Christ Church MN Sermon Blog

  Go and Build "Think carefully about your ways... Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house." — Haggai 1:7-8 When we hear the book of Haggai mentioned, many of us have to pause for a moment to remember where it is in the Bible. It's one of the Minor Prophets—a short book with a surprisingly big message. Although Haggai was written thousands of years ago, its call is remarkably relevant today. God wasn't simply asking His people to rebuild a temple. He was calling them to reorder their priorities, trust Him again, and become a people who build His Kingdom together. A People Who Had Stopped Building The story begins after one of Israel's darkest seasons. Because of their persistent rebellion, the people of Judah had been conquered by Babylon. Solomon's magnificent temple had been destroyed, and many of God's people were taken into exile. Seventy years later, a remnant returned home with one clear purpose: rebuild the house of God. They s...

  Don't Miss the Holy Spirit "Do we have a fear of missing out on the Holy Spirit?" Think about that question today. Many of us know what it feels like to experience FOMO—the fear of missing out. We don't want to miss an important conversation, a special event, or something exciting happening around us. But what if we had that same eagerness when it came to the work of the Holy Spirit? At Christ Church, we love spending time together before and after our services. That fellowship is a gift. Yet there is another posture we are called to cultivate—a posture of expectation. As worship begins and God's people gather, we have an opportunity to quiet our hearts and ask: "Holy Spirit, what are You doing today? I don't want to miss it." Philip's Unexpected Assignment In Acts 8:26–40, the Holy Spirit gives Philip a surprising instruction: "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." Luke even adds an interest...

  Fresh Vision for the Journey Ahead Guest Speaker: Jeremy Louison As part of our UNGLUED: When God Says Go series, we welcomed Pastor Jeremy from Pioneer Church in Memphis. His message challenged us to move beyond feeling stuck and embrace God's vision for our lives, families, and communities. When Life Feels Stuck Many of us know what it feels like to be stuck. The plans aren't working. The relationships aren't improving. The progress we hoped for isn't happening. In those moments, we often assume it's our responsibility to fix everything ourselves. But Pastor Jeremy reminded us of an important truth: "You are not powerful enough to get yourself out of every mess you put yourself into." The Christian life is not ultimately about self-improvement. It is about surrendering to Christ, the One who rescues, restores, redeems, and redirects us. The Difference Between Sight and Vision One of the central ideas of the message was the differen...

  New Testament Prophecy, Discernment, and the Heart of the Church Part of the UNGLUED series Acts 11:27–30; Acts 21:10–14 Over the past several weeks, we've been walking carefully through topics like prophecy, spiritual gifts, and hearing from God together. We haven't wanted to rush the process or manufacture spiritual experiences. Instead, we've been taking time to build on the foundation of Scripture and the teaching of the apostles. A few months ago, our elders received a prophetic picture of our church as a car stuck in the snow. Anyone from Minnesota knows that when a car is stuck, you don't solve the problem by flooring the accelerator. Spinning the tires only digs you deeper. Instead, you gently rock the vehicle back and forth until the wheels gain traction and momentum. That image inspired this series. Rather than forcing movement, we've sought to align ourselves with what God is already doing. And as we've done that, we've seen encouraging fruit. W...