What do you do when following Jesus makes your life harder? In this episode, Pastor Connor walks through Jesus' letter to the church in Smyrna — the only church in Revelation with no rebuke, a congregation suffering poverty, exclusion, and persecution simply for staying faithful. Jesus doesn't promise them relief. He promises them a crown.

We dig into why God allows suffering, the difference between suffering caused by your own decisions and suffering caused by your faith, and why comfort may be the greatest threat to a growing Christian life. We also look at the remarkable story of Polycarp — a young man who likely sat in that church when this letter was first read and, 86 years later, chose to burn at the stake rather than deny the one he served.

If your faith has never cost you anything, this one is worth sitting with.

Upstate Community Church | Boiling Springs, SC | Part of the Dear Church series on the seven churches of Revelation.

Jesus sees everything you're doing — the labor, the perseverance, the doctrinal discernment, the faithfulness week after week. He commends it all. But in his letter to the church of Ephesus, he says something that cuts through every good deed and busy schedule: "I have this against you — you have left your first love."

In this message from the Dear Church series, Aaron walks through Revelation 2:1–7, Jesus' 30-year report card to one of the most prominent churches in the ancient world. Ephesus was doing almost everything right. But underneath all the activity, something had quietly slipped — the raw, unfiltered, first-love pursuit of Jesus that used to change everything around them.

This episode asks one of the most personally convicting questions a believer can sit with: what did your faith look like when you first got saved? What happened to the hours in prayer, the open Bible, the hunger for the presence of God? How did a burning devotion to Christ get quietly replaced by routine, program, and cultural Christianity?

Drawing from Ephesians 3, 1 Corinthians 13, and the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10, this message is a pastoral call — not a condemnation — to remember how far you've fallen, repent, and return to the one thing that makes everything else matter.

Upstate Community Church | Boiling Springs, SCupstatecommunity.com

#DearChurch #Revelation #FirstLove #ChristianPodcast #BibleTeaching #Repentance #SpiritualIntimacy #Wesleyan

The Battle Won | Easter 2026

No one on earth is undefeated.

Every person has faced losses they couldn't reverse — in relationships, in parenting, in their own character, against sin and death itself. The longer we believe we can change our lives through sheer willpower, the more we miss what Easter is actually about.

In this Easter Sunday message, Pastor Connor Guerzini walks through John 20, Romans 8, and Philippians 1 to make the case that Christ has won the battle you lost. Through Mary Magdalene's encounter at the empty tomb, we see what it looks like to move from defeat to resurrection victory — not because of anything we've done, but because of what Christ has done for us.

The only people who enter the kingdom of God are graceful losers. Those who admit they've lost the battle to sin. And yet — sin hasn't won the war.

If you've been carrying the weight of your failures, your circumstances, or the feeling that you'll never be enough, this message is for you.

Scriptures: John 20:1-17 | Romans 8:35-39 | 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 | Philippians 1:21

Embrace the Stuck | Stuck to Control

What if the things promising you the most control are the very things keeping you from it?

In this Palm Sunday message, Pastor Connor Guerzini digs into the final temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 — where the devil offers him all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for his worship. It sounds generous. It's the oldest hollow promise in existence.

We unpack why the temptation to control is so deeply wired into us, why every hollow promise of immediate gratification — from lust to overthinking to over-preparation — can never deliver what it claims, and how the invitation of Psalm 37:4 to delight in the Lord is the only path to the freedom we're actually looking for.

We don't control much — but we can always control who our allegiance belongs to.

Scriptures Referenced: Matthew 4:8-11 | Deuteronomy 6:12-13 | Psalm 37:4 | Matthew 6 | Matthew 16:24-25

Upstate Community Church is located in Boiling Springs, SC. We exist to help people find and follow Jesus. Join us Sundays at 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM at 750 Upper Valley Falls Rd, Boiling Springs, SC.

Connect with us: Website: upstatecommunity.church Facebook: facebook.com/upstatecommunitychurch Instagram: instagram.com/upstatecommunitychurch YouTube: youtube.com/@upstatecommunitychurch

Ephesians 5:21-33, Matthew 91:4-6

Pastor Connor Guerzini

"Master, we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again." — Luke 5:5

In this special Vision Sunday message, Pastor Connor Guerzini celebrates Birthday Sunday at Upstate Community Church. As we look back on God’s faithfulness in Boiling Springs and look ahead to the next 1000 days of our church, we explore the life-changing power of "One More."

Whether it’s one more prayer, one more conversation, or one more act of obedience, Jesus is calling us out of our excuses and into the deep waters. Are you ready to move past the "But Lord" and embrace a "Yes, Lord" faith? Join us as we lean into our mission of helping everyday people live intentionally in Jesus—one person at a time.

Key Takeaways:

Deep Water Faith: Why Jesus calls us to the places where our own strength ends.

The "One More" Principle: How intentionality in the small things leads to a Kingdom impact.

Unshakable Vision: Staying rooted in the Unshakable Kingdom (Hebrews 12) amidst a shifting world.

Connect With Us:

Visit Us: Sundays at 10:00 AM in Boiling Springs, SC.

Growth Track: Take your next step at upstatecommunity.com/growth-track

Partner with Us: Help fund the vision at upstatecommunity.com/give

Website: upstatecommunity.com

hristmas is meant to be a season of peace — yet for so many, it’s one of the most stressful times of the year. In this message from Upstate Community Church, Pastor Connor Guerzini explores why our lives feel so hurried and heavy during the holidays and how the arrival of Jesus offers real peace that meets us right where we are.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or longing for calm, this message will help you slow down, refocus your heart, and experience the kind of peace only Jesus brings.

Listen in to discover:

• Why Christmas reveals our deepest longings

• What Scripture teaches about genuine peace

• How Jesus meets you in the middle of stress and chaos

• Practical steps to live with intention and rest

This episode encourages you to see Christmas not as another burden to carry but as an invitation to breathe deeply, trust fully, and walk in the peace God has already offered you.

One Invitation can change a generation.

Jesus saw interruptions as opportunity, not inconvenience.

Jesus ate with both saints and sinners - but he prioritized the sinners.