Not everything that appears spiritual comes from the Holy Spirit, which means followers of Jesus need to develop biblical discernment. In Acts 16, Paul recognized that the source behind the slave girl’s words was not the Holy Spirit, even though what she said about Paul and his companions was technically accurate. Discernment is not the same as suspicion, judgment, or second-guessing everyone around us; it is learning to recognize what is producing something and where it is leading. As we grow in Scripture, wisdom, maturity, experience, and attention to spiritual fruit, we become better equipped to recognize what is truly from God.  Read More

Pastor Stacy and Pastor Chris kick off a new season with an introduction to 1, 2, and 3 John, covering authorship, context, and key themes.   Read More

Peter and John encountered a situation they could not solve through ordinary human ability, but they trusted the power of Jesus and acted in faith. The miracle that followed was not a demonstration of Peter and John’s greatness; it was the Holy Spirit working through them. This reminds us that supernatural power is not given to make us impressive but to accomplish God’s purposes and point people toward Jesus. We should learn to look for opportunities where God may want to work beyond what we can naturally accomplish.  Read More

Pastor Matthew Johnson teaches that faith isn't rooted in getting the outcome you want. It's rooted in trusting who God is.   Read More

God cares about what is broken, and Scripture repeatedly invites us to bring those needs to Him in prayer. The gift of healing demonstrates the Holy Spirit’s power to restore what is broken, and James encourages us to pray boldly for one another. At the same time, healing is not something we control or manufacture; the Holy Spirit remains the One who gives and manifests the gift. We can therefore pray with expectation without making the outcome the foundation of our faith.  Read More

Faith is more than believing that God can do something; biblical faith moves us to respond to what we believe about God. Hebrews 11 gives us example after example of people who acted because they trusted God—Abel offered, Noah built, Abraham left, and Moses obeyed. The Holy Spirit can give us confidence in God’s power and faithfulness in a specific situation, but that confidence is meant to produce a response. We may not know exactly what God will do, but we can choose to pray, obey, risk, and persevere because we know who God is.  Read More

Paul ends this letter with a rapid string of commands: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, and — right in the middle of it — do not quench the Spirit or despise prophecies, but test everything and hold fast to what is good. You are called to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you, and ask Him to speak through you, and don't shut Him down out of fear or unfamiliarity. Paul isn't asking for blind acceptance either — test what you hear against Scripture and hold onto what's good. When God speaks to you, it builds your faith. When God speaks through you to someone else, it builds theirs. That's worth staying open for, every single day.  Read More

Paul spends real time on tongues in this passage — the most unique, and to many the strangest, of the spoken gifts. He describes speaking in a language you don't naturally know, sometimes to build up your own spirit in prayer, and sometimes spoken publicly and paired with interpretation so the whole church can understand and be built up together. Paul isn't embarrassed by this gift; he says he's thankful he speaks in tongues more than anyone, even while prioritizing gifts that build up the church when believers gather. The takeaway isn't that every believer's experience will look identical — it's that the Spirit still gives gifts for real purposes: to strengthen your own spirit in prayer, and, when interpreted, to strengthen the whole body. Don't let the strangeness of a gift make you dismiss what the Spirit might still want to do.  Read More

Paul tells the Corinthians to pursue love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, especially prophecy — because the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation. That's the heart behind the gift of prophecy: the Spirit supernaturally speaking to you or through you, to strengthen someone right where they are. Paul actually wishes everyone would prophesy, because a timely word from God does something no generic encouragement can — it tells someone God sees them. Growing in this gift takes confidence, not perfection. You don't need to have it all figured out before you're willing to share what you sense the Spirit saying, you just need to be willing to offer it in love and let God use it.  Read More

No eye has seen and no ear has heard what God has prepared — but Paul says God has revealed these things to us through the Spirit, who searches even the depths of God. That's the supernatural source behind wisdom, the Spirit showing you what to do, and knowledge, the Spirit showing you something you couldn't otherwise know. Paul says plainly that we have the mind of Christ, which means the Spirit isn't handing out occasional hints — He's giving you access to real spiritual insight for real situations. This isn't reserved for dramatic moments only. It shows up in the daily decision you can't quite reason your way to, or the sudden sense that something is off before you have any proof. The question isn't whether the Spirit is willing to give wisdom and knowledge — it's whether you're asking and paying attention.  Read More

Pastor Matthew Johnson teaches that spiritual gifts aren't rare rewards. Every believer already has the Spirit who gives them.  Read More

Paul opens by telling the Corinthians he doesn't want them uninformed about what comes from the Holy Spirit — not a list of independent gifts to divide up, but grace flowing from one Spirit, one Lord, and one God who empowers it all. That distinction matters: you don't "have" a gift the way you own a possession; you have the Holy Spirit, and He makes His gifts available as He wills. Like a multi-tool that carries a knife, a saw, and pliers all in one, having the Spirit means every gift is available to you, not just the one you feel most comfortable claiming. Paul is also clear about the purpose: the Spirit's manifestation is given to each person for the common good, not for status or self-promotion. So, the goal was never to figure out which gift is "yours" and rest there, it's to stay open and available to whatever the Spirit wants to do through you, whenever He wants to do it.  Read More

True transformation isn't a quick fix. Pastors Chris and Matthew explore what it means to surrender to the Holy Spirit.  Read More

Paul tells the Colossians to set their minds on things above and put to death whatever belongs to their earthly nature, i.e. the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, evil desire, anger, malice. Because these things come so naturally from our hearts this requires a work of the Spirit and daily, deliberate choices. But Paul doesn't stop at putting off, he says put on: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love, which binds it all together in perfect unity. This is fruit language. We don’t just stop doing “bad" things, it is replaced with a desire and will to do “good.” As the old self dies, the new self, being renewed in the image of its Creator, grows exactly what the Spirit was producing all along.  Read More

Paul begins by reminding us that because we've been justified by faith and we already have peace with God, not earned, but given. From that secure place he says something surprising: we can even rejoice in sufferings, because suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Rom. 5:4). This isn't gritted-teeth optimism; it's possible because God's love has already been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, He's given us. Following Christ’s way is often a slow and difficult process. It will require us to trust that God is still working on us when we can’t see it. Difficulty is not the evidence we are abandoned. The Spirit works to remind us to give ourselves to the process of becoming what He already made us to be.   Read More

After naming the works of the flesh, Paul gives us the other picture: the fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This isn't a checklist of behaviors to fake; it's the natural evidence of a life the Holy Spirit is genuinely at work in. Paul sets a real standard here — love that costs you something, peace that holds steady no matter the circumstances, self-control that puts your desires under the Spirit’s command instead of the reverse. Someone who is committed to following Jesus will grow in these areas. Though, you won't master all nine today; the goal is honesty and staying open to what the Spirit wants to work in you next.  Read More

Paul opens this passage with a bold declaration: Christ set us free, so don't get tangled up again in a yoke of slavery by trying to earn what grace already gave you. If we're saved by grace, does behavior still matter? Paul's answer is yes, but not by going back to rule-keeping; the whole law is fulfilled in one command, to love your neighbor as yourself (Gal. 5:13), and that kind of love is only possible by walking in the Spirit. Freedom in Christ was never meant to be an excuse to indulge the flesh; it's what makes it possible to starve it instead. Paul lists those flesh patterns as evident and warns that people who make a practice of them will not inherit the kingdom, not to frighten you but to show you exactly what you've been set free from.  Read More

Pastor Matthew Johnson teaches that real change comes from walking by the Spirit, not from willpower or trying harder.  Read More

Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with a stark choice: a narrow gate that leads to life, and a wide gate that leads to destruction. Jesus warns that few find the narrow way. because it takes full and daily surrender to living His way, while the wide road only asks you to drift with the crowd. Jesus gives a warning and a promise in the same breath: you'll recognize a tree by its fruit, and even impressive words mean nothing if they aren't backed by actually doing what He says. The wise builder isn't the one who simply hears the message, it's the one who lets it reshape how they live, so that when the storms come, they're still standing.  Read More

Pastor Matthew and Pastor Chris share honest stories about learning to hear, trust, and follow the voice of the Holy Spirit.   Read More

How does the Holy Spirit convict us? Most often, He speaks through God's Word, through prayer, through other believers, and even through life's circumstances. Scripture exposes what is hidden in our hearts. Prayer creates space for the Spirit to search us. Mature believers help us recognize blind spots we cannot see on our own. Even seasons of discipline become loving invitations to return to God. The greatest danger isn't that God stops speaking. The greatest danger is that we stop listening. Delayed obedience hardens our hearts until His voice becomes more difficult to recognize. But every act of obedience softens our hearts and increases our sensitivity to His leading. As you consistently respond to the Holy Spirit, He develops within you a godly conscience that naturally draws you toward Jesus.  Read More

The Holy Spirit also convicts concerning judgment because "the ruler of this world is judged." This isn't primarily about your future judgment—it's about the enemy's defeat. Satan thought the cross was his victory, but it became his greatest loss. The Holy Spirit continually reminds believers that the story has already been written. Evil does not win. Sin does not have the final word. Death has been defeated. When you remember how the story ends, today's sacrifices begin to make sense. Obedience becomes easier because you know eternity is secure. Every act of faithfulness is anchored in the certainty that Jesus has already won.  Read More

The Holy Spirit also convicts concerning righteousness. That may seem surprising until we remember what Jesus says next: "because I go to the Father." Jesus' return to the Father confirms that His sacrifice was accepted. His righteousness is now credited to everyone who belongs to Him. The enemy constantly reminds you of your failures, but the Holy Spirit reminds you of your identity. He washes away the shame the world tries to place on you by pointing you back to the finished work of Christ. When you forget who you are, the Holy Spirit speaks the truth: you are forgiven, accepted, and declared righteous because of Jesus. He isn't constantly reminding you of your past—He's reminding you of your Savior.  Read More

Jesus gives an unexpected definition of sin. The Holy Spirit convicts "because they do not believe in Me." Beneath every sinful action is a deeper issue of trust. We choose our own way because, in that moment, we believe our wisdom is better than God's. Whether it's how we handle conflict, our finances, our sexuality, our time, or our relationships, every act of disobedience begins with believing that something other than Jesus will satisfy us more. The Holy Spirit doesn't simply point out bad behavior. He lovingly exposes where we've stopped trusting Jesus and invites us back into dependence on Him. Conviction isn't about proving you're a failure—it's about reminding you who is trustworthy. Every conviction is an invitation to believe Jesus again.  Read More