Blessed are Those Who are Persecuted

Date: August 26, 2018

Series: The Marks of a True Believer

Topics: Courage, Heaven, Joy, Righteousness, Suffering, Witness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:08 — 26.3MB) | Embed

There are many wonderful promises in the Bible that we should all become familiar with, but there is one promise that none of us really want to think about. Jesus promised that everyone who followed Him would be hated and persecuted by the world. While most of us have never been subjected to any kind of physical persecution, if we are truly living for righteousness, we will most certainly experience rejection, slander, and even hatred at times for our faith. This is one of the marks of a true believer. Is it evident in your life?

Have I Committed the Unpardonable Sin?

Date: May 10, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

Few questions cause more inner panic than this one: “Have I committed the unpardonable sin?” We all know how often our mind replays old failures, reckless words, seasons of rebellion, or years of drifting from God. Scripture does warn us not to harden our hearts against the Holy Spirit, because the unpardonable sin is a sobering and very real danger. Yet the gospel also extends mercy bigger than our worst moments. The person who still aches over sin, who longs to be forgiven, has not been abandoned. Jesus welcomes broken, repentant people. His grace reaches the worst of us. Whoever turns to Him by faith will find that no sin runs deeper than His redeeming love!

Eyes on Him

Date: May 3, 2026 | Speaker: Kevin Hodge

Life is marked by many trials and struggles, and each day can bring challenges. However, we are reminded as believers that we have a future hope in heaven, where everything will be made new and we will spend eternity with Jesus. This can be a motivation for how we live today. Does the hope of heaven shape how you live today?

The Danger of Being Good Enough

Date: April 19, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

There are basically two kinds of people: those who know they are sinners, and those who refuse to admit that they are. Some are so weighed down by their failures that they feel unworthy to come to Jesus. But they need to know that He came to lift up the fallen and restore the broken. Others don’t think they need forgiveness at all, and are kept away by pride. But the truth is, every one of us has sinned and stands in need of a Savior. And He has promised to receive all who come to Him by faith!

He is Faithful When We Falter

Date: April 12, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

We have all experienced the dark night of the soul—that crippling blackness that settles over us and refuses to leave. In those seasons, even the strongest faith can question everything it once believed. John the Baptist, the man Jesus called the greatest ever born, found himself in a prison cell wrestling with doubt and wondering if Jesus really was the Promised One. Yet Jesus did not meet John’s uncertainty with rebuke. He responded with tenderness and grace. We are reminded that our darkest seasons do not disqualify us. They simply reveal our deep need for a Savior who remains faithful even when we falter.

Living in Resurrection Victory

Date: April 5, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead isn’t merely an event to be remembered, it is a living power meant to transform our daily lives. When Jesus walked out of that tomb, He deposited three staggering realities into us: a hope that cannot be shaken, an inheritance that cannot be lost, and a power that cannot be defeated. The same conquering force that defeated death now lives inside every true believer. We are not spectators watching resurrection power from a distance; we are the body through which that power moves! The question isn’t whether you believe the resurrection happened; the question is whether you’re actually living like it did?

The Unavoidable Claims of Jesus

Date: March 29, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

Jesus claimed to be one with God, to hold power over life and death, and to deserve equal honor with the Father. He even declared that if you reject Him, you are calling God a liar. These are the words of someone who is either delusional or divine. Such radical claims don’t allow us to remain neutral. We must answer the unavoidable question: What will we do with Jesus? He cannot be admired from a distance or added as an accessory to our lives. In the end, there is no middle ground: we either bow in belief or turn away in blindness.

When Physical Healing Isn’t Enough

Date: March 22, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

When a crushing physical or emotional burden has weighed us down long enough, it can eventually rob us of all hope. The joy we once knew gets drowned out by a sense of despair, and the only prayer left in us is a desperate cry for God to make it stop. But true freedom is not merely relief from pain. It is a heart that has learned to love and worship God even when the circumstances refuse to change. The greatest miracle may not be a restored body, but a renewed perspective that treasures Him above every answered prayer.

Children of Light: Love vs. Hate

Date: March 15, 2026 | Speaker: David Cannon

From the very beginning of creation, God desired to bring forth life out of darkness, so He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. This separation is representative of two opposing kingdoms; one to which His children belong, and one to which His enemies belong. Scripture tells us that God is light, and there is no darkness in Him, and those who belong to Him are children of light. Join us as we look at some of the attributes of each kingdom, and the separating choices each person will face as a reflection of the kingdom to which they choose to belong.

Why God Uses Unlikely People

Date: March 1, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

In a world fixated on credentials and achievements, Jesus deliberately selected twelve ordinary, flawed men—impulsive, proud, skeptical, even a traitor and a thief—to carry His gospel to the ends of the earth. He saw their faults and chose them anyway. This should radically reshape the way we evaluate ourselves. Through their stories, we recognize our own brokenness, and we’re reminded that God delights in using unlikely people so that His power can shine through their weakness. What He did with those unlikely disciples, He longs to do with us, if only we’ll say yes to His call.

Breaking the Rules to Do What’s Right

Date: February 22, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

We sometimes mistake religious performance for a relationship with God, convinced that if we just check enough boxes, we’re doing what He desires. The Pharisees kept all the rules, yet their hearts were far from Him. Jesus repeatedly crossed their man-made boundaries, not in rebellion, but to remind us that God cares more about what’s right than what’s merely religious. The world isn’t looking for people with all the answers; they want to see people who actually look like Jesus. May we have the courage to love like He does, even when the religious establishment won’t, because doing what’s right sometimes means breaking the rules.