First Christian Church Champaign

As Jesus inches closer to the Cross, he prepares His disciples for the sorrow and grief they will face. While our grief is very real, He assures us it’s temporary. Even in life’s storms, we’re not fighting for victory—we’re riding with it already in our boat.

Easy to understand? Sure. Simple to live out? Not even close. When it comes to following Jesus, there may not be another other “subject” more complex, confusing, or contemplative than the person of the Holy Spirit. As we continue our series through the Gospel of John, we look at the person, power, and purpose of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus has a lot to share with his disciples before his death... and not all of it is easy to hear. The call to follow Jesus is the invitation to both love and hate—to love God and be hated for it—to love our neighbors and be despised by the World. But what does it look like to truly love like Jesus in the face of hatred and persecution? Join us this Sunday to find out!

What good is a laptop without its charger? Or a bouncy house without its air-blower? As we continue in our series through the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us a parable with a similar no-duh answer : what good is a branch that doesn’t bear fruit? We explore Jesus’ metaphor of the vine and branches to understand the spiritual journey of growth, pruning, and fruitfulness.

How do you know if someone truly loves Jesus? True love for Christ is not just an emotion—it’s expressed in obedience, and in that obedience, we experience the abiding presence of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Join us as we discover what it truly means to live in communion with the One who never leaves us.

The night before the cross, Jesus revealed the Father to His disciples—and He still does today for all who trust in Him. Join us as we explore five powerful revelations that change everything.

You live life long enough to realize nothing ever seems to go as planned. We recognize that sometimes it’s our fault, sometimes there’s another to blame, and other times - that’s just life! Regardless of why troubles come our way, getting through them is always needed. As we continue through the Gospel of John, Jesus gives us the cure for a troubled heart.

We have endless songs about it. We have hundreds of movies about it. We have all forms of art expressing it. The “it” is love. Love is not only everywhere, it’s arguably the deepest yearning for all people. As disciples, we are called to do one thing more and better than everything else - love! But let’s be honest, it feels loaded at times to “love” well and rightly. Join us as we seek to discern what love truly is and how we can go about extending it to others.

What’s been the most radical act of kindness you’ve experienced? Maybe it was the generosity of a family member or the selflessness of a stranger, either way - it probably left a mark in you, for good reason. As we continue in our study through John, we see one of the most radical acts of love and the purpose behind it all.

Transformation is a powerful process that reflects profound change, much like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. When we embrace this idea of change in our lives, we discover that transforming faith goes beyond mere belief; it is a life-altering relationship with God. This faith empowers us to shed past limitations and embrace a new identity. Just as the caterpillar's metamorphosis reveals its potential, our journey of faith unveils the incredible possibilities that arise when we allow God to work in us.