Pastor Clay is away this week.  Today's message is from 2 Kings Chapter 5.  Student Pastor Ivey Rhodes speaks on our obedience to what God asks of the great and the small. He'll also be talking about a new and exciting ministry opportunity that the Rhodes family will begin this September.

Is it possible to live a perfect life as a follower of Jesus Christ? The answer may surprise you.  This week we start our study of the book of 2 Peter, part of our overall series "Building on the Basics" and we are currently building on the basic of hope. In his second letter, the Apostle Peter is nearing the end of his life and he opens his letter by reminding followers of Jesus that there is a sort of a partnership between God and His children. As Pastor Clay is going to explain in today’s message, God does His part in providing salvation for us and what we need for this life, but God also has some expectations on our part; in fact, Peter says “as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.” Exactly what that means, and doesn’t mean is the topic for today’s message.

We're picking up where we left off last week, "Building on the Basics." Pastor Clay is taking us through four expectations that God has for His sheep, found in 1 Peter 5:5-14. 

A shepherd expects two things from his sheep; wool and more sheep. Interestingly, the Bible often refers to God’s followers as sheep. So, the question can be asked, what does God expect from His sheep? This week in our series "Building on the Basics," we find Peter turning his attention to the people who profess faith in Jesus Christ and make up His church, the sheep. Pastor Clay is going to take us through four expectations that God has for His sheep, found in 1 Peter 5:5-14. As God’s sheep, there’s certainly plenty in this week's message to chew on. 

Some people look at the pastor as an employee that works for the church, and follows the will of the people. Some people look at the pastor as a CEO type, running the operation from on top. But what does God say is the role of the pastor? In our last message in the series "Building on the Basics," the Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 4:17 that it was "time for judgment to begin with the household of God.” It is in that context that chapter 5 opens with a look at the role and responsibility of the pastor, or pastors of a local church. As you’ll hear Pastor Clay say today...if a church is going to be biblical and if it is going to be what God intends it to be, then the judgment of the household of God must begin by looking first at the pastor.

Trials, hardships, suffering, most of us understand that they are part of living in this world, but is it possible to be joyful about our trials?  As we continue in our series "Building on the Basics," we come to Peter’s admonition to rejoice not only in our trials, but because of our trials. It would be easy for us to think that Peter was a little crazy, but as we’ll see today it really is possible to have joy in our trials. Pastor Clay is going to show us today from 1 Peter 4:12-19, what we are to do with our trials, and how we find joy in the middle of them. 

More than 40 percent of Americans set New Years resolutions but 1 in 3 will ditch them by the end of January and less than 10 percent will reach their goals.  Most people's resolutions are of a material and temporal nature.  Shouldn't followers of Jesus look to making resolutions that are spiritual and eternal?  And how can you resolve to maintain your changes not just until the end of the month or the end of the year, but for the rest of your life?  This week, Pastor Clay is picking up where we left off last week as the Apostle Peter challenges us in some very practical ways to commit to answering the calling as a follower of Jesus.

For followers of Jesus, thoughts of beginning a new year with improvements or changes in our lives should always start with the spiritual. So, have you made any spiritual new year’s resolutions?  The timing couldn't be better as we jump into chapter 4 of 1 Peter.  Pastor Clay is going to show us how the Apostle Peter challenges us to answer the calling as a follower of Jesus and he challenges us in some very practical ways. Following Jesus is not easy in this world but as we’re going to hear today, it’s vitally important that we understand clearly and respond obediently to God’s call on our lives.

We live in hope because of Jesus Christ and the third chapter of 1 Peter comes to a close with Peter focusing in specifically on the hope we find in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Peter never lets us get far away from the anchor of our hope which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The empty tomb is the proof that your salvation has been obtained, if you have trusted Christ.  Now let's open our Bibles to 1 Peter 3 verses 18 through 22 as our Building on the Basics series continues.

Today we’re breaking from our series "Building on the Basics" to focus on the Christmas story.  As the song goes, the Christmas season really is "the most wonderful time of the year.” But in the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s easy to get caught up in everything and miss the miss the true meaning of Christmas and the true reason for the season. As Pastor Clay is going to explain today, whether people realize it or not, the story of Christmas is really the story of the greatest rescue mission ever undertaken and each of us are still part of that mission today.