In this message, Dr. Smith continues “The Gathering” by calling us out of a consumer mindset and into our true identity as the church, the ecclesia, the gathered Congress of King Jesus. He warns against “creative disobedience” in giving, shows how God takes our motives seriously, and then walks through Scripture to show that church is not an event you attend but a branch of heaven’s government with real authority, responsibility, and power when we gather.
Dr. Smith begins a new series reminding us that gathering is more than attendance; it is God’s design for transformation. In Acts 2:42-47, the early church devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. That devotion - not convenience - invited the power and presence of God. The message calls believers to restore the sacred rhythm of gathering with expectation, to bring sacrifices of praise, time, humility, and focus, and to see themselves as living stones in God’s spiritual house. From Genesis to 1 Peter, Dr. Smith shows that we were created to walk with God together, to see Him more clearly, and to glorify Him as one body.
Dr. Smith walks through 1 Chronicles c29 to show how David led a holy building campaign and what that means for our pledges today. The heart of the message is simple; God tests and directs our hearts through cheerful, willing, wholehearted giving, and through a renewed devotion to gather. The building serves the gathering; we are the living stones God is forming into a spiritual house.
Dr. Joshua teaches on faith, sacrifice, and legacy as we prepare for Commitment Sunday. Drawing from Cain, Seth, and Abraham, he shows how obedience and unity lead us to build something lasting together.
This week centers on sacrifice as a spiritual tool God uses to shape our hearts and lives. Dr. Smith reviews Cain and Abel to show that God looks at the heart behind our giving and calls us to offer what we trust most back to him. The IMAGINE campaign is more than upgrades to loan, infrastructure, lighting, projection, stage, communication, and seating. God is forming us through prayer, devotion, and commitment, so that our giving ripples into transformed lives and daily work that becomes worship.
In this second IMAGINE message, Dr. Joshua teaches the principle of stewardship through Cain and Abel. God does not need our money. He wants our hearts. The campaign invites prayer, devotion, and commitment so that generosity forms us spiritually, not just financially.
Today’s message is God’s goodness and a church-wide call to prayer, devotion, and commitment as we begin the IMAGINE campaign. Dr. Joshua announces our sanctuary grand reopening date and outlines why we chose to restore and upgrade now. A campaign video follows, then Dr. Joshua teaches on the heart God desires in giving by contrasting David and Saul. We end with a simple pathway for the month: prayer, devotion, commitment.
This message opens with the full reading of Acts chapter 10, where Cornelius prays and Peter receives a vision that challenges his personal doctrine. Dr. Smith uses this passage to show how God can redirect a preacher’s message through the prayers of others, and how the Spirit sometimes leads pastors into political subjects for the sake of the gospel. The sermon confronts the tension many believers feel: are politics out of place in the pulpit, or is God using them as an opportunity to reveal His manifold wisdom?
From Hebrews c3 v7 to v11, Elder Perrilla reminds us not to harden our hearts. The Israelites saw miracles yet forgot God’s faithfulness, and this same warning speaks to us today. We are called to reflect on His mercy, guard our hearts against unbelief, persevere in faith, and welcome the Holy Spirit who guides and comforts.
This message examines how followers of Jesus handle conflict with wisdom and mercy. Dr. Joshua teaches from Matthew 7 on reciprocal judgment, calls us to self-examination that produces empathy, and walks through biblical steps for judging with righteousness in community. The sermon applies Scripture to real life tensions in our culture and church, shows how appearances and feelings can distort judgment, and equips us to handle or report conflict with integrity.
This message is about “BEEF” — how believers handle conflict through unlimited forgiveness, unity in Christ, and practical tools that treat the roots rather than the surface.
In this opening to BEEF, Dr. Smith teaches Jesus’ call to forgive without limits and to live as peacemakers. Paul’s correction to Corinth exposes factions as spiritual immaturity. James 4 locates quarrels in desires at war within. Luke 10 invites us to choose the good portion. The message closes with simple tools — Name the Feeling, Reaction, Desire and the Care Cycle: Aware, Accept, Allow, Attend, and Act — so we resolve conflict in healthy ways and nurture unity.
This week, Dr. Joshua Smith continued the series “I Prayed About It (But What Does That Mean?)” with a focus on the practice of prayer. Building on lessons from Peter’s encounter with Jesus in Luke 5, the message revealed that prayer is more than requests—it is obedience, transformation, and intimacy with God.
