Part 1 of our Mini-Series for the month of August - Paradox: Getting what you Want but NOT how you wanted to get it.

Nice to have the goal to grow by grace, live a live fueled by grace, or be motivated by grace - but it's kind of vague and 'out there' if you and I can't access grace during the course of a normal day.II Peter 1:9 hints at how we might begin to do that & Pastor Ryan offers some practical suggestions in response.

When we walk out our door each day we expect God to show His goodness through pleasant circumstances & happy encounters. The Apostle John, however, provides a different picture of reality: A daily war outside our front door but also gives us hope through a secret weapon - one that truly shows off that God is great and God is good.

There is a kind of love that is noticeably absent from arguably the greatest passage in the Bible on love. It may be cause to re-think from where you get love & how you love others.

Through abiding in Jesus who sometimes challenges & examines us and other times assures and comforts us we begin to overcome in THIS life.John teaches how we can begin to know we're overcoming:(a) Self-Condemnation(b) Rival but glitzier messages to the gospel

Associate Pastor Candidate Brett Wendle teaches from 1 John 3.4-10."Family Resemblance"

Having been decently spooked by considering antichrists and the implications of leaving church in vv.18-23 - it's likley we will ask the question: How can I be sure I will hold on, last, abide?Thankfully, John answers this question & the fear behind it. He has given us everything we need to hold on, last, abide and also change while we are at it.Find out what that is in Part 2.

John starts this section off with some spooky verses about antichrists and people we love leaving churches who may never have been Christians in the first place.- How can you spot an antichrist? How can I respond?- What does it say about a person who I thought was a Christian but leaves Jesus' church for good?- How do I avoid either of these awful possibilities?In the end, John gives us comfort & assurance through a clear view of Jesus as the all-sufficient Christ.