Sermons About Ray-befus
Good Guys, Bad Guys, Us Guys
Is there any forgiveness for me? Who is God? Jesus always shoots straight
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You Can Touch God's Heart
You can touch God's heart. Ruth Pushes the envelope of intimacy. Ruth's journey foreshadows ours. Steps to intimacy with God.
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What if Jesus isn't a Christian?
What if Jesus isn't a Christian? Jesus' amazing invitation and his unexpected assignment. Join Jesus in the mission.
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A Big Step Forward
Our faith journey begins with a decision and continues with daily decisions to trust and follow Jesus. The next step in our faith journey is deciding to make Jesus the center of our lives.
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Everyone Needs A Coach
Ray interviews Joni McDonnell about her experiences receiving and giving personal life coaching in recovery ministry.
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What's my part in my growth?
At various points in our lives, each of us get stuck in our spiritual development. How do move beyond surviving toward a faith that is growing and thriving?
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Blowing the Whistle: The Playing Field Isn’t Level!
The God of the Bible looks at justice issues through the eyes of the poor and weak
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Christmas Candlelight Talk: Do Not Be Afraid
Have you ever considered why Jesus entered our world as a baby? Why he was born in a stable to a common young girl?
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The Power to Live Jesus’ Life
This week we're discussing the ministry of the Holy Spirit, particularly stepping into the Holy Spirit’s ministry for the first time. Most people who have a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit describe it in dramatic terms -- they were overwhelmed or overcome, nuked or fried, swept away or blown away. Some, having read the book of Acts describe their experience with the Holy Spirit as being baptized in the Holy Spirit -- dunked, immersed, and stuck on the spin cycle. The way I described my first experience with the Holy Spirit was, “What’s going on here!?!” I felt as though electricity was buzzing into my body, from the top of my head, down into my hands. Clearly, in West Michigan, the subject of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit has been a controversial subject. Trying to be nice, people will try to avoid the controversy by saying something that you won’t read in the Bible: Seek Not, Forbid Not—as though the Holy Spirit is like gasoline (alright in the garage, but don’t bring it in the house). You need to know that West Michigan isn’t the world. It’s not even close to the center of the world. W MI is an unusual place. We have an unusual number of very conservative churches, denominational headquarters, and Christian schools in West Michigan. Both the Catholics and Protestants of W MI are very conservative.
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Shocking, But True!
This morning I'd like to speak to the concern/challenge that God's powerful acts were limited to Jesus and his Twelve apostles, not normal people like us. Many people in conservative churches believe and teach that God is not working in supernatural ways today, not giving spiritual gifts today, and that praying for healing and deliverance is just a distraction for everyday, ordinary Christians like us. For ordinary people like us, Christianity is about going to church, studying the Bible, and being as good as we can be. Miracles were for another time and place, for people like Jesus and the Apostles, not for men and women like us today. The good news, as I understand it, is shocking but true.
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Are You Ready to Repent And Believe the Good News?
At the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, he makes three short statements: (1) God's Kingdom is here. This is new. (2) Repent . . . reorient your thinking . . . change your lifestyle. Stop living like it's yesterday, last month, or last year. (3) Believe the good news. Lift your expectations. The kingdom is here whether you believe it or not, but your decision to believe it will open a door for you to participate. In this talk, lead pastor Ray Befus examines Jesus' main message as recorded in Mark 1:14-15, and its application to modern life.
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You Can’t Buy Discipline!
Spanking? Timeouts? Choices? Rewards? When it comes to discipline, styles and methods are always changing. The foundation of a well-disciplined home, however, has always been a well-disciplined parent. You can't pass on what you don't have, as the Old Testament priest Eli was painfully aware. In this message, discover the path to building a life and a family around discipline.
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