Through the cross, we have forgiveness of sins, and the gift of eternal life. However, sometimes we struggle to accept the freedom that has been given to us. While God has forgiven our sins, it can be hard to forgive ourselves. It can be hard to realize that we are no longer slaves to the law.

This doesn't mean that we can live however we want - we are called to crucify our old selves, and that means turning away from sin. But we are still free from the chains of the law, it no longer controls us. That is the freedom we now live in!

Prejudice is a preconceived opinion or assumption without grounds or sufficient knowledge. It is to PRE-JUDGE: To assume we know what we cannot know. It is an attitude, and it comes out as racism, sexism, ageism, classism, etc. It is an attitude that (when unchecked) can significantly impact the way we treat others. 
This was a problem in the early church. There was prejudice between Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, and many other places. The message that the early church had to learn through the apostles teaching was this: They were all created in the image of God, and Jesus died for ALL of them. That is the same lesson we must remember today. 

Baptism has been fought over in the church for generations: The way it is done, when it is done, who it is for, and what it accomplishes. This week, we are going to simplify this topic into one simple word: Obedience. We will simply look at what scripture says, what the example of the early church was, and take our application from there. 

This week is Core 38: Ascension. Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, the Bible tells us that Jesus ascended into heaven in bodily form, in front of His disciples. While it is something that we occasionally talk about in terms of the fact that it happened, we rarely talk of its significance. Why was it so important for Jesus to ascend into heaven? Why didn't he just stay on earth, and help establish the church in person? Join us as we explore these questions together.

This week is Core 37: Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside of us when we  become followers of Christ. But what does that mean? What exactly is His role inside of us? That is what we will be exploring in this message.

This week is Core 36: Eternal Security. Can a Christian lose their salvation? This is a question that has plagued churches and theologians for generations. Churches have split over this question. Clearly, it is a tricky question to address. Together, we will explore the words of scripture together with grace, and see that there is in fact a tension in scripture as well.

*We apologize for the audio quality issues in this episode. This issue will be resolved for next week.

This week, we are skipping ahead to Core 44: Resurrection. The Resurrection is not only a core theme, it is the cornerstone of our faith, and our hope of eternal life. On Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate that truth together, and are reminded of the trustworthiness of this core theme of the Christian Faith.

This week is Core 35: Communion. We take part in it every week. There are scriptures we look to regularly to explain it. And yet, it is all too easy for its significance and meaning to be lost, as it becomes nothing more than ritual.

Communion was meant to be the center of our worship. The early church took part in it every time they met together, and it was communal. This week, we are going to re-examine what we know about communion, and experience it in a different way.

This week is Core 34: Worship. We know we are instructed to worship, even designed to do so. And yet this can still be a confusing topic. Romans 12 says to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, and that this is considered our spiritual act of worship. What does that mean? What does the Bible have to say about worship? Is there a right way or a wrong way to worship? And why does it matter? These are the questions we will be looking at in this session.

This week is Core 33: Love. In this message, we will explore the significance and depth of sacrificial love as described in scripture, and what it means for us as followers of Jesus.