"Do this in remembrance of me." At the Last Supper Jesus instituted The Lord's Supper. It is rich with symbolic meaning and the fulfilling of prophecy. It reminds us of who He is, What He has done, and what He has promised to do. Dive in with us as we recall the beauty and the purpose of communion in the church.

"Do this in remembrance of me." At the Last Supper Jesus instituted The Lord's Supper. It is rich with symbolic meaning and the fulfilling of prophecy. It reminds us of who He is, What He has done, and what He has promised to do. Dive in with us as we recall the beauty and the purpose of communion in the church.

1 Peter 5:6-11In week 3 of our "HOOKED" series we're looking at how the enemy attempts to hook us. We're not the fishermen in this story... We're the fish. And just like the fish in the sea, we're swimming in waters where there is a real enemy and A LOT of lures, distractions, false fish, and HOOKS set out for the sole purpose of catching and keeping us from swimming toward what is good and true.1. Lures Target Your DesireSatan rarely comes at us with obvious evil. He's subtle. he uses bait that looks good, feel right, and seems harmless - but hides a deadly hook. In Genesis, Eve saw that "the fruit was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes." "She took of the fruit and ate." (Genesis 3:6). The Bible tells us in James 1:13-15: God does not tempt us toward evil, but each person is lured and enticed by his own desire."Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it fully grown brings forth death." 2. Lures Distract You1 Peter 5:8 - "Be sober-minded; be watchful." The enemy doesn't always attack outright, sometimes he distracts. If satan can't get you to jump into sin, he'll try to numb your spiritual hunger, dull your awareness, and keep you entertained and most importantly, ineffective. Romans 13:11 says "The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed." How many times have you hit snooze? All while the world is crying out for hope. The devil doesn't need to destroy you if he can distract you.3.We Remain Firm1 Peter 5:9 "Resist him, firm in your faith..." We don't fight the enemy with anger or fear. We fight with faith. Stay in the Word and know the truth so you can spot a lie. Stay in prayer and stay connected to the voice of the Spirit. Stay in community, isolation is the enemy's playground. Stay on mission. The most dangerous Christian to the enemy is the one who is advancing the Kingdom.Week 3 challenge: Identify and remove a lure of the enemy in your life.You were made to fish - not be caught. The devil has lures, but God gives light, truth and power. Stay alert. Stay awake. Stay firmly anchored in Christ. Don't take the bait, walk in truth.We love ya church!

In week 3 of our "HOOKED" series we're looking at how the enemy attempts to hook us. We're not the fishermen in this story... We're the fish. And just like the fish in the sea, we're swimming in waters where there is a real enemy and A LOT of lures, distractions, false fish, and HOOKS set out for the sole purpose of catching and keeping us from swimming toward what is good and true.1. Lures Target Your DesireSatan rarely comes at us with obvious evil. He's subtle. he uses bait that looks good, feel right, and seems harmless - but hides a deadly hook. In Genesis, Eve saw that "the fruit was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes." "She took of the fruit and ate." (Genesis 3:6). The Bible tells us in James 1:13-15: God does not tempt us toward evil, but each person is lured and enticed by his own desire."Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it fully grown brings forth death." 2. Lures Distract You1 Peter 5:8 - "Be sober-minded; be watchful." The enemy doesn't always attack outright, sometimes he distracts. If satan can't get you to jump into sin, he'll try to numb your spiritual hunger, dull your awareness, and keep you entertained and most importantly, ineffective. Romans 13:11 says "The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed." How many times have you hit snooze? All while the world is crying out for hope. The devil doesn't need to destroy you if he can distract you.3.We Remain Firm1 Peter 5:9 "Resist him, firm in your faith..." We don't fight the enemy with anger or fear. We fight with faith. Stay in the Word and know the truth so you can spot a lie. Stay in prayer and stay connected to the voice of the Spirit. Stay in community, isolation is the enemy's playground. Stay on mission. The most dangerous Christian to the enemy is the one who is advancing the Kingdom.Week 3 challenge: Identify and remove a lure of the enemy in your life.You were made to fish - not be caught. The devil has lures, but God gives light, truth and power. Stay alert. Stay awake. Stay firmly anchored in Christ. Don't take the bait, walk in truth.We love ya church!

Matthew 13:47-50

As we continue our "HOOKED" series, we are reminding ourselves again that the church is meant to live out the great commission and an aspect of our body is outward focused. As followers of Jesus, He makes us "fishers of men".

The Kingdom of God is like a net cast wide - we are called to be part of that casting, not gatekeeping who comes in.

1.The Net is Wide

The net represents the message of the Kingdom, the Good News of Jesus. It is cast wide, reaching all kinds of fish. That phrase is intentional: it means variety- big and small. clean, unclean, attractive and odd. The Net is not ours. It's His Kingdom. This points out the nature of God's mission. No one is out of reach. The Gospel is meant for everyone. God does not destine people for destruction. If the Gospel you believe only works for people who look, act, and live like you - it's not the Gospel of Jesus.

2. What Kind of Fish Are You?

Jesus says the net is pulled in and the fish are sorted. Some are kept, and some are discarded. This raises a deep, personal question: "What kind of fish am I?" Of course this isn't about behavior or outward appearance. It's about the heart, the soul, your standing before God. This is where we have to stop and ask: "Have I truly responded to Christ, or am I just swimming around the net?" The keepers (the "good fish") aren't those who have lived perfect lives. They're those who've been redeemed and caught by the grace of God in Jesus and made new through His sacrifice. Without Christ none of us are good fish.

3. We Cast, God Sorts

Our Job is to bring people to Jesus, not decide who the good fish are. The Kingdom net is Gods not ours, though He chooses to use us to spread it. If we busy ourselves trying to clean all the fish before casting the net we won't catch anything. We must cast the net freely and trust God to sort the fish that are caught however they come.

Our week 2 challenge this week is for you to cast the Kingdom net in some way, toward someone. Share your faith. Share the hope that you have in Christ. and see what God does.

We love ya church! See ya next week.

Matthew 13:47-50

As we continue our "HOOKED" series, we are reminding ourselves again that the church is meant to live out the great commission and an aspect of our body is outward focused. As followers of Jesus, He makes us "fishers of men".

The Kingdom of God is like a net cast wide - we are called to be part of that casting, not gatekeeping who comes in.

1.The Net is Wide

The net represents the message of the Kingdom, the Good News of Jesus. It is cast wide, reaching all kinds of fish. That phrase is intentional: it means variety- big and small. clean, unclean, attractive and odd. The Net is not ours. It's His Kingdom. This points out the nature of God's mission. No one is out of reach. The Gospel is meant for everyone. God does not destine people for destruction. If the Gospel you believe only works for people who look, act, and live like you - it's not the Gospel of Jesus.

2. What Kind of Fish Are You?

Jesus says the net is pulled in and the fish are sorted. Some are kept, and some are discarded. This raises a deep, personal question: "What kind of fish am I?" Of course this isn't about behavior or outward appearance. It's about the heart, the soul, your standing before God. This is where we have to stop and ask: "Have I truly responded to Christ, or am I just swimming around the net?" The keepers (the "good fish") aren't those who have lived perfect lives. They're those who've been redeemed and caught by the grace of God in Jesus and made new through His sacrifice. Without Christ none of us are good fish.

3. We Cast, God Sorts

Our Job is to bring people to Jesus, not decide who the good fish are. The Kingdom net is Gods not ours, though He chooses to use us to spread it. If we busy ourselves trying to clean all the fish before casting the net we won't catch anything. We must cast the net freely and trust God to sort the fish that are caught however they come.

Our week 2 challenge this week is for you to cast the Kingdom net in some way, toward someone. Share your faith. Share the hope that you have in Christ. and see what God does.

We love ya church! See ya next week.

Matthew 4:18-25

HE IS RISEN Christ did what He said He would do. He laid down His life as payment for the sin of the world and took it up again on the third day. This fact is a stumbling block for so many. It overthrows intellect. It rages against our flesh. But yet even if we wish to approach it scientifically, if we wish to search the evidence available, it all points to the fact that He did it. That God did it. What do we do with this? What will you do with this? Jesus did not give us the option to treat Him as just a spiritual leader, a good teacher, a man ahead of the times. Either He is the messiah, the Son of God, Lord of Lords or He's a liar and a lunatic. He's not the latter, and if that's true it demands a response from us. If the resurrection happened, if He is alive then everything He ever did and said is of the utmost importance and He is the God man. It's the most important thing to ever happen. There is simply no middle ground to stand on. Thank you for joining us and Happy Resurrection Day. This is the greatest news the world has ever known.

HE IS RISEN Christ did what He said He would do. He laid down His life as payment for the sin of the world and took it up again on the third day. This fact is a stumbling block for so many. It overthrows intellect. It rages against our flesh. But yet even if we wish to approach it scientifically, if we wish to search the evidence available, it all points to the fact that He did it. That God did it. What do we do with this? What will you do with this? Jesus did not give us the option to treat Him as just a spiritual leader, a good teacher, a man ahead of the times. Either He is the messiah, the Son of God, Lord of Lords or He's a liar and a lunatic. He's not the latter, and if that's true it demands a response from us. If the resurrection happened, if He is alive then everything He ever did and said is of the utmost importance and He is the God man. It's the most important thing to ever happen. There is simply no middle ground to stand on. Thank you for joining us and Happy Resurrection Day. This is the greatest news the world has ever known.

Psalm 22Matthew 27"They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" - John 12:13 Fulfilling prophecy, On Sunday before the Passover Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the shouts of the people "Hosanna!" The crowds waved palm branches welcoming Him as King, and hoped He would overthrow Rome and restore Israel. They were right in proclaiming Him King. But Jesus was not the King they expected, but the one they (we) needed. A week that began with praise would quickly turn to persecution. By Thursday Jesus was arrested in the cover of the night. By Friday morning He was beaten, mocked, and sentenced to death instead of and in the place of a true criminal (Barabbas). By Friday afternoon He was hanging on a Roman cross. We cannot gloss over or make light of the cross. To properly understand it we must feel the weight of it. Under Roman law, Roman citizens could not be crucified. It was a punishment reserved for foreigner felons guilty of crimes against Rome. It was a method of Rome's to make an example of someone who would not comply with Romes rule. That being said, it was intended to be as slow, brutal, and torturous as possible. Interestingly Pilate the Roman governor of Judea found "no guilt in Jesus". Our word we use today "Excruciating" is derived from Roman crucifixion and literally means "from the cross". The pain and torture Jesus endured in facing his death is hard to fully comprehended in our modern minds. But if we wish to know Him, we must acknowledge and embrace the cross for all that it was and meant. When we begin to do so, we may be lead to question "Why the brutality?" "Why such merciless suffering?" When we read the Old Testament through the lens of the cross we begin to find our answer. From the beginning (Genesis 3), The cross was God's plan to redeem mankind. The seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent, but in the process He would be bruised. There would be a sacrifice. Because the wages of our sin was death. "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" - " My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In the gospel according to Matthew these are some of Jesus' last words from the cross. they stir uneasy feelings in all who read them even today, but they were not just an outpouring of His heart in that moment. Well read Jews in attendance would know that Jesus was referring to Psalm 22. In the passage we see the Psalmist David, the man who slayed Goliath, King of the golden age of Israel speak to and prophecy the cross of Christ a thousand years before crucifixion was invented. In His last words Jesus was saying "remember the Psalm." more importantly "Remember how the song ends": 30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

"he has done it." He had done it. "It is finished." were His final words from the cross. The debt of the sin of the world was paid. on the day of Passover "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." - (John 1:29) had laid down his life, and in doing so once and for all crushed the head of the enemy. God is inviting you into His story. Without thinking of all you've been told that "you ought" to do in response to Jesus and the cross, ask yourself: "Who is Jesus to me?" "What is the cross to me?" Was He merely a man full of wisdom and good teachings? if that's all He was we must also assume Him to be a lunatic for His claims to be God. Or, it's all true. Jesus Christ. God incarnate, come down from His throne to bear our cross. His life and all that He did were the purpose and plan of the Father that we would know Christ and through Him know the Father. If the latter is true, then it is the single most important thing in the history of the universe.