Spiritual formation happens through the stories we believe, the habits we cultivate, and the relationships we foster. Often this process contains suffering and takes place over a long period of time, like the growth of a tree. To become like Christ, we need teaching that paints a picture of the life we were created for, practices that train us in godliness, and genuine Christian community to expose sin and encourage growth.

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This week, we focused on “being with Jesus.” Oftentimes, we are so future-focused that we miss what God is doing right here and right now. Or we are too distracted to remain focused on the presence of God at all. We examined the story of Mary and Martha, and how Jesus rewards those who can set aside the distractions of life and simply be in His presence. Even though our culture will make this difficult, we must strive to prioritize the presence of God at all times.

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Who is Jesus to you? Like many of the people in the Bible, we have expectations of who the Messiah is and how he should act. But we cannot customize Jesus to our liking and we don't get to define what it means to follow him. He gives us clear instructions in Matthew 16:24, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me". We need to let go of the Jesus we created to suit our desires, be willing to endure things we may not want to, and follow him. This journey will not be easy, but we need to keep in mind that Jesus isn't after fans, he's after our hearts. 

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Just like John the Baptist, all Christians will go through seasons of doubt, but it's up to us whether that doubt can become a time of spiritual formation. Let us use our doubts to drive us into a deeper pursuit of Jesus.

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Just like Thomas in John 20, our doubt can show how close we are to God; but the voice of doubt is not something to be ashamed of. You won't be belittled or judged. Let our doubts be challenged and transformed by God's truth and faithfulness.

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Doubt is often seen as the enemy of faith or something to hide and be ashamed of. The truth is that many very faithful people, like Jesus himself, are known to have experienced the tension between faith and doubt. This tension is not always a bad thing!

Doubt can be good. It can shake us up, make us think in new ways, and challenges us to see things with a new set of eyes. Despite common misconceptions, Christ-followers aren't people who never doubt, but they are people who make the choice to trust God with our doubts. 
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Do you ever look at the chaos in the world around you and think, "What is taking Jesus so long? When will he come back?" Most of us have felt that longing before.

Knowing that God’s timeline is not ours, a better question to ask might be this: How do we live with patience and purpose while we are waiting?

Every day that Christ delays his coming is His patience on display—it's an opportunity for someone to come to the salvation He freely offers, and for us who have received it to share it with others.

Every day is a gift of grace, and we have a purpose in this world. Our assurance in Christ’s coming will lead us to action.

Listen to this weeks sermon on the second coming of Christ -

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Wherever you have something true, you almost always have something counterfeit nearby. This also applies to biblical teachings. But how do we discern between true gospel teaching and false teaching?

In 2 Peter, we are given a guide for recognizing and avoiding false teachers and their teachings.

Listen to this week's sermon on false teaching –

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Many of us believe the Bible, but if we were pressed to explain WHY we believe the Bible, things would get awkward quickly. We can easily go through life not really convinced that the Bible is trustworthy, but just hoping that it is.

To understand the validity of the Bible, we have to answer the questions of how the Bible came to be, how it came to us, and how it came together. Understanding this can grow our trust that the Bible is truly the word of God miraculously preserved through generations.
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Going to church and learning what the Bible says is important - but it isn't the same as actively living out the truth that we believe.

The Bible teaches that the key to growing in godliness is not about knowing more, but about excersizing our faith by being obedient (2 Peter 1:3-11).

If you have the desire to grow your faith and deepen your relationship with God, this sermon from 2nd Peter is for you.

Listen to this week's sermon on spiritual growth

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