Be Still. This is the single command in Psalm 46. In the face of fear, tremendous, and troubling situations, we are to trust that God is sovereign and in control. While we should take certainly take practical precautions regarding COVID-19, Pastor Ulysses teaches that Christians can find peace in who God is. This frees us to find the courage to consciously respond out of hope and security instead of react to our fear.

Continuing in our series on fasting, Pastor Ulysses shares six reasons why we might fast: Repentance, Guidance, Consecration, Deliverance & Protection, Healing, and Favor. Many examples in the Bible show that in times of great need, God's people fast and pray to express their ultimate dependence on God's grace and mercy.

With Lent on the horizon, Pastor Ulysses continues to extrapolate what it means to fast, and how we can do it rightly. Through Jesus's teachings, we can see that we are called to a "new" kind of fasting where, instead of mourning what's not right in the world, we long and yearn for more of Jesus and his return.

Fasting is something that's supposed to be core to our Christian lives, but we tend to hang our heads when fasting, often with the feeling that no meaningful effects will result from it. In today's sermon, Pastor Ulysses discusses how fasting is meant to draw us closer to others and help us live more righteous lives; shifting our notions of fasting towards the idea of "Fasting From" to "Moving Towards."

We worship on Sundays, do prayer meeting on Tuesdays, go to Community Groups on Thursdays, and read the bible every night. However, why should God be compartmentalized to just these specific times in our day-to-day lives? As Christians, we are called to always be mindful of God's presence at all times. Continuing with our reading of 2 Kings 5, Pastor Ulysses preaches on this topic by looking at the example set by the recently healed Namaan, a Syrian general cured of leprosy who epitomizes the idea of surrendering to God in every part of his new life in Christ.

Why should we do missions? Pastor Ulysses shares that while it is certainly true that there are tons of local opportunities to share the love of God with our immediate community, God is so great that our awe and wonder of His magnificence and love cannot remain in one place. The message of Jesus must be shared globally.

We live in a time where we're constantly told to strive for whatever our hearts desire, an almost inescapable cycle of worldly gratification that ultimately stems from the idea that "We don't need God" to live our lives. Yet even with all of our past transgressions in choosing to gratify the flesh over choosing the Spirit, God opened a way for us to have eternal life through faith. Today, Pastor Ulysses preaches from the book of Ephesians on the importance of God's grace in enabling our salvation, and on how critical it is for us to use this most special opportunity to do His good works in the world around us.

Elijah does many incredible things during his lifetime, one most notably being how he summons heavenly fire to set a bull ablaze in order to disprove the prophets of Baal. Yet even with all of this power at his disposal, when Queen Jezebel threatens to come after and kill him, Elijah flees! After all Elijah has seen and done in the name of the Lord, it doesn’t seem to make sense for him to fear Jezebel - so why does he? Today, Pastor Ulysses explains how this story from the book of 1 Kings, illustrates how we can overcome the problems in our own lives by showing humility to our God who is greater and bigger than all things that may come our way.

Diet fads come and go, but nothing beats a long-term commitment to eating right. Spiritually, things are no different. There's no shortcut to spiritual growth. Anyone who wants to deepen in his relationship with God in a meaningful way must have a steady intake of God's word. After all, we don't live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. This first message of the new year and new decade is a reminder of what it takes to experience lasting change.

After 70 years of exile, faithful Israelites returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Yet when they faced opposition, they stopped and delayed for 15 long years. They were knocked off track, distracted, and began rebuilding their own lives in Jerusalem. So often we fall into the same trap! Have we become preoccupied with other burdens and concerns, and now busy building our own house instead of building God's house? In today's sermon, we look at how God challenges us through the prophet Haggai to consider whether our own ways—perhaps building our career, family, security—have brought the joy and fullness of life that can only be found in walking with the Lord and building His kingdom.