Santa Maria Foursquare Church

Jesus talks about shame, but not in a way we typically think about it. In Mark 8, Jesus makes the hard statement that if we're ashamed of him, then he'll be ashamed of us. These are hard words, but Jesus isn't being harsh. He's being real. His words call us to consider if we're giving in to a world that's increasingly "faith shaming" those who are aligned with the gospel. And it causes us to ask: if we're not to be ashamed, then how should we live out our faith in our generation?

Taking inspiration from Jesus' promise to make his followers "fishers of people," Pastor Mike helps us grapple with the amazing diversity of ways to share the good news of Jesus with others.

Our POV: "I'd do anything to find real life!" – God's POV: "I did everything to give you real life!" What Jesus did through the cross and that first Easter was to create a NEW and LIVING WAY. He did it for all of humanity, even the most broken and vulnerable. And it's not just a temporary fix. The promise of Easter is that new life available to us permanently. Even after death, we live!

Living in relationship with Jesus isn't just about receiving God’s blessing. And it isn't just about giving and giving. It’s about living in such a way that both giving and receiving are happening in a powerful rhythm of spiritual life. That's the kind of life God will bless. But you can't give what you haven't received — so today we're focusing our attention on what stops us from receiving all God has for us. How can we live in a way that invites his blessing?

The Apostle Paul was alarmed and angry when he was writing to his friends in the region of Galatia. People had been coming into the churches there, trying to get them to follow a different gospel — which Paul said was no gospel at all. So, what is the gospel? And why is this conversation so important for us today?

Do you ever feel like something is missing from your faith? In Acts 18-19 we find back-to-back stories where this was the case. These followers of God had received John's baptism, but not the baptism of Jesus. In fact, they'd never even heard the good news about the Holy Spirit. But they were open to receiving ALL God had for them and soon were walking in the fullness of the Spirit. That can be our story as well! Dive into this message about the mission of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Are we open to change, or will we say something like, Are You Kidding God? How do we respond when God speaks to us about doing something in His name? Today, Pastor Gary shares from Acts chapter 11 and how we should make changes to our life so that when God says GO, we can go.

Jesus' primary mission was to bless humanity. And the primary obstacle in the way of receiving that blessing is sin. That's why Jesus went to the cross, in order to destroy sin's power over us. Today we're looking at three of the massive blessings that flow into a life that's turned from sin to Jesus. Get ready to be blessed!

God doesn’t need a thing — right? If he is who he says he is, he’s completely lacking nothing. So then why does Jesus say he has need of something? Join us for this conversation in Luke 19 and discover why God may “need” us to be involved in his mission of redemption.

When Jesus' disciples asked him a question about the destruction of the Temple, he had much to say in response. Luke captured Jesus' words in Luke 21, where he describes a future that is dark, war-torn, and scary. Yet in his words we find hope for his followers and several points of instruction. Let's learn from Jesus about how we can live without fear even in the darkest of days.

When everything is going wrong, how is it possible to see things change? Jesus tells us when he speaks these subversive words: Love your enemy. This is so counterintuitive to our natural way of living. How is it even possible? Join us as we dive into Luke 6 and find out.

John the Baptist drops the hammer in Luke 3, calling people not only to repentance — but to live like it! And what he says echoes what God had said all the back in Genesis 1: "Be fruitful and multiply." Discover how these four words lead to living in God's blessing.

There is power in focus. It's why people make New Year's resolutions — to FOCUS their energies on things that need attention. Today Pastor Tim shares three areas of focus for SM4 in 2023: Prayer, God's Word (including our new 260 Journals), and the development and release of Leadership. Dive in and don't miss out on the new things God is doing this New Year!

We bring many expectations into our relationship with Jesus. Today, Pastor Gary shares from the Christmas story how to deal with these different expectations. As we do, God will show up and prove his promises true.

Much of life is spent in the "waiting room," living in anticipation of receiving what God has promised — but it's not here yet. We're still waiting. Why would God make us linger and not immediately provide us what's been promised? That's what we're discovering today through the Christmas story of Simeon.

Hebrews 10:23 offers us a unique model of faith — five powerful ideas wrapped up in this single verse. Today we wrap up this three-part series and discuss the importance of getting our hope out into the world around us.

How do we come to faith? Today we continue our look into Hebrews 10:23 and the essential role that God's promises play in this process. We'll find that without his promise, hope (and faith itself!) would be impossible. But when his promise comes alive within us, everything changes!

You only have to read just a bit of the Bible before you’ll recognize that FAITH is extremely important — to God and to our stories. This reality of God’s faithfulness is always the starting point for faith. Pastor Tim shares with us how once you come to know that God is faithful, it makes sense that you’d choose to believe what He says is true. Then it makes sense why you’d HOLD FAST to His promise.

Would it surprise you that Jesus will send you into the middle of trouble? But take courage – He will meet you there as well. That's what we discover in the story of Jesus walking on the water. It's where He joins His friends who were in deep trouble.

It's in 2 Peter 1:5 that Peter tells us there are essential things to add to our faith. In fact, he goes on to say in 1:8 that if we don't add to (or upgrade) our faith, we'll end up with a faith that's totally ineffective. One of the upgrades Peter says that's needed is knowledge. But what kind of knowledge is he talking about, and how can we get it? Dive in today and let's discover together.