Joy Church Fernley, Nevada Messages

How can we find true peace in a world filled with negativity, strife, and spiritual unrest? We need Shalom, God’s supernatural peace. Shalom is absolute wholeness, completeness, and certainty that can only be found in the divine presence of God. Join us as we draw nearer to God, realign our priorities, and embrace a life lived fully in Christ's presence.

No matter the storms that our souls face, God's presence remains a constant source of comfort.  Our souls face many challenges in today’s tumultuous times. Whether it is  mental health struggles, questioning our identity or experiencing wavering confidence, it's clear that our inner selves are under siege. Despite the negativity and doubts that may surround us, we're encouraged to find strength in our spiritual faith. When we feel lost or shaken, we can always turn to God for peace and certainty. We need to stand firm in our faith, embrace our position as God's children, and find solace in His eternal love and victory over all of the tribulations of the world.

Today's message is about seeing the cross and the crucifixion of Christ in a new and profound light. It's a reminder of the immense love and sacrifice Jesus made for us—to conquer evil, to bring forth God's kingdom, to connect us with the Father, and to empower us with the Holy Spirit. The cross is not just a symbol but a gateway to experiencing Christ's reign in our hearts and lives. Let's embrace the resurrection, hold onto truth, and discover our true identities through Christ. Every time we see a cross may we more deeply and truly find and follow this wonderful Jesus, His way, His truth, and His life.

This week, we examine Jesus' role as the 'head' or the ultimate authority over the church and our lives. Many of the world's problems arise from a lack of proper headship or leadership. Jesus provides the direction we need and serves as the source of our strength. As our faith deepens, we are reminded that we are betrothed to Christ and will become His bride at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, as mentioned in the Book of Revelation. This journey from being Christ's body to becoming His bride requires complete submission to Christ on the part of the church.

The Holy Spirit draws, attracts, and captivates us, inviting us to willingly and joyfully follow a Holy Lord. Sadly, we can just as easily be attracted, captivated, and ensnared by unholy or demonic influences. As humans, we can be influenced by both God's Holy Spirit and the demonic realm, but we can also be influencers. Our words, behaviors, habits, and patterns can either proclaim or promote these unseen realms. We possess the ability to elevate ourselves and others toward God and the heavenly realm, or drag ourselves and others down into the unholy demonic realm. Who are you proclaiming?

When it comes to prayer, it's easy for us to focus on "religiosity" and to get hung up trying to sound spiritual or worry about things that might prevent God from hearing and answering our prayers. The good news is that nothing keeps God from hearing our prayers. He is relatable, touchable, tangible, and accessible. He always responds to prayers, even if it's not in the way we would like or expect. The most effective prayers are always simple and originate from our authentic selves. Regardless of how your prayer sounds, God accepts it without judgment. So, "just pray," trusting that God will listen and respond out of his goodness and love.

Over the past couple of weeks we have explored the Beauty of our creator and also the beauty of God’s creation - Us!  This week we look at the idea of “OI” - “original intelligence, original identity and original identity”.  This is the image, the intelligence, and the identity that God had in mind when he created each one of us.  You were predestined by God. You were designed.  You are one of a kind. God put his mark upon you and called you. God has a purpose and a destiny for you.  God knew all about you before you were born, and he destined you from the beginning to share the likeness of His Son, Jesus.

As we continue exploring the concept of ‘beauty’, our focus turns to the beauty of God’s own creation – us. Each of us is a unique masterpiece, formed by His divine hands. We are living testimonies of His deep and unconditional love, demonstrated through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. The world often leads us to believe that our worth is dictated by physical beauty. But as followers of Christ, we must remember that our true beauty, as seen through God’s eyes, is not skin-deep. It stems from a heart that seeks Him, a spirit that is humble before Him, and a life lived in love and service.

Today, we explore the awe-inspiring beauty of Christ, His character, His love, and His creation. His beauty is a beacon, drawing us closer to Him. It is within this beauty that we find wholeness, harmony, and ‘shalom’, that connecting us deeply with Him. Psalm 24:9-17 reminds us that our deepest desire should be to live in God’s presence and be awed by His grace and glory. As we allow ourselves to be captivated by His magnificent beauty, we come to realize that Jesus is all we need. This is a simple truth: Christ embodies beauty, and it is this beauty that brings meaning and fulfillment to our lives.

Gerizim holds special significance for the Samaritans as a holy mountain where they went to worship God. Through Jesus’ conversations with the Samaritan woman at the well and with Nicodemus, we gain a different understanding of the nature of true, genuine, and heartfelt worship. Gerizim represents all of the traditions, rituals, cultural practices, and distractions that divert our attention away from true worship in spirit and truth. We should instead seek a deep connection and intimacy with God through His Holy Spirit.

John Poundstone introduces a refresshing new approach to Joy Church's Sunday Worship services. Imagine a joyous celebration, a friendly gathering where we learn and share the life changing message of God’s Kingdom. No matter who you are or where you’re from, you’re welcome. Our focus will be on the message that Jesus’ sacrifice paves our way to heaven and transforms our lives when we embrace a personal relationship with him. We’ll explore the Kingdom of God and the gospel in an authentic way without sugarcoating anything. After all, the gospel is great news, and God is more wonderful than we can imagine. Come as you are and leave transformed!

“Wilderness seasons” are life-altering circumstances characterized by hardship, struggle, uncertainty, and confusion. These challenging chapters of our lives often arise from situations such as financial difficulties, medical conditions, addiction, relationship problems, emotional issues, or mental health concerns. God utilizes these “wilderness seasons” to guide us towards personal and spiritual growth by testing our ability to endure and overcome adversity. These seasons challenge the notion that “God will never give you more than you can handle”. Trials that surpass our ability to cope are essential for growth. We can take comfort in the fact that God is always present, supporting us through these trials even when His presence isn’t immediately apparent.

“Metanoia,” or repentance, is more than simply turning away from sin. It is a spiritual journey away from darkness to the Kingdom of God. Pride leads to exile, but repentance is the path back home. It is a shift from limitation and death to abundance and life. Repentance is a process that brings great rewards: the presence, peace, purity, priorities, power, and perspective of God.

In today’s message, we continue our exploration of pride and how to recognize it in our lives. We explore the deceptive nature of pride and how it can show up in different areas of our lives, like work, church, and family. We also look at biblical stories, such as Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood, and the Tower of Babel, to understand the consequences of pride and idolatry. We can be assured that God always provides a way for us to abandon our pride and return to His love, mercy, and grace. So, press into the Holy and learn some practical things that we can do to increase our humility and overcome pride in our lives. 

Guest preacher, Matt McCreary, helps us to see the danger in pride. Many people let their pride guide their actions, and they make choices based on their own sense of right and wrong. These choices often go against what Jesus taught. Even supposedly wise people make this mistake and foolishly ignore God, following their own prideful path to their downfall. This foolishness comes from “spiritual deafness” - ignoring God’s word or calling His word offensive. It is important to read the Bible with humility and try to understand God and His word better. We should aim to live according to God’s will. We can trust that God will succeed and truth will win.

Today we focus on Communion and finding a deeper understanding and a more transformative experience of this sacrament. Communion is about rediscovering the unity that exists amongst us through our faith and making an opportunity to reunite with God and to experience His power, beauty, majesty, Grace, Mercy, and Truth. We are called to live out this unity in our daily lives.

In today’s message, John Poundstone talks about discipleship and the cycle of conversion, healing, deliverance, equipping, empowerment, and service. We are encouraged to find healthy ways to express our emotions and to trust in God when we are facing difficulties and suffering. John shares five things we should avoid during challenging times so that we don’t make hasty or regrettable decisions. He encourages us to prioritize our relationship with God and focus on His presence, peace, and purity when making decisions.

In today’s message, we learn that submission is not a sign of weakness or defeat, but rather a pathway to joy. We can willingly submit to God because His leadership is humble, loving, and trustworthy. God is always good and never not good. Learning to submit to God and connect with Him involves seeking His presence, peace, purity, priorities, and power. This is how we discover that total freedom, joy, and victory are beautifully disguised as submission.

God invites us to learn more about Him, His Kingdom and His ways by asking questions. The more questions we pose, the closer we can draw to Him and the ultimate, highest possible good that He has for us. We often want God to give us answers that align with our own preconceived notions, but the Bible cautions us against trying to confine God within our own understanding or to mold Him according to our own desires. We should not hesitate to ask God questions, but rather look to Him to help us to understand and experience all that He has in store for us.

John Poundstone encourages and challenges us to daily, weekly or monthly ask these questions of God:

• What are You really like?

• What do you really think of me?

We are also encouraged to ask the following questions about the Kingdom of God:

• What is the story?

• Why does it matter?

• What is my part?

In our modern world, filled with busyness, stress, striving, and overindulgence, it’s easy for our souls to become spiritually ‘dehydrated’ - depleted, dry, and withered. We need to ‘hydrate’ our souls by seeking the ‘living water’ that God makes available to us at all times. Instead of trying to be more fruitful through our own efforts, we need to remember that it is God who provides the life force we need to nourish and replenish our souls. Our responsibility is to remain connected to Him and align ourselves with His kingdom, His ways, and His thinking. When we return to Him and spend time in His presence we will find peace and refreshment for our souls.

Are you struggling to find unity in today’s fractured and divided world and church? In this week’s Joy Church Message, John Poundstone discusses the importance of unity. Unity doesn’t begin and end with the church. Unity is universal. We don’t need to pray for unity to come, but rather realize that unity is available to us now. To experience unity, we only need to step into the truth in God’s kingdom. God builds unity from diversity. God has designed each of us to be different with unique skills, talents, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. We were designed by God for a purpose. Like instruments in a symphony, God has designed each of us to play a different part. We are called to be in community and to be tightly connected to others. Satan hates the church and he delights in disunity in the church. Satan desires to weaken the church by dividing it and getting people to focus on their differences rather than focusing on Jesus. God is transforming each one of us into the Holy of Holies, his dwelling place through the power of the Holy Spirit. God is fitting each of us together like perfectly fitted stones of the temple to lay a foundation for the church.

In our message today, we celebrate Father’s Day and honor all fathers and father figures who have played a significant role in our lives. We also celebrate Jesus, who has provided a path to our Heavenly Father. It is through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection that we can see the Father. Because of Jesus, we can hear Him and have a direct one-on-one relationship with Him. The Father is knowable, seeable, touchable, and findable because of Jesus. Jesus is the master, the architect, the originator, and the genesis of inclusion. There is no greater thing, reward, benefit, or treasure in life than to know the Father and to be known by the Father.

In our message today, John Poundstone invites each of us to catch “Bible-fever” and to embark on a constant, unquenchable quest to find the treasure within God’s Word, the Bible. Through Bible reading, we can discover Jesus and the Father. We can find the way, truth, and life that the Bible promises. We can explore the righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit found in the kingdom of God. We can learn about the ways and the culture of heaven. 

Each of us possess an innate desire and curiosity to know God deeply. The Bible helps us to find answers to our deepest questions: “Who really is God? What is He really like? What does He think of me? Why am I here?”

John offers practical tips for making Bible reading enjoyable and not some form of legalism. He debunks some common myths about the Bible and provides tips for finding the best Bible translation for studying and personal reading. 

Reading the Bible is an adventure with no right or wrong approach. God would love for us to get to know Him even more deeply by engaging with His Word.

In this week’s message, Senior Leader John Poundstone asks us to reconsider the popular WWJD wristbands and instead ask ourselves “What WILL Jesus Do?” It is important for us to not make everything revolve around ourselves but rather around Jesus. John encourages us to let Jesus be in charge of all our circumstances, situations, issues, problems, plans, fears, and outcomes. Jesus promises to restore and redeem us and never abandon us. We can pursue Jesus through prayer and rely on His “God Logic” instead of our own logic to guide us.

In our message this morning, Ted and Deana Treault speak about forgiveness and the connection between grace, redemption, and forgiveness. They share ways to overcome doubt in one's relationship with God. They offer practical tips for strengthening one's faith through daily prayer and Bible reading. Forgiveness requires a genuine repentance that comes from the heart. It is important to let go of bitterness and resentment and accept God's grace which is freely given despite our unworthiness.

Putting her faith and trust in God hasn't always been easy for Debi.  In our message this morning, she shares personal stories of how taking action and stepping out in faith has helped her to grow in trust and confidence in God.

Biblical trust and faith means more than believing in who God is or what He says. Faith is inseparable from trust. It's the confidence that God can and will do what he says in his word. Developing a trusting, faith-filled relationship with God takes time, communication, conversation and experience.  Part of being strong and of good courage means trusting in the Lord as our true source of strength.  We will all face stressful, difficult situations. That's just part of life. We can trust God and rely on him to get us through whatever we are facing and even to bring us through better and stronger.

When God created men and women, He gave them unique abilities and qualities that reflect His divine nature. They have the power to think, dream, speak, and create. When men and women join forces, respecting each other's strengths, they embody a more complete expression of God's nature.

Women were created by the Almighty to birth breakthroughs on planet earth. God has uniquely designed and crafted women with a latent ability to release life and new spiritual beginnings through intercession and words that will touch the nations.  God hears the cries of women and their desires and never-ending, contending for their children, families, and loved ones

How do we navigate the narrow gate that the Bible talks about?   If Jesus has made salvation possible for all of us, why does he say the gate is narrow and few will find it? 

The wide and narrow gates describe our choices in this life. The broad gate represents the path most people, even Christians choose. The broad gate leads to destruction because it's all about me and my interests.  It’s about self-involvement, self-defense, self-protection, self-interest, and selfies. It’s about serving a God we make in our own image which is nothing short of idolatry.  It deeply grieves, and concerns Our loving God to see us diminished and destroyed by our own self focused mindset.  

The narrow gate, on the other hand, is about choosing to shift our focus to God and to treat others with the same care and respect that we desire for ourselves. This is the very essence of the teachings of the law and the prophets. By choosing to enter through the narrow gate, we not only gain eternal life but also experience abundant life right now.

In this message we learn how to resign as “master of our own universe” and let Jesus show us the things that pull us off the path and how to find the narrow gate that leads to abundant life.

The laying on of hands is a beautiful way for us to express our love, care, and concern for others through the use of our hands. It is a powerful means of transmitting blessings, authority, and wisdom as well as commissioning individuals for ministry. This divine practice is found throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and is an elemental ‘basic’ of the Christian faith. When we lay hands on others, we must do so with humility and deep reverence for God. We must follow biblical protocols and exercise discretion, especially when it comes to children and those of the opposite sex. Most importantly, we must allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and keep our hands clean and hearts pure, so that we can express and transmit God's grace and love.

In our culture today, we are encouraged to think that life is all about us: our needs, our wants, our goals. We're encouraged to pursue our personal truth and live our best life. But when we become followers of Christ, we must adopt a new way of thinking: "It's Not About Me." Jesus himself never sought personal gain or revenge. Instead he focused only on the will of the Father.

As followers of Jesus, we must take a look at our own behavior and reactions, and surrender to the Holy Spirit. True discipleship means being willing to sacrifice ourselves for His glory, and discovering the true life that comes from following His ways. It's only by letting go of our own desires and agendas that we can find the purpose God has for us. We need to remember that "It's Not About Me" – it's about His plan, His will, and His glory.

Now that Easter has passed, you may find yourself asking “Now What?”

The 40 day period between Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension was a monumental time of transition and preparation. Jesus spent time with his disciples and prepared them to live and minister in his name.  

This year, we are encouraged to take this 40 day period between Easter and Pentecost and undertake our own time of transition and preparation by:

• Growing in intimacy with Jesus by praying and meditating on scripture;

• Seeing and honoring the value and equality of all people regardless of their race, age, social position and especially gender;

• Taking our seat at Jesus’ table by accepting and receiving his offer of adoption into the Kingdom.

Today, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which brings us new life. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He is the light of the world and the gateway to a good life. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leads us to Abba, Father God. Through Jesus, we can find our true identity, purpose, and destiny. We don't need to wait for His return in glory. We can start living fully now.

To experience resurrection life, we are invited to come to His table. This invitation is not about following any religious rituals or rules but about coming to Jesus to have our feet washed and our lives, dreams, and purposes restored and made new. Come to His table and find the resurrection life that is available to you today.

Jesus is our path to the good, good Father and Holy Spirit of God. He is our GPS, our teacher, our guide, our coach, and our leader. Scripture, the verses in the Bible and Community, are our support system. Surrender is our super power. Jesus is the life of abundance. Jesus is the path to identity, authority, purpose and righteousness. Jesus is the path to unending joy and he is the path to unshakeable peace. Make way for Jesus!

John Poundstone encourages us to develop a "prospector mentality" when it comes to reading the Bible and unearthing all of the treasure to be found there.

He provides practical tips for getting the most out of our Bible reading time.

From the story of Lazarus, we learn that resurrection is absolutely not just possible, but it is real. God's resurrection power is not just available to Lazarus. It is available to all of us. God invites us to use His resurrection power to resurrect from those things that are holding us back and dragging us toward the grave.

God's grace is mercy perfectly blended and balanced with His power.  Jesus is never missing in action. He is always mercy in action. Jesus always made a point of addressing real unmet needs and we should do likewise.

Freedom describes a state of being where you live 100% as God created you to be.  There are many things that keep us from living in freedom.  God is ready, willing, able and eager to help us to find freedom and to stay there.

Steve and Debi Taylor share with us the basics of prayer that have sustained them through good times as well as times of difficulty and challenge.  There should be an attitude of God consciousness and surrender to God that we carry with us at all times.  Every waking moment of our days are to be lived with an awareness that God is with us and that He is actively involved and engaged in our thoughts and actions.

The next 44 days matter! Whether you know it or not, you are in a short season where results CAN count.

Resurrection Weekend is only six weeks away. This season—Easter 2023— holds massive promise. Outpourings across our nation, mainstream movies and more are big and glaring evidence. God eagerly and urgently desires to get in on this… in, with and through… YOU, too!

Seize the opportunity this pre-Easter season offers. Go hard after Jesus… beyond head knowledge. Taste, see, hear, sense, perceive.

Start or get reinforced with this recording.  I highly recommend two additional sources:

Alicia Britt Chole’s “40 Days of Decrease”. Look her up on Instagram, Vimeo or YouTube.

Brian Zahnds’s book, “The Unvarnished Jesus”.

I am not going to spoon feed you by providing links, etc. If you will direct your will and just a little energy toward first steps on your own, Abba will respond exponentially.

I love you. Yes, you.

In order to follow Jesus, you need a guide and an outfitter. In order to find all the treasure, get all the resources and all the skills, and everything that your good God wants to give you, you need a partner. That partner is the Holy Spirit and he is magnificent beyond description.

What happens when you follow Jesus and allow him to be the authority for your life? As you pursue Jesus fiercely and at great cost you’ll find greater intimacy with Him, and grow in righteousness.  As you make Jesus your prize and your treasure, you will become a new creation and be transfigured and transformed. The more you find Him, the more you are in His presence, the more you experience Him, the more that you see Him, unveil Him, reveal Him, you will become like Him. You will become the real you.

Pastor John encourages us not to hide from God out of fear or shame but rather to seek God with our whole heart. We are sure to find that God is already seeking us out in his grace, love and mercy.

Commitment to God is of great importance to Tim Nevarez.  Today Tim shares how commitment to God plays out in his life, in his work, in his dealings with his family and most importantly in his daily walk with God.   We hope you enjoy this candid and heartfelt message.

Salvation is not a singularity.  It is not a one-time thing.  It is not a prayer.  Salvation is an incremental deliverance from one kingdom to another, step-by-step, over time.  Discipleship is going from the unknown to the known in attainable steps.  Discipleship happens inwardly through the stewardship of the Holy Spirit of God as well as through Scripture and person-to-person connection through other members of the body of Christ.

Pastor John Poundstone takes a prophetic look ahead at what the year 2023 might bring for our nation, our churches and our families.  

On Sunday, December 18, 2022, Megan Bennett spoke at our "Sweet and Savory" event.  We think that you will be tremendously blessed by her words.

This Advent Season we look at 'chesed', a deep, ancient, sacred kind of love.  Chesed is unique and different.  It is the loving kindness that binds Jesus Christ - Emanuel to us.

Advent is a season of expectant waiting.  We long for hope that cannot be killed.  We wish for peace that cannot be shaken.  We can take comfort in knowing that peace and hope can be found in the person of Jesus Christ.

Today Tim & Alice Nevarez talk about the laying on of hands and look at the scriptures behind this life giving practice.