First Christian Church Champaign

Following Jesus is not easy—and He never said it would be! Jesus evoked many responses from people listening to His teachings, and He often stepped on their toes as He called them to surrender everything in their life to follow Him. However, many of us look to pick and choose what areas (schedules, priorities, relationships, finances, and so forth) of our life we surrender to following Jesus. In week 3 of All In we look to see what it truly means to live fully surrendered to Jesus.

Research tells us we are more “connected” than ever, while levels of loneliness continue to skyrocket. We tend to have lots of comradery in our life—but little genuine community pushing us to grow. From exercise to sports to work teams, we have people all around us to help us grow and learn in new ways. So, why should it be any different in the church? In week 2 of All In, we will learn we grow best in community as we allow God to speak to us through prayer, Scripture and the people around us.

Studies show people are attending church less and less, and the majority of those who do are only attending. We live in a culture where the regular commitment to come to the worship gathering is secondary to what we want to make happen weekly—help people surrender to Jesus. We must remember when we gather together to celebrate Jesus, we refocus on what His Spirit is doing in us - and that is when those far from God “come and see” that the Lord is good. Welcome to week 1 of All In, where we dive into the value of gathering weekly to celebrate Jesus.

The book of Daniel has a common theme of when God shows up, rescue happens. When we look at different circumstances that challenge our faith, do we trust the fact that we have been rescued because of what Jesus did on the cross for us? Out of the book of Daniel, it is clear that God calls us to be fearless and faithful rather than fearful and faithless.

Forgiveness is one of the most attractive things about the gospel and maybe the most difficult thing to imitate from the life of Jesus. We all want to have it, but who really wants to give it? What if we could begin to see that it was as much our own mistakes as it was anyone else’s that put Jesus on the cross—and God chose to forgive us all without exception or limitation? Would that change the way we could give away forgiveness freely?

When you think of Jesus and the love He has, what word come to mind? Overwhelming? Absurd? Beyond comprehension? The love of Jesus is beyond all reason. It is greater than we can fathom, wider and deeper than any ocean, and expressed through a life of service and sacrifice.

Did you know worship is more than the songs you sing at church or in the car? While those are a form of worship, it is designed to be so much greater! Worship goes beyond singing at the top of your lungs and ventures into finding opportunities to spend time with God. As we close out our sermon series, Habits, tune in as we unpack the lifestyle of worship God has set before us.

“Slow down!” You probably hated hearing that as a kid but, what about as an adult? Don’t you wish you could take a time-out from life or at least a quick power nap to recover? Well, good news because that’s exactly what God wants us to do! In week five of Habits we unpack the rhythm God has called us to live in.

Arguably the main area people look to grow spiritually is through reading the Word of God. It’s kind of a big book with weird names and confusing statements, isn’t it? We’re with you! However, we believe that God reveals Himself to us through His Word, even if we don’t have a Bible degree. This week of Habits we seek to understand the place of reading God’s Word to help us grow closer to Him.

Have you ever been praying and then a few minutes into your prayers they shifted from praying to God to more like “thinking at God”? We’ve all been there. So, why is it that something so simple can seem so complicated at times? In week 3 of Habits, we look at the call to pray and fast as well as the various ways it helps us grow in our faith.