How was post-salvation living portrayed to you? Did you get the impression that everything was going to be comfortable and God was going to erase all your problems away once you got saved? Did you think that the ease of life would then make you happy?

This self-serving view of salvation is not what Scripture speaks about. The reality is that we are actually blessed when we suffer FOR and WITH Christ.

Hardships do not end when we place our faith in Jesus, but they are allowed into our lives order to refine us. Trials increase our trust in God and our hope of a perfect future in Heaven with Jesus. God’s Word tells us we can know that there is purpose and reward when we faithfully walk through the hard things of life by the power and example of Jesus.

Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49210943

The Christian life is a battle and we are called to arm ourselves for it. In order to serve in the army of Christ we must have new values, new behavior, and a new mission. This only comes from a new heart. And nothing exposes our heart and values like suffering. We find out who we truly serve. Many times we find out our hearts aren’t as pure as we thought. So what does God call us to? To Arm ourselves with Christ and to Repent.

Come join us this weekend as we dive into how we can be empowered by Christ to new values, new behavior and a new mission! We will also be celebrating multiple baptisms this Sunday!

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭

For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49210942

The prestige is the moment in a magic trick when the tension is lifted and the “magic” happens! As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday we remember the intensity of the cross, the tension of the tomb, and the excitement of the stone being rolled away. There wasn’t anything magical or sleight of hand about Jesus’ death and resurrection, but instead it was miraculous, and still is to this day.

Join us to understand what happens as God uncovers the truth found in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus through His word. Invite a friend or family member who needs to hear the Gospel, and pray with us for God to draw them in by His Spirit to new life in Jesus!

For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49210940

On the cross Jesus cried out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken you Me?” Why did Jesus say this? What was happening while He was on the cross?

The answers to these questions have the power to transform us from the inside out. But first, we must come to a realization of the Dilemma we are in, the Payment that was made, and the Response that is required.

Come join us for Good Friday as we search out what occurred over 2000 years ago on the cross at Calvary.

Key verse - Matthew 27:46

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49210937

We’ll be taking a break from 1 Peter as Pastor Ken, Pastor Luke and Pastor Ben lead us through Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday services. Even Justin will jump in to teach the Sunrise Service at 6 AM on Easter.

This Holy Week mini-series is titled “The Pledge, The Turn, The Prestige.” Some of you may know that these are the three parts of a magic trick. “The Pledge” is the part of a trick when an object is shown to the audience to be ordinary. The presenter then causes the object to disappear in the next part of the trick called “The Turn.” The audience is left wondering in bewilderment and confusion what has happened and where the location of the object is. During the final step, “The Prestige,” the object is then presented again through a seemingly impossible action, and sometimes the object is better than it was before.

This first weekend of the series, Palm Sunday, we will be looking at the Triumphal Entry of Jesus, God’s selected Lamb for the passover sacrifice, and the peoples’ acceptance of Him as a savior from their political oppression. Had the people known God’s Word, they would have known that “The Turn,” Jesus’ death, was coming, and He would be hidden away in a tomb for a time. They also would have known that Jesus would then return in an astounding “Prestige” by raising from the dead.

Our real need isn’t a situational savior who delivers us from hardships here on earth but rather a Savior who can redeem us from our sin into eternal life and restored relationship with God Himself! The Pharisees rejected God’s selection for the Sacrificial Lamb. Will we accept or reject God’s selection: Jesus?

For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49210936

As believers we are called to live with a “clean conscience.” Where does a clean conscience come from? Does it come from being right, smart, or confident? 1 Peter instructs us that our clean conscience comes from Christ Himself as we honor Him first in our heart.

However, there are many attacks from sin, the world, people, and even our own thoughts that want to drive us to live with a guilty, angry, and clouded conscience. Without a clean conscience we warned in Scripture that we are headed for “shipwreck in the faith.”

Come join us this week to find how we can honor Christ in our hearts and trust the One with all authority and power!

For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49210935

The word “submit” tends to leave a bad taste in your mouth… but why? As we dive into this week’s passage in 1 Peter we have the opportunity to rethink the attitude of submission in 4 areas.

Submission to government/authority, submission to the body of Christ, marital submission, and submission to God. Peter lovingly calls believers to submission with one major purpose in mind: their witness to the lost around them.

Take some time to read through 1 Peter 2:13-3:7 and join us for a service this weekend to understand God’s word together!

For Scripture, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49210933

Key Verse: 1 Peter 2:21

God can breathe life into anything. He breathed into dust and created humankind. He is still working today to make stones come alive to build a holy temple of believers who care for each other as they align themselves with the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus Himself. And we want to see others come to life through the power of the gospel, and we strive to build them up so they can align their lives with the Savior, too.

Our motivation behind all of these things is a recognition of God’s goodness to us, a love for one another and a knowledge that the day of Christ’s return is soon.

For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49210932

Hope is an interesting thing…

We use the word lightly, but in reality hope is to be one of the strongest elements of the Christian life. Scripture calls us to hope in Jesus, His promises, His sacrificial death, His return, and His kingdom. When we begin to do this we find spiritual fruit produced in us that engages us in holiness, obedience, love, and unity. This fruit is only produced in believers, and should truly set us apart from the world.

The question is: Are we bearing this fruit?

Key passage:

1 Peter 1:13 (ESV) - Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49210931

In a world of uncertainty we have certainty in Christ. Jesus promises us a living hope that isn’t based upon our circumstances, but based on His finished work. So many of our trials and heartaches come from losing hope. Losing hope with a marriage, family, or the battle against sin. How can we live through the living hope promised in Christ? Come join us this Sunday as we explore God’s Word!

For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more:

http://bible.com/events/49206103