Peace In Aiken

Do all roads lead to the same place? When death strikes, many people want to tell themselves that there are many, maybe even endless ways to enter the Kingdom of God. Today, in order for us to truly enter the kingdom, God reveals to us an important truth: Jesus is the ONLY way!

Our first hard truth that God wounds us with is the truth that God's Word divides. People disagree about what God's Word says, means, and whether or not it's still relevant. We know God's Word to be irrefutable truth. That means, God's Word is going to inevitably divide.

How well do you handle worry? Jesus attacks our worry in our reading today. He makes us reevaluate our approach to all of these things that seemingly matter and refocuses on what matters for our eternity.

How rich are you? If someone asks you that question, the first place you would look might be your bank account. You could check out the value of your house or your car. If someone asks you how rich you are, you can put a number on it! This week, Jesus wants you to see how rich you truly are. You aren't rich because of all the stuff you have. You're rich because you know your God well. You know tha...

God gave us prayer for a reason. He wants us to use it consistently and boldly. So how should we treat that gift? We use trusting his promises, for the benefit of others, and deferring to his goodness.

Martha seemed to have the right idea: Welcome the Savior to her home, pull out all the stops, and serve him to the best of her God-given ability. When she did that, she was rebuffed by Jesus. He pointed her away from what she thought was important and to what he knew was important. To serve, we must be served first.

"Do I really have time to pay attention to the needs of others? Maybe a little... but not too much. No, if I pay too much attention to the needs of others, my life might begin to lack. I might lose energy. I might become embittered." This seems like a reasonable internal conversation. In today's sermon, Ruth shows us how to answer these feelings as she models our sacrificial Lord.

Our God has called workers to serve him in his harvest fields. He's called men and women, Christians to go on his behalf to the people in their loves to call them with the good news of Jesus. How often do we recognize that as our calling?

How many decisions do you make in a week? Maybe the better question: how many of your decisions have something to do with your faith? We have been called to follow the Savior who so lovingly follows us with his love and faithfulness first. So how can we orient our lives in service to following him with every decision we make?

Why should we take the time to look closely at the Trinity? Why not just say, "3 in 1... good enough"? Because who your God is is connected to what your God does. So if you want to understand your God better, see what he does for you!

God has equipped us with an incalculable number of gifts. He starts by equipping us with our salvation, and then he piles more on top. The real question that lies before us is this: how do we even begin to use them? Pastor Nate Holz helps us explore this daunting and exciting task before us!

God has not left us alone. There might be times in your life in which you feel like he has... but he hasn't. He proves that to us as he sends us the Holy Spirit. And make no mistake: the Holy Spirit isn't just doing "church stuff." He is working tirelessly in your life as he draws you near your Savior!

Why did Jesus have to ascend into heaven? It wasn't simply to give a satisfying end to the story of his earthly ministry. Instead, Jesus ascended into heaven for a purpose: to rule and serve you. As Jesus ascends into heaven and takes his seat at the right hand of the Father, we know that his new mission is to rule all things for the benefit of you, his Church.

How does God make it work? When he groups sinners together in these things called churches, why don't they fall apart at the first sign of trouble? One word: unity. God creates unity inside of his church as he calls people from different backgrounds to one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. See how he does this in the life of Lydia!

Generally speaking, life is a roller coaster of emotions. When you're on an emotional high, you usually don't stay that way for long. And perhaps, as a blessing to us, when we hit those emotional lows, God draws us out of them. But maybe life doesn't need to be so inconsistent. Maybe our joy can be deep and lasting. This is the joy we find in the resurrection. It isn't contingent on circumstance o...

How do we know we can trust the words of the Savior? He makes some bold promises. The resurrection assures us that we are listening to the right voice. Now, the Savior urges us to be that voice for those around us!

Does it matter how deep your faith goes? Is it worth spending hours of your life focusing on a truth you already know? How much can you really learn from the Scriptures when you already get the gist? In our sermon this Sunday, we explore how learning the deep truths of Scripture and imprinting them on our hearts reveals the deep beauties of the gospel!

Why should I share my faith? It's a good question. We find the answer with the disciples in the locked room where they were terrified after the death of Jesus. Jesus appeared to them, and all of a sudden, they couldn't help but spread the news and share their faith. It wasn't as if they were forced into doing it. Instead, they understood that they were witnesses to something miraculous with eterna...

Easter is the day that gives the church meaning and purpose. If Jesus died and stayed in the tomb, our hopes would be dashed to pieces. We would have some wise words... but what good is that? Instead, Jesus secures the victory we need for us. He defeated sin and then proved it by stomping death to pieces. Now, we see death with new eyes. It's not the end but the beginning for those who trust in hi...

It's all going according to plan. Don't be fooled. There is nothing about Holy Week that is outside of the Savior's power. He is not being overcome. He is not being overwhelmed. He is our willing sacrifice, our perfect substitute.

What is necessary to your spiritual life? In our sermon today, we are reminded of this simple truth: what God has done for us is far greater than what we have done for him!

The story of the Prodigal Son gives us insight into God's dealings with humanity. The father in the story has two completely different sons. One that has been struck by the plague of disobedience and the other that struggles with pride. How does he respond? He reminds them that their relationship with him is entirely dependent on grace.

In our third Lent devotion, we see how our Savior deals with the betrayal of a brother.

In our fourth Lent devotion, we see how our Savior treats "fairness".

Why do bad things happen? This is the timeless question we want God to answer so badly. Luke 13:1-9 is the perfect time for Jesus to give us a look into the inner-workings of God. But he doesn't. Instead, he reminds us that in those moments of tragedy and grief, we should remember that our God is using it to patiently and graciously call us to repentance.