Today we wrap up our series Facing the Darkness with a topic that many consider off-limits. It’s one that makes people uncomfortable and that most churches rarely address — demons.

For years, Christians have avoided this subject, often out of fear that talking about it would stir up unhealthy curiosity. Others steer clear simply because it feels mysterious or frightening.

But silence has consequences. When the church doesn’t talk about spiritual realities, culture fills in the blanks with its own version of truth. Some say demons don’t exist at all. Others claim they’ve had direct encounters. Both can’t be right.

So what does Scripture actually say? Join us this week as we shine light into one of the darkest and most misunderstood corners of the spiritual world.

As we continue our Facing the Darkness series, this message shines light on dependence. Our culture often praises self-reliance with sayings like “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” or “God helps those who help themselves.” But these ideas are unbiblical and destructive.

From the very beginning, Satan’s greatest deception has been to convince us that we can be our own god. He offers a false freedom that leads to bondage, while true freedom is found in surrender and dependence on God.

Join us as we seek the Light and expose the darkness, learning what it truly means to depend fully on the Lord.

“Living the good life.”
“Life is good.”
“Happy as a clam.”
“Living on cloud nine.”
“Just living my best life.”
“Without a care in the world.”
“Sitting pretty.”
“Hakuna Matata.”

Have you ever dreamed of living a life where these phrases aren’t just sayings, but reality? A life where everything is rainbows and sunshine all the time?

But that’s not real life. The truth is, we all face hard times. We face darkness. In this sermon series, Facing the Darkness, we’ve looked at death, disease, and depression. Today, we face disappointment.

What is disappointment, and what does it really mean? We’ve all experienced it, but how do we respond when it comes? Join us as we meet a man who not only faced the darkness of disappointment but also revealed how God’s light can shine even in the midst of it.

Join us for Facing the Darkness: Disappointment.

Join us for A Walk In This Christian Life, as Mike Mills, a deacon of StJoeCofC, shares God’s word with us. It is such a good reminder of what each of us need to do each day as we follow Christ.

Thank you Mike for willingness to bring this great message.

If you were to look up all the different forms of depression, you might feel weighed down just reading about them. Many people think depression is simply being sad, but it is much more than that.

Depression shows up in several ways. There is situational depression, which comes and goes with the ups and downs of life — the loss of a loved one, children leaving home, the loss of a job. There is seasonal depression, which often shows up in the darker months of fall and winter. And then there is clinical depression, the most severe form.

For some, depression comes from overanalyzing themselves until they dig a deep hole. For others, it stems from physical causes such as chemical imbalances or hormonal struggles. Long battles with illness, financial stress, or strained relationships can also open the door. Still others face it through trauma, abuse, or deeply spiritual struggles. Many experience a combination of these.

The Bible does not shy away from this reality. Job experienced it. David did. So did King Saul, Jeremiah, and even the apostle Paul. Since Scripture shows us people walking through it, we know that we too will face the darkness of depression.

When we are in the middle of it, depression can feel like a darkness that blots out everything else. But God has something to say to those who struggle.

Join us for Facing the Darkness: Depression.

Can you imagine this? On the fringes of the crowd, here come five men. One of them a paralyzed. There was no way they were going to get to Jesus through that crowd. They brought their friend to be healed by Jesus, but can’t get into the house. What are they going to do? They come up with a plan. Going up to the roof, which was thatched, they dug through it, until they had a hole big enough to lower the man down through. Now what does Jesus say? “My son, your sins are forgiven you.”

WHAT? They came seeking healing for their friend and he forgave his sin. They had faith in Jesus to heal their friend and seeming disregarded that and forgave his sins. Why? Join us as we find out in Facing the Darkness: Disease.

Darkness comes into our lives in many forms, and how we respond can shape our future—bringing either good or bad consequences. Today, we confront one of the most profound forms of darkness: death.

We know Jesus is God in the flesh. He died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again. When we say “Jesus conquered death,” what does that really mean? And should we fear death?

The Bible speaks of two kinds of death: physical death, which we all experience, and spiritual death, which is a separation from God, and can have eternal consequences. Most of us focus on the grief of physical death, but spiritual death is far more significant and should grieve us even more. The word “death” in Scripture literally means “away from” or “separated.”

Today, we will explore spiritual death through the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), discovering the hope and restoration we have in Christ even when we have been separated from God.

We’ve come to the end of our series, “Why Do We…?”
Over the past several weeks, we’ve explored why we pray, why we take communion, why we have VBS and student ministry, why we baptize by immersion, and even why we ask you to volunteer.

Today we close with one of the most important questions of all: Why do we encourage you to share your faith?

The Bible gives us a clear answer in a powerful passage where Paul asks four thought-provoking questions:

• How can people call on the one they have not believed in?
• How can they believe in the one they have not heard of?
• How can they hear without someone sharing with them?
• And how can anyone share unless they are sent?

These verses remind us that sharing our faith is not just a suggestion, it is essential. Join us as we discover together what God’s Word says about this calling and how we can live it out. Join us for Why Do We Share Our Faith?

Link for the video shown in this sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTFfJGzZuPs&ab_channel=JasonT.Powell%28PastorJasonPowell%29