In this message, Pastor Nate examined four of the twelve disciples to show how Jesus sees people differently than the world does. While the world evaluates people by talent and appearance, Jesus looks past flaws and outward performance to what a person can become through following Him.

I. Jesus Sees Your Potential

II. Jesus Sees Your Faithfulness

III. Jesus Sees Your Growth

IV. Jesus Sees Your Heart

Learn Your Bible: Using your favorite Bible dictionary or concordance, dig deeper into God’s Word and discover how He sees us—then let that truth change how you view others.

Love Your Neighbor: Is there someone in your life who needs encouragement? This week, take time to remind them of their God-given value and potential.

Live in Freedom: Ask the Lord to show you any fears, doubts, or past hurts that may be keeping you from fully stepping into His plans for you.

Exploring Habakkuk, Pastor Taylor Bronisz explored the book of Habakkuk and addressed the question of why a good God allows evil and suffering. He pointed to the cross as God’s ultimate answer and challenged believers to reject transactional faith, choosing instead to praise God regardless of their circumstances.

In Mark 3:7-12, Pastor Nate Heitzig contrasted being a fan of Jesus with being His follower. While the crowds pursued His miracles, the disciples surrendered to His authority. Believers are challenged to examine whether their lives are marked by convenience or wholehearted obedience.

I. Swayed by His Presence

II. Starving for His Power

III. Surrendered to His Authority

Learn Your Bible: Read Luke 6:46-49 and John 14:15. How do these passages define true surrender to Jesus? What do they reveal about the difference between hearing His words, admiring Him, and surrendering to His authority?

Love Your Neighbor: How can you reflect the compassion of Jesus this week to someone who is seeking help but not yet surrendered to Him?

Live in Freedom: What would it look like for you to seek Jesus, not only for what He can do for you, but for who He is?

Teaching through Philemon, Pastor Taylor Bronisz explained that forgiveness isn’t something we do after we heal but something that leads to healing. He reminded believers that forgiveness is a necessary response to God’s grace, enabling them to reflect Christ’s love to others.

Pastor Kaiden Ritchie encourages Christians to cultivate a holy hunger by making the pursuit of Christ their highest priority. We do this by being presence-minded, walking in a holy fear of the Lord, and living with joy. A Christ-centered life is essential to our walk of faith.

I. Presence Minded

II. Fear Formed

III. Joy Filled

Pastor Taylor Bronisz explores the book of Haggai to address spiritual recidivism—the cycle of drawing near to God, drifting into apathy, and falling away. We observe three steps for breaking cycles and are reminded God is never finished with His people, and our faith is predicated on the hope of Christ.

I. I Can Drift Away Without Trying To. (1:1-14)

II. My Past is a Poor Motivator. (2:3-7)

III. I’m Alive Today to See the Blessing Tomorrow. (2:18-19)

The contention over Sabbath observance continued, but this time the conflict took place during a worship service! This shows us what happens when love for tradition and procedure exceeds love for people who have great needs. There are five ingredients to this tense scene.

I. A Worship Service (v. 1)

II. A Withered Hand (vv. 1, 3)

III. A Watching Crowd (v. 2)

IV. A Weighty Command (v. 5)

V. A Wicked Plot (v. 6)

Learn Your Bible: How does this passage help us better understand the purpose of God’s commands?

Love Your Neighbor: Ask the Lord to reveal any beliefs you hold that may hinder how He desires to use you in the lives of others.

Live in Freedom: Surrender your desire to hide your weaknesses and flaws, and rest in Jesus’ unfailing compassion.

Was Jesus a lawbreaker? Did He violate the Sabbath? What exactly was the Sabbath designed for, and how should we observe it? This will be our focus this weekend and next. The conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders is heating up. Today we make four observations about the Sabbath.

I. The Sabbath Was a Benchmark (v. 23)

II. The Sabbath Became a Burden (vv. 23-24)

III. The Sabbath Needs a Balance (vv. 25-26)

IV. The Sabbath Should Be a Blessing (v. 27)

Learn Your Bible: Read Psalm 37 and meditate on verse 7 as you intentionally choose to “rest in the Lord” this week.

Love Your Neighbor: Ask God to soften the hearts of your unbelieving friends and family members, and invite them to join you at Freedom Celebration next Saturday.

Live in Freedom: Ask the Lord to reveal areas of your life in which you’re anxious and striving rather than resting in His plan and purpose for you.

Pastor Skip Heitzig closed 2 Thessalonians by reminding us that while it’s natural to grow weary in the work, believers must never grow weary of the work God has called them to do. He also warned that rejecting God can lead to pursuing lesser things, urging us instead to remain steadfast in our devotion to Him.

Jesus was not a religious leader. He was a righteous Leader and a relational Leader. But He was often confronted by the religious leaders of His day because of the obvious differences in both substance and style. It seems that religious people are the hardest to reach with the gospel. Let’s discover why.

I. The Religious Question (v. 18)

II. The Reasonable Explanation (vv. 19-20)

III. The Real Consideration (vv. 21-22)

Learn Your Bible: Using your favorite Bible dictionary or concordance, dive deeper into the parable of the wineskins and “the new covenant in [His] blood” (Luke 22:20).

Love Your Neighbor: Do you know someone who views Christianity as rules, rituals, or religious performance? How can you demonstrate Jesus’ loving heart to them this week?

Live in Freedom: Meditate on Galatians 5:1-6 and ask the Lord to reveal areas of your walk that have become a religious practice rather than a reflection of your relationship with Him.