Jesus First Church Ministries

06/18/2026

Hindrances to Accepting God’s Love
Is something in your life preventing you from accepting God's unconditional love?
1 John 3:1-3

Do you ever struggle to embrace the pure love of God? What might prevent a believer from accepting this wonderful blessing?

Our own relationships. Ironically, the way we love each other can distort how we perceive the heavenly Father’s love. As imperfect people, we exhibit imperfect love.

Guilt. Our remorse over sinful behavior might convince us that we are unworthy of God’s love. However, we have the assurance of Scripture that our Father loves us completely.

Legalism. Many people view the Bible as a rule book. However, God gave us His Word for instruction and inspiration, not as a measuring stick by which He distributes love or punishment.

Misinterpretation of divine discipline. God is a trustworthy and caring Father; His discipline and love are intimately connected (Heb. 12:5-6). He corrects our behavior when necessary for our benefit, not as a form of punishment. Jesus already redeemed us from our sin; God doesn’t continue to hold anything over our head.

Is something in your life preventing you from fully experiencing the joy and exhilaration of God’s unconditional love? If so, lay it down before Him today and receive the amazing grace He so freely offers to His beloved ones.

06/18/2026

06/17/2026

VBS meeting. Saturday 11:00 am

06/17/2026

If you feel led to help..we would greatly appreciate it.

06/17/2026

The Unconditional Love of God
God's love isn't something you can earn or lose. It flows from His nature, not your performance.
Romans 5:6-8

New believers may find it difficult to accept that God loves them just as they are. After all, much of the world operates by conditional love, which offers approval and acceptance on the basis of performance. So when we first come to Christ, there is often a natural tendency to assume we must strive to “earn” blessings.

Divine love can never be gained by human effort. There’s nothing we can do to make our Father love us more. Nor can we do anything to make Him stop loving us (Rom. 8:38-39).

No matter what has occurred in your past or what you’re struggling with right now, God’s love is freely given to you. Our heavenly Father pours His love upon us without exception. It’s not as if He postponed loving you until the moment you invited Him into your life. In truth, the Lord never began to love you at all; He always has. From the creation of the world, God knew you and loved you (Ps. 139:13-16; Eph. 1:4-5).

Rejoice in the Father’s love. Experience His peace instead of focusing only on what-ifs, and embrace a life characterized by purpose rather than fear. It’s available as soon as you prayerfully open your arms to His unconditional love.

06/16/2026

Understanding the Christian Life
Do you understand what it means to be saved?
Galatians 1:11-17

A change in both lifestyle and understanding should result from salvation (Rom. 12:2). Shortly after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul pulled away to Arabia for a time. Before he could start his ministry, he needed to learn from the Lord. Similarly, new believers coming into faith need to understand what salvation really means. Let’s look at some terms that help explain what is meant by “being saved”:

Born again (John 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:17). Rebirth is a starting over. We become new creations in Christ, with new spiritual life and identity.

Converted (1 Thess. 1:9). Converting something means changing it, like money that’s exchanged from one currency to another. The Christian life involves many different changes.

Receiving Christ (John 1:12). We often think of salvation as something God gives us, but it is more than that. When someone trusts in Christ, that person welcomes the Lord to live within his or her being.

Think about how you thought and lived before you knew the Savior, as compared with now. In what ways do you see genuine change? Ask God to reveal areas in your life where Christ could become more evident.

06/15/2026

Complete Obedience
God desires complete obedience for our good, not to burden us.
1 Samuel 15:1-35

One of the most common ways we step out of God’s will is through partial obedience—doing most of what He asks but holding back in other areas.

King Saul fell into this trap. After God ordered the Israelites to completely destroy the Amalekites and their possessions, they spared the best livestock and the leader, Agag. When Samuel arrived, Saul announced he’d done as commanded. But on further questioning, he shifted blame to the people (v. 15)—though he was king, and no big decision was made without his approval.

Then Saul offered what seemed like a reasonable explanation: The animals had been saved to be sacrificed to the Lord. It must have sounded righteous. But Samuel wasn’t fooled. He identified Saul’s action for what it was—rebellion (v. 23).

We can do the same thing. Our reasons for partial obedience may sound perfectly logical to us. We might even convince ourselves we’re honoring God. But the Lord doesn’t evaluate our obedience by our intentions or justifications.

Have you been rationalizing a decision that doesn’t quite align with what God wants? Partial obedience may feel like a reasonable compromise, but it keeps us from experiencing the fullness of walking in His will.