Hardwired with Jeff Wickwire

Did you ever think that obeying God by loving others would become counter-cultural? Well, in today’s message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that the standard for treating others in today’s society is to treat them with contempt and rudeness. In a brutal and unforgiving world, an excellent way to make someone curious about following Christ is through showing them love. Is there someone in your life that you can show just a little more love to today? By loving one another, you bring glory to the Father.

The Bible tells us that we can’t serve two masters. We can either serve God or serve our government. But in today’s study in the book of Romans, Pastor Jeff teaches us that we serve God by serving our government. The Lord has a purpose for the institutions of this world, even if we don’t understand how His plans will be fulfilled through our flawed leaders. Unless the government’s laws directly contradict God’s Word, we should honor our Father in Heaven by obeying the world’s laws. 

It breaks my heart to look around the world and see people misuse God’s Word to justify the mistreatment of others. People have taken the Scriptures out of context to discriminate against others based on their race, their national origin, and even their gender! But in today’s message, Pastor Jeff pushes back against that evil rhetoric. The Bible is clear that all are created equal in God’s eyes, and no one is higher or lower than any other in the Kingdom of God. We must not use God’s message of love to spread hate.

When I think of surrendering my life to God, I think of Carrie Underwood’s song, “Jesus Take The Wheel”. I imagine myself letting go of the steering wheel of my life, and trusting in Him to steer me through the trials I face. But life isn’t a highway, and giving the Lord control over everything is a lot more complicated than just letting go of the steering wheel. In today’s message, Pastor Jeff is going to teach us about what it means to truly surrender to the Holy Spirit and let Him control every aspect of our lives.

The easiest way to get discouraged from the difficult path you are on is to look back. After all, if the road ahead is so hard, wouldn’t it be easier to go back to where you were before? But Pastor Jeff encourages you today to stay on the straight-and-narrow path God has called you to! Abraham knew that God’s promises ahead were greater than the challenges he would face on his journey. He was able to stay the course and become the father of a great nation, all because he didn’t look back!

There are thousands of foreign missionaries serving around the world, doing work God has called them to do to bring the Good News to people who might not hear it otherwise. But let me tell you from experience, it takes a great amount of sacrifice to fully uproot your life and follow after God’s calling. Pastor Jeff wants to teach you today that Abraham didn’t just have to say “yes” to follow God. He had to depart from the only home he had ever known and leave his friends and relationships behind!

Paul understood that the Jewish people would be stubborn and unlikely to accept Jesus as Lord. After all, he had similarly resisted Jesus and persecuted Christians all over Israel! Pastor Jeff wants us to understand today that the Gospel is available to all people, but the people who got to witness Jesus’ ministry firsthand were the ones quickest to reject His gift of salvation. Paul isn’t trying to pit Jew against Gentile, because we are created equal in God’s eyes. Jesus’ salvation is for all of us!

Have you ever looked at the night sky, hoping to see a shooting star? They’re only visible for a brief moment, so imagine how disappointing it would be to blink or get distracted by something nearby, only for that distraction to cause you to miss the thing you’ve been waiting for! Pastor Jeff teaches you today that the Jewish people have been waiting on the Messiah for so long, they don’t even realize that the Messiah has already come! Jesus has been waiting for His people to open their eyes and witness His glory.

A few years ago, I read a book called One Thousand Risks, by Chad Johnson. The author talks about defeating his anxiety in sharing the Gospel by setting a goal to share the love of Jesus with one thousand people, and he saw God do great things through those small conversations! Pastor Jeff teaches you today that God has already planted seeds in the hearts of the unreached; all that is needed is for someone to come water those seeds. Will you take the risk to share the Gospel with someone today?

Can you imagine going bowling for the first time and getting a perfect score of 300? Now, imagine throwing a perfect game after perfect game for a week straight. The odds of that happening are one in a trillion at best! But Pastor Jeff teaches you today that those odds are still better than your odds of perfectly following the Law of the Old Testament throughout your entire life. You can’t be saved by your good works, because even one slip-up is enough to disqualify you from God’s presence. You need His grace!