God’s vision church didn’t start with the church building, or even with Christian environments: it started with the world! In John 3:16 we learn that “For God so loved the WORLD…”. Many times we view the world as broken, but, in reality, they are lost and wounded.
We're drawn to people who seem useful, impressive, ready to contribute—and in Luke 18, the disciples felt the same way when they turned away parents bringing infants to Jesus. But Jesus stopped them: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
We've all set out to pursue what we think God wants, only to watch the road curve in ways that make no sense. How do you trust Him when His path seems to undo the very promise He gave? In Genesis 22 Abraham faces exactly that moment as God calls him to offer Isaac.
We've grown so busy we've forgotten why we gather, and our culture whispers that rest is laziness—but Exodus 20:8 calls us to remember the Sabbath as a gift, not a rule, a weekly sign that we belong to the God who rescues us and knows what we actually need.
When wise men arrive in Jerusalem asking where to find the one born king of the Jews, Matthew 2 says Herod was deeply disturbed—and all Jerusalem with him. It's a strange reaction to the fulfillment of a centuries-old promise, and it looks a lot like what we do when God's work threatens the status and stability we've been quietly building our joy around.
Jim Krenning lights the third (“Joy”) candle as we continue through a special 52 Verses, 52 Books, 52 Weeks journey through Advent. Jim takes us to the Gospel of John to think about the joy Jesus offers each of us as a free gift.
Join us for a special New Year’s Day Steadfast broadcast we wrap up the journey through John 6 that we’ve been taking over Advent during our Sunday night series. Jim presents us with an important question: why do we want to do what we do at church?
We can miss the more urgent thing because we get distracted by the immediate. As we begin exploring John 5, Jesus encourages us not to miss what’s truly important.
Lots of things claim to be of value — but which ones really are? Which ones are just so much “Monopoly money”? Pastor Tim explores the question as we continue in John 5 tonight.
