There are all kinds of causes in the world that you could champion; feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, clothing the poor… these are all good things, but have you ever stopped to ask what the root is behind all of these issues? Is there some sort of heart problem at their core? In today’s message, Pastor Ron lets you know that at the center of every issue in this world is a problem of sin. If you want to see true change in the world, you’ve got to first deal with the root cause of it all.

Think about it for a minute, when it comes to action movies, we’re all looking for the bad guys to get what’s coming to them. If you want to see a heart-warming story about reconciliation, you’ve got to watch a drama or romance, or maybe a family movie. And even then, you won’t always get a good message. Pastor Ron today wants you to know God is a God who forgives. There’s no greater story of reconciliation and forgiveness than the story of God’s love for you. That’s the greatest story of all.

There was a day when if you wanted to communicate with someone over a long distance, you had to write a letter. Even now, with digital technology and video chat, it’s still not the same as in-person interaction. There’s no replacement for spending time with those you love face-to-face. And that’s exactly what Pastor Ron is pointing out in today’s teaching. Do you have that desire to be with the people of God, to spend time with them face to face? What about Jesus? Don’t you long to see Him face-to-face?

You know, when I was a kid, my dad had a book on how to fix stuff. It was useful, especially when things broke around the house. But nowadays, I prefer to look things up on YouTube. Why? Because I find it much more helpful to see with my eyes how things work. In today’s teaching, Pastor Ron encourages you to live out your faith as an example to others. You can, and should, share God’s Word with people, but you should also demonstrate what it looks like with the way you live your life.

Isn’t that so true? All the time, we hear people say things like, “I just don’t love her anymore.” Or “We fell out of love.” In fact, love is a word we throw around so casually that it’s no wonder we regard it as disposable. Do you really mean you LOVE pizza? Today in his message, Pastor Ron shares with you that when the Bible speaks of love, it’s a sacrificial, unconditional love. Jesus demonstrated what love is when He died on the cross for the sins of the world. Isn’t that the kind of love you want in your life?

If you look around the world today, you’ll notice that there’s never a time when all of the world is at peace. When one war seems to come to an end, another pops up in its place. And even in countries that aren’t at war, there is still tension that takes place amongst the people. Today, in Pastor Ron’s teaching, you’ll learn that sin causes you to be at war with God. Do you know what the solution is? Surrender! When your life is surrendered to Jesus, you’ll experience a peace that the world can never offer.

There are many people today who don’t believe in absolute truth. Sure, they may believe in what they call “my truth,” but they reject the truth. How does that even work? If I don’t like my paycheck, can I just tell my boss that it doesn’t align with “My truth”? There must be some level of absolute reality that connects us all. In today’s message, Pastor Ron shares with us that Jesus is the very embodiment of truth. There is only one truth, and that is God’s truth. Jesus even said God’s Word IS truth.

When a baseball player goes up to bat and strikes out, do they call him a “striker?” No, they still call him a batter… they say “the batter struck out.” Why? His job was to hit the ball with the bat; Just because he was unable to hit the ball during his at-bat doesn’t mean he’s not a batter. As Pastor Ron teaches you today, you’ll learn that there’s a difference between stumbling in your walk with Christ and walking in sin. Just because you slip up, it doesn't mean you’re no longer a Christian; it just means you slipped up.

If you want to know what the facts are about something, it’s helpful to have someone else who can help you understand them. For example, if you want to know about the differences between the different golf clubs in the bag, it’s helpful to have someone who knows how to play golf to come along and show you. Pastor Ron teaches you today that the Holy Spirit has been sent from God to help you know Jesus. Do you have a desire to know Christ? Who better to help you than God the Holy Spirit?

Doing things that you have to do can be a real chore, but doing things that you want to can come so much more easily. For example, waking up for work in the morning usually involves hitting the snooze button, but waking up on a day when I’ve got something fun planned… not so much of a problem. Today, in his message, Pastor Ron shares with you that when you love God, keeping His commandments shouldn’t be a chore. When you love God, don’t you want to do the things that keep you close to Him?