"How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity." - Psalm 133:1 

The Body of Christ is most powerful when it is unified and when we all feel like we have a part. There is a sense of belonging that we experience when we are adopted into the family of God and join our brothers and sisters as one body in unity. Listen to the full sermon series in the "Our Inheritance" playlist.

This week, College Pastor Austin Murray led us through Ephesians 2:1-10. As a church, we learned what it looks like to allow the old things to pass away and welcome in the new life that Jesus has for us. There is so much freedom in realizing, again and again, the joy of our salvation, paid for by the blood of Jesus. Lord, would we be a people that maintain the joy of our salvation!

This Sunday, Dorothy Abshire walked us through Ephesians 1:15-23. This passage is packed with exhortations for how we should live–by praying for our local church body, asking God for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know Him better, setting our hearts on the hope of Jesus and not our natural world, remembering how He has valued us to exchange the life of His Son for our own lives, and remembering His supernatural power, without which nothing on earth would exist. Thank You, God, for all these things you have given to us!

Ephesians 1:11-14 can bring up some deep theological questions. This week, pastor Weston Nichols led us through an exploration of this passage's comments on election, security and love. Although every individual's beliefs on election and security need to be worked out through Scripture study and relationship with God, two things are very clear. First, God is able to do what our minds think is impossible or are unable to comprehend. Second, everything God does is driven by unfathomable love for us and a desire for us to love Him in return.

Happy Father's Day! Our Scripture for the day was fitting—Luke 15, the parable of The Prodigal Son. Carl Gulley taught on the causes of guilt and shame. Guilt is caused by the knowledge that we've wronged someone we love; shame is caused by the knowledge that because of that, we're no longer in right relationship with them. But, like the father in the parable, God not only forgives us, but likes us and wants to reconcile with us. And He celebrates us! Lord, thank you for being the best Father!

This week, Young Adult Pastor Jeremy King led us through Ephesians 2:1-10. We heard about the extravagant grace that God has made available to us. Without an understanding of Jesus' immeasurable sacrifice, though, and the immensity of how much it cost, we can't fully appreciate that grace. Lord, show us the extent to which You love us and pursue us, and mold our hearts to serve You well!

At times, evangelism may sound daunting or extremely challenging. In reality, though, the pressure is off of us. The Holy Spirit, living within us, is faithful to highlight to us each person who needs His love. When we live fully aware of the goodness, kindness and worthiness of Jesus, and when we live filled with and guided by the Holy Spirit, walking in step with Him becomes much more natural and much less challenging. Father, fill us with Your Holy Spirit and lead us to love the people who need You!

Jason Ramos shared with us this week on our calling to live a lifestyle of evangelism, as Jesus did. Rather than waiting for our next mission trip or scheduled outreach, let us be proactive to move outside of our circle of comfort and share Jesus' salvation with people who don't know God's love. God, make us bold, and give us eyes to see those You're calling us to love!

Happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy the deep wells of wisdom and encouragement shared by our panel of moms, who together have spent more than 142 years parenting their children in the Lord. Thank you, Laura Seibert, Dorothy Abshire, Melissa Wible, Tonja Carpenter and Laura Summersett. Happy Mother’s Day!

This month, we're focusing on sharing the love of Jesus and the story of His salvation with those around us who don't know Him. Two ways practically to do this are through sharing your own personal testimony and through the Bridge Diagram, which Jimmy demonstrated for us today. Lord, make us a people who show others Your love like they've never experienced!