Santa Maria Foursquare Church

Love-Informed Wisdom

One of the most memorable promises in the New Testament is found in the first chapter Philippians. We're told that God will carry on to completion the good work he began in us. That's great news — but what exactly does that look like? In the following verses, Paul actually answers that question and then illustrates it from his own life. God is growing love-informed wisdom within us that enables us to see the world from his perspective.

Empowered for Love

In a powerful prayer captured in Ephesians 3, the Apostle Paul asks God to send his power to do three specific things in his friends' lives: transform them from the inside out, allow them to experience all of God's love, and enable them to walk in the fullness of life God intended. Each of these things is available for us through the power of the Holy Spirit!

Jesus Heard His Cry

Deep insights from a blind man who cried out to Jesus! In Mark 10 we read about Bartimaeus, who would not be silent or allow the crowd to hold him back from receiving his healing and freedom.

I Am Not Ashamed

Jesus talks about shame, but not in a way we typically think about it. In Mark 8, Jesus makes the hard statement that if we're ashamed of him, then he'll be ashamed of us. These are hard words, but Jesus isn't being harsh. He's being real. His words call us to consider if we're giving in to a world that's increasingly "faith shaming" those who are aligned with the gospel. And it causes us to ask: if we're not to be ashamed, then how should we live out our faith in our generation?

Taking Men Alive

Taking inspiration from Jesus' promise to make his followers "fishers of people," Pastor Mike helps us grapple with the amazing diversity of ways to share the good news of Jesus with others.

A New and Living Way

Our POV: "I'd do anything to find real life!" – God's POV: "I did everything to give you real life!" What Jesus did through the cross and that first Easter was to create a NEW and LIVING WAY. He did it for all of humanity, even the most broken and vulnerable. And it's not just a temporary fix. The promise of Easter is that new life available to us permanently. Even after death, we live!

Inviting God’s Blessing

Living in relationship with Jesus isn't just about receiving God’s blessing. And it isn't just about giving and giving. It’s about living in such a way that both giving and receiving are happening in a powerful rhythm of spiritual life. That's the kind of life God will bless. But you can't give what you haven't received — so today we're focusing our attention on what stops us from receiving all God has for us. How can we live in a way that invites his blessing?

The Only Thing That Counts

In Galatians, Paul tells us that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Today, Pastor Kaelyn shares how as Christians and those who have faith in Jesus, we need to be able to express our faith in love to those around us. When we have the fruit of the Spirit evident in our lives, we can love others well and it can change the world.

No Gospel at All

The Apostle Paul was alarmed and angry when he was writing to his friends in the region of Galatia. People had been coming into the churches there, trying to get them to follow a different gospel — which Paul said was no gospel at all. So, what is the gospel? And why is this conversation so important for us today?

Baptized by Jesus: Acts 18-19

Do you ever feel like something is missing from your faith? In Acts 18-19 we find back-to-back stories where this was the case. These followers of God had received John's baptism, but not the baptism of Jesus. In fact, they'd never even heard the good news about the Holy Spirit. But they were open to receiving ALL God had for them and soon were walking in the fullness of the Spirit. That can be our story as well! Dive into this message about the mission of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Are You Kidding, God?

Are we open to change, or will we say something like, Are You Kidding God? How do we respond when God speaks to us about doing something in His name? Today, Pastor Gary shares from Acts chapter 11 and how we should make changes to our life so that when God says GO, we can go.

Receiving God’s Blessing – Acts 13

Jesus' primary mission was to bless humanity. And the primary obstacle in the way of receiving that blessing is sin. That's why Jesus went to the cross, in order to destroy sin's power over us. Today we're looking at three of the massive blessings that flow into a life that's turned from sin to Jesus. Get ready to be blessed!

Returning to God – Luke 15

God doesn’t need a thing — right? If he is who he says he is, he’s completely lacking nothing. So then why does Jesus say he has need of something? Join us for this conversation in Luke 19 and discover why God may “need” us to be involved in his mission of redemption.

Instructions for the End Times

When Jesus' disciples asked him a question about the destruction of the Temple, he had much to say in response. Luke captured Jesus' words in Luke 21, where he describes a future that is dark, war-torn, and scary. Yet in his words we find hope for his followers and several points of instruction. Let's learn from Jesus about how we can live without fear even in the darkest of days.

Subversive Good

When everything is going wrong, how is it possible to see things change? Jesus tells us when he speaks these subversive words: Love your enemy. This is so counterintuitive to our natural way of living. How is it even possible? Join us as we dive into Luke 6 and find out.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

John the Baptist drops the hammer in Luke 3, calling people not only to repentance — but to live like it! And what he says echoes what God had said all the back in Genesis 1: "Be fruitful and multiply." Discover how these four words lead to living in God's blessing.

Day One Celebration

There is power in focus. It's why people make New Year's resolutions — to FOCUS their energies on things that need attention. Today Pastor Tim shares three areas of focus for SM4 in 2023: Prayer, God's Word (including our new 260 Journals), and the development and release of Leadership. Dive in and don't miss out on the new things God is doing this New Year!

Unexpected Expectations

We bring many expectations into our relationship with Jesus. Today, Pastor Gary shares from the Christmas story how to deal with these different expectations. As we do, God will show up and prove his promises true.

Our Christmas Hope

Much of life is spent in the "waiting room," living in anticipation of receiving what God has promised — but it's not here yet. We're still waiting. Why would God make us linger and not immediately provide us what's been promised? That's what we're discovering today through the Christmas story of Simeon.

Hold Fast – Part 3

Hebrews 10:23 offers us a unique model of faith — five powerful ideas wrapped up in this single verse. Today we wrap up this three-part series and discuss the importance of getting our hope out into the world around us.