Series Resources

The book of Philippians, inspired by God and penned by Paul, is simply a missionary update from one of history’s foremost evangelists and church planters. It’s a sincere thank you letter, as well as a heartfelt plea for continued partnership. What a timely epistle for us to discover in-depth as God continues to forge within this flock a multiplying mindset, which will undoubtedly require a partnership perspective. After all, that’s how gospel progress occurs—through partnerships. Won’t you join us as we open up the pages of Philippians and rejoice in all that God can and will do as his people band together for the progress and joy of his gospel.

It’s not natural to enjoy suffering. We all, as humans, want to be exempt from it. Yet, ironically, no one is.

That’s why endurance is such a key word for the Christian. All of us, at some point, will be called upon to embrace difficulties and trials. Some longer than others, and to a greater degree than others. But endurance will be necessary for every believer, endurance that is vulnerably transparent, humbly honest, and longingly hopeful.

It is to this end that we turn to the Psalms, specifically the Psalms of Lament. These songs of the Hebrews, written in times of deep despair and distress, are human cries to God in the middle of suffering and struggle. Without a doubt each “complainer” is seeking God’s deliverance, whether individually or collectively; but the apparent delay of divine action puts each lamenter into a vice grip of sorts, squeezing them to verbalize their frustration with what they are going through mixed with their faith in who they are mourning to.

In the end, confidence emerges, but it’s not a shallow, blind confidence. It’s a tested confidence; a refined-by-fire faith that knows what it means to truly hope with deep and often sorrowful longings, not simply wish with wide-eyed, fix-it-in-the-moment, Jeanie-in-a-bottle fancies.

Whether it’s the universal church globally or our individual church locally, there are specific things that matter. A lot! Join us the rest of January as we explore four of those important elements from 1 Timothy, seeing how they matter to the BIG C church, as well as to the little c church we know as First Family. Through corporate teaching on the weekend, digital content in your Small Groups, and journals for individual weekly use, this series will utilize multiple avenues and resources to help you truly maximize the matter of church.

We are a people of promise. For centuries, God prepared people for the coming of his Son, our only hope for life. At Christmas, we celebrate the fulfillment of the promises God made—that he would give a way to draw near to him. Advent is what we call the season leading up to Christmas. It begins four Sundays before December 25, sometimes in the last weekend of November, sometimes on the first Sunday in December. This year it is November 27.

For four weeks, it’s as if we’re re-enacting, remembering the thousands of years God’s people were anticipating and longing for the coming of God’s salvation. That’s what advent means—coming. Even God’s men who foretold the grace that was to come didn’t know “what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating.” They were waiting, but they didn’t know what God’s salvation would look like.

In fact, God revealed to them that they were not the ones who would see the sufferings and glory of God’s Christ:

“They were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.”

They were serving us. We Christians on this side of Jesus’ birth are a God-blessed, happy people because we know God’s plan. The ancient waiting is over. We have the greatest reason to celebrate.

God’s call to endure joyfully is based on the truth that we are saved securely. And the sanctification we are promised and pursue will not only occur in spite of persecution, but actually because of it. What a foundation for perseverance—that God is making us holy in the very middle of hostility. This is the message Peter proclaims in his first letter, a message of confidence and hope for God’s chosen people in times of uncertainty and doubt. In this series we explore 1 Peter in various ways, growing deeper into the reality of God’s certain work even in our current suffering. You can download the study guides for each section and listen to each sermon below:

GO (Global Outreach) Month is our annual time of focus on the worldwide mission of the church to reach every nation, language, and tribe with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Throughout the month, we’ll look within North America and beyond North America, helping you to correctly see the globe in light of where we are, the message we share, and role we play in the ultimate plan of God.

With the indicatives firmly under our feet—what God has done in Christ as laid out in Ephesians 1-3—discover the imperatives that flow from our life in this series of messages from Ephesians 4-6. “Walking with Christ” is a study aimed at helping us flesh out practically what we know is true doctrinally, namely, our union with Christ.