Chestnut Mountain Church

God has always used imperfect people to accomplish His perfect plan. In Matthew 28, some of the disciples worshiped while others doubted, yet Jesus gave them all the same instruction and assignment. Despite their struggles, God still saw fit to call them and use them. The same is true for us. We don't have to be perfect for God to use us. Jesus finishes the Great Commission with a promise that should liberate every follower of Christ to walk in obedience: He is with us always. He doesn't promise occasional assistance; He promises an enduring presence. There will never be a day that He isn't with us. Even on the days when it feels like we've let go of God, we can be assured that the Father hasn't let go of us. This promise doesn't mean we won't face struggles or that obedience will be easy. It means we won't face it alone. God wants to do a work in and through us, not based on our skill set but on His presence. He will never call us to do something or go somewhere that He won't go before us and go with us. Hold on to His promise. He is always with us.

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God didn't save us to sit. He saved us and sent us on a mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 28, Jesus declares that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him. The authority of Christ is the reason we must go and the confidence with which we go. The same One who saves us is the same One who reigns over us. The Great Commission isn't just about doing; it's about being. Following Jesus calls us to unconditional surrender and complete obedience. Wherever He calls us to go, we must go. Whatever He calls us to do, we must do. We have been sent in His authority. Obedience is not up for question; it is the call of the Christian to follow King Jesus and go tell people to follow Him. Are we going to surrender unconditionally and walk faithfully in obedience to the One who has all authority?

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We all long for purpose. We want to know that who we are and what we do matters. Jesus didn't save us to just sit. He saved us and placed us on mission. In Matthew 28, Jesus gives His followers a clear mission: make disciples. But what does it mean to be a disciple and to make disciples? Looking at the life and ministry of Jesus, we see that He didn't just call His disciples to believe in Him but to follow Him. Jesus isn't just interested in our conversion; He's interested in our transformation. Discipleship is being formed to be sent. The Great Commission isn't just about sharing the Good News. It's about walking with people, teaching them, and showing them how to follow Jesus. Every follower of Jesus has been called to make disciples. God is sending you into your home, school, workplace, and community. Stop waiting on someone else. Who is God calling you to, and what are you going to do about it?

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Life is hard, and there are circumstances that can leave us shattered and broken. Sometimes God answers our prayers exactly the way we think He should, and it’s easy to celebrate His faithfulness. But it doesn’t always turn out that way. When it doesn’t, our faith is tested and it can feel like our faith is shattered. In Ezekiel 37, Ezekiel is sitting in a valley of dry bones surrounded by what is lifeless and hopeless. God asks Ezekiel if he believes God can restore the mess and fix what has been broken. Ezekiel’s response shows a posture fully dependent on God’s plan, trusting God with the outcome whether the dry bones come back to life or not. Do you trust God with the outcome? Trusting God’s plan doesn’t mean we have to like it. But when we surrender our plan to His plan, it ignites a work of God. Give what is scarred, shattered, and broken into the right hands. God wants to rebuild our faith, take what is shattered, and put it back together.

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The enemy wants to create an identity crisis in our lives. While he wants the believer to question their identity, he wants the unbeliever to embrace an identity apart from God. We were all once rebels, but Jesus wants to rescue us from being a rebel to being redeemed. For those who are in Christ, the enemy wants to keep us stuck in our past and defined by our struggles. But when we can’t out-think the enemy, we out-truth him with the Word of God. You are not your past. You are not your struggle. You are not defined by your scars but by Jesus’ scars. Because of Jesus, you are redeemed, you are new, and you are His. There is only One who has the authority to name you, and it’s the One who purchased you. As Satan tries to name you, don’t forget that the Savior calls you His. Quit looking back and look up. There’s an empty cross and an empty tomb that names you.

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In our Pieces series, we’re exposing the spiritual war we are in and learning to understand who our enemy is. The devil will never appear the way we think he should. He is cunning, crafty, and deceptive, and he wants to appear harmless and appealing in order to lure us away from the security of God’s presence and God’s people. Satan is still running the same plays today that he ran on Adam and Eve. He tempts us with the lie that what he offers will satisfy, provide peace, or won’t really matter. Then, when we give in, he immediately becomes the accuser, telling us we are guilty, unlovable, unforgivable, worthless, or too far gone. But Satan is defeated. When we can’t out think the enemy, we out-truth him with the truth of God’s Word. No one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand. He has purchased us with a price, and He has not let go of us.

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As we begin our new series, Pieces, we are shining light on the spiritual war we are in. For the child of God, arrows will be fired at you with an attempt to shatter your faith and get you to compromise who and what you trust. We are not fighting for victory. We are fighting from it. But what happens when the faith that was once so strong becomes tested, shattered, and broken?

Through the story of his family, Pastor Brian shares what it looks like when the same people, with the same faith and the same God, experience two totally different outcomes. When God performs the way we want Him to, it can be easy to celebrate His faithfulness. But when He doesn't, we may find ourselves asking, “God, what do You want to do with my faith when it's shattered? What can You do with my brokenness?” Throughout Scripture, we see what God does with broken pieces. He restores and reassembles what has been broken. He re-members what has been dismembered. God loves to put broken things back together. Whatever you are carrying, bring what is being done in darkness into the light. Be bold in your brokenness and trust the only One who can put the pieces back together.

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In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us what prayer and fasting are meant to look like in the Christian life. Prayer and fasting are not optional disciplines or add-ons. Prayer is not the preparation for the greater work. It is the greater work. Prayer is about communion with God, walking with God, and coming into His presence. What if the greatest reward we could ever receive from prayer is not the answered prayer but God Himself? Jesus gives us a model for prayer that begins with who God is and what His mission is: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.” Prayer teaches us to depend on God today, to pray as a first response instead of a last resort, and to remember that we are in a spiritual war. The beauty is that our Heavenly Father already knows what we need, yet He still invites us into His presence. Fasting allows us to starve ourselves of something so that we may feast on God. We say no to our flesh so that we may say yes to His presence. Prayer draws us into the presence of God, and fasting clears us up for His presence. The answer is Him. His presence is the better life.

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As we look at the values that root us in who we are as a church, Surrendered Obedience means letting go of control and letting God take control. When life feels uncertain and the road ahead is confusing, the safest place for us to be is not in control but in a place of surrender. Real faith trusts God enough to obey Him, surrenders enough to let go, and believes God enough to expect Him to provide. In Genesis 22, God asked Abraham to do something that didn’t make sense. Abraham’s “yes” was already on the table. Surrendered obedience always comes before understanding. When God speaks, obey. Our part is to show up, take God at His Word, and follow Him one step at a time. Surrendered obedience isn’t the absence of failures. It’s choosing to trust God beyond our last mistake. What God wanted from Abraham was not his son but his surrender. What is it that God has asked you to do that you haven’t done yet? Take the first step of obedience. Say, “God, here I am. Speak.” Whatever He says to you, do it.

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As we look at the values that root us in who we are as a church, Grateful Generosity means being open-handed with what God has given us. Grateful generosity is the action of being generous as a result of being grateful for how generous He has been to us. Being generous is not a have-to but a get-to. It is simply an expression of thankfulness for what God has already done. In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul points to the churches in Macedonia as an example of generosity. They didn't have a lot, but they understood the grace and generosity of God. Their circumstances didn't dictate their generosity. Generosity isn't about the amount but the posture of our hearts. We give because we understand what God gave when He gave us His Son, Jesus. God doesn't need our resources to accomplish His will, but He gives us an invitation to be part of the work He wants to accomplish. Give yourself first to the Lord, trust Him, and ask, "God, what does generosity look like for me?" We live with grateful generosity so that more people can know Jesus.

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