The book of Hebrews is filled with warnings and with wonder. Warnings against neglecting so great a salvation. And wonder that encourages us to consider how great our Savior is.

Warning and wonder are coupled together throughout this book. And that’s not by accident. We need to heed these warnings as we continue to look at Jesus with wonder so that we don’t fall or fail on the battlefield of faith. The more careful attention we give to our salvation and our Savior, the more confident we will be in knowing that the battle belongs to the Lord. 
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Heeding the warning and enjoying the wonder, we continued our study in the book of Hebrews this past Sunday. Watch a replay of our live stream or listen to the audio of our study of Hebrews 2.

The book of Hebrews is a letter written to the Hebrew followers of Jesus—believers who were born and raised under the old covenant. They once related to God through rules, regulations, and rituals until the new covenant—the better covenant—was made when the Lamb of God came to take away the sin of the whole world.

These previously religious people experienced the joy, strength, and freedom that came with this new relationship with God through Jesus. Religion—with its rules, repetition, and ritual—might seem safe, but as we’ll see throughout the book of Hebrews—Jesus is better. 

What makes Him better? And what is He better than? It’s something we considered as we continued our study in Hebrews this past Sunday. Watch a replay of our livestream or listen to the audio of our study of Hebrews 1:4-14.

In the past, God spoke through the prophets many times and in various ways. He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah using vocal preaching. He spoke through the prophet Ezekiel using visual preaching. He spoke through the prophet Jonah using a human experience. He spoke through the prophet Hosea using a human relationship.

But in these last days, God has spoken to us! Our God—the same God that spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, to Ezekiel, to Jonah, to Hosea, and to many more—has chosen to speak to us, not through just a prophet, but through His Son Jesus. 

This same Jesus wants to speak to you. This same Jesus wants to be with you. He not only wants to give you rest, He wants you to enter into that rest—that deep and abiding rest that settles your very soul. This Jesus wants to go on holiday—a holy day—with you.

This past Sunday, we started with the first three verses of Hebrews and looked at the rest that Jesus gives freely in these last days. Watch the replay of our live stream or listen to the audio of our study and discover the rest that we are encouraged to make every effort to enter.

David vs. Goliath. A fight for the ages. The heavy favorite: a blasphemous Philistine giant. The unlikely underdog: a faith-filled Israeli shepherd boy. But in this battle, weaponry had little to do with the outcome. There was something more behind the stone in the sling of that shepherd boy that day. “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel…” (1 Samuel 17:45). 

The secret to David’s victory is no secret. It wasn’t in the stones he picked or the sling he swung. David fought in faith. He faced Goliath in faith. He didn’t measure the giant by himself or his ability. David was able to stand strong and fight in faith because He measured Goliath by God.

This kind faith is far too underutilized. And so, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the author of Hebrews picked up his quill to encourage believers to stand, and to walk, and to fight in faith. 

So many times, we fight in our own strength and measure our Goliaths against our ability. But faith looks at our Goliaths and measures them against God. It gives us the grit and determination to run forward to fight, knowing and proclaiming that the battle belongs to the Lord.

So how do you increase in faith so you can fight by faith? It’s what we considered this past Sunday as we began our study of the book of Hebrews. Watch the replay of our live stream or listen to the audio of our study as we learned to lift our eyes off of the obstacles before us and look to the Lord.

In times of uncertainty, we can run to Jesus for safety and security. He is our refuge and strength. He is ready to help when we need Him.

But how? How do we find a strong and safe shelter in Jesus in the midst of the storms of life? How is Jesus our refuge and strength? How is He helpful in our times of trouble?

These are good questions for us to ask—and to keep asking until we find the answers. And so, we asked them of the Lord during our time of worship this past Sunday. And we found the answers in Psalm 46.

Watch a replay of our live stream or listen to the audio of our study as we considered the refuge we have in the Lord.

Last Sunday, we talked about the new heaven and the new earth. We imagined what our resurrected bodies would be like as we walked through gates made of single pearls and walked on streets made of pure gold.

As awesome as all of that will be, what will we be doing for all of eternity? This Sunday, we continued the description that the Bible provides of what our resurrected lives will look like.

Watch a replay of our live stream or listen to our final study in the book of Revelation as we imagine just a bit of what we’ll be doing forever, knowing that it will be so much more than anything we could ever imagine.

There’s a lie that’s been circulating for quite some time. It’s a lie that hinders the gospel and makes God appear unjust. It’s a lie that seems innocent and many believe, but when held against the truth of God’s word, it quickly unravels.

This lie says that humankind is basically good.

But in His word, God makes it clear: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). 

We all like to think that if we were Adam or Eve, we would make the right decision. But we have enough proof in our past that we really wouldn’t. And so, something has to be done with our sin, for God is a righteous judge. One day we will all stand alone before Him and give an account for every sinful thought, word, and deed—without any excuses.

That is where we found ourselves in our study this past Sunday. Watch the replay of our live stream or listen to our study of the first part of Revelation 21 as we begin our time together in front of the great white throne.

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
–Matthew 6:10

These were some of the things Jesus told His disciples to pray for when they asked Him how to pray. We experience a portion of that prayer on a daily basis, but there will come a day when that promise is fully realized. The kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, and deliverance from evil.

As we continued our study of Revelation this past Sunday, we see that God will one day answer this prayer. In Revelation 20, we read about the future reign of Christ on earth and the imprisonment of the devil during the same time.

Watch the replay of our live stream or listen to our study of Revelation 20 with child-like faith and child-like awe and wonder as we consider what these fulfilled promises of God will one day look like.

“Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
–Revelation 19:10

Our study of prophecy should always lead to a deeper walk with Jesus and help us grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus—for prophecy is all about Him! Since the goal of prophecy is to worship God, we must beware of turning prophecy into a search for special knowledge that no one else has or to find a demon behind every bush. If anything else becomes the focus of our study of prophecy, something’s wrong.

So as we continue our study this book of prophecy, our understanding of Jesus deepens as we receive the full counsel of God’s word concerning Christ’s character. Remember—Jesus is not only the Suffering Servant; He will return as the Avenger of Blood. His first coming was the Lamb slain; His second coming will be the Lion of the tribe of Judah. 

Watch the replay of our live stream or listen to our study from this past Sunday as we see even more of Jesus Christ revealed in Revelation 19.

Think of the few times in the Gospels when Jesus was truly angry. You know, those times when He flipped over tables and swung a whip around. 

Jesus never got angry in response to a personal insult. No, His righteous anger was aroused when He saw corrupt religious leadership profiting from religious roadblocks that prevented people from worshipping God. Roadblocks that were never commanded by God, but enforced by the religious rulers to extort loyalty and money from people who just wanted to worship.

And Jesus hated this! He got angry—angry enough to call out the religious leadership of the day (see Matthew 23:15 and Luke 11:46). Angry enough to do something about it (see Mark 11:15-17). 

It still angers Jesus when religious corruption takes advantage of people and keeps them from worshipping God. And, as we read in Revelation 18, it will continue to anger Jesus in the future. He will someday flip over more than tables—He’ll flip over Mystery Babylon and put an end to this wicked religious system once and for all.

Listen to or watch the video replay of our study of Revelation 18 as we consider the future ultimate destruction of Mystery Babylon in vivid detail.

People can be stubborn. Perhaps you have noticed. Sometimes stubborn people need incentive to turn away from their sin, to repent, and to turn towards the Lord. And sometimes, the Lord (in His grace and His mercy) gives people this incentive.

One day, God will give humanity all the incentive we could ever ask for. He will pull out all the stops and pour out all of His wrath for the purpose of producing repentance so that humanity might receive the greatest gift of all: eternal salvation.

This time is described in great detail in Revelation 16. It is the final opportunity God gives people to repent from sin and to receive salvation. And we shouldn’t be surprised to read how intense this time will be when it happens. God, in His great mercy, endeavors to produce repentance because He loves those who will be left at the end of the tribulation. He doesn’t want any of them to perish, but all of them to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Watch or listen to our study of Revelation 16 and hear how God will pull out all the stops to pour out His wrath for the purpose of producing repentance. Then read ahead in Revelation 17 for our study this Sunday, at the Regency or online.

Maturity to the glory of God.

That’s 2 Timothy in a nutshell.

Oh, this book has been such a good word from the Lord during this season of difficulty! Just think of how we’ve been encouraged throughout these four chapters. What a difference we make when we wait on the Lord instead of whining and wiggling out of testings and trials. For it is the tests and trials we encounter that produce patience, endurance, and perseverance in our lives—maturity, to the glory of God.

This is the maturity Paul encouraged Timothy to develop. He knew the difficulties Timothy faced every day as he followed Jesus, and every week as he pastored his church. He knew these challenges were opportunities for Timothy to mature as he fulfilled his calling.

And what was Timothy called to do during his season of difficulty? Watch our live stream from this past Sunday, our final study in 2 Timothy, to find out.

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come…”
– 2 Timothy 3:1

Perilous times—that’s an appropriate description for 2020 (and it’s only June)!

Along with Timothy, we are warned that perilous times are coming. The word ‘perilous’ in the original language can be defined many different ways—difficult, dangerous, furious, hard to take, hard to bear, troublesome, harsh, fierce.

Yep, that sums up most of 2020 so far!

And yet…there is something comforting in this verse that can give us peace in dark times. Against the bleak backdrop of current events, there is a glimmer of hope we find here in this Scripture.

You see, in the midst of our mess, in the midst of our “mean time,” God is already speaking to us. God knew, and God knows…and God is able to strengthen our hands so that we can serve Him and represent Him faithfully and courageously here and now.

Watch our live stream replay and hear of the hope and peace that only God can provide in perilous times. Then, read ahead in 2 Timothy 4 in preparation for our time this coming Sunday. We’ll open up the live stream at 9:45am (CDT) for a brief time of fellowship before starting our study at 10am. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

What an exciting time to be alive! How good has God been to us? He’s given us life and breath a heartbeat the hope of heaven…AND He’s given us the opportunity to serve and represent Him in the meantime. 

Or is it the mean time?

It seems like the meantime has taken on a new meaning as insecurities are rising to the surface during this season of difficulty. People are scared and angry—fearful of losing everything. We see this anger and insecurity manifest in unnecessary meanness, unkindness, and roughness.

And yet…as a follower of Jesus (who endured such hostility and brutality from truly wicked men and yet responded in love) what are we to do? How then shall we live in this mean time?

As Jesus did—with love. Love that comes from eternal security. Love that is first patient, and then kind, and not arrogant…and not rude…and not easily angered. Love that suffers long. Love that goes the extra mile. 

God’s word that says, “a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all.” This is what Paul tells Timothy in the section of Scripture we looked at this past Sunday. Watch the replay of our live stream from Sunday. Then read ahead in 2 Timothy 3 for this Sunday! We’ll open up the live stream at 9:45am (CDT) for a brief time of fellowship before starting our study at 10am. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, the Apostle Paul writes, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
This past Sunday, we remembered Jesus, as Paul instructs us in 2 Timothy 2:8. We considered the work that God is doing right now in the unseen during this time of light affliction.
Paul was very familiar with suffering—yet he held on to the hope of heaven. How did he learn to have such grit and such grace in the face of such adverse circumstances? He remembered Jesus. It’s what enabled him to persevere and endure. It’s what he encouraged both Timothy and us to do in the midst of our light and momentary afflictions. It’s the memory of Jesus in our minds and the hope of Heaven in our hearts that gives us the strength to endure suffering while pointing others to Him. 
Consider Him with us and watch the replay of our live stream from this past Sunday. Then read ahead for this Sunday! We’ll pick up starting in 2 Timothy 2:15 during our live stream this coming Sunday at 10am (CDT). If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

Life is messy. But Jesus is real. These are truths we’ve been discussing during our study of 2 Timothy. Life this side of eternity is full of curve balls, blindsides, twists, and turns. These circumstances can loosen our grip, mess with our grit, and weaken our resolve. What are we to do? 

Follow Paul’s advice to Timothy. 

You see, life was messy for Timothy, too. There was the ever-present threat of persecution. One more Sunday for Pastor Timothy was one more reason for the Romans to come for him, his family, and his friends. 

Paul knew the circumstances Timothy was facing. He also knew Timothy. So in this second letter, Paul reminded Timothy that he was no longer an immature believer. He encouraged Timothy to hold fast (2 Timothy 1:13). 

Hold fast is such a strong, active phrase! It paints the picture of what to do when something or someone is trying to take away something of value from us.

The wind and the waves will try to pry what’s precious from us, but we can choose to hold fast. 
But hold fast to what? That’s what we considered in our time together studying 1 Timothy 1:13-14. 
Watch the replay of our live stream and be encouraged by the strength that Jesus gives us to hold fast.

​Read ahead for this Sunday! Read through, think through, and pray through 2 Timothy 2:1-7 in preparation for our live stream this coming Sunday. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

Things weren’t easy for Timothy. It wasn’t easy to follow a crucified Lord. It wasn’t easy to serve an imprisoned apostle. In order to lead and serve his church, Timothy needed to be settled in his heart and steeled in his mind that suffering was part of God’s plan for this season. 

What Timothy needed to personally receive and apply are the same things we need to receive and apply in our lives today. God has given us grace and mercy and peace. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He has gifted to us power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

How valuable is a sound mind? How valuable is a mind that is not tossed by the wind or waves? How precious is a mind that isn’t troubled by news articles, sound bites, or the fear of suffering? How priceless is a mind secure in the grace, mercy, peace, love, and power of Jesus? 

Those are questions we considered in our study of 2 Timothy 1:8-12. Through Paul’s letter to Timothy, we learn how a sound mind can allow us to stare suffering in the face and still serve courageously and faithfully because we know that suffering isn’t the end of the story. And believing this in the face of unimaginable, unavoidable, and even unjust suffering is vitally important.

​We look forward to spending another Sunday morning together online at 10am this Sunday on our YouTube channel. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

The fact that Jesus chose Paul should startle us. When you think about Paul’s past (as we have in previous studies), it’s surprising that Jesus sent Paul to be His messenger. And it was probably just as surprising to Paul!

Eventually, Paul began to see God’s wisdom in sending him. It wasn’t because of Paul’s intellect, or his skill set, or his knowledge of the Scripture. God sent Paul because…Paul was such a great sinner!

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes: ”This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

Do you know that God can do the same with you too? God loves you so much! Because of His grace and mercy, He wants to use you. And He wants you to stir up the gifts He has given to you. Watch our live stream replay of our study of 2 Timothy 1:1-8 and learn how Paul encouraged Timothy to do the same.
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We look forward to spending another Sunday morning together online at 10am this Sunday on our YouTube channel. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

The world says, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But that’s not the way of Jesus. It’s as if His life and words are speaking a counter-cultural truth to us: “Believe it, and then you’ll see. I’ll show you. Believe that I love you, that I died for your sins out of My love for you to save you from that awful enemy death. Believe that I beat death when God the Father raised me from the dead. Believe and I'll show you what I can do with a willing and repentant heart.”

You see, Jesus did not come to make bad men good. Jesus came to give dead men life—eternal life.
Death, pain, and difficulty may come, but that is not the end of the story in Jesus. Glory is the end of the story.

Jesus asks Martha in John 11:40,  “Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?” Behind whatever circumstance you see before you today, will you trust that God is working all things together for your good and His glory?

The reality is death IS a defeated foe because Jesus has given us a promise of life. If you are in Christ, your life here on earth is not the end of your story. It is just the beginning.

Do you believe this promise? Do you believe Jesus? He proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me though he may die he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

Do you believe this? Have you put your trust in Jesus? Then this promise of eternal life applies to you! How is God leading you to share your hope of eternal life in Jesus with others this week?

In our introduction to 2 Timothy, we considered the life of Paul of Tarsus—his life as Saul before encountering Christ, and his life after serving his Savior. And we discovered that understanding Paul’s life helps us to appreciate his final letter written to Timothy.

You see, Paul knew a kingdom was coming. He was pressing on for the glorious appearing of Jesus. Pressing on for the promise of life—eternal life—in Christ Jesus.

It is this life, this eternal life, this resurrection life, that we find in 2 Timothy 1:1.

This past Resurrection Sunday, we considered the life of Jesus. Not only His life—but also His death and resurrection. Watch the replay of our live stream from Sunday and discover how His life gives us hope for today and tomorrow.

To say that Paul was a frequent traveler would be an understatement. He logged over 20,000 miles on his missionary journeys! But the furthest distance he traveled was near the very beginning of his biography as we read in Acts 9—from the top of a horse all the way down to the dusty Damascus road. You could say that it was the first 5 feet that changed him forever. 

As Saul, he persecuted the church—the body of Christ. And Christ stopped him in his tracks, gripped his jealous, angry, murderous heart, and renewed it with the glorious, life-giving, soul transforming good news of the gospel. Over time, as Saul (“the desired one”) was humbled, surrendered, and submitted—he became Paul (“little one”).

20,000 miles of missionary travels came to an end in a Roman prison. But his circumstances did not cause him to despair. His suffering was not senseless. He pressed on. He forgot those things which were behind him. He reached forward to what was ahead. 

Let’s be honest—when we’re in the pit, it’s tempting to remember what got us there, to fixate on the circumstances of our suffering. For Paul, his entire ministry looked like a constant sequence of suffering and futility and failure ending in prison. But from God’s perspective, Paul’s life gloriously fulfilled its purpose—because he submitted to suffering. 

When suffering comes to us, we have a choice. Will we see it as failure, or will we follow Paul’s example? Like Paul, we can choose to forget those things which are behind. Like Paul, we can look forward to what’s ahead—Jesus’ glorious appearing!

​It’s ok.

It’s ok to be raw. It’s ok to be honest. 

It’s ok to be weak. Too weak for work. Too weak for words.

It’s ok to be sad about being weak. And it’s ok to be angry about being weak.

And it’s ok to pour out all of those emotions to a loving God and to tell Him how you honestly feel. 

That’s where Psalm 119 is helpful. It models an honest response to life’s ever-changing circumstances in a way that honors a never-changing God.

In those times of weakness when we don’t know what to say, God gives us the words that bring refreshment to our souls. Words like this: 

• “Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:107)
• “Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.” (Psalm 119:149)
• “Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; Revive me according to Your judgments.” (Psalm 119:156)
• “Revive me, O Lord, according to your lovingkindness.” (Psalm 119:159)

These aren’t the words that we’d normally expect in a structured acrostic poem about God’s word, and yet we read them—and specific phrases like this—over and over and over again in Psalm 119 as the psalmist cries out to God, pleading with Him to revive him.

Revive me. Teach me. Give me understanding. 

As we ask these things of the Lord and seek Him in His word, He places within us a confident hope and a delight in His word that refreshes our hearts. His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

What a great example for us when we feel overwhelmed and overcome with heavy emotions and hurting hearts. We can cry out to God, unburden our heaviness, and ask Him to revive us—according to His word.

When you hear “Psalm 119,” what are your first thoughts?

Long? 

Well, it is 176 verses! And on the surface, it might seem more like a long-winded ancient Hebrew poem about God’s word and the importance of His law than a great source for comfort. 

But there’s so much more to this Psalm when we plumb the depths of the treasure! 

With careful study, we see common themes rise to the surface that speak clearly about the role of God’s word in the world we live in. Themes like hope, delight, and being revived when our spirit is weak—a much needed word for our world today!

Watch the replay of our live stream as we studied this amazing passage of Scripture and were strengthened by the many messages of encouragement we found.