Eternal life is not only a quantity of life, but a quality of life. This quality comes not just from knowing about God, but from knowing Him. God wants us to know that we have eternal life, but how can we know for sure? Eight times in 1 John, the Apostle John writes, “By this we know…”

1. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1 John 2:3)
2. “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.” (1 John 2:5)
3. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16)
4. “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.” (1 John 3:18-19)
5. “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:24)
6. “We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:6)
7. “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (1 John 4:13)
8. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:2)

Loving God looks like keeping His commandments and laying down our lives for others. This kind of love is made possible through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given to us when we are born again. The word of God says that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation—the old is gone and the new has come (see 2 Corinthians 5:17)! 

You can know that you have eternal life—simply confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. The Bible says that if you do this, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Repent (turn away from) your sin and ask God for forgiveness. Believe that Jesus died for your sin and that God raised Him to life. Trust Him as your Savior and follow Him as the Lord of your life.

​Join us for a special evening on worship on Friday, November 21st at 6:30pm as we gather together for a time of worship and baptisms. If you are interested in being baptized, connect with Pastor Dom.

​Have you ever wondered if you truly have eternal life? Many hope, wish, or even strive for it, but still aren't sure. So how can we be certain about eternal life? What are the criteria? How can we know for sure?

God’s word is clear—He extends eternal life to all who believe in the name of Jesus, and wants you to know that you have eternal life. In fact, in the letter of 1 John, there are 8 times that John emphatically tells us, “By this we know…” Watch our study from Sunday as we unfold the amazing, beautiful, and indestructible eternal life we have in Jesus.

​The book of Acts chronicles the birth of the church. In Acts 2:42, we read specifically what they did when they came together—a model we strive to follow to this day:

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

These core practices remain central: studying the Word, fellowship, communion, and prayer.

These are not a holy to-do list that we check off every week. These are things we strive to do out of hearts overflowing with love and appreciation for our Lord. It might not seem like much, but it’s all we really need.

Notice how they went about these core components: steadfastly. These believers were resolutely firm and unwavering in these things. Should we be any less steadfastly committed to developing daily Godly disciplines?

Read your Bible. Talk to God. Enjoy fellowship with other believers. Partake of communion together. But not to score points with God, but because you really love Him.

​On the 1,500th Feast of Pentecost, God poured out His promised Holy Spirit upon believers in Jerusalem. After the Apostle Peter preached Christ and Him crucified, around 3,000 souls were added to the church on that day.

Saved, sealed, and filled with the Holy Spirit, there were a few core components for these brand-new Spirit-filled believers: the Word of God, fellowship, prayer, and communion.

These simple core components have been the foundation for the church since then. Not because we want to earn points with God, but because we truly love Him. Watch our study in Acts 2 as we consider the first works of our first love.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul tells him three ways to build his life on the Rock of Jesus Christ to withstand life's storms.

First is discipleship (2 Timothy 3:10-11). Paul reminded Timothy how he handled hardship. We must follow Christ’s example, but having a resolute earthly example helps us stay committed to Jesus’ teaching.  

Second, cultivate and guard your desire to live a godly life (2 Timothy 3:12). We lose this desire when we love ourselves, lifestyle, or laziness more than God. Unless you fuel and protect your passion for Jesus, you will fall away.

Third is diligence in studying, proclaiming, and obeying God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:13-17). Your only hope to withstand the coming waves is to know, live, love, and obey the whole counsel of God’s word.

Is your life built on the sand? You need to build your house on The Rock now by doing what Jesus said to do, which includes being born again (see John 3:1-15). Surrender your life to Jesus, then be discipled,  desire to follow Jesus, and be diligent in obeying the whole counsel of God’s word.

Then you will be like the wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall for it was founded on The Rock!

​In Matthew 24:12, Jesus warns us that because of the increase of wickedness in the last days, the love of most will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). There is a slow-moving, seemingly unstoppable wave of what the Bible calls wickedness. The only way to withstand this flood of wickedness is to have your life firmly founded on the rock of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, you too will be swept up and carried away without even realizing it's happening. Watch our study on 2 Timothy 3-4 for encouragement from Paul's words to Timothy.

​God is a sacrificial giver. When He gives us His grace, we are transformed and become more like Him. His gift of sacrificial giving prompts us to do the same, which itself is a gift of God’s grace. The money is never an issue. The issue is your heart. God doesn’t need your money. He wants your heart and to bless you with the grace of giving. This foundation leads us to how we approach our giving. 

Building on this, God longs to show you that the tithe—our regular, planned, proportional, responsive act of worship—results in a great blessing: a heart that is deeply connected to His. Tithing is giving our heart to Him first after every increase. 

An offering is in addition to the tithe—above and beyond, out of the overflow of a heart that has already regularly given to Him. 

Our giving, whether tithe or offering, is always to be freely willing, never by commandment or compulsion. We see this in the life of Jesus, from whom we have learned how to sacrificially give. He gave Himself for us to show us the grace of giving.

We have exciting news to share regarding our Building Capital Campaign!

​You’ve probably heard someone say at some point that God calls us to give tithes and offerings. They are often coupled together in our vernacular, but in scripture, they are unique—each serving a particular purpose.

Tithes are our regular, planned, proportional, and responsive giving, echoing back to God a portion of what He gives us. This kind of giving is a regular act of worship. Offerings are above and beyond our tithes. This is sacrificial giving or a particular purpose.

Watch our study from 2 Corinthians 8:1-12 as we consider the difference between these two ways of worshiping the Lord through our giving.