We've all seen the movie that loses itself somewhere in the middle of the story. It might start with the best intentions but fails to deliver a consistent story until the end. For 2,000 years the plot has been the same for the church: God's love becomes visible through His people loving each other—our job in Wells, Maine is simply to not lose the plot.
After experiencing God's sacrificial love, Christians are empowered to love others with that same "higher love" - including their enemies - by praying for them and sharing the Gospel with them.
In a world where many voices claim to be Christian and to have authority, how do we decide what is fact or opinion? There is a test that a believer can use to decide if the message is motivated by godliness or something counterfeit.
Ever feel like you're stuck replaying your failures while God has already moved on? You're not alone. When we stumble into sin, our hearts condemn us and put us on a hamster wheel of guilt. But here's the good news: God is greater than your condemning heart. He sees your whole story—your new identity in Christ and the grace that already covers you—while you're stuck replaying one frame of the movie. There's freedom waiting for you.
If someone looked at your life—how you talk, what you scroll, how you treat people—would they be able to tell whose child you are? In 1 John 2-3, we discover that being God's kid isn't just about what we believe, it's about the family resemblance that shows up in how we live.
Every sandcastle we built this summer eventually gets washed away by the tide - and that's exactly how John describes the things we chase in this world. John identifies three patterns that pull our hearts away from what's lasting: craving consumption (living to serve ourselves), constant coveting (wanting what isn't ours), and pride of worth (building identity on our achievements). But here's the good news: God isn't asking us to give up joy - He's inviting us into something far better.
Walking in the light is not just about words but action. We want a Monday morning faith and not just a Sunday morning faith. Brennan Manning quote about leading cause of atheism is believers who say one thing but don’t do anything. Direction not perfection.
We hear so much about following Jesus' moral teachings, being accepted by God, and living our own truths. It can be confusing. 1 John is the first in a series of short letters that will give us insight into how early believers and specifically how the church learned about who Jesus was and what it meant to be a follower of Jesus.