Who’s your enemy? Is it people in far-flung parts of the world who have a vendetta against America? Or a neighbor who likes to party loud and into late hours? Maybe it’s someone at work who subscribes to a different political party than you? As a follower of Jesus and a child of God, none of those people are really an enemy, as hard as they may try. As Pastor Bill will challenge us in today’s message, we’re wrestling against powerful, spiritual forces who seek to destroy you as well as your human antagonists.  

People are trying so hard to figure out who they are. We’ve all known those people, and some of us have been those people, that move from identity to identity, just trying to find fulfillment. We see this happening in many ways today. All of these temporary, surface-level identities will wear out and before long, we find ourselves looking elsewhere. As Pastor Bill will point out in today’s message, real fulfillment, and value can only be found when we take on and accept our identity in Christ.

Your walk with Jesus will look much different in year twenty than it does in year one. Just like a healthy marriage, as you get to know God better you learn more about what He likes and doesn’t like and you’ll try to please Him out of a love that isn’t based on feelings but faith. As Pastor Bill will point out in today’s message, that’s how holiness works. It’s not a list of rules and regulations we comply with to avoid punishment or reap a reward - it’s a way of living we want to do because our hearts have been changed.

Have you been made new on the inside? Every one of us is born into sin and death. As soon as we’re capable of making decisions, we start choosing to serve ourselves at the expense of our Creator. This rebellion is natural and it’s destructive. But, as Pastor Bill will point out in today’s message, God didn’t leave us in this position without any remedy. He loved us too much. He sent Jesus to take the punishment for your sin and when you let Him in He will transform you from the inside out through His grace. 

We have countless examples we can choose to follow in this world. Whether you’re looking at Scripture or contemporary members of the Church, Pastor JD will encourage you to practice Holy Spirit-led discernment concerning their spiritual leadership. We’ve seen many bad examples of how to follow Christ. While it’s not our place to judge their standing before God, it is our place to test their words and actions against the truth of Scripture when it comes to how we let them influence our spiritual journey.

The idea that God will fulfill all of your prayers simply based on whether your faith hits a certain level isn’t Scriptural. As Pastor Bill examines the short, impactful book of 3rd John in today’s message, he’ll draw our attention to this common misinterpretation. By itself, it’s understandable that people would pull a “name it, claim it” approach to prayer from this verse, but in the context of the whole letter, as well as the rest of God’s inspired Word, we know that this isn’t how God works. 

The stable of television evangelists seems to grow on a daily basis. Several have introduced some ‘new’ gospel teachings. They exclaim there is no real hell, and everyone is already saved and will ultimately go to heaven if they live good lives. No one is really accountable and the God of love would never send an innocent person to hell. Their messages are not based on the scriptures but are taken from a book they wrote. Today, Pastor Bill talks about the importance of teaching the Jesus of the Bible.

There are so many new “gospels” that have appeared in our society proclaiming a new, simpler path to Heaven. Saying, “If you lead a good life…help those less fortunate, and be friendly to everyone you’ll make it.” This new version of religion only recognizes Jesus as a great philosopher with good suggestions. These versions say we can become our own gods and our works will determine our eternity. Today, Pastor Bill explains how Jesus IS the only way. He IS the Christ, the Son of the living God.  

There have been several surveys taken in recent years about Christian beliefs and church attendance. Much of the results reflect a downturn in attendance and a softening of belief in Biblical teaching. Many don’t believe the Bible is the written Word of God. They don’t understand very much of what the Bible says and therefore, don’t really believe it is valid for living life. Today, Pastor Bill encourages us to submit to believing what the Bible says and trust the understanding that comes in time.

What really is Christian love? Do we ever extend true love to those who are ‘unlovable?’ Most people use the excuse of, “I just don’t feel like it.” Or, “I’m just too busy to get involved right now.” Real Christian love is not based on our feelings or our schedules. Real love is an act of our will. It is more something we do and less of a feeling. In his message today, Pastor Bill encourages us to act out our love every day, even to those we don’t like. In the same way, God has given His love to us.