Our weekly “Get Real” post from Donna Jones: True Faith Isn’t Religious. It’s Real. Whenever someone finds out JP is a pastor they pretty much say the same thing: “Oh, so then you’re really religious.” I don’t like being called religious. In my mind being “religious” carries a negative connotation. I much prefer to think…

Our weekly “Get Real” post from Donna Jones: We’ve all stumbled trying to find our way in a dark room. And we have all kinds of reasons we choose darkness over turning on the light; it would disturb our spouse or roommate; our eyes have to adjust to the change; we’re too lazy to deal…

Our weekly “Get Real” post from Donna Jones: I love Kelly Minter’s thoughts on fellowship: “The absolute irrevocable result of fellowship is joy. So why are so many of us dragging ourselves to church or Bible study? Why are we bored with religion? Why would we rather do anything than stand around a crusty tin…

I Corinthians 5:17-20 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s…

Acts 1:8 (NIV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The Big Idea: In His final words to His disciples before He ascends into heaven to be seated at…

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV) “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before…

Romans 8:11 (NLT) The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. The Big Idea: If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, this promise is…

The End Zone Dance Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in…

STEPPING INTO FOREVER – 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will…

Romans 6:5-8 (NLT) Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died…

Ephesians 2:4-6 (NIV) But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,…

The Best Raise You’ll Ever Get 1 Corinthians 15:42-4 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are…

1 CORINTHIANS 15:21-26 (NLT) So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order…

1 Corinthians 15:13-20 (NLT) For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ…

Romans 10:9 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Big Idea Declaring what we believe is an expression of faith. When we believe in Christ; His Lordship and resurrection, and declare our belief, then God says we…

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Big Idea The hallmark of the Reformation and the New Testament is this: Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ…