Joy Church Fernley, Nevada Messages

In today’s message, Sherry and John Poundstone share more about the significant changes in their ministry and about their vision for the future. Sherry talks about the importance of trust and transparency in their leadership. She addresses some misconceptions about the church's direction, clarifying that selling the Joy Church property is not a sign of failure but rather part of a divine calling to shift towards kingdom-building. John reinforces Sherry’s message, encouraging each member of Joy Church to embrace their responsibility for their own spiritual journey and to embrace Christianity rather than “Churchianity”. He highlights the need for a deeper connection with Christ and for fostering a sense of community among believers. Together, John & Sherry invite everyone to join them in this transformative season, filled with hope, purpose, and an eagerness to follow God's leading.

This week’s message, "Peace Be UpIN You," highlights our need for God’s peace to not just rest upon us but to fill us deeply in our innermost being. In times of change and uncertainty, we must lean on Holy Spirit to help us to navigate the changes happening all around us. Many in our church family and community are experiencing transitions such as job changes, financial struggles, health concerns, and worries about the upcoming presidential election, and fears about ‘wars and rumors of war’. Using personal stories, fast cars, and Scripture, Senior Leader John Poundstone encourages us to overcome FAUD—fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and doubt. He invites us to seek God’s shalom, which brings heavenly peace, joy, completeness, and wholeness. He reminds us to embrace our identity as children of God and to move from passive faith to active discipleship.

In today's message, "What's My Part?", we take a look at our individual role and purpose in God's unfolding plan for revival and renewal in our own lives, in our families and in our communities. Drawing from biblical insights and personal experience, Senior Leader John Poundstone encourages us to embrace our identities as wayfarers—those who actively seek to walk alongside the Waymaker, Jesus Christ. This message is an invitation to learn how each of us can contribute to God's kingdom by fostering connection, community, and a deeper relationship with Him. Join us as we uncover the transformative power of living out our unique parts in God’s grand story of faith.

Our message today encourages us to be more than passive consumers of church and instead take full responsibility for our spiritual growth. We must put aside guilt and shame so that we can seek genuine connection with Jesus and receive His touch that brings transformation, healing, and identity. Senior Leader John Poundstone invites us to reflect on our relationship with God and to actively participate in our spiritual journey.

Our world is experiencing profound waves of change that are impacting every area of life and culture, family, religion, education, media, arts, entertainment, business, economics, liberty, and government. These changes are impacting God’s church in equally profound ways. How do we as Christians and members of the body of Christ respond as we stand at a generational crossroads? How do we prepare ourselves to be the church in a world that is increasingly more hostile to God and His Kingdom? How can we as a church view this as a time of opportunity and to seize it? How can the church continue to thrive in such uncertain times as these?

Joy Church is ringing in a new era as they transition from a ‘building-centric church model’ to one centered on people in our community and beyond. In this second part of a 4-part message series, our Senior Leader, John Poundstone, shares his vision for a ministry not constrained within the four walls of a church building but rather released into ‘ministry outposts’ where people can host and welcome the presence of Jesus. John longs to help Holy Spirit create environments where people can learn, understand, and be magnetized to becoming followers and disciples. You won’t want to miss this message that details Joy Church’s plans for building an ‘apostolic network’ that starts here in Fernley, Nevada, and builds and strengthens God’s Kingdom throughout our region.

Change is in the air at Joy Church. Over the next four weeks, we will be detailing these changes for you in a sermon series that we are calling “Joy Church 3rd Edition.” This series begins with a history of Joy Church, a history of John and Sherry Poundstone’s ministry over the years and how these two histories have merged to bring us the Joy Church that we know today. Today's message includes a scripture based “Kingdom Blueprint” and how we, as a church, can manifest this blueprint here at Joy Church.

We often think of freedom and liberty as though they are one and the same but they are in fact two different things. Liberty is tied to our situation or circumstances. We experience liberty when our situation changes for the better such as when a yoke is lifted from us or a burden is released. Freedom on the other hand is existential. Freedom does not depend upon our circumstances or our situation. We don’t get freedom. We are free. Freedom comes from belonging to God, knowing His truth, submitting ourselves to Him and aligning with His dominion or kingdom.

As children of a holy and perfect God, it should be our joy to pursue excellence in our relationships, our work and in our homes. As Christians we must not settle for mediocrity but rather do our work wholeheartedly and with love as though we are serving Christ and not men.

God has placed us on earth to reveal the light of Christ and to the dispel darkness in our world. The more of God’s light we carry, the more His power, presence, and purity we will manifest. God desires to heal and free us from darkness so that we can overcome the work of the enemy. Ask Holy Spirit to reveal areas in your life where darkness has a hold and where God's illuminating and purifying light needs to shine.

Today's message encourages us to take a look at the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father. Do we approach God with an "orphan spirit" - one of fear, foreboding and insecurity? Or, do we approach God with the spirit of "sonship" characterized by love, truth and joy? The absence of a father figure in our lives can have a lasting impact throughout our lifetime. It's time for us to embrace our spiritual inheritance as sons and daughters of God and to experience the love and acceptance that God longs to lavish upon us.

Today's message from Gabby Stone helps us to understand what it means to abide in Christ as we go through life on our Christian journey. Abiding is about accepting Jesus’ warm invitation to a deep and personal relationship filled with love, trust, and friendship. Just like vines cling to a branch for support, abiding in Jesus means relying on Him, trusting Him, and staying connected to Him. When we abide in Jesus, we receive the spiritual ‘nourishment’ we need to thrive and bear fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Abby encourages us to consider what the world would be like if we abide in Christ individually and as a church.

In our world and in our lives there are all kinds of sources and types of authorities competing for our minds. Good and evil, pleasant and unpleasant, right and wrong, even light and dark can coexist, but only one can rule. There's only one authority at any given moment. Who or what is the authority in your life? Our message today encourages each of us to walk in the power of Holy Spirit and to make Him the ultimate authority in our lives and to lean on Holy Spirit to help us navigate the spiritual warfare that is all around us.

Today we welcome Debi Taylor to the pulpit. She has a great message for us about identity and how important it is to have a true understanding of who we are in Christ. She shares Scriptures and personal experiences to help us to see ourselves from the perspective of our Heavenly Father. Our true identity is not defined by our past accomplishments or the labels society gives us, but by our connection with God. Debi encourages each one of us to accept our identity as cherished, chosen and adopted children of God. Come along as we discover the life changing impact of understanding who we are in Christ.

Today we welcome to the pulpit Jamie Brown. Jamie takes us on a dive deep into the Parable of the Ten Virgins found in Matthew 25. Jamie talks about being prepared and committed and sharing the gospel message. We are encouraged to examine our relationship with God, our actions, and our readiness to spread His light in the world. Join us for an interactive and inspirational message filled with testimonials, insights, revelations, and a call to be fully committed to God's kingdom.

Today, we continue to explore the role of being "Lit" or connected with the Holy Spirit. Our focus this week is on immersing ourselves in scripture and trusting the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to us and help us find the personal transformation we need to live a meaningful and satisfying life. We must learn to slow down, take our time, and read the Bible carefully, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our understanding and develop in us a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Pursuing righteousness helps us overcome issues, hurts, habits, hang-ups, and addictions, transforming ourselves, our families, our workplaces, and communities for the better.

Today we explore the idea of staying spiritually "lit" or deeply connected and fueled by Holy Spirit. To keep our “light” bright we need to avoid conforming to the world and instead focus on connecting with God through prayer and scripture. If we neglect our spiritual life, our inner flame flickers and dims. Are you shining the light of Christ's love in all you do, or have life’s challenges dimmed your light? Everyday we need to focus on reigniting our spiritual fire and spreading His light. We are encouraged to open our hearts to be transformed by God’s grace and love, and to live fully lit by Holy Spirit.

Living in a culture that values self-reliance, it may seem counterintuitive to us to think of weakness as a positive thing. However, the Bible makes it clear that true strength and power come from God. When we acknowledge our frailty and vulnerability, put our trust in God and depend entirely on Him, He will provide the power we need in this life and transform us in the process. Jesus was the perfect example of this, as He chose to rely completely on God's strength rather than His own, particularly during His times of suffering. In order to receive God’s power, we have to reject self-centered traits like self-reliance and self-protection. Our mission is to submit ourselves to God and kingdom ways in all areas of our lives. We will then be equipped and empowered to serve out our destiny in the way God intended from before time began.

In a time when our nation desperately needs renewal, we are reminded that revival begins with each one of us. Revival in our nation starts when we each earnestly seek the Kingdom of God and live out His righteousness in our daily lives. The pursuit of righteousness involves diving deep into the scriptures and drawing ever closer to the Holy Spirit. Pursuing righteousness also means being in close communion with fellow believers, encouraging and strengthening one another. Join with us as we seek to deepen relationships and transform ourselves, our families and our nation.

Today, we take a look at the 40-day period Jesus spent on Earth after His resurrection and before ascending to heaven. Unlike His life before the crucifixion, filled with miracles, signs, and wonders, this period highlights something even more important - relationships and personal transformation. Jesus made many appearances during this time. But, more than anything, these 40 days were about Jesus connecting deeply, teaching, and preparing His followers for a new, revolutionary way of life that would challenge the world's systems and draw them into a loving relationship with the Father. This message is an invitation to everyone who wants to understand the heart of Jesus. This is a personal invitation to each one of us to walk side by side with Jesus into an "exodus" or era of change that our communities, families, and nations so desperately need.