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?

Stooping to Save: The True Cost of Christmas

Date: December 21, 2025 | Speaker: Phil Pike

Christmas draws our focus to the manger—the baby, the shepherds, the wise men. But have you ever looked deeper, past Bethlehem to see the whole story? The eternal Lord of glory didn’t cling to His rights or status; instead, He laid aside His privilege and became a servant, subjecting himself to mockery, torture, and eventually the shame of the cross. But the Christmas story doesn’t end in humiliation. Christ was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in glory; and one day, every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will confess that He is Lord of all!

The Prayer That Reshapes Your Heart

Date: December 14, 2025 | Speaker: Phil Pike

You’ve probably said the Lord’s Prayer countless times, but have you considered that it’s more of a guide for living than a script to recite? First, our heavenly Father invites us to prioritize His holiness, His kingdom, and His will above all else. This puts every worry and desire in their rightful place. Then we’re called to walk in total dependence upon Him for everything from our daily needs to protection from evil. This prayer isn’t about religious formality; it’s about putting Him first. Doing so strips away our illusions of control and draws us into intimate, moment-by-moment reliance on Him.

How to Meet God’s Impossible Standard

Date: December 7, 2025 | Speaker: Phil Pike

It’s tempting to measure our spiritual life by external standards like church attendance, Bible reading, avoiding major sins, and then feel good about the comparison. But Jesus dismantles this scorecard approach by revealing that the true gauge lies much deeper. He points out that we’re guilty of murder if we harbor anger towards someone, and that lust is equivalent to adultery. This means no one can achieve the perfection God requires, but the good news is that Christ has already fulfilled every requirement and offers to credit His flawless record to us! Stop trying to improve your religious resume and simply receive the righteousness that only He can provide.

Salt & Light: Your Identity in a Decaying World

Date: November 30, 2025 | Speaker: Phil Pike

You carry within you something the world desperately needs. Like salt preventing decay, your commitment to God’s truth holds back the spread of moral rot in a culture drifting toward collapse. And like light piercing the night, a life lived openly for Christ provides direction for those stumbling in confusion and deception. As a follower of Christ, your very presence makes a difference in this world. Will you stand where God placed you, trusting that your faithfulness might be the lifeline that preserves others and guides them to salvation?

Redefining the Good Life

Date: November 16, 2025 | Speaker: Phil Pike

Every day we are offered endless definitions of happiness, each promising fulfillment if we would only chase harder, possess more, and climb higher. But Jesus invites us into His radical kingdom where true happiness emerges in the most unexpected ways. He turns the world’s ideas on their head, revealing that blessing belongs to those who pursue mercy and peace, devote their hearts to God, and endure persecution. These are the family traits of those who have been transformed by God’s grace, who have chosen to live in His upside-down kingdom. Which kingdom are you living in?

Coming to the End of Yourself

Date: November 9, 2025 | Speaker: Phil Pike

You’ve worked tirelessly to control life, earn approval, and construct your own version of happiness, but now you find yourself surrounded by all your exhausted attempts, realizing that you’ve come to the end of yourself. Congratulations! This is the moment that real change can happen. The kingdom of God isn’t for the proud or self-reliant, but for those willing to admit their own spiritual bankruptcy. True blessing, it turns out, is found when you’re empty of yourself and finally have room for Him.

Children of Light: Good vs. Evil

Date: November 2, 2025 | 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.

Buried and Raised: The Death of the Old You

Date: October 19, 2025 | Speaker: Phil Pike

What has the power to truly make a person new—not just a resolution to do better or try harder—but a total metamorphosis from the inside out? Romans 6 says the old you, the one enslaved to sin, had to die. And in Christ, that’s exactly what happened. When He was nailed to the cross and buried in the tomb, your old self died with Him. But you were also raised with Him into a new life, free to walk in His resurrection power. Christ now lives in you, equipping you with strength and victory that are not your own. That’s what baptism proclaims: not a cleaned-up version of who you were, but a new creation, born again, alive in Christ!

You’re Not Too Broken for Jesus

Date: October 12, 2025 | Speaker: Phil Pike

So often we allow out worst failures, fears and scars of the past to define who we are and convince us that we’re too broken or too far gone for help. Yet Jesus doesn’t recoil from our mess; He steps into it with compassion and mercy, reminding us that grace is not for those who appear perfect, but for those who know they’re not. In Him, the untouchable becomes clean, the paralyzed soul walks again, and the outcast finds a home. He’s not waiting for you to be cleaned up or strong enough; He’s inviting you to bring every unhealed part of yourself to Him so He can make you truly whole.

Authority That Shakes the Darkness

Date: October 5, 2025 | Speaker: Phil Pike

Our world is ravaged by sin and filled with broken people as far as the eye can see. Some days it feels like the kingdom of darkness is winning. But our hope stands firm in knowing that the same Jesus who healed diseases, calmed storms, and silenced evil spirits will come again to finish what He started. His displays of power on this earth were only a preview of the day when He will return to vanquish sin & darkness forever. The One who cast out demons will cast out Satan himself. The hands that restored the sick will make all things new!