Everyone faces trials. Peter reminds believers that their trials have an expiration date, but a living hope never dies. This hope empowers Christians to rejoice, persevere, and even praise God as they go through trials of various kinds.

Everyone longs for home. And we have one, but for believers it's not here. Peter calls us "elect exiles". That means we're incredibly loved (chosen from heaven) but also recognizably different (aliens in this world). Our customs are strange. Our priorities are different. Yet our God is in control-even when we endure suffering or face social alienation.

Jeremiah’s book of Lamentations was written during the darkest days of ancient biblical history, the destruction of Jerusalem in 587BC. Yet there is a ray of hope found in chapter 3 that can guide all of us us through our most difficult hour, and offers certainty in the midst of an uncertain world.

Spiritual growth is more about training than trying. In this message, Pastor Ross recommends four helpful resources (tools) for believers and their families.

Every family has traditions. Some more, some less. But we all have them. The Christian Family has celebrated two traditions for 2000 years - baptism and communion. Both beautifully testify to the intersection of history, community, and mystery. And both signify and remind believers of vertical and horizontal realities. They take us beyond ourselves, linking us to God’s work and God’s people.

Not every message is equally important. In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul shares what is “of first importance”. It’s not advice, but news - news about what God has done for us in Jesus. It’s this news that we must receive, be constantly be reminded of, and also deliver to others. Are you trusting the good news of Jesus? Are you delivering the good news to anyone else?

The Scriptures are consistently reminding us to remember! And that’s Peter’s aim in his second letter. He reminds his readers of two things in chapter 1. One is a comfort, the other is a challenge.

Only in Christianity is the way of salvation a person. And only in Jesus do we find such amazing grace for doubters, deniers, the self-righteous and the unrighteous. From beginning to end, the Bible is a story of God’s grace (Revelation 22:21). Don’t just know about it; receive it and live in it!

Christian faith is not blind faith - void of reason or evidence. The apostles always call people to believe in something true. In his stubborn demand for proof, Thomas was graciously visited by the risen Christ and his response was worship. As we encounter the risen Jesus through the witness of Scripture, we too see His deity, love, and grace.

The greatest commandment is to love God, and to love Him completely. In John 12, we see an example of this in Mary as she extravagantly, radically, and publicly loves and adores Jesus. Cold, divided, and apathetic hearts grow warm as we massage God’s love into our hearts. The greatest person is worthy of the greatest love.