Is it worth the risk to live life as if there were no God? Pascal's wager presents this question. Are you going to risk your eternity, betting against the reality of God? The stakes are so very high! We know that Jesus walked this earth. We know he lived a sinless life. We know he died on a cross for our sins. And we know that he was raised to life. Our entire lives, our futures, rest on these facts. It is time we start living as if this were undeniable. God offers you inexplicable forgiveness if you can attest to these truths. Are you sure you want to risk it?

Dr. Pattison speaks on succumbing to peer pressure. It's not just for kids, of course. All of us seem to want the approval of others, and crave it too much. This keeps us from following Jesus the way that we should. When we suffer in this life (and we will, don't doubt it), we should be suffering because we decided to go on the path He set out for us, not the one we end up on because we followed someone else. We need to live a life so much like Christ's, that the world takes notice.

There really is some truth in that adage: "All I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten." Share. Play fair. Don't hit. Clean your mess. Say you're sorry. It is a life of taking responsibility for your actions and being a good example to others. Dr. Pattison begins his message in such a fashion, then allows us a look in to the first book that Peter wrote. The theme for the morning centers around 1 Peter 2:21: "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps."

A crucible is "a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new." It's a trial by fire. It's a testing. A purification process. Trials will come. They are inevitable. It's just the nature of life. But God tells us that we should be glad because of them. He is shaping us into being what He wants us to be. And we can have hope beyond our present circumstances.

The last of our Deny Self series. This last month we've looked at denying ourselves through Paul's eyes. He wrote a wonderful, joyous letter to a church in Philippi. It was chock full of hope and good will. He was ecstatic for what God was doing for them and for him. All that positivity poured out of him as he sat shackled to two guards while he was in prison. That's crazy! He didn't have to pursue happiness in a traditional way. God gave him all that he needed and he found in in pursuing Christ.

Paul had every right to boast in the good things he had done. He had quite the resume. However, when he compared it to the glory of knowing God, he said it was all worthless. Do you consider your relationship with Christ to be the best thing in your life? It can be challenging to look at your life and see that you've not really put Jesus first. You may have every desire to do so, but good stuff just gets in the way. You have a job. A family. Hobbies. "Me" time. And all of these things are good, they're just not Jesus. They are worthless compared to the best thing. Compared to Jesus.

Jesus was the greatest hero of all time. He was the only one who truly gave everything to help others. Philippians 2 says that he "emptied" himself. He was completely God, yet decided to empty himself of his "God-ness" so that he can do what he did for us. This seems impossible! Yet our God is in the habit of doing the impossible.

Let's face it: we struggle with self-denial. Our philosophy in this country is to get what's coming to you and hopefully it is more than the next guy. We don't deny ourselves much of anything. But God called us to live a different life. Christ taught us a better way to live. His example is one of true sacrifice and self-denial. What would our lives look like if we really began to think of others before we thought of ourselves?

We finish out our "Re:Connect" series this week. Throughout, we've asked our people to reconnect with God and his mission at this church. We want everyone who commits to this vision to worship, connect, grow and serve. Today, you'll hear from each of the ministers who lead those areas at CapCity: Steve Smith (worship), Vern Huber (connections), Mike Napier (growth) and Jon Sutphin (service). Their passion for God and his people drive them to lead with devoted hearts.

"We are on a mission from God." Our senior minister loves to quote this phrase. It's probably because we forget it so often! We are called to be worshippers. We need to connect with God and his people. When we do that, we will feel the prompting to carry out his mission to the world. We are called to love and serve others. We should look so different from the world that the rest of the world takes notice. That comes across when we radically sacrifice ourselves to help those who are in need.