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Pastor Justin Dancer finishes the Changed Series focusing on Worry today from scripture passage Philippians 4:4-8. Worry is more than an emotional struggle. It is a spiritual one, rooted in a deep distrust of God. Philippians 4 gives us a clear path forward: because the Lord is near, we do not have to be anxious about anything. Instead, we are called to bring every concern to God in prayer, with thanksgiving, and trust Him with the outcome. There is also an important difference between concern and worry. Concern leads to action, while worry simply stews. Whatever you are carrying today, God is near, He hears you, and His peace is available to you right now.

Every person carries something they cannot seem to let go of, whether it is a habit, a craving, or a pattern that keeps repeating. The Apostle Paul described this same internal war in Romans 7, making clear that this struggle is not unique to a few people but is part of the human condition under sin. The root of addiction is often idolatry, placing something other than God at the center of life and expecting it to satisfy a longing only He can fill. But Paul did not stop at the struggle. He pointed to Jesus Christ as the answer, and Romans 8:1 declares that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Freedom is not found through willpower alone but through replacing lesser desires with a greater one. Jesus is bigger than whatever has a hold on you, and He is able to set you free.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues the Changed Series this October, focusing on Broken Relationships. Broken relationships are one of the most painful realities of life, but the gospel has something powerful to say about them. In Ephesians 4:31-32, Paul identifies two categories: things to take off, like bitterness, anger, and slander, and things to put on, like kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness. Bitterness left unchecked moves from an internal wound to outward destruction, causing us to miss the grace God has available right now. The good news is that forgiveness sets two people free. It releases the person who wronged you and releases you from the prison of bitterness. You cannot control the other person, but you can control whether you harbor bitterness in your own heart. When we fix our eyes on Jesus rather than on the hurt, we find that there is always hope. The gospel gives us the power to put off what destroys and put on what heals.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues through Acts, focusing on Acts 26:12-18. Shame is one of the heaviest burdens people carry, yet few talk about it openly. There is an important difference between guilt, which says 'I did something wrong,' and shame, which says 'I am wrong.' There is also a critical difference between conviction, which the Holy Spirit uses to draw us back to God, and condemnation, which drives us away from Him. The story of Paul in Acts 26 reveals three powerful truths: God is light and shame belongs to darkness, God is the great lifter and not the one who presses us down, and God gives us a new lens through which to see ourselves and our lives. Jesus did not just pay for our sin on the cross. He carried our shame so we would not have to. Because of Christ, those who believe are seen by God as holy, set apart, and fully His.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues our series through Acts focusing on Acts 20:1-12. A young man named Eutychus falls from a third-story window during one of Paul's sermons in Acts 20 and is raised back to life. This remarkable moment opens up some of the richest truths in the Christian faith. Sunday worship is rooted in resurrection, and every time believers gather on the first day of the week, they are holding up the proof that Jesus truly conquered death. The story of Eutychus also mirrors the parable of the prodigal son, where a father runs and throws himself onto his returning child with no blame and no shame. In the same way, Paul covering Eutychus points to Jesus stretching Himself out on the cross, taking on our sin so that we could be covered in His life. The Lord's Supper is the church's regular moment to pause and remember that sacred exchange. Grace does not assign blame. It restores the dead to life.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues our series through Acts focusing on Acts 19:11-41. Acts 19 is filled with extraordinary events, from miraculous healings to a failed exorcism that left seven men beaten and fleeing. The sons of Sceva had the right words and even the right name, but they had no real relationship with Jesus, and the spiritual realm knew it. True authority does not come from using the name of Jesus like a formula. It comes from genuinely belonging to Him. When people in Ephesus truly encountered Jesus, they burned their magic books worth millions without hesitation, because everything else lost its value by comparison. The real miracle is not the miracle itself. It is having your name written in heaven and being filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the greatest treasure, and when we truly believe that, everything else gets reordered around that reality.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues our series through Acts focusing on Acts 19:1-10. What are you aiming at in life? In Acts 19, Paul arrives in Ephesus and encounters a group of disciples who believed in repentance and were waiting for the Messiah, but had never heard of the Holy Spirit. When Paul explained the fullness of the gospel, they received it with open hearts and were baptized in the name of Jesus. Their story raises an important question for all of us: is it possible to have most of the truth and still be missing the center of it? Scripture is clear that when a person places genuine faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them as a seal and guarantee of salvation. Beyond salvation, the Christian life is meant to grow. Paul's aim was not only for people to know Jesus but to be rooted, established, and filled with the very fullness of God. The question worth sitting with today is not just whether you are saved, but whether you are growing.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues the series through Acts focusing on Acts 18. Encouragement is not a luxury for believers. It is a necessity that God Himself designed into the Christian life. Acts 18 shows us that even the apostle Paul faced fear and discouragement in his gospel work. God met him through three powerful sources: gospel friendships, the direct encouragement of the Father, and the faithful example of others pressing forward on the front lines. Priscilla and Aquila remind us that deep, mission-driven relationships are essential to staying the course. The Father's words to Paul, reassuring him of His presence, are the same anchor available to every believer today. When we root ourselves in what we know about God rather than how we feel, we find the strength to keep going.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues through the book of Acts, focusing on Acts 17:1-33. True security is not found in routines, relationships, finances, or even religious tradition. Acts 17 follows Paul through three cities, each revealing a different place where people anchor their trust. The Thessalonians clung to tradition and missed the very Messiah their Scriptures promised. The Bereans searched God's Word daily with eagerness and found what they were looking for. In Athens, Paul declared one sufficient God to a city drowning in idols, grounding everything in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Real, unshakeable security belongs to every believer, sealed by the Holy Spirit, held in the hands of the Father and the Son, and guaranteed by the Word of God.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues through the book of Acts, focusing on Acts 16:11-40. Worship is not reserved for good times. It is a choice we make regardless of our circumstances. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were beaten, shackled, and thrown into a Roman prison, yet at midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God. Their worship preceded the earthquake, the broken chains, and the jailer's salvation. Worship is a response to who God is and what He has already done, not what He might do in the future. When we fix our eyes on the greatness of God, our problems begin to look smaller. And when others see us praising God in the middle of pain, our worship becomes a powerful witness to the reality of our faith.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues through the book of Acts, focusing on Acts 15. Conflict is unavoidable, but how we handle it matters deeply. Acts 15 gives us a front-row seat to one of the earliest and most significant disputes in church history, where the very foundation of the gospel was at stake. The early church worked through disagreement in three stages: dispute, dialogue, and decision. Their process was grounded in Scripture, informed by the Holy Spirit, and shaped by godly counsel. The core truth they contended for was that salvation comes through Jesus alone, by grace alone, through faith alone. Fighting for right doctrine matters, but so does fighting for the unity of the body of Christ. Both require courage, humility, and a willingness to lay down personal preferences. When we fight right, we reflect the grace of the God we represent.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues through the book of Acts, focusing on Acts 14. Life will bring trials, pain, and hardship. The question is not whether hard things will come but how we stand when they do. Acts 14 gives us a vivid picture of courageous faith through the lives of Paul and Barnabas, who faced beatings, rejection, and even stoning, yet kept going. True courage is not the absence of fear. It is choosing to stand in dependence on Jesus when everything in you wants to run. Three anchors help us stand: depending on God rather than our own strength, grounding ourselves in the truth of Scripture, and staying committed to the mission of making disciples. And when life gets hard, we were never meant to carry it alone. The local church exists as a gift from God to help us bear one another's burdens and find strength we could not manufacture on our own.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues through the book of Acts, focusing on Acts 13:13-52. The gospel is not just the starting point of the Christian life. It is the foundation of everything. In Acts 13, Paul traces God's faithfulness from the Old Testament all the way to Jesus, making clear that Christ is the fulfillment of every promise God ever made. Through Jesus, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed and believers are freed from everything the law of Moses could never accomplish. Life has a way of pushing the most important things to the background, and the gospel is no exception. Preaching the gospel to yourself daily is one of the most practical and powerful habits a follower of Jesus can develop. Joy is always the fruit of receiving and walking in the gospel, not a shallow happiness tied to circumstances, but a deep and settled joy that comes from knowing Jesus. The gospel is not just the door you walked through to begin your faith. It is the foundation you stand on every single day.

Dr. Justin Dancer continues through the book at Acts, focusing on Acts 11:19-29. Acts 12 is a dramatic account of persecution, miraculous escape, and the unstoppable advance of God's mission. Herod Agrippa had every earthly advantage, yet none of it was enough to hinder what God was doing. Peter was freed from prison through miraculous intervention while the church prayed fervently on his behalf. Three foundational truths emerge from this chapter: God's power cannot be denied, God's people cannot be defeated, and God's plan cannot be doomed. Whether a believer experiences deliverance like Peter or goes home to be with the Lord like James, both outcomes are victories in Christ. The church is called to pray with wholehearted, fervent, stretched-out prayer rather than casual or passing requests. Apathy is one of the greatest threats facing believers today, and the antidote is staying hungry for God, His Word, and His presence. These truths are not just for the early church. They are for every follower of Christ today.

Father's Day Sermon from church planting resident, Matt Koehler, on James 1:21-25. Living out your faith requires more than hearing God's Word. It demands an honest look in the mirror and a willingness to act on what you see. Four key actions shape faithful living: admitting what is true, submitting to God's authority, committing wholeheartedly to Jesus, and transmitting that truth to others. Your identity in Christ is not based on your performance but on the finished work of Jesus on the cross. That identity should shape how you lead your home, raise your children, serve your church, and conduct yourself at work. Satan actively attacks your sense of who you are in Christ, but the shield of faith stands against every one of those lies. The question is not whether you have heard the truth. The question is what you will do with it today.