Follow along in our series on Christian maturity by seeing ways the thorns of sinful desires manifest themselves in daily life!

Discover how God uses the heat of trials to change us to be like Christ!

Join us as we look at 1 Corinthians 10 and Paul’s warning drawn from Israel’s wilderness failures. Their story becomes a mirror for our own spiritual lives, reminding us how easily we drift, complain, compromise, and assume we’re fine simply because life feels blessed. We’ll explore how temptation works, why gratitude matters, and how God faithfully provides strength and a way of escape. Join me as we learn from Israel’s example and pursue a life shaped by humility, obedience, and trust in Christ.

What does spiritual maturity look like in real life? In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 13, Pastor Daniel walks us through Paul’s final instructions to the church and shows us rebuke, self-examination, and gospel joy lead to a strong church.

What happens when life turns up the heat? When you face pain, loss, or pressure so intense it threatens to crush your faith, can anything good grow from that?

This week, Pastor Stille walks through Jeremiah 17 to show how God uses the scorching seasons of our lives not to destroy us, but to shape us. Drawing from How People Change by Tripp and Lane, this message unpacks how adversity (the heat) exposes our hearts, reveals our trust, and, by God’s grace, produces lasting fruit.

So many Christians start their faith journey depending fully on the grace of Jesus, only to later try to grow through substitutes. In this powerful message, we’re reminded that spiritual growth can’t be fueled by good intentions, religious habits, or emotional highs—it can only come through a daily, abiding relationship with Christ.

From Colossians 2:4–8 and Romans 12:1, this sermon exposes the “plausible Christian substitutes” that can take the place of genuine communion with Jesus. Busyness in ministry, emotional experience, strict standards, knowledge, or even generosity fill the Jesus-gap in our lives. Like taking the wrong medicine for the right problem, these substitutes can leave the soul sick while appearing spiritual.