Cornerstone on the Go

Guest Speaker: Pastor Rodney Otwell

Many believers walk through life defeated, even though they serve a God who is able to do far more than they could ever ask or imagine. Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 is a call not just to know the truth about who we are in Christ, but to actually live by it. He prays three things for every believer: strength in the inner man through the Holy Spirit, Christ dwelling fully in our hearts by faith, and being rooted and grounded in love to know the fullness of God. The power described in Ephesians 3:20 is not reserved for certain people or circumstances. It is already at work in every believer. The question is whether we are walking in it or walking around it. Our God is able, and the invitation is simply to live as we believe it.

Guest Speaker: Jason Fletcher

Scripture: Mark 6:1-13

Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth and was met with skepticism and rejection, yet He did not stop proclaiming the good news. He then sent His twelve disciples out two by two, giving them His authority and instructing them to bring nothing for the journey, teaching them to depend fully on His provision. Their message was simple and direct: repent and turn to God. The same calling belongs to every follower of Christ today, wherever God has placed them.

One of the most common struggles in the Christian life is knowing whether what we sense or feel is truly from God. The Holy Spirit still speaks to believers today, guiding us through Scripture, the counsel of others, and inner promptings. A reliable way to test any leading is to ask four key questions: Does it agree with Scripture? Does it glorify Jesus? Does it reflect the character of Christ? And are you willing to seek wise counsel? The Holy Spirit will never contradict the Word He inspired, so Scripture is always the first and most important filter. Obedience to what God has already made clear is often the very thing that opens the door to clarity on what is not yet clear. The Holy Spirit is not silent, and with the right framework, we can learn to hear Him more faithfully.

What if the gap in your church exists because your gift is sitting on a shelf collecting dust? God did not just save you. He gifted you by grace and empowered you by His Spirit for a specific purpose. Every part of the body matters, including yours. Discover what it looks like to stop sitting on the sidelines and start serving with what God has already placed in you.

The Holy Spirit's primary work in a believer's life is to make us more like Christ, not all at once, but little by little, from one degree to the next. Every Christian experiences an internal battle between the sinful nature and the Spirit, and that tension is not a sign that something is wrong. It is actually evidence that the Spirit is alive and active within you. God does not change your personality through the Spirit. He changes your character, shaping it into the character of Christ over time. The fruit of the Spirit, including love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, is not passive. It requires active participation, keeping in step with the Spirit through the Word of God. This is a lifelong process, and God does not give up on us. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.

There is a lot of confusion in the Christian world about who actually has the Holy Spirit, but the Bible gives a clear answer. Jesus drew a distinct line in John 14, explaining that the world cannot receive the Spirit, but those who belong to Him can. Romans 8:9 confirms this by stating that anyone who does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to Him at all. The Holy Spirit is given at the moment of salvation, not in a second experience or through a specific gift like speaking in tongues. His presence is God's seal and guarantee that you belong to His family. Your assurance as a believer rests not in your spiritual performance, but in the finished work of Christ and the Spirit He has placed within you.

The Holy Spirit is one of the most overlooked members of the Trinity, yet He is fully God and personally present with every believer. Jesus promised His disciples that when He ascended to the Father, He would send another Advocate of the same kind, the Holy Spirit, who would never leave them. This is not a lesser substitute for Jesus but God Himself dwelling within us. His presence is not reserved for emotional moments or Sunday mornings. He is with us in the ordinary, the painful, and the uncertain. Because He is a person and not simply a force or a feeling, we can know Him, talk to Him, and rely on Him. The greatest danger for believers is not wrong theology about the Spirit but knowing the right theology and then living each day as if He is not actually there. You do not have to move an inch to be with Him.

Sometimes the drought we feel has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the condition of our hearts. In 1 Kings 18, Israel's physical drought was a direct reflection of a spiritual one, rooted in divided loyalty and neglected worship. Before God sent the rain, He required three things from His people: realigned hearts, rebuilt altars, and refocused attention on Him alone. The same is true for us today. We often ask God to fix our marriages, our finances, and our churches while refusing to let Him fix us first. God is not withholding blessing to be cruel. He is withholding it because He loves us enough to deal with what is dry within us before sending the rain.

The book of Philemon is a 25-verse letter from Paul that cuts straight to the heart of what grace actually looks like when it costs us something. Grace is not an abstract idea. It is God giving us good things we do not deserve, at a cost we could not pay. In the letter, Paul appeals to Philemon to receive back Onesimus, a former slave who wronged him but has since come to faith in Christ. Biblical grace does not pretend the wrong never happened. It faces the hurt honestly and then chooses to absorb the cost anyway, just as Christ absorbed ours at the cross. Every one of us plays a role in this story, whether as a peacemaker, someone who needs to humble themselves and go back, or someone who must extend grace to a person who has caused real pain. Grace received is grace given.

Raising children who know and love God is one of the most important things a family can do, and it does not require a perfect home or a theology degree. Deuteronomy 6 makes it clear that faith is meant to be woven into the everyday rhythms of life, not confined to a Sunday morning. The book of Judges offers a sobering reminder of what happens when one generation fails to pass on what God has done. Effective family discipleship is authentic, consistent, loving, and intentional. It can look as simple as reading a few Bible verses before bed, memorizing Scripture together, or using a car ride as a conversation about faith. One of the greatest gifts you can give a child is a clear understanding of who they are in Christ. The church is a partner in this process, but the primary responsibility belongs to the family. Start where you are, with what you have, today.