Luke 2: 6-12, John 18:28-19:16; 10:17-18

This message focuses on some of the villains in the story of Jesus' Passion. The Jewish king and the Roman governor were people with vast wealth, influence, and power in that part of the world and in that period of history. Herod and Pilate had power to sentence Jesus, and they were used to using their power on a whim. However, they didn't have the divine right to take Jesus' life ; only Jesus, himself, had that authority. They could offer his execution, but only he had the power to offer his life for you and me. Thank God he loves us so much!

Hebrews 2

This series studies characters in the betrayal, arrests, trials, torture, execution, and burial of Jesus of Nazareth. The first main character is Jesus himself! Jesus' unique qualification for his saving role make him a perfect Savior and compassionate high priest for us; he is supreme and unparalleled!

1 Peter 1:3-12

The term "Passion of the Christ" refers to his sufferings and death; we will be studying about Jesus' characters in the biblical accounts about him. These vantage points help us to envision the world-changing character, love, and grace of the most arresting personage in the history of the world: Jesus of Nazareth.

Matthew 25:31-46

In the book of Matthew, Jesus shows us we will not only have to give an account of our own lives but also the deeds we have done for others. Jesus shows us that God's commissions are real and come in a body just as he did. We must follow Jesus by coming in the flesh to the world.

Guest Preacher - Josh Hendricks

Revelation 20:11-15.

Do you have any books you would recommend as must reads? In

Revelation God shows us there are two books we should be intensely

interested in: the book of our deed, and the book of life. It is

important for us to recognize that this life is being recorded, in

minute detail, including the motives of our hearts. What does it

take to have your name found in the second book, the book of life?

Acts 2:42-47

This message concludes our "Music of the Spheres" series focusing on intentionally sharing our faith. We believe this will happen most consistently when we take the message out to our community and connections, and commit ourselves to seeing others for Christ.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Acts 8:26-40

Not all of us travel regularly, but most of us will find ourselves on the road every now and then on a vacation or trip. Often, we check out and hide out, enjoying the rare opportunity to be anonymous or more self-focused. But what if God has other ideas about our vacation or business trip? What if we could enjoy a break from our normal routine, while also staying on mission for the Kingdom of God? People we meet when traveling along the way are never on our path accidentally; we must be ready to share on the fly!

Acts 18: 1-4; Ephesians 6:5-9

Christians often have a love-hate relationship with the workplace. Biblically, we see that work is created to be good, and that God made us to be fruitful and influence others with the work of our hands. The place where you work is fertile ground for outreach; it takes some discernment and planning, but the office holds a rich harvest!

Luke 20:45-47; Acts 17:16-21

A lot of life happens in the marketplace. We certainly shop in person less now, but we still have the option to use a human-operated check out late at the grocery store, get to know our barber/stylist, remember the name of that office administrator at our doctor's office, and ask about the kids of our mechanic. The truth is that when we shop, we sort of have a captive audience and the people we transact with need Jesus. We have a lot of influence in the marketplace, if we can just be more intentional about when, where, and how we shop!

Psalm 78:1-8; Joshua 24:14-24

The first sphere of influence is the womb, and the home comes shortly after! We need to protect and nurture life and faith in our own homes before we can be credible and effective in sharing into other spheres. Each household needs to have a clear sense of where its loyalties lie and who is the King and Head of the household. Jesus loves our families, and he desires that they be the first and best line of defense in passing on truth, protecting lives, and growing healthy human into adulthood. Let us protect and nurture faith our families!