Legalism is what it looks like when one is living on the wrong side of the Cross, not seeing our old nature buried with Jesus and our new life alive in Him. Jesus came to fulfill the law through grace—dying for our sins on the Cross. This message will remind us that legalism loses and grace wins.

We all need to be prepared to deal with criticism. Criticism is inevitable in this life. As Christians, how we respond to and handle criticism reveals the level of our faith in God. Handling criticism gracefully is possible because Jesus vividly portrayed it, and He’s our example.

Real faith helps people in real need. Our faith isn’t only for us; it’s also for others. Jesus demonstrated this daily and we have the opportunity to live in the same way. 

When our minds are set on the right things our emotions will follow. Our feelings can and should be shaped by who God is and what He has done for us.

We have solid reasons for what we believe and every Christian needs to be well versed in them. This doesn’t mean we should try to bully people into accepting our positions on faith, but we can gently and humbly challenge those who oppose our beliefs. 

Our speech and our action need to align. Instructing others with our words is only effective when we demonstrate what we teach with our lives.

How, when and what we speak to others matters deeply. When we encourage others with our words it reflects what God has done for us in giving us His Word.

Controlling our words may be one of the most difficult things to do. The same mouths we praise God with also can be used to hurt and harm others. Understanding how powerful and dangerous words can be can also lead to using them for the ultimate good which is praising God.

The Gospel is the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done. When we use our words to spread and share this good news beautiful things happen! Instead of choosing to spread gossip we can spread the gospel.

Family, faith, and community—we'll discover how God places the lonely in families and how strong families grow through grace and truth. Southland has always been a place where the broken find belonging. Jesus came to bring people from death to life, and our mission is to join Him in that work.