One of the characteristics of Jesus’ disciples is that we are designed to be a praying people. Prayer is a spiritual discipline that should be prioritized in the life of every believer. There is always something to pray about, especially in perilous times such as these. In today’s teaching, Jesus
Continue readingJesus laid everything on the table for those who were thinking about becoming one of his disciples! He clearly stated the requirements of discipleship up front, so people could think it over and make an intelligent decision. Sadly, when we hear the gospel presented by high profile evangelists we rarely,
Continue readingWhy am I here? What am I supposed to do? What is our purpose? These are questions that believers in Christ need to reflect on from time-to-time because the Bible is very directive about what we are supposed to do and why we exist. Periodically, every church needs to go
Continue readingAs we move into a new year and reflect on all the challenges that we faced in 2021 we must conclude that God has been faithful to Hillcrest Church. We’ve had numerous challenges to address and still do, but through God’s help we can overcome challenges in our country, our
Continue readingGod’s people have been waiting for Centuries for the messiah to come, and the time is at hand. God set a sequence of events in motion that would lead to the birth of the Messiah. Of all the women in Israel, who would be the one that God would choose
Continue readingOne of the metaphors in Scripture used to describe the church is a spiritual flock. There are numerous references in the Old Testament that identify Israel as a flock of sheep and God as the shepherd. Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd who tends his flock. This metaphor is
Continue readingNorthern California has vineyards all over the place. Drive through Sonoma and Napa Valley and you can’t help noticing how many vineyards there are. In the days of Jesus vineyards were plentiful. The main beverage next to water was wine. One of the metaphors that Jesus used to describe the
Continue readingOne of the metaphors that describes the church is that of a building under construction. The building material is not stucco, sheet rock, 2 x 4s, and so forth. This building is made with stones – living stones. Jesus is the cornerstone of this edifice and all believers are the
Continue readingNobody likes to admit that they have weaknesses. People don’t like to talk about things they don’t do well. We would rather talk about things that we are good at and come easy to us. However, it is through our weaknesses that God’s power becomes evident. Paul boasted in his
Continue readingNot everything that happens in life is fair. As we consider believers in other parts of the world many are being persecuted, oppressed and ostracized because of their stand for Jesus. In our own situation, here in America, some of us may have been the victim of an injustice which
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