Are you familiar with traditions and systems, where you have to go to a priest in order to confess your sins? This stems from the Old Testament times of having to have a priest, who was the mediator between you and God. But what you may not realize is that the extra step between you and God is unnecessary! As Pastor Johnny explains today, Jesus paid for your sins on the cross, which means that you can go directly to Him about your sins! What a relief that there aren’t extra steps and red tape to walk through!

There might be some competition on the playground about whose dad is better than everyone else’s. There might be reasons why one person’s dad is stronger, more successful, or more impressive and intimidating. Well, guess what? Pastor Johnny wants you to know today that in the book of Hebrews, it becomes evident that Jesus is better than anyone else before Him in the Bible. The things that had pointed to Jesus were just glimpses of the “real deal” that Jesus was bringing into the world!

When there’s a crisis, your natural response is fight or flight. In either case, there’s an element of fear that drives you to have the courage to stay and defend yourself, or give in to weakness and run away. When it comes to your faith, Pastor Johnny is saying today that you should always be willing to take a strong stand for your faith, even in the face of persecution. Is it easy? Of course not! But it’s those moments that the testing of your faith proves if it’s genuine and real, even when things get tough.

Jesus commands us to care for the people that our society deems unimportant. And He doesn’t just say to take care of them – as Pastor Johnny points out today, Jesus said that if we care for these people, we are caring for Jesus Himself. Jesus adds that the inverse is also true: if we refuse to care for our neighbors in need, we refuse to do these things for Jesus. We are called to love those around us sacrificially, and when we serve the lowest in our society, we also serve Christ.

As Pastor Johnny teaches about salvation and the afterlife today, he reminds us that a sinner’s prayer isn’t a magic formula to be saved. While that prayer may be the starting point for someone’s faith journey, following Jesus is something we do over the course of our lifetime, not just in a one-time prayer. So, while this prayer may be a significant moment, the Bible is clear that God’s salvation comes to us when we repent and turn to Jesus, putting our faith in Him. If we don’t do that, our prayer won’t save us.

Today, Pastor Johnny discusses what the Bible says about the afterlife. He cites some statistics about what Americans believe about this topic, and it’s clear that people are pretty confused. While many think there is a Heaven and a Hell, they’re not sure what qualifies people for each. Most people believe they will go to Heaven because they see themselves as good people. But the Bible shows us that being a good person in our own eyes doesn’t lead to salvation – instead, it’s about faith in Jesus.

In a place like America, where we have so much freedom and abundance, faith can feel easy sometimes. Today, Pastor Johnny reminds us that Jesus didn’t call us to trust Him only when it’s convenient. He called us to abandon ourselves and trust Him even when it doesn’t make sense. He called us to die to ourselves, to do things that completely contradict what the world tells us. When we face hardship, we can trust in Jesus – it won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it.

Pastor Johnny reminds us today that God is sovereign and has a plan for us! Even though we may not understand why things are happening in our lives, we can rest in the hope that God has a purpose and works all things for the good of those who love Him. And there are times when we can see this play out in our lives or those around us – things that may seem random end up being some of the best things that happen in someone’s life and draw them closer to God.

While non-believers tend to do whatever they think is best for themselves, as Christians, we believe that God has put us on this earth for a purpose, so it’s essential that we seek God’s guidance in our decision-making. But how do we do this? Do we wait to hear an audible voice from God? Not exactly. Today, Pastor Johnny offers some practical advice on pursuing God’s will: God can give us clarity by providing peace and desire within us and presenting an open the door to a particular opportunity.

As believers, we must remember that we are the hope of this world because God has chosen us to be the ambassadors of His Kingdom. No government or political party will fix the world – it’s up to us to bring the light of the Gospel and expand God’s restorative Kingdom. Pastor Johnny encourages us to love our neighbors with the same compassion that Jesus had for His neighbors. Even if we disagree with people, we are never called to hate others; instead, we are to love even our enemies.