National Community Church Video Podcast - 480p

The parable of the fig tree reveals the hidden truths of becoming who God desires us to become. He has made us not to merely exist, but to produce and provide wonderful fruit to our surroundings. It's a story in which we find great points of learning in the process of becoming: *Patience and urgency *Growing through challenge *Purpose in the places we're planted *A promise in need of activation It's ultimately a story that leads us to faith through repentance. We hope you'll join us this week as we pray for guidance from the Spirit of God as we seek out the best that is yet to come.

If we are promised LIFE EVERLASTING with Jesus, King of All Creation, what might that look like?

Have you ever felt stuck? In a jam? In a situation that is impossible to get out of without help? This is the story that Jesus enters into in John 2. The wedding party had run out of refreshments for its guests and had no options. That's when Jesus got the call, that he then delivered. His very first miracle was to turn water into wine. This miracle was not a magic trick that provided excess fun to a wedding, though. This miracle would set the tone for everything to come in the new covenant. Jesus would establish a new kingdom normal, would reveal His power to His people, would exercise that power for transformation, and would spark faith in his disciples.

The Best is Yet to Come is NOT wishing on a star, hoping your luck will change or waiting to win the lottery. If you keep doing what you've done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. Your life is perfectly designed for the results you're getting! The good news? You are ONE DECISION away from a totally different life. God can deliver you in a day, but you have to back it up with daily habits.

In psychology, mental health has a scale from FLOURISHING to DEPRESSION. FLOURISHING is evidenced by things like optimism and empathy and authenticity. DEPRESSION is evidenced by things like hopelessness and helplessness. In between FLOURISHING and DEPRESSION, there is what Adam Grant calls “the neglected middle child of mental health,” and it may be the “the dominant emotion of 2021.” Languishing is basically BLAH. It's a feeling of apathy. It lacks focus, motivation and vision. There are no easy answers or quick fixes, but there is a way out.

We live at the intersection of two theologies, two realities. The faithfulness of God is pursuing from the past—SO FAR SO GOD. And the sovereignty of God is setting us up for the future. We live forwards, but God is working backward. God is ordering our footsteps. God is preparing good works. We live in a fallen world, a broken world, but heaven is invading earth right here, right now. We don't believe in happily ever after. We believe in something so much bigger and better and longer—happily FOREVER after. THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

When did we start believing that God wants to send us to SAFE PLACES to do EASY THINGS at CONVENIENT TIMES with NICE PEOPLE? Newsflash. Jesus didn't die to KEEP US SAFE. Jesus died to MAKE US DANGEROUS. The will of God isn't an INSURANCE PLAN. It's a DARING PLAN. And the complete surrender of our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is not radical. It's normal. The problem? Our normal is so subnormal that normal seems abnormal. Jesus made no bones about it: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Since the beginning, NCC has been a missional church. And missions is not a department or team you go on overseas for a week—it is a way of life. At NCC, we're integrating our discipleship process with our missional DNA and asking: what does it look like to partner in the mission of Jesus in our world today? We'll explore 5 anchors that shape our discipleship process for missional living.

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Jesus told his followers, "Go make disciples of all nations." Against all odds, this small sect of Judaism attracted Gentile followers and began to spread throughout the entire Roman Empire. As those early followers studied the words of Jesus, imitated the ways of Jesus, and partnered in the mission of Jesus, the early church offered a way of life that stood in stark contrast to the power of the empire. Two thousand years later, Jesus still invites us on a journey, empowered by the Holy Spirit within the context of community, to learn to live our lives from Jesus and invite others to do the same.

The Apostle Paul reveals one of the great mysteries in the book of Philippians: The secret of contentment. In learning and understanding what true contentment is, we find tension with our cultural understanding. It's not attained by just accepting whatever happens. It's also not attained through hard work and achievement. Contentment is found through a combination of both – finding peace in who we are and what we have while pursuing that which God has called us to pursue. It's in this endeavor that we realize the strength of God in our pursuit and begin to live in true contentment. We hope you'll join us as we wrestle this challenging passage!

We don't see the world as it is. We see the world as we are. Your FOCUS determines your REALITY. If you want to change your life, start by changing your story. How? You have to audit your thoughts, fix your focus, and flip the script.

Mindset is defined by Merriam-Webster as a mental attitude or a fixed state of mind. Our mindset is what determines what we do and how we engage the world around us. The Apostle Paul wrote to Jesus followers in a place called Philippi, in part, urging them to be spiritually mature and not to pursue Earthly things. Instead, he encouraged a heavenly mindset, in pursuit of God's calling.

Playing it safe seems safe, but the greatest risk is taking no risks at all. At some point, you have to risk rejection, risk failure, risk your reputation. Simply put, faith is spelled RISK. What risk do you need to take? What are you waiting for? Risk or regret? The choice is yours!

Throughout Scripture, light is used as a symbol of God's presence. It sparks life, inspires hope, and points to God's goodness, faithfulness, and beauty. God also commissioned his people to be a light to the nations. In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul commends the believers for their obedience and commands them to continue shining brightly in the darkness of suffering and in the confusion of the culture.