In the Bible, the idea of holiness is tied to cleanliness. Lack of holiness is described as being unclean. Jesus shows us that He is the only one who can bring cleanliness and thus, holiness. In examining this passage, Pastor Dave answer three questions: Why Jesus? Why feet? Why us?

There are many parallels between this account in John 6 and modern Christian life. Drawing upon their similarities, Pastor Brent teaches us about the three reasons why the crowd (and people in general) walk(ed) away from Jesus: it was because of an imperfect community, a hard teaching, and a disappointing God. In responses to each of these three points, we see that ultimately, Christianity will keep you persevering by knowing that while you may leave Jesus, Jesus will never leave you.

There is a lot of confusion about faith in the modern world. Thankfully, this famous passage about Peter walking on the water gives us four snapshots of faith: it means getting out of a boat, sinking in a storm, resting in the Savior’s hands, and going out to the crowds.

The picture Peter paints of the Christian life is a realistic one. Pastor Brent teaches us that over the course of the Christian life, there are two sentences that every Christian learns to say over and over again, and there are two sentences that God says to you over and over again.

In the first sermon of our new series, “The Life of Peter: A Portrait of a Christian Life,” Pastor Dave preaches on John 1, where Peter first encounters Jesus. We learn how Peter meets Jesus, why Jesus renames Peter, and how Jesus changes your name, too.

We are to be in the city but not of the city, to embody for people the way of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. But why must we live these different lives? It is so that we can live to serve and bless the city. To do this, there’s a heart that we need to see, a unity we need to embody, and most importantly, a love that we need to experience.

The more we grow as a church, the easier it is to forget why we exist. The main purpose of the church is the glory of God, and secondarily, to exist not just for ourselves but also for the city of Oakland. In this passage, Jesus prays that we would love the world as He loves the world—rather, our church is to love Oakland as Jesus loves Oakland, and Jesus most certainly loves Oakland.

What is Jesus’ mission and vision for the Church? He tells us in John 17, His longest recorded prayer. In it, He prays for the Church. In it, Jesus shows us that the Church primarily exists for God’s Glory. But what does this mean? What would it really look like for a church community to bring God glory? It looks like a community of people who know Christ, are changed by Christ, and are one in Christ.

Life is full of exhausting decisions—most often, we are not choosing between right and wrong, but the large majority of these decisions are a set of options that all seem good, but may not always be wise. There are three things we need to get this discerning wisdom: there is a mystery to embrace, a path we need to walk, and practices we need to cultivate.

In the Bible, we can see that we need wisdom to value friendship, especially in a world that is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. In this installment of our series on Proverbs, Pastor Dave teaches us about the friends we need to get wisdom, the wisdom we need to get friends, and best of all, the friend we have in Jesus.