As we prepare our hearts for Easter, today we have the privilege to celebrate Jesus riding into Jerusalem as the long-awaited Messiah! The majority of the Gospels focus on this final week of Jesus' life and rightly so - it is because of these events and ultimately His sacrifice on the cross that provide the way for us to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. While He may have rode on a lowly donkey in preparation to die, this foreshadows that beautiful day when He shall return on a glorious white horse as our triumphant, conquering King.

The life of Jesus is absolutely extraordinary. From healing people, speaking boldly about the Word of God, to literally raising people from the dead, the fact that Jesus Christ is God is undeniable. But the question we all must answer is: "Do I truly believe this in my heart?" Many people can say they "believe" in Jesus, but to them it's no different than "believing" in George Washington. Either Jesus was a liar, a lunatic, or He was telling the truth. And if He was telling the truth, then He is the Lord of all to whom we must surrender our entire lives to.

Have you ever read the stories in the Old Testament and desperately wished you could have physically seen the miracles that God did? Well the amazing reality is the God of the Old Testament is STILL the same God today and continues to do miracles for us, among us, and through us. They may not necessarily "look" the same but we can rest assured He still does great and wondrous things. Never give up hope or faith. God ultimately does miracles for His glory but we also profit from them because they are ALWAYS for our good.

For many of us - if not most - the realization of being "duped" or deceived is one that nobody looks forward to. No one in this world enjoys that sinking feeling in their stomach when they think they are buying something authentic but it turns out to be fake. Think of how God must feel when we "pretend" to live like Jesus on Sunday but the rest of the week, we never think or speak about Him. The Bible has another name for that: hypocrite. Such behavior hurts God and should make us want to live differently. We must be honest with ourselves and repent and ask Jesus to be real with Him and others. And the glorious part about it is that He will forgive us and help us change our deceptive ways.

Often times in life we can be our own worst enemy. There is no doubt that Satan indeed prowls around seeking to kill and destroy our lives. However, even though as believers our sins are forgiven and we are forever secure, we still must deal with our flesh and the sin that dwells within us. It's important to note that just like in today's story, sin is never truly just personal - it also affects those around us. Because of this fact, it is DOUBLY important then that we cultivate a pattern of self-reflection, repentance, and restoration with Jesus, ourselves, and others.

May we always keep in mind that when God commands us to do something, He WILL equip us to do that task. It may not always be the way we think or expect - especially when it comes to the timing of things - but we can take heart knowing He will be WITH us every step of the way and NEVER leave us as any time. When God instructed Joshua that it was time to overthrow Jericho, even before they left for battle, God told him that He had ALREADY given it into his hand! THAT is the kind of confidence and trust we can have in our God. He goes before us and He knows the future so therefore we are unstoppable and indestructible for Jesus' fame. Whatever He asks us to do, He WILL accomplish it in His own way for our good and His glory.

It is a convicting thought to reflect on how many times we have shown up to church and our hearts have not been prepared for worship. Now of course when we hear the word "worship," often our minds go straight to music and singing. However, while that is a part of the worship experience, it is the ENTIRE time we are gathered together in Jesus' name. With this in mind as reality, it makes it all the more important that we come eager and prepared to hear from the Holy Spirit. It also makes is vital that we spend time with Jesus THROUGHOUT the week leading UP to the gathering rather than just thinking about Him one day a week on Sunday.

Have you ever needed a divine intervention from God and He showed up at JUST the last second? We must remember that God is ALWAYS on time - He is never too early, never too late. Sometimes we may forget He does not dwell in time nor is bound to any other restraint that is common to us. But it's BECAUSE of that our faith and confidence in His power should be ever growing with each passing day! That is exactly what the Israelites - specifically the priests - experienced when crossing the Jordan River. How amazing would it have been to see that miracle!

God's mercy and grace never ceases to be truly astounding. When we read of stories like that of Rahab, it is then we are reminded that God has shown the EXACT same grace to us. Rahab was a pagan prostitute deserving of judgment and wrath. But because of her faith and belief in the God of Israel, she was shown mercy and allowed to survive the impending siege of Jericho. May we never forget what Jesus has done for us and all who believe in Him once held a scarlet cord outside of the "window" of our lives.

One of the most influential people in the Old Testament - let alone in the whole Bible - was a man named Joshua. He was directly mentored by Moses and witnessed unbelievable miracles. Unfortunately he had the difficult task of leading an entire nation of people who doubted the faithfulness of God and caused an 11 day journey to take 40 years. But even despite these circumstances, Joshua chose to rely on God's trustworthiness and believe His promise of guiding them to the Promised Land.

For this final message in our "Dangerous Prayers" series, we will talk about the importance of surrender - giving everything we have to Jesus. This includes our actions, our thoughts, our desires, and ultimately our entire lives. It is through this action we will experience the greatest excitement and satisfaction we could ever dream of.

How many times have we sat down to eat a meal and we take a bite and someone calls us out and says, "Hey! You didn't pray first. What a sinner." Now obviously our friends may say that in a joking way. But it does reveal a grain of belief when it comes to prayer. What if Jesus told you that prayer was not supposed to be that way? He didn't intend for it just to be some religious routine that we "have" to do and if we don't, something bad will happen like a "jinx." Instead, Jesus wants us to talk with Him and ask Him to do things - BIG things - that will increase His fame and glory. But it all begins with our heart posture before Him. Are you willing to ask Him to search every area of you that you might become more like Him?

How many times have we sat down to eat a meal and we take a bite and someone calls us out and says, "Hey! You didn't pray first. What a sinner." Now obviously our friends may say that in a joking way. But it does reveal a grain of belief when it comes to prayer. What if Jesus told you that prayer was not supposed to be that way? He didn't intend for it just to be some religious routine that we "have" to do and if we don't, something bad will happen like a "jinx." Instead, Jesus wants us to talk with Him and ask Him to do things - BIG things - that will increase His fame and glory. But it all begins with our heart posture before Him. Are you willing to ask Him to search every area of you that you might become more like Him?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Today is our "Vision Sunday" where we look at the various ministries of our church, staff, goals, what we are prayerfully asking God to do in 2025, and MORE!

It is crazy to think we have already arrived at the end of 2024! And what an amazing year it has been, filled with God's goodness and grace. As we look forward to the upcoming year, it is healthy to reflect on this past year and evaluate our growth and experiences. When we do this, we can look forward to see all what Jesus will do through our lives in 2025!

Redemption is such a beautiful word. It tells a story in just its definition alone - something that was once lost or sold has now been bought back with a price and restored to where it belongs. Is that not the most clear picture of the Gospel? We were lost, under sin and Satan's power, and Jesus steps onto the scene and rescues us. He says, "I will pay whatever price it takes - even my own life." As we approach Christmas, let us lift our hearts and minds to the amazing truth that God redeemed us with His own blood.

All too often during the Christmas season, we tend to put a heavy emphasis on Christmas shopping, visiting family, and the weather changing. Even church during Christmas time can feel very routine. However, today we are going to see that there is SO much more to the birth of the Savior than we ever imagined! Not only does it show how much God loves us but it also demonstrates God's incredible sovereign power & control over time.

Last week we learned about God's sovereignty over time and space. This morning we take a deep look into God's grace. The reality of the Gospel is that Jesus did not HAVE to die for us. God did not even have to show us MERCY. Out of HIS grace and love He decided to do something about our self-inflicted situation and sent Jesus at JUST the right time for our good

All too often during the Christmas season, we tend to put a heavy emphasis on Christmas shopping, visiting family, and the weather changing. Even church during Christmas time can feel very routine. However, today we are going to see that there is SO much more to the birth of the Savior than we ever imagined! Not only does it show how much God loves us but it also demonstrates God's incredible sovereign power & control over time.

The Bible says that God loves a "cheerful giver" - but what exactly does that mean? Sometimes being generous can be difficult and may not seem particularly "joyful." However, just like true "love" and "joy" are a choice and oftentimes a state of mind, cheerful giving is also a choice we can make. The amazing reality is once we begin to have a LIFESTYLE of generosity, those feelings of joy and "excitement" will be sure to follow. Why? Because we will have tasted of the divine joy that our Father has when He HIMSELF gives generously to us.