As the world enters a new year, many of us soon get busy planning for it. Companies plan for how to meet their business goals, families plan their finances, and many individuals plan to get fit this year. But how should Christians heed James' warning against planning in chapter 4 verse 13-17 of his epistle? Are Christians not encouraged to plan for their life? Or is there a deeper more significant truth at play here? Pastor Ulysses in his first sermon of 2023 teaches from this passage to help the Christian see our planning as ultimately futile if not subservient to God's sovereign will and working. And in doing so find the appropriate framework of humility and submission to God's sovereignty under which a Christian should plan.

Renewal Elder, Pastor Mark Chun delivers a special message this Christmas Sunday reminding us of the true purpose of Christ's birth and how we can celebrate Christmas with the rest of the world. The light that is found in Jesus shines on everyone especially in times of great darkness. It's important for us to share that light. It's also important to remember how the birth of Jesus changed everything about our relationship with God.

This Sunday we are blessed to hear about The Great Commission from Guest Speaker Ryan Beneke. Through the gospel and his experience as a missionary from Kyoto, Japan, he leads us to a journey of where we came from, where we are now and where we're going. Ryan also discusses how we can get involved and bring to fruition God's command to make disciples of all nations. We are blessed to know Christ. Now, its our turn to be a blessing for others.

We don't always attend church with prayer in mind. Instead we come expecting a sermon exposition. Pastor Young speaks about the importance of prayer in our lives and how it's more about our encounter with God during prayer rather than what we are asking or the answers that we may get. By using the ACTS method of prayer, we can better focus on God and find excitement and true fulfillment in prayer.

Does Jesus' fulfillment of the old covenant mean that we have freedom to do what we want? According to 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, Paul says that our perceived "freedom" has its limits, specifically in regard to the physical body and sexual immorality. In this sermon Pastor Ulysses dives into the arguments Paul has against the Corinthian perspective when it comes to this topic.

Can I sue my brother or sister in Christ? Pastor Ulysses uses this question as a jumping point to exposit on various issues that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 6:1-11. In thinking through why Paul discourages us from suing our fellow Christians, Pastor Ulysses helps us see that differences in the body of Christ are to be expected and understand the wisdom and authority God has given the church to Judge and resolve those differences. It also exposes the state of our heart when it aggressively pursues recompense when wronged.

Why do we need Church discipline? Why can't we just people be? Do we really need to judge and guide our fellow brothers and sisters in their Christian walks? Pastor Ulysses guides us through 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 where Paul addresses the sin in the Corinthian church and teaches them to guard the fellowship against the unrepentant brother or sister by cutting ties with them. Pastor Ulysses shows us that such a prescription for church discipline is indeed instituted in the scriptures as guardrails for the Christian life.

On this Sunday's message, guest speaker and Renewal Elder Pastor Mark Chun teaches us how and why it is important to discern between good and bad spiritual leaders in the Church. He reveals to us what are the signs of healthy spiritual leaders and how we must minister to them as they do to us. In addition, he discusses that there needs to be intimacy between you and your spiritual leader for them to love you. If they do not know you, they cannot love you.

Does anyone, except for God, have the right to judge us? And if we are to be judged, what should it be according to? Through the lens of Paul's letter to the Corinthians, Pastor Ulysses answers these questions and more. We explore how judgement should come from God because only He sees everything. People have a limited perception and thus as Christians we should give each other the benefit of the doubt.

Even though groups of people can rally behind the same belief initially, a weak foundation makes division inevitable. Pastor Ulysses preaches on the importance of building our church on the word of God and Jesus' teachings rather than other ideals such as social justice or relationships. Although building a legitimate foundation can be harder and slower, it is only through Christ that we will be able to ultimately be free from burden of division.