This post is adapted from Sunday’s sermon on John 15:18-27.
Click here to listen to the full message.
Have you ever tried to assemble something with an important piece missing or without all the instructions? Or attempted to understand a conversation when you’ve missed the crucial context?
That’s exactly how many of us approach Christianity—we’re missing a vital piece of information that would make everything else click into place.
Reflections from Week One of Out of the Fire“I couldn’t keep it to myself… I realized it was all true, and I just couldn’t keep it to myself.”
Those words from Elijah, one of our class participants sharing about his early days of faith, captured something powerful in our first evangelism class this week. There’s something contagious about someone who has truly grasped the reality of the gospel—they simply have to tell others.
But let’s be honest: most of us don’t feel that way most of the time. Continue reading
In today’s Christian landscape, a profound disparity exists that we cannot ignore: for every 1,000 people who search online for prayer, only 10 search for evangelism, and just one seeks evangelism training. This stark contrast reveals a troubling reality in our churches—while we readily embrace certain aspects of our faith, we often sidestep the Great Commission.
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[A sermon reflection from Mother’s Day, May 12, 2025. Full sermon audio available here.]
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, grandmas, and great-grandmas reading this! While our culture sets aside this special Sunday to honor mothers, Scripture reminds us this should be our daily practice. And for those finding today difficult—perhaps you’ve lost your mom or are mourning a relationship that wasn’t what it should have been—please know you’re seen and held in prayer.
But today, I want to talk about different kinds of gifts—not the Mother’s Day kind, but the spiritual kind that each of us has received as members of Christ’s body. Continue reading
The church is not a building, but a body of believers united in Christ.
As a church leader for over a decade and a half, I’ve had many conversations with people explaining why they’re leaving their church. During one particularly memorable discussion, someone listed several complaints: the services were too long, the environment was too noisy with crying babies, and it was difficult to hear the sermon.
While listening, I suggested they might need to “change their expectations.” They misunderstood, thinking I meant they should lower their standards and accept mediocrity. That wasn’t my point at all.
I wasn’t asking them to lower their expectations—I was inviting them to transform them entirely. If we have the wrong expectations, even something good might seem disappointing. It’s like expecting a brownie and biting into a steak—you’d be surprised and likely disappointed, but if you were expecting steak from the beginning, it could be delicious.
In fact, many of us need to raise our expectations of what church is truly about. Continue reading
The echoes of “He is risen!” may have faded from our Easter Sunday celebrations, but the profound reality those words represent should reverberate through every moment of our lives. The resurrection isn’t merely a historical event we commemorate once a year—at least, it shouldn’t be. It’s the foundation that should transform how we live every single day.
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In a world where distractions abound and priorities often shift, the call to abide in Christ remains a steadfast anchor for believers. This sermon, rooted in John 15:1-17, invites us to examine the fruit of our lives and challenges us to remain in the true vine, Jesus Christ. As we delve into this passage, we are reminded of God’s enduring desire to dwell with His people and the transformative power of abiding in His love.
The True Vine and the Vinedresser
In John 15, Jesus declares, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). This metaphor paints a vivid picture of our relationship with Christ and God the Father. Jesus, the true vine, signifies the source of life and sustenance for believers, while God, the vinedresser, tends to the vineyard, ensuring that each branch bears fruit.
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