If we said we had a personal relationship with another person, we’d all assume, at the very least, some degree of regular, back-and-forth conversation. So how does a “personal relationship with God” work? We talk to God through prayer, but how does God talk back to...
Salvation is often viewed as a singular “event” or moment in our lives. By God’s grace, we receive salvation by believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus to save us. There is a sense in which this is absolutely true, from the moment of belief we are saved...
Have you ever felt unprepared? You’ve probably had a time in your life when you were not prepared at all for what was about to happen. As our flesh constantly fights to lead us further away from God, it’s easy for us to feel unprepared for life. But God prepares us by...
In the Bible, we read Jesus promising to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples after He is gone. As believers in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is also with us, living inside of us, just as Jesus promised. The question is, why did Jesus send the Holy Spirit to be with us?...
Habits can have a profound impact on our lives in both good and bad ways. And often, we’re unaware of how much we do in our lives simply by force of habit. We’ll discuss how modern behavioral science is catching up to what the church has known for thousands of years...
Songs are powerful things. The combine melody and harmony. They express both truth and emotion. They can fill us with joy and hope or with lament and sorrow. Through the beauty of song we worship, we celebrate, and we mourn. In the Psalms, the worship songs of the...
Adoption brings up mixed emotions. The term “adopted” can be used to show affection or insult. Our understanding of adoption comes from our picture of family. Many times we have a picture of family that limits our understanding of the truth of adoption. In this...
"So again, I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Galatians 3:5-6 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation...
We’ve all had parents. They’re responsible for at least some part of shaping how we got to where we are today. And our different kinds of experiences with parents have affected our thoughts on parenting. But what if we could broaden our idea of what it means to be a...
The Spirit helps us have determination It isn’t always easy to live God’s way. God knew that we would need help, so He gave us the Holy Spirit. When things get tough, we don’t have to rely on ourselves. When we believe and put our faith in Jesus, we receive the gift...
He promised the Holy Spirit to help them. Jesus had given His followers what seemed to be an impossible job. He told them to share His story and His love in every country across the entire world! The disciples weren’t sure how to begin such a huge mission. But for...
Peace. We sing songs about it. We march for it. Demonstrate for it. Hold conferences about it and create think tanks to create it. We long for it. But it remains elusive. We live in a world broken by war, poverty, hatred, and illness, making peace seem impossible. Yet...
You may not consider yourself a runner but you’re in a race. The race of your life. What would it look like for you to win this race? Running the race begins with finding the starting line. Life starts with Jesus. Then, life is run with Jesus. What might you need to...
Have you ever wondered what the Christian life is all about? Jesus Christ calls people to follow Him, to be changed by Him, and to go on mission with Him. His mission is for us to be disciple-makers, disciples who make disciples. That's what He wants our lives to be...
Typically, we serve when we are made aware of a need. However, we can easily go through life without ever seeing the people who need love and kindness right in front of us. But when we intentionally and prayerfully resist the myriad of distractions and reach out to...
Study Guide Download Jesus’ resurrection changed everything. It changed how we can relate to God, moving us from the slavery of sin to the freedom of grace. From the moment of Jesus’ resurrection, his followers knew that everything would be different. God was about to...
Sometimes you can tell yourself lies without even realizing it. But your life can take on a completely different perspective when you learn to tell yourself the truth. Let’s begin this New Year with a reminder of five simple affirmations that can change the way we...
The Doctrine of the Trinity – that God is One in Essence and Three in Person – is one of the most ancient and well established beliefs in Christianity. While it is perplexing, mysterious, and often confusing, it is far from irrelevant. God’s simultaneous unity and...
A remix creates a fresh, new rhythm in the life of a familiar song. It works that way with life too. In a season of exciting transitions, our church is catching a new rhythm and experiencing a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit among us. Our role is to stay yielded to the...