The Gospel is so simple a child can understand it, yet so immense that people have dedicated their lives in pursuit of it. This simple message radically changed the world until the world gradually changed the message. Throughout the years, the Gospel has been faithfully shared, preserved, complicated, weaponized and even ignored. You may call yourself a Christian and still be asking, “What is the Gospel, and how do I explain it to other people?” Join us for a new sermon series in which we will learn, live and share the Gospel message in 30 Words.

Focal passage: 1 Peter 3:13-18

The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most celebrated events in history-- but what does it actually mean for you?  Beyond the traditions and the once-a-year celebration, the risen Christ offers something that reaches into everyday life.  1 Peter 1:3-9 invites us to see why the resurrection still changes everything.  Join us as we explore what the resurrection means for each of us.

Some Christians have been accused of being so heavenly-minded that they are no earthly good.  Others seem to deny the reality of heaven and live as if this world is all there is.  The Gospel is a guardrail preventing us from making either mistake. In the final sermon in our Essentials series, we will learn how our beliefs about the future shape our lives today.

Passage: Revelation 21:1-6 & 22:1-5

The Church is always a work in progress. From the missteps and mistakes of Jesus' desciples to the latest church scandal, humans have continuously brought our brokennesess into the church.  Yet, despite our failures, Jesus said He would build His church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it.  In part 8 of Essentials, we will learn how the church is God's plan and the front line of Heaven's invasion of Earth.

Passage: John 2:13-22

Focal passage Ephesians 2:1-10.   We use the word "saved" to refer to everything from someone recovered in a heroic operation to the money we save through a discount code.  But when the Bible talkes about being "saved," what exactly does that mean?  What are we saved from?  Who saves us, and how do they do it?  In part 7 of Essentials, we will learn how salvation is not about what we do but what Jesus has done.

What defines your value? Do you find value in your roles and responsibilities in your family or job? The human condition is tied to the value God has placed on us and the value we see in Jesus’ death on a cross. This death communicates to us the reality that we are infinitely valuable and devastatingly broken. The value you place on Jesus’ death affects the value you place on yourself and others around you. This is why it is fundamental to Christian belief.

Passages: Genesis 4, Romans 5

According to numerous studies, the single greatest predictor of spiritual transformation is the time a person spends reading their Bible.  Still, a recent Lifeway Research study revealed that only 32% of Christians read their Bible daily.  In part 5 of Essentials, we will learn the secret to readindg the Bible for spiritual transformation.

We instinctively know that there is more to living than drawing in oxygen. What, exactly, is it that animates humans? What motivates us to search for truth and higher meaning? In part four of Essentials we will explore what we believe about God, the Holy Spirit.

Passages: Genesis 2, Ezekiel 37, John 20

Imagine that you have an ant problem in your yard (perhaps you don’t have to imagine this!) You go to the store and buy a product that is designed to fool the ants into thinking that it is delicious ant food when it is, in fact, poison. Now imagine an ant lover (do those exist?) who wants to save the ants from certain death. No matter what this ant lover does, he cannot communicate with the ants, so they continue to carry the poison back to their ant hill. What would the ant lover need to do to save the ants? He would need to become one of them to keep them from certain death. That is what God has done for us in the person of Jesus Christ. In part three of Essentials, we will see how God took on flesh to come and save us.

A Pew Research study from 2008 revealed that nine out of ten Americans believe in God, but only a small majority believe in God as described in the Bible. How do we know there is a God, and even more importantly, how can we possibly know what He is like? Join us as we begin exploring the essential beliefs of Christianity by asking the question, God Who? 

Passages: Romans 1:19-20, Hebrews 1:1-3