Messages by Michael Bouterse

The World

Scripture Text: John 15:18-16:4a

In the second half of his last lesson, Jesus teaches the disciples how to represent him in the world—and that this involves a cost. Should we choose to follow him, Jesus warns we’ll encounter pushback, rejection, and hostility; and in the face of such persecution, it’d be tempting to turn back. Yet rather than drive us away from Jesus, the world’s hatred can actually bring us closer to him than ever. Join us this Sunday as Michael Bouterse continues our “Last Lesson” series by looking at Jesus’ teaching in John 15:18-16:4 on Christian witness in a hostile world.

The Vine

Scripture Text: John 15:1-17

This Sunday we come to John 15, and with it, the second half of Jesus’ last lesson. As He takes His disciples outside the Upper Room and into the streets of Jerusalem, Jesus shifts His focus from how to cultivate private communion with Him to how to bear witness publicly in the world. What’s the secret to bearing fruit faithfully in a world that is often hostile to Christianity? According to Jesus, it’s abiding in Him, the true vine. Join us as Michael Bouterse unpacks what abiding means and how we can represent Jesus effectively in our twenty-first century world.

The Last Lesson

Scripture Text: John 14:15-31

On the night of his arrest, Jesus promised to send his disciples the Holy Spirit. Who is the Holy Spirit, what does the Holy Spirit do, and why is the Holy Spirit so important? This Sunday Michael Bouterse continues our series on Jesus’ “Last Lesson” by unpacking what John 14:15-31 says about the Holy Spirit.

The Great Betrayal

Scripture Text: John 13:18-38

It was the night before Jesus was crucified, and all the disciples were leaning in to listen as their beloved rabbi taught them one last lesson. But suddenly something dramatic happened: Judas, one of their own number, abruptly got up and disappeared into the night. Why did Judas abandon Jesus, and what does his betrayal teach us about true Christian faith? This Sunday we continue our series on John 13-17 by looking at how the tragic example of Judas ironically reveals to us the heart of the gospel.

The Meaning of Easter

Scripture Text: John 20:24-31

The resurrection of Jesus is unimaginably wonderful. It means there is real hope for the world and real hope for our lives. But that hope is based on an extraordinary claim: roughly 2,000 years ago, a man named Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. What would it mean if that really happened? And how do we know that it really happened? This Easter Sunday, Michael Bouterse speaks to why the resurrection is not only wonderful but also believable.

Cynical No More

Scripture Text: Haggai 2:1-9

To anticipate the celebration of Easter and the resurrection, Michael Bouterse continues a two-part series on revival from the Old Testament book of Haggai. One of the great maladies affecting the Israelites of Haggai’s day was cynicism—which today is the spirit of our age. In this Sunday’s message on Haggai 2, we’ll see that through the gospel God can heal our cynicism and resurrect our hope.

Return to the Lord

Scripture Text: Haggai 1:1-19

At Easter, God revived Jesus when He raised Him from the dead. But what about the church? How does God revive His people, even when they’ve strayed? For the next two weeks, Michael Bouterse helps prepare us for Easter by teaching on revival from the Old Testament book of Haggai. In this Sunday’s message on Haggai 1, we’ll see how God revives the church by leading her through crisis to conviction and conversion.

Our Ancient Foe

Series: Ephesians -

Scripture Text: Ephesians 6:10-24

Paul concludes the letter to the Ephesians with a warning: we have an enemy. This Sunday Michael Bouterse teaches on what the Bible says about spiritual warfare based on Ephesians6:10-24, an eye-opening, courage-infusing passage about how through Jesus we can have victory over the powers of darkness.

Blueprint for a Healthy Church

Series: Ephesians -

Scripture Text: Ephesians 4:1-16

Attractional churches, liturgical churches, megachurches, house churches—today the number of models for church seems endless. Thankfully, Scripture lays out its own blueprint for what a healthy church looks like. This Sunday Michael Bouterse teaches on Ephesians 4:1-16 to explore how the gospel can shape a group of imperfect Christ followers into a beautiful community that makes Jesus unignorable in our city and beyond.

Experiencing the Love of God.

Series: Ephesians -

Scripture Text: Ephesians 3:14-21

This week Michael Bouterse continues our study of Ephesians by teaching on Paul's longest prayer in Scripture. Our lives are beset with any number of problems. But Paul shows us that behind all our problems there's really only one problem—and in Ephesians 3:14-21 he prays for the solution. This Sunday, we'll discover that the love of God is wider, longer, broader, and deeper than we ever could have imagined and that it's possible not just to know about it intellectually but actually experience it personally.

How Can I Trust the Bible?

Defending the Faith

Series: Apologetics: Defending the Faith

Scripture Text: 2 Peter 1:16-21

On Sunday Michael Bouterse gave us a phenomenal teaching on why we can trust the Bible as reliable, inspired and authoritative in our lives.  But not only was his teaching scholarly and accessible, it was also a personal message with great practicality for our relationship with our Lord. 

Joseph & the Heart of the Gospel

Through the Bible Series

Series: Trilogy - Book One - Diagnosis

Scripture Text: Genesis 44:10-45:1

In this message guest preacher Michael Bouterse shows how the Joseph story reveals that forgiveness is at the very heart of the gospel.

Loving Your Enemies

Series: Romans

Scripture Text: Romans 12:14-21

Guest preacher Michael Bouterse challenges us to love our enemies as he continues our Romans series with a look at Romans 12:14-21.

The Verdict: Not Guilty

Series: Romans

Scripture Text: Romans 3:21-26

Tim Keller called it the greatest pivot in the Bible - going from Romans 3:20 to Romans 3:21.  We hit that pivot on Sunday as Michael Bouterse joins us to preach on Romans 3:21-26.

Why Relationships Matter - Paul's Last Testament

Scripture Text: 2 Timothy 1:1-7

Guest preacher Michael Bouterse from Thrive shares a word from 2 Timothy 1:1-7.  Text is one of the last things Paul wrote and it's all about the importance of relationship.

Psalm 73

Michael Bouterse from Thrive shares a teaching from Psalm 73.

The Tabernacle and the Cross

Michael Bouterse from Thrive gives a detailed presentation of the Tabernacle and how it is an exploded diagram for the cross. Fascinating talk and fits in great with our Life of Moses series.

God Does Something In You Before Through You

Scripture Text: 2 Kings 2:1-18

Michael from Thrive shares a word from 2 Kings 2:1-18.

Confidence

Scripture Text: Psalm 46

In this message Michael from our ministry partner Thrive share a word on Psalm 46 showing that in it we are given a promise of confidence, the secret of confidence and an invitation to confidence.

Finishing Strong

Scripture Text: 2 Tim 4

In this message, guest preacher Michael Bouterse from Thrive young adult ministry, shares about Paul's final words to Timothy, encouraging and teaching us all, about how we end matters.  Explore in this teaching the keys to finsihing well and going the distance.

Parables of the Kingdom

Scripture Text: Matthew 13

Michael Bouterse of the Thrive young adult ministry continues our theme on the Kingdom of God by focussing on four parables of the Kingdom recorded in Matthew 13.