In God's Word, we are commanded to pray for all people, no matter if we like them, or disagree with them, or what. All people, especially those in authority over us: our local police, the mayor, the governor, and the President of the United States, whether you voted for them or not. The command does not change depending on who is leading. That migh…

Many Christians believe we have an obligation, not only to our country but to God, to vote certain ways and support certain candidates or policies. As followers of Christ do we have a political obligation to our faith and to our country, and if so, what is it? Watch/listen to this message to discover the unchanging obligation we have to the Kingdom…

What is the Church's position in this present political climate? Are God's people to be on the left or the right, or somewhere in the middle? How do we contend with those of a different viewpoint or party than our own? If there was ever a time to ask WWJD (What would Jesus do?) this is it. Watch this supercharged first message of the Undivided King…

In part 2 of the message entitled The Prayer of Jesus, Senior Pastor Jeff Maness tells us about "The #1 Prayer of Jesus". In part 1, we learned that hours before His excruciating death on the cross, at a time when every word counted, Jesus prayed for the protection, purity (holiness), and purpose of those who were following Him and anyone who would…

Did you know that Jesus prayed for you while He was here on earth? Not only then, but He continues to pray for you now! He prays for the protection, purity (holiness), and purpose of those that love and follow Him. Not only that, but the prayer of Jesus for us is backed up by the power of Jesus in us! Learn more in "Jesus Prayed for You", part one …

In the last message we learned that "God is Everything". Everything that God has done and is doing today and all that He will do in the future is because of His great love. So what is our response to His love? Devotion. We are to be devoted to not only to following Christ, but to abiding in Him. What exactly does this mean? How do we "abide" in Jes…

It’s easy for any of us to ask ourselves, “What is my purpose in this life, in this world, in this universe?" You may feel so small and insignificant and sometimes just wonder what the point of it all is. You may see the daily headlines of natural disasters, global conflicts, political division, and it becomes easy to feel like a very tiny drop in …

What is it that humans long for most? There is probably a range of answers such as meaning, relationships, love, and significance, but the one everyone could agree on would be freedom. Humans long to be free. Experiencing freedom as a citizen of the USA is one thing, but the idea of experiencing spiritual freedom can often be much harder. Even thou…

Have you ever felt like God in the Old Testament is different from God in the New Testament? The grace shown in the Old Testament and the grace we receive through Christ in the New Testament are very similar. We can even see God’s grace in the way He dealt with Adam and Eve in the garden despite the consequences of their sin. Watch this message to …

God is all sovereign, all powerful, all holy, all loving, lacking nothing, needing nothing, perfect in every way, and He is drawing you in through the affectionate call of the Gospel. He calls you to be His child! Yes, the God who created the universe is inviting you into relationship with Him through His son Jesus, just because it will make Him ha…

How can we, humans, understand the deep love of God? We start by understanding that He is perfectly patient, plentiful with love, and perpetually faithful. You may have heard "God is love" all of your life. Listen to this message and see what that really means. Click here for Pastor Jeff's Message Notes. Click here for Small Group Discussion Questi…

In the first message of this series, He Is/We Are, we learned about the holiness of God. In this follow-up message, we learn what our response to God's holiness must be. Watch/listen to learn what worship is and what "True Worship" looks like. Click here for Jeff's Message Notes. Click here for Small Group Discussion Questions. ____________________…

What comes to mind when you think of God? In this first message of the He Is/We Are series, Senior Pastor Jeff Maness explores what it means when we say that God is holy. Holiness as a concept may be hard to grasp. It basically talks about God's apartness or sacredness. There is no one like Him. Only He is absolutely holy, and from His holiness flo…

What areas of your life are you always trying to control? What you try to control the most is often what you worry about the most. And, you may be surprised to find, what you try to control is most often where you are trusting God the least. Watch/listen to this message from Manne Favor, Pastor of Connect Church in Pearland, Texas, to learn that yo…

When things go wrong, it doesn’t take much for the emotions of doubt, disbelief, and discouragement to dominate our minds, so much so that we start may questioning if everything we believe is really real. We may question if God is there and if He is really cares about us. Watch this message to learn that God’s delays are not God’s denials. He loves…

The power of Jesus is best revealed in the problems we face. In the midst of our problems we should be asking God to provide a miracle for us - to reveal His power through provision. But we tend to make assumptions about how God should intervene, what He should do, and when He should do it. We might just need a shift in our perspective to see the r…

The reality is that we are all now in, just getting out of, or just fixing to enter a storm in life. God doesn't sugarcoat this reality in His Word. He tells us many times that there will be storms. But it's just as clear that in those storms, we can have peace in Jesus. Jesus is our anchor in the storm. Watch/listen to this message to see how you …

Are you living in abundance? True abundance is formed in the mind and in the heart, in the spiritual center of who we are. It’s a mindset. This doesn't mean that we don't experience real need at times. It can be so hard at times to look around at what we have or what is happening to us and believe we have an abundance, to believe we have more than …

"Would you like to get well?" At first glance the question seems ridiculous. Anyone who has had any kind of affliction (physical, mental, emotional, or circumstantial) for any length of time knows the answer is a resounding, "YES!" But do you want to get well enough to do what He says? Watch/listen to this message to find that there are three parts…

Jesus is all powerful, and all His power is available to you. Watch this message, entitled "Accessing the Power of Christ" from the series More than a Miracle, and begin to live in the power of Christ every day! Click here for Pastor Jeff's Message Notes. Click here for Small Group Discussion Questions. _____________________________________________…

Sometimes we hesitate to pray for the "small" things we need, because we think that Jesus doesn't care about the little things in our lives, especially when other people are going through much bigger things. But He is the God of the big and the little. If it matters to you, it matters to Jesus, because you matter to Jesus! Click here for Pastor Jef…

When we fail at something or let someone down, we often feel deep regret or like we, ourselves, are a failure. But making a mistake doesn’t make you a failure, and it doesn’t keep God from loving you or using you. In this Easter message, Senior Pastor Jeff Maness tells how Peter's denial of Jesus was Peter's greatest failure, but Jesus wasn't done …

Communion is a ritual we partake of at least once during each sermon series at The Harbor. Jesus instituted communion at The Last Supper, and told us to "Do this in remembrance of me." We know it has great meaning, but let's go deeper into what it's really all about and see how God orchestrated even the tiniest details to point to the Messiah as fa…

We were created to worship God, and not just on Sundays or in those thankful moments when we recognize His hand on our lives. We were created to worship as a lifestyle, every day and in many ways. This does not necessarily mean we walk around singing worship songs all day. Worship means much more than that. Watch this message, "Worship is a Lifesty…

Humility. It is impossible to describe the person of Jesus without using that word. And if the church is meant to be a reflection of Christ, then humility is something we ought to take really seriously and challenge ourselves on as a community. How can a life of service and sacrifice be more fulfilling than a life of power, popularity, and position…

When life is great, it's easy to praise God, but when life is hard, it can be easy to blame God. Is God who you turn to first in the good and the bad? In this message, "Courageous Trust", Community Care Pastor David Miller teaches us how to combat anxiety by waiting on the Lord, replacing intrusive worries and what-ifs with the Word of God and wors…

Being a Christian means we have surrendered our lives to God. That means everything in our lives...everything, including our finances. Experiencing deep fulfillment includes a surrender of our finances to God. The Bible records many promises for those who are generous in giving to God. Watch or listen to this message, "Finding Fulfillment Financial…

Our world is "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" all the time. We are so worried about getting ahead or falling behind. But God does not want His children to be stressed. So how do we find more hours in the day? The solution to hurry is not more time, it is choosing to simplify and slow down. Watch or listen to this message, "How Hurry is Killing You" to find o…

One of our core values at The Harbor is this: "Serving Matters - Followers of Jesus should serve in areas that use their God-given gifts to strengthen and build up the Church and others." In this special service, which we have dubbed "No Show Sunday," we used an unusual method to show those that regularly serve in our church how valuable their serv…

As the season of Lent approaches, many often start wondering what they should give up or sacrifice for that forty days. But lent is not about what we give up; it's about that with which we fill the void. This is the point of fasting. In this message, Senior Pastor Jeff Maness teaches that sacrificing one thing without seeking something else will al…

Baptism is more than a one-time event; it is an ongoing part of our faith journey. In this message Pastor Jeff Maness answers the questions, "What is baptism, why should I be baptized, and how is it a part of my journey?" Learn how baptism is not just a ceremony, but an integral part of our life of faith. Jeff's notes are here: https://notes.subspl…

Only around 25% of the ocean floor has been mapped by high resolution technology, and only 5% of our ocean floors have been physically explored. That's pretty amazing when you realize that the oceans cover about 70% of our earth. We can see the oceans, but few have seen much more than the surface. Whether we realize it or not, our faith in Jesus is…

Have ever wondered about church membership at The Harbor? Do you wonder what it is, why you should be a member, and what it requires of you? This is the message that will answer all of your questions. Periodically, The Harbor uses a Sunday morning message as a means by which existing Harbor Members can reconsider their commitment to membership at T…

At the beginning of a new year, do you make resolutions? New Year's Resolutions are usually about taking control of areas like our eating habits, our time, our spending, our lives. But in this message entitled, "The Great Reset", Discipleship Pastor Ryan Akers says we need to give up control of three areas of our lives to really live the full and a…

Join us for this special New Year's Devotional as Pastor Chris Taylor leads us in worship with a song of hope, and Senior Pastor Jeff Maness gives us his inspirational word for 2024. We hope you'll take some time to end 2023 in reflection, thanksgiving, and prayer for the New Year. ___________________________________________________________________…

What we expect and what we experience can sometimes be very different, even disappointing. Christmas is an excellent example of that. To fully experience what was given at Christmas, we have to fully understand what to expect from Christmas. In this message, entitled "Disappointment with Jesus", Senior Pastor Jeff Maness teaches what we should expe…

Hope is the fuel that keeps us going. Without hope, it is difficult to even get out of bed in the morning. Jesus brings us hope, and not just for the new day, but for all of eternity! Watch this message to find out why there is hope in the name of Jesus. Click here for Pastor Jeff's message notes. ___________________________________________________…

Another of the Ugly Christmas Sweaters that seems to be amplified during the holidays is loneliness. Even with family and friends all around us, and sometimes especially with people all around us, we can feel lonely. In this message Pastor Jeff teaches us the truth about loneliness and how to combat it. Click here for Jeff's notes. Click here for S…

Have you struggled with greed? Most have at one time or another. And it seems to run rampant at Christmas time. It fits into the season like an Ugly Christmas Sweater. If we are not intentional about overcoming greed, we’ll be in bondage to an overwhelming god, the god of "more", the god of discontent, the god of selfishness. In this message, entit…

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” —Matthew 5:10-11 This is not a blessing for which we often pray, but Jesus knew persecution would come to many who follow Him. Pe…

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. —Matthew 5:9 This beatitude is not talking about those who live in a peaceful manner, but those who bring about real, lasting peace, those who work to bring people to Jesus so that they can live in peace with God. As Christians, we are called to bring peace to the wo…

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. —Matthew 5:8 Everyone wants to see God, and if you are in Christ, you will see Him in heaven. But those that are pure in heart will see God now, here on Earth. So how do I make my heart pure? The answer is: you can't. A pure heart is received from Jesus, not achieved for Jesus. It's no…

Mercy is more than an attitude, it is an action toward others, fueled by love. Jesus taught us to love one another and to show mercy to others, just as the Father has shown mercy to us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7 NLT). There are over 2,000 passages in the B…

We all have cravings from time to time, and we try to appease those cravings (within reason). But even following our most heartfelt longing doesn't really leave us feeling satisfied. It is only in seeking God's righteousness will that we can be filled and truly, deeply satisfied. In this message we talk about the fourth Beatitude: "God blesses thos…

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. -- Matthew 5:5 (NKJV) Meekness is generally equated with weakness, but it means quite the opposite. Meekness is power under control. Being meek is not the same as being weak; it is demonstrating God’s power under control. At any time on the way to the cross, or even from the cross, Jesus could…

The second Beatitude in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is: "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4 NLT) The Greek word for mourn here is Penthéō, and it means, "To grieve over a death; to grieve over a personal hope that dies. A manifested grief so severe it takes possession of a person and cannot be hid." Have you felt …

Everyone wants to be happy. Everyone wants to be blessed. Jesus presented some values that describe a life that is blessed. The problem is, these values are not of this world. They are upside down and backwards. In this series we’re going to walk through eight values Jesus taught called “The Beatitudes”. These eight values lay out the pathway for t…

We generally like for people to know as little about us as possible. We are afraid to admit our doubts, our fears, our worries, and our sins. We are afraid to live naked. But that is the opposite of what God has for us. He wants us to live naked so we can experience His love and hope and peace. In Part 1 of the mini-series We're All in this Togethe…

Have you ever wondered what the perfect church would look like? Acts 2:42-47 describes the Church (big C) as it was when it first started. "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer." Everyone lived in community, sharing everything they had…

Sarah laughed at God when He said she was going to have a baby. Certainly she was too old! The Prodigal Son decided to go back to his father in the capacity of a slave. Certainly he had made too many mistakes and was too full of shame to be restored as a son! Zacchaeus was a notorious sinner who just wanted to get a peak at Jesus, but Jesus wanted …