The Heights Church

Upside Down Kingdom - wk5

According to the CDC, about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack every year. One in every four deaths is caused by heart disease, making it our number one killer. Most of us know if we are at risk for heart disease, and we take steps to lower our risk – like exercising and changing our diet.

But what about spiritual heart disease? When we see the word “heart” in scripture, it refers to the seat of our will, our intellect, and our emotions. The Bible has a lot to say about the condition of the average person’s heart. Our heart can be proud, hardened, and deceitful. In other words, we can have spiritual heart disease.

This Sunday we are going to look at what it means to be pure in heart. Those who are pure in heart are clean on both the inside and the outside. And Jesus promises that those who are clean … those who are pure in heart … will see God.

Do you want to see God? Make the choice to lower your risk of spiritual heart disease. Join me Sunday as we learn from Jesus what it means to be pure in heart.

Upside Down Kingdom - wk4

"Blessed are the Merciful"

Bryan Jones

Mercy is a word that is often used in different settings.  For example, in the area of medicine Mercy Hospital Group is one of the top five large U.S. health systems.  In the legal system, we often hear of people throwing themselves “on the mercy of the court.”  And who hasn’t heard their grandmother exclaim, “Well, mercy me!”
 
As we continue our study of the Beatitudes called “Upside Down Kingdom,” this Sunday we come to Beatitude #5 – “Blessed are the merciful.”  But what exactly does it mean to be merciful?  Many people associate mercy with compassion or forgiveness or grace.  And all of those things relate to one another.  But mercy actually means not getting what you deserve.  We deserve hell, but through Jesus we receive mercy and don’t get what we deserve.
 
In a culture where the need for justice … the need to “give ‘em what they deserve” … seems to be hardwired into most of us, Jesus turns everything upside down and calls on us to be merciful.
 
I hope you will join me Sunday as we take a look at the radical idea of mercy.  When we are merciful it changes us from the inside out.  Do you want to obtain mercy?  Start by showing mercy to others.

Upside Down Kingdom - wk3

"Hunger & Thirst For Righteousness"

Dr. Gary Singleton

Most of us consider ourselves to be pretty good people.  We’re honest and trustworthy.  We’re hardworking and responsible (at least most of the time).  In fact, I’ll bet most of us believe we’re above average when it comes to personal integrity.  And if you think your personal integrity could use some help – WikiHow has several suggestions for you.
 
This Sunday we’re continuing our sermon series on the Beatitudes called “Upside Down Kingdom.”  We’ll be taking a look at Matthew 5:6, where Jesus tells us, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  In a world where self-righteousness is everywhere, and we believe that being “pretty good” is good enough, Jesus turns things upside down and calls us to be righteous.
 
Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness?  I hope you will join me Sunday as we discover that when we pursue righteousness … when we pursue more of Jesus … we will be satisfied. 

Upside Down Kingdom - wk2

"Blessed are the Meek"

Bryan Jones

What comes to mind when you hear the word meek?  Do you think of someone who is timid or feeble?  Someone who is self-effacing, mild, and spiritless?  That’s the image that most of us have of meekness.  Yet in the King James Version of Matthew 11:29, Jesus refers to Himself as meek.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t really think of Jesus as weak, timid, and spiritless!
 
So what exactly does it mean to be meek?  This Sunday we’re continuing our sermon series on the Beatitudes called “Upside Down Kingdom.”  In Matthew 5:5, Jesus says “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  Meekness isn’t weakness.  It’s power under control, like a stallion who has submitted its will to its master.  In a culture where those who are self-serving and aggressive are recognized and celebrated, Jesus calls us to be meek.
 
I hope you will join me Sunday as we dive deeper into meekness.  In Jesus’ upside down kingdom, we will see that those who are meek truly will inherit the earth.

Upside Down Kingdom - wk1

"Poor In Spirit"

Bryan Jones

“Upside down” is a phrase that dates back to the 14^th Century.  It refers to things being inverted or in disorder.  During the medieval times there were lots of similar phrases like “overtumble” and “topset downe,” which leads us to believe the people loved telling stories about people falling over.  I guess that was their version of “America’s Funniest Videos!”
 
Well, this Sunday we are starting a new sermon series called “Upside Down Kingdom.”  We’re going to be looking at the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5.  In the Beatitudes, Jesus gave us a list of life principles and attitudes that are the hallmarks of those who follow Jesus.
 
This week we will cover the first two of the eight Beatitudes  – “Blessed are the poor in spirit” and “Blessed are those who mourn.”  Now interestingly the word “blessed” comes from the Greek word “happy.”  But being poor in spirit and mourning don’t exactly conjure up a picture of happiness!  Yet Jesus tells us that these things will cause us to be happy.   Sounds pretty upside down – right?
 
Are you ready to turn your world upside down? 

Parenting Conference

"Parenting Gen Z"

Dr. Tim Elmore

 

The Way of Jesus - wk8

"Generosity"

Dr. Gary Singleton

Suppose you hit the Mega Millions jackpot and suddenly you were a billion dollars richer. You could spend $5,000 a day for more than 500 years before you ran out of money. You could buy your own private island with your own private jet. You could buy a family vacation to space. You could even buy Balmoral Castle – the Queen’s Scottish estate. Money can buy us a lot of really great things.

And yet money can’t buy us any of the things that really count – like love, happiness, time, and health. So why are we so obsessed with it?

This Sunday we are wrapping up our sermon series “The Way of Jesus” with a look at another familiar passage – the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10. This wealthy young man came to Jesus and asked a great question. “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17) The answer Jesus gave was not what he expected. Mark tells us that when he heard Jesus’ answer, “… he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10:22)

The way of Jesus is the way of generosity … giving your time, your talent, and your treasure to grow the kingdom of God. If you follow the way of Jesus, you will find that generosity changes you and others.

I hope you will join me Sunday as we learn that the way of Jesus is taking a step of faith toward living and giving generously.

The Way of Jesus - wk7

"Who Do You Work For?"

Dr. Gary Singleton

Bad bosses.  Most of us have had at least one.  Maybe you have one now. Bad bosses micromanage.  They take credit for your work.  And they are never, ever wrong.  A recent study found that 56% of American workers claim their boss is mildly or highly toxic.  Another study found that 75% of Americans say their boss is the most stressful part of their workday. 
 
This Sunday we are looking at how walking in the way of Jesus affects how you approach your job.  The way of Jesus transforms your mindset and makes His agenda your agenda.  When you walk in the way of Jesus at work, you make Jesus your boss.  Jesus changes you, and changed people change the world.
 
The reason God planted you at your particular desk and gave you the spot you occupy on the org chart is because He intends to change the eternal destiny of every person you work with.
 
Have you made Jesus your boss at work?  On your campus?  Join me Sunday as we hear what Paul says about walking in the walk of Jesus at work.

The Way of Jesus - wk6

UNITED Weekend

Bryan Jones

Do you hate being alone? A lot of people do. Maybe all of us do at times. We get anxious about traveling alone or eating alone. To avoid being alone we spend hours with our “friends” on social media. The truth is most of us just feel stronger and more confident when we have someone with us.

This Sunday we will look at the most repeated promise in the Bible. Jesus promised over and over, “I will be with you.” In John 20, Jesus has just been crucified, and then suddenly He begins to appear to different people. People who were hurting. People who had failed. People who were afraid. And He promised each of them His presence.

Jesus gives us the same promise. Are you struggling with following Jesus? Is there some painful experience that had caused you to question God? Does it seem like in spite of your best intentions, you just fail Jesus over and over?

Join me Sunday as we hear those words that Jesus promised … words that will transform your life. You are not alone. Jesus says to each of us, “I will be with you.”

The Way of Jesus - wk5

"Neighboring"

Dr. Gary Singleton

What comes to mind when you hear the word “neighbor?”  Most of us probably think about the people who live next door or across the street.  In fact, that’s how the dictionary defines neighbor – “a person living near or next door.”  But isn’t it really more than that?  What about the waitress in your favorite restaurant?  Is she your neighbor?  Or what about the parents of the kids on your child’s soccer team?  Are they your neighbors?
 
For the last several weeks we’ve been talking about what it means to follow the way of Jesus, and this week Jesus lays it out for us:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  (Luke 10:27)  Sounds pretty easy, right?  But let’s just admit that there’s a lot more to it than we think.
 
This Sunday we’re going to look at another familiar parable – the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Jesus is asked by a young lawyer, “Who is my neighbor?”  The answer Jesus gives is not what the lawyer expected.
 
Who is your neighbor?  I hope you will join me Sunday to hear what Jesus has to teach us about what it looks like to love your neighbor as yourself.