COG Moose Jaw

Pastor Larry is passing off the mic to five members of the COG staff team! Hear their heart, what they're passionate about, and be inspired by their message to you. The challenge? They only have five minutes each!

Have you ever tried to swim or row a boat upstream?  It takes a lot of focus, struggle and perseverance, yet the salmon do it every year!  Such is the Christian life.  As the Apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 4:1-6, a life committed to swimming upstream in a downstream culture is only possible when we arm ourselves with the mind of Christ, cut off all sin, and keep our focus on the end goal.

Have you ever asked where God is in suffering? In the Bible we learn that Christ himself suffered on our behalf, and now through our own suffering we can participate in His glory.

Have you ever wished there was a secret 'key' to unlock the door to a fulfilled life? The Apostle Peter gives us five keys in 1 Peter 3:8-12 that open the door for us to live fulfilled lives through the power of the Spirit. We each have only one life to life, so let's use these keys to bring peace and blessing to a broken, evil world.

How does God work His perfect will in marriage? Peter begins his third chapter with a reminder to wives of the power of their inner beauty to effect enduring change, and a warning to husbands not to hinder their own prayers through ill treatment of their wives. A timely message on this Father's Day weekend that attractive Christianity begins at home.

Do you find it hard to submit? What if you don't agree? What if you know you're right? Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 2:12-17 that regardless of who is over us or how they behave, we must honour them and submit to their leadership so that our behaviour might attract them to Jesus.

God is building his Church, but not with bricks and mortar. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:4-10 that we are each living stones which God is forming together into a spiritual house for His own dwelling. The Church has no fixed address, but rather is a global community of people Jesus has made His dwelling place in.

Do you find it hard to love people? In this season of division and disagreement, it seems so difficult even to tolerate others, let alone love them. And yet as Christians we've been called to love each other fervently with a depth and constancy that is only possible through Christ. In this, our witness to the world is most powerfully put on display.

Therefore ... what's it there for? The Apostle Peter continues in 1 Peter 1:13-16 by connecting what we believe with how we should live: focused, sober, holy, and prepared for action.

What do you hope for? Whenever the Bible uses the word 'hope', it refers to something that's guaranteed, like our inheritance in heaven. Regardless of what we experience in this life, as Christians we can rejoice in a glorious future in heaven with a hope that's protected by the power of God!