We’ve just finished our series on Ephesians, and one of the things the author Paul hits on near the end of chapter 6 is the importance or persevering prayer. But he doesn’t give us much practical explanation as to how that works. So I want to offer to practical pointers to growing in persevering prayer. I am by no means adding anything to scripture, these are just things that have helped me grow in my prayer life.

1. Pray

This may seem like it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. If you want to learn how to pray, … [Read the rest of this post]

By: James Priest

This year we won an Outstanding Community award from Long Middle School for the efforts of our Frontier Year Team. The school wanted some help with landscaping and gardening as well, so our Tuesday Night Community Groups showed up and helped out.

Some of us pulled weeds from the school’s gardens. The school wanted to give the students the opportunity to grow their own veggies, so they put in these gardens, where anyone in the community can grow food.

The principal here really wanted the walkway leading up to the school to have landscaping on either side, … [Read the rest of this post]

Giving to God is one of the greatest privileges that our gracious Father in heaven has bestowed upon us. When we see God for who He really is, we’ll begin to echo the words of King David, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” (1 Chronicles 29:14)

Because everything comes from God and it’s a privilege to give, our posture should be to look for every opportunity to do so even above … [Read the rest of this post]

There are two reasons why the elders decided that we would receive an offering to pay for all members and regular attendees to go to Celebration Midwest

Reason 1: We value the mission of Jesus.
We exist individually and corporately for one reason: to fulfill the mission of Jesus. Everything else must take a back seat. Moreover, to stay in tune with this mission, we need consistent envisioning or we begin to forget the mission we’ve been called to (the vision dies – Proverbs 29:18). With this in mind, the elders put a high value on Jubilee Church being … [Read the rest of this post]

This Sunday, I will be speaking on Spiritual Warfare. A friend gave me this excerpt from Pilgrims Progress that won’t make my message on Sunday, but was helpful nonetheless…at least nostalgic. Enjoy!

But now, in this valley of Humiliation, poor Christian was hard put to it; for he had gone but a little way before he espied a foul fiend coming over the field to meet him: his name is Apollyon. Then did Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whether to go back, or to stand his ground. But he considered again, that he had … [Read the rest of this post]

Parenting is both a joy and a challenge one learns with “on-the-job-training”! Here’s a brief checklist on some ways to lovingly lead your kids.

1.     Know yourself and always seek improvement.

As adults, we basically assume we are balanced and have a “fair” approach toward life. The first step in parenting is realizing we’re often neither of these! We can be sensitive, especially when it involves our children. Our motives are often tainted by our insecurities and our own personal desires and “needs”.

 As parents, we need to be honest and vulnerable with our kids. We need to receive God’s … [Read the rest of this post]

Social media has it’s advantages…one of which is coming across the random good idea. Recently, I came across these tweets from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA with some great ideas on how to make the most of Easter from an evangelistic perspective. Here they are:

1. Pray for those in your sphere of influence (friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc) who need Jesus
2. Invite those in your sphere of influence to an Easter Service (check out www.jubileestl.org for service times)
3. Offer to either drive the people you invite or take them out to eat after service
4. Volunteer at a local shelter and

… [Read the rest of this post]

Moses and Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Food gives strength to us and keeps us healthy. Abiding in God’s word gives us strength and keeps us healthy spiritually.

The gospel of John records Jesus’ teaching of the importance of the word and the Spirit dwelling within us. Jesus says in John 8:32, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The truth doesn’t bring bondage; it sets us free … [Read the rest of this post]

In his book, The Spirit-filled Church, Terry Virgo makes a good point in chapter one. He says, “Ignoring someone’s final instructions would not be smart, especially if that person holds all authority in heaven and earth. Before ascending into heaven Jesus told his disciples, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth.” On the day of Pentecost after the Holy Spirit had come upon the disciples, Peter declares to those who had gathered … [Read the rest of this post]

Understanding Effectiveness

In business companies are always looking for more effective ways to accomplish what they do. In our personal lives we live more effectively by purchasing appliances to do menial tasks for us. We want to spend more time on the important, effective work. Similarly in the life of the church we value effectiveness. What could be more valuable than seeing people added into the kingdom? So we focus on more effective outreach, more effective welcoming, more effective small groups, and more effective leadership.

Recently I heard the story of Jesus at the pool of Bethesda. Most people … [Read the rest of this post]