It’s impossible to read 1 Thessalonians 2 and overlook the Apostle Paul’s tender love for his disciples. In fact, it seems like the more a person treasures the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more a person treasures Jesus’ people.

Stand Fast. It’s a study of the Apostle Paul’s letter to a church in an Ancient Greek city named Thessalonica. It’s a young church, probably not more than a year old and maybe only months old. Already, they are experiencing tremendous persecution. They live in the shadow of Rome, under its dominance with its many gods and profoundly pagan culture. Yet they have given their allegiance to a crucified Jew who has been raised from the dead. They are total outcasts. But they are standing fast.

At varying degrees, we all face the pressure to compromise, to remain silent, or even abandon the faith – especially in a world that is growing more hostile to Christianity. Throughout this series, we will learn what it means to stand fast in Jesus. We will talk through practices that can increase our faith. And we will hold our hearts up to the scriptures, inviting the Holy Spirit to re-shape us, to ground us, and to renew our desires.

So that we, too, will stand fast.

We are thrilled to announce that this coming Sunday we will be installing a group of newly appointed elders who will help to shepherd the believers of Renewal Church. We’ve been preparing for this day for a long time with much conversation and deliberation, consistent prayer, multiple assessments, and the ongoing study of the scriptures together. We take the responsibility very seriously to raise up elders who will honor the divinely inspired words of the Apostle Peter,

“Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3).

We hope you will celebrate with us this Sunday as we introduce our growing crop of capable pastors — leaders whose primary calling it is to point the members of Renewal Church to the unmatched beauty, supremacy, and eternal satisfaction that is only found in Jesus Christ. To God be the glory!

Becoming “one flesh” in marriage is often misunderstood and misconstrued. Come find out that being “one” doesn’t mean you aren’t still “two” and the significant impact this has on having a satisfying, meaningful, and purposeful marriage.

Becoming “one flesh” in marriage is often misunderstood and misconstrued. Come find out that being “one” doesn’t mean you aren’t still “two” and the significant impact this has on having a satisfying, meaningful, and purposeful marriage.

Jesus made it clear what love is. Love looks like something. The presence of love is absolute and unmistakable. The effect of love makes deep tracks, it leaves an indelible mark. The legacy of love is made up of unforgettable stories and feelings of profound gratitude. Love humbles all who experience it, both the giver of love and the receiver of love. Love magnifies the presence of God in a world in which malice veils his glory. Love draws people to love – some people, that is. And for those who don’t appreciate the gift of love and respond with hostility, we are still to love. Love is the pursuit of a tender heart towards all of God’s creatures. Love is to reject the cynicism that fuels our judgment of others and justification of ourselves. Love is to sometimes feel vulnerable and naive. Love is to enter into Jesus’ sufferings. It is to enter into the way and life of Jesus. It is to be a Jesus-person.

Silent Saturday. We know that God gloriously raised Jesus from the dead on Sunday. But his disciples...they lived through an unbearable Saturday.

In the wake of Friday's horror was Saturday's grief: How can the one who raised the dead and healed the sick be bested by pagans and religious hacks? The terror: If the master was treated this way, how would their demise be any less brutal? The shame: What now? They had left everything. Were they the naive victims of history's cruelest prank? Had they followed nothing more than a trickster-madman?

Saturday: another unbearable sleepless night. For all these disciples knew, every night would feel this way for a long, long time. No answers. No hope. Just the head-splitting silence. The loneliness as they tried to make sense of the last few years and wrap their minds around the brutal reality of living life without their rabbi, their mentor, their best friend.

But unbeknownst to them, the tomb of the Messiah wasn't so silent. The body of Jesus was beginning to teem with resurrection life. In just a few hours these disciples would be jolted by an early morning knock at the door. And a handful of women would proclaim to them heart-stopping news. News that would forever change history...

"I trust God, but will he remember me?"

"I believe in God, but will he rescue me?"

"I have served God, but now I feel alone...abandoned..."

This Sunday, we begin Holy Week by concluding our series on the Book of Lamentations. We will wrestle with the question that not only the writer of Lamentations asked, but one our Savior agonized over as he suffered on the cross...

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Can the Lord’s Love for His People Ever Fail?

-I WILL FREELY CRY OUT WHEN I SORROW

-FOR THE LORD’S LOVE NEVER FAILS

-AND HIS RESCUE WILL COME AT LAST.

-IF I FACE EVEN MORE SORROWS

-HE WILL FULFILL HIS PURPOSES FOR ME.