Portland Christian Center

He Lives Apr 04, 2021

You’re invited to experience the depths of Christ’s love for you. It’s a love that forgives. A love that restores. A love that never ends. Because of His sacrifice, we can joyfully celebrate the hope we have in Jesus together! So, come as you are and Join us for any of our Holy week gatherings. You’ll experience a creative, uplifting message along with powerful  music.

The Mighty Meek Mar 28, 2021

Join us today for a look at meekness, our strength under God’s control. Jesus teaches us that meekness is not weakness, rather, it is a humble strength that God can use to advance His Kingdom and bless the lives of others around you.

So Sad So Happy Mar 21, 2021

In his second Beatitude for Kingdom living, Jesus said “Blessed,” that is joyful, happy, “are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” So when we are sad, we can be so happy? How can that be? Well, there are some things—actually, some of life’s most important things—that we can only learn through the kind of pain that brings mourning, and the experience of being comforted in our mourning. And what we will find as this Beatitude unfolds is that best comfort is that which comes from God himself, for he is close to the brokenhearted.

So Poor – So Rich Mar 14, 2021

Christians in every age and in every place tend to drift from a biblical view of the kingdom of God to a view that is filtered through the lens of culture. When that happens, God always calls his people to realign their cultural view back to a Kingdom view. And one of the ways he has provided for his people to do that is through the Beatitudes, the preamble to Jesus’ Constitution of the Kingdom found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. In these eight simple but profound Beatitudes, Jesus clearly and compellingly sets forth the ethos, or the values of God’s kingdom. As we read, understand and embrace these Beatitudes, what we might call Jesus’ kingdom manifesto, not only we will see how counter American church culture is to kingdom culture, we will also discover a clear path to what God’s kingdom is to look like in and through us. And by that, we will discover how the church can model for the world a bit of heaven while we’re still on earth. In this first message in a new series called Heaven on Earth, we explore the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Special Guest: George Neau Mar 07, 2021

This week we have an encouraging message from special guest George Neau

The Indwelling: Our Divine Helper Feb 28, 2021

In this final and extremely vital message of our “Refocus: Getting Back to the Basics of Discipleship” series, let’s explore why we desperately need the continual presence and power of the Holy Spirit to carry out our main work as disciples: taking the gospel to the world by our lips and through our lives. We will discover the little known reason why God sovereignly chose a dove to symbolize who the Holy Spirit is, how that’s of practical importance to us, why we often don’t sense the Spirit’s presence in our lives, and how we can eliminate one of primary causes that hinders His activity in us.

Work: The Continuation of Worship Feb 21, 2021

In whatever we do, whether at home or at the office; for big money or for a meager wage, in retirement or at school, if there’s a future in it or it is a dead-end job, our work matters to God. He created us for work, and to enjoy our work. So, it is just a discipleship basic that we would learn to love what we do. Our work attitude, our work ethic, and our work quality reveal our grasp of God’s intent that the way we work would be an offering unto Him. Using Colossians 3:17-24, we will discover in how to do everything we do as unto the Lord, and by so doing, turn our daily work into God-pleasing worship.

It’s All About Love Feb 14, 2021

It’s all about love – those aren’t just the words of a song or a catchy idea. This is, in fact a command from Jesus – to love one another as He loved us. This is the preeminent mark of a disciple and the way we show the world who Jesus is.

Share: Having Spiritual Conversations Feb 07, 2021

Admittedly, whenever Christians hear sermons on reaching the lost, there is an accompanying intimidation factor. We get very nervous in this day and age about sharing Christ with non-Christians. But when you consider the approach of the disciple Andrew, you will discover a simple, enjoyable and non-threatening way of engaging the spiritually curious. By following the “Andrew Factor,” you will find having spiritual conversations with your unsaved loved ones and friends can be done very naturally. Join us to discover this incredibly simple yet amazingly powerful way to share Christ with the people you care about.

Worship: An Everlasting Preoccupation With God Jan 31, 2021

God created us with a unlimited capacity to worship—to be dazzled by him. We were made to praise our Maker as long as we breathe. We were designed to be captivated by the wonder of a God who is infinitely worthy of our highest, costliest, most passionate worship. As A. W. Tozer said: “We’re called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.” An everlasting preoccupation — that’s worship. That is our highest purpose and our very reason for being. In this message, we will unpack what that means for each of us as members of the family of God.

Back to the Basics of Discipleship Jan 24, 2021

If you want to improve your experience of life, then deliberately change your thinking. That’s why Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” In Jewish thought, the heart was the center of thinking. The Apostle Paul taught a great deal about how a Christian is to think. In Philippians 4:9, he said, “Think about such things.”

Now he didn’t mean leave it up to whatever pops into your brain, but rather, he was saying that we are to be ruthlessly selective in allowing only certain things to come into your mind. He was referring to the spiritual discipline of setting godly virtues and Biblical values as the gate-keeper of your mind—thinking rightly. In this message, we will explore steps to thinking rightly, a critical teaching for Christians in an age that bombards us with all kinds of confusing and often untrue information.

Community: Fashioned for family Jan 17, 2021

God has fashioned you for family. And to get back to the basics of discipleship, you’ve got to get into intentional community with a few other believers in order to experience family as God intended it, like the first disciples who “devoted themselves to the fellowship.” (Acts 2:42) As you do, you will not only please God, you will be more blessable by accessing the necessary outcomes that produces a thriving spirituality. In this message, you will learn four outcomes of being in an intentional small group community, and as never before, you will be motivated to “love your spiritual family,” as 1 Peter 2:17 says.

Ready, Set, Grow Jan 10, 2021

One of the big obstacles hindering our journey of discipleship is thinking that the goal of Christianity is simply to make it into heaven. The point of salvation is not merely to get us there someday — that’s our destination, and one day we’ll wake up in heaven, to our great delight. But our destination is not our destiny. Our destiny is to become like Jesus on the way. That’s called discipleship—becoming like Jesus! And our singular pre-occupation as disciples as we journey through life is to become more like him! In this message, we will learn several of the practices of discipleship that will fuel measurable growth into Christ-likeness in 2021.

Practicing The Presence of God Jan 03, 2021

Colossians 2:7 calls us to be “Rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” As we begin the new year, God is calling us to return to the basics of discipleship and take very intentional steps to grow into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. And nothing’s as basic and urgent than to believe in prayer — and — to practice it!

All Things New Dec 27, 2020

The year 2020 has been a long, hard year, but there is still hope for you. Pastor Rick Bernheisel brings a message of hope from Exodus 14 titled All Things New.

Everlasting Father Dec 20, 2020

Mighty God Dec 13, 2020

Here’s a question for you: How big is your God? It’s a critical question because the way you perceive Jesus will directly bear on your experience of life. We all have a great need for a Mighty God, but there is good news. Jesus is our Mighty God!

Wonderful Counselor Dec 07, 2020

The prophet Isaiah lived in similar times to ours: Israel’s military was expanding, the economy was growing, culture was progressing, but on the horizon, enemies to peace and prosperity bred fear and anxiety in the nation. While on the surface, things looked bright, the prophet referred to it as a time of darkness. Yet out of darkness Isaiah prophesied the coming of a Messiah who would be a guiding light. He would be our Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. In this message today, let’s explore what the first of these gifts of Christmas, Wonderful Counselor, means to us at a personal level.

Mark 16 Nov 29, 2020

He is risen! The resurrection of Jesus Christ is undoubtedly the most important event in all of history. Join us as we conclude our series in the Gospel of Mark to celebrate His resurrection and prepare for our mission.

Mark 15 Nov 22, 2020

It is appropriate as we begin Thanksgiving week, that we come to Mark 15 — the crucifixion of Jesus. There is so much for which to be grateful, but none is greater than that Jesus, who knew no sin, would become the sin offering in our place. But when we consider the suffering and humiliation that God the Son endured, we have to ask, “What kind of God would allow that?” Only the one, true God — that’s what kind of God would allow that!

No other real god would do that — or could do that! Not a god that had any power, or grace or love. That Jesus surrendered to the pain and shame of the cross is evidence itself that he was a patient, merciful, just, loving God who is for us. And therefore, he is the only One whom we should love, serve, trust and follow shamelessly and gratefully now and every day until the end of the age.

Mark 14 Nov 15, 2020

Of all Simon Peter’s well documented public failures, especially painful was his denial of Jesus. Each gospel writer recorded it in exacting detail, to be read over and again throughout the ages as a cautionary tale: don’t be like Peter. But thankfully, the story doesn’t end with his fireside failure. After the resurrection, we get a beautiful presentation of how Jesus restores this fumbling disciple to full fellowship and full partnership. Peter’s failure, and restoration, was recorded to remind us that our own failures never make sense looking through the lens of the present. Only by looking back at the past from the perspective of the future do we see that our faithful God has redeemed even our worst mistakes.

Mark 13 Nov 09, 2020

Just like the disciples in Jesus’ day, people are wondering these days if we are in the end times. The truth is, this present age is accelerating toward a predicted finish, which is causing a lot of shaking and sifting. As Jesus unveils these signs that will precede his return – signs that read like headlines in the daily news – it becomes clear that we are definitely at the beginning of the end. But as we consider these signs, the most important question is not “when will it happen?” but “am I ready?” This message from Mark 13 will inspire you to the believer’s greatest act of faith: preparedness for Christ’s return.

Mark 12:28-34 Nov 02, 2020

Jesus said the perfect fulfillment of the entire law of God is summed up in the Great Commandment: fulling loving God and fully loving our neighbor. Sounds easy enough, but who is that neighbor we are supposed to love? What does that love look like? And how can we love them so they know unmistakably that they have been loved? In this message, Jesus will teach us the “who,” “what” and “how” of loving our neighbor as we would love ourself.

Commandeering Colts, Cursing Trees, Clearing Temples, Cultivating Faith Oct 26, 2020

The Gospel of Mark chapter 11 gives us an account of the start of Jesus’ final week of earthly ministry, leading up to crucifixion. In just 25 verses he will commandeer a colt, curse a fig tree, clear a temple and cultivate our faith.

Mark 10:32-52 Oct 21, 2020

Everybody wants to be great. You do, I do, we all do. That’s a normal desire. No kid ever says, “When I grow up, I wanna be a loser.” Since God our Father is great, and since we have his DNA, we have a genetic passion to be like him: to achieve greatness in life. There’s nothing wrong with that! But we have to get our definition of greatness right or we’ll go wrong in life, ultimately living a life that dishonors Father God. In this message, we will let Jesus define Kingdom greatness for us, and show us the path to achieve it.

Mark 10:17-31 Oct 12, 2020

Money can’t buy happiness! Yet we still live in the gravitational pull of materialism, greed, lust for more. Riches are like a drug: we get strung out on it; yet we still crave more. And the more we get, the more enslaved and less satisfied we become. So here’s the question: What possesses you?

If you want satisfaction now and security forever, you’ll have to surrender what you prize to Jesus. He calls for total surrender, but he won’t force it. Is Jesus everything for you? Jesus said (Mark 10:29-30) “No one who has left everything for me will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age —and in the age to come eternal life.”

American Politics & Christian Duty Oct 05, 2020

If Jesus were in the United States today, would he be politically active or wash his hands entirely of politics? Would Jesus vote Republican or Democrat, for Biden or Trump, or would he resurrect Reagan or Roosevelt? In a heated political season, how can Christians engage in politics yet still exhibit Christ’s love? In today’s message, you will learn how to think biblically so you can develop a Christ-centered perspective on politics that will 1) equip you to participate in this election in a way that best honors God, 2) inform your politics over a lifetime of elections, and 3) allow you to engage politically as Christ’s emissaries to a lost culture that’s estranged from a seeking God.

Mark 10:1-16 Sep 28, 2020

How does God feel about my marriage? How does God feel about my misplaced priorities? How does God feel about the things I care about? Today, we return to our series in The Gospel of Mark. Starting with Mark chapter 10, Pastor Ray will share five enduring truths about marriage found in these verses.

Mark 10 Sep 28, 2020

How does God feel about my marriage? How does God feel about my misplaced priorities? How does God feel about the things I care about? Today, we return to our series in The Gospel of Mark. Starting with Mark chapter 10, Pastor Ray will share five enduring truths about marriage found in these verses.

Cultivate Self-Control Sep 20, 2020

The Apostle Paul’s listing of the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit ends with self-control. That was neither random nor accidental on his part. You see, a believer has to master self-control to gain mastery in all the fruit. You cannot be loving, have a joyful heart, be a peacemaker, etc., without exerting the fruit of self-control. That is why he puts an exclamation mark on the list with this ninth fruit. So just what is self-control? Paul actually defines self-control in the verse that follows his list of the fruit when he writes, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Gal. 5:24) Crucifying your sinful nature, that’s it. Put another way, self-control means to gain mastery over your moods, impulses and behaviors. In modern vernacular, it means to get a grip on every area of your life where you lack control. In this message, you will learn not only what self-control means, you will also learn where the Bible specifically calls you to get a grip, and the simple steps you can take to gain mastery of this fruit.

Cultivate Gentleness Sep 13, 2020

Gentleness is the prescription for peace and an evidence of God’s Holy Spirit working in our lives as we walk with Him. Explore this crucial part of the Fruit of The Spirit in our Cultivate series.

Cultivate Faithfulness Sep 07, 2020

Second Timothy 2:13 reminds us “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.” Throughout Scripture, God gives us example after example of His faithfulness. And as we strive to know God and make Him known, we must follow his example and live a life of faithfulness in view of the world around us.

Cultivate Goodness Aug 30, 2020

Pastor Ray continues our series Cultivate, teaching about Goodness of God.

Cultivate Kindness Aug 23, 2020

The fifth of the nine-fold Fruit of the Spirit is kindness. Interestingly, in the early centuries of the church, Christianity was often called “the kind religion” since the Greek words for kindness and Christ were just one letter different. Christians were called the “kind ones.” And in fact, that was true! The kindness of the early Christians was so palpable and compelling that by the third century, this upstart sect had won over a hostile Roman empire that had done its best to exterminate them. Has your faith ever been mistaken for kindness? It not, it should. In this message, you will learn how to cultivate the kindness fruit by seeing how it was fleshed out in the kindness of Jesus.

Guest Speaker: Dr. David Thomas Aug 16, 2020

Join us as Dr. David Thomas gives a message about the Lord’s hand on our future.

Cultivate Patience Aug 09, 2020

Patience is the most difficult of the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit to cultivate. Nevertheless, since God saw fit to have it listed among these spiritual virtues, obviously he expects us to master it. Why is our patience so important to God? Because God’s main concern is the development of our character, not our personal comfort, and the completeness of our character is best produced by the things that call for patience. In other words, difficult people and challenging circumstances are necessary to the growth of this fruit of the Spirit in our character. In this sermon, you will gain a clear understanding of what Biblical patience is, why it is critical of us to cultivate it, and how we can intentionally grow this essential fruit.

Cultivate Peace Aug 02, 2020

The Fruit of the Spirit is, in essence, the character of Jesus cultivated in our character. In this message, we will explore the third facet of that fruit—peace. Jesus was known as the Prince of Peace. That is what distinguished him. But the question is, does that distinguish you in your inner life, your relationships, your lifestyle, your political opinions, and in your social media engagement? Are you a person of peace? In truth, we all need to do some peace cultivation in our lives. Today, you will discover what Biblical peace is and how to partner with the Holy Spirit to cultivate more of it in your life. As the Apostle Paul would say, you will learn how to allow “the peace of Christ to rule in your heart.”

Cultivate Joy Jul 26, 2020

As Christ followers, we are called to live a life led by God’s Holy Spirit. When we do, the evidence of that living is displayed as fruit in our lives. One such fruit is the idea of joy. Joy is a God given peace, gladness and sufficiency that is not affected by outward circumstances. Join us this week as we learn how to cultivate joy in each of our lives.

Cultivate Love Jul 19, 2020

How do you know if you’re growing as Jesus’ disciple? Is it seen in how hard you try or how involved you get or in how spiritually gifted you are? No! The truest measuring stick is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) That’s the benchmark of robust discipleship. And the first and preeminent benchmark of that nine-fold fruit is love. In this message, you will discover what biblical love is, how you measure up to the love standard of scripture, and the ways you can cultivate the fruit of love in your own life. At the end of the day, we hope that this sermon will help you to, as the Apostle John says, “not just say you love, but practice real love.” (1 John 3:18)

Practice Community Jul 12, 2020

God created us for community. But how do we practice community as we endure the relational restrictions of Covid-19? In Colossians 3:11-15, the Apostle Paul gives us a way that will work whether we are enjoying in-person worship or practicing social distancing from one another: by living out the radical grace of unconditional forgiveness toward those who have offended us. As Paul said, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Practice Maturity Jul 05, 2020

God has designed his children to grow from infancy into spiritual adulthood. When we don’t grow, we miss out on great blessing to ourselves and others. However, when we desire and pursue the things of God through His word and with His people, God grows us spiritually to our benefit and for the gain of His Kingdom.

Practice Faith Jun 28, 2020

Whoever said it was absolutely right: “A faith that hasn’t been tested is a faith that can’t be trusted.” And since your faith is the most important thing you possess this side of heaven, God will graciously arrange for it to be tested. What is a test of faith? It is any circumstance that causes you to doubt God’s sufficiency for your life — his character, his provision — while tempting you to trust in someone or something else to meet your desperate need. Using Genesis 22, the testing of Abraham’s faith in the call to sacrifice his only son Isaac, this message will explore the tools that you will need to navigate the tests of faith that come your way in life so that they produce a mountain moving life for you. At the end of the day, only a test of faith can move you from needing an explanation to standing on a conviction that God is trustworthy.

Practice Encouragement Jun 22, 2020

Encouragement is a catalyst for hope. In this week’s message, we will focus on encouragement as one of the pathways to practicing hope as we celebrate dads on this Father’s Day weekend.

Practicing Hope Through The Act Of Selflessness Jun 14, 2020

Join Pastor Heather as we examine how Jesus and his example of being a servant transformed lives and brought hope and how we can do the same to a hurt and wounded world.

Practice Prayer—Ask Bigly, Expect Bigly Jun 07, 2020

The Bible tells a very short story in just two verses hidden inside a mind-numbing genealogy about an obscure man, Jabez, who audaciously cried out to God for help to rise above his pain. And God granted his request. Why was this ancient story included in Scripture? Simply this: To let you know that if you desire to rise above your pain — your history, your constraints, your character — then lift it to God. If you need God’s blessing, dare to ask him for it. If you want to seize territory — spiritual, financial, relational abundance — ask God to give it to you. Just pray — bigly. God may just grant your request, too!

Practice Hope | Part 3 Jun 01, 2020

C.S. Lewis said, “We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment … If it were possible to give our delight for God perfect expression, our soul would be in supreme blessedness.” Well, that is possible! God created us for that. We were created to worship God with our lives and our lips, and to fully enjoy him forever. And when we passionately lose ourselves and passionately express ourselves in praise, God is fully glorified in us and we’re fully satisfied in him. We experience that “supreme blessedness” in life! That is why we need to practice praise at all times—to sing and make music from our heart to the Lord.

Hope: The Great Activator May 24, 2020

Christians are called to practice hope, or as the Apostle Paul says, to “put on the hope of salvation as a helmet.” To do that, we have to see hope as more practical than passive, as an everyday discipline that produces kingdom life within us. Hope is more verb than noun, more action than idea; it is a spiritual instigator, not a random generality. Biblical hope is a change agent. For Paul, to “put on hope,” was to develop patterns of thinking that were founded in hope. And he teaches that the single most powerful pattern of thinking that we must develop is to think about heaven: “…the faith and love that spring from the hope that’s stored up for you in heaven…” (Colossians 1:5) In this message, you will learn how practicing the hope of heaven will transform your life.

Practice Hope May 19, 2020

Nothing is as important to our walk of faith than the practice of hope. “Put your hope in God,” the Psalmist said in the midst of hope-draining circumstances. “Put on hope,” said the Apostle Paul, to teach believers that hope is not a passive idea, but an intentional action. This is an especially relevant truth in light of the current times in which we live—a pandemic season of unknown length that is both restricting our lives and causing very real hardship. So how do we put on hope? Psalm 121 will unveil for us how to literally practice hope when we have come through run-ins with hope-draining people and hope-crushing situations. Today, you will learn how hope is not a passion for the possible, it is a passion for the promise—the promises of God to watch over us continually and guard our comings and our goings.

Mother’s Day 2020 May 10, 2020

Happy Mother’s Day! After worship, Pastors Bill & Joy Wilson of the Oregon Ministry Network will share about four essentials for this season of life.

Altar of Remembrance May 03, 2020

As Jesus was about to go into his final battle, knowing that his life would be sacrificed, he uttered these moving words we reread each time we come to the Lord’s Table to celebrate Holy Communion: “This is my body, which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me. This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23) What was Jesus saying? He was pulling us close and whispering in our ears, “Remember what I am about to do. Never forget it! Your life will never be the same because of this. What I am about to do for you shows that your life has infinite value in my Father’s eyes. So don’t live a day without thinking about what I’ve done. Do this in remembrance of me.”

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