Line Upon Line

Drawing on Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi and his rebuke by Jesus, this teaching from 1 Peter 2:18-25 calls believers to submit to authority—even harsh employers—because submission to earthly authority reveals the degree of our submission to God. Christ's unjust suffering becomes the example and ethic we are called to follow, with the promise of eternal reward.

Tracing the Old Testament "stone" imagery into the New Testament, this teaching from 1 Peter 2 shows that the stone is Jesus Christ—rejected by men but chosen by God—who is the only foundation of the church and the only way to taste God's grace. Believers, made into living stones, are built into a holy priesthood whose acceptable service is to proclaim the praises of God who called them out of darkness.

Drawing on 1 Peter 1:6-16, Pastor Miles teaches that joy in the midst of trials and persecution for Christ's sake is possible because Christians look beyond present suffering to a coming, indescribable salvation. God allows such trials to prove and purify believers' faith, producing holiness and culminating in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Drawing from 1 Peter 1, Pastor Miles examines how believers maintain faithfulness amid opposition, tracing Peter's life and the early church's persecution to show that faithfulness—not giftedness—is what God requires. He grounds that faithfulness in God's electing mercy, the living hope of the resurrection, and an incorruptible inheritance kept by the power of God.

Using Jesus' seaside conversation with Peter in John 21, Pastor Miles shows how an encounter with the risen Jesus transformed a fearful denier into a faithful martyr, and applies this to believers facing increasing opposition in 21st-century America as he introduces a new series in 1 Peter.

Drawing on 1 Peter 1:6 and its surrounding verses, this teaching contrasts the political "better future" every candidate promises with Jesus's call to follow Him through suffering toward an eternal salvation. Pastor Miles shows that the hope of heaven makes joy in trials possible, that God uses trials to prove and purify our faith, and that faithful endurance will be rewarded with praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Drawing from the creation account in Genesis 2, this teaching shows that God never intended us to live in isolation; sin destroyed the oneness God created, but Jesus destroyed sin to restore community, which now finds its expression in the church. Pastor Miles outlines six practical ways believers grow in connection with one another at Cross Connection.

A Christmas teaching tracing the biblical story of joy from creation through the fall, the prophets' promises, and the advent of Christ, showing that Jesus came to bring "good tidings of great joy for all people." The church is called to experience, express, and extend that joy to a misery-filled world.

Opening a three-part series on the church's vision—"life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus"—Pastor Miles traces from Genesis how humanity was created for communion with God and community with each other, how sin brought disconnection, and how Jesus came to restore the broken connection so we can experience the abundant life.

A year-end message reflecting on the marvelous things God did through the church in 2015, then turning to Isaiah 43:18-19 to challenge believers not to get stuck in past failures or past victories but to be ready for a fresh work from the God of the impossible in 2016.