New Life Community Church, Atwater, CA

“Are We There Yet?” Lessons from the Wilderness

After Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, they spent 40 years in the wilderness before finally entering the Promised Land. The Book of Numbers tells the story of most of those 40 years spent wandering. Much of the story is unfamiliar to us, some aspects seem very strange to our modern minds, yet there are many important lessons contained in its pages for a people learning to trust God in strange times. Today we’ll consider how to know God’s direction for us when everything around us is unfamiliar. 

“Pray or be prey” 1 Peter 5:8-11

Peter concludes his letter to the church with both a final warning and reason for hope. We are living in dangerous times. This world we live in is treacherous, but the spiritual world around us is even more so. Peter wraps up with a call to be alert and prepared so the enemy will not take you down. 

“Becoming Small” 1 Peter 5:1-7

We live in anxious times. Relationships in the church family and in the world around us are fraught with potential conflict. Peter invites us to a path through conflict and uncertainty toward unity and calm with one key attribute: humility. What is humility and how can it be the antidote to much of the stress we carry? 

“We Are Essential” Matthew 28:19-20

We are essential, and we have been given the same mission that Jesus had. Yes, the church has come to a halt. The methods of spreading the Gospel has changed. But the Gospel message of Jesus is still the same. Helping people get into heaven is the greatest act of mercy you can do. Are you willing to step out in faith and let Jesus guide? 

“Pandemic Re-Set” 1 Peter 4:7-11

Living through such weird times is a challenge, thriving amidst the constant changes seems impossible. We are befuddled by the conflicted information all around us, often to the point we’d rather just sit this one out, but we can’t. Because both of the following are true: you are not an accident; and our present circumstance has not taken God by surprise; we can be assured that we were created for just such a time as this! Perhaps we simply need to re-set and be the church that the world needs now. 

“The Latest Update” Revelation 1:7-8 Matthew 24:36-44

The latest news has us in belief to believe, all that is said and we hear. There is so much said, I believe we struggle, “with what to believe.” The Bible tells us that “Jesus is coming!” Do your hearts and lives align with what God has put into the scriptures? We need to be mindful that not one of us knows the day, nor the hour, when to expect Him. We need to learn to trust Him and put it all in His hands! 

“How to Save the World” 1 Peter 3:8-15

The world is a crazy place to live! It often feels like the opposition that the world throws at you is too much to bear. Yet, we have hope and must share a hope that can fix our broken world with 2 key ingredients.

"Who's the Boss?" 1 Peter 2:11-17

Freedom, it's that what we celebrate on Independence Day? What does it mean to be free?  And what do we do with the privilege of being free?   1st Peter offers a plan to be free even while living under outside authority. 

“Order in the House” 1 Peter 3:1-9

When something runs across our grain, our first impulse is to argue. We are quick to find fault, to draw lines and take sides. It seems that just about every thought has the potential to divide us, even something intended to build unity. As Peter addresses order in the family, and the first thing we do is stumble on the parts we don’t like, but in doing so, we may miss the chance to grow closer. 

“Family Resemblance” 1 Peter 1:13-23

It’s often easy to pick out family traits that are passed down from generation to generation. Peter notes that as “children of God” we also ought to have some defining features. There are two primary traits he notes in the text today that allow us to do a reality check to see how our family resemblance is showing.