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

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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

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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

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Most of us spend our lives trying to prove we're strong enough. Strong enough to hold the marriage together. Strong enough to handle the bad news. Strong enough to carry the pressure.

But what if that's exactly the wrong thing to pack?
Drawing from Exodus 6 and the rescue story of Israel, Pastor Karl Romeus unpacks one of the most practical questions scripture asks us: what are you carrying into this season of life? Fear or faith? Doubt or memory? Panic or patience?

Through the story of Miriam — a woman who waited decades and still packed a tambourine — this message is a reminder that God isn't just taking you somewhere. He's making you into someone.

Whatever you're carrying right now, this one's worth your time.

Scripture: Exodus 6:2–8, Exodus 12:11, Exodus 15, Micah 6:4, Romans 5, 2 Corinthians 12
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Most people think freedom means doing whatever you want. But what if that's exactly what keeps you stuck?

In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul writes to a group of churches that had already encountered the gospel — and were drifting away from it. Sound familiar? The freedoms they were chasing — self-sufficiency, religious performance, personal desire — were quietly becoming the very things that enslaved them.

Pastor Woody unpacks three movements of true freedom found in Christ: freedom from ourselves, freedom in the sacrifice of Jesus, and freedom to serve others. Drawing from Galatians 2, 3, and 5, this message reframes what liberation actually looks like — not a life with no limits, but a life no longer ruled by the wrong things.

If you've ever wondered why the freedom you're chasing never quite delivers — this one's worth your time.

Scripture: Galatians 2:20, 3:1, 5:1, 5:7–8, 5:13–14, 5:19–25, John 8:31–32
Resources: John Mark Comer

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What if the stories you tell your kids reveal more about your values than you realize?
In Psalm 145, David — a king with real power — does something surprising. He refuses to take credit. Instead, he points upward and says: you are the real King. And then he passes that posture on.

Pastor Aaron unpacks what it looks like to build a life of praise — not as a Sunday activity, but as a daily practice that shapes perspective, forms gratitude, and leaves something worth inheriting. Because what we celebrate, we repeat. And what we repeat, we pass on.
If you've ever wondered what it actually means to leave a legacy of faith — this one's for you.
Scripture: Psalm 145, Isaiah 61:3

Resources: Praying the Psalms — Walter Brueggemann; Reflections on the Psalms — C.S. Lewis

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What makes someone a great father? Biology is just the beginning.
On Father's Day, Pastor Aaron McRae explores one of the most surprising ideas in Scripture — that spiritual fatherhood isn't reserved for dads. It's a calling for anyone willing to lead someone toward Jesus and walk alongside them.

Drawing from 1 Corinthians 4, this message unpacks what it looks like to warn without shame, love without condition, set an example worth following, and point people back to who they already are in Christ.

Whether you had a great dad, a complicated one, or no father at all — this one's for you.

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What Actually Happens When You Get Baptized?

Most of us have watched a baptism. The water, the moment, the applause. But what if there's something happening beneath the surface that most people never stop to think about?

Here's something worth sitting with: repentance is the first word of the gospel. The first word out of John the Baptist's mouth. The first word of Jesus' public ministry. The first instruction after the resurrection. The first word of the first Christian sermon. Baptism is where that repentance goes public — where an inward decision becomes an outward declaration.

In this message, Pastor Aaron McRae unpacks the scene in Matthew 3 where Jesus steps into the Jordan River — and what that moment reveals about three things baptism marks fresh in every believer's life: a new identity in Christ, an inauguration into life and ministry, and a living illustration of the gospel itself.

Whether you were baptized decades ago or are still figuring out what you believe, this is an invitation to remember what that moment meant — and to keep living like it actually does.

📖 Scripture References: Matthew 3:1–8, 13–17 · Isaiah 40:3 · John 1:29–34 · Colossians 2:12 · Romans 6:3–4 · Galatians 5:22–23 · Acts 1:8

📚 Resources Mentioned:

• David Guzik — Enduring Word Commentary (enduringword.com)
• Sinclair Ferguson — on the baptism of Jesus and the "wonderful exchange"
• Jonathan Pennington — on baptism as gospel proclamation
• Matthew Poole — commentary on the Pharisees

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