Chestnut Mountain Church

A new year brings excitement and new beginnings, but it can also bring the temptation to add more to what is already heavy. Before picking up anything new in 2026, we lay down some old things from 2025. Hebrews 12 reminds us that before we fix our eyes on Jesus, there are things that must be laid aside. You cannot run the race God has for you while carrying what slows you down. We are told to lay...

As we step into a new year, Scripture calls us to live by faith and not by sight. We live in a visually driven culture, but sight is factual and not always truthful. From the beginning, the enemy has worked to deceive through what looks good and seems desirable. If we are going to live faith forward in 2026, we cannot trust our eyes. We must ask a better question: What does God say about what I se...

There has always been excitement and anticipation on Christmas Eve, along with an unexplainable peace. It is a night to pause, take a deep breath, and embrace the overwhelming peace that comes with remembering the birth of Jesus. As we reflect on the three gifts the wise men brought, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we are reminded that these were not gifts for Jesus to use, but testimonies to who t...

After their journey, the wise men came to Jesus and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. While gold showed they were open handed with what was valuable, frankincense carried deep significance. In Scripture, frankincense was used by the high priest as an offering of prayer and intercession for sinful people. It was burned in the presence of God as a sweet aroma, representing p...

As we walk through the Christmas story and the three gifts brought to Jesus, we are reminded of the danger of knowing the story without letting it reach our hearts. Gold was the first gift presented, and it carried deep meaning. In Scripture, gold represents value, kingship, security, and control. The Magi brought gold because they understood who they were coming to see. They believed the revelati...

God has set His children free for a purpose. God did not save anyone to sit. He saved and empowered His people to do what He has called them to do. Everything we have is a gift from God, and He will provide everything needed for what He asks us to accomplish. The children of Israel lost sight of this. Difficult circumstances led them to become self absorbed, and they failed to steward their time,...

Biblical stewardship is managing the resources and abilities God has given and using them to accomplish what He has ordained. Everything we possess is a gift from God, entrusted to us for His purpose. Like the children of Israel, it is easy to begin with excitement and then become distracted, using time, talents, and abilities to build our own kingdom instead of the Kingdom of God. Through Haggai,...

Communion is never about checking a box or doing something because it is what we do. It is a moment to slow down and remember the rescue. Scripture takes us back to Passover when God delivered His people and death passed over those covered by the blood of a spotless lamb. Jesus took that same meal and pointed it to Himself, His body given and His blood poured out so that eternal death would pass o...

God had promised to give the children of Israel everything they needed to rebuild the temple, including the gift of time. But when their priorities shifted, the first thing they failed to steward was that time. For 17 years, they did nothing with the assignment God had given them. Through Haggai, God calls them to “think carefully about your ways” and to evaluate how they had used their days. Time...

God has called His people to live with open hands—ready to release whatever He’s entrusted to us so He can use it for His glory. In Ezra, God’s people were given a specific assignment: return to Jerusalem and rebuild His temple. They were not only called but also promised everything they needed to complete the task. God will never lead us where He will not provide. At first, their obedience and ex...

Jude closes his letter with a doxology, a word of praise. Giving God praise has more to do with who He is than what is going on around us. When we know who God is, we are able to worship and give Him the praise He is worthy of. We were made to know and enjoy God, and worship is due to Him at all times. In Jude 24–25, we see that God is able to save us, protect us, and present us. He is our Savior,...

A parent will do anything to protect their child. Warnings come from love, not fear, because love sees danger and wants to keep others safe. In the same way, Jude gives a loving but serious warning to the church to be alert to the dangers that surround us. In Jude 12-23, he describes “these people” who slip into the church to cause division and spread deception. If the enemy cannot stop the church...

To contend for the faith is to wrestle and endure in the daily walk of following Jesus. Jude reminds us that we must look to the past to understand how to stand firm today. From Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness to the examples of Cain, Balaam, and Korah, Scripture shows us the danger of turning from God’s truth and the importance of staying faithful to the calling He has given us. Contending f...

Jude opens his letter reminding believers who they are, called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ. We have been bought with a price, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. It does not matter how far you have gone or how much you have messed up. Jesus has called you to Himself. His love is perfect, permanent, and unchanging. Once yo...

Our culture at Chestnut Mountain Church is always going to be shaped by what we value. The early church in Acts had all things in common; they were together. They were open-handed with what God had entrusted to them and lived out grateful generosity. We should strive to be a generous people, not for recognition, but because we are grateful for how generous He has been to us. As we look at why we v...

We are shaped by surrendered obedience. The narrow gate Jesus calls us to enter is simple, but it is not easy. Following Him means making choices that set us apart from the broad road of the crowd. Trusting the Lord means doing what He asks even when it doesn’t make sense. God doesn’t need logical people; He needs obedient people. Surrendered obedience is seen in the prayers we pray, when we say,...

Prayer is the life source of the believer. We have overcomplicated it, but prayer is simply a conversation with God. The beauty of saying “Good morning, God” is that He is never not there. Prayer is where we find peace, comfort, direction, and the wisdom of God. It is not the preparation for the greater work but is the greater work. Everything must begin in prayer. Jesus gave us the model, the out...

Biblical teaching is the nucleus of everything we do. It is our life source, and it’s what God has entrusted to us as His church. When looking at why we value biblical teaching, we look at what we do, which is to preach the Word. Not part of it, but every God-breathed word in Scripture. The reason we preach the Word is that it teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains. It may offend our flesh, but th...

At CMC, our mission is to saturate the world by making disciples. We achieve this by helping people belong to the family of God, become mature disciples of Christ, and build the Kingdom of God together. That’s why our values matter: Biblical Teaching, Intentional Community, Persistent Prayer, Surrendered Obedience, and Grateful Generosity. They drive our behaviors and form the framework of how we...

Every home has a purpose. God has entrusted our families and households to us so that His glory might be seen and His faithfulness displayed. But just as the Philistines formed against Shammah’s bean field in 2 Samuel 23:11–12, the enemy still surrounds what God has given us, trying to trample and destroy. Shammah could have fled like the others, but instead, he stayed attentive, stood in the midd...

What if we lived our lives as if the faith of the next generation relied on us? Judges 2 reminds us that when God’s people stop walking in obedience, we are only one or two generations away from a people who no longer know Him. Faith has to be more than knowledge—it must affect the way we live. Deuteronomy 6 shows us three ways we can pass faith down: love God passionately, teach truth practically...

Every home has a purpose, but in order to live out that purpose, it must be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. When storms come, our homes can only withstand them if they are anchored to Him. Jesus must be the foundational piece of our homes. To do this, there are four building blocks that we can use in placing in our home so that we can live out what God has for us. The four building blocks...

We live in a world where the internet and social media plant false expectations that rarely match reality. The same happens in our homes—expectations of perfection weigh us down and blind us to the truth: every one of us has a sin nature. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Even after salvation, we still mess up, face temptation, and battle sins that may have controlled generations before us,...

Every home has a purpose. Satan wants to destroy that purpose, and God wants to restore what’s already been destroyed. No matter what you’re walking through, no matter what you’re dealing with, no matter what season of life your family and your home is in right now, God sees you, God loves you, and He wants you to win. We were created in the image of God to reflect His glory and His attributes. Ou...

It is humbling to watch what God is doing, but even more humbling to know that He invites us to be a part of it. God did not send you here to sit. He did not save you to sit. He wants to use you to build His Kingdom. In Colossians 4, we are reminded that God uses all kinds of people for His purposes. Some are steady and faithful, while others come from a painful past, some have experienced failure...