“Eyewitness” is our series at Fusion Christian Church about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the people who saw it happen. These were real people, in real moments, who had real encounters with Jesus. In Part 3, Pastor Zac talks about the crowd that saw Jesus enter Jerusalem on a Donkey. Some of those same people would call for his death only a few days later, so what changed?

Let Jesus be the Savior of your soul—not just the solver of your problems.

When Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, many recognized that he was fulfilling a prophecy as Messiah. The problem for them is that they were looking for Jesus to fulfill their vision of the Messiah. They expected the Messiah to be an earthly king who would fight off the Romans. Ruling their own kingdom again was all that this crowd had in mind when they waved Jesus into Jerusalem. They celebrated him while they thought he would solve their immediate problems. When they realized he wasn't going to do that, they turned on him.

What these people needed was to trust in Jesus as their savior. They needed to realize that Jesus' kingdom is not of this world, and that his mission was greater. He did not come to merely give them a hope in this life, but a hope in the next. We, too, must be careful not to treat Jesus like a genie who fixes our problems. We must see him as Lord and Savior of our lives.

Passion starts when Jesus is first—no matter the cost.

The crowds in Jerusalem were only interested in what Jesus could give them short-term. They weren't interested in the promise of eternal life. As Christians, we choose to put Christ first in our lives no matter what happens. A true believer will not abandon God when the promise of temporary gains seems to vanish. A true believer in Christ follows him at all costs and does not let anything take priority over Jesus. Are you living this way? Do you treat Jesus like number one all the time? Or do you do it only when he gives you good things? How can you make Jesus a priority in all circumstances in your life?

“Eyewitness” is our series at Fusion Christian Church about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the people who saw it happen. These were real people, in real moments, who had real encounters with Jesus. In Part 2, Pastor Zac teaches about Judas, who saw Jesus and still betrayed him. Judas chose Greed over God, how do we make a different choice?

Choose worship over wealth.

Before Jesus was crucified, Mary chose to wash his feet as an act of worship to our Lord. Judas, seeing her devotion, sneered and thought only about the "waste" of money. He suggested the perfume used could have been sold and the money given to the poor. In truth, Judas was greedy, wanting to skim from that money for himself. For someone greedy, it is unfathomable that others might choose to sacrifice in order to worship. Judas couldn't get his mind around someone spending money to worship God.

Surrender to Jesus as Lord.

The reason it was unthinkable for Judas to put money toward worship is that money was his god. At the last supper, when all the other disciples acknowledge Jesus as Lord, Judas only called him Rabbi. To Judas, Jesus was a nice guy who taught good things, but he wasn't his Lord. If you want to put your greediness to bed, you need to submit to Jesus as Lord. To become godly, it is not enough to recognize Jesus as a good moral teacher. You must recognize him as Lord of all and make him Lord of your life.

Guard your heart from small compromises.

Disastrous moral failings do not spring out of nowhere. They happen when someone makes little compromises along the way. When we begin to think "It's not that big of a deal if I..." then we are on a road to trouble. Chipping away at the rock of our moral integrity will always leave loose gravel at our feet. Once we are standing on gravel instead of stone, one slip can send us rolling down the slope we have created. Choose not to compromise in the little things, and you will set yourself up not to fall in the greater things.

“Eyewitness” is our series at Fusion Christian Church about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the people who saw it happen. These were real people, in real moments, who had real encounters with Jesus. In Part 1, Pastor Zac teaches about Peter's encounter with Jesus that brought him from denial to destiny.

Exchange self-confidence for God-confidence.

If we are to fulfill God's purpose for us, one thing we must learn is humility. We have to realize that self-confidence can only take us so far. Often, it can even get us in trouble. Putting our confidence in God, on the other hand, will take us where he wants us. Confidence in God will never get us into trouble that God can't deliver us from. We must remember that God is the one in control, not us.

Exchange the world’s weapons for God’s sword.

The world tells us to fight with all sorts of weapons. However, if we want to win the spiritual battles, we need to fight with God's word instead. The bible is called the "sword of the spirit" because it is the best weapon for spiritual warfare. As God's people, we should equip ourselves and become familiar with the sword he has given us. The bible is what God has given us so that we might have victory. Why would we let it collect dust on a shelf?

Exchange past failures for God’s future.

We may learn much from Peter's life, but perhaps the greatest lesson is that our failures do not define our destiny. Peter denied Jesus three times, but God still made him a pillar in his church. All of us are going to fail. All of us are going to sin and feel that we have failed God. Luckily for us, that is not the end of the story! God loves to use broken people to accomplish his purposes. You would be hard-pressed to find many people who messed up worse than Peter, but God still used Peter. God will use you too. All we need to do is to get back up when we fall and be willing to continue chasing after God.

"It's Complicated" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on relationships. Everyone knows our relationships are messy, but not everyone knows how to navigate them. This series will provide godly, biblical principles for keeping your relationships much less complicated! In Part 7, Pastor Zac teaches about how to handle our relationships God's Way.

Protect the unity.

One of the things God wants from Christians is for us to be unified. Jesus prayed for this specifically before his death, and we should take it seriously. We must not allow petty divisions within the body of Christ. One of the reasons for this is that being unified helps us to accomplish God's mission better. God told us to preach the gospel, and that gospel message is harmed by disunity in the church. Let us be gracious to one another and not separate over minor problems.

Value people the way God does.

God valued humans so much that he sent Christ to die on a cross for us. Do we value other people that much? Would we be willing to sacrifice for the same people that Christ sacrificed himself for? If Christ gave up his own life, the least we can do is give up a little time or a little comfort. If we want to have good relationships, we need to treat other people as though they matter as much to us as they do to God.

Have the same attitude as Jesus.

Jesus left his throne in heaven, giving up every privilege, to be born as a servant. He made himself nothing because of his great humility. If we are to be like Christ (we are), then we must be humble like Christ. Pride has no place in the heart of the believer. Instead, like Jesus, we should make ourselves like lowly servants in God's kingdom.

Start seeing your relationships as a ministry.

Ministry often sounds like it is only for pastors or professionals, but this is not true. Ministry is for all Christians. This is because ministry can be summed up in one word: sacrifice. Since we are to be like Christ, humbly sacrificing the gospel, ministry is therefore for all of us. The pastors and professionals can't do it alone! They need everyone in God's kingdom to be doing their part to spread the gospel. This starts with our relationships. We need to view every relationship as an opportunity to serve other people. These are the people that Christ died for, and we need to show them the light of the gospel. How can you minister to your friends and family this week?

"It's Complicated" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on relationships. Everyone knows our relationships are messy, but not everyone knows how to navigate them. This series will provide godly, biblical principles for keeping your relationships much less complicated! In Part 6, Pastor Zac teaches about how to lead yourself so that you can have better relationships.

Wherever I go, there I am.

Have you ever noticed that the common denominator in all your relationships is you? That means if you want to improve your relationships, you need to improve yourself. You need to choose to be godly and to follow God's designs. Regardless of how other people treat you, you can still choose to win in your relationships by doing things God's way.

Be the person who overlooks an offense.

People are going to do wrong to you. You cannot control that. What you can control is your response. One thing that God teaches through the scriptures is that it is good to be able to overlook an offense. Instead of focusing on how you have been wronged, try to forgive and not hold those wrongs against people. Learning how to be gracious to others will ultimately reflect God's grace in your life.

Be the person who loves instead of hates.

The only thing God calls us to hate is sin, and we have plenty of that within ourselves. When it comes to others, God tells us to love them. Loving others does not even mean that you have to like them, but it does mean you have to treat them well. To love someone is to act with their best interests in mind. This means you choose to treat them as God wants them treated even if you don't feel warm and fuzzy toward them. The warm feeling may or may not come later, but choosing to love our enemies is the Christ-like way to live.

"It's Complicated" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on relationships. Everyone knows our relationships are messy, but not everyone knows how to navigate them. This series will provide godly, biblical principles for keeping your relationships much less complicated! In Part 5, Pastor Zac teaches about how to win in our relationships.

You can’t win with people if you forget who you represent.

The most important aspect of winning in our relationships is remembering Jesus. As Christians, we represent Christ in what we do and sometimes we forget that. If we remember that we are ambassadors for Christ it can help us to maintain a Christlike attitude. When we do forget, we will find ourselves acting selfishly rather than selflessly. Love others as if you were Christ himself!

Get the right surround sound in your life.

The company we keep is incredibly important for every aspect of our lives. It is especially important in our relationships. Who you choose to spend your time will impact the success of your relationships more than almost anything. It will affect who you are in relationship with and how those relationships go. If you choose ungodly people, you will act like them and think like them. You will become more ungodly yourself. Choose, instead, to surround yourself with godly people who will encourage you. By surrounding yourself with godly people, you will become more godly through their influence. Why fight against the cultural current among worldly people to be like the world? Opt to spend most of your time with godly people that want to pursue Christ.

Always fill the tank of others.

Filling the tank is all about being an encourager. Have you ever been around someone who is always negative? They tend to leave you feeling drained: like your tank is empty. Don't be like those people! Instead, be an encourager and a life-giver through your speech. Uplift people with your words and actions and leave them feeling refreshed rather than parched.

"It's Complicated" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on relationships. Everyone knows our relationships are messy, but not everyone knows how to navigate them. This series will provide godly, biblical principles for keeping your relationships much less complicated! In Part 4, Pastor Zac teaches about honoring your parents.

We honor our parents, even when it’s complicated, because it’s right.

Honoring your parents is what God calls us to do even when it is difficult or confusing. Sometimes understanding honor properly is easier when we define what honoring our parents is NOT. Firstly, honoring your parents does not mean blind obedience throughout your life. As a child especially, obedience is right and even necessary. As an adult, you are no longer required to blindly obey everything your parents say, but you are still called to respect them.

Honor also does not mean approving of sinful or destructive choices. Sometimes your parents will do the wrong thing, you do not have to approve of that. Honor also does not require you to remain in an abusive situation or relationship. If it is not safe, you are not required to stay. Finally, honor is not compromising your own marriage, faith, or calling in order to make your parents happy. Within these limitations, do your best to show respect to your parents in all situations.

Choosing respect over disrespect.

This can be most difficult when you disagree with your parents. However honor does not require agreement. You can still show respect for your parents even if you end up choosing something other than what they would. It is up to us to choose to respect rather than disrespect our parents.

Choosing care over caring-less.

As parents age, it is important for their children to take care of them as best they can. We should not put off care of our parents onto others when we are able to do it. Showing honor and love for our parents means ensuring they are cared for in their old age.

Choosing forgiveness over bitterness.

 Family can hurt us worse than anyone else. The wounds are deeper and harder to mend. Christians are still to forgive. Forgiving others does not mean we must allow them to hurt us again, but it does mean we cannot cling to bitterness. Unforgiveness has destroyed millions of relationships. Christians should not allow this to happen with our relationships by harboring an unforgiving attitude. Christ calls us to forgive, and if we cannot forgive our parents, who will we forgive?

"It's Complicated" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on relationships. Everyone knows our relationships are messy, but not everyone knows how to navigate them. This series will provide godly, biblical principles for keeping your relationships much less complicated! In Part 3, Pastor Matt teaches about the right approach to parenting.

We must equip our children rather than enable them.

Often parents don't equip children to succeed in life, but enable them to misbehave. Instead of learning discipline, the children learn to do whatever they want. One day, the parents won't be able to keep their kids' lives on track anymore. When that happens, the kids will have to make their own choices. Then it will truly be revealed how well they were raised.

Equip them with your Example.

What kids learn from their parents is more "caught" than "taught." What this means is that they will learn more from your example than what you tell them. This means parents cannot be hypocrites! If you speak one way and live another, your kids will see right through it. This means we should focus on the example we set before anything else.

Equip them with the Word.

Learning the word of God is the most important education any person can receive. That means parents should make it a priority to keep their kids in the scriptures. This also means that parents should know the scriptures. It's hard to equip someone else with God's word when you are not equipped yourself.

Equip them with Discipline.

Children need discipline. This is an unpopular position in modern culture, but children are not perfect and need correction. Out of love, out of a desire for what's best, children must be given discipline. If parents refuse to discipline their children, their children will almost never grow up to live healthy lives.

Equip them with with Grace.

On the flip side of discipline, parents must also offer grace. God is perfect in justice, but also in mercy and grace. In the same way, parents need to try to strike a balance between discipline and grace. Your children need to see both of these modeled because it will affect the way they relate to God later. If you can strike a balance between the two extremes, you will be on your way to godly parenting.

"It's Complicated" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on relationships. Everyone knows our relationships are messy, but not everyone knows how to navigate them. This series will provide godly, biblical principles for keeping your relationships much less complicated! In Part 2, Joel Pierce (our worship director) talks about how to have a godly influence on the people around you.

Influence is wasted if it does not point to Christ.

We can influence people in many ways, but unless we point to Christ we are wasting our time. People might remember you fondly for telling good jokes and being a fun person, but these things are temporary. By pointing people to Christ in all we do we can have an impact on their eternity, not just their present.

Give God the Glory.

In leadership, as in all things, we must learn to give God the glory. Any time you attempt to influence people, you are attempting leadership, even if you have no official position. By giving God glory, we not only recognize our creator, but we help keep ourselves out of the spotlight. in that way, giving God glory is really about keeping ourselves humble. If you desire influence in order to make yourself look better, you have the wrong attitude. Glorifying God instead maintains a humble attitude.

Start Small.

If you're trying to have a positive impact on others, it's important to focus on the people around you first. Stop worrying about the people who are not in your sphere of influence and focus on the people who are. If you are faithful with the few people God has placed around you, God will reward your diligence and increase your influence according to your abilities.

Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy.

Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy refer to right teaching and right practice, respectively. When you combine them, they encapsulate what we believe and how we live out that belief. If we can maintain those two things effectively, then we are on our way to setting a right example in our lives. God calls all Christians to set an example for those around us. If we can keep our doctrine and practice sound, then we will encourage those around us through our example. 

"It's Complicated" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on relationships. Everyone knows our relationships are messy, but not everyone knows how to navigate them. This series will provide godly, biblical principles for keeping your relationships much less complicated! In part 1, Pastor Zac teaches how to honor God with our sexuality both in dating and marriage.

Fall in love with someone who loves Jesus.

The most important decision any person makes after deciding to follow Jesus is deciding who to marry. For those of us who have decided to follow Jesus, marrying someone else who loves him too is of utmost importance. The bible is very clear that those who follow God should not marry people who don't follow him. If you have, the best thing to do is to honor God in that marriage. But if you are an unmarried Christian, you should not marry anyone who is not Christian.

Honor God with your sexuality.

God designed sex for marriage and designed marriage to be between one man and one woman. To honor God with your sexuality, therefore, means to maintain purity outside of marriage and faithfulness within it. Pornography, adultery, and extra-marital sex are all dishonoring to God and should be avoided.

Lifelong marriage is God’s design from the beginning.

Part of God's design is also for marriage to be lasting. Although the bible allows for divorce in certain limited circumstances, God hates divorce, and desires that reconciliation happen instead when possible. Marriage is meant to be for one man and one woman to be joined for life. When this happens it allows marriage to properly mirror the relationship between Christ and the Church.

Move from selfishness to selflessness.

The single biggest obstacle to healthy relationships is selfishness. If we can teach ourselves to put the other person's needs above our own, we will find that selfishness disappearing. When both partners in a relationship do this, the relationship becomes healthier. How can you put others above yourself in your relationships?