Powell Butte Christian Church

MAKING 77 LOOK GOOD Week 3: Stress Management

Stress is NOT good for our health. The date—750 B.C. The place—Jerusalem. The man—Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, a good king, the son of Asa. During his reign there was peace and prosperity because Jehoshaphat was a man of the Book. More than anything, he wanted to do what God said. God honored him for that commitment and made him great. The events of his kingship are found in 2 Chronicles 17-21. But in chapter 20 we read of an event that proved to be most stressful indeed: a surprise attack ...

MAKING 77 LOOK GOOD Week 3: Stress Management

Stress is NOT good for our health. The date—750 B.C. The place—Jerusalem. The man—Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, a good king, the son of Asa. During his reign there was peace and prosperity because Jehoshaphat was a man of the Book. More than anything, he wanted to do what God said. God honored him for that commitment and made him great. The events of his kingship are found in 2 Chronicles 17-21. But in chapter 20 we read of an event that proved to be most stressful indeed: a surprise attack ...

MAKING 77 LOOK GOOD Week 2: A Pure Heart

THE COURAGEOUS CHURCH Week 10: IF NOT US, THEN WHO?

Does the church matter anymore? Why study to be a courageous church, even? What’s the point? You look around and wonder if Christians just aren’t playing that stupid “victim” game anymore. “They don’t like us. They want to change the laws. Oh, poor us - we’re being persecuted.” Tell me - when other groups play “victim,” is that valid in your mind? Then why would it be okay for the Church to play that game as well? If we aren’t relevant, perhaps it’s high time that we ARE relevant. Perhaps ...

Unity Service - THE COURAGEOUS CHURCH - Week 9: SERVING COURAGEOUSLY

This is the last week of our series on the Courageous Church. We began by looking at several stories in the Book of Daniel to gain inspiration from four Hebrew young men who stood their ground in courage and as a result made a difference in their world. Then we began to break down the Mission Statement of PBCC to its four components: Connect, Grow, Serve, and Go, and learned how to do these things with courage. We began with the first concept: Courageous Connecting. We learned that nothing ...

THE COURAGEOUS CHURCH Week 6: COURAGEOUSLY CONNECTING

THE COURAGEOUS CHURCH Week 6: COURAGEOUSLY CONNECTING

THE COURAGEOUS CHURCH Week 5: GOD WINS

Daniel 6 So Nebuchadnezzar is gone, his successor Belshazzar has been judged and God has raised up the Persian emperor Cyrus to overthrow the Babylonians. The Medean ruler, Darius, is now overseeing the governance of Babylon, and Daniel has once again impressed the ruler with his wisdom and his integrity. And Daniel is lifted into a position of high authority through the blessing of God. But not everyone was happy with Daniel’s promotion. Jealous politicians conspired to get Daniel out of ...

THE COURAGEOUS CHURCH Week 5: GOD WINS

Daniel 6 So Nebuchadnezzar is gone, his successor Belshazzar has been judged and God has raised up the Persian emperor Cyrus to overthrow the Babylonians. The Medean ruler, Darius, is now overseeing the governance of Babylon, and Daniel has once again impressed the ruler with his wisdom and his integrity. And Daniel is lifted into a position of high authority through the blessing of God. But not everyone was happy with Daniel’s promotion. Jealous politicians conspired to get Daniel out of ...

THE COURAGEOUS CHURCH Week 2 - INTEGRITY

THE COURAGEOUS CHURCH Week 1: BODIES IN BABYLON, HEARTS IN HEAVEN

This morning we begin a brand-new series called The Courageous Church, and in this series we will look at the mission statement of PBCC: Connect, Grow, Serve, and Go. Now, this was just going to be a sermon series on the book of Daniel, but God has refocused my thoughts, and we will be studying several characters from scripture who demonstrate the kind of courage God has called His church into. But as we begin, Daniel will be a great study, because, with an increased intolerance in our cult...

LET FREEDOM RING John 8:31-36; Exodus 1

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. And with these words the American colonists declared their intention to throw off the y...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 28: TWO ROADS DIVERGED...

I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. We are in graduation season, and that poem that I just read has been incorporated into many a graduation ceremony throughout the decades. Written by the American poet, Robert Frost, the poem is perfect for graduation because graduation represents not just an end - a finishing up of formal education - but also a beginn...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 28: TWO ROADS DIVERGED...

I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. We are in graduation season, and that poem that I just read has been incorporated into many a graduation ceremony throughout the decades. Written by the American poet, Robert Frost, the poem is perfect for graduation because graduation represents not just an end - a finishing up of formal education - but also a beginn...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 27: DARE THE PRAYER

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks , the door will be opened."  Matthew 7:7-8 What if this verse read, “If you don’t ask you will get only what you can get on your own, if you don’t seek God you will never really find him and if you don’t knock the important doors will ever be opened to you.” Because that’s what is actually being implied here. ...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 26: JUDGY McJUDGERPANTS

No one likes to be judged—for their appearance, their taste in clothes, their hair, their tattoos...No one likes to be judged for making a mistake in the game, or for their driving.  Problem is, many people have taken the statement from Matthew, “Do not judge,” and latched on to that even when their behavior is stupid, destructive, or contrary to God’s law. They say, “Don’t judge me,” or “You have no right to tell me what is wrong.” But what if you’ve got a piece of lettuce sticking out fro...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 25: EXTRA! EXTRA! YOU’VE GOT EXTRA! - Luke 12:13-21; Matthew 6:25-34

There’s a different slant I want to bring today. We’ve talked about how everything is the Lord’s; He is the owner of it all, and we get to serve as His managers. Then we talked about being ungrateful and discontent with what He has given us so much so that we put ourselves in a prison-type of reality where we cannot give as freely, we cannot be as generous as we would like. We are strapped because we paid no attention to the Biblical principles of managing money. Then last week, we spoke abo...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 24: FLIP THE LIST - Malachi 3:7-10, Matthew 6:33

This morning we are going to talk about PRIORITIES… because we all seem to order our lives in different ways. But is there a best way, a Godly way to prioritize the resources God has entrusted to us as His managers? I believe that there are essentially 5 ways of utilizing those resources. We can... Spend it, Repay debt, Pay Taxes, Save/Invest it, or (if there’s any left) Give it. Now, speaking AS a disciple living in God’s Upside Down Kingdom TO disciples living in God’s Upside Down Kingdom...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 23: A NEW AWARENESS - Matthew 6:19-24, 1 Timothy 6:6-19

It's sad; we don’t acknowledge people WANT to be generous. It’s not the heart. People should be commended for the heart. BUT - the problem is the complication of the inability. (Look at bank account, budget, etc. --- how in the world can I be generous on all occasions, as God has instructed?) Why - DEBT. The management/mismanagement of the resources given by God (the Owner of it all) make us feel strapped and trapped. Debt hole like the Grand Canyon. God wants to free you from that trap so...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 22: BEGINNING THE BREAKTHROUGH - Matthew 6:19-24

How can you know what’s important to someone? How much they talk about it, right? So - if we did a study through the Bible, you’ll find something eye-opening about what is important to God. And we know this is true because of how much of the Bible is centered around those things… Richard Foster, the man who wrote the book about Spiritual Disciplines that we preached through a few years ago, also wrote a book called “Money, Sex, and Power.” His main point was how these three aspects of life...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 21: THE APPLAUSE OF HEAVEN - Matthew 6:1-18

WHY DO YOU DO GOOD? Is it to LOOK good? Is it because it’s the right thing to do? Is it to get some kind of reward? You know, there are some who believe that the idea of a reward should have no place in the Christian’s life and have no bearing on the Christian’s behavior. They teach that we ought to seek to be good for goodness sake. Virtue is its own reward. But the problem with that is the fact that the Bible speaks a LOT about reward. Jesus will tell us in this passage that there IS re...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 21: THE APPLAUSE OF HEAVEN - Matthew 6:1-18

WHY DO YOU DO GOOD? Is it to LOOK good? Is it because it’s the right thing to do? Is it to get some kind of reward? You know, there are some who believe that the idea of a reward should have no place in the Christian’s life and have no bearing on the Christian’s behavior. They teach that we ought to seek to be good for goodness sake. Virtue is its own reward. But the problem with that is the fact that the Bible speaks a LOT about reward. Jesus will tell us in this passage that there IS re...

Upside Down Kingdom - Week 20 - Love Your Enemies - Matt 5 43-48

Elder Gabe Bales

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 19: UNOFFENDABLE IN AN OFFENSIVE WORLD - Matthew 5:38-42

This is a message I have long been waiting to preach about. It's about being offended.  Today's passage from the Sermon on the Mount has been used in a number of ways: to talk about non-retaliation, to justify pacifism… but I believe it speaks to the idea of becoming unoffendable in an offensive world. The passage: Matthew 5:38-42. The Old Testament  law it's based on is in Leviticus 24:19-21. And Jesus quotes it in verse 38. The purpose of that law was restraint and equitable punishment....

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 19: UNOFFENDABLE IN AN OFFENSIVE WORLD - Matthew 5:38-42

This is a message I have long been waiting to preach about. It's about being offended.  Today's passage from the Sermon on the Mount has been used in a number of ways: to talk about non-retaliation, to justify pacifism… but I believe it speaks to the idea of becoming unoffendable in an offensive world. The passage: Matthew 5:38-42. The Old Testament  law it's based on is in Leviticus 24:19-21. And Jesus quotes it in verse 38. The purpose of that law was restraint and equitable punishment....

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 18: PANTS ON FIRE - Matthew 5:33-37

Life in God’s Upside Down Kingdom comes with a set of principles laid out by the King himself. As we enter into the Kingdom as disciples, we are called to a life marked by attitudes and actions that differ from the Kingdom of this world. In fact it USED to be that the term “Christian” was synonymous with right behavior. Someone might have said a while ago: “That was a Christian thing to do.” Or they’d say “That’s not very Christian of you.” All according to the behavior of the person. But,...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 18: PANTS ON FIRE - Matthew 5:33-37

Life in God’s Upside Down Kingdom comes with a set of principles laid out by the King himself. As we enter into the Kingdom as disciples, we are called to a life marked by attitudes and actions that differ from the Kingdom of this world. In fact it USED to be that the term “Christian” was synonymous with right behavior. Someone might have said a while ago: “That was a Christian thing to do.” Or they’d say “That’s not very Christian of you.” All according to the behavior of the person. But,...

GOT BEAUTIFUL FEET? Romans 10

In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9, Jesus is sending the 12 disciples out for a “test run,” if you will. He tells them to go out and heal the sick and cast out demons. He tells them to rely on the kindness of people receptive to the message of the Gospel, and then they go. They had been watching Jesus do the exact same thing. He had modeled for them what it would be like to spread the Gospel message with power. And he handed them the paintbrush and said: “OK, now YOU pick up where I’ve left o...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM MARRIAGE SERIES: What Happy Couples Know. WEEK 4 - It's A Choice

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM MARRIAGE SERIES: What Happy Couples Know. WEEK 4 - “It’s a Choice.”

Today, I want to talk about what some counselors consider the single most important choice that you'll make in a relationship as it relates to becoming a happy couple. This choice often feels more like a reaction than a decision. So, this morning it would be good for us to see how we’re already making this choice – and maybe, by becoming more aware of it, we will be able to make that choice well.   The choice is found in a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to some Christians in the first c...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM MARRIAGE SERIES: What Happy Couples Know. WEEK 4 - “It’s a Choice.”

Today, I want to talk about what some counselors consider the single most important choice that you'll make in a relationship as it relates to becoming a happy couple. This choice often feels more like a reaction than a decision. So, this morning it would be good for us to see how we’re already making this choice – and maybe, by becoming more aware of it, we will be able to make that choice well.   The choice is found in a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to some Christians in the first c...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM MARRIAGE SERIES: What Happy Couples Know. WEEK 3 - “Sometimes You Just Have to Throw Things.”

We are in part three of "What Do Happy Couples Know?" And so the question is, what do happy couples know? Well we saw that they know that over time that hopes and desires CAN become expectations. And as we hand our box of desires over to someone else, they feel like this heavy burden has been put on them - a burden that they didn’t sign up for. And what was meant to be enjoyable, becomes transactional with everyone negotiating their position. Sounds romantic, right? But when you get into “I ...

Trusting the Shepherd

Associate Pastor Andy Buchanan

Our God is Unrelenting

Youth Pastor Ethan Waud

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM MARRIAGE SERIES: What Happy Couples Know. WEEK 2 - “It’s Mutual.”

We're in part two of this series of What Happy Couples Know, and to recap what we talked about last week, remember that all of us enter into relationships with a box of desires. Desires for what we want for our future, for our family, for our finances, for all those things that are incorporated into our marriage. And one of the main reasons you chose your spouse was that you thought they would be the one who could fulfill all those desires (it’s the great American Romantic Dream!). So with ...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM MARRIAGE SERIES: What Happy Couples Know. WEEK 2 - “It’s Mutual.”

We're in part two of this series of What Happy Couples Know, and to recap what we talked about last week, remember that all of us enter into relationships with a box of desires. Desires for what we want for our future, for our family, for our finances, for all those things that are incorporated into our marriage. And one of the main reasons you chose your spouse was that you thought they would be the one who could fulfill all those desires (it’s the great American Romantic Dream!). So with ...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM MARRIAGE SERIES: What Happy Couples Know. WEEK 1 - “Nothing.”

Valentine's Day - one day vs. One month vs. A lifetime Women - excited we get to work on our relationship. We get to talk about our relationship. Men - we hear "work on" and that only means one thing. Gotta fix something. And we know what happened to the dog!!  Or it's “Work on it? I didn’t know it was broken!”  It may or may not be broken. But either way it would be good to catch God's design for the most intimate of all human relationships: the covenant of marriage; and I believe this w...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM MARRIAGE SERIES: What Happy Couples Know. WEEK 1 - “Nothing.”

Valentine's Day - one day vs. One month vs. A lifetime Women - excited we get to work on our relationship. We get to talk about our relationship. Men - we hear "work on" and that only means one thing. Gotta fix something. And we know what happened to the dog!!  Or it's “Work on it? I didn’t know it was broken!”  It may or may not be broken. But either way it would be good to catch God's design for the most intimate of all human relationships: the covenant of marriage; and I believe this w...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 14: DEALING WITH DIVORCE, WEEK 2

There was a time in Israel’s history after the exiles had come back from Babylon. Many of the people, while living there in the foregin land, had intermarried with the pagans living in Babylonia and Persia. God had forbidden His people to intermarry, not because He thought mixed race marriages were wrong, but that He knew how easy it was to stray from one’s commitment to HIM when your marriage partner is worshiping a false god. So, in Ezra 9 we read:  After these things had been done, the l...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 14: DEALING WITH DIVORCE, WEEK 2

There was a time in Israel’s history after the exiles had come back from Babylon. Many of the people, while living there in the foregin land, had intermarried with the pagans living in Babylonia and Persia. God had forbidden His people to intermarry, not because He thought mixed race marriages were wrong, but that He knew how easy it was to stray from one’s commitment to HIM when your marriage partner is worshiping a false god. So, in Ezra 9 we read:  After these things had been done, the l...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 13: DEALING WITH DIVORCE, WEEK 1

I approach this subject with extra respect because it’s a passage that begs to be studied and understood in the context that Jesus taught it. And it’s an issue that affects so many - even pastors aren’t immune. It is the issue of divorce. I would bet that in our church, as in many in our culture, divorce touches directly or indirectly at least 90% of the people. The prevalence of divorce throughout history and a variety of culture has made it necessary for the Church to address the issue, r...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 13: DEALING WITH DIVORCE, WEEK 1

I approach this subject with extra respect because it’s a passage that begs to be studied and understood in the context that Jesus taught it. And it’s an issue that affects so many - even pastors aren’t immune. It is the issue of divorce. I would bet that in our church, as in many in our culture, divorce touches directly or indirectly at least 90% of the people. The prevalence of divorce throughout history and a variety of culture has made it necessary for the Church to address the issue, r...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 12: OH BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES...

A burglar had been casing a house for some time. Finally, he saw the owners leave for what appeared to be an extended trip. That night he broke in through a window and was trying to find his way in the dark when he heard what seemed to him to be the voice of an old lady saying, "Shame on you! I see you, and Jesus sees you!" Startled, the burglar says, "Quiet, Grandma, or you're gonna get hurt!" He shines his flashlight all around, but no Grandma. Again the voice, "Shame on you! I see you, a...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 12: OH BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES...

A burglar had been casing a house for some time. Finally, he saw the owners leave for what appeared to be an extended trip. That night he broke in through a window and was trying to find his way in the dark when he heard what seemed to him to be the voice of an old lady saying, "Shame on you! I see you, and Jesus sees you!" Startled, the burglar says, "Quiet, Grandma, or you're gonna get hurt!" He shines his flashlight all around, but no Grandma. Again the voice, "Shame on you! I see you, a...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 11: THE ART OF THE CHRISTIAN APOLOGY

Do you remember the 1970 movie called “Love Story?” Romantic, gushing...garbage. :) At the end there is the dying gal - played by Ali MacGraw - who says that now renown statement to her husband - played by Ryan O’Neal, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Gag! Two years later, Ryan O’Neal was in another movie with Barbra Streisand, “What's Up, Doc?: And in this film, Streisand's character repeated the very same line to O’Neal. This time, however, O'Neal had an answer. "That's the ...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 11: THE ART OF THE CHRISTIAN APOLOGY

Do you remember the 1970 movie called “Love Story?” Romantic, gushing...garbage. :) At the end there is the dying gal - played by Ali MacGraw - who says that now renown statement to her husband - played by Ryan O’Neal, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Gag! Two years later, Ryan O’Neal was in another movie with Barbra Streisand, “What's Up, Doc?: And in this film, Streisand's character repeated the very same line to O’Neal. This time, however, O'Neal had an answer. "That's the ...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 10: IF WORDS COULD KILL...

Many people, including me at times, tend to “compartmentalize” their faith into their lives. They see some kind of gap between the Sacred and the Spiritual. Like THIS part is God’s, and THIS part is just life.  Now God DOES separate certain things. Like the Sabbath. But that was for US, for OUR benefit. Left to ourselves we will work our way into an early grave. So He separates one day from the others as a day of rest. Some folks get that wrong. They think the Sabbath was separated as a day...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 10: IF WORDS COULD KILL...

Many people, including me at times, tend to “compartmentalize” their faith into their lives. They see some kind of gap between the Sacred and the Spiritual. Like THIS part is God’s, and THIS part is just life.  Now God DOES separate certain things. Like the Sabbath. But that was for US, for OUR benefit. Left to ourselves we will work our way into an early grave. So He separates one day from the others as a day of rest. Some folks get that wrong. They think the Sabbath was separated as a day...

ADVENT 2020 - A White Christmas Week 5: WHITE UNTO HARVEST

As we kind of finish up with the traditional Christmas season, I thought of that illustration. Did you get so caught up in the Christmas peripherals that you forgot to invite the One we were celebrating? What if Jesus were in charge of all of our Christmas celebration weekends? What would he include? What would he leave out? Is it the season that’s the most important - or is it the reason? Because you can have one without the other… you can probably guess the best choice to make in that mat...

ADVENT 2020 - A White Christmas Week 5: WHITE UNTO HARVEST

As we kind of finish up with the traditional Christmas season, I thought of that illustration. Did you get so caught up in the Christmas peripherals that you forgot to invite the One we were celebrating? What if Jesus were in charge of all of our Christmas celebration weekends? What would he include? What would he leave out? Is it the season that’s the most important - or is it the reason? Because you can have one without the other… you can probably guess the best choice to make in that mat...