Sunday Recap: More Than Your Programming

This past Sunday we continued our At The Movies series with The Wild Robot — the story of Roz, a robot stranded on an island who discovers compassion, sacrifice, and purpose far beyond her original programming.

That word “programming” became our theme. Many of us feel trapped by our own: family dysfunction, past mistakes, brokenness, or the circumstances we were born into. But the gospel declares something greater: in Christ, we are more than our programming.

We looked at four truths from Scripture:

• We were created with purpose. God’s Word says we are His workmanship, His poiema, His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). You are not an accident.

• Discovering purpose takes endurance. Trials shape us. Rejection refines us. And as Romans 5 and James 1 remind us, nothing is wasted with God.

• Our purpose is shaped in community. Just as Roz discovered who she was by loving Brightbill and living in community, we discover our purpose in the body of Christ.

• Our ultimate purpose is to love God and love others. Jesus summed up the law and the prophets in this calling (Matthew 22:37–39). Legacy City says it this way: We are For God and His Kingdom. We are For People, and this City.

In the end, Roz’s story points us to Jesus: rejected yet compassionate, sacrificial in love, resurrected in hope, and promising to return.

Whatever “programming” you feel stuck in today, remember this: in Christ, you are a new creation. You were made for more.

Sunday Recap: Hope in the Storm

This week at Legacy City, we continued our At The Movies series with Twisters (2024) — a film about tornadoes, disaster, and the people who risk their lives to bring hope in the middle of catastrophe.

Storms make a fitting metaphor for life. Some storms are literal, like Hurricane Helene that devastated our city a year ago. Others are personal: a cancer diagnosis, an unexpected divorce, the loss of a job, or the weight of anxiety and grief. And sometimes, we face storms as a nation — like the recent tragedy that left so many hurting and searching for answers.

The Bible doesn’t hide from the reality of storms. In fact, Jesus told us plainly in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

On Sunday, we explored two storm stories from the gospels that remind us of God’s power and presence:

• In Mark 4, Jesus calmed the storm with just a word, showing His authority over creation itself. The disciples learned that storms may shake our lives, but they do not shake the One who holds our lives.

• In Matthew 14, Jesus walked on the waves toward His disciples and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Hope isn’t found in the absence of storms — it’s found in the presence of Christ in the middle of them.

From these stories — and from the film — we were reminded of four key truths:

• Storms will come. Following Jesus doesn’t exempt us from pain, but it does mean we are never alone in it.

• Our control is limited, but God’s sovereignty is not. We often reach the end of ourselves, but God is never at the end of His strength.

• Hope shines in the midst of catastrophe. Jesus speaks peace right in the middle of the chaos.

• The cross is our ultimate shelter. No storm of sin, death, or judgment can overcome the love of Christ.

Whatever storm you’re facing today — whether personal, communal, or national — remember this: catastrophe does not have the final word. Christ does. He is our refuge, our anchor, and our hope.

As Hebrews 6:19 reminds us: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

Sunday Recap: Taming the Dragons of Fear

This weekend we kicked off At The Movies 2025 with DreamWorks’ live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. Popcorn was popping, sodas were fizzing, and more importantly, God was moving.

Now, if you’re new to Legacy City or new to this series, you might be wondering — why in the world are we talking about movies in church? It’s simple: movies are like modern parables. They’re stories that capture our imagination, and stories can be powerful bridges to the greatest story of all — the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Big Idea

The theme of How to Train Your Dragon is all about fear and trust. Hiccup, a Viking misfit, is expected to kill dragons to prove himself. But instead of giving in to fear, he chooses compassion, trust, and courage — and it changes his life and his whole community.

And isn’t that just like us? Fear tries to define us. But God calls us to something better.

4 Truths We Learned Together

1. Fear Can Hold Us Back

• 2 Timothy 1:7 — “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and self-control.”

• Fear is a thief. It robs us of joy, calling, and opportunity. But God replaces fear with His Spirit — giving us courage rooted in His power, love, and sovereignty.

2. Trust Opens the Door to Transformation

• Psalm 56:3–4 — “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

• Just as Hiccup spared Toothless, choosing trust over fear, transformation begins for us when we choose to trust God over our own understanding.

3. Trust Requires Action

• James 2:17 — “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

• Trust isn’t passive — it moves our feet. Hiccup took a risk to show Astrid the truth. In the same way, our trust in God should show up in obedience and bold steps of faith.

4. Trust Leads to Reconciliation and Redemption

• Romans 5:8 — “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

• At the climax, dragons and Vikings are reconciled. That points us to the gospel: Jesus’ sacrifice reconciles us to God and one another. Fear divides, but Christ redeems.

Your Next Step

Here’s the question I left us with: Where is fear holding you back, and where is God calling you to trust Him?

• If fear has been paralyzing you, today is the day to lay it down before God.

• If He’s been calling you to take a step of faith, today is the day to act.

• If there’s a broken relationship, today is the day to start the process of reconciliation.

• And if you’ve never trusted Jesus as Savior, today is the day of salvation.

Church, we cannot live this life coasting or in neutral. Will fear define you, or will faith define you?

As Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

Let’s be a people not marked by fear, but by faith.

The Golden Rule

We’re almost at the end of the Summer Together series, where we have been walking through the Sermon on the Mount together for the last 14 weeks. Last Sunday, we covered the first 11 verses of Matthew 7, but ran out of time before completing the message. So, today, we get to rest on one single verse. One of the most memorable and used verses in the entire discourse - Matthew 7:12, also commonly referred to as the Golden Rule.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12

The message here is a simple; Jesus gives us a rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Now that sounds simple enough, but if it were really that simple, we’d be better at it. We’re not good at it, but we can be with the help of the Spirit of God. In fact, another way to think about the Golden Rule is to see that we want want to be treated in a spirit-filled way. Remember the fruit of the Spirit? 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

We ALL want to be treated with kindness, goodness, and gentleness, right? We all want others to have patience with us, to love us, and to be faithful and loving. This is how we want to be treated when it comes down to it. This is a good list of how we want our wives, husbands, kids, co-workers, neighbors to be with us, and of course if they oblige, then we’ll reciprocate…right?

Now, let’s dig into the verse for a moment. First, it’s worth noting that Jesus invokes the Law and Prophets at the end of the verse to make sure the hearers would recognize it from the Old Testament. The Law usually refers to the Torah, or the first 5 books of the Bible, and the Prophets refers to the rest of the Old Testament, which was understood to have been written by the prophets. This means that this verse is summing up what God wanted from His people in relation to their neighbors, and this is not new content, this has been taught from the Old Testament up to the mouth of Christ. God desired His people to live out love among their neighbors.

The first word of the verse is “So” or other versions might use “Therefore” - this is what’s called a Logical Connector. It connects this verse to the passage before it, drawing an application in context from the section of scripture just prior. In this case, the previous versus are describing God’s gracious and loving provision for others, so the application would be that if the disciples (you being one of the disciples) are following the Golden Rule of verse 12, then you are resembling your Heavenly Father.

And so what is the command? Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do that to them. This is the Golden Rule, you’ve all heard a version of this before. This is one of those verses that even non-Believers, people who have never picked up a Bible before have heard of. Their mom or their grandma said it to them growing up, do unto others as you would have them do unto you - that’s the southern KJV translation of that verse.

But doesn’t this verse ring a bell to something we’ve heard before?

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18b

This is what Jesus refers to as the Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22 and Mark 12. And it’s the same idea. Love others as you yourself want to be loved. You know, this verse would have originally been written in Greek, and the Greek here indicates that the command is comprehensive, emphatic, positive, and continuous. “In every last thing, you must continually do for others whatever you wish they would do to you.” And the YOU is emphatic - disciples (you and me) will do for others, even when no one else will. The scope of the command is unlimited, and it’s in the continuous present tense, meaning the obligation continues unending. Love others as you want to be loved. Serve others as you would want to be served. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Always.

This command in its negative form was already around in Jesus’ time and that form is known to many religions, for example: 

• “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow creatures. That is the whole law. All else is explanation” – Rabbi Hillel, probably quoting the book of Tobit in the Apocrypha which says: “Do not do to anyone what you yourself would hate.” (Tobit 4:15) 

• Eastern religions have a similar saying as well: “Do not to others what you would not wish done to yourself.” – Confucius 

But these and others are found in the negative form: “Do not do anything to anyone that you would not want him to do to you.” 

That’s good advice and all, but Jesus is asserting something different: the positive and intentional activity of love being poured out on a neighbor, not merely wrong being withheld.

There is an operating principle within the Golden Rule: Initiate, don’t wait! Jesus does not qualify this command with a stipulation that we wait for someone to do something nice for us before we step out and do something nice for them. Let them show love first, and then I’ll show it in return. He also doesn’t give a quid-pro-quo with this command. I’ll show the love, but they better respond in kind. If they don’t, that’s it. Cut off. Never again. I’ll take my love and kindness elsewhere. No, this command is continuous and unlimited. In fact, let me give you two things that love does to accomplish this command:

• Love steps up to act first – often unprompted and unearned - this is a good segue into grace, which is love played out as an unwarranted and unmerited gift that we didn’t and couldn’t earn. It’s by grace that Jesus saves us, a gift, not of ourselves, but only by his love as demonstrated by the death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus didn't wait for humanity to get their lives in order, he didn’t wait for us to become more pious and more devoted, he stepped into this world, put on a skin suit, got into the dirt with us, and for us…he loved first, he made the first move, pouring out unearned grace on us. 

• Love initiates often in spite of the conditions. It’s not always the most convenient time to love someone the way that you would want to be loved. The conditions are not always right. You know, we use a phrase in the church world (well maybe more in the charismatic church world) we talk about divine appointments. And that’s not a bad phrase, I’m not telling you to stop using it or stop praying for them, but I think we have a misconception of what these are. When we think of loving our neighbor or a stranger, and God sets up a divine appointment, we envision: finishing a nice meal at the restaurant of your choosing, pulling out your wallet to pay the bill and low and behold, a blessing from the Lord, a crisp $20 that you didn’t know you had, and then as if Moses himself were at that restaurant, the people part to the left and right and a light from Heaven shines down on a man in tattered clothes that is clearly hungry and was looking for a meal that would cost approximately $20…But that’s not how it works. Basically never. Often, it’s your last $20 and someone is in need, you’re in a time constraint and someone needs love and grace, love steps up in spite of the conditions and circumstances, because my goodness if the shoe were on the other foot, wouldn’t you want that same love? 

Well, the shoe was on the other foot. Jesus left Heaven, left the Father’s side to come and pour his love out on you. That wasn’t convenient, that wasn’t easy. To leave perfection, to leave a pure and holy place and come kick it with us in this sin-filled world?! There was nothing convenient about it, but he so loved, and he loved first, he initiated the love now and forever. And he sets the example and the bar with which we operate from.

Keep in mind that the Golden Rule is not the total sum of Christian truth, nor is it Gods plan of redemption. We can’t boil all of Christianity down to this simple phrase, although it does pack a lot of power. In fact, Warren Wiersbe once said:

“We should no more build our theology on the golden rule, than we should build our astronomy on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” - Warren W. Wiersbe

This great truth is simply a principle that ought to govern our attitudes towards others. We should approach others in love. And by the way, love initiates; love steps out in faith.

Grace Bomb Reloaded - Kingdom Returns

We took Grace Bomb on as an initiative of ours around this time last year - this was right before everything with COVID-19 hit! In light of everything that has been going on and especially those who have continued to embody the spirit of Grace Bombing, we are coming back at it with a fresh perspective and fresh motivation to see Jesus’ name be made great through this awesome discipleship tool!

A Grace Bomb is an intentional act of love motivated by Jesus. For the recipient, it’s a surprising gift meant to brighten their day. There are so many great stories associated with Grace Bomb - we encourage you to get inspired by going to gracebomb.org and read some of the many stories! Also, check them out on their social media platforms at grace.bomb!

This week we want to focus on what it really means to invest in the Kingdom of God. All investments come with consequences, some positive and some negative, however, when it comes to the Kingdom, ultimately all things will be worked out for the Good of those who Love God. Having a properly oriented mind towards investing in the Kingdom of God is a driving factor in our willingness and desire to go with the prompting(s) of the Holy Spirit - as we saw last week.

Let me ask you a question, church - Why do we give? Why do these people in these stories go out of their way to give to others, in many cases people that they don’t even know! We believe that Disciples of Jesus become generous when we have a changed heart born out of these five factors:

1. Gratitude for what We have Received: We have received the ultimate generous gift of salvation from Christ. Do you understand church, that God has unleashed an absolute bounty of blessings on us in Jesus?! How can we not have a heart of gratitude, after God reached into the muck and mire and pulled us out of our own sin? (Eph. 1:3)

2. Remembering our Identity: We are created in God’s Image; Our generosity is simply a reflection of His generous character – I mean, He gave so freely that He didn’t even withhold His only Son. (Gen. 1:27; Matt. 20:28)

3. Recognizing what We Have has Purpose: What we have, what we own, our skills and talents, all of these things have a purpose, and God can use them for his glory, honor, and for the blessing of others if we would simply hold it all with an open hand. God impacts others through us!

4. Resting in God’s Provision: When it comes to God’s Work, if it’s done God’s Way, it does not lack God’s provision. (2 Cor. 9:6-8)

5. Growing Through Practice: Just like anything in life, we get better with practice. We get stronger when we work out, we get faster when we run, and we stretch this faith muscle by working it out/doing it when we walk in the good works prepared for us. (Eph. 2:10)

Now, with all of this talk about generosity, there comes the Biblical idea of stewardship. In order to live a lifestyle of generous Grace Bombing, we have to be good stewards. We have to manage our time, treasure, and talent well. If we don’t, there won’t be anything for us to give. This means, of course, that we have to manage our finances. We have to steward what God has given us so that we can grow in generosity.

The context here is stewardship of the gospel ministry, but the principle is common sense – do well with what you have been entrusted. This is how we honor God with our resources:

1. Invest in the Kingdom first: By investing in the Kingdom First, your ROI (Return on Investment), will yield the greatest returns, but requires the most patience.

2. Invest in your future second: Investing in your future isn’t very glamorous - it requires discipline and a vision for what could be. After you give and you save, then you live on the rest. By taking care of the first two steps, living now means living within your means.

3. Invest in your everyday living third: Good stewardship isn’t about how much we have, but what we do with what we have.

4. Simply put: Give, Save, Live: One approach to consider is to Give 10 percent, store 10 percent in savings, and live contentedly on the remaining 80 percent; give it a try, it may surprise you!

This requires great discipline in reducing spending. Part of taking a more Kingdom-minded approach to finances is to pay off existing debt and avoid new debt. Not to sound overly spiritual, but when making big purchases, always consult the Owner, which we established was God – PRAY before making financial decisions. The decisions that you make about your finances, your resources, and even your time can either hinder or enhance your ability to provide for those who come along in your life. Trust God for provision, invest your time, finances/resources, and talents wisely, and live with abandon for the sake of the Kingdom of God!

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Grace Bomb Reloaded - Kingdom Returns: Investments mature into something, how we manage what God has blessed us with i.e. how we engage with our time, finances/resources, and talent(s) matter; the health of these aspects of our lives affect our ability to impact the lives of those we come in contact with.

• The Source: We believe that God is the provider and sustainer of His People; we are stewards of every aspect of our lives - we must honor and praise God for what we have been blessed with!

• The Plan of Action: To impact the Kingdom well, we should desire to be wise about what God has provided us with; to be able to Grace Bomb well, we should not only seek to be obedient, but we must also be able and willing to manage that which God has entrusted us with.

• The Purpose: Above all, the honor and glory of God, by loving our neighbors as ourselves is what we are after here. Biblical stewardship certainly doesn’t speak to becoming wealthy (in-fact, the NT steers us away from wealth). God’s blessings should be honored for what they are, however, we must always guard ourselves against the temptation(s) of the flesh. Stewardship, true and righteous Biblically informed stewardship is about God and His Kingdom.

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If this summary piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page at 10 am!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Grace Bomb Reloaded - The Influencer

We took Grace Bomb on as an initiative of ours around this time last year - this was right before everything with COVID-19 hit! In light of everything that has been going on and especially those who have continued to embody the spirit of Grace Bombing, we are coming back at it with a fresh perspective and fresh motivation to see Jesus’ name be made great through this awesome discipleship tool!

We are so thankful for Pat Linnell coming down last week and kicking things off for us as we begin the Grace Bomb Reloaded series. If you weren’t here with us last year, In February with much fanfare and to-do, we launched the Grace Bomb at Legacy City. We were actually one of the first few churches to partner with Grace Bomb, and I remember that we had a flurry of stories and some solid buzz and excitement as we spent a month walking through the idea of God’s Grace and what it means to pass that on to others. And then what happened in March? COVID-19 killed our momentum with this initiative. So when Pat and the team told us late last year of a Reloaded series that dives a little deeper, but would also serve as a recharge for Grace Bomb in general, we were all in.

And if you’re just with us for the first time and have no idea what I’m talking about: Grace Bomb is an intentional act of love motivated by Jesus. For the recipient, it’s a surprising gift meant to brighten their day. Grace Bomb is more than just a random act of kindness, it’s an intentional act of love that is motivated by Jesus. We have the cards and we use them when we Grace Bomb not to draw attention to ourselves or our church even, we want to draw attention to Jesus. Why would we go out of our way to love a stranger or go above and beyond for a coworker? Because of Jesus!

Just to make sure we’re on the same page, we also use this language in talking about Grace Bombs, we say Load, Listen, and Let ‘er go. Load (carry cards, simply choose to have them on your person, in doing that, you are choosing Grace and choosing to open to the leading of the Spirit), which brings us to Listen (for the Holy Spirit’s prompting), and Let ‘er go (drop our Grace Bombs) in our everyday walks of life in obedience to Jesus’ call to love our neighbors. (These ‘Cards’ can be found at a Kiosk at Sunday Gatherings in the lobby - however, if you’re not able to engage with the Kiosk, contact us through any of our social media channels, and will gladly provide you with Grace Bomb Cards.)

There are so many great stories associated with Grace Bomb - we encourage you to get inspired by going to gracebomb.org and read some of the many stories! Also, check them out on their social media platforms at grace.bomb!

Grace Bombing those in our lives, whether it’s those we are closest to or those we have never met before, we must depend on the Holy Spirit and His guidance. We do not want this to be something that we feel out of obligation, but out of obedience to what the Spirit is doing in our lives and what He desires to do in our community!

We have four guiding factors we believe can help discern if the Holy Spirit may be guiding you to Grace Bomb someone:

1. Your action would elevate Jesus: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and points people to Christ. Anything that the Holy Spirit would be leading us in would inherently need to elevate Jesus.

2. Your action would be Counter-Cultural: Putting the Kingdom first typically cuts against the grain of our neighbors. Love your neighbor as yourself, turn the other cheek, give sacrificially - these things rub against the very fabric of our society that says love yourself first; If it denies yourself, it may be the Holy Spirit. (1 Peter)

3. Your action requires Self-Denial and Risk: We have to die to self, to move more toward Christ. Here’s another practical way to look at it, is the action inconveniencing you? God calls us out of our comfort zone and into a place where we have to put full trust and hope into him.

4. Your action is Biblical: We have to understand church, that the Holy Spirit works in conjunction with God’s word. If the action is not biblical, then it’s not from God.

We have to take that Step of Faith. The Spirit of God inspired the Word of God so we could be indwelt by God and have his Truths illuminated in our lives. From there, we make a choice. In light of everything we just talked about, in light of everything that Jesus did on the cross and how he sent the Spirit to help us, we then choose to step into that Spirit-Led obedience OR we don’t. Do we walk in the flesh or do we walk in faith? Do we make a decision of the will to act in faith, obeying the Biblical prompting or not? And here’s the thing church, we have to make that decision daily. On a small and very real practical scale. We have to choose everyday where to put our feet, how we’re going to walk through the day. We choose every day whether to walk in faith or flesh. When we’re talking about Grace Bomb, we choose in the morning before we leave the house to put a Grace Bomb card or two in our pocket. I’m not trying to over-spiritualize it, but if you consciously choose not to, then you’re taking one more tool away for the Holy Spirit to use with you.

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Grace Bomb Reloaded - The Influencer: When it comes to faithful action, especially when it comes to Grace Bomb, the influence of the Holy Spirit is crucial and necessary.

• Refresher - What Is Grace Bomb: Grace Bomb is more than just a random act of kindness, it’s an intentional act of love that is motivated by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

• The Role of the Holy Spirit: The life of a Christian should be guided by the influence of the Holy Spirit - the New Testament points us to this around every corner; when it comes to Grace Bomb, the Holy Spirit is the major player!

• The Beautiful Product of Obedience: When we are obedient to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are able to be wielded by God for intentional ministry; the product of our obedience to the Holy Spirit will always be greater than our own efforts alone.

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If this summary piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 or You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page at 10 am!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Kingdom Culture - Fight Clubs

Kingdom Culture has the potential to provide a firm foundation and shape our church for the next 10 years. Discipleship is so unbelievably important. The changing of lives in the context of not only Sunday Gatherings but in our day-to-day is what we are after and believe we can establish in our community! This is the concluding sermon for the series.

Today, we have a bit of a practical message. Now I believe that every message is practical if you intentionally apply it to your life, but this one is ultra-practical. And really it’s all going to culminate in us launching a new discipleship endeavor here at Legacy City that I believe will help create a firm foundation for us to stand on. Ok, so obviously Christ is the firm foundation, so then we’re laying the subflooring today, we’re adding some tile work, some hardwoods, ok?

So one thing I have discovered over the years is that we as a people, and specifically as Christians, are honestly terrible at opening ourselves up for honest and real accountability and discipleship. Here it is church, we tend to be isolated and insulated. We don’t open ourselves up for three reasons: We don’t want to be a burden on anyone, We don’t think it will help, and We don’t really know if we can trust people. There it is. Even our best friends have a husband or a wife or a roommate that they might share my secrets with. Maybe I trust my spouse, but I know what kinda baggage they’re bringing to the table and I just don’t want to be a burden. Maybe I trust our church leadership, but is my confiding in them really going to help anything? These are some legitimate questions and hurdles that we have to get over if we’re going to have lasting and meaningful relationships that move us closer into the fold of Christ.

But can I tell you this morning church, there's something more for you. I know there is more for the men and women of our house. So we’re raising the bar a little bit, and it's going to be a beautiful thing over the life of Legacy City Church. And so effective today, we are launching a new discipleship-oriented “program” for lack of better words, called Fight Clubs.

So what is a Fight Club? Practically speaking, it is a group of 3-4 men or women who meet regularly to help one another fight for faith in the gospel. It’s like an accountability group but it’s so much more—it’s not a Bible Study (although you will most likely talk about the Scripture often), but it is a group of people who share relatively the same season of life and meet consistently to help each other win the fight. The goal of Fight Clubs is simply to repent from sin, rejoice in Christ, and reproduce disciples.

There are four key principles/arenas that drive our desire to see these groups form and mature in our church community:

1. We want to Fight for our Walk with God - Biblical Community includes being with and around those who desire to see you mature in your faith (Acts 2:42-47)

2. We want to Fight for our Hearts and our Character - To have a Biblical heart and a Biblical character is not something that comes naturally to us, especially in our culture; we need to have checks and balances in our lives (2 Sam. 11)

3. We want to Fight for our Families - A family unit is a special thing whether already established or desiring to establish, taking into account the other points mentioned here contribute towards the health and well-being of your family unit.

4. We want to Fight for our Relationships - We want to stand beside our brothers and sisters and say I'm gonna help you fight in these arenas. I'm gonna help you become the man or woman you are called to be.

Now here’s the thing, ultimately our success in this comes down to two things it comes down to loving commitment from all parties involved, transparency in our lives, and the power of the Holy Spirit. I am not being a sensationalist when I say that I truly believe that these groups can and will change the fabric of our church. The difference that a deep Godly community will make will be tangibly felt across this church and community.

Check out how you can get involved HERE!

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Kingdom Culture - Fight Clubs: We believe that Fight Clubs will be a tremendous way for us to gather together as small, intimate groups for the sake of long-term discipleship in one another’s lives.

• The Current Climate: Honestly, it has been really difficult to foster community lately - this initiative will hopefully provide space for intimate connection surrounding one’s spiritual health and maturity.

• The Purpose: Fight Clubs are intended to be long-term, small groups who desire to see one another grow and mature in their faith; we desire intimate community with others because this is how we are intended to live.

• Get Involved: We are excited to reinforce the need for groups like these in our lives - many of you may already have a group of people like this in your life, however, not everyone does; if you’re seeking community like you’ve seen described follow the link above and dive-in!

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If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am! You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page - at the same time!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Kingdom Culture - Disciple > Believer

Kingdom Culture has the potential to provide a firm foundation and shape our church for the next 10 years. Discipleship is so unbelievably important. We believe there is something to be said about the unique difference between being a ‘Believer’ and being a ‘Disciple’. Think about it, what immediately comes to mind when you think of a ‘Christian’?

If you stop people at Walmart or Publix and ask them, “Are you a Christian?” Some people would say, “Yes.” Others would say, “What do you mean?” Some would tell you, “Yes, but …” or “No, but …” or “Yes, but I’m not like …” And some would flat out say, “No, I’m definitely not a Christian.”

Today, we more often describe ourselves and others as Christians rather than disciples. By changing the word that we use to describe ourselves, we have lost the clarity the word “disciple” conveyed about what a follower of Jesus actually is. Our use of “Christian” today obscures the fact that a lot of people who call themselves Christians are not actually disciples.

Here are four examples to consider when wrestling with this distinction:

1. A believer believes Jesus is their Savior but lives to please themselves while a disciple believes in Jesus as their Lord and says I am here to please God.

2. A believer exalts their opinions, their feelings, and their thoughts above the Word of God but a disciple exalts the word of God above their opinions, their feelings, and their thoughts.

3. A believer thinks the church is a place where they go to hear God's Word and hear a good message, a disciple thinks of the church as a place where they learn to do what God's Word says.

4. A believer often serves God based on convenience, but a disciple serves God based on deep conviction.

Do you see this difference we’re trying to draw out here? We want to see this church progressing individually and collectively in the faith, becoming more spiritually mature as a true disciple of Jesus. As I said, this message isn’t meant to shame anyone, it’s meant to challenge us.

Pastor Robbie spoke out of several different passages, specifically in the Gospels, where we see so much of Jesus’ ministry and the call to true obedience that we see. There are three main points that we drew out of these passages to really make this distinction clear.

1. A true disciple lives with radical abandonment for His glory. (Matt. 4:22; Luke 14:33)

2. A true disciple lives with joyful dependence on His Grace. (John 15:16a; Eph. 1:3-6)

3. A true disciple lives with faithful Adherence to Jesus and an urgent Obedience to His Mission. (Matt. 4:19, 28:19-20)

We believe that it's impossible to believe this gospel and to know this Christ and be silent. A privatized faith and a resurrected Christ is practically impossible. And yes, the cost of discipleship is great. To live with radical abandonment for His glory, faithful adherence to His person, urgent obedience… is costly. This requires sacrifice and uncomfortable change. But I submit to you this morning that the cost of non-discipleship is far, far, far greater.

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Kingdom Culture - Disciple > Believer: The differences between a Disciple of Jesus and a Believer in Jesus are vastly different - we believe we are called to more than mere belief but to dive into devotion and obedience!

• The Source: The Disciple sees Jesus as the source not only for their salvation but for their way of life.

• The Path: The Disciple engages with their faith as a journey to become more and more like Jesus.

• The Result: By seeking to view Jesus as more than just the source of our salvation and the example by which we are to live, we come into what biblical salvation looks like - increasing in sanctification.

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If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am! You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page - at the same time!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Kingdom Culture - The Great Commission

Kingdom Culture has the potential to provide a firm foundation and shape our church for the next 10 years. Discipleship is so unbelievably important. The changing of lives in the context of not only Sunday Gatherings but in our day-to-day is what we are after and believe we can establish in our community!

We are about to undergo a bit of a culture shift. We know that if you are not intentional about creating a culture, one will develop anyways. And that’s what has happened over the last few years. A culture has developed. It’s a great culture in some ways, but if I’m really honest, as your pastor, there are some glaring holes.

So for three years, we’ve been pushing forward the mission of Legacy City as a church; that is, to be here for the least, the last, and the lost. A church that seeks to meet felt needs in our community, not just perceived ones. A church that provides a place of hope and refuge for those who have felt maybe burned by church or Christians. We have always sought, from before our very first gathering even, to be a church that takes the gospel into the community and seeks to make the name of Jesus famous above all else. And listen, we are not changing that mission, but we are making a vital addition to it. We are being intentional about creating more space for biblical discipleship.

First and foremost, we need to really define what we mean by conscious and active discipleship. We see in the Great Commission passage, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20)

There are four main things we can get from this verse surrounding Discipleship:

1. Helping People - We have to initiate and be intentional because we are to ‘go’ and ‘make’ disciples (v19).

2. An Assumption of Trust - By way of v19, the public declaration of baptism assumes trust in what Jesus has done and continues to do in our lives; We want people to trust in Jesus to such an extent that they not only give their lives to him, but are moving to actively mature spiritually.

3. What it Means to ‘Follow’ - Disciple-making is about obedience and sanctification i.e. by doing what Jesus has called us to, we are guided towards being more like Him. We share love, grace, and mercy - we trust the Holy Spirit to guide people into this posture! (v20)

4. Who Jesus Is - He is the focus of Discipleship; we are called to point others to becoming devoted followers of him as well. His work has brought us into a right relationship with God, He is the main concern in our minds and in our practice.
   

We are to be and make disciples through the power of and in the name of Jesus. This is our legacy, church. This is the foundation that we must build. Ask yourself if you have been or are being discipled, and if not, we need to take steps to fix that. Are you pouring into anyone else, sharing the love and hope of Christ as revealed to you in your life with them? If not, hopefully over the course of this series, we can begin to fix that!

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Kingdom Culture - The Great Commission: An important mandate given to Disciples of Jesus is to go out and make more Disciples!

• The Nature of Discipleship: A disciple is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and committed to the mission of Jesus.

• The Source of Discipleship: Being a disciple of Christ does not begin with something we do. It begins with something Christ did.

• The Mission of Discipleship: Being a Christian involves denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following him. This process necessarily includes bringing others into this fold.

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If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am! You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page - at the same time!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Vision Sunday 2021

The year of 2020 was anticipated to be a very different year than what we expected. I mean, if 20/20 vision is awesome, then why wouldn’t the year be, right? Well, unfortunately that was not the case - we have had an exceptional amount of turmoil this year, yet there are still many things that we should be thanking God for, in spite of the many difficulties we have been presented with.

Pastor Robbie sets us the previous year as somethin to properly mourn, while also praising and thanking God for all that we are able to; God is in control, ultimately, yet, this does not mean that the trauma and difficulty is lessened by this fact. Our plans for the year, as a church body and as individuals changed in light of the pandemic, however, God’s purposes still remain! He says, “Even when the immediate around us (the detour) feels like it's just a dead end and some people are there right now; it feels like work's a dead end, life's a dead end, job's a dead end, the back payments on rent are a dead end, you can't see how you're going to get out of this situation - but can I give you some encouragement church? That dead end might just be a detour TO God. He's got us on a journey and he's not finished yet. And sometimes it's hard to see in the moment, but if you just keep walking in faith and stay the course one day at a time, one step at a time, and keep trusting God and receiving his goodness in your life; he'll see you through it and you'll be able to look back and even make some sense out of it, even see the sovereignty of the Lord at work.”

With the turn of the New Year, as we move into a time of introspection and hope for the future, we also celebrate Legacy City Church’s Third Birthday! The word that we as a church first put forth in 2020 was ‘Advance’ - we desired to see God move in such a way that God’s Name in our community would Advance; we desired to to see the Gospel go forth and Advance the Kingdom. Even in light of all that happened this year, regardless of other statistics, the Kingdom of God has been impacted by our Church Body this year. Pastor Robbie laid this out quite plainly saying, “We have to remember the promises of God. What did he call us to do as a church? Reach the lost? - well, on March 22, the first real weekend of the pandemic, we pivoted to the Drive-In theater to have church and Fox Carolina broadcast our gospel message of hope to 200,000 people! See people come to know Christ? We live streamed our Good Friday gathering from a porch in Hodges, and people came to know Jesus over the live stream! We’re called to serve our community? We had the opportunity to deliver almost 100,000 meals to kids and families all over the county for District 50. Host a Sunday Gathering that leads people into worship and offers them the Hope of Jesus? Because of the pivot to the Drive In, we were able to continue meeting live and in-person throughout the whole pandemic, seeing hundreds of people from the community joining in during that time.”

While we may not have anticipated to have been able to adapt to such a unique situation as a global pandemic, God is faithful - the power and majesty of the Kingdom of God went forth nonetheless!

This past year has been incredibly stressful, stretching , and traumatizing for many of us, yet God has walked with us through it all. This coming year is equally as tense - the pandemic is not over, political strife hangs in the air, however, the Mission of laid out before us has not changed.

This upcoming week we will beginning a New Sermon Series called Kingdom Culture; We Believe that the Culture of the Kingdom must be the Kingdom of the Church. Discipleship is at the core of this culture - we are continually seeking to become more and more like Jesus, and this series will be diving into how we are going to be cultivating that in 2021!

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Vision Sunday 2021 - What Occurred this past year was stressful and intense for so many of us, however, God has been with us through it all; His Kingdom has advanced nonetheless!

• Given the fact that the Kingdom of God was advanced throughout this past year, we should not consider 2020 to be a waste of time and energy.

• Adaptability in our lives is important to be able to minister effectively in whatever context we find ourselves; because of this, we were able to provide over 100,000 meals to children in the Greenwood Area!

• Introspection is not limited to reflecting on ‘what was’ or ‘what was not’ in our past(s) - we must also look forward so that we are able to continue to honor God in our lives and ministries; our upcoming Sermon Series and our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting will allow us to do just that!

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If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am! You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page - at the same time!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!