The Cactus Church - Faithfulness to the Gospel: Living Faithfully

1 Thessalonians 2:5-13

Most of us can think of times when someone’s words have been undermined by the way they acted. If we’re honest, sometimes we’re that person. Our actions affect the way people receive our words, so we should seek not only to share the message faithfully but also to live faithfully. As we resume our series in 1 Thessalonians, we see the faithful way Paul and his team conducted themselves reinforced the gospel to the Thessalonians and provide a powerful example for us.

Powered by RedCircle

Gaining a Heart of Wisdom: Everything (Under the Sun) is Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 1-12; Ephesians 4:17-19

Wouldn’t it be great to have it all? All the things, all the power, all the information? Would it surprise you to hear that the author of Ecclesiastes had laid claim to everything he could see – and that his worldview (repeated 33 times!) was: “Meaningless, meaningless. Everything is meaningless.” How can this be possible? How relevant is his perspective nearly 3000 years after Ecclesiastes was authored? Join us this week to learn if “everything is meaningless under the sun” is still true – and how the answer should provide you reassurance in your daily life. 

Powered by RedCircle

Listening to the Lord

Exodus 3:1-4, 1 Samuel 3:1-10

We live busy lives in a noisy world while God speaks in a gentle whisper. We will talk about the need for creating space to hear God's voice and how to do that. 

Powered by RedCircle

Coming Close

Acts 17:23-34

God came close to us so that we could come close to Him. 
We will be thinking and talking  about how big is God and how far He is, what He did to come close to us and how I can get closer to Him.

Powered by RedCircle

Collaboration in Community

Acts 6:1–7

No one can do it all. Collaboration is an important part of living in community and contributing to society. It allows us to work together to seek the good of our community and expand the reach of the gospel message as we live and serve in the here and now.

Powered by RedCircle

God's Offer to You

Luke 18:1-30

It’s free!! Most of us hear that and wonder, “what’s the catch”?  Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”  Well, come this Sunday to hear about an offer that is truly free to everyone.  *Spoiler alert – it has to do with Jesus!

Powered by RedCircle

Second Corinthians

A diplomatic outpost? Quarreling? Reconciliation? It sounds like something you might read in today’s news headlines. The Apostle Paul has a lot to say about it and, more importantly, his words directly apply to us today as a followers of Jesus. Come learn the why, the how and the what this Sunday as we dig into 2 Corinthians 5.

Powered by RedCircle

Mission Accomplished

This week Trevor Marshall reflects on Genesis 2:1-3:

"Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."

Powered by RedCircle

Breakfast with Jesus

Pastor Candidate Mike joins us again to focus on the first part of a familiar passage - John 21:1-14. This Sunday the focus will not be on the restoration of Peter, but on the meal that was shared - Breakfast with Jesus - and how that meal represents the kind of relationship Jesus wants to have with you and me. 

Join us as we dig deeper into God's Word to learn about that breakfast and learn about opportunities to see Jesus in our daily lives.

Powered by RedCircle

The Lordship of Jesus

Pastor Candidate Mike joins ICP for his first Sunday in Prague and dives into one of his favorite passages in Philippians 2:1-11. Listen in as he explores Christ's Lordship.

Powered by RedCircle

Dead People Stay Dead. Or Do They?

Dead people stay dead. Or do they?

1 Cor 15:1-8

He is risen! This Sunday we focus especially on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is one of the essential differences between Christianity and the world’s religions. Two questions we will think about together: (1) Did Jesus really rise from the dead? And (2) Does it matter?

[TL:DR - It does. Tune in to find out why!]

Powered by RedCircle

Jesus our Messiah

Matthew 21:1-17

This Sunday we will begin to prepare our hearts for next week’s celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as we consider Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. His bold claim to be Israel’s true king sets in motion the events of that week and points us to several truths that remind us that there is no one like Jesus!

Powered by RedCircle

The Cactus Church - Faithfulness to the Gospel: The Foundation

1 Thess 2:1-4

We are often around relatives, colleagues, neighbors, friends, and others who do not know Christ. We naturally want to see them come to know Christ, but we may struggle to steer the conversation that way or get through the gospel. God does not expect us to be or eloquent or obnoxious; he does expect us to be faithful. He enables us to share, blesses our faithfulness, and does what only he can do in the hearts of people. What does faithfulness to the gospel look like? We get a good picture from 1Thessalonians chapters 2 & 3, where Paul describes faithfulness in terms of having a foundation in the gospel, of living consistently with the gospel, and continuing to encourage those who respond. 

Powered by RedCircle

The Cactus Church - Radically Changed by the Gospel

Radically Changed by the Gospel

1 Thess 1:8-10

Most of us would like to change something about ourselves – maybe alter our appearance or break a bad habit. We may also desire deeper change and wonder it is possible. In the gospel, the answer is a resounding yes. As we continue in 1Thessalonians we see that in Christ real change - radical, profound, lasting change in desires, character, and attitude is possible, even inevitable. Paul gives us a beautiful picture of this with his description of the deep changes that took place in the lives of the Thessalonians. We need a clear understanding of this for our own spiritual health and the health of the church.



Powered by RedCircle

The Cactus Church - Sustained by a Sovereign God

1 Thess 1:4-7

Even without the vivid reminders from current events, we know that life is uncertain and that we have very little control over what happens. How do we endure? Our faith, love, and hope in Christ keep our lives grounded in a good and sovereign God. This week, God willing, we will see this in 1Thessalonians 1 as Paul continues his theme of gratitude for what God has done for the Thessalonian believers and how they responded.

Powered by RedCircle

The Cactus Church - The Church in Christ

The Church in Christ

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

To thrive in the difficult seasons of life we need to understand our relationship to Christ. This is true for each of us, and it is true for us together as a church. Scripture describes this several ways; this Sunday we will consider together the opening verses of 1 Thessalonians and what it means to be “in Christ” and how that is reflected in our lives (spoiler alert: faith, hope, and love).

The Cactus Church - The Chaotic Beginning

Acts 17:1-10

As I (Preston) prayed about where our attention should be focused after Proverbs, I felt drawn to Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. This church faced great hardships from its beginning, but - like a cactus thrives despite being in a hostile environment - the Thessalonian church thrived despite the hardships. We must be able to do the same thing, for we live in tumultuous times. We will begin by looking this week in Acts 17 at the church’s chaotic beginning, and we will see the foundation Paul laid and the challenges they faced.