Most people who read the Bible are reading it for the wrong thing.

For information. For answers. For a checklist. And when it doesn't deliver, they close it and walk away disappointed. But what if the Bible was never meant to be read like a search engine — or a self-help book — or an instruction manual?

Drawing from Luke 24 and the Road to Emmaus, Pastor Aaron unpacks what Scripture is actually designed to do: reveal a person, tell a story, teach a truth, and require a life. This is week one of a new series on Scripture — and it starts with one question: what would change if you read the Bible not for information, but for intimacy?

One small habit. Consistently practiced. The power to transform your life.

Scripture:
Luke 24:13–49
John 14:6
John 16:13
Romans 10:8–11
James 1:22
1 John 5:3–4

Resources:
The Jesus Storybook Bible
Cape Town Commitment (Lausanne Movement)
The Bible Recap
YouVersion App

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.

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What if the thing you're most proud of is the exact thing standing between you and real life?

A successful, "good" young man comes to Jesus with a resume most of us would envy — wealthy, respected, morally upright. He's kept every commandment. He's checked every box. So why does he walk away from Jesus sad?

Pastor Aaron McRae walks through Matthew 19:16-26, where Jesus meets a man who wanted eternal life to be one more thing he could earn — and exposes what was actually running his life the whole time. It's not really a story about money. It's a story about identity, control, and what we quietly trust to make us whole.

This week, we're asking: what are you holding onto that you'd say no to Jesus over? And what does it actually look like to follow him instead of just admiring him?

In this message:
-Why "good behavior" was never the point
-What Jesus meant by "impossible with man, possible with God"
-The difference between admiring Jesus and following him
-What it costs — and what it's worth

📖 Matthew 19:16-26

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.

Stay Connected With Hillside Community Church.
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What if you're in the middle of a dust storm right now — and you don't even know it?

When visibility drops to near zero, when you feel disoriented and alone, it's easy to miss what God is actually doing. In Luke 24, two disciples walk seven miles with the risen Jesus — and don't recognize him. Not because he's hidden. Because they're downcast.

Drawing from the Road to Emmaus, guest speaker Chris Simning unpacks three questions that stop us in our tracks: Is something blinding you from seeing God at work? How can you be fully alive in your brokenness? And what truth do you need to acknowledge today?

Through his own story of living with two disabilities, Chris shows what it looks like to find road signs of God's faithfulness — even when the storm hasn't passed.

Jesus is ever so near. You may just need new eyes to see him.

Scripture: Luke 24:13–31, John 5, Ephesians 3:16–19, 2 Timothy 3:16

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.

Stay Connected With Hillside Community Church.
Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/c/HillsideCommunityChurch
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/hillsidechurches/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/hillsidechurches
Website | https://hillsidechurches.com