As we look at the values that root us in who we are as a church, biblical teaching means we will proclaim the truth of God’s Word week in and week out. Everything we do is guided by the truth of who God is and what He has called us to do. If we are going to saturate the world with the Good News by making disciples, we have to know who Jesus is, what He has called us to do, and what He taught us to do. The beauty is that God has not left us in this world without a way to know Him and follow Him. We have the Bible. Like a compass, God’s Word is our guide and direction for how to live this life and know Him. In a world inundated with information and claims that twist the truth, we can trust that the Bible is reliable and trustworthy. The Bible doesn’t answer every question we have, but it answers every question we need to know about who God is.

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As we look at the values that define who we are as a church, our second value is Intentional Community. From the beginning, God has always had a heart for community. His design is for us to do life together. If God’s plan is to create and establish community, Satan will do everything he can to disrupt and dismantle it. If the enemy can isolate you, he can destroy you. Hebrews 10 reminds us why we need each other and why God puts people in our lives who need us. We need people around us who will help us look up, wake up, get up, and stay up. We need people who will encourage us when we begin to pull away, care enough to call out sin, help carry our burdens when we fall, and lock arms with us as we keep marching forward. God wants you to do life with people. If you have found yourself pulling away or living in loneliness and isolation, don’t listen to the voice of the enemy. Be bold enough and humble enough to say, “God, I need community.” We all need people to do life with because it’s the way God created us. We have to be intentional about community.

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As we begin our new series, ROOTS, we take a closer look at the values that define who we are as a church. We begin with one of our core values, Persistent Prayer. Prayer is the life source of who we are and everything we do. It is the source of peace, comfort, wisdom, direction, and power. Prayer isn't the preparation for the greater work. Prayer is the greater work. In Luke 18, Jesus teaches the parable of the persistent widow to remind us to never give up on God in prayer. Persistent prayer is an ongoing conversation with God without giving up because He desires a relationship with us. Because of Jesus, we have direct access to the Father and can approach Him with confidence. The Creator God desires to spend time with you, hear from you, and meet you where you are. Could it be that your unanswered prayer is the very thing God is using to keep you coming back to Him? If we want to see God move in our lives and in our church, it starts with persistent prayer.

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In Numbers 13–14 and Joshua 14, we follow the life of Caleb, a man who walked by faith and not by sight. While the other spies saw giants, fortified cities, and reasons they couldn't, Caleb believed the promise of God. The Israelites had many reasons for not entering the Promised Land, but God gave only one: unbelief. Forty-five years later, Caleb is still following the Lord fully. At eighty-five years old, he declares, "Give me this mountain," because his confidence was never in his own strength but in the strength of God. He didn't let fear, doubt, or circumstances determine his faith. He started with faith and let it lead his sight. When we walk by faith, giant challenges lose their power, faith reframes the facts, and our weakness becomes His strength. Whether you've stopped walking, grown weary, or you're ready to take the next step, God is calling you to trust His promises. When Jesus returns, may He find us walking.

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God continually shows up for the Israelites. He makes a way, provides for their needs, and invites them into His presence. Yet while Moses is on the mountain with God, the people grow tired of waiting, forget what God has done, and turn back to their old ways. Though God is a God of miracles and provision, His greatest gift is His presence. When we become focused only on what we want God to do, we can miss the beauty of who He is. Remember what He has done, and look for His presence. The tabernacle points to Jesus, the greater fulfillment of God's plan to dwell with His people. Jesus is the Door, the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, and our Great High Priest who intercedes for us. Through Him, the veil has been torn, we have access to God, and we can walk with Him. Don't miss the greatest gift of all: His presence.

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In Exodus 16–17, the Israelites go from the victory of the Red Sea into the wilderness. Though they had been delivered from Egypt, they struggled to wait well. Yet the wilderness was not a prison but a classroom where God wanted to teach them, shape them, and prove His faithfulness. God provided bread from heaven, water from the rock, and people to help carry the burden. A wilderness reveals what's in us and who's around us. When it seems like there's no way, God will provide in a way that makes no sense. God has entrusted each of us with a "staff" to lift up for His glory. Even when we grow weary, God uses His people to help us keep holding it high. God is not finished with you. Praise Him in the wilderness.

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The whole purpose of 1 John is to give us confidence in who we are, whose we are in Christ, and where we will spend eternity. John reminds us that we can have confidence in our access to God because when we ask according to His will, He hears us. We pray boldly not because we always receive what we ask for, but because we know who is listening and trust His will. John also reminds us to have confidence in our adoption. Because we belong to Christ, we can rest in the victory He has already won and encourage one another through prayer and loving accountability. His final command, "Keep yourselves from idols," is the natural result of knowing who we are and whose we are. When we know who we belong to, we will never be satisfied by a substitute. The answer to temptation is not more willpower but filling our hearts with the knowledge of Christ, His love, His Word, and His will until there is no vacancy. When Christ is magnified, everything else shrinks.

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The whole purpose of 1 John is to give us confidence in who we are, whose we are in Christ, and where we will spend eternity. John reminds us that we can have confidence in our access to God because when we ask according to His will, He hears us. We pray boldly not because we always receive what we ask for, but because we know who is listening and trust His will. John also reminds us to have confidence in our adoption. Because we belong to Christ, we can rest in the victory He has already won and encourage one another through prayer and loving accountability. His final command, "Keep yourselves from idols," is the natural result of knowing who we are and whose we are. When we know who we belong to, we will never be satisfied by a substitute. The answer to temptation is not more willpower but filling our hearts with the knowledge of Christ, His love, His Word, and His will until there is no vacancy. When Christ is magnified, everything else shrinks.

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Psalm 91 reminds us that when life happens, we all run somewhere. Dads, your children are watching. As they follow your tracks, where are you leading them? When you need security, strength, courage, comfort, and hope, where do you go to find it? The psalmist declares, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” We are not God, and there will be days when we need what our children need too. The question is not what we say we trust, but where we actually run. Do we run to God or to the things of the world? Psalm 91 invites us to dwell in the presence of God, not just visit when we want something. Whether the attack is expected, unexpected, or fueled by fear, God is inviting us to come to Him. Your children are watching. Where do you run, and where will your tracks lead them?

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In 1 John 5, John revisits familiar territory as he reminds believers why he wrote this letter: that our joy may be full, that we may not be deceived, and that we may know we have eternal life. Surrounded by false teachers and competing beliefs, John points us back to the truth that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. John reminds us that loving God's children and obeying His commands is not a burden but a delight. As followers of Jesus, we are called to go to everyone, everywhere, every day with the Good News that whoever believes in Jesus can be born of God. Most importantly, John declares that everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. We were designed to overcome, not through our own strength, but through faith in Jesus Christ. The world can never satisfy the desires of our hearts, but Jesus can. Stay connected to the Source of life, trust in Him, and take what you know to be true and teach it to someone else.

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