Believers are called to be people of peace, but there are some things in life worth fighting for. Some of the obvious things would include our health and safety, our families, those who are poor and defenseless.

Though most of us aren’t the fighting type (and that’s good!), a willingness to fight for what’s right can be the right thing to do, especially when it comes to the matter we find in today’s message. And it’s as important today as it was when Paul gave this charge to Timothy, especially if we hope to be a light in this dark world.

Rugged individualism is deadly. It could be your undoing. Especially when it comes to living the Christian life and impacting the secular world around us.

It would be good for every new Christian to receive the following alert: “Warning – Do not attempt to do this in your own strength. Do not attempt to do this alone.”

That will be our focus in I Timothy today at our Annual Celebration. It’s our hope that the passage we study will help you decide to never again try to live the Christian life on your own.

Dealing with uncertainty can be difficult. We want to know where the provision is going to come from. We want to know if things are going to turn out the way we hope or expect. We want the security of being able to control or to alter our circumstances if our best-made plans go awry.

The fact is that there will be times when we don’t know how God will provide. Plans will fall through. People will disappoint us. Things will go wrong. There will be seasons of uncertainty. What then?

Fortunately, the uncertainty we face is only apparent uncertainty. Even if things seem uncertain to us, our future, our provision, and the reason for our hope are certain to God.

No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, and no matter how much biblical knowledge or theological training you may have attained, there’s one thing you can be sure of: God will frequently confuse you. There will be countless moments in your life that make no sense or when you simply won’t understand what is going on.

If your faith is based on your ability to fully understand the past, present, and future, then your moments of confusion will become moments of weakening faith.

The Bible tells us that there is a third way. A way to have sturdy, lasting peace that doesn’t rise and fall

brief·ing (brēfiNG) noun – a meeting for giving information or instructions.

Most of us love briefings because they are usually short and to the point. It’s not a time for a lot of chit chat.

As parents we often give briefings to our kids before they head out the door. It’s dangerous out there and we want them to be safe. We want them to make good choices.

Today we complete our study through the book of 1 Peter. But not without a final briefing from Peter that could make the difference in whether we will win or lose the war we are in. You know that we are in a war, right?

God cares. He really does. He loves you and He cares about what’s happening in your life. All of it! Not just the big stuff, but the small things, too.

This week’s message in 1 Peter is a testament of God’s care. In it we will see both His direct and indirect plans for eagerly caring for His children.

That’s right, He eagerly cares for His children. And He wants His children to care for each other in the same way. We’ll see what that means today.

We all want comfort, and why wouldn’t we? Anything else is, well, uncomfortable. But what if there could be something better than comfort and the only way to get there is going through something quite uncomfortable? What if we could experience glory?

Today we’ll look at Christ’s sufferings, how they are tied to ours, and what God is accomplishing through them.

We’ve all been the recipient of love and service from time to time. And we’ve all experienced the loneliness and despair that can happen when we feel like someone is withholding much needed hospitality.

So perhaps we would instinctively reach out to others in these ways since we’ve felt the difference it can make in our lives. But do we?

When others think of us, do they consider us hospitable servants of love who speak with words of grace? Is that what they think of Christians in general?

Today we’re looking at what can empower us to be among the most hospitable and loving people in the world. For Christians, these behaviors aren’t a way to earn something from God; they are simply the result of knowing Him.

Commitments of any kind are only as good as what happens after the commitment is made. Will the commitment stick? Is it worth the effort? Was it just a nice idea or could it actually become reality?

We’ve all made commitments of many kinds: to a marriage, or a diet, or a new job, or a friend. “You can count on me,” we pledge. “Things are going to be

Of all the commitments a person could make, the one we’re looking at today is a big one. In fact, it’s one of the most important commitments a person can make in this present life. One that has “for better or worse” written all over it. It’s a commitment that God not only wants each of us to make, but also to follow through on!

If you’re like most people, you’ve spent at least a little time in an art gallery. Maybe around this time of year while on vacation. You just had to see the work of Van Gogh, Monet, Michelangelo, Picasso, or Da Vinci. You wanted to see one of these famous artist’s masterpieces in person.

Every day there are opportunities all around us to see greatness on display. Especially when it comes to the greatest work of all.

Today we’ll be spending some time focusing on a work that everyone needs to see. More than once. In fact, as often as possible because of the impact it will have on your life.