Chris Wall • Ezra 1-2 ESV As followers of Christ, we do not need to be too worried about the political developments unfolding in front of our eyes. We are not saying voting ispointless. We are saying that Proverbs 21:1 has real merit. “A king’s heart is like streams of water in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever He chooses.” Of course, we pray for leaders. We work to influence our governmental system. But God’s word constantly reminds us of the providential hand of God in the midst of all earthly authority. Ezra pays close attention to the words of Jeremiah. This is a pattern we should follow closely. We must be a church paying close attention to what God’s word says. God will keep His word. We are not a people swayed by shifts in authority or culture. God is at work, and we trust Him and follow His word. We must be firm in our passion for the Word of God and working to understand all God has said. ...

Misael Gonzalez • 1 Corinthians 13:7-13 NIV Everything in this world has an ending. But God, the complete embodiment of love, is forever. Though our physical and mental states wither away, God’s nature and character will never change. The extravagant love of God challenges us because it gives us more than we deserve, and it takes us further than we want to go. ...

Chris Wall • 1 Corinthians 13:1-6 ESV All of us want to have integrity. We struggle with ourselves when we don't show it. Unfortunately, too many times there is a gap between what we want to do and what we actually do. In this message, let’s zero in on 1 Corinthians 13:6. It says, "Love does not rejoice in evil but rejoices with the truth". Shine a light on the word “rejoices.”  The word means that love desires truth, it wants it, it needs it. Love needs you and me to be honest and to be a person whose word can be trusted. ...

Chris Wall • 1 Corinthians 13:1-6 ESV It's a fact of life that people hurt each other. Either intentionally or unintentionally we hurt each other. You're going to hurt people; they're going to hurt you. How we handle that hurt will is going to determine some of our health and happiness in life. If we don't respond correctly to hurt, it turns into resentment. If we hold on to a hurt, it becomes hate. I have had people tell me, “I don't love my husband anymore....  I don't have any feelings for my wife; it’s dead inside. What's wrong with me?” Usually what turns out to be wrong is the accumulation of resentment and bitterness. Bitterness has the ability to so eat away at the relationship that eventually they are emotionally empty. That is true about marriage, but it is also true about any relationship in our lives. The good news is that we can recover from the resentment and hurts in our life. ...

Chris Wall • 1 Corinthians 13:1-5 ESVThis message keys in on a part of this passage, 1 Corinthians 13:5, which says "Love is not easily angered." Let’s pay attention to the fact that it doesn't say 'love never gets angry' because there are sometimes that love does get angry. Sometimes the loving thing to do is to get angry. It says that "Love is not easilybangered". Anger comes in many ways. Sometimes anger expresses itself in explosions but sometimes it just simmers below the surface until some choice moment. Sometimes it ignores. Sometimes it complains and gripes. Sometimes it withdraws into bitterness. No matter how you express your anger, so many relationships go down the tubes because one or both didn’t control it. Learning how to control our anger may be one of the most important things we can do in improving our love for others. ...

Chris Wall • 1 Corinthians 13:1-5a ESV ...