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In Scripture, God reveals himself as a dreamer and planner who knows the plans he has for us. But if we search our hearts, we may come to find ourselves closed off from the dreams we once had, because of disappointment or fear. In these spaces, God calls us out of hiding and to live as a people of faith - trusting that he is good and actively participating with him in these dreams. Bible Verses: P...

If we hadn't encountered Christ, it would be fair to base our understanding off of what we see and hear according to our world. But as a people of faith, our reasoning should be informed by who Christ is and what he's done. When we choose to trust that he will deliver on the promises he has spoken, we are empowered to receive the fulfilment of the promises in our hearts, before we receive it in ou...

As ones who have been saved and set free by Jesus, we ought to ask the question: what will we do with our freedom? Many of our problems occur when we are aimless in our pursuits and seek satisfaction in lesser rewards. But in the freedom we are given, Jesus invites us to use our freedom to choose him as our greatest reward - the only one who satisfies our soul.   Bible Verses: Philippians 3:7-14 P...

Most of us wouldn’t admit that we actively choose to live in darkness, but if we survey our lives, there may be areas where we tolerate it. In reality, darkness is simply the absence of light. Rather than being overwhelmed or indifferent in these spaces, we can choose to see the emptiness as an invitation to expose our entire lives to Jesus’ light.   Bible Verses: Isaiah 9:2-7 John 1:1-5, 9-14 Eph...

In our walk with Jesus, we can experience incredible moments of deliverance and freedom. Yet, when the old thoughts and feelings we thought we were free from come back, we can start to doubt if our experience of freedom was real or not. In this space, we have a responsibility to stand firm in the truth and reject the lies that try to persuade us otherwise. As Jesus' disciples, we ought to be aware...

There is a value system that permeates all of humanity and the air we breathe: those with power use it to their own advantage, putting their own interests above others. But, when Jesus walked the earth, he confronted the powers of the air and showed us a different way. Though he knew all of the power and influence he had, he washed his disciples feet. As his disciples today, Jesus is still washing...

In our cultural climate, most of us don't bow to physical gods or idols, but we do bow to ideas, thoughts and ideologies that are apart from the truth. At the root of each deception is the Father of Lies, who leads us away from the freedom we have in Jesus. But God is a deliverer and his truth sets us free from the lies that bind us. When we bow to him alone and agree with his truth, we will walk...

God has a design for our sexuality, but do we recognize these boundaries as for our good or rules that need to be followed? When we compare the restrictions that God has for us to what the world offers, we can often hold a suspicion that God is holding out on us. However, when we make the connection that the One who freed us is also the One who gives us these boundaries, we can see and start to tr...

Ezekiel describes a river that flowed from the temple and gave abounding life to everything it touched. In Christ, we are being built into a temple, a meeting place of heaven and earth in which his Spirit flows to bless the world. He calls each of us to this temple, but it can only be built from the willingness of our hearts in order for this temple to be an expression of freedom. Bible Verses: Ga...

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were commanded to tithe - to give a tenth of their increase to the temple. How does this principle apply to us today? As God shows us his faithfulness, he gives us the opportunity to meet him with our faithfulness, practically through our finances. Ultimately, God wants our hearts and he uses tithing as a proving ground. Bible Verses: Galatians 5:1 Malachi 3:6-...

Our God is a perfect Father. He is a faithful provider, knowing what we need and when we need it. He knows how to give us the best, but he also knows how to get the best out of us. There are times when he does not come through in the same way that he did in the past, but instead he asks us to faithfully steward what he has already given us. As we are brought into maturity, we are able to experienc...

Living in the freedom that God provides requires us to trust who he reveals himself to be and to seek him first. He reveals himself as a good Father who will provide and see to all of our needs. Do we handle our finances in a way that is connected to the nature of God? Our feelings towards money is a litmus test of our trust in who he is. This message was preached by Ryan Johnson on October 29, 20...

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” — John 8:36 We may understand this theologically, but are we walking in the fullness of the freedom that’s available for us in practical areas of our lives? It can be tempting to go back to our old and comfortable patterns of living, but God gives us a choice to follow him and live truly free. This message was preached by Ryan Johnson on October...

In the psalms, David says “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” On one hand, it can be difficult to admit our helplessness and need for Jesus. On the other, it can seem like a hopeful reality that is too good to be true. The areas in our lives of desperate need or self-dependence reveal to us that we actually don’t trust Jesus as our shepherd. But, if he promises that he will provide everythi...

The gospel is simple: by grace, Jesus saved us and showed us his love by dying on the cross for us. But somewhere along the way, we can get lost doing things for Jesus to show how much we love him. This will inevitably fail and cause us to doubt God's love because, in doing this, we add our own work and virtue. We have to make the decision to keep the gospel of grace at the centre of our lives - t...

In our individualistic culture, we can be deceived into believing that we can follow Jesus alone. But Jesus’ desire is for his disciples to be one, just as he and the Father are one. In opposition, the enemy schemes to divide us, but the Spirit gives us the grace to forgive, so that we can do life together.  This message was preached by Ryan Johnson on October 1, 2023. Bible Verses: John 5:19-20 J...

Trying to operate outside of our relationship with the Father will lead to frustration and burnout. In fact, Jesus calls this evil. If we continue to walk outside of his will, we perpetuate the very systems he wants to save us from. But, when we choose to receive his forgiveness and live from a place of union with the Father, we will find life and freedom in doing things as he is doing.  This mess...

Each and every one of us are destined to become like Jesus and this has become possible for us through his sacrifice for us. Yet, we still need to choose to receive his forgiveness for us. Many things try to pull us away from our seat at his table, but when we choose the one thing that matters — it cannot be taken away from us. This message was preached by Ryan Johnson on September 17, 2023. Bible...

In the story of Mary and Martha, as told in Luke 10, Jesus honoured Mary for choosing to sit at his feet, while Martha was distracted with her preparations. Their choices reflected their inner world and motivations. Today, we have the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus, who is with us wherever we find ourselves. We can choose to either be distracted by things that take us away from him or be aware of his p...

Our lives are self-oriented when our priorities are focused on ourselves or people. But, Jesus calls us unto him. When we choose to heed is call to follow him to the cross, denying ourselves, and prioritizing him above all else, he promises us that we will find life. All of scripture, heaven and earth revolve around the same thing - to him.   This message was preached by Ryan Johnson on September...

Before we encountered Jesus, we were slaves to our emotions and desires. But in Jesus, we have been given the freedom to choose who sits on the throne of our hearts. When our feelings pull us away from what is pleasing to God, we get to demonstrate our love to him through our minds by choosing what honours him.   This message was preached by Ryan Johnson on August 27, 2023. Bible Verses: Revelatio...

What do you do when you face frustration in the life Jesus invites you into? Often, we take what we need from Jesus, but neglect our connection with him along the way. In this space, Jesus calls us to be present with him through prayer. He is the fountain of life.   This message was preached by Ryan Johnson on August 20, 2023. Bible Verses: Revelation 1:5b-6 Mark 3:13-15 Mark 9:29 Exodus 24:12 Jer...

Responding to God’s purpose for our lives can sometimes feel like an enormous weight on our shoulders. As the pressure mounds, it may feel more intuitive to pull away. But instead, these moments are to be embraced, presenting the unique opportunity to experience the necessity of his presence in greater ways. By way of his design, even under immense pressure we can experience deeper communion with...

We’re all looking for what it means to be human. God’s design for us is this: to be his priests and to love him. Yet, he does not force this upon us but gives us the freedom and will to choose. We do not have to worship him but in doing so we find out what it is to be fully alive. This message was preached by Ryan Johnson on August 6, 2023. Bible Verses: Revelation 1:5b-6 Exodus 19:3-6 John 1:14 E...

We all come with our individual problems, but the gospel proposes that it is the solution of any issue that we are facing. If this is objectively true, then it begs the question: Are we truly experiencing this in our lives? Rather than managing our problems on the surface, we need to return to the fundamental truth - we’ve been given everything we need and he lives in us. This message was preached...