New Day Christian Church - Weston, WI

Remembering (Memorial Day)

It’s Memorial Day weekend—a time to remember. In the midst of everything else we do to kick off summer in Wisconsin, we are compelled to remember that freedom isn’t free.  Our constitutional freedom is paid for by the blood of thousands of soldiers. That is what Memorial Day is about. We have another kind of freedom that was paid for with the blood of God’s Son. That is what this hour on Sunday morning is about—a time to remember. We’ll do that by hearing from the Bible and sharing Communion. (Message recorded May 27, 2012)

Just Do It!

What is holding you back in your own life?  Are you just making excuses?  Listen in as Hoss Ostrowski shares about how to not let anything get in the way of accepting God's healing in our own lives!  (Message recorded May 14, 2012)  Bonus introduction includes some explanation of why God doesn't really hate tattoos!

He Won. We Walk.

The Good News is that Jesus has already won the game.  (Well, it’s good news unless you decide to be His opponent.)  Now it’s your turn.  What are you going to do?  What would it look like for you to live eternally, starting here and now? (Message recorded May 6, 2012) KEY TEXT: Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV) 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world... 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. For Reflection and Discussion Do you feel like you are walking in the good works God planned for your, or following the course of this world? How can you know the good works God has planned for you? What is one step you know God wants you to take, but you have been resisting? (Pray for the courage to trust Him. One step of faith often leads to another.) What does Paul mean when he says that good works don’t save you, but God saves you “by grace…through faith”? Since you are not saved by good works, what is your motivation to do good?

Playing well with others (The Church)

Life is a team sport.  Being a follower of Jesus and applying biblical principles leads us to the conclusion that we need each other.  Difficult and flawed as it seems, God's plan for your life includes His church. (Message recorded 04-29-2012) Here is a link to the reflection video "Dirty Little Secret". http://youtu.be/1bYxzosJkEI

More than a Rulebook (The Bible)

Click here to view the Bible at a Glance Graphic.

The Game Changer (Jesus)

Something happened 2,000 years ago. Hundreds of people spread a story that a man claiming to be divine proving his claim by rising from the dead. If they were telling the truth, we have to re-evaluate everything about our lives. (Message recorded April 15, 2012) Going Deeper John 3:16-18 (NLT) 16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. The Minimal Facts Approach to Believing in Jesus' Resurrection* • FACT #1: Jesus was ___________ by __________________. • FACT #2: Jesus’ disciples believed that he _____________ and _____________ to them. • FACT #3: The conversion of the church ________________ Paul. • FACT #4: The conversion of the skeptic ____________, Jesus’ half-brother. • FACT #5: Jesus’ ________ was _________. *From The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (Licona & Habermas, 2004), as quoted in The Case for the Resurrection (Strobel, 2009 Zondervan). Questions for Reflection & Discussion 1. What does genuine belief in the resurrection of Jesus say about a person’s worldview? 2. What explanations have you heard for Jesus changing the world over 2,000 years ago (e.g. “Jesus was just a moral leader or a prophet; supposed witnesses of his resurrection were mass hallucinations.”)? How do those explanations hold up against the Minimal Facts Approach? 3. Do you believe that belief is a gift from God? Why or why not? 4. In Mark 9:23-24 Jesus tells a man “Anything is possible if you believe.” The man responds, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Can you relate? When is it easy to believe in Jesus? When is it tough?

The Supernatural Church

We can attract a crowd to church, but that’s not the mission. A church of people who are living in proper relationship with the Holy Spirit will look different from anything we could strategize. Let’s be a church that get’s past what we can do and instead embraces what God will do by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Message recorded April 1, 2012)

A real relationship

Relationships are interactive and ongoing. Much like a parent has an ongoing interactive relationship with a child, the Holy Spirit wants to continually guide, encourage, instruct and empower us. We have a role to play in living out that real relationship. (Message recorded March 25 in the DCE Middle School gymnasium.  We apologize for the audio quality!)

Why do you want Him?

It is tempting to think of the Holy Spirit as a personal upgrade, as if He exists to give us more power to do our own will. We need to check our motivations and understand that the Holy Spirit is given by God to lead our lives for His glory, not to follow our will for our own glory. (Message recorded 03-18-2012 in Middle School gymnasium due to an electrical fire the previous week.  There is no podcast for 03-11-2012  We apologize for the diminished audio quality.)

Theology of the Holy Spirit 101

While the Holy Spirit is mysterious, there are some solid truths from Scripture that guide us. For instance, the Holy Spirit is personal and has a will, not an impersonal energy.  The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son.  It is a necessary part of God’s three-in-oneness. Coming to grips with these truths will clarify our understanding of the “Forgotten God.” (Message recorded March 4, 2012) Click here for discussion questions relating to this message.