The Central Moment

For those who love God, the depth of hostility against him from others can be hard to understand. But from God’s perspective, their sins are heaping up and judgment will come once this era of mercy is over.

God’s word has a resonance and authority all its own. It is what the Spirit uses to shape us, energize us, speak to us, and guide us. God’s Word and his Spirit always work together.

Hard work, godliness, and love are not old-fashioned traits. Paul used all three of those virtues to describe his own life. They are what give us influence and fruitfulness in life. Christ’s kingdom and glory are what is at stake!

How you use authority tells a lot about you, including your foundational attitude towards others. It is easy to default to top-down authority when Jesus wants our influence to be rooted in the compelling beauty of our lives, openly and humbly lived.

Hardship can be like a furnace or a mirror -- either purifying us or exposing us for what we really are. In an age of manipulative leadership and high-pressure hype, authentic leaders are those who will die to self and seek to please God.

What are you known for? Is it for your talents, accomplishments, connections or wealth? Or are you known for a living faith that exhibits the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Never underestimate the power of your example. The heart of our influence is not found in our dominant personalities or our abilities to power up over other people. Our influence is rooted in the compelling beauty of our lives lovingly surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus.

God has predestined us to be increasingly Christ-like and Christ-empowered as we live out what it means to be his “chosen” people. He does not predestine some to go to hell and some to heaven -- but to become like Christ as his people!

Is there a Biblical pattern for praying for your church? We find one in Paul’s first letter to the church that he started in the Greek city of Thessalonica. May faith , hope and love prevail in the spiritual communities that we belong to!

Jesus’ grace and his peace supersede the rejection and fear that can result from being obedient to him. Join us as we start a new daily walk through Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church. Grace and peace will be the foundation of it all.

One of the hardest areas to trust God in is our finances. Lack can make us desperate and fearful. But God’s supply, in alignment with his principles, will lead us on a joyful adventure of trust and provision.

Faith is not a formula. It is a confident trust in the faithfulness of God and the integrity of his character. His faithfulness means that he is trustworthy and will be responsive to us when we call out to him.

God is faithful to actually reward our faithfulness! He moves in our hearts, reveals himself to us and calls us to follow him. And when we do faithfully follow, he promises us the crown of a victor!

The certainty of the promise of eternal life is unique to Christianity. We are not sentenced to reincarnated cycles or left uncertain as to what might happen to us when we die. Eternal life with certainty is in Jesus!

At the root of the words ‘encourage’ and ‘discourage’ is the word ‘courage.’ Discouragement drains our courage and motivation, but encouragement infuses us with courage and energy. Thank God that he is a God of encouragement to us!

Central's staff pastors are walking through the events of Jesus' life in the week leading to Good Friday. Today, Pastor Don Tucker looks at Friday and Christ's various hearings culminating in his crucifixion.

Central's staff pastors are walking through the events of Jesus' life in the week leading to Good Friday. Today, Pastor Josh Seaman looks at Thursday and the garden of Gethsemane.

Central's staff pastors are walking through the events of Jesus' life in the week leading to Good Friday. Today, Pastor Chris Noble looks at Wednesday and the perfumed anointing of Jesus.

Central's staff pastors are walking through the events of Jesus' life in the week leading to Good Friday. Today, Pastor Anthony Matrone looks at Tuesday and the Olivet Discourse.

This week, Central's staff pastors are walking through the events of Jesus' life in the week leading to Good Friday. Today, Pastor Carter looks at Monday and Jesus' cursing of the fig tree on the way to Jerusalem.

The peace of God can carry us through anything. When we are surrounded by trouble, or when we are engaging the mission of Christ, we can take heart. Jesus said, “ I have overcome the world.”

We pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. That direct access to our Heavenly Father is based on his enduring love and the gift of his Son who died to make it possible.

Questions, questions, questions -- yet Jesus was patient with those who still seemed to understand so little. Still, those questions ended up opening an important door of revelation.

The Holy Spirit is our Jesus-promised ‘Advocate.’ His presence in our lives reveals Jesus to us and enables us to reach others for him. It’s the Holy Spirit in us and the Holy Spirit through us!

It’s a painful but wonderful thing to have people in our lives who love us enough to be honest with us. It’s also a gift to have people who care enough to give us a heads up when they know something we don’t. That’s what Jesus did.