http://ncccnj.com Empowered by the Holy Spirit to worship, grow and serve Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:24:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In Romans 12:6, Paul lists spiritual gifts: prophesy, service, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, governing. As he talks about expressing each gift, he has one overriding admonition: be excellent! Message delivered 7/18/2010.Download Standard Podcast http://ncccnj.com/pages/rated-m-for-mature-pt-17.html Spiritual gifts are critically important to carrying out our calling as Christ's ministers, but it's equally important to remember that they (and what we do) are not the keys to our identity. Rather, our identity is based in our relationship with Christ and our character. Message delivered 7/11/2010.Download ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/m-for-mature-pt-16.html The World wants to change us from the outside in. But transformation happens only from the inside out. The key to being transformed is renewing and changing the way we think. Message delivered 6/27/10.Download Standard Podcast http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-15.html Join us every Thursday morning at 6:30 a.m. for a passionate time of prayer as we gather to lift up families, churches and communities in our area. http://ncccnj.com/pages/weekly-prayer-thursdays-630-am.html If we fail ... even if we suffer moral failure ... it doesn't change God's love for us or his calling or plans for our lives. Instead, it keeps us from seeing God for who He is. Message delivered 6/6/2010.Download Standard Podcast http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-13.html If you continue to live your life the way you do, what regrets will you when when it is over? In many cases, regrets are an indication of what God has called you to do but you haven't fulfilled or pursued. The future doesn't have to look like ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-12.html Many Christians take great comfort in the promise of Romans 8:28, that God works for good in all things for those who love him and he has called. But what "good"? Immediate good, like cupcakes and candy or sipping lemonade on the beach? No, God doesn't work something out so ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-11.html Our greatest battle is not the condemnation we place on others ... although that is big ... but it is the condemnation we place on ourselves. How much time do you spend thinking "did you do this right?" and "did you do it wrong?" and "are you this?" and ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-10.html Romans chapter 7 explores the reality of being "dead to sin". The key to living a victorious resurrected life is in understanding that sin has lost its power over us NOT because it's dead to us, but because we are the ones who have died. Messaged delivered 5/9/2010.Download ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-9.html A Woman of Noble Character, who can find? This Mother’s Day, we honored the wives, mothers and women of our church. We were able to take a sneak peek into the lives of Connie Schwein and Mary Garrett as they were interviewed about their personal experiences with motherhood. Pastor Amy ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/a-woman-of-noble-character.html When do we need grace? When we're in a comfortable place, we don't need it at all. But if we walk into the things God has called us to, we're at the place of relying on Him ... and need His grace then. Message delivered 4/25/2010.Download Standard ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-8.html What's the point of the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and their eating forbidden fruit? Our battle with sin isn't so much about doing bad things as it is about living without reference to God, and then believing that we are beyond help or hope. ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-7.html Amy Minnich, our new associate pastor, observes that at times our lives can be reduced to what we think is a pile of rubbish and ash, utterly worthless and hopeless. But God, who wants us whole, calls us to rebuild, repair and restore broken relationships and situations. Message delivered ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/project-restoration.html On Easter we celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection and our redemption. But does that really have any meaning outside a religious context? Yes: It reminds us how we are redeemed from our past of things done to us (and that we have done), and from ways of thinking that keep ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/redemption-easter-message.html In Romans 4, Paul talks about Abraham's faith, which was born out of a real relationship with God (and not out of some expectation of goods received for services rendered). In that faith, Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, designed and built by God. ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-6.html In Romans 3 and 4, Paul examines the differences and importance of faith and law. The bottom line? Approval doesn't come from behavior, but from the faith that motivates the behavior. Message delivered 3/21/10.Download Standard Podcast http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-5.html In the Parable of the Talents, the servant who buried what his master had given him faced harsh judgment. We, too, are often tempted to just keep what God has given us and not trust that He will bless our effort if we step out and do what he's ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-4.html Kids 5 to 12 years old are invited to experience Kidmo every Sunday morning. Kidmo is an awesome new interactive kids program that starts right after the family worship time and runs through the service. Kidmo incorporates fun video, teaching, small groups and music for an awesome Christ centered experience. ... http://ncccnj.com/pages/kids-you-are-invited-to-kidmo.html Romans is Paul's presentation, from beginning to end, of the reality of Christ and how He works in our hearts. Paul presents and explains how God's power and righteousness interface with the weakness and sin of the world. Message presented 3/7/10.Download Standard Podcast http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-3.html Maturing as Christians is not just a matter of going through things that are difficult. Rather, it is more a matter of receiving and embracing ideas and character attributes that we don't necessarily want, but we know are right. Message delivered 2/28/10.Download Standard Podcast http://ncccnj.com/pages/romans-rated-m-for-mature-pt-2.html