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Message from Pastor Brad Myers on November 1, 2026

Cultural pressure is one of the most powerful forces a follower of Jesus will ever face, and it rarely announces itself. It works slowly and quietly, reshaping what feels normal until what once seemed wrong begins to feel right. Research shows that American culture has shifted dramatically over the last 50 years in areas like sexuality, marriage, morality, and faith. The answer is not isolation from culture or assimilation into it, but transformation through the renewing of the mind. Jesus modeled this perfectly by entering people's world without letting their world enter Him. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to do the same, guiding them into truth and producing genuine holiness. The goal is not to see how far from culture we can get, but to live so faithfully within it that people can actually see the difference Jesus makes.

Opposition is something every believer will face, but Jesus left us a clear model for how to walk through it without losing our footing. Not every disagreement is persecution, not every critic is an enemy, and not every person who pushes back is standing against God. Discernment is the key. Jesus responded to opposition differently depending on its source and nature. Sometimes He spoke, sometimes He corrected, and sometimes He simply walked away. Forgiveness is always required, but it does not mean continuing to expose yourself to harm. The real battle behind opposition is spiritual, not personal. Do not let the fight become your mission. Stay on your assignment.

Worry is something every person faces, even those with deep faith. At its core, worry is not just about finances, health, or relationships. It is a trust problem, rooted in the question of whether God is truly in control. Jesus addressed this directly, pointing us to the character of a Father who already knows our needs, genuinely cares about us, and faithfully provides. The key distinction is that we are called to be responsible, but we are not called to be sovereign. That role belongs to God alone. When we try to carry burdens that belong to Him, we take on an emotional weight we were never meant to hold. The path forward is the same one Jesus modeled: bring the pressure to the Father in honest prayer, and then surrender the outcome to His will.

Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid dependency, yet dependency on God was the very foundation of how Jesus lived. He withdrew often, prayed through the night, and declared that He could do nothing apart from the Father. This was not weakness. It was the source of His strength. The world tells us to push through, handle it ourselves, and trust our own instincts. Jesus modeled the opposite: withdraw, depend, receive, and obey. True strength does not come from self-reliance. It comes from staying connected to God and allowing His power to flow through a surrendered life.

Money is one of the most personal topics in Scripture, yet Jesus addressed it more than almost any other subject. The real struggle with money is not about dollars and cents. It is about what we place our trust, identity, and security in. Tithing, giving a tenth, appears before the Mosaic Law and was affirmed by Jesus Himself in the New Testament. The early church moved beyond a required percentage into a life of radical, cheerful generosity. Biblical stewardship begins with a foundational truth: everything belongs to God, and we are simply managers of what He has entrusted to us. The question is not what we own, but what we are doing with what God has placed in our hands.

Relationships are one of the greatest sources of both joy and pain in our lives, and Jesus understood this deeply. He was surrounded by crowds, critics, confused friends, and even a betrayer, yet He never stopped loving people. His approach to relationships was guided by five key principles: loving without needing approval, holding grace and truth together, forgiving without denying the reality of hurt, setting boundaries without guilt, and being discerning about who receives close access to His life. These principles are not just admirable qualities from a historical figure. They are a practical blueprint for how we can build healthier, more God-honoring relationships today. Love does not require us to abandon truth, and truth never gives us permission to abandon love. The Jesus way is not about loving everybody the same way. It is about loving everybody the right way.

Temptation is not a rare crisis. It is a daily reality that every person faces. Jesus faced the same pressures we do, and He left us a clear model for how to overcome them. Before the enemy ever attacks your behavior, he first attacks your identity. Jesus refused to let Satan redefine what the Father had already declared over Him, and we can do the same. He answered every temptation with scripture, walked in the power of the Holy Spirit, and kept His worship fully surrendered to God. Victory over temptation is not about stronger willpower. It is about a life anchored in identity, grounded in truth, and empowered by the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:1-14 calls believers not just to act differently, but to truly be different by reflecting the character of God in a world filled with darkness. Paul's command to imitate God is rooted in identity, not just behavior. Just as children absorb the character of their parents, believers are called to absorb the holiness, love, and grace of their Heavenly Father. Sexual immorality, Paul warns, is not simply a bad habit but a form of idolatry, placing created things above God. Sin thrives in secrecy, but the light of Christ exposes what is hidden, and that exposure is an act of grace. Walking as children of light produces goodness, righteousness, and truth in everyday life. Confession is one of the most powerful tools God has given believers, breaking the power of secrecy and opening the door to genuine healing. The light of Christ is not meant to condemn but to set free.

Today’s message is found in Ephesians 4:25-32 Please follow along in your Bible or on a Bible app. Follow the Sermon Notes through the Church Center App as well.

We are living in the church age, a pivotal moment in God's unfolding redemptive story that stretches from creation to the return of Jesus Christ. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out not on one person but on an entire people, empowering them collectively to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. The Great Commission is not simply a call to get decisions. It is a call to make disciples, teach them, and help them grow in faith. The church is not a building or a denomination but a community of people who belong to Jesus Christ, made up of every tribe, language, and nation. Every believer has been given the Holy Spirit's power to participate in this mission, and the enemy does not want you walking in that authority. The church age will conclude with the return of Jesus, a blessed hope that should shape how urgently and faithfully we live out the mission today. You were not saved just to sit. You were empowered by His Spirit and commissioned to carry His redemptive work to the world around you.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells one unified story with Jesus Christ at the center of every chapter, covenant, and prophecy. Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem. He existed before creation itself, and at just the right moment, the Creator stepped into His own creation on a rescue mission. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He fulfilled every promise and pattern that had been building since the beginning. He is the final sacrifice, the risen Savior, and the coming King. The kingdom of God has already broken into human history through Him, and its fullness is still to come. In the meantime, He calls every person to repent, believe, and place Him at the center of their lives.

From creation to redemption, the Bible tells one unified story centered on God's unbreakable promises. Humanity was made in God's image, but sin broke the relationship He designed. Rather than walking away, God immediately set a plan of redemption in motion, beginning with the first promise of a Savior in Genesis 3:15. Through Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets, every chapter of the Old Testament points forward to one person: Jesus Christ. The blood of the Passover lamb, the sacrificial system, and the Davidic covenant were all previews of what He would accomplish. When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you inherit the same covenant promise made to Abraham thousands of years ago. God's promise has never failed, and it is still moving today.

The Bible is not a collection of disconnected stories. It is one unified narrative about God's plan to redeem what sin has broken, accomplished through Jesus Christ. God created everything out of nothing, simply by speaking it into existence, and He declared it very good. Humanity was made in the image of God, which is the foundation of every person's dignity, value, and purpose. Sin entered the world through doubt, desire, and disobedience, bringing shame, separation, and death. But God did not abandon humanity. He came looking for Adam and Eve immediately after the fall, and in that same moment, He made the first promise of a coming Redeemer. That promise points directly to Jesus Christ, who crushed the power of sin and death at the cross.

Are you still wearing coping mechanisms, addictions, or apathy that you outgrew years ago? What we wear matters. In daily life, people dress to cover up pain, wounds, and identity struggles with temporary fixes. But just like a frayed, ripped outfit from decades past, the old way of living simply does not fit anymore. It is time to ditch the outdated wardrobe of the past and step into a high-value lifestyle designed for true alignment.