Category: preaching

• God Leads

  Click here to read 1 Samuel 17. These are the stories that capture our imagination and restore hope. Rudy, The Karate Kid, Cinderella Man, Million Dollar Baby…these are all stories where the “wrong person” wins. But these stories stick with us. Why? Because of who wins! We love for the underdog to win. Why? I […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/22/2021

  anxiety, attitudes, awakening, believe, belonging, Bible, bible stories, bible study, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, devotionals, disciples, faith, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, legacy, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, motivations, preach, preaching, trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Worry, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Samuel 17, Christian life, David and Goliath, faith in Christ, God leads to victory, Good News of Jesus Christ, Jesus changes everything, rooting for the underdog, transform the world, underdogs win

• Made in the Image of God

  Created in the Image of God “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”[1] The imago Dei has been a […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/04/2021

  believe, belonging, Bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, faith, family, family of God, forgiven, Forgiveness, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, humanity, Image of God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, methodism, methodist, ministry, pastor, preach, preaching, proclaiming Christ, reflection, relationships, renewal, repent, repentance, revival, Spiritual transformation, transformation, trust, Truth, worship, writing, youth ministry

  born again, building relationships, Christian life, Genesis 1:27, Good News of Jesus Christ, gospel of Jesus Christ, likeness of Jesus, made in god’s image, recreated in god’s image, Trust God, what is the i age of god

• God Calls

  Click Here to Read 1 Samuel 3:1-10 I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the Old Testament. Yeah, there are many things I still don’t understand, but I do know this, what we call the Old Testament takes up 66% of our Bible, so taking the time to understand the storyline is vital for […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/01/2021

  belief, bible study, Christian Life, Christianity, church, conflict, conversion, devotionals, disciples, freedom, freedom in Christ, glory of God, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, preach, preaching, speech, Spirit, uncategoried, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Samuel 3:1-10, bible study, Christian life, God calls, hearing God’s voice, knowing God’s voice, knowing Jesus, live differently, love the Old Testament, new life in Christ, responding to God, sermon on 1 Samuel 3, trusting God

• The Danger of Riches

  In 1780, John Wesley wrote a sermon called “The Danger of Riches.” This is a message to help us keep our priorities straight when it comes to material goods. Based on the scripture 1 Timothy 6:9, “They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful desires which […]

  Ryan Stratton

  04/15/2021

  anxiety, beauty, belief, believe, Bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, control, disciples, eternal life, faith, God, God’s grace, good news, gospel, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, invitation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, pastor, preach, preaching, reconciliation, relationships, repent, repentance, sin, Truth, uncategoried, witness, writing

  advancing the kingdom of God, Christian way of life, gospel of Jesus Christ, materialism, trusting God with money, what does money do to me

• Revival Can Come

  “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” ~2 Chronicles 7:14 NRSV I see this Bible verse posted on yard signs, in windows, I hear it from […]

  Ryan Stratton

  11/13/2020

  belief, belonging, Bible, bible study, born again, challenge, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, faith, faithful, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, journaling, judgement, leadership, learning, legacy, Life, live stream, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, new creation, new life, passion, pastor, Prayer, preaching, preparation, renewal, repentance, resurrection, revival, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, witness, witnessing, Wonder, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  2 Chronicles 7:14, Christian life, God, Good News of Jesus Christ, gospel of Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, it begins with me, Jesus Christ, life transformation, new life in Christ, praying for revival, revival, Trust God, trusting Jesus, what is revival

• God’s Story, Your Story: The New Testament

  If you could sum up the Bible in one word, what would it be? This may be tricky for some. Some may be thinking we can’t sum up the Bible in one word. I think we can sum up the Bible with the word, JESUS. After all, in Luke 24, Jesus tells the disciples on […]

  Ryan Stratton

  09/08/2020

  belonging, bible, bible study, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, comfort, conversion, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, example, Failure, faith, family of God, Forgiveness, God’s grace, God’s promises, Golden rule, good news, gospel, heaven, holy, holy life, Holy Spirit, invitation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, kindness, leadership, learn, Life, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, passion, pastor, power, prasie, preaching, Relationships, religion, renewal, revival, sin, Sinners, Spirit, Spirit led, transformation, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Uncategorized, world, worldview, worship, writing, youth ministry

  end times and revelation, God wins, gospels of Jesus, letters of Paul, live faithfully, New Testament overview, stand firm in the faith, trust in God, what is Jesus like, What is the new testament, what’s the Bible about, who is Jesus

• Rahab: The Past Does Note Define You

  How would you describe yourself before coming to faith in Jesus Christ? How is that different from your life now? What do other people think about you? Do your family and friends see something different and new in you since you began to follow Christ? Even if you have be “in church” your whole life, […]

  Ryan Stratton

  08/04/2020

  anxiety, attitudes, awakening, belief, Bible, bible stories, bible study, born again, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, faith, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, grace, home, Jesus, Jesus Christ, legacy, Life, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, new life, preach, preaching, redeemed, Relationships, revival, Spiritual transformation, transformation, Uncategorized, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  fall of Jericho, following Jesus, Jesus changes everything, Jesus defines you, Joshua 2, keeping your word, know who you are, know your worth, new life in Jesus, overcoming the past, people can change, People like us, Rahab the prostitue, story of redemption, trusting Jesus

• No Perfect People Allowed

  Note: This was the sermon preached on Sunday, July 5, 2020. Today, we move into a series to see how God uses people no one else would expect to carry on his mission in the world. We‘ll take a few examples of people from the Bible so we can know God better through his people. […]

  Ryan Stratton

  07/07/2020

  beauty, belief, believe, Bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, Ephesians, eternal life, evangelism, Failure, faith, faithful, Forgiveness, freedom, glory, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, harevsting, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, pastor, power, preaching, renewal, spiritual growth, spiritual transformation, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Uncategorized, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  Church growth, church mission, created for a purpose, decline of Christianity, knowing God, knowing your purpose, missio dei, mission of God, mission of the church, reaching people for Jesus, state of the church message, who is my neighbor

• Ain’t No Stoppin’ Love

  

  Click here to read Matthew 28:1-10 What would it have been like that first Easter Sunday? We have gotten into the tradition of going into Easter with pomp and circumstance. We should, after all be celebratory and joyful everyday because Christ has risen from the dead. But, what if, we miss the point of Easter […]

  Ryan Stratton

  04/12/2020

  belief, believe, bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, Easter, eternal life, evangelism, faith, faithful, glory of Christ, glory of God, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, gospel, Gospel of John, holy life, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, Lord, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, preach, preaching, proclaiming Christ, renewal, repentance, Savior, trust, Truth, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  changing the world, Christ is Lord, Christ is risen, Christ lives, Christ sets us free, Christian life, Easter message, Easter sermon, God’s power, gospel, gospel of Matthew, grace, Jesus changes everything, Jesus into your heart, live differently, loving people, Matthew 28:1-10, new life in Christ, power of God, say yes to Jesus, the tomb is empty, Trust Jesus

• God’s Love Prevails

  While I was sitting in the airport recently, I observed the people around. Some were in the hustle and bustle of their day. Some were very irate when their flight was missed or delayed. Some were very worried about not making connecting flights. The tension in airports is very high. The airport is also one […]

  Ryan Stratton

  02/21/2020

  answers, beauty, belief, believe, Bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, compassion, faith, faithful, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, new life, Prayer, prayer life, preach, preaching, Relationships, repent, sin, Sinners, Spirit, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, worship, writing, youth ministry

  Christian life, Christians and suffering, God is love, God is with us, God’s love, Good News of Jesus Christ, gospel of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, née life in Christ, new life, Trust God, Trust Jesus, trusting God, why do bas things happen