The Spirit of God leads Jesus followers into the life of freedom and peace. We all strive for this in one of two ways--keeping all of the commands or breaking them all. But neither produce freedom nor make us into who we want to be. True life and freedom are found only in the Holy Spirit for those who believe in Jesus.

In the Old Testament, people were devoted to knowing the Law and putting it into practice so that it might lead them into the life God desired for them. In the New Testament, disciples listened to Jesus and learned from Him. Once the church started, the Holy Scriptures (eventually including the apostles' teaching) became an essential component of discipleship.

Throughout the New Testament, it is clear that believers need other believers in order to thrive in their faith. We support and strengthen each other so we can continue to be faithful to Jesus. Jesus established the identity of his church. The early church modeled fellowship. The New Testament letters give instruction for the church to be connected.

While worship shouldn't only be understood as singing, singing is one of the most natural overflows of a person who worships God. Angels sing. The Old Testament is full of song. The arrival of Jesus is characterized by song. The disciples and Jesus sang. The believers in the New Testament gathered to worship and were instructed to sing.

Hope is confidence that things will change and despair is fear that they won't. The major difference between the two is the degree of control we have in a situation. When everything felt out of control, we looked for ways to regain it. We need to Knock It Off in order to worship the One in control and embrace the uncontrolled mess of relationships.

This present crisis has created plenty of reasons for us to need comfort. But instead of finding true comfort in God, we often settle for coping with the discomfort by distracting ourselves with food, alcohol, porn, shopping, Netflix, gaming, etc. We need to Knock It Off so we can find the true comfort of God during difficult times.

We are conditioned to be consumers, looking for the products and deals that most meet our needs. We know church isn't supposed to be viewed like that, but COVID-19 has made it so easy for us to approach church like a consumer. We need to Knock It Off in order to keep growing in Jesus.

Isolation isn't good for us: studies show it; prisons use it; people feel it. The isolation of COVID-19 has taken a toll on us and we need to find a way to knock it off in order to regain our spiritual health.

The book of Joshua ends with the land claimed and settled by Israel. Joshua speaks to Israel, charging them to choose whether or not they will be faithful to God. Their decision will determine whether they remain in the land or are exiled away from God. God intends for us to enjoy eternal life (now and forever) with Him, but our faithfulness determines whether or not that becomes our reality.

After the land had been allocated and settled, the eastern tribes (on the other side of the Jordan) were worried that the others would eventually forsake their unity. So they built an alter, a memorial reminder to the unity that all the tribes shared. Our unity can be easily forgotten or forsaken, too. And it's the alter of sacrifice, the cross of Jesus, that reminds us of our unity in Him.