Sunday, March 16, 2025 – We’re still studying 1 John 2:15-17, and the title of our message today is: “Living in but Not Loving the World.” There are many things in life that we can control and many more that we cannot. We have no say in the nature or condition of the “world” we inhabit. For this reason, we must understand the definition of the word “world. " The Bible uses this word from two different perspectives. The first definition of “world” refers to the created world described in Genesis 1. God created the world and everything in it and was pleased with it, indicating that it was perfect and given to mankind to steward and rule over. However, Satan’s temptation to rebel against God led Adam and Eve to exchange their domain and rulership of the world for a bite of fruit taken in rebellion. Thus, mankind relinquished the rulership of the perfect created world to Satan, marking the beginning of the second definition of the word: the “Kosmos World,” which represents the organizational system of the fallen subset of the created world. Since then, Satan has actively twisted and distorted everything about the perfect “Created World” into an evil-inspired “Kosmos World System” in which we live. This is the chaos we experience in our world system today. This is the world that we are warned not to love in our text today. Worship and study with us as we learn about the three main temptations in this “Kosmos World,” identified as the “Lust of the Flesh, " the “Lust of the Eyes,” and the “Pride of Life.”

Sunday, March 9, 2025 – The title of today’s study on 1 John 2:12-24 is “Abide & Grow.” Here’s a question to consider as we begin: “What is the overall theme of Scripture?” There are various answers, but today's study highlights “Spiritual Growth” as one of the key themes. Physical growth and spiritual growth have much in common. It’s clear from Scripture that God wants His children to grow into spiritually mature men and women capable of overcoming the enemy. God does not want anyone to remain a “spiritual baby” longer than necessary. Physically, we cannot alter our growth process; we have no choice – we are going to grow old. However, our spiritual growth is entirely about choice. We can choose whether and how quickly we are going to grow spiritually. Does this make sense? God is a finisher – meaning that He doesn’t start with the intention of not finishing, and neither should we. Our spiritual growth depends on the energy and effort we invest in it. We grow by abiding in Christ and remaining connected to the vine, as described in John 15. Worship and study with us as we abide and grow in Christ.

Sunday, March 9, 2025 – The title of today’s study on 1 John 2:12-24 is “Abide & Grow.” Here’s a question to consider as we begin: “What is the overall theme of Scripture?” There are various answers, but today's study highlights “Spiritual Growth” as one of the key themes. Physical growth and spiritual growth have much in common. It’s clear from Scripture that God wants His children to grow into spiritually mature men and women capable of overcoming the enemy. God does not want anyone to remain a “spiritual baby” longer than necessary. Physically, we cannot alter our growth process; we have no choice – we are going to grow old. However, our spiritual growth is entirely about choice. We can choose whether and how quickly we are going to grow spiritually. Does this make sense? God is a finisher – meaning that He doesn’t start with the intention of not finishing, and neither should we. Our spiritual growth depends on the energy and effort we invest in it. We grow by abiding in Christ and remaining connected to the vine, as described in John 15. Worship and study with us as we abide and grow in Christ.

Sunday, March 2, 2025 – Today’s message continues our study of 1 John and is titled “Light Reveals Love.” The Apostle John, known as the Apostle of Love, had a different disposition in his younger years. He and his brother James were nicknamed the “Sons of Thunder” by Jesus due to their hot-tempered and impulsive nature. However, after years of reflecting on Jesus' teachings and experiencing both physical and spiritual maturity, he recognizes that Love is the better way to navigate life. Love is the central theme of today’s message. How we love others is a significant indicator of whether we are genuine followers of Jesus. We live in a world of spiritual darkness; John tells us that we know we are true followers of Christ if we walk in the light and love our fellow brothers and sisters as Christ does. A clear sign of our love is how far we are willing to limit our spiritual liberties to avoid becoming a stumbling block or, in other words, a negative influence in someone else’s life. Scripture warns strongly against those who would cause a weaker or younger believer to stumble and fall away from God's grace. Our Christian liberties come with serious responsibilities and consequences if we live carelessly. Worship and study with us as we are encouraged and challenged in our exploration.

Sunday, March 2, 2025 – Today’s message continues our study of 1 John and is titled “Light Reveals Love.” The Apostle John, known as the Apostle of Love, had a different disposition in his younger years. He and his brother James were nicknamed the “Sons of Thunder” by Jesus due to their hot-tempered and impulsive nature. However, after years of reflecting on Jesus' teachings and experiencing both physical and spiritual maturity, he recognizes that Love is the better way to navigate life. Love is the central theme of today’s message. How we love others is a significant indicator of whether we are genuine followers of Jesus. We live in a world of spiritual darkness; John tells us that we know we are true followers of Christ if we walk in the light and love our fellow brothers and sisters as Christ does. A clear sign of our love is how far we are willing to limit our spiritual liberties to avoid becoming a stumbling block or, in other words, a negative influence in someone else’s life. Scripture warns strongly against those who would cause a weaker or younger believer to stumble and fall away from God's grace. Our Christian liberties come with serious responsibilities and consequences if we live carelessly. Worship and study with us as we are encouraged and challenged in our exploration.

Sunday, February 23, 2025 – Today’s message is titled “Living in Obedient Love” as we continue our study on 1 John, focusing on 1 John 2:1-6. As the title suggests, the word “living” implies a daily exercise or progression. John teaches that the life of a Christian is one of progress, moving from striving not to sin but recognizing that if one does sin, God has a plan for forgiveness, provided one understands the role of Jesus as their advocate in God’s court of heavenly justice. I realize I just said a lot that you may not fully understand, and that’s okay because that’s what this message is about. We will discuss what an “advocate” is and their vital role. Scripture shows us that both the Holy Spirit and Jesus bear the title of advocate. Both are essential, bringing sinful mankind back into a just and holy relationship with a Holy and Just God. However, they differ in function and location, and we will explain that. The end result of learning to live in “obedient love” is that we obey Jesus' commands not because we “have to” or because we “need to” but because we “want to.” When we reach that stage in our mature Christian walk, we can experience the Joy of the Lord as our strength, living a fulfilled life now while looking forward to a rewarding and joyful eternity. Worship and study with us.

Sunday, February 23, 2025 – Today’s message is titled “Living in Obedient Love” as we continue our study on 1 John, focusing on 1 John 2:1-6. As the title suggests, the word “living” implies a daily exercise or progression. John teaches that the life of a Christian is one of progress, moving from striving not to sin but recognizing that if one does sin, God has a plan for forgiveness, provided one understands the role of Jesus as their advocate in God’s court of heavenly justice. I realize I just said a lot that you may not fully understand, and that’s okay because that’s what this message is about. We will discuss what an “advocate” is and their vital role. Scripture shows us that both the Holy Spirit and Jesus bear the title of advocate. Both are essential, bringing sinful mankind back into a just and holy relationship with a Holy and Just God. However, they differ in function and location, and we will explain that. The end result of learning to live in “obedient love” is that we obey Jesus' commands not because we “have to” or because we “need to” but because we “want to.” When we reach that stage in our mature Christian walk, we can experience the Joy of the Lord as our strength, living a fulfilled life now while looking forward to a rewarding and joyful eternity. Worship and study with us.

Sunday, February 16, 2025 – We continue our study of 1 John, and Pastor Mike has titled the message “Walk in the Light.” In this discussion, we will see that God truly desires a relationship with us rather than just a form of religion concerning Him. Our text is 1 John 1:5-10. He begins by making it clear to his readers that the message he is sharing comes directly from Jesus; this is not something John is making up on his own in the moment. He then declares something very interesting about God: He says God is light, and there is no darkness in Him. Of all the characteristics of God, isn't it fascinating that John emphasizes that God is light over other descriptions? Why is light so significant? That’s what we’ll discuss in this week’s message. Light reveals things hidden in darkness. John clearly states in this letter and also in the Gospel of John that men love darkness because their deeds are evil, and they hate the light. They despise the light because they are afraid of having their deeds exposed. But remember, the reason God’s light exposes sin is so that men can be forgiven if they would only seek it. God’s promise is to forgive all those who ask. Worship and study with us as we walk in the Light.

Sunday, February 16, 2025 – We continue our study of 1 John, and Pastor Mike has titled the message “Walk in the Light.” In this discussion, we will see that God truly desires a relationship with us rather than just a form of religion concerning Him. Our text is 1 John 1:5-10. He begins by making it clear to his readers that the message he is sharing comes directly from Jesus; this is not something John is making up on his own in the moment. He then declares something very interesting about God: He says God is light, and there is no darkness in Him. Of all the characteristics of God, isn't it fascinating that John emphasizes that God is light over other descriptions? Why is light so significant? That’s what we’ll discuss in this week’s message. Light reveals things hidden in darkness. John clearly states in this letter and also in the Gospel of John that men love darkness because their deeds are evil, and they hate the light. They despise the light because they are afraid of having their deeds exposed. But remember, the reason God’s light exposes sin is so that men can be forgiven if they would only seek it. God’s promise is to forgive all those who ask. Worship and study with us as we walk in the Light.

Sunday, February 9, 2025 – Pastor Mike is starting our study on 1 John today, titled “Religion vs Relationship.” The Apostle John uses the first few verses of this chapter to lay the foundation for the reality of who Jesus is, affirming that He is both a real man and fully God. It’s essential for him to address this because Satan has been very active in sowing confusion within the early church regarding the humanity and deity of Jesus, aiming to keep “Religion” as the dominant theme in the worship experiences of false gods. John, along with the other disciples, had a personal relationship with Jesus while He walked this earth and died a sacrificial death to pay for our sins. This marks the beginning of the “Relationship” experience tied to the Good News of the Gospel. Consequently, John and the other writers of the New Testament worked tirelessly to promote “Relationship” over “Religion” as the way to God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The focus on “Religion” remains an effective strategy used by the enemy to undermine “Relationship” even today. In short, “Religion” doesn’t save anyone; only a “Relationship” with Jesus does. Worship and study with us and center your life on your relationship with Jesus.