Avenue Church

Can love become an idol? Yes—when a good gift takes God’s place in your heart and becomes what you trust for wholeness (1 John 5:21; Romans 1). This message exposes how love gets disordered when it shifts from commitment to feeling and from action to possession—turning people into saviors they were never meant to be. The answer isn’t to love less, but to love God first so you can love others rightly (1 John 4:10–12, 19).

Is it possible to pray the right prayer—and still refuse the next step? In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father… take this cup… yet not my will, but Yours,” and then He got up and moved forward (Mark 14:35–36; Matt. 26:45–46).  At some point, you have to stop circling in the garden and step into what God has already made clear. What’s your next step—faith forward, or fear stalled?

What do you do when you want God’s will… but you also want control?

In Mark 14:32–42, Jesus prays in Gethsemane, “Not my will, but Yours,” showing that tension isn’t a lack of faith—it’s the battleground of surrender. This message helps you name your “power move,” trade control for trust, and learn how honest prayer and surrendered resolve lead to freedom, clarity, and rest.

How do we trust God when what He asks feels impossible? This week, we trace Abraham’s journey from simple obedience to deep confidence in God’s character.  God strengthens our faith through time under tension and provides exactly what He asks us to surrender. Be encouraged to trust God’s direction even when you can’t yet see the destination.

What do you do when your resources feel like they’re running out? Let's unpack Elijah’s encounter with the widow at Zarephath and how God used her small act of obedience to release daily provision. Let's break the scarcity mindset and learn to depend on God’s word even when circumstances look bleak. Seek God first and respond with a handful of obedience.

What are the most important relationships in your life? They probably fall into one of these categories: your spouse, your parents, your kids, or your work relationships. We are to bring our identity and righteousness in Christ into those relationships. When we do, they are transformed from relationships of selfish gain to opportunities for humble submission and service as unto the Lord.

If you are in Christ, you are made new and have received a new nature. But that doesn't free you from the need to CHOOSE to follow God's Word and His Spirit. Living intentionally to please God is essential. This is where the spiritual meets the practical. Paul provides some simple (but not easy) ways to live according to our calling as saints. 

Paul wants us to do something with everything he's shared with us in the first three chapters of Ephesians. He wants us to live in a way that reflects our calling in Christ. He doesn't begin with rules; he starts with relationships. The first relationship he emphasizes is with the local church. It is more than an event we attend; it's a body we're connected to. Believers are part of it and have something to contribute. 

What would you do if you were in prison? Paul prayed! Even though Paul was in a Roman prison, he considered himself only a prisoner of Jesus Christ. As he shifts from what we need to know to what we need to do, Paul prays that we would experience, understand, and have the power to live the life we've been called to live!

We've all felt like outsiders at some point in our lives. At the same time, we may have contributed to others feeling like outsiders. The Gospel message is the most unifying message there is. Christ has brought down all the walls of hostility between us and brought us together in peace. 

We are more than just lost without Christ. We are spiritually dead. Apart from Him, we are depraved and deserving of His wrath. BUT GOD - in His goodness and grace — has brought us to life through Christ. Understanding our original condition and our new position in Him is more than encouraging because this is not something we can do ourselves. We are saved by faith through grace.

Paul was a persecutor of Christians who became an apostle, church planter, and author of much of the New Testament. His letter to the church in Ephesus is a highlight in helping us understand the new life we have in Christ and how we should live as a result. 

When life becomes difficult, we can overlook the goodness of God or doubt His presence in our lives. We can even see our situations as unfair or undeserved. There is more to life than we see know, but it can only be experienced in Christ. 

What comes to mind when you think about certain people in your life? Your spouse, ex-spouse, co-workers, anyone that you would consider not "for us, with us, or like us?" What comes to mind when we think about others reveals how much of Christ is in us." This one cuts so get ready!

When you look at yourself in the mirror, what thoughts come to mind? What are those thoughts based on? We are often our harshest critics, and the lie we believe the most about ourselves is "I'm NOT good enough." This lie is mass-produced by a couple of more subtle lies. Find out how to take back the power this has over you.

Have you ever been disappointed in God? Feeling like you have to act right to earn His love? Do your prayers feel unanswered, like He's holding out on you? Do you find it hard to trust God? If you said yes, you are believing the lie "that God is not good. " The truth is God is always good! Even when things don't feel good!