Teachings from Unionville Alliance

Members of the Church should take a more active role in sharing their faith. Drawing from Acts 17 and Paul’s ministry in Athens, Jason Persaud from Alpha Canada explores how believers can effectively connect with different kinds of people—spiritual, everyday, and intellectual—by communicating the hope of Jesus in ways they can understand. Once you are aware of the reality that most people attend c...

What if the most powerful thing we could do in every season of life is often the thing we neglect the most? James closes his letter by bringing us back to the foundation of a vibrant, living faith: prayer. Not just in moments of crisis, but in every circumstance. When we suffer, we pray. When we rejoice, we praise. When we are weak, we invite others to stand with us. This is not a picture of isola...

What do you do when God does not move as quickly as you hoped? James speaks into the tension of waiting, especially in seasons of hardship and injustice. The call is not to rush, complain, or give up, but to endure with a steady and rooted hope. Like a farmer waiting for the harvest, we are invited to trust that something is happening beneath the surface even when we cannot yet see it. James point...

What if the plans you are most confident in are built on something far more fragile than you realize? James confronts the illusion of control that so easily shapes our lives. We make plans, set goals, and speak with certainty about tomorrow, yet James reminds us that our lives are like a mist, here for a moment and then gone. The issue is not planning, but pride. It is living as though God is not...

What if the conflicts around you are actually revealing something deeper within you? James pulls back the curtain on our struggles and exposes a hard truth. The conflicts we experience externally often begin internally. Our desires, when they take center place in our hearts, begin to compete with God and with others. What starts as a longing can quickly become a demand, and when that demand is not...

What if the way we define wisdom is completely off? In a world that prizes influence, intelligence, and self-advancement, James invites us to look deeper. True wisdom is not measured by what we know or how persuasive we are, but by how we live. It is revealed in humility, gentleness, and a life that reflects the character of God. James draws a sharp contrast between two kinds of wisdom. One is dri...

What if one of the most powerful forces shaping your life is something you use every day without thinking? James turns our attention to the tongue, a small part of the body with enormous influence. With just a few words, we can build up or tear down, bring healing or cause lasting damage. James gives a sobering warning, especially to those who teach or lead. Words carry weight. They shape people,...

What if the faith we claim is not the faith we actually live? James confronts one of the most misunderstood and confronting truths in the Christian life. Faith that stays in words alone is not real faith. It may sound right, it may look convincing, but if it does not move into action, it is lifeless. James is not arguing against salvation by grace. He is exposing the kind of faith that never truly...

Who gets your attention, your time, and your honor and why? James brings the gospel into one of the most visible and uncomfortable areas of our lives: how we treat people. In a culture that elevates status, wealth, influence, and appearance, it is easy to unknowingly adopt the same values within the church. But James is clear. Favoritism has no place in the family of God. When we show preference t...

Living our lives and spending our time in ways that invest in heavenly treasures is Jesus’ plan and mission for us. The world would have us believe otherwise, but God wants us to guard our hearts against corruption and be transformed so that our hearts would be filled with the fruit of God’s Kingdom.

Why do we so often blame God for things He never authored? James confronts one of the deepest human tendencies: shifting responsibility for our struggles onto God, others, or circumstances. But temptation does not begin out there, it begins within. Our desires, when left unchecked, can quietly lead us down a path that ends in destruction. Yet in contrast to our instability stands a God who never c...

What if the pressures you want removed are actually the very places God is doing His deepest work? James opens his letter not with comfort, but with a challenge that reshapes how we see hardship. Trials are not interruptions to our faith, they are instruments of formation. In a world that avoids pain and pursues comfort, James calls us to a radical perspective: to consider it joy when life presses...

On Easter Sunday, everyone saw an empty tomb and a community startled into hope. Yet what no one saw coming was that God would answer the cross with resurrection, not as a private comfort but as a public turning point in history. The first witnesses came expecting death to have the final word and they left carrying news that the crucified Jesus is alive. Paul later reminds the church that this res...

On Good Friday, everyone saw blood, shame, and a public execution. It looked like the end of hope, the triumph of evil, and the collapse of a movement. Yet what no one could see with natural eyes was that God was accomplishing eternal redemption through sacrifice. Isaiah promised a Servant who would be pierced for our transgressions and bring us peace through his wounds, and at the cross that prop...

Palm Sunday, everyone saw Jesus enter the city to shouts of “Hosanna,” but no one saw coming the kind of King He claimed to be. “Hosanna” wasn’t just celebration. It was a desperate plea: “Save, please!” and Jesus answers it, but on God’s terms, not ours. He deliberately rides in on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah’s vision of a righteous, humble King who comes in peace, not conquest by redefining p...

What do you do when the consequences of past decisions collide with the pain of the present? In the final chapters of David’s story, we witness family fracture, rebellion, deep grief, and the heavy cost of leadership as his house begins to shake. Yet even in sorrow and transition God remains faithful to His promise and continues to move His purposes forward. Through lament, worship, and intentiona...

What happens when the hero of the story becomes the cautionary tale? In 2 Samuel 11 and 12 we are confronted with one of the most sobering moments in David’s life as temptation leads to compromise and hidden sin gives way to devastating consequences. This message reveals how sin slowly deforms the heart, how truth inevitably exposes what is concealed, and how God’s grace invites genuine repentance...

What if the kindness that could change your life is already searching for you? In 2 Samuel 9 we encounter a powerful moment where King David seeks out Mephibosheth, a forgotten and broken descendant of Saul, not to judge him but to show covenant kindness. What Mephibosheth expects to be a summons of fear becomes an invitation of grace, restoring his identity and giving him a permanent place at the...

What if the plans you are most excited about are not nearly as big as what God has in mind? David desires to build a house for God, only to discover that God is building a house for him that will last forever. This moment reveals a covenant keeping God whose grace rewrites human ambition and turns faithful obedience into future hope. God’s promise to David stretches far beyond his lifetime and poi...

God’s calling is never meant to stop with one generation—He invites us into a shared mission where each generation experiences Jesus personally and joins the unfolding story of redemption. But what does it look like to steward our faith and invest in the next generations of children and disciples so that they are equipped to shine like stars in their times and spaces? Join Dan and Jenica as they s...

What if the greatest treasure God wants to give His people is not success, security, or strength but His presence? King David reorders the life of the nation around the presence of God as the ark is brought into Jerusalem with reverence and overflowing joy. This moment reveals a God who is both holy and near, inviting His people to approach Him with purity of heart and wholehearted worship. David’...

As we strive towards being accomplished in life, we often forget to put aside our selfish ambitions and listen to the Lord’s calling. Perhaps you have some major personal goals you want to reach, or perhaps you don’t feel like you are eligible or equipped to answer God’s call. Regardless of the reason, we are never able to achieve our full potential until we accept and answer God’s call and allow...

What do you do when you finally have the power to strike back and everyone around you says you should? David is given two clear opportunities to end his suffering by taking Saul’s life, yet he chooses restraint over revenge and worships God by waiting on His timing. This message reveals that true integrity is not proven in moments of ease, but in seasons of injustice and prolonged pressure. David...

What if the season you are trying to escape is the very place God is using to shape you? During David’s fugitive years, we find him running from danger, hiding in caves, and learning to trust God in ways a throne could never teach. Far from being abandoned, David discovers that the wilderness becomes a classroom where prayer deepens, character is refined, and mercy is chosen over revenge. The Psal...

We often celebrate individual success, but Scripture reminds us that God rarely works in isolation. In 1 Samuel 18 to 20 we encounter the powerful friendship of David and Jonathan, a relationship marked by covenant love, costly loyalty, and deep spiritual unity. Jonathan chooses faithfulness over self-interest, laying aside his own future so that God’s purposes might advance through David. This me...