Jumping back roughly 400 years from where we were last week, we are looking at the life of Joseph. Hebrews 11 doesn't say much about Joseph, except that he was confident the people of Israel wouldn't be in Egypt forever. What marks Joseph's life as unique is not that he stepped out in faith, like his forefathers before him, but that he remained faithful in the midst of a lot of really difficult situations. He was betrayed by his family, wrongfully accused and thrown into prison for a crime he didn't commit. Yet, he held his faith through it all.

It's easy to get comfortable with our surroundings. And that can lead to not needing faith. When everything is going well, or we have all we need, we lose sight of the God who provides. Moses got uncomfortable with the palace of Egypt and felt God leading him to his people who were in a bad situation. But following God in faith led Moses to the freedom of an entire nation!

After roughly 30 years of his faith journey and finally living in the promise that God had given him, Genesis 22:1 says that God tested Abraham's faith... Why? And does God test our faith? And more importantly, if our faith is going to be tested, how do we pass that test?

Hebrews is very generous toward Abraham and Sarah when it says, "They believed" and had a son. The story tells a different journey. They wrestled with with their faith. They laughed in disbelief. We probably all have, in our hearts, laughed at the great things God promises. Could He really do it in us? Could we really experience the love and grace of God to the extent scripture tells us?

We always want to receive the gift of the promise. But what happens when we don't? What happens when God asks us to be faithful, but we don't ever see the fulfillment of the promise, or at least, in this life? Abraham left the comfortable place to follow a God he could not see, but believed to be true, and walked for as long as it took until God said, "This is the place for your ancestors!" And yet, it was not his land, but the land that his future generations would inherit.

As we continue our journey of faith we are looking at Hebrews 11:7, that talks about the faith of Noah. Noah's faith wasn't just that he believed, but he built! God calls us to more than just believing in our hearts and minds, but that our faith should produce faithfulness through action.

*NEW SERIES* Ancient Faith for Modern Times! What does that mean? The same faith that the patriarchs of the bible exhibited thousands of years ago is the same faith we need today!

In this first week of the series we go through the first 6 verses of Hebrews 11, which lays a foundation for the journey of faith.

Do you wish things happened faster? I think most people do. When we are waiting for something the waiting can be so difficult. Especially when we are in a place in our lives we don't understand. Esther's story is one of waiting. For years she lived in Persia as the queen of King Xerxes. I'm sure the questions as to why she was in that position confused her, until the day where it all made sense. God had placed her there for the salvation of Israel!

When we look around in our lives it might not always feel like it's easy going. In fact, it might feel like the world is against us sometimes. How do we face adversity? How do we face pushback? How do we prepare ourselves and make ourselves available for God to work in and through us? Nehemiah had the same problem. He was upset that the city of Jerusalem was in ruins, he wanted to do something about it, but he was a prisoner in a distant country. Yet, God made a way!

We thought we had wrapped it up, but we're taking one more look at some important things in regards to using the gifts of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives gifts, but does not take control of us to use them. We need to learn to use the gifts. And more importantly, we need to learn to use them the right way, out of God's great love for us, expressed to each other as the body of Christ. The point isn't the gifts, the point is to be an encouragement to others and point us to God.

As we wrap up this series on the spiritual gifts talked about in scripture, we are asking a few questions about what we do now. How do we live in this? What do we do in regards to these gifts? How do we ensure they are used and not just talked about? And maybe we don't know just yet how it's all going to look, but that's ok, because like the gifts are meant to work together, the body of Christ must come together to learn and grow!

Some gifts seem more natural. Some seem more supernatural. But all are Spiritual. Meaning, it is by and through the Holy Spirit working in and through us that the gifts serve their purpose. These are gifts of the Spirit. And some have incredible power to help, serve and encourage the body of Christ. This week we look at the power of the Holy Spirit working through faith, healing and miracles.

As much as there is planning, organizing and leading, there is also doing. And God has gifted people to do certain things really well. This week we look at the serving and helping gifts that often times make things run smoothly and efficiently. The backbone of any great organization is people working really well together in roles that they are equipped to engage with.

We're looking at what scripture calls the "spiritual gifts". These are gifts God has gifted to the body of Christ to aid and help each other. To help build and grow what God is wanting to do in and through each of us, and as a community. But it is more than just a natural or supernatural talent, it is being led by the Spirit of God. And as we focus on God's leading we see opportunity to help and offer these gifts to others.

Our words are important. They have the power to give life to those we are talking to. They also have the power to tear down, break apart and hurt people. The bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue. So, when it comes to the spiritual gifts that involve communication, we need to value the incredible honor that they really are!

As we jump into looking at some of the spiritual gifts that God gives us as the Church, we have to ask the question, How important are the Spiritual Gifts? Do we need them? Does everyone actually have one, or two, or more? What should we expect? How do we figure all of this out? And what are the gifts? What do they mean, and what do they do?

One of the ways we are able to encourage the body of Christ is to use what scripture calls our "Spiritual Gifts". The bible says that each or us have been spiritual gifts to help, serve and equip each other. But being given a gift doesn't mean we know how to use it. We need to learn about our gifts, and learn how to use them.

As we continue our series on being Encouraged to Encourage, we are going to talk about how important the words are that come out of our mouths. Scripture tells us over and over again on how to watch what we say, think about what we say, and use our words in the right way.

In our new series, E2E: Encouraged to Encourage, we are going to be looking at our role in the church. What does it mean to be a part of Christ's body? What does it mean to be someone who both needs to be encouraged, but also, is meant to encourage others? You are unique, gifted, and needed for the church to flourish!

All of this was leading up to this moment. The promise of Jesus fulfilled, the Holy Spirit WILL come! And He will fill you, and you experience the love of God and His presence and be empowered to live in and preach the Good News of the gospel!