Your words matter! This weekend Pastor Joaquin Pardo continued our (RE)FORMATION series with a message about Jesus’ words on marriage, divorce, and integrity.

Matthew 5:31-32

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 

1) We are in it for the long run.

Jesus addressed how people in His time twisted God’s intention for marriage, treating it casually rather than as a covenant. While culture often prioritizes personal happiness over commitment, God calls us to faithfulness that reflects His own love for us. Marriage isn’t just a contract—it’s a sacred promise.

2) You don’t have to say all of that.

Jesus challenged His followers to be people of integrity. A lack of integrity leads to deception. Instead of making empty promises, He called us to let our “yes” be yes and our “no” be no. We don’t need to manipulate or over-explain—our words should carry the weight of truth on their own. 

3) Take Him at His word.

Numbers 23:19 

“God is not a man, that he should lie… Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

Many of us struggle with trust because of past disappointments. Broken promises have shaped us. People have let us down. But God is different—He is faithful. He is a promise keeper. 

Ultimately, our ability to walk in faithfulness and integrity comes from trusting in God’s faithfulness. 

2 Corinthians 1:20

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.

Every promise of healing, every promise of provision, every promise of peace, every promise of salvation—all of it is YES in Christ!

Are you being RE-FORMED? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our (RE)FORMATION series with a message about sexual integrity.

Matthew 5:27-28

You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

Jesus continues his pattern of challenging his followers to rethink what they have assumed and accepted. What can we learn from this portion of his Sermon On the Mount?

1) Jesus is calling us to sexual integrity.

The Bible views humans as INTEGRATED beings, with emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual aspects that are interacting in a complex and connected way. Sexual desires and decisions are meant to be a part of that INTEGRATED life. 

2) Lust is desire out of context or control.

Sex is God’s idea. But it is designed to be expressed in the right context or it can become destructive. The same fire that warms a house can also burn it down. 

Don’t confuse your DESIRE with God’s DESIGN.

Not every desire is healthy or good for me. Learning and aligning with God’s plan for sexual integrity requires trust in his design.

3) Love takes the long view.

Jesus reminds his followers that God is interested in our long-term joy and fulfillment. Love is patient, and lust is not. To build intimacy requires patience, and sexual sin will work against the intimacy that God wants us to experience now and for eternity!

Are you keeping short accounts? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our (RE)FORMATION series with a message about reconciliation. 

Matthew 5:21-22

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. 

Jesus tells his followers that the real standard that God has begins in the heart. To what truths does this portion of the sermon on the mount point us?

1) It’s not about preparation, it’s about transformation.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law were disciplined and fastidious about keeping each regulation. Jesus tells his followers that they have to be even better than that. What hope do we have to do that?

We can’t be trained to live like this. We have to be transformed to live like this. 

Until our hearts have been humbled by the grace of God and transformed by the Holy Spirit, we can’t hope to live up to this standard.

2) It’s not the soil, it’s the seed.

Jesus is teaching that the only difference between a person who hates and a person who murders is the context they are living in. The seed is the same, only the soil is different.

Just because you were unquestionably wronged does not make you unquestionably right.

Offense can blind us to our own faults and produce a condescending sense of superiority. The Gospel removes the self-righteousness from our anger and moves us to love others, especially those who are wrong.

3) It’s not about proving who’s wrong, it’s about making things right.

Most people spend more energy proving others wrong than the energy they spend reconciling. Want a simple rule of thumb?

Keep short accounts with God and with others. 

Jesus tells us what we should do when we have hurt someone. In Matthew 18 Jesus talks about what we should do when someone has hurt us. Here’s the point:

Whether you’ve wronged someone, or they’ve wronged you, it’s always your move!

Can you serve when you’re not celebrated? Can you rejoice even when you’re resented? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our (RE)FORMATION series from the Sermon On the Mount.

Matthew 5:13

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

Discipleship is a choice to BE WITH Jesus, BECOME LIKE Jesus, and DO LIKE Jesus did. What does this passage teach us about our calling as his disciples?

1) You will bring HELP.

Salt was a preservative in the ancient world. It stopped meat from rotting and wounds from festering. Christ-followers are salt. We have a unique capacity to hold back the decay and disorder that sin causes, and to confront hurt without giving up hope. 

2) You will bring HOPE.

Many people give up when change seems impossible. That’s not like us. The Christian sees with a prophetic eye, speaks with a prophetic voice, and operates with a prophetic anticipation of God’s power at work to bring change.

3) You will be HATED.

You WILL be help and hope, but people will still insult you and say false things about you. You will get involved and your reputation will suffer. You will serve, and the ones you are serving will hurt you. Have no self-pity, because if they did this to Jesus they will do this to you.

Instead, Jesus says REJOICE! There will be a day when those who have suffered loss for Jesus will be rewarded, and the ruling against them will be overturned!

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. Those who left their mark on Earth did so precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at earth and you will get neither.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

How are you being FORMED today? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres began a new series of messages called (RE)FORMATION.

Matthew 5:1-3

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus called a group of unlikely disciples to be with him, become like him, and do as he did. For these apprentices to LEARN his ways, they would first have to UNLEARN many things. “You have heard it said,” Jesus would begin, “But I say to you…” Can we listen carefully and humbly enough to be RE-FORMED in the ways of Jesus? As we begin this journey through the greatest sermon ever preached, what should we know?

1) The absolute necessity of the Sermon On the Mount.

Jesus’s description of a person who should be considered fortunate. But his description is counter to our notions of blessing, even what is comfortable. Even though it is challenging, precisely BECAUSE it is challenging, we need the Sermon On the Mount.

2) The absolute impossibility of the Sermon On the Mount.

Anyone who understands this sermon correctly will say, "SAVE ME FROM THIS SERMON!” In every area, Jesus sets the bar impossibly high, leaving us no room for excuses, no cause to feel proud. 

Before I can DO these things, something has to be DONE in me. 

When we realize the impossibility of living out this sermon, we are ready to pray with sincerity: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

3) The absolute hope of the Sermon On the Mount.

So Jesus begins his sermon, CONGRATULATIONS when you bump into your own powerlessness and poverty! HOW FORTUNATE are you when you mourn! GOOD ON YOU when you are mistreated but you hold onto innocence and peace. Then you are first in line to see the kingdom of God! 

This is the HOPE.

Jesus is the only one person who ever perfectly lived out the life that is described in the Sermon On the Mount. When we respond humbly to his call to follow, we receive grace and help from him to be RE-FORMED in his image!

Are you about to walk away from your miracle? This weekend, Pastor Joaquin Pardo concluded our RENEW series with a message about Naaman, a mighty warrior whose pride nearly cost him his healing.

2 Kings 5:10

Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

1) Powerful yet powerless.

Naaman was a man of power, prestige, and victory, yet his leprosy reminds us of human frailty. No matter our accomplishments, we all desperately need God’s help.

 Psalm 121:1-2

“I lift up my eyes to the hills.

 From where does my help come? 

My help comes from the LORD, 

who made heaven and earth.” 

When pride and self-reliance take over, we can forget where our true strength comes from. Renewal begins when we recognize our dependence on God.

2) God’s methods are messy but holy.

Naaman expected a grand display for his healing, yet Elisha instructed him to do something humbling: bathe in the muddy Jordan River. At first, he resisted. When God’s plans don’t match our expectations, frustration can set in. But true healing and renewal come when we trust His ways, even when they seem messy.

3) Renewal requires surrender.

“Obedience is the key to every door” - George MacDonald

Naaman’s healing came not through wealth, status, or his own strength, but through obedience and humility. Like Naaman, we must lay aside our pride, submit to God’s process, and trust in His grace. Don't walk away from your miracle!

How is your heart? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our RENEW series with a message, “Give Me An Undivided Heart."

Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, Lord,

  that I may rely on your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart,

  that I may fear your name.

The decision to follow Jesus is the first step in unraveling the lies we have believed and lived, unlearning the patterns of behavior that are sinful and selfish, and unseating the rival gods that have seduced us with promises of security and control.

1) Everyone needs healing from a divided heart.

It is a reflection of the humility of God that he receives us even when our motives and minds are divided.

James 1:8

The double-minded person is unstable in everything they do.

The symptoms of a divided heart can come in many forms. How do react when God doesn’t operate as you prefer?

It is easier to act like a Christian than to react like a Christian.

- Pastor Mark Batterson

There are all kinds of ways that we try to treat the symptoms of a divided heart, but we need to get to the root by praying as David did, “Give me an undivided heart!"

2) Every heart needs tending to grow toward wholeness.

Spiritual practices like prayer, fasting, sabbath and others are new means of self-improvement. They are the ways that we posture ourselves to receive God’s transforming grace.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

We do the tending, but God does the growing. 

3) You can’t heal a divided heart without an experience in the grace of God.

There was only one person who lived his whole life with an undivided heart. Jesus is the example that we are growing into by God’s grace!