Gateway Church Austin

Do you ever wonder what motivates us to do some of the things we do? Or what other people are thinking when they do the things they do? Seemingly inexplicable, we think and do things sometimes without even realizing why. For example, why do we isolate ourselves from others? For the Christ-follower, doing that seems antithetical to God's mandate to go and spread the Good News to everyone, yet we find ourselves doing it. Sometimes we form cliques because we want comfort, or we draw away from others because we fear being hurt. Senior Pastor John Burke examines the chapter of Luke and how it explains the human nature of isolation, and how we can move away from it toward real connection.

Dying to self can be a difficult and daunting undertaking, but it’s what God calls us to do daily in order to experience true life and freedom. This even goes for our expectations of God. Many of us believe God is good, as long as He gives us the answers we think He should. But it’s important to remember that God, our creator, knows best, and just as Jesus had to die on the cross, an unexpected turn of events for those present during that time, we must die to self and kill false expectations of God in our life to walk in the freedom He promises. What expectations of God might you need to die to today?

There’s no denying the impact that social media has had on life in the 21st Century. Although there are certainly positive aspects of social media, our love for these platforms is a strong indication of the struggle most of us experience with people-pleasing. We care a lot about what other people think, but God tells us that people-pleasing is a distraction from a life that serves Him. Are you more concerned about pleasing God or pleasing people?

What really motivates you in life? What motivates your behavior? Is it money? Power? Perhaps accolades and approval from others? Many of us claim to have good intentions and motivations, but so did Judas, a disciple of Jesus chosen by the Messiah Himself to help in His ministry. Yet Judas was unwilling to admit that what he really worshiped was money, so his greed kept him from experiencing the joy and freedom the other disciples experienced. What might you be worshiping through your thoughts, priorities, and decisions that could also be killing your connection with abundant Life?

Have you ever wondered about the amazing effect of music? Music has the ability to move the human soul—to lift it somewhere beyond the present moment. Its transcendence is remarkable. But what does God say about music? What does the Creator of everything think about our musical creativity, and how does worship relate to all of this?

Did you ever consider that God, as our creator, created us to create? We all have creativity inside of us that can be used, even if we don’t always realize it. Perhaps the key to discovering our creativity will come through discovering our own story and learning how God can use that to impact culture and change our world. What were you created to create?

Jesus promised that if we obey His teachings we will experience life-giving freedom. The modern world also promises life and freedom, and yet so many people who chase after what the world promises are left empty and scarred. What does it look like to truly experience the life and freedom promised by Jesus? What part can we play in helping others experience the best Jesus has to offer?

In this tense political season, it’s easy for us to get caught up in the fervor by attacking or defending various candidates and their policies. Sometimes those attacks turn towards each other in an effort to prove our own point of view; however, Jesus calls us to a different way of responding — a love greater than politics. How can we rise above our differences to love where we live as Jesus demonstrated for us?

For what are you searching? Chances are that it’s something you believe will lead to the “good life” — one that is meaningful and fulfilling. However, even when we’re pursuing good things like healthy relationships and success at work, we still feel like something is lacking. Could what we’re missing be the abundant Life that God is offering us?

As we get older, many of us look at our goals that have gone unaccomplished and careers that might have gotten off track and wonder if we’ve truly lived a meaningful life. Should we measure success in terms of accomplishment or something else? These questions and regrets can rob us of joy. But in Philippians 3, Paul describes where real meaning comes from.

The world tells us to be proud of our success, our power, our wealth and our prestige just to name a few. Yet the irony is while we take pride in those things, we often find our lives still wanting and the important relationships around us adversely impacted. Our feelings about ourselves can actually undermine who we want to be. So of what should we feel proud? Let’s continue to journey through Philippians to find out!

The life of the Apostle Paul is one of hardship, pain and uncertainty, and yet his letters to the early churches are filled with expressions of peace and joy! How did this man, who endured so much, encourage so many to have joy in all circumstances? Let’s take a look at his letter to the Philippians and find out.

Look at your life as a story, like a movie. God is the director. You are the lead role and partner with God in writing the script. You have a calling, a big idea, that God has called you to do. You must discover that vision and develop it into production. Like any good movie, you will face conflict. You’ll have detractors. You will face setbacks, but, if you hold on to your faith and stay true to whom God has created you to be, you’ll succeed.

Life just doesn’t seem fair at times. Why does it feel like God isn’t answering your prayers? Why are you going through the struggles you have? Why does it look like others have a better situation than you? Is God really with you? These questions can create a haunting darkness in your life, making you feel alone and faithless. How can you find faith in the dark?

Many people have come to a point where they believe that IF there is a God, IF he’s offering a relationship, IF he brings some people to Heaven when they die, he wouldn’t for me. His attitude towards me would be, in the words of Alanis Morissette, “But you, you’re not allowed, you’re uninvited.” Perhaps you feel that way because you’ve walked away from God or because of things you’ve done. But here’s Jesus, who claims to be God, and he’s saying, “Come to me.”

Forgiveness is central to the message of Jesus. It’s a simple concept to understand, but it’s quite possibly the most difficult thing to live out consistently in our lives. Without it, there is no way to experience the abundant life and relationships that God wants for all of us so how do we navigate through our unforgiveness?

Our hearts can be our strongest muscle, but they’re also very vulnerable. Wounded hearts can impact our lives for decades. How do we heal from those wounds so that we don’t turn around and wound others?

Conflict is hard, whether it’s in our families, with friends, in the work place or even at church. When relationships become battered, it’s challenging to address it and bring healing. It seems like our natural instincts lead us to all sorts of actions that don’t help on the road to reconciliation. Fortunately, God is committed to healing relationships, and Jesus is a constant guide towards forgiveness.

Have you ever thought about the power of a lie? We live in a world filled with lies, half-truths, deceptions, and now even fake news. Where’s the truth? What’s the truth? Is there truth, or is it all just relative?

Most people concede that Jesus was a great teacher. However, Jesus also made some audacious claims. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” Were Jesus’ claims just fake news made up by His followers? If His claims were authentic, what does it mean to be an apprentice of Jesus? What did Jesus really teach, and how can we understand what He meant when He claimed to be “The Way”?