God was and is and always will be.  All that He is always has been!  Chris Brannon wraps up our “I Am” series with Revelation 21: 1-8.  In Revelation 21:6, God identifies himself as “Alpha and Omega”.  Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and omega is the last.  In other words, God is the beginning and the end.  God is the absolute beginning and there was never a time that He was not.  He didn’t emerge from anything, but everything emerged out of Him.  God is also the Omega, or the end.

Life truly begins when we find ourselves in Him.  Up to that point, we are existing, but not truly alive.  Chris gives us some points on developing our thirst for God:  We must realize the futility of the pursuits of this world, We must understand the emptiness of sinful pleasure, we must understand our true identity, we must re-center our lives around the things of true value, and we must set our minds on things from above.

What is it, for you, that steals your affection for Jesus?  True living comes from fruit bearing for Christ.  Chris Brannon continues in our “I Am” series in John 15:1, where Jesus says that He is the true vine.  He explains to us what kind of fruit we are talking about:  it represents people that we will lead to Christ, how we pour our lives into people to help disciple and lead them to maturity in the faith, growing our personal holiness and encouraging the process of sanctification, the fruit of the Spirit, joyful and generous giving, and praise and worship that flows naturally from a deep and vibrant growing relationship with Jesus.  Fruit bearing is the result of abiding in Christ and Chris explains the necessity of pruning.  What is it, for you, that fuels and stirs up your passion for Jesus?

Jesus is the Way because He is the Truth and the Life!  Chris Brannon continues in our “I Am” series with John 14:1-6.  We all have a longing, or a calling, for home and we need to remember where our ultimate home is.  The resolution of this calling for home is only found through Christ because He is the Way.  Our way home is blocked by sin, but Jesus, and only Jesus, breaks through those obstacles!  Chris shows us how we can be sure that Jesus is truly the only way to the Father and gives us some counterfeit paths to be aware of.  Heaven is our ultimate home and when we find the Way, we find our home.  The assurance of heaven should be a powerful motivation for our every day lives!

We are all on this pilgrimage towards the Father’s house – our true home and we begin this journey when we trust in Jesus for our salvation because He is the only way.  We continue this journey by learning more truth about Jesus and the Father.  Jesus is the way, the only way, to heaven and heaven in our final home.  Join us next Sunday as we continue in this powerful series about who Jesus tells us He is!

Jesus called himself “The Door”, but what is the significance of the door?  Chris Brannon continues in our “I Am” series with John 10:1-10, where Jesus calls himself “the door”.  He explains why the door is so important and what it means to us.  It means protection, salvation, separation and decision.  We are safe in Jesus, with Him guarding the doorway and separating us from darkness.  Chris gives us a list of questions to help us determine our degree of separation:

*Are you moved by stories of people who have done radical things for Jesus, but struggle to act yourself?

*Have you seen progress and growth in your battle against sin?

*Are you able to share your faith in Jesus with friends, neighbors, co-workers or does the fear of rejection close your mouth?

*Do you fear making people feel uncomfortable by talking about “private issues” like faith?

Are you shining like a light in a crippled and broken world?  Light attracts and Jesus attracted thousands of people to Him.  People wanted to see who He was and what He was all about.  Justin Henderson continues in our “I Am” series with the statement of “I am the light of the world”.  There are some other truths about light that Justin shows us:  light exposes everything, light brings clarity and we are to walk as children of the light.  What are you going to do now that you know about the light?  Now that God has imparted himself into you, through Jesus, know that you are a child of the the light.

Who is Jesus to you?  Do you believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life?  Chris Brannon starts a new series called I Am, where we will look at the “I Am” statements of Jesus.  The “I Am” statements of Jesus are who He says He is.  It’s crucial that we understand these statements and who He is.

Chris starts the new series speaking about Jesus’ “I Am” statement of being the Resurrection and the Life.  He gives us the background behind the statement in the story of Lazarus.  Life is what we are alive to.  We come alive to those things and people that excite, delight, and satisfy us – that which is at the heart of our being and Christians should come alive to anything that relates to Christ.  For Christians, everything has been shaped by belief in the empty tomb – past, present and future.  If we understand that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, it helps us to move beyond our past, flourish in the present and anticipate the future.