This past Sunday Pastor Dustin reminded us that God is preserving our diversity as we reach maturity. We are not all the same, and that is a good thing, even though it can create tension. God has provided everything we need to persevere as a community comprised of very different people.
On Sunday Kyle Houlton, our Santa Ana church planter, preached on John 1:35-51. He asked us to remember what made us decide to devote our lives to Jesus. He provided four glimpses of the glory of Jesus that make Him worthy of our allegiance.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from Romans 14:13-23. He reminded us that Jesus has made us free. We are free to do all kinds of things that bring us joy and please Him. But our freedoms can hurt our brothers and sisters. When they do, we are free to love them by restricting ourselves. We no longer ask, "What can I get away with?" We ask, "How can I glorify God while doing good to those for whom Christ died?"
On Sunday, Pastor Eric preached from Romans 14:1-12. It's inevitable that we will disagree with other Christians over disputable matters. We each have our list. Part of our service to one another, for the sake of unity, is to keep our opinions to ourselves. We embrace and welcome one another completely because God has welcomed all of us. We think little of our opinions and marvel at the grace of God in uniting us.
On Sunday Pastor Eric continued our series in Romans preaching Romans 13:8-14. He reminded us that the debt of love we owe can never be satisfied. We are never done loving each other because Jesus is never done loving us. We continue to pour our lives out for others because Jesus' love is inexhaustible.
On Sunday Pastor Dustin finished our series in Habakkuk preaching chapter 3. He reminded us of a hard truth. Tragedy and sorrow are part of God's plan for us. They make us vulnerable. But they can also be God's way of making us strong. If we trust God's character, remember His power, wait for His intervention, and celebrate present grace then our sorrows become strength.
On Sunday, church member Grant Sigafoos continued our 3-week series in Habakkuk preaching from Habakkuk 1:12-2:20. He reminded us that God's ways often leave us scratching our heads. Or worse, His ways upset us. He uses evil people for good purposes. He authorizes tragedy instead of preventing it. In these moments, our great act of faith is simply to pour out our complaints to God and then wait for Him to respond.
On Sunday, Pastor Mike kicked off a 3-week series on the minor prophet Habakkuk preaching verse 1-11. Habakkuk saw things falling apart around him and complained to God about His indifference. We may struggle with the same thing at times. And yet God is always working, even when we can't see it and even when we don't like what He is doing. He is using everything, even the worst things, for His good purposes.