Truth Community Church

In our series on Blaze Church’s Core Values, we begin with “Jesus Over Everything,” inspired by Paul’s message in Athens. Paul observed the city's idolatry and addressed its people, affirming their religiosity but pointing to their confusion. He proclaimed that God, the Creator of everything, doesn’t dwell in man-made temples. Paul emphasized the need for repentance, revealing the resurrection of Jesus as central to faith. By placing Jesus over everything, Paul illustrated that true worship and salvation come through Christ alone, not through religious practices or idols. This message is foundational for Blaze Church’s commitment to prioritize Jesus in all we do.

Who has the right to rearrange the furniture in your house? You! Because you are the owner! Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem and began turning over tables and driving out the merchants. When questioned about his authority to do such a thing, Jesus responded by declaring that He was the temple that would be destroyed and raised up in three days. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we give Him the authority to rearrange the furniture in our lives; he calls the shots! As a collective of believers, we are now the temple of God, called to be a house of prayer! Let's embrace this call, surrendering our lives to Jesus and living in community, united in prayer and worship.

Greed is sneaky. That’s why Jesus said to watch out for it. Often, we justify our greedy decisions, especially when we feel pain and grief. But if we’re honest, no one likes a greedy person. There was a moment when a rich, young leader came to Jesus asking how to receive eternal life. Jesus exposed the greed in his heart. Through their conversation, we discover that while riches can make following Christ harder, when we remember the sacrifice He made for us, we find true spiritual richness. The new kind of wealth that believers have is gospel communities. Generosity truly is our privilege, and it is the way to being refreshed!

In this message, we will discover that priorities are not just about ourselves but that God desires for us to have friendships; real bonds here on earth that point us to His love. When we love others as ourselves we are fulfilling the gospel message. Jonathan understood this when his friend David was being hunted by his Father. Lightning McQueen, in the movie Cars, realizes that life is better when you are not alone. And you and I must realize that Jesus is the best friend we can have. As we live this life to honor God and others, we will live it to the fullest with the right priorities in place! 

Did you know God created all of your emotions and not just the happy ones? Continuing our series, At the Movies, we explore the movie Inside Out in connection with God’s word to learn that God created us with a spectrum of emotions, each serving a purpose in our lives. And we will see that just as Riley's emotions worked together in the film, we too should acknowledge and embrace all of our feelings to experience emotional balance and wholeness which helps us connect with God and others. Learn practical steps for processing and expressing your feelings, and see how God can draw us closer to Him and to others through our emotional experiences.

Where do people go when they die? There are a lot of suggestions ranging from reincarnation to nothingness to the afterlife. It is clear that people are curious about what happens when someone dies. The Christian message declares that people either spend eternity in the presence of God or are separated from the presence of God. In this message, we discover what the Bible says about heaven and hell. Believers have hope and confidence in the return of Christ. By using movie clips from Pixar’s Coco, we learn that those who surrender their lives to Jesus will spend forever in heaven.

The final charge Peter the Apostle gives in his letter is Stand Firm! Children of God are protected by the mighty hand of God. Knowing this, we can choose humility in a world that celebrates pride. We do not have to carry burdens; Jesus invites us to cast all our cares on Him. The devil wants to devour us. Our response is to live alert and sober-minded. Christ has already confronted and defeated Satan; we do not have to live in fear. Our hope of eternal glory frames our current suffering as momentary. As we live in this world, we stand firm, knowing that our display of Christ’s love will cause others to put their hope in Him as well. 

In the book of 1 Peter, the apostle Peter was speaking to Christians in Rome, but his words are for us today as well. We should have the same mindset — a mindset to do the Father’s will, a mindset towards eternity. God says: I want you to do my will specifically for you.It’s not about you! Be Christlike God sets up boundaries in our life for our good. Jesus gives us a new way of living. Our normal response is “Get back at those who do harm to you.” But Jesus says, “bless those who persecute you.” Suffering gives us an opportunity to honor God and display Christ through the way we respond to suffering.

On Father’s Day, we reflect on what it means to be a child of God. Believers are called to exhibit unity, sympathy, love, compassion, and humility. By living these qualities, others should recognize us as God’s children, just as people say, "He’s his father’s son." Even in suffering, we share the hope within us with gentleness and respect. The transformation in Peter, who boldly proclaimed Jesus despite persecution, serves as our model. Let’s strive for people to see that we’ve been with Jesus, embodying His love and grace in all we do.

In his great mercy, God has given us a new birth into a living hope! That is good news! When the believers in the first century received Peter’s letter, they must have been filled with joy, despite the suffering they were facing. How are we called to live as we await the return of Christ? The hope we have in Jesus is not a vague wish; it is a certain expectation! In this portion of Peter’s letter, we discover four ways to live for Christ: Gird our minds, pursue holiness, choose reverent fear, and remember past redemption. If you ever wonder what your worth is, remember God chose to redeem you through the blood of His Son, even before the creation of the world! You matter!

The Holy Spirit has good gifts to give believers so we can help one another. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth to address some issues they were having. One of the problems they faced was chaos in their worship services. People were using spiritual gifts for their own benefit. Through his writing, we discover the importance of being united in the midst of diversity. As the human body has many parts that form one body, the church is filled with various gifts to complete the whole. The most important thing is love. Without love, none of the gifts matter. The only way to show the kind of love God calls us to show is to know the kind of love He showed us. Small Groups are the best environment for us to use our gifts and grow in our love!

God has more in store for us than we can ever imagine. All believers are invited to receive the Holy Spirit. On the first Pentecost after the Resurrection, the Father fulfilled His promise by sending the Holy Spirit on the Jewish believers. But the promise of salvation and the Spirit wasn’t just for the Jews; it was for all people! Philip went to Samaria and shared the good news with the people of the city. When the Apostles came, they laid hands on the believers, and the Holy Spirit was given. Through this moment we see that God has more of Himself to give to believers than the initial sealing of the Spirit at the moment of salvation. We can receive the Holy Spirit by presenting ourselves, asking in faith, and choosing obedience. Experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit today!

This message will encourage your faith to find peace and comfort in the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the presence of the Lord and by inviting Him into your decision-making, you will have a peace that passes all understanding. The Holy Spirit is our advocate, promised by Jesus himself. He is the promised Comforter, Helper, and Counselor. When you and I feel afraid, Jesus says “Do not be troubled”. The Holy Spirit will come and comfort you in every moment you need. When you feel abandoned, as the disciples did, Jesus says, “I will never leave you”. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, you and I can be fully comforted and at peace. The peace the Spirit brings will go beyond anything the world has to offer. Welcome His promised presence today by surrendering to Jesus.

You may have heard a prayer that ends like this: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” This prayer acknowledges a single God with three distinct expressions of who He is. So who is the Holy Spirit? He is God — the personal presence of God! Scripture helps us begin to understand God’s beautifully complex identity by giving us symbols that reveal who the Holy Spirit is: Wind, Oil and a Dove. In this message, you will be reminded of how much you need the Holy Spirit to live a fully-alive and empowered life. And He is not just “out there” somewhere — God has given the Holy Spirit to live in you when you hear the Gospel of Jesus and believe!

In this message, you'll hear from a young couple who has been married for just a year, and another couple married for almost 40 years. The common theme? Commitment. Intentionally. Christ at the center. No compromise. Protect your circle. Hard times will come, but with God at the center, your marriage will thrive through the toughest circumstances in life. What's the secret? Put each other first. Live the way of Jesus: "I am second."

Did you know the most talkative person you know is YOU? Think about it. You are with you all the time and you talk to yourself all day long! What are you telling yourself about your relationships? Are your thoughts positive and faith-filled? Every person has ANTS – Automatic Negative Thoughts – that cycle in our heads on repeat. To stop the negative cycle, we need to capture, question and replace negative thoughts with the truth of what God says about us. In this message, learn four lies that will destroy any marriage, and hear the truth about each of those that will bring you freedom.

Many of us have asked the question, "How do I find the right person?" Have you ever considered that a better question may be, "How do I become the right person?" After all, you don’t attract what you want, you attract what you are! Regardless of relationship status, we all need three essential qualities to live a full life: secure in Christ, strong in character, and planted in community. Living in God's love results in strong character in our speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. When we understand this, we see that marriage isn't the goal… Jesus is!

God’s design for marriage is very clear. Culture tells us we can live with an individualistic approach, but according to God, marriage is based on a mutual commitment to one another. Through reading about the marriage relationship between King David and Michal (Saul’s daughter), we will discover three qualities that make a Godly marriage. Michal suffered because she did not know the importance of these qualities within her marriage. You and I are invited to a renewal covenant with the Lord so that we can declare that we will serve the Lord for the rest of our lives!

What are you living for? Do you have hope? If you are missing hope in your life, the likely reason is that what you’ve put your hope in isn’t a living hope. After Jesus died, the disciples lost hope. They went back to their previous source of hope, but it didn’t fulfill them. When the resurrected Jesus showed up, hope was restored. Peter had a miraculous moment of restoration on the beach. Easter means you and I have a living hope. The Christian life comes down to two words: Follow me. When we follow Jesus, we experience a hope that never dies.