shaped void inside every man; yet according to God, there is a human shaped void that only people can fill. You'll never be fully you until you're part of a godly community. When you're in life-giving community, you're going to thrive! God is not a me; He is an us, the perfect Trinity.
Do you know anyone who will ask for forgiveness before they even do anything wrong? Pastor Mike Patz has been teaching word by word from the Sermon on the Mount. He concludes the series, warning us with these words of Jesus in the Lord's Prayer, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Know this, you're going into battle. This is why Jesus gave you the exact prayer you would need, deliver us from the evil one! There is a tendency of humans to radically overestimate our capacity of handling things that we shouldn't even try to handle. In 1 Corinthians 10:12, the early church was warned, "take heed lest you fall..." Consistently we overestimate ourselves. Forget about confidence in yourself. Cultivate a God-confidence!The word for temptation can be used for the word "test" or "temptation." Ask, "Is it a test, or a trap?" Don't be led to stumble! God doesn't tempt, but He does allow tests. Temptations come! Pleasure. Pride. Power. Beware of looking down on others in the areas you may feel strong in. We must recognize there is good and bad in each one of us. Tests are not evil, but temptations are laden with evil. It is Satan who tempts us to stumble and rush ahead of God's plan. None of us are good; Jesus prayed "deliver us..." There is a personality behind all evil, and it is the devil. The evil one depends on us not detecting him when we're in the midst of temptation. Father, we need your protection and deliverance against the demonic. The snake came with venom, but the Lamb came with the antidote! On the cross, Jesus invites us to begin to live "by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony"! Jesus is greater than any power found in the world. He invites us to use His words, "Our Father in heaven, we ask that your kingdom will come. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food again today, and forgive us our sins. Don’t bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen."
In America, we are a nation of debtors. In the ancient world, debt was a matter of life and death. Prisons were places where debtors would be sent. Foolish people would go into increasing amounts of debt, bringing along their spouse and children. In light of this, debt brings to mind anxiety. God's answer to that was redemption. Someone would agree to come alongside you to forgive the debts. "Debts" is a strange word. In Hebrew there are eight different words for "sin", and one of them is translated debts. In more recent days, this is where we get the phrase, "The borrower is a slave to the lender." Pastor Mike Patz continues this segment on the Lord's Prayer in the School of Jesus series by reading Matthew 6:9-15.So, why do we need to pray, "forgive us our debts?" Why do we even need to continue to pray for things that have already been forgiven? Religious, or churchy people functually feel like the debt has never been paid. The longer you live like that the more your life will be destroyed. Jesus brings the picture brilliantly, "forgive us our debts!" The ripple effects of sin vary. Some are small, and others are much larger, weighing you down. Sins of thought, sins of the mouth, debts of deed... Lies, gossip, looking lustfully, greed. Unforgiveness will weigh you down in this life and destroy you in the next. When one has sins on their account, it weighs them down. When we come to God admitting our sins of omission and commission, we are able to let go of the guilt of sin. Daily praying "Search me and know me" brings the lightness of heart that we need. Forgiveness sets us free in this life and prepares us for the next. Praying "forgive us our debts" allows you to be free of sin in this life, and eternal life to come. Jesus' prayer is genius! In the same breath He shows us that forgiving others brings freedom to us. The evidence of forgiveness in my life is my willingness to forgive others. Never forget how much we have been forgiven. Jesus gave His life so we can be loved much.
In the greatest sermon ever preached, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is the teacher. If you will learn from Jesus, and do your homework, your life will be changed! And if you'll open your eyes and your heart, the Lord's Prayer will teach you! Pastor Mike Patz continues this segment on the Lord's Prayer in the School of Jesus series highlighting, "Give us this day our daily bread." Asking. Petitions. Laying your requests before the Lord. So often we are fearful that our prayers will not be answered, and we stop asking. But Jesus doesn't want us to be stuck there in the place of not praying. Our Father is God and the King, and we are princes and princesses of the Most High. We are heirs and co-heirs, and He longs to partner with us. Let us live us up to the calling and position God has placed us in. In the asking, there is attaching. This is when we become closer to the Father. In the asking, our authority is utilized, and answers can begin to be actualized! When we ask, we are inviting God into the situation. Then we surrender to Father's will. God always answers His children's prayers, but sometimes the answer is "no". It is at that time we have to trust our Father deeply. May we become a church of good askers!
The disciples asked Jesus, "Teach us to pray." And here, in the center of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus answers their request. Just as you can watch lots of instructional videos on how to do things, but in the end you actually just have to start doing it. Pastor Mike Patz highlights the teaching of the Lord's Prayer as we continue the School of Jesus series, reminding that Jesus is saying, if you'll actually pray for the kingdom to come on the earth it will happen. It's possible to memorize the Lord's Prayer and still not get it. Our ask, and our prayer, must come into alignment with our relationship with the Father. Do you have a history with God, so that you can come with confidence and expectation to receive when you ask? "Our Father in heaven... on earth as it is in heaven," in Matthew 6, "In heaven..." shows up twice, and in between it is the key. We dont start with earth, we begin with heaven. When we start with heaven we change the earth. When we start with earth, we miss heaven. Colossians 3 tells us to "set our minds on things above..." We must come into His presence with reverence and praise. As His children, we can come humbly yet boldly before our Father because we have been redeemed by the blood of His Son. We ask for His kingdom to come, with life and freedom from bondage to be manifested on earth, now. This means we pray not only for ourselves, but for the kingdom to come for immigrants, foster children, the vulnerable, the hungry... As we pray, we ask Father, what do You want to happen here, through me, today? "Our Father who art in heaven..." May Your will of righteous, peace, and joy come to earth in us!
Imagine you're watching Jesus heal the blind, walk on water, and raise a boy from the dead. In Bible times, the three virtuous practices of the Jews at the new year were: giving to the needy, praying in secret, and fasting. Jesus opened up these works to expand them to bringing righteousness and justice to all He came in contact with. If you had been there, what would you want Him to do for you? It makes sense that one of the specific things the disciples asked Jesus to do was to teach them to pray. In the center of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus does just that, saying, "Our Father who art in heaven..." Pastor Mike Patz highlights the teaching of the Lord's Prayer in the continuation of the School of Jesus. If prayer is so important, why do we find it lacking in joy and importance in our lives? The solution to our prayer problem is not religious, its relational; it begins with Father. If we could learn to pray like the early church we would start to act like the early church. The Sermon on the Mount was given to disciples, and disciples are people who reorient their lives around the words Jesus taught. We must learn to walk in the prayer life of Jesus! The reason we don't know how to pray is because we do not know our Father. We have deep father wounds, that need the balm of our perfect heavenly Father, Abba. Our Father! With joy we can come together in prayer to our Father. If we can get this relationship right we have hope that we can get every other relationship right as well. We have a God who wants to know us intimately. In 2025, we invite you to "father" us!
Why did the hope of the World and the Messiah of humanity come in the form of a baby? Pastor Mike Patz answers this question and more through the words in Luke 2:8-14 as we approach Christmas day. When the shepherds were approached by the angels, the word says they were terrified! These angels were awesome, terrifying creatures! They declared, "This will be a sign to you." In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophets, but He also used signs. We are so prone to miss it when He sends us a sign! How well are you reading the signs God is sending to you? Have you ever turned off the volume on your GPS and found yourself suddenly going in the wrong direction? The signs are all around us, but can we also have to interpret them correctly. This message centers on the one sign that God gave to us: "You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger..." Whenever God plans to do something, as Christians He has wired us to read sign language. This sign language is birthed in humility. We all needed someone to come and bring us good news. The good news causes joy! The Gospel is the good news of what Jesus has already done. It is the tidings of great joy, for all people! One of the biblical words for joy is salvation. The theology of the splendor and "joy of your salvation" is much more than meets the eye. The world says do better. But Jesus already did. This great joy is attached to contentment; a little bit of joy brings a lot of contentment. When you attach your joy to His Kingdom your joy will have no end. Today we can celebrate because "unto us was born this day, in the City of David, a Saviour, Christ the Lord!" (Isaiah 9)
Pastor Oscar Roche continues our School of Jesus series, with a look at Matthew 7:7-12. These words in the Sermon on the Mount can be viewed as the Constitution of the Kingdom. "Ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened..." The word "ask" is an invitation to come into the presence of God in relationship. Don't be lax in your relationship with the Lord! Our prayer time is essential to building a deep relationship with our Holy King! Jesus has come so near in His incarnation. Oh, what kind of love does He have for us? We must go deep in the discernment that comes through our seeking times with Him. Keep knocking with holy persistence and the answer will be given to us. All of this goes even deeper. God desires us to navigate the relationships in our life, asking: How do I love? Do I have compassion towards others? Do I understand the mercy and forgiveness of our God? Whatever you want to see happen in your life, sow that into the life of others. We are called to give away the gifts He has given to us!
We bet you've used, or heard, the phrase from the Bible, "do not judge." What does this actually mean? Is there a way to "judge" while actually loving someone? Pastor Andrea Sarafan teaches from Matthew 7:1-5 as we continue in our School of Jesus series and the answer may surprise you!
We are all treasure hunters! But what is the treasure that you are seeking? What is the motivation of your heart? As we continue our School of Jesus series, a verse by verse look at the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Oscar Roche shines the light on Matthew 6:19-24. In these words we're hearing, we must remember who is speaking! Jesus asks some hard questions. What are you consumed with seeking? What is the condition of your heart? The constant pursuit of wealth and possessions will never truly satisfy. Earthly things will face death, decay, and destruction. We can be a conduit of the Kingdom, treasure hunters who believe that what we give today will turn into great exploits. The Sermon on the Mount lifestyle is an invitation to greatness in God's kingdom!
There has always been so much more meant for our life, a true connection between God and His people. We can have access to the promises of God. Yet things may seem out of reach to us. There is a ladder that gives us access, and this ladder is fasting! As we continue our School of Jesus series, a verse by verse look at the Sermon on the Mount, we welcome Ruth Patz to the pulpit. In Matthew 6:16-18, we see Jesus teaching a divine principle that brings rewards from our Father. When you fast... The question is not "if", but when. We should be doing much more fasting than we are. So, what is fasting? Fasting is doing without food for a period of time for spiritual reasons. Put your attention on Jesus, putting aside the distractions of meal planning to seek Him. There are many accounts of fasting in the Bible to encourage us in this discipline. This physical obedience in action brings a supernatural victory, a spiritual release. All of this attention to fasting is here so that we can listen to what type of fast God is calling you to, then to be in obedience to His word. Put the ladder up, and connect deeper with God through fasting!
When you pray, is it difficult, or are you excitedly expectant? Jesus said, "Don't be like the pharisees." As we continue our School of Jesus series, a verse by verse look at the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Mike Patz opens Matthew 6:1-7. There is a key to being rewarded in your prayer life. Meet with God in the secret place! God has not left us as orphans, and He longs for us to be attached to Him. This happens in the place of prayer. When we use prayer for religion, we always come up empty. When we use prayer for relationship, it always leaves us full. Our desire is to be a body of people that wake up believing we are meeting with the God of the universe, because we are!
We welcome Pastor Joel Romelus to the pulpit, for a continuation of the School of Jesus series. In the Sermon on the Mount, we see a different realm of God's kingdom. In Matthew 5:43-48, the sobering words of Jesus challenge us to "love our enemies!" It's like a final exam; will you make a passing grade? God's plan is for love to be a bridge bringing peace, justice, and connection to our world. Loving our enemies means choosing to reject the us vs. them mentality. Embrace others the way Jesus has accepted you. Choose the way of love!
