A Gospel of grace and forgiveness requires sin and evil. It’s not necessary if wickedness doesn’t exist. Yet, in our culture, and even within some branches of the church, there are those who would rather just deny the presence of sin and evil. These teachings are insulting the work of Christ and could even be considered hateful towards the lost souls in need of salvation. As we’ll be reminded in today’s message from Pastor Mike, we have to acknowledge our depravity to realize our need for Jesus.

Do you ever look at the wealthy in this world with jealousy? It would be so nice to have that financial peace wouldn’t it? It certainly isn’t desirable to struggle financially, but the truth is, even those who have in abundance generally would admit that they don’t have peace. Money can’t buy that. If you dedicate yourself to accruing wealth, you’ll find it’s a cruel master. In today’s message, Pastor Mike will challenge us to lay down these desires to serve ourselves in pursuit of God’s greater purpose.

Selfish pursuits don’t have any place in the Kingdom of God. You’ll experience the blessing and provision of God as you faithfully follow Him, but that isn’t the point of following Him. When Jesus restores your heart, He begins replacing those selfish desires with a desire to live like Him. That means serving others even when it costs you greatly. As Pastor Mike will remind us in today’s message, Jesus paid the greatest price for our sake, and we’re called to reflect that love in our world.

Everything good you experience or receive in this life is a gift from God and He desires for you to give them back to Him as tools to serve His will. Accruing wealth, resources, or power shouldn’t be your goal in life, serving God with those things should be the ultimate goal. In today’s message, Pastor Mike will challenge us to adapt an eternal Kingdom mindset. As you make decisions, weigh the eternal consequences. What will that action accomplish towards God’s will in this world?

The enemy of our souls is extremely crafty. He knows how to take kernels of truth and mix them with his lies, pulling the vulnerable in and poisoning them with deception. You can pour over Christian books and articles and listen to podcasts or sermons one after another, and still find yourself ill-equipped. As Pastor Mike will remind us in today’s message, ultimately, we must intimately know the truth from the source Himself in order to recognize the false teachings of our enemy.

There aren’t many things that can be described that way. Steady, consistent, relevant, and life-changing. God’s Word is all of those things and more. Most of us hold the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution in high regard, but these documents, which helped establish one of the most powerful nations in history, are predated and easily overshadowed by the Word of God. In today’s message, Pastor Mike will remind us of the power of this book and the way it brings light to a dying world.

Living life requires faith. You can put faith in yourself, your family, nature, the government, or God. All of those can be good things, but only one of those things will never fail you. Jesus never backs down on His promises. He promised that you can be with Him in eternity and that He would provide a comforter for you as you live in this broken world. He also promised that He would return for those that love Him. As Pastor Mike will ask in today’s message, are you trusting in those promises?

If you believe in Jesus, can you explain why? What proof do you have of His existence? Whether you’re an expert in apologetics or a new believer with little knowledge or understanding of Scripture and its historical context, if you’ve experienced our Savior firsthand, you may find it hard to understand how anyone wouldn’t believe in Him. As Pastor Mike will explain in today’s message, even if you can’t win any debates with the critics, experiencing Jesus is undeniable proof to your soul.

Are you too heavenly-minded to be any earthly good? …sorry, it’s a trick question – the answer is “no”. As Pastor Mike will clarify in today’s message, it simply isn’t possible to think too much about the eternal home that Jesus has promised us. When you direct your focus towards eternal rewards, instead of temporary earthly treasures, it naturally draws you towards glorifying your Savior in Heaven by living a life of compassion, grace, and generosity towards the people around you.

Living in obedience to God’s will and commands isn’t only for His sake. If it was exclusively for His pleasure, He’d be better off without us. He laid out the law to show us our need for Him, and He gave us His Holy Spirit to comfort and assist us in living a righteous life. As Pastor Mike will point out in today’s message, when we focus our attention on God, living in a way that honors Him, not only does it bring Him pleasure, but it brings joy and fulfillment that we simply can’t find in this life otherwise.