This week we look more closely at how Jesus wants us to love those around us - especially those who are different from us - and we see that this kind of radical love stands out in our community. We are reminded that the source of great love is God, and that we love because He first loved us.

Jesus commands us to have integrity - to live in such a way that our actions and deeds align with our thoughts and heart. Rather than acting like we are something or someone we aren't, we ought to be honest with who we are - and as a church we ought to be a place where people can come together and take off the masks we have been wearing. God knows our thoughts and our deeds, and yet still He loves us - that is our model and motivation for how we should live with one another.

This week we look at how we can be unified in the body of Christ through the Holy Spirit, but also at the barriers in our lives that keep us from that unity.

Continuing in the sermon on the mount, this week, we look at the beauty of sex, the lies of lust, and the radical path to freedom that Jesus offers.

Building upon the message last week, we see hear that Jesus is teaching a new way to understand the commandment "do not murder" and that it is not enough to follow the letter of the law - we must also obey the heart of the law. Even though our anger towards others isn't judged in a court of law, we cannot hide our hearts from God, and in this passage, Jesus tells us how harboring anger can affect not just our relationships with others but also our relationship with God. Therefore, let us reconcile our sins with those we have sinned against, come to terms with God, and rejoice in the freedom and forgiveness that God has promised us.

In this passage, we see what Jesus has to say about the Old Testament - that although everything that the laws and prophets said was true, it was not enough. Jesus is introducing His radical message that it is indeed necessary to follow the law perfectly, but because we are unable to do so, Christ came to live a perfect life in our place, and His death on the cross allows us to receive His righteousness as our own.

In this passage, Paul refutes the common idea (both in his own time and in our own present day) that Jesus didn't actually raise from the dead. We look at the evidence that points to Jesus's resurrection and also why it is so important to our faith today.

In the final message in this series, we are reminded that God has set His people apart for His glory. Peter reminds us that we are the building blocks for the spiritual house in which God dwells. It is not because of anything that we have done, but only because God desired to show us mercy and because Jesus was willing to die for our sins that we have been pulled out of the darkness into God's marvelous light and have been made His people.

No matter where we are in our walk with God, we need a daily reminder of the gospel - that is, a reminder that we can never earn our way into favor with God and that it is only by our faith that our sins are forgiven. We are often tempted to spend the day thinking about what we need to do and can forget that the work of salvation has already been completed on the cross for us. Resting in this truth is what allows us to be truly free and allow Christ to live in us. 

This week we look at a message from Paul to the Thessalonians, emphasizing the importance of being in community with other believers by giving them instructions to encourage one another, respect the leaders of the church, remain in fellowship with one another, and worship together.