Approved and Entrusted by God to Share His Good News

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

We were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition. For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts.1 Thessalonians 2:2b-4

Approved and Entrusted by God to Share His Good News

Everyone likes a do-over, especially if you have lived in the depths of consequences in your life. A clean slate, a new beginning - they are dreams that always feel just out of reach. But when we become followers of Jesus that is exactly what we get – a brand new beginning. It doesn’t change some things in our lives. We may still have to live in some consequences, but in our hearts we have snow white new start in a new life in Christ. 

Some people who may have known us before this transformation may see a drastic difference in how we live our lives now – and that’s great! That is how it is supposed to be. Their lives will be touched by our transformation, sometimes in ways we may never know. That is the way of the Gospel. We are called to bring the good news, to live out our testimonies with our lives every day, to show God’s love and glory to all those around us, and to give the good news of the gospel of Christ to all who will hear it. That is what being an everyday missionary is. Everyday Missionaries - ordinary people empowered by an extraordinary God for an extraordinary mission. As believers we are called to be Everyday Missionaries as we walk out our faith in our day to day lives. How do we practically live out a life of being everyday missionaries in our world? 

In the last sermon in the series Everyday Missionaries, Pastor Jim spoke about how becoming a believer is not the finish line, but the starting line. It is where we begin our walk with Christ, growing and building momentum along the way. Then we go back to the starting line to cheer others across and run alongside them until it is time for both to go back again and help others across the line. 

Along the way there are some things that we need to keep in mind. Pastor Jim gave us several points that help us practically live out a life of being everyday missionaries in our world:

Identify people who need the gospel. Know your neighbors. Know your mission field. Meet the needs around you. Pay attention to the people in your lives. Don’t just bump up against those you do life with head hung low. Look up. Talk to them. Hear their stories. It is amazing who God brings into our lives sometimes. Everyone he brings into our lives are all apart of our own personal mission field. Nothing is ever coincidental or by mistake. God is in control of all things and that means we need to pay attention to the people in our lives. Do they have a relationship with Christ? Do they have needs you could meet, to be the hands and feet of Christ? 

Invest in others as you share the gospel. Pour into other people. Show them the gospel with your life before you ever even speak of it. Jesus modeled how to invest in others with his whole life. He gave his life investing in our eternal life. The old saying “Actions speak louder than words,” is never truer than when we are helping others to feel the gospel through our actions. They will quickly pick up when they don’t feel it due to our actions. 

Invite people into disciple-making relationships. Knowing our neighbors and mission field is important,  as is investing in them. But we cannot stop there. To truly be an agent of change for the kingdom, we have to go further by inviting them into a growing disciple-making relationship. This invitation is not even from us. It is from Jesus and we have to be willing to extend his invitation to them. 

Increase disciples by sending disciples. Disciples make disciples. This was the Great Commission Jesus gave us just as he ascended into heaven. Making disciples is not about leading people to Christ. It is about leading them to a whole new way of life – to become everyday missionaries as they go back to the starting line and help others across. 

As his followers, …we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts. God has not only called us to share his gospel, but approved and entrusted us to share his gospel. It pleases him when weare obedient and trustworthy. 

Who is there in your life that needs the gospel? 

Who needs some basic needs met that you have the ability to meet? 

Have you investing in those around you by showing them the gospel with your whole life? 

Who are you discipling right now? 

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

 

 

Living On Mission

 Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved… Romans 10:9  

Living On Mission

What we do for God is our story, but what God does in us produces a testimony. Our testimony begins when we realize our brokenness and need for God. How He transforms us from broken to redeemed and for the rest of our lives after is our testimony. After we become followers, we are a living testimony as God continues to transform us and continues to work in our hearts. We are a new creation in Him.

As we live out our lives as a living testimony, God strategically places us in the lives of certain unbelievers so that we might introduce them to Him. Nothing in your life is ever by mistake. Take nothing for granted and do no treat any connection as random. God has His hand on your life, and He wants you to introduce all those around you to Him. How does that happen? 

How can we do more to introduce Jesus to the unbelievers in our lives? 

Pray. Continue praying. 

If you have been praying for your “one” for the thirty-six days before Easter and they still so not seem interested in knowing anything more about God than when you started, don’t give up hope. Keep praying for them and for God to work in their heart. Keep showing them the same love and acceptance you have been showing them. 

Share. Conversion is God’s work; sharing is our opportunity to: 

·  Share the work God has done in us when we were born again→ How we went from story to testimony. How were you before you were born again? How did God come into your life and how are you different since then? 

·  Sharing is our opportunity to remember His grace and faithfulness to us. It renews our heart and affections. It is always good for us to remember what God has done for us. In the daily grind we get buried under our circumstances and think more about what we want Him to do than what He has done. He is a faithful Father to us. 
present in my everyday life → It is a reminder to me that I can’t fix it…He rescues me from it.

·  Sharing is our opportunity to join Him in His work He has for every believer to do. As a follower of Jesus, if I am going to follow Him, I want to be where He is, doing what He’s doing. He is where there is sharing.

Wherever you are is where God can use you. Don’t wait for a better audience or a more prestigious place to witness. Where you are is where you need to speak. When you have the opportunity to share the Gospel, then share it. God uses us right where we are, and sometimes when we least expect it.

Live like you are on special mission from God because you are. He has given you a message, a message that a lost world desperately needs to hear. They need to be introduced to the God who changed you. You have a story that goes along with that message. Be ready for the call to be the one God uses when He opens a heart. 

Learning From Paul

Monday, June 1, 2026

The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” Acts 22:22

Learning From Paul

Paul is at it again. For the sixth time he had riled up the crowds to the point that his life was in danger. He is in Jerusalem, and he has a large crowd before him now as he attempts to share the gospel again. 

This crowd is a mixture of Jews and Romans, and Paul wanted to bring unity between them along with sharing the gospel. Paul began by identifying himself with them. He spoke to the Jews in Hebraic dialect, and this got their attention. They perked up as soon as he began speaking and listened. I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. Acts 22:3 He went on to tell them how he persecuted Christians, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison. He then told them about his conversion and how he had been blinded, but now he could see, was baptized, and the Lord had said that He would send him far away to the Gentiles. When they heard that, the crowd turned into an angry mob, yelling things like “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”

When the crowd started going crazy, the commander ordered that Paul be taken away. Then they began to get ready to flog him when Paul pointed out that they were doing something illegal by flogging a Roman citizen before he had a trial. They quickly began to interrogate him and realized he was Roman by birth. They were alarmed that they had put a Roman citizen in chains. They released him the next day for a trial. Romans were first class, above Jews. 

Paul had evangelism down. He knew how to connect with the people he was speaking to. He engaged them by empathizing with them because he knew and understood why they thought the way they thought. He understood being trapped by religion and having to defend his religion. He was able to say to them “I was blind, but they helped me to see.” By that he meant that he was blind like they are, but now he could see the truth of Jesus Christ. He was not condemning and judging them but identifying with them – both Jews and Romans. 

Paul’s heart was for all of them. More than anything he wanted them to know the good news of Jesus Christ. He was willing to take risks for people to know that truth. In this crowd he faced ethnic, social, religious, and political tensions. Who in their right mind would take on all that? But Paul finds common ground with them so he can talk to them and share his testimony. It might have ended in chaos instead of a great benediction, but it was worth it to him. 

We can learn a couple of things from Paul about witnessing to people: 

First, pay attention to the people you are talking to. Why do they believe the way they do? Why do they feel the way they feel? 

Second, pay attention to where they are coming from.  If they don’t know our God, it’s no wonder they act and think and believe the way they do. People come from all kinds of environments, and we should not approach them thinking they know what we know about God.

What risks are you willing to take to tell others about Jesus? Like Paul, will you choose to press on, even when the opposition gets tough? Will you live your life with open hands following God’s lead even when you don’t understand? God calls us to share our faith with a brave heart, trusting Him to complete the work He starts in us. Look around. There is someone near you that needs to hear your story. Share your story honestly and trust that God will give you the right words to say. You are not doing this alone. He is right there with you, every step of the way.

Everyday Missionaries: Called to God’s Extraordinary Mission "The Starting Line"

 

Everyday Missionaries: Called to God’s Extraordinary Mission

"The Starting Line"

1 Thessalonians 2:1-11 (CSB)

 

- Key Truth: “Everyday missionaries are ordinary people empowered by an extraordinary God for an extraordinary mission.”

 

Scripture Reading- 1 Thessalonians 2:1-11 (CSB)

 

- Main Question: How do we practically live out a life of being everyday missionaries in our world? 

 

1. Identify people who need the gospel. (vs. 1-6)

 

            a. Know your neighbors.

            b. Know your mission field. 

            c. Meet the needs around you.

 

2. Invest in others as you share the gospel. (vs. 7-8)  

 

 

3. Invite people into disciple-making relationships. (vs. 9-10)

 

4. Increase disciples by sending disciples. (vs. 11-12)

Seeds, Fruit, and Flourishing

Friday, May 29, 2026

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.  Psalm 92:12-15

Seeds, Fruit, and Flourishing

The seasons of faith are planting and productive times that cause us to be fresh and flourishing toward the Lord in the seasons of life. Where's your faith planted today? ..Money, retirement plans, family, friends?  The only faith that produces is faith that is planted in God and His Word, which for many of us started when we were very young. Others may not have started their faith journey until they were older. It doesn’t matter when you started, it only matters how you grow and flourish along the way.  

When we grow and flourish in our relationship with Christ, it sets us up for passing on the faith to our children.  A heritage of faith is a testimony of walk and talk and it gives them the greatest inheritance they will ever receive.  It is a life of faith lived out in front of them.  We can then plant seeds of faith in them. Psalms 92:13-14asays Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age.  That’s a promise from God to both us and our children. We can flourish when we are rooted and grounded in Him, and, keep on bearing fruit as we age.  Our jobs are not done when we raise our kids and they all come to know Him.  We still have fruit to bear and share.

  

Every day is a new challenge for a new faith. Flourish in your faith today by declaring what the Lord has done for you and what you will do for the Lord. Our children need to know what God has done for us, and they need to see our willingness to obey. They need to know the stories of how He brought us through the fire, raised us up out of despair, and saved our lives. By living our faith out in front of our children they will have a greater knowledge of God than they will get from just reading the Bible and going to church.  What we really knowabout God comes from our experiences with Him. That is something that can be witnessed by our kids and grandkids and make a great impact on their lives.  The flame we pass on is our living faith burning in our hearts and shining through our lives.  It is not just “what we believe,” but a relationship to be developed with Jesus.

If we want the next generation to flourish in their faith, there must be intentionality to our efforts. Are you flourishing in your faith and living it out every day so the generations that come behind you can watch and learn?  The example of faithfulness we leave will inspire the practice of faithfulness in their lives.  

And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come. Psalms 71:18

By The Grace of God

 Wednesday, May 27, 2026

But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.  
1 Corinthians 15:10  

By The Grace of God

Do you have a feeling that God saved you with a purpose and not just to go to heaven when you die? That He has something more in mind?  We were saved so that at any time and any place God might display His incredible grace and kindness to you and through you!  

Paul said, But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.  What Paul is saying is that everything he has become is because of the activity of the living God in his life. God takes the ashes we make of our lives and turns it into something beautiful. He took Paul, who persecuted Christians and even killed them, and turned Him into a man who was passionate about leading others to Christ. Only by the grace of God can we be made new. 

Note that Paul attaches the fact that he did not leave it all to God but WORKED with God. I know at times I am guilty of wanting God to do all the work for me, partly because of fear and partly because of not wanting to make the wrong decision. But this not usually how God works. He wants us to trust Him and step in faith. There is story after story in the Bible - and lives of people we know - about taking the first step in faith. It takes a huge dose of faith to step off the edge of the cliff and know God will provide the next place our foot will fall. And when God has a plan for you, and you obediently follow His lead, there will always be a place for your foot as you take the next step. 

When God takes your life and shapes it, He has something in mind! He gives us gifts and talents to be used for His glory and shapes our lives to be the instrument He has chosen. If we truly wish to see His plan for us fulfilled, we need to be willing for God to place us in the situation or circumstance for which we were designed to be. We must be willing and available to let Him lead and guide us. Can you see the magnitude of what God can do to those wholly yielded to Him? One purpose that God has for all Christians is that we know God and make Him known. God can change lives and use our changed lives as a testimony to His grace and love for us. It will be evident to those around us - family, friends, and co-workers. As others see this in our lives, they will want to know the grace and love of our amazing God.                                                                                                                                           

You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain. John 15:16

Stay Awake

 Tuesday, May 26, 2026

And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished? And Jesus began to say to them, See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. Mark 13:3-8

Stay Awake

Hearing about something ominous that is coming can cause a lot of fear and anxiety. Growing up I heard about the end times at church, but I think I blocked a lot of it out. Anyone who has lived through 2020 and now 2021 has most likely thought God has to be coming back soon. It seems like there has been nothing but turmoil on earth for the last 26 months. It may be getting close, but it may also only be birth pains. 

In Mark 13, Jesus’s disciples asked Him about the end of the world. They knew everything was going to change, but they wanted specifics because hey wanted to be prepared. They did not want to be surprised but they wanted to know the details, what signs to look for. Jesus told them some things that would mark the end of the age. It is His last prophecy to them, and these words were not for the disciples only, they are for us too. 

Jesus talks about the end of the age and warns them that in the days ahead, there will be false prophets, wars, famine, and turmoil. The disciples would go on to experience some intense persecution after Jesus was gone, but their mission did not waiver, and neither should ours. No matter how bad things do get, we are to keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ and sharing the gospel as much as we can, now more than ever. 

It was no fun for the disciple to hear about the end of the world and all that will happen. It was probably a little confusing and mysterious to them, but they understood that no matter what, God is still on the throne. They did undergo some horrible things, and to them it might have felt like the end of the world. We also go through things sometimes that feel like it will be the end, but the end times did not happen in their lifetime, and we don’t know if it will happen in ours either. We cannot be paralyzed by the fear of what is to come. We have no control over it, so we need to trust the one who is in control and continue to do His work. Another thing we can do is to watch and be ready. Do not waste these days. But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants[b] in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore, stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning — lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake. Mark 13:32-37

We do not know what the future holds. Jesus told us what the end times would be like so that we can trust Him, and He gave us the promise that His words would never pass away so we can take heart. When Jesus returns, He will return victoriously. Jesus makes us a promise in Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. His word is truth. This earth will pass away, but His words, His kingdom, mercy, and His love for us will never end. We can find peace in that promise. God’s salvation and righteousness will last forever. That is truth we can hold onto. That is all we need to know.

Everyday Missionaries: Called to God’s Extraordinary Mission “The Mission of God”

Everyday Missionaries: Called to God’s Extraordinary Mission
“The Mission of God”
Genesis 12:1-3 (CSB)

 

- Key Truth: Everyday missionaries are ordinary people empowered by an extraordinary God for an extraordinary mission.

Main Question: Why should every Christ-follower be on mission with God in the world? 

1. God commands us to go. (vs. 1) 

5 OT Covenants: 

1. Adamic (Gen. 1:26-26; 3:15)

2. Noahic (Gen. 9)

3. Abrahamic (Gen. 12:1-3; 6-7; 13:14-17; 15; 17:1-14; 22:15-18)

4. Mosaic (Ex. 20; Deut. 11)

5. Davidic (2 Sam. 7:8-16)

2. God promises to bless us. (vs. 2)

The Lord never calls the qualified; He qualifies the called.
- Henry Blackaby

3. God promises to bless others. (vs. 3)

After the Message: 

Read 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. What is our goal as Christ-followers? Why is this the case? What is our message? 

A Grown Up Faith

Thursday, May 21, 2026

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:11-114

A Grown Up Faith

In the third sermon in the series Everyday Missionaries, Pastor Andrew spoke about how we can become stagnant as believers and quit growing, or never start growing in the first place. Some believers think that accepting Jesus as their Savior is all they have to do, and it is all you have to do to be a child of God and have eternal life. But you won’t have abundant life, and that is what God has planned for us. 

 We have learned that we are all Everyday Missionaries - ordinary people empowered by an extraordinary God for an extraordinary mission. As believers we are called to be Everyday Missionaries as we walk out our faith in our day to day life. We know we only have hope because of Jesus. This past Sunday we heard about the growth that comes with a close intimate relationship with Jesus. The only way we grow as believers is to live a life walking with the Lord. We grow through reading and studying his word, through teachers and preachers at church, through relationships with other believers, and through prayer and relationship with Jesus on a continual basis. As Pastor Jim says, as we walk with Jesus, we learn to live and love like him. As we walk this out in our daily lives we point others to him, glorifying him in all we say and do becoming everyday missionaries. 

Spiritual immaturity leads to spiritual laziness. If we are not growing and maturing in our walk with the Lord, we will sit on the pew our entire lives and completely miss out on the work of the Lord going on around us. We will also miss abundance and blessings that come from maturing in the Lord and being a part of his kingdom work. 

Spiritual immaturity keeps us from God’s mission. The Great Commission commands us all to go make disciples. We heard this foundational discipleship principle this past Sunday: Maturing disciples make maturing disciples. If we are spiritually immature, we will not be ready to make disciples when the opportunity arises. We will be caught off guard. 

Spiritual maturity is the result of constant growth. God intends for his children to grow in spiritual maturity and to produce fruit. When my children were growing up, I always told them that the fruit of the spirit is what shows on the outside because you have Jesus on the inside. It is a pretty good description for adults as well. When Jesus is in our heats and we are in a growing relationship with him, our lives will reflect his presence through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

The author of Hebrews compares a spiritually immature believer to an infant, who can only have milk, not solid food. As a baby grows or matures, they get solid food. If we don’t grow as believers, we will not understand God’s word. We will only be able to take in the very basic  and elementary truths of his word. As we mature we get the solid truths and can train ourselves to distinguish good from evil. 

Just as you have to water and feed a plant every day, spiritual growth happens on a continual daily basis with Jesus. Anytime we neglect it or stop it, we are stunting our own growth. The consistent walk of faith produces fertile ground where God’s Holy Word can be planted. We grow into mature disciples of Christ who are on mission with him, sharing the gospel, making disciples who start on milk but will move on in maturity in the faith. 

What are you doing daily to grow in spiritual maturity? 

Are you consistently training yourself to distinguish good from evil?

Comfort to God’s People

 Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Transition and change is a part of life but it often can make us uncomfortable and anxious because we do not know what is coming. Our church is going through a time of transition. We can find comfort and peace in knowing that God is in control and we can find strength to walk the path by trusting in and walking with Him during this time. 

Comfort to God’s People - Submitted by Kay Crumley

Isaiah 40 is dedicated to giving reassurance and comfort to His people Israel.  They are reminded of who God is and in verse 18 he asks “With whom then will you compare God?  To what image will you liken Him?”  The people are challenged to find anything greater than our God. He is the creator of all and more powerful than any enemy.  Even though sometimes the future is uncertain and there are no clear answers, we can be assured that God knows and always has a plan, He hears our hearts cry for each and every need. 

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28

 

He knows our needs and is able to meet each one. And while we as humans may grow weary and stumble God gives us hope. We will soar or mount up or lift up, in other version on wings like eagles. We can overcome with our hope in the Lord and in His strength. 

…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:7

 

This passage tells us to soar upward to Jesus Christ.

He also raised up us with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus Ephesians 2:6

 

Then to run the race…

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us.  Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us. Hebrews 12:1

 

And finally we can walk the walk.

So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him. Colossians 2:6

 

We must HOPE – WAIT - TRUST in the Lord because He is able, He is our strength.

We must SOAR – MOUNT UP on wings like eagles as we draw near to Him.

We must RUN the race set before us as we, the church, the body of Christ encourage and strengthen one another.

We must Walk the Walk as we continue (remain) in Him throughout this time of transition.  

An Inheritance of Hope

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you... 
1 Peter 1:3-4

An Inheritance of Hope

The Bible shows us the life and purpose of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We see the miracles Jesus performed in His ministry. We see the character of Jesus as well as the mission of Jesus. The gospel ends with a command from Jesus to spread the good news and disciple others. Most of all, Mark gives us the foundation to secure our faith and a hope for the future. 

 

The Disciples thought all hope was lost when they witnessed Jesus die on the cross.  Then when He rose from the grave three days later, they remembered what He had said and their hope was restored! Jesus was raised from the dead to bring us new life and because He did that, we can live in hope.  He walked out of that grave so that we can stop living in our own graves. The light of Christ comes shining in like the light of day into a musty tomb and everything changes.  Once our eyes are opened to His light we will never be the same.  Sometimes we live in those graves for a long time before we are really changed, but once it happens, you cannot go back.  Hope springs forth and propels us to newness and growth.  There is always a rumbling before new life springs forth. The earth cracks up for new sprouts to spring up.  The ground no doubt shook a little that day when the stone was rolled away and Jesus walked out.  Our lives usually rumble and tumble before new growth starts.  That rumbling is hope, waking you up, changing you and getting you ready for new growth.  Light brings hope and hope brings growth.  Are you ready to never be the same again?  Make today the day.  Make right now the moment.  Let the light of the resurrection bring hope and growth to you today.  

 

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  Romans 8:24-25

Trust

 Monday, May 18, 2026

In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.” I Kings 16:30-33

Trust. It's a valuable commodity. People rarely GIVE trust… usually it's something that's earned. But without having trust in someone - or something - it's hard to do anything in this life. We trust that our cars will start. Have you ever gotten in your car, put the key in the ignition… and then not have it start? How did it make you feel? It should have started! It had started hundreds of times before… but now it didn't. You TRUSTED it to be able to start when you needed it.

We trust that our grocery stores will have food. They may not have the specific brand of cereal or coffee you want, but you TRUST they will have milk, and meat, and bread.

When we have trouble around the house, we trust that the police and firemen will be available to protect us. And we trust that our friends will BE THERE for us. That our church family will lift us up in prayer and be there in our moments of joy and sadness.

Trust is woven into the very fabric of our lives. Without trust, we can hardly function.

So, the question is: what do you trust… and why?

The story we’re looking at today is a story about trust… and the lack of it. The verses above tell the story of Ahab.  Ahab was a wicked king. But he was NOT JUST a wicked king… he was a wicked man.  1 Kings 21:25 says There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife.  So Ahab was a wicked King and a wicked man.  But what made him so wicked?  Well, he TRUSTED in the wrong things:

• First - he trusted in the wrong religion. We're told that he built a temple to the pagan god Baal in Samaria. And that he erected Asherah poles for the worship of that goddess (who apparently was worshipped as both Baal's mother AND his wife).  God repeatedly stressed how foolish the worship of these (and other gods) was. But these were not just false gods… they were evil gods in whom Ahab put his trust.  Part of the worship of Baal was the sacrifice of your children to please him.  And the religious activity of male and female prostitution were part of both their worships. So Ahab trusted these false and evil gods.  But the reason he trusted these gods was because he trusted the wrong person. 
• Second - he trusted the wrong person.  He married Jezebel.  Have you ever heard the name of Jezebel? This woman was so despised in Scripture that to this day her name is still a symbol of treachery and wickedness.

It is easy to trust the wrong things and the wrong people.  Ahab trusted the wrong things… and he trusted the wrong people.  And most tragically of all - he didn’t trust God. Who do you trust? Are you putting more trust in something or someone than you do God? 

Everyday Missionaries: Called to God’s Extraordinary Mission “Growing Up”

 

Everyday Missionaries: Called to God’s Extraordinary Mission
“Growing Up”
Hebrews 5:11-14 (CSB)

 

-     Key Truth: Everyday missionaries are ordinary people empowered by an extraordinary God for an extraordinary mission.

Main Question: How does growing toward spiritual maturity lead us to be more faithful witnesses for Jesus in the world? 

1.        Spiritual immaturity leads to spiritual laziness.  (vs. 11) 

 

2.        Spiritual immaturity keeps us from God’s mission. (vs. 12-13)

- Foundational Discipleship Principle: Maturing disciples make
maturing disciples.

 

 

3.        Spiritual maturity is the result of constant growth. (vs. 14)

 

After the Message: 
Read Galatians 5:22-24. Do you see the “fruit of the Spirit” manifested in your life daily? Which ones are stronger than others? Which ones do you still need to work on? Pray for growth in each of these areas as they are a picture of spiritual maturity.