Jesus came to bear witness to the Truth and calls us to belief/faith. Jesus was crucified between 2 convicted criminals. One mocked and insulted him. The other recognized the truth of his own guilt and called out for forgiveness. Jesus is the Truth and the dividing line for all eternity!

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Jesus was in the season of His ministry where He was still keeping things under wraps…He didn’t want the Roman Government cracking down on His followers or the religious leaders causing a scene. In this season, when He healed, He usually told people to not tell anyone. However, many people (including this leper) couldn’t keep their healing a secret and went and told everyone! Jesus, being God, KNEW that this leper would not keep Jesus’ command to keep things quiet…but Jesus healed him anyway. It’s a striking reminder that what moves Jesus to healing the hurt and saving the lost isn’t their obedience to Him but rather His compassion on them. “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Today, our students need to be reminded that though the Bible stresses the importance of obedience, we are saved through Grace alone by faith alone, and not as a result of what we do or don’t do.

Scripture: Mark 1:40-45 NIV

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Have you ever felt like there’s a battle within? We want to do the right things, but we often don’t. We don’t want to sin, but we often do. Sometimes, life can feel like an old cartoon where there’s an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, each telling us what we should do! Though it’s funny imagery, it’s a great depiction of what it feels like to be caught up in the ancient battle between God & the enemy. This week we’ll unpack a theology of spiritual warfare - what it is, what it means for us, and how knowing our enemy is one of our greatest tools in defeating him.

Scripture: Mark 1:21-39, NLT

FaceBook: FCC Student Ministry
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Have you ever thought that you were too young to make a difference? Have you been TOLD that you were too young & that you should wait until you're older?

Though not explicitly stated in scripture, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that with the exception of Peter, Jesus' disciples were teenagers. Jesus trusted teenagers to change the world back then, and we believe He is still calling them to change it now. This week Pastor Josh will continue in the book of Mark & looks at the account of Jesus calling the first disciples, what that meant for teenagers back then, and what that means for teenagers today.

Scripture: Mark 1:16-1:20, NLT

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Website: fccsantamaria.org

When things don't work out the way we want them to, we wonder what God is doing 'up there'. Is God even paying attention to our life? Doesn't He know what we wanted? 

Sometimes, God will bring us to a place we don't want to be because He is preparing us for something greater. God will tell us "no", but almost the "no" is because what He has for us is better than we wanted for ourselves. This week, Pastor Josh kicks off a series in the book of Mark & looks at how God prepared Jesus for the greatest job of all time & what that might mean for us today.

Scripture: Mark 1:1-15

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You can follow Jesus in any culture, but know that persecution will also be there. Be like Daniel and his friends and decide to be obedient to God rather than conform to this culture. The consequences of following Jesus may be difficult, but if you trust Him, then He will always be faithful!

Scripture: Daniel (Ch. 1-3, ESV)

For years, the Israelites called out to God to deliver them from Pharaoh. It became easy as time passed to become apathetic and feel defeated. However, we see in the Exodus narrative and in our own lives, even the insurmountable is according to His plan. We are never beyond deliverance.

Scripture: Exodus 3:1-8

What if God asked you to build a boat in the middle of the desert...would you do it? What if the boat would take you 75 years to build...would you still do it? Noah was asked to do something that seemed ridiculous at the time, but his obedience saved his family and preserved humanity. His obedience led to blessing! What ridiculous thing is God asking you to do, and how might obedience lead to blessing in your life?

Scripture: Genesis 6-8

Are gay people welcome at church? Are people born that way or is it a choice? Our live panel answered your questions this week as we closed out our "Pronouns" series!

No one wants to be told what to do, right? So we say things like "you do you" and allow all people to make their own decisions. That seems to work for our culture, but does it work for God? While our culture preaches tolerance, our God preaches repentance - and the difference is life-changing.