We spend our lives trying to prove we matter only to fall short of our expectations. We feel like imposters. Even when we achieve great things, the feeling doesn’t go away. But encountering Jesus can change the game. Romans 3 contains the best summary of what the whole Bible is all about. It also provides the answer to our quest for validation and acceptance.

For many people, the only way they will ever hear the Gospel is by seeing it lived out and hearing it explained by someone who is already a follower of Christ. In Mark 2, we read the story of a disabled man who wanted to see Jesus. Because of some friends who loved him, he met Jesus and found the answer to his deepest problem – his need to be forgiven and reconciled to God.

Our natural tendency as human beings is to put ourselves first and then make God an afterthought. When it comes to giving, most people give spontaneously, sporadically and sparingly. In contrast, our giving should be defined by the words priority, percentage and progressive. Throughout the Bible, God gave his people a tangible way to remind themselves and express to others the fact that God is Lord of all, and is worthy of our worship.

In our culture, many people see approach church with a consumerist mentality. This creates churches full of people who show up for the service but do not really engage in the mission. That mentality weakens the church and stunts the spiritual growth of the believer. If you are not serving, you are not growing. Just like the human body needs the all of its parts to be functioning, the church needs every person to play their part.

Long-term believers can easily forget what it was like to walk in the doors of a church for the first time. Over time, churches can build their programs around the already-convinced, while ignoring those who are still trying to figure it all out. Worse yet, churches can expect new believers to look and act a certain way before they are really welcomed. This week, we'll take a deeper look at why we do things in a way that is relevant, engaging and creative.

Over time, many churches tend to drift into an insider/outsider mindset. Long-term believers can begin to look at unbelievers with a spirit of indifference, rather than a spirit of compassion. Eventually, the church can become more of a Christian social club than a search-and-rescue operation. In Jesus’ day, the religious leaders struggled with the fact that Jesus spent so much time with some of the worst people in society.

The resurrection is the cornerstone of the Gospel message. It’s what sets Christianity apart from every other religion. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” But how do we know it really happened? Maybe the disciples conspired to create the resurrection story. Or maybe Jesus never really died and was resuscitated by the coolness of the damp tomb. Is the resurrection just an urban legend?

We live in a day when science has replaced God in the minds of many people. People of faith are often seen as anti-intellectual and enemies of science. However, if we think deeply, we realize that there are many deeper questions for which science does not provide satisfying answers. The truth is, scientific discoveries can actually be a source of revelation about God – what theologians sometimes call ‘’general revelation.”

Any honest assessment of church history would show that the church has an imperfect track record. Events like the Crusades or the Inquisitions cause some people to question why they should become Christ followers. For others it’s the hypocrisy and character flaws they see in the lives of the people around them. But is it really fair to judge a message by some of it’s messengers? Is it really true that the influence of Christianity has been more negative than positive overall?

For many people, money problems are their greatest source of stress. We always seem to want more, and pursue it until we become strapped financially, emotionally and spiritually. If we learn to live within our means and exercise self-control, we find freedom. The way to avoid financial pain and find financial peace is to make small, consistent decisions over time. We must be consistent in how we resist overspending and debt as well as consistently saving and planning.