“We don’t invite God into our relationships, we build them around Him”

Pastors Mike and Colleen journeyed with Abram and Sarai through several chapters of Genesis. Their relationship was filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, betrayal, hurt, lies, trust, longevity, and God’s faithfulness. They journeyed the full spectrum of human love together.

Building relationships around God is easier said than done, because people always seem to mess things up, circumstances change and life happens. No matter if you’re in love, have loved, or want to find love, there are some basic principles and truths we can learn for ourselves.

"Obedience flows from being loved"

Grace is an opportunity to submit, not a “get out of jail free” card. God says, “I have loved you”... and Jesus follows this up in John saying “if you love me, keep my commands”. When we experience the fullness and depth of God’s grace for us, we will be compelled to keep his commands. In other words, our obedience flows from being loved by God.

If you’re tired of trying to figure out your life and feeling stuck in the same situation on repeat, somethings gotta give, somethings gotta change and this might be your invitation to experience something different.

"Our "stuff" competes for God's place in our heart."

It's easy to think that we're blessed when we have more stuff, when actually to Blessing = More God, not more stuff. Mike continued the journey through the book of Malachi with the famous chapter 3 section talking about tithes and offerings. He broke down the history behind the words Malachi used and compared that to the words Paul uses in 2 Corinthians.

Our generosity is a reflection of God's place in our heart. Is he King of our hearts and Lord of our lives? Is he at the center of it all or just the parts that are comfortable?

Mike gives us three potential outcomes and asks for 100% participation.
1) If you're unsure life is better with God at the center of your finances, start praying about that and ask God to clearly answer that.

2) If your finances are a mess, reach out and get connected to the right resources to help you fix your finances and honor God in the future.

3) If you're giving out of obligation or guilt, stop doing that and start giving in a way that truly reflects God's place in your heart. 10% is the starting point Mike & Colleen use, but you should prayerfully trust God with your gift.

If you'd like to set up giving to 11|28 Community Church you can do that at www.1128community.org/give

Return to me. It's not just God's plea, it's his desire. In Malachi's time, God's people had fallen away. They remembered what God had done for their ancestors but God felt distant or not even there for this generation. They were casual, maybe even filled with unbelief, and they didn't realize how they'd fallen away or disconnected from God.

God continues to invite us to "return to me". It's an idea that we believe in when bad things continue to happen in our world, but then we do nothing to change. Join with us this week as we took time to pray specifically and personally for a return to God.

Pastor Mike Francisco unpacks Malachi 2:17 - 3:5 and its application for us today. Malachi says you have wearied God with your words; your insincere prayers and mechanical worship.

In keeping it simple Mike said that we cannot claim to love God while continuing to sound like the world. Something's got to change.

“Start honoring God by honoring others”

Pastor Mike Francisco gave us a really hard truth on Sunday: we can’t claim faithfulness to God while being unfaithful to people. We cannot compartmentalize our Sunday morning worship from our midday Monday interactions. Ultimately, integrity isn’t just about morals, it’s about being whole and undivided. So how we treat our spouses, families, friends, coworkers, and neighbors says a lot about how we honor God. A lack of honor always leads to a lack of integrity. God invites us to stop living compartmentalized lives and instead living full, integrated lives.

“How you treat God determines your experience of Him”

Pastor Mike Francisco opens up a new series by asking the hard question… “how did you do at honoring God last year”? Most of us probably didn’t do as well as we would have hoped. If we’re honest with ourselves, we probably only honored God in ways that were convenient and comfortable.

Similarly, Malachi, the prophet, spoke to God’s people about their lack of honor and respect for God. His words cut deep and challenged the casual relationship they had grown accustomed to with the Lord. It’s a new age, but the message translates… God doesn’t want us to treat him as common. Ultimately, we hinder our experience of God’s love, grace, and blessing in our lives when we treat him like just another guy.

Pastors Mike and Colleen Francisco remind us that Christmas is a story of journey, light, and grace. It's a story of humble beginnings. A story of the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, Immanuel; born not in a palace, but in a stable. A signal that this King and His kingdom will be different.

Shepherds saw heaven break into the night sky. Wise men followed a star. Promises spoken centuries earlier came true. Jesus came as grace upon grace... new grace replacing the old, light overcoming darkness, God with us. And that light didn’t stop at the manger.

Today, we carry it.
We live it.
We shine it.