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It is easy to stay faithful to God when things are comfortable, but what happens when culture puts pressure on us to compromise? In week five of our Come Up Here series, guest speaker Pastor Leah Leach takes us into Revelation 2 and the letter to the ancient church in Pergamum—a city so steeped in idol worship and moral decay that Jesus called it the place "where Satan dwells." While the believers in Pergamum endured fierce persecution without giving up their faith, they faced a quieter, more dangerous trap: compromise. When the enemy cannot destroy the church from the outside, he tries to influence it through subtle lies, cultural shortcuts, and cheap grace. But Jesus does not leave us stuck in our stumbling blocks. He calls us to turn back to a pure Gospel, offering daily grace as our Bread of Life and handing us a white stone marked with a brand-new identity.

We often treat pain like the enemy, assuming that if life gets hard or uncomfortable, God must have left us. But in part four of our Come Up Here series, we look at Jacob’s midnight wrestling match with God at the river Jabbok to discover that God often meets us right in the middle of our struggles. Pain isn't always harm—sometimes God uses a painful experience to bring true healing, shift our focus, and change who we are. When Jacob wrestled through the night, he refused to let go until he received a blessing. God didn't just change Jacob's circumstances; He gave him a new identity, renaming him. An encounter with God will transform your walk from self-reliant independence to faithful dependence on Him.

It's easy to assume God only draws near when we have our lives completely figured out. But as Jacob discovered in Genesis 28, God often meets us in our messiest, hardest seasons. In part three of our Come Up Here series, we look at Jacob’s experience at Bethel to discover a life-changing truth: God is a lot closer than you think. Sleeping on a stone while running from his own mistakes, Jacob woke up to realize he was standing on holy ground. You don't have to search for a special path to God; through Jesus, the way is already open. He meets us right where we are—not where we pretend to be.

We live every day at the intersection of two dimensions: the physical world we can see, and the spiritual world where God sits. When physical problems, economic disasters, or years of suffering leave us feeling helpless and out of control, it is easy to get trapped in the crowd. In part two of our Come Up Here series, we look at the famous story of the woman with the issue of blood who reached out to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Her journey proves that when physical answers fail, stepping out of the crowd in expectant faith connects us directly to spiritual power. Hope moves us to action, and when we bring our weakness to Jesus, His power brings healing, restores our identity, and sets us completely free.

What if the answer to life’s overwhelming stress isn't running or fighting, but stepping closer to God? In week one of Come Up Here, we look at Psalm 27 to see how heaven and earth collide when we seek God's presence. Rather than letting our needs become bigger than our need for God, David shows us how to trade anxiety for quiet confidence. When we say "yes" to God's invitation to draw near, we stop carrying our own burdens and let a loving Father lead, protect, and carry us instead.

Building a life on a soft or shaky foundation always leads to a tilt—just like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In part four of our (Re)Constructing Our Faith series, we look at an essential line of the Apostles' Creed that Christians often ignore or fear: Jesus is coming back. The return of Christ isn't meant to scare us; it is meant to give us solid hope when the world around us feels like it is falling apart. By looking at Matthew 24 and 25, we uncover three direct warnings Jesus gave His followers about His return. Instead of being distracted by frightening headlines or getting caught up in earthly concerns, Jesus calls us to fix our eyes on Him, stay spiritually alert, and live ready for the glorious day He returns.

A faith crisis often begins in the gap between what we know to be true about God and what we actually experience in real life. When prayers go unanswered or life feels confusing, it is easy to feel like God is hiding or speaking in riddles. But the mysteries of God aren't meant to trip us up or drive us away—they are an invitation to step closer and search Him out. In part three of our (re)Constructing Our Faith series, we unpack one of the biggest mysteries of all: the Trinity. While the idea of one God in three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) can feel like a mind-bending puzzle, it is actually a beautiful revelation of who God is and how He relates to us. The Trinity isn't a theological trick, but a revelation of our one true God, who meets us in our weakness through the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ever wonder if the Bible can actually stand up to modern questions and scrutiny? The answer is a confident yes! In episode 2 of our series (re)Constructing Faith, we uncover how archaeology, history, and fulfilled prophecy all point to one single Divine Author. But the real challenge usually isn't whether the Bible is credible—it's whether we will let it be the final authority for our lives. Instead of picking and choosing the parts of Scripture we like, this message challenges us to let God's Word get deep inside us, guide our steps, and protect us from harm.

What you believe shapes every single part of your life—from your time and money to how you handle crisis. When hard times hit, some people hold fast to their faith, while others begin to take it apart piece by piece. Today, "deconstruction" has become a major buzzword, but doubting or asking hard questions isn't new, nor does it have to mean the end of your relationship with God. Questions don't have to lead to demolition; they can actually make your faith stronger if the end goal is reconstruction. When we encounter church hurt, unanswered prayers, or confusing legalism, we shouldn't run away in fear or shut people down. Instead, we need to dig down to our true foundation. By looking at the timeless truths of the Apostles' Creed, we can discover a personal faith that withstands real-life storms—moving from a borrowed belief to a conviction we wholeheartedly trust.

Sitting in a row looking at the back of someone's head for an hour is a great place to hear a sermon, but it isn't where true Christian community happens. In this part of our Rethinking Church series, we unpack a vital shift: moving From Rows to Circles. Jesus commanded us to love one another in the exact same sacrificial way He loved us. When we look at the early church in Acts 2, they didn't just sit together once a week—they shared meals, carried each other's burdens, and did life together in authentic community. Church was never meant to be a show you watch; it's a family where you belong. True spiritual growth happens when we move out of the rows and step into circles where we can be known, loved, and challenged.

Gathering Bible knowledge is great, but if it doesn't change how we live, we are missing the point of discipleship. In part five of Rethinking Church, we unpack a vital shift: moving from Information to Imitation. True faith isn't about collecting facts; it's about doing life together and living like Jesus. When we move from just knowing the truth to living it out, we join a legacy of disciple-making that reaches back to the early church.

As a church grows, it is incredibly easy to slip into the habit of sitting back and just watching. In week three of our Rethinking Church series, we are looking at a crucial shift we all need to make: moving from being a spectator to becoming a servant. Looking at Acts 6, we see that the rapidly growing early church faced real complaints and growing pains. Instead of getting defensive, the leaders empowered the exact people who spotted the problem to step up and fix it. God never intended for a few leaders to do all the work while everyone else watches. When we step out of the crowd and actively serve, the entire church grows stronger and the message spreads even further.

We all have ideas about what church should be, but sometimes our perspective needs a reset. In week two of our Rethinking Church series, we explore The Love Shift—moving from an inward-focused religion to an outward-focused mission. Looking at the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10, we see how easily comfort and religion can build walls between us and others. But God broke through Peter’s rules to show him a life-changing truth: no one Jesus died for is "unclean." Because your comfort zone is the enemy of the Great Commission, God is calling us to step out of our safe huddles and bring His love directly to a hurting world.

God’s ultimate rescue plan for the world is carried out by the church—and the church isn't a building, it's you. In this message, we launch our Rethinking Church series by looking at a major shift we all need to make: moving from being a consumer to becoming a true worshiper. A consumer always asks, "Did I like it?" But a worshiper asks, "Did God receive it?" It’s time to stop acting like the audience and start realizing that we are the band. Worship was never designed for our entertainment; it is an offering to God that completely changes our perspective, breaks spiritual chains, and transforms our daily lives.

The New Testament highlights three distinct baptisms designed to help us experience the full, abundant life Jesus has for us. These aren't meant to be confusing; they are simply different milestones on our faith journey, each with its own special purpose. We weren't meant to fight daily battles like anxiety, temptation, or fear all by ourselves. That is why God gives us a better way to live through His grace: salvation secures our eternal future, water baptism lets the world know we belong to Him, and the baptism in the Holy Spirit fills our everyday lives with the real power and peace we need to overcome struggles.