Dayspring Fellowship Podcasts

Life Lessons #1: Marriage & Divorce

Life Lessons #1: Marriage and Divorce
Messy Church – Loving Others Isn’t Easy
March 29, 2020
 
There is definitely a lot of uncertainty and confusion filling our world right now. Every morning it seems there are new questions, new statistics, and new information. If you aren’t careful, it’s easy to get overwhelmed! Daily, we are navigating our way through new territory; and it can be difficult to know what the next right thing to do might be. It can feel like there are a lot more questions than answers.
 
The believers of the church at Corinth were navigating new territory of their own. Most of these young Christians had been converted from a pagan lifestyle to a new life, following the Way of Jesus. But figuring out what that looked like, practically speaking, in their day to day life was a challenge! They had lots of questions! Fortunately for them, and for us, the Apostle Paul had answers. And the principles that Paul laid out for the practical application of faith to daily life are as valuable and important for us, today, as they were for the Corinthians.

Let's Talk About Sex

Let's Talk About Sex Messy Church – Loving Others Isn’t Easy March 22, 2020
As we continue this Sunday in our study of 1 Corinthians, you might find yourself feeling really glad that we’re not gathering in person! We’re in the second half of 1 Corinthians chapter 6, and Paul is going to have THE TALK with his Corinthian kids. It’s time. Maybe past time, and Paul speaks boldly and directly to the church at Corinth about S-E-X. That’s right, we’re gonna talk about sex. See…I told ya, you might be glad to be watching from home this week! If you’re uncomfortable or embarrassed…well, you can be that way in the privacy of your own home! But don’t let discomfort distract you. Paul wrote these words to the Corinthian believers because who we are and how we live out our faith matters in EVERY area of our lives, including this one. And, his principles apply to more than just sex as well.

So Sue Me

So Sue Me!Messy Church – Loving Others Isn’t EasyMarch 15, 2020
If you are like me, you’re probably tired of hearing about the COVID-19 (or Coronavirus) pandemic. Getting good information can sometimes seem a little like herding chickens. How do you sort through everything you see and hear throughout the day? Frankly, it seems as if a culture of fear is quickly overtaking common sense in most cases.By now, I’m sure you have heard that the Governor has canceled all large gatherings of more than 250 people for the next four weeks. And, I’m sure you are wondering what that means for church.Here at Dayspring, the attendance at each Sunday morning service is under the 250 number the Governor has stated. So, unless something changes in the next couple of days, we will be holding our services this coming Sunday, March 15.We are taking every recommended precaution to sanitize our building; and if you are here, you’ll probably see people wiping down counters and crash bars on the exit doors. Our Children’s Team already sanitizes their toys and spaces as part of their everyday precautions.If you are sick or in a high-risk category, we encourage you to stay home and catch our livestream at 11 am.With that said, we recognize that in our body we have people who have hunkered down at home, trying to avoid contamination; and we have people who aren’t worried at all. As Christians, I want to call all of us to respect each other, even in the face of disagreement about how they may (or may not) choose to live in these moments.In fact, that message will tie in well to this weekend’s message, the next in our series Messy Church. We’ll be looking at the next section of Paul’s letter as he addresses disagreements in the church.As Christians, we have two choices. We can respond in fear like we see so many people doing around us; or we can use wisdom as we respond in faith. And, He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mind. Fear never comes from God.God is still sovereign, with everything under His control. He has a unique plan for your life and for the world at large. And He is still at work…even in the chaos…maybe especially in the chaos.This is a time for the Church to rise up and be light in the darkness. As people are looking for something to anchor them in this sea of chaos, we have the answer. Jesus. So let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.Our services are Sunday morning at 9 and 10:45. Our livestream begins on Sundays at 11. You can find more information about us on our website, or social media channels.

Discipline

DisciplineMessy Church – Loving Others Isn’t EasyMarch 8, 2020
 
What do you think of when you hear the word “discipline?” Most of us, I would guess, view that as a negative word. It carries the ideas of difficulty, confrontation, and punishment. And, there are times when those things ARE a part of what discipline means. But done correctly, discipline is about development, training, and correction. What appears negative is, in reality, a positive…a strategy to propel us toward health and holiness as we grow in Christ. In our sermon series, Messy Church, we will be looking at Paul’s words in chapter 5 of I Corinthians. The young church definitely had some serious issues and was in need of discipline…and Paul delivers with some strong words.This chapter is full of challenging, but important truths. As followers of Jesus, the Corinthian believers were to live a new kind of lifestyle, walking out their faith in counter-cultural ways, pursuing spiritual maturity and holiness. We have the same calling today! Paul’s words are incredibly relevant and important for us today, in our time and culture.

In This Together

The days are beginning to get a little longer and the sun is showing its face a little bit more! Have you noticed the daffodils blooming and the trees starting to blossom? It’s beginning to look like Spring in the Willamette Valley, and you know what that means…six inches of snow this weekend…or, summer isn’t too far behind, and I LOVE summer!
I’m also really loving our study in the book of 1 Corinthians. We are five weeks into our series, Messy Church, and we’re beginning to get a pretty good picture of the challenges the young church at Corinth was facing. Much like our current culture, their world was filled with a cacophony of loud voices - various philosophies, theologies, and worldly wisdom – all vying for their attention and allegiance. And though as believers they had been called to a new way of living, leaving behind the old patterns and habits was proving difficult. This week we are in chapter 4, and the Apostle Paul begins to unpack what it should look like for the local church to walk in faithfulness and function as a healthy spiritual family. There’s no room for pride, division, and arrogance. We are called to a new kind of living, and we’re in this together!

Picture This

Picture ThisMessy Church – Loving Others Isn’t EasyFebruary 23, 2020
Did you ever play with a kaleidoscope as a kid? Peering into a small hole with one eye, while the other was squeezed tightly shut…pointing the tube toward the sun, then slowly turning the opposite end, watching the geometric patterns and colors change before your eyes. They are fascinating! Most kaleidoscopes are mass produced from inexpensive materials and intended as children's toys. At the other extreme are handmade pieces that display fine craftsmanship. Looking through a kaleidoscope allows us to see the beauty of ordinary pieces of colored glass in a way that we might not otherwise even notice.As we continue our study of I Corinthians this week, Paul does much the same thing for the believers in the church at Corinth. Young in their faith, they had no framework for understanding the different facets of what the Church should look like or be like. In chapter 3 of I Corinthians, Paul provides us with three different pictures or lenses through which we can view and better understand God’s design for His Church.

Simple Complexity

Simple ComplexityMessy Church – Loving Others Isn’t EasyFebruary 16, 2020
There are some things in life that seem so simple on the surface… Like 1 + 1 = 2 Or the word “the” …just three little letters! Or a basic, two-wheeled bicycle. In the early 20th century, Bertrand Russell wanted to prove conclusively that mathematics worked, so he decided to start with the simplest concept we know of and went right ahead and proved 1+1=2. However, what sounds like an incredibly simple task actually took the mathematician and philosopher 372 pages of complex sums. The mammoth solution was published as Principia Mathematica across three volumes. The word “the” is one of the most common words in the English language. It’s so ubiquitous that most of us have probably never stopped to think about how strange of a word it actually is. Why do we say, ‘I love the ballet’ … wait, nobody loves the ballet. Why do we say, ‘I love the Blazers,’ but not ‘I love the cable TV?’ Why do we say, ‘I have the flu,’ but not ‘I have the headache?’ The dictionary itself lists almost two dozen different ways the word can be used in a sentence correctly, which makes an exact definition of the word that much more difficult to pin down. And bicycles have existed for over a hundred years; and since then scientists have been arguing about how exactly they work, or more specifically, how they stay upright. There are theories, but because the science of bicycle dynamics isn’t exactly a sexy area of science researchers like to invest their time, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll know for sure anytime soon. As we continue in our series, Messy Church, this Sunday, we’ll be looking at the simple complexity of the gospel. Paul unpacks this truth for the church at Corinth and for us in chapter 2 of 1 Corinthians. Much like a basic equation, the word “the,” or a bicycle, the gospel is at the same time both simple and complex. As we dive in to what Paul has to say, we will find hope and help in understanding the deep truth of God that you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand. It’s available to us as believers, through the person of the Holy Spirit.

Foolish Wisdom

Foolish WisdomMessy Church – Loving Others Isn’t EasyFebruary 9, 2020
When you need an answer, some advice or counsel, where do you turn? These days it seems our first instinct is to just “Google it” when we’re looking for information. But how do you know whether the information you find is good, or even true? Whose insights, experience, and wisdom do you trust?As we continue in our series, Messy Church, the Apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth about the difference between human wisdom and God’s wisdom. It seems that most of the time what seems wise to our human way of thinking is very often quite the opposite. Paul writes, “The foolish plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans; and God’s weakness is far stronger than the greatest of human strength.” The “truths” of this world are ever shifting and rarely stable; a shaky foundation to build a life on. We are looking for biblical wisdom, for solid truth that is firmly established in an unchanging, ever faithful God. The kind of truth that transforms lives and secures futures.

A Hitchhiker's Guide to Corinth

A Hitchhiker's Guide to CorinthMessy Church – Loving Others Isn’t EasyFebruary 2, 2020
This Sunday at Dayspring, we’re beginning a new adventure…also known as a new sermon series…and we’re headed for Corinth! With the Apostle Paul as our guide, we’re going to dive into the book of 1 Corinthians. This is one of the most practical of all of Paul’s letters. In it, we see that God’s wisdom applied to the problems of this world produces supernatural results. Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” As we lean in to what Paul has to say to this group of believers, as he helps them not only see how to live out their faith in a culture that was diametrically opposed to it, but also learn to live in love and unity with each other, we too will be equipped to live as overcomers in a world that challenges our faith. Paul’s words to the Corinthians are as applicable to us, in our time and culture as they were when he penned them so many centuries ago. The truths of God’s Word will transform your life, if you’ll let them.

Let's Get Moving

Let's Get Moving
Growing Up: Experiencing Life Change in Jesus
January 26, 2020 
We’re on the edge of our seats, raring to go, and chomping at the bit. It’s an exciting time at Dayspring! Over the last three weeks, we’ve been introducing and unpacking our new discipleship strategy. It’s the first time in our history as a church that we’ve had a strategic, church-wide plan for discipleship; and to be honest, I can’t wait to get started! In the sermon last Sunday, I encouraged people to sign up for our new Explore! classes where we will dive deeper into the discipleship process. We were elated with the response! If you didn’t have a chance to sign up, don’t worry! There will be another opportunity this weekend.This Sunday, we’re wrapping up our Growing Up series. We’ve been taking a look at what it means to be growing toward spiritual maturity. This week we’ll unpack the last piece of the discipleship process by looking at the different catalysts that propel us to grow. And with our four-week series complete, it’s time to get moving!  If you’ve missed any of the last three sermons, I would encourage you to make the time to listen to them. They are available on our website or in Apple or GooglePlay Podcasts, and last week’s message is on our YouTube channel.I’m Chris Voigt, Lead Pastor at Dayspring Fellowship. As a church, we are embarking on a fantastic adventure; it’s a journey to becoming all that God is calling us as individuals, as families, and as a church, to be. You can feel the energy and excitement around our campus. We are eagerly anticipating all that God is going to do in us and through us in the months and years ahead. Are you ready to be part of a new adventure with God? You can learn more about Dayspring by checking out our Facebook page, YouTube channel, or our website. Our services are on Sundays at 9 and 10:45 a.m. We would love to have you join us. I look forward to welcoming you to Dayspring.