We are fully known and fully loved by our God. He calls us His children, priests, heirs, friends, His workmanship, and the chosen citizens of heaven. In full knowledge of our best and worst moments, God pours out His love on us and calls us saints.
The Word of the Lord is sweeter than honey and more precious than gold. If any of us lacks wisdom, His Word says to ask for it, and He will give. Whoever hears His words and does them belongs to God and builds their house on the Rock.
The current state of our building project is a great picture of the believer’s life. Exciting progress is evident, but it still looks a little busted up. But we are sold out to the legacy we leave, knowing He who began this great work is faithful to complete it. Whether physical venues of worship...
Christ, the Great High Priest, sat down with the Father because He finished the work of sacrifice forever. So we lift our eyes to Him. We remember our story is a part of the greater story and we run, laying aside sin and lesser loves for His glory.
Our long journey home to the Father is an ever-expanding love and allegiance to Him. We give all of life for all of life—our actions, thoughts, money, relationships, careers, and even our imaginations—for the sake of God’s mission. We exist to love God, love people, and make disciples of Jesus Ch...
We live in a moment of history that is outraged, anxious, and divided. There are cultural, political, and spiritual realities at play that are unique to our moment. God has placed us at this point in His story; what will we do? How will we respond?
Three stories are unfolding: your story, our story, and The Story. God has uniquely wired you and called you to a specific place and time so that you might take part in this grand story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
The lineage of Jesus shows us that His kingdom would be unlike any other. Through Christ, the dividing wall of hostility was torn down. We once retreated to the safety of homogeny. But Christ has brought together people from every tribe, tongue, and nation into a blessed unity.
He, the Author and Sustainer of life, made us in His image. Humans, regardless of ethnicity, health, wealth, age, abilities, and place in history are equal in their value and honor as image bearers. May we be a community of life illuminating the darkness for the Glory of God and our joy.
Christ is the door to freedom. He is the good shepherd, finding His own and guiding them through the door. Those who came before Him were thieves and liars. They peddled false gospels and murderous ideologies. Christ arrived with protection and care. He offered a clear way, a steadfast truth, and...
The cycle of self-improvement and failure persists because we cannot save ourselves. The salvation we need is outside our grasp unless we are reaching for Jesus.
The Creator of all things condescended and put on flesh. He came not for our condemnation but for our salvation. He, the pervasive light, has pierced the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome Him.
Happiness and joy are not the same. Happiness can be snatched away in a moment, but joy has a resilience that withstands the hurt and disappointment of the world. We remember God’s good works, bring to Him our heart’s desires, and embrace His future hope which leads to a deepening of joy.
We pray for the things that we love. The night Jesus was arrested, He prayed to the Father for His disciples in front of Him, and those who would come after—us. Christ’s glorious love broke into our loveless world, drawing us in that we might go out and love gloriously.
We find in the reign of Christ a limitless expansion of His influence and the establishment of peace with no end. In Him, we receive wonderful counsel, a strong defense, and an end to spiritual oppression.
Christmas as a commercial holiday always overpromises and under-delivers, leaving us unfulfilled. But Christmas remembered as the mercy of God sending His Son for us stirs in the believer a robust and renewed hope. So we place the anchor of our hope in this, that Jesus sees us in our lowly, fragi...
The parable of the prodigal son has a natural focus on the son who leaves, lives recklessly, and returns. But many of us live out our faith like the older brother—living at home, with the Father, yet refusing to enter into joy. The younger brother chased the desires of his stomach and found himse...
The gospel isn’t aspirational advice but the powerful work of God unto salvation. The gospel is God overpowering all that would rob His people of the fullness of life He has purchased for them in Christ Jesus. Any sin, impasse, addiction, or even Satan himself will not stop the strong arm of our ...
The gospel is both simple enough for a child to understand yet complex enough to never discover its full depth. Each of us is called to share the gospel within our everyday, relational circles. We don’t need to have every answer ready in order to do so; we just need to be willing to let the Holy ...
We find ourselves caught up in something that existed long before us and will continue to expand into eternity. What started with 500 people in Jerusalem is now 2.38 billion people worldwide. This gospel wave continues to crash into the farthest shores of the globe and the darkest corners of the ...
Whether through altars built or communion elements taken, God places a high emphasis on remembrance for His people. When we remember correctly, we move forward differently. And how do we remember? We build a memorial for what He has done and testify that He is with us and He is powerful.
The gospel creates a gifted people. God shares the spoils of His victory in Christ by equipping His people with a diversity of gifts. Each of which is meaningful and has a unique role in our shared endeavor of building up the body of Christ.
The gospel moves through every culture throughout history calling people out of darkness and into His marvelous light. From the rich, the poor, the elevated, and the marginalized, Christ is creating a people for His own possession—a community of salt and light, receiving and proclaiming God’s mercy.
All things were created through Christ and for Christ. His atoning work on the cross was for the sins of humankind and the redemption of creation. We now herald this good news to the world around us, especially the places God has placed us in—our work, our homes, and our cities.
We have all fallen short of God’s glory. While we were stuck in deep ruts of sin, Jesus Christ died for us. Our sins earned us death, but God gifts us with eternal life through Jesus. If we belong to Him, we are no longer condemned. If we confess and believe, we are saved. This is the gospel on ...
The tenured farmer, after preparing the ground with seed, does not pester the crop to hurry the harvest. He waits. James tells us to be patient for the coming of the Lord. We should not wait with grumbling, but with joy, establishing our hearts in the Lord. He has set a time, and He will return.
Where our treasure is, our heart is. God called His people to bring their full tithe to Him, not because He needed money, but because He longed for the whole heart of His people. Our hearts are easily distracted and we place our attention on lesser things. God is lifting our heads from temporary ...
There is objective truth that doesn’t erase difficulty, but brings true life. In God’s design, there is accountability for our actions. And God is not mocked. What we sow, we reap. If we sow to the flesh, we reap corruption. If we sow to the Spirit, we reap a bountiful harvest of truth, beauty, a...
In the fourth dispute, God’s people question His justice. They accuse God of delighting in those who do evil. God responds with the promise of His messenger, John the Baptist, and His Messiah, Jesus Christ—the truest proof of His justice. His people will be refined by fire, and justice will be se...
