Lenexa Baptist Church (video)

The main way most find love today is through what we call "dating" (obvi). The way we've chosen for people to find love in our culture has it's benefits, but also comes with difficulties, especially when we are aiming to live a life pleasing to God. This week we will highlight some common thoughts about dating that we all have been tempted to believe in one way or another, and see how the God who made us is more helpful than we could ask or imagine when it comes to our love life.

Kicking off our love and relationships series, we dive into understanding what is foundational for success when it comes to love. God has modeled and designed love perfectly, so this week we investigate what the purest, truest, deepest love looks like, straight from the source of our God who is love.

Our experiences with our earthly fathers all differ in many ways - but they all relate in one way: that our fathers are imperfect. This points and directs us to look to a perfect Father in heaven, who always leads us to good, made us to be like him, to share in life giving relationship forever and ever with Him.

Oftentimes when people hear "God is the Judge", they think of God as either a cosmic killjoy or angry policeman. That is a very different picture from how God's character is portrayed through the Bible. God is actually described as being a fair, impartial and perfect judge; one who not only punishes evil to protect others, but who also rewards those who would seek to do good. We can be confident and entrust our desires for justice to him. But there's a flip to that: we will all appear before God one day and be judged for how we live our lives. If that's the case, we want to be confident before the Judge. Come check out Week 4 of our Mighty series as we talk about the character of God as a Judge.

Do you ever feel like you are being tested? Proverbs 17:3 tells us that just like silver and gold are refined in the crucible, God likewise refines human hearts. God uses trials and hardship, even brings them into our lives, in order to help us reflect his image and his glory. If you are going through difficult circumstances, God wants you to know that there is a plan and a purpose for your life, and that He is using that to bless you in the long run. Come listen to Week 2 of our series "Mighty" as we look at what 1 Peter 1:3-8 tell us about God as a refiner.

Do you know God's plan for your eternity? People are compelled by well-written stories. We are naturally drawn to arcs and conflicts, themes and resolutions that resonate within our hearts. As the Creator, God has written the story, not only of human history, but of our salvation and faith as well. In His Word He is described as the Author and Perfecter of our faith. If you want to know God's will and plan for your life, come check out Week 1 of our series "Mighty" as we look at Ephesians 1 to learn about the character of God and how He powerfully works in our lives.

Did you know that all Christians are giving a spiritual job? God has a will for how you live your life, and part of that will is to make the most of the time He has given you. But, if you want to be great at your heavenly job, you cannot do it alone. Come check out what Colossians 4 has to say about how we live our lives AND how important it is to do that with the local church.

A new life, a new identity, and a new life vision was accomplished for those who trust in Jesus - so what does that mean for things from our old life, specifically God given relationships like family and marriage, do they matter to God? Does my earthly work have any spiritual purpose? SPOILER: Yes! Find out God’s good plans for your life in this message.

Many people, after a life-changing experience, say that they have a "new lease on life." Their views and habits can be radically transformed because of their new perspectives. In Colossians 3, Paul says that we have not just a new lease on life, but a new life altogether. This causes us to put away the "old self" and put on the "new self: which is never just lip service. As Luke walks us through Colossians 3:1-17, come listen to what the Bible says this new life ought to be like.

Is weed a sin? Is alcohol a sin? What does the Bible say about this? What about other areas such as sexual sin? How do I know if I'm hearing God's voice or my own or worse? Y'all asked some great questions. As we wrap up our Faithfully Asked Questions series, come check out Week 3 as Luke, Nick and Karrington share what God's Word has to say on a variety of topics.

Have you ever wondered how do we know if someone has the Spirit? What does that even mean? What does it mean to walk by faith, and how do I navigate relationships as a follower of Jesus? Those are excellent questions, and the truth to answering all of them can be found in God's Word. Last week, y'all sent in over 80 questions! Come join us for Week 2 of FAQs as Luke and Karrington respond to your questions about what it means to live day to day as a Christian and a young adult.

Questions are common in the Christian life. Everyone is trying to learn, figure out what the Bible says, and grow in our faith. We know that young adults have a lot of questions in particular, so we wanted to create a time for you to ask your questions! In Week 1 of Faithfully Asked Questions, we had questions about how to walk with God, how to pray, and how to deal with sin. Come check out these FAQs as Nick gives a couple responses along with a couple Block leaders and faithful men and women of God!

"Jesus is Lord." You might have heard this often growing up, or it might be new to you. However, the question for us is: what does that mean? Do we acknowledge that He is Lord and go on living our life? The Apostle Paul says that we are to grow in this truth and be rooted in Christ. There are all kinds of ideas and philosophies about how to live on this Earth, but God calls us to be undistracted and to focus our minds and hearts on the truth of the gospel every day. Come check out Week 4 of our Colossians series as we see what it means to be "rooted in Christ."

Everyone is competing for something. Whether you are athletic or not, competitive or not, each of us are striving to succeed in things that we think will bring us fulfillment. In fact, the Christian life is described in athletic terms over 50 times positively in the New Testament. There is something about a competition or a race that conveys the truth that God has for our lives. So the question is: how are you running, and what are you running toward? In Week 3 of our Colossians series, come listen as Nick talks about what it means to compete for the gospel.

Who is Jesus? Many think of him as a kind teacher, or a historical figure, or a theoretical idea. In reality, He is much more than we can begin to imagine. But why does it matter to us? A.W. Tozer said that "what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about a person". If you have a small view of Jesus, your perception of his sacrifice for you and concern for your life will never amount to much. But if you have a big view of Jesus, then you'll begin to understand just why He is the most important person in all of eternity. Come check out Week 2 of Colossians as Nick takes us through the awe and love of Jesus Christ.

We all hope for a lot of things: nice weather, another Chiefs Super Bowl, or the perfect vacation. But what do we hope IN? Jesus says that our hope and treasure determine the safety of our heart, but how do we know where to hope? In Colossians 1:1-14, the Apostle Paul writes that we can have a hope in heaven that leads to a fully pleasing life, both to God and to us. Come check out Week 1 of Colossians as Nick Swearingen takes us through what it means to put our hope in Jesus and His kingdom.

Grief is one of the most powerful emotions that we face. Whether it's due to changing life circumstances, job loss, breakups all the way to death of a loved one, loss and sorrow can be overwhelming emotionally. Unfortunately, less than half of all Americans would say they know how to grieve. God in His Word has a lot to say about grief, but it goes farther: God is actually near to the broken-hearted and is acquainted with grief Himself. If you are grieving, have bottled up grief, or have a friend who is mourning loss, come check out John 11 with us as we look at God's purpose for our grief and how He comforts us in our sorrow.

Loneliness hits all of us: now or in upcoming life changes. Gen Z is reported as being the loneliest generations, and while we haven't been tracking loneliness across all generations, we do know that so many young adults feel isolated and trapped. When we are alone, we are so much more likely to believe lies instead of God's Word. Thankfully God gives us a roadmap to intimacy with Him and deep community with others, even in the midst of feeling lonely. So whether you are lonely now or coming up to a season of life change, come check out Week 2 of Mixed Emotions as we look at God's design for us to combat loneliness and bring it to Him.

Emotions can be difficult to navigate and cloud our best judgments. At the same time, we know that God created us as emotional beings. In our series Mixed Emotions, we'll be looking at roadmaps in Scripture of how to follow God in the midst of emotional highs and lows, starting off with shame. Shame is something that most people carry, but never learn to fully bring up to God. The Apostle Peter was similarly familiar with the experience of failure and shame, and yet we see God restore him in John 21. Come check out Week 1 of Mixed Emotions as we look at how God wants to inform and heal our shame and help us live for Him.

Oftentimes we hear that life is difficult and that hard times will come - God Himself even acknowledges this. Many people want to persevere through troubles, but besides white knuckling and gritting our teeth through life, very few of us know what this looks like day to day. If you want to know how to hold on for the long haul - through financial troubles, relationship conflicts, and job stresses - come check out our final week of Practically Speaking as we close out the book of James, looking at what it means to Practically Persevere.