First Christian Church Champaign

Once all the promos, trailers, and build up are over - it’s time for the show! While the teasers may give you a taste of what is to come, nothing compares to the actual event. As we continue our study through John, Jesus reveals what all the precursors were about for the “time has (finally) come” to see what all the fuss has been about.

Over the past decade, Hollywood has begun to embrace the idea of an ‘anti-hero.’ A “hero” who breaks the mold of conventional hero-type figures. Stories filled with characters like Jack Sparrow, Walter White, or The Punisher have something that catches our attention. But what if the “hero” is just completely unforeseen - do we have a name for that person?

What is the most vibrant expression of love you’ve ever received in your life? Maybe it was an engagement ring, a personal letter, or award of recognition. Now flip it, if you had to express your love towards someone in the most obvious and tangible way possible - what would you do?

Queue Taylor Swift… “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate…” That phrase is fairly common in our society today as it could refer to someone who doesn’t like you all the way to someone plotting against you. But, have you ever had a hater who literally plotted to take your life? Jesus did! Join us as we continue our study through the Gospel of John and take a look at a few different responses to who Jesus was.

There are a few things you can count on in life - and one of them, whether we like it or not, is pain and trial. Spending any time on this earth, we quickly learn it never goes the way we would hope or plan. In this message, we wrap up one of the most popular stories in the life and ministry of Jesus and learn about how to get through life’s toughest moments.

They say there are only two certainties in life—death and taxes. And while Jesus doesn’t promise that His glory will shine through taxes, He proclaims the opposite about death. As we continue our series, I Am: The Gospel of John, we lean into how, in Jesus, death doesn’t have to be the end.

While we cannot change anything about Jesus, we let our thoughts, wants, needs and desires do that anyways, do we not? At some point or another, all of us have some sort of view or desire of Jesus that could very well not match up to who He really was. Picking up where we left off in our study through the Gospel of John, we see how Jesus handles people who want Him to be someone He’s not.

There’s an old saying, “You can’t get runover by a truck and not be changed!” Well, we believe the same to be true as generous disciples of Jesus. If we become RELENTLESS in our pursuit of Jesus, surrendered in our discipleship and generosity, then the transformative impact will be undeniable. We will see Spirit-led fruit in the changing of marriages, relationships, parenting, evangelism, and more as we grow deeper in our love and dependency for Jesus.

There is an urgency of souls in our church, homes, and community at large. And while we cannot take the Gospel to every single person - we are going to try! But - in order for us to make it more probable and possible, there is a burden we need to release. We won’t bury the lead - we believe the time is now to become a debt-free church! Not to build a bigger building or spend it on ourselves, but to match the urgency of souls who need Jesus and to leave an unmistakable Kingdom footprint in our community.

“Go and make disciples of all nations…” This was Jesus’ last command to the apostles. We desire to be a church where we make Jesus’ last words our first work. A church that does not make disciples who make-disciples is not a church at all. We will not back down or shy from this Great Commission, and that is why it is the vital seeds we desire to plant in the life of our church for now and forever more.