Dayspring Fellowship Podcasts

Easter 2019 - The Empty Tomb

The Empty Tomb
April 21, 2019
 
When I was in Israel for work a few years ago, I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (tomb) in Jerusalem. Tradition holds that this church was built over the site of Christ’s crucifixion and the tomb where His body was laid on Good Friday. If tradition is true, this would be the site where Mary and the disciples discovered the empty tomb on Easter morning; the very site of Christ’s resurrection. Whether this is the historical site of Christ’s resurrection or not, millions of people visit this church every year to see the empty tomb and the slab of stone believed to have held Jesus’ lifeless body for three days.
 
When I entered this church, I was joined by a few thousand of my closest friends. Well, "close" as in physically close. The church was packed with people from all over the world. There was barely any standing room as I was shoulder-to-shoulder with at least four other people at any given time. The crowd pushed and some shoved as they made their way to one of the attractions. The whole scene was incredibly disappointing as I considered my expectations of a solemn experience of my Lord’s resting place. Some people were shouting at friends on the other side of the room, while others were sobbing and emotionally touched by the experience. I thought, “Why am I here?” as I bounced between shoving, shouting, and sobbing “friends” in this hot and sticky crowd.  I knew why I was there; I had wanted to see the empty tomb where Jesus had lain. But as I shuffled about in the crowd, I wondered, why? What about this empty tomb draws so many of us to come and see it? I think all of us are drawn to see the empty tomb in one way or another because we want to understand it, we want to experience the hope and power this tomb experienced. In this Easter Sunday message we visit the empty tomb and find why an empty tomb has such a powerful draw.
 
-Kap 

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday
April 14, 2019
This Sunday is Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Easter Holy Week. It is my privilege to present a message about the meaning of this day for all Christians. We look at how Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the requirements of the Passover Lamb as given to Moses while the Israelites were in Egypt. His triumphal entry portrays Him as both our sacrificial lamb and our King. As our sacrificial lamb, His blood pays the ransom for our souls, it is applied to our sins, and it frees us from the bondage of sin. As our King, He deserves to rule over our lives. In today's message we look into the meaning of Palm Sunday and our responsibility to our King because of what He has done.
In God’s service, for His glory,
Will

The Call

The Call
April 7, 2019
 
Stories are one of the most powerful elements for someone to get their point across. They call us to step into someone else’s shoes and see the world in different ways. We are often drawn to stories that weave their way through multiple books and series. The idea of a grand narrative that connects things all together makes the payoff impactful. This is why testimonies work so well to display what God has done in our lives. We can show what God has done in our lives to make us more like Jesus.
 
Jon is thrilled to bring his story to Dayspring this Sunday as a means to show what God has done through his life to bring him to this point. God gives us a calling when we become followers of Him and Jon has strongly felt this in his life in multiple ways. Jon’s prayer is that his story will intertwine with your story to ultimately tell God’s story.

Visionary Obedience

March 31, 2019
Visionary Obedience
 
Spring has arrived! All over the valley, trees are blooming; and just about everywhere you look the daffodils have burst into bold splashes of yellow! The dark, cold, and dreary days of winter are in the rearview mirror; and I, for one, am thankful! As much as I don’t love winter, what takes place in that season of stillness, in the quiet and darkness of those days, is vital to the bursting forth that comes in the spring. Without winter, there would be no spring. Without a season of stillness, there would be no freshness, no vitality, no renewal.
 
In much the same way, God births vision in our lives when we embrace seasons of stillness to be with Him, to draw near to Him, to listen for His voice. Out of that willingness to linger in His presence come fresh direction, insight, perspective, and calling; as well as the opportunity to take new steps of obedience. We’ll be looking at the story of Joshua and the “battle” of Jericho this weekend. Join us as we listen to what God has to say to us about pursuing His vision for our individual lives and for us as a community of Christ followers. 

Practicing Patience

March 17, 2019
Practicing Patience
 
Genuine Faith
|marks of maturity from James|
 
This week at work has been challenging for me and my team. It seems that everything that could go wrong is going wrong. No matter what we do to fix things and make things right, everything continues to get worse. My job is to solve problems. But lately, these problems continue to stack up faster than we can resolve them. It's not for lack of trying either. I have worked extra hours, our team has put in extra hours and extra effort, and we have called in additional help from outside of our local team. Everyone is working hard putting their shoulder into it, but we still seem to be losing traction. For me and my team, this has been incredibly frustrating as problem after problem has tested our patience. I'm sure you have experienced similar circumstances. There are many others who are experiencing far greater challenges than my challenging week at work.
 
In James 5:7-12 he addresses an audience that is very familiar with suffering and injustice. In response to their suffering, James simply says "Be patient."  Not many of us have experienced the kind of persecution experienced by the Christians James was encouraging in his letter.  Nevertheless, most of us are familiar with real challenges, disappointments, and suffering in our own lives. To us, James also says "Be patient" as we endure the difficult seasons of life. In this small section of James' letter, we find four steps to practicing patience that help us endure and persevere through difficult seasons in life. In today's message we consider how to practice patience in all circumstances. 

Healing the Body of Christ

[Note: Due to a technical issue, last week's (March 17) episode will be posted at a later date.]
 
March 24, 2019
Healing the Body of Christ
Genuine Faith
|marks of maturity from James|
 
 
I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you how the Lord has spoken to me regarding James 5:13-20. I wrestled with how to characterize this closing section of his letter; and after much prayer and studying, I realized that this section is all about suffering within the church and how the body of Christ should respond to it. We will be doing things a little differently this Sunday, and I’m taking a bit of a risk on the closing of the service. In today's message we will all be challenged and encouraged to God's glory! In God’s service, for His glory,Will Krause

Playing God

March 10, 2019
Playing God
Genuine Faith
|marks of maturity from James|
 
Every day, each of us play a number of different roles. We are men or women, married or single, grandparents, parents, children or all three! We are friends, neighbors, co-workers, volunteers, leaders, citizens. We are caregivers, coaches, encouragers, problem-solvers. In all of these roles and more, we utilize the resources God has given us to contribute, influence and impact our world and the people we share it with. But what happens when we do that in our own strength, without taking the time or making the effort to invite God to direct our steps, shape our decisions, and inhabit our words? When we neglect to seek Him in the ordinary, everyday things of life, we are at risk for taking on the role that belongs to Him alone…the role of God. This week, as we continue our study in the book of James, we’ll find more incredibly practical encouragement in growing toward spiritual maturity. Our eyes are on the prize, to be more like Jesus. In this message, as we take another look at what it means to be spiritually mature.

The Cure

March 3, 2019
The Cure
Genuine Faith
|marks of maturity from James|
 
It’s no secret - we live in a contentious society. Everywhere you turn there is dissatisfaction, disagreement, arguing, and fighting. And every issue, big or small…wait, there don’t seem to be any small issues anymore…every issue is fair game to tear down those on the opposite side of the argument. Thank goodness we don’t have to deal with that at church! Oh, wait…if only it were different in churches! But sadly, even in the church we are quick to take offense, to stand up for our “rights” and make enemies out of those who disagree with us (instead of focusing on THE enemy). What is it that makes us so prone to disagreement? We all have a sickness. This week, as we continue our study in James, we’re looking at that sickness and James’ prescription and cure.

Applied Wisdom

February 24, 2019
Applied Wisdom
Genuine Faith
|marks of maturity from James|
 
Are you wise? When I ask myself this question, I sheepishly respond to myself with an uneasy "maybe?" as I reflect on all of my foolish mistakes. Don't get me wrong - I'd like to think of myself as wise. I'd even like others to think that I am wise. I'm guessing most of you may feel the same way when you consider this question. I believe all of us would like to consider ourselves wise. After all, we are smart people! We are well intentioned, and we know a thing or two about a thing or two. Some of you are even considered "experts" in your field of training. The thing about wisdom is that it is incredibly practical. When we consider the question "Are you wise?" we immediately look to the results of our actions. We recognize that wisdom is practical. In James 3:13-18, we're asked "Who is wise and understanding among you?"  

Walk This Way? Talk This Way?

February 17, 2019
Walk This Way? Talk This Way?
Genuine Faith
|marks of maturity from James|
 
Has the wet, gray weather gotten to you yet? Is your spirit a little soggy and windblown? I confess, I could use a good dose of sunshine! Whether it’s the actual weather outside our windows or the situations in our lives, it’s easy to let what’s happening around us impact what’s going on within us. And when what’s within us becomes gray, soggy, and windblown, then what comes out of us can be harsh, cold and damaging! We’ll be looking at the first part of James chapter 3 this week in our study called Genuine Faith. In this passage, James talks about the power of the tongue. It’s a mighty little thing, with the ability to build up or break down, to develop or destroy, to delight or discourage. In today's message we look at this oh, so practical aspect of the walk of faith we’re together.