Forest Park Church

We often assume that following Jesus means always feeling confident, always believing, and never struggling with doubt. But what if those moments of fear and uncertainty are actually a normal part of growing in faith? In Part 3 of Scary Faith, Pastor Scott walks through Peter's experience of walking on water in Matthew 14 and reminds us that faith isn't something we can force, fake, or manufacture...

What happens when doing the right thing costs you something? In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced a choice: bow to the king's statue or risk their lives. Their response reveals something powerful about faith. They had already decided what they stood for before the pressure came. In this message, Pastor Scott explores how the values we establish today shape the decisions we'll make to...

What would you attempt if you knew you couldn't fail? Most of us have something we've been putting off. A dream we haven't pursued. A conversation we've avoided. A step we know we need to take. And often, the reason we haven't moved forward is fear. In 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan faces an impossible situation. Outnumbered and uncertain of the outcome, he makes a bold decision based on two words: "Perhap...

What do you do when life changes in a way you never expected, and God doesn't give you an explanation? In this message from our Still Standing series, we look at the story of Job and what suffering can teach us about life, God, and ourselves. Job never received all the answers he wanted. Instead, he learned that faith doesn't require having every mystery solved. If you're carrying disappointment,...

What in your life is worth fighting for? We can spend so much of our lives trying to avoid struggle that we forget some things are worth the fight. Your character is worth fighting for. The people God has entrusted to you are worth fighting for. And when life gets difficult, your faith is worth holding onto. In Part 3 of STILL STANDING, we look at what resilient people understand about fighting fo...

Some of the weight exhausting us isn't just what happened to us. It's what we've continued carrying because of what happened. Over time, rejection, shame, betrayal, insecurity, painful relationships, and experiences we never chose can become like bricks we carry everywhere we go. Eventually, we can become so accustomed to the weight that we don't even realize how much it is affecting the way we li...

What happens when life takes a turn you never expected? We make plans, try to make wise decisions, and hope life will unfold a certain way. But circumstances change. People make choices. Loss happens. Sometimes we find ourselves living a story we never would have chosen. In Part 1 of Still Standing: How to Endure What You Never Expected, we talk about what it means to develop real resilience. Not...

We’re good at drawing circles around who belongs and who doesn’t. But in the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus challenges those boundaries and turns an outsider into the example of what it means to love our neighbor. What if the person we’ve placed outside our circle is precisely where God is waiting to meet us? Join us for Part 5 of Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies Christians Beli...

Is prayer really all you need? Prayer is powerful. Scripture matters. Spiritual disciplines can shape and strengthen us. But sometimes, “just pray about it” becomes a way of avoiding the practical steps God may be inviting us to take. We are spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, and psychological beings, and each part of our lives affects the others. Faith doesn’t require us to choose betwee...

“Just forgive and forget.” It sounds biblical, but is that actually what Jesus asks of us? Forgiveness is one of the most beautiful ideas in the Christian faith, but it has also been misunderstood and even used to pressure wounded people into staying in abusive, unhealthy, or destructive relationships. In Part 3 of Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies Christians Believe, we look at what...

What happens when you believe in God but still have questions? For many Christians, doubt has been treated like the enemy of faith, something to suppress, hide, or overcome. But Scripture tells a more complicated and hopeful story. In Part 2 of this series, Pastor Scott explores the difference between doubt, certainty, and trust. From Job’s painful honesty to John the Baptist questioning from pris...

When tragedy strikes, one of the most common responses is, "Everything happens for a reason." But is that really what Scripture teaches? In the first part of our series, Pastor Scott explores one of life's hardest questions and challenges a belief that has shaped the way many Christians understand suffering, prayer, and God's will. Instead of offering easy answers, we discover how Jesus responded...

What if you've spent your whole life trying to earn something God has already given you? In Part 4 of our Better Than You Think series, Pastor Scott explores why so many of us live for approval, performance, and acceptance from others, and how the gospel sets us free from that exhausting cycle. Through Scripture and practical examples, you'll discover that God's acceptance isn't something you achi...

Have you ever believed God forgives people... but secretly wondered if He could really forgive you? In Part 3 of Better Than You Think, Pastor Scott Neal explores one of the most freeing truths in Scripture: forgiveness isn't something God is waiting to give you. Through Jesus, it has already been accomplished. The question is whether you're living like it's true. If you've struggled with guilt, s...

Can you really lose God's love? Is it something you have to earn, maintain, or prove? In Part 2 of our Better Than You Think series, Pastor Scott explores one of the most freeing truths of the gospel: God's love comes with no strings attached. So many of us live as though God is keeping score, loving us more when we succeed and less when we fail. But Scripture tells a different story. Discover how...

What if the freedom you've been searching for isn't something you have to earn, but something that's already yours? In Part 1 of our new series, Better Than You Think, Pastor Scott Neal explores Jesus' words, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." We often believe lasting change comes from trying harder, but Jesus points us toward something far greater: a relationship with Him...

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Not every danger announces itself. In the final message of the Sharks series, we discover that the greatest threats to our lives, marriages, and families often swim beneath the surface long before anyone notices. Drawing from John 10, Pastor Scott explores what it means to become a shepherd who protects, warns, and cares for the people God has entrusted to us. Whether you're a parent, spouse, gran...

Part 2 of our series Sharks examines the life of Samson and the dangerous patterns that can quietly pull us under. Sometimes the danger isn't hidden. Sometimes the warning signs are obvious, but our appetites are stronger than our wisdom. Through Samson's story, we discover how ignoring red flags, repeating destructive patterns, and refusing to heal old wounds can lead us into dangerous waters. Th...

What if the greatest dangers in your life don't look dangerous at all? In Part 1 of our new series, SHARKS: Recognize What's Dangerous Before It Pulls You Under, we examine Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and discover how the enemy often disguises danger as something reasonable, desirable, and even necessary. Temptation rarely begins by asking you to ruin your life. It usually begins by offeri...

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest messages and content by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/forestparkchurch?sub_confirmation=1 To support our ministry and help us continue to reach people in Elizabeth City, and around the world click here: http://www.forestparkchurch.com/give/ Our mission: Help people follow Jesus one step at a time. Stay Connected with FPC ____________________...

What if God was never meant to be a genie in a bottle? In this message, we explore the story of Jesus calming the storm and confront one of the hardest truths about faith: sometimes Jesus does not calm the storm as quickly as we want Him to. Sometimes He seems silent. Sometimes He seems asleep.  And in those moments, we ask the same question the disciples asked: “Don’t You care?” But maybe maturit...

You can grow up around sacred things and slowly stop seeing them as sacred. In this message, we explore the hidden danger of familiarity, the real meaning of baptism, and why so many people treat baptism like the finish line instead of the beginning of a new life with Jesus. Baptism is not magic. It’s not spiritual insurance. It’s not graduation. It’s surrender. It’s identity. It’s a public declar...

What do you do when life doesn’t turn out the way you hoped? In Part 3 of our series "By the Waters," we walk through the story of Mara in Exodus 15 and wrestle with a difficult reality: following Jesus does not exempt us from pain, disappointment, or bitter seasons. But Christianity doesn’t teach us to deny bitterness. It teaches us what to do with it. If you’ve ever asked: “God, where are You?”...

In Part 2 of By the Waters, we step into one of the most powerful moments in Gospel of John — the encounter at the well in chapter 4. This message exposes something subtle but dangerous: You can be surrounded by the things of God… and still miss the heart of God. While an outsider finds living water, the insiders miss the moment entirely. Jesus sees a person. They see a problem. Jesus sees a harve...