The Well Church of the Nazarene

Freedom in Christ isn’t the absence of struggle—it’s grace in the middle of it. Paul reminds us that the battle within doesn’t mean we’ve failed; the battle is evidence that we’re still alive in Christ. Real freedom begins when we stop fighting in our own strength and surrender daily to the Jesus who has already won.

We understand the Gospel to address our need for the forgiveness of sins, but the Gospel does not stop there. Following Christ means choosing the opposite of what culture says: dying to self-rule, living under God's reign, and being bound to Christ. What needs to die in you so that Christ can bring new life? 

The Gospel is more than forgiveness—it’s the restoration of broken relationships and the invitation into God’s family. In Romans 5, we see that while we were still powerless and separated from Him, Christ moved first in love to restore what our sin had broken. True reconciliation with God transforms our lives and overflows into our relationships with others.

While sin exposes our desperate need and the bad news of separation from God, Christ’s atonement restores us into right relationship with Him. To live UpStream means embracing this countercultural truth: salvation is not earned, but freely given—and in it, we rediscover the joy of God’s salvation.

We often talk about sin as if it's about them, but in Romans 1-2, Paul makes it clear--it's about us. Sin is not just bad behavior, it's exchanging the truth of God for a lie. Let us reflect upon, lament, and confront our own brokenness. 

"Evangelism" can be an uncomfortable word, but at the heart of our purpose is recognizing the transformative power of saving grace. We are called to scatter seeds. And sometimes that means redefining the way we do church and rediscovering the church God wants us to be so we can answer the questions of our culture today.

Serving "Babylon" means showing up faithfully in a place that may not cheer for us, because our loyalty is not to the crowd, but the Kingdom. We plant gardens, love our neighbors, and do good--not because Babylon deserves it, but because God has called us to it.

The heart of God, his intent and instruction, is the essence of what the prophet Jeremiah told his people in exile, and it's the essence of what we see God do through Creation and the formation of His people! When we are fruitful and increase, when we work for the "good," for peace and prosperity of the people with whom we live--especially in exile--we wade into the confluence of the sacred and secular. The physical and spiritual. And this has always been God's purpose for his people. 

When we live in exile, one of our tasks is to raise "resident aliens” - to teach the next generation how to remain faithful to God in  a land that is not our own. One of the most powerful tools that we have to do this effectively is our story. Consistently telling the story of God at work in and through us 1) Roots our identity, 2) Explains our rhythms, and 3) Gives hope in exile. 

Faith is confident trust in what God has said, even when it's not visible. Exile sharpens our dependency on God's promises, not culture's affirmation. When we feel displaced or pressured to conform with competing stories, our roots must go deeper into God's story, not ours.