Church In The Valley - Ontario Ranch Campus

The heroes of the town shape the ideals of the community and help to form a community mindset of what’s most important. In the church, the leaders are to be held to a strict standard of character, followers are to focus on making it a joy for their leaders, and godly cooperation helps the community fulfill its purpose.

God intends for Christ followers to get connected, to stay connected and use their energy and abilities for the common good. There are many churches to choose from in a given area so we must take initiative to connect to a local church, stay connected and then work for the common good of the church’s people and mission.

A community is made up of people who live within its borders and a common identity develops from growing up in it and being a part of the life of the small town. In the church community, we’re born into the family/community when we are “born again” in Jesus. We have a common identity in Him and live within the boundaries He sets for life.

The need and desire community is connected to the way God made us. He made us in His image. He is a relational God, He experiences community within His own being (in the trinity), and he made us to live in community.

It would seem that if we just had a little more money, our problems in life would be solved. Our current financial situation rarely seems to be enough, so we are often tempted to scan for more.

Mundane responsibilities year after year seem to threaten the sweet life. Joy comes as a gift when we set our hearts to please God as we faithfully pursue our responsibilitie

We all would love to experience a life of peace and harmony, but nothing destroys our happiness as quickly as relational conflict. When conflict erupts, we have two choices. We can either be robbed of our joy or do the hard work of making peace.

The cultural American Dream involves achieving a higher and higher level status and importance. The way to get ahead seems like it should come through pushing our way through the crowd or stepping on others along the way, but Choosing humility brings God’s blessing and exalting.

Being a part of God’s mission to help people come to know Christ is the most fulfilling thing we can be a part of…Everything else we give ourselves to is too small. God’s desire is to bring His salvation to the ends of the world.

Telling others about Christ is the focal point of the church. This is what being a missionary is all about. However, we are not meant to be a Lone Ranger missionary. God wants us to team together to tell, bring, and show Christ’s love to those around us.

We tend to think in “us” and “them” categories in life and this can distance ourselves from people who are not like us. The same distance can exist with Christians. However, to be effective in evangelism we must learn from Jesus who bridged the distance with people and spent time with “them.”

Everyday Missionaries carry secrets the world needs to know. We carry the secret things of God. Christians cannot keep these secrets to ourselves—we must be faithful to tell them to others because God has entrusted these secrets to all who follow Him.

We'll show the value of serving from God’s perspective and how the most important in His Kingdom are servants.

Our tithe is a percentage that represents the whole of our wealth (and life). When we give a portion of our income, we acknowledge God’s rightful place in our lives.

The Word of God is both a “level” and “compass” for our lives. When we gauge our words and actions by Scripture, we can bring them in line to be straight (or level) and pleasing to God and also points to true north orienting us to God’s will as we face daily conversations and challenges.

When we worship God, we give Him the honor that is due Him as our Maker and the one who died for us. We come together in worship to recognize His rightful place in our lives.

When unfaithfulness exists in relationships, trust erodes and relationships die. Love and Faithfulness are the keys to rebuild trust.

Jealousy and Rivalry flow out of a deep rooted selfishness to get our own way. When we see an advantage that another has—or may get—we resent that they have it (Jealousy) and rival against them to get what they get (Selfish Ambition). We need the Lord's help for our attitudes and actions to change.

Using others to meet my own needs appears in movies a lot and in this continuation of the story of Tarzan, we find him being manipulated to accomplish the goals of the authority over him but is lead by lies and deception.

Poor communication is a major factor in most conflict. When it’s time to listen we may talk and when it’s time to encourage we may want to instruct. The Bible actually provides a helpful guide for communication. Our words should edify/build up according to one’s need.