Doxa Bible Church : Messages

There are a lot of areas in life where it is ok to lack certainty. However, when it comes to our relationship with God, we should want to know for certain Who He is and what He is really like. Thankfully God wants His people to know the true nature of His character and love. Join us this week as we begin our summer series through 1 John - "Love Made Known".

Have you been struggling to find peace, purpose, or lasting joy? Jesus invites us to abide in Him—the true vine—where our lives are shaped by His Spirit, aligned with His will, and anchored in His love. When we remain in Him, we don't just survive—we bear fruit and flourish. Join us as we discover the one path to true eternal joy.

Join us this Sunday as we unpack our final installment of "Back To Eden". We will be answering the question, How to live in the tension of "already, but not yet" that the gospel declares about us. For example, perhaps you've wondered how we can already be free from sin, but yet we still struggle and fall into the same sin. - Let's discover the answer to this gospel tension together this weekend. 

A perfect God made a perfect garden. In that perfect garden He set people made perfectly in His image. All was well, until it wasn't. With a bite of fruit sin entered the world. It explains all the brokenness, pain, hardship, and heartache we have experienced since. To understand the brokenness of the world in which we live we have to understand that moment sin entered the world, but we also need to see the extravagant grace of God that meets broken people in their sin. Jump into Genesis 3 with us to see how gruesome sin really is, and how gracious God is to sinners.

Perhaps you've heard the phrase, "You can't really know where you are going until you know where you've been." This week, as Pastor Joe begins a new series called Back To Eden, we are going to look back at how life was lived in the Garden with God so we can better understand the life Jesus has called us into, today. 

"It Is Finished" - These were the last words spoken by our Lord before he gave up his life as a ransom for many. But there were several critical moments that lead up to this very scene. Moments filled with confusion, anxiousness, worship, and wonder. In this short mini-series leading up to resurrection morning, we will walk with Jesus "Before It Is Finished" watching his boldness, loyalty and resoluteness to accomplish what no one else could. --- Our salvation.

As we come to our final message in our Pray First series, it is important that we know where our confidence comes from. What is it that actually builds our confidence in prayer? Join us this week as we listen in on Paul's counsel about becoming "Confident Pray-ers". 

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:16Prayer… Don't complicate it.This week we will talk about how to run to the Father in times of need.

John 15:5 - "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."Jesus makes it clear that in order for us to live and experience the life He has called us to, we must continue to depend on Him. Learning to "Pray First" will undeniably help us increase our dependence on Jesus. As we gather together this Sunday we will unpack what it looks like to pray prayers of faith. 

I'm excited to begin our Pray First series this Sunday. Over the next 21 days, we are going to strengthen our prayer lives together and begin asking our Father to do the impossible, move the immovable, and break the unbreakable in our lives. Church, Let's Pray!

Death is a thief. Many of us have experienced the heart-aching sorrow and grief that comes from the passing of a loved one in our lives. This week Paul explains the great hope we have as Christ followers when we find ourselves walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

What does it mean to be truly resilient in your faith? As we continue in Part 2 of “What's God's Will For My Life” of our Resilient series, 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 shows us that God's will is not just about what we believe but how we live. He calls His people to love one another and be a compelling witness to the world. A resilient life isn't loud or flashy—it's faithful, steady, and dependent on the Lord. Join us this Sunday as we discover how resilience shapes our daily walk with Christ!

According to The National Library of Medicine, "Sitting is now the new smoking." Research is continuing to validate the health benefits of standing desks and treadmill desks in office spaces. Apparently walking while at work is said to provide uncommon clarity and better overall job performance for employees. Interestingly enough, walking just so happens to be one of the apostle Paul's favorite metaphors for the Christian life for similar reasons. In fact, in this week's passage, Paul tells us that we will never understand God's will for our lives unless we walk further with Christ. Have you ever wondered what God's will is for your life? Join us this Sunday as we find out together.

God's Word is "more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb." (Psalm 19:10) King David wrote this in order to remind God's people about the beauty and resourcefulness found in Scripture. This week, Paul is going to unpack for us why this is. Why is God's Word such a beautiful and good gift from God to us? And how will it actually impact our church family? 

This week we continue our Resilient series by exploring what it means to live a gospel-shaped life. Through Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, we discover how the gospel frees us from constantly seeking approval and unleashes us to love others without reservation. The passage challenges us to live God's greater purpose for us and step into his bigger story for our lives.

Have you ever belonged to something that made you feel like you're "special". Maybe a sports team that won the National Championship, Go Buckeyes! (Sorry, too soon) Well, this week, as we jump into Paul's letter to the church in Thessalonica, we are going to learn about some incredible perks and privileges we receive because we belong to God's family. 

"Resilient" -- When you hear that word, what comes to your mind? According to Google, the most often portrayed images of resilience are the famous Redwood Trees in the Santa Cruz mountain range. These trees are claimed to be the tallest and strongest trees on the planet. The secret to their resilience is found in their surprisingly unique eco-system. This week as we jump into a brand new series through the book of 1 Thessalonians, we will discover God's uniquely designed eco-system that produces resilient faith.  

As we embark on this new year together, we want to begin by re-establishing Jesus' proper place in our lives and in our church. Jesus is King. However, in order for this to truly be the case, we must learn how to conquer compromise when it creeps into our lives. This week we are going to watch how one of Judah's kings responded to compromise in his own life in such a way that brought about remarkable healing and human flourishing.

Sin broke it, Jesus fixed it.

When you hear the word "mighty" what comes to mind? This week as we continue our search for Christmas from Isaiah 9:6, we are going to discover what is meant by Jesus being The Mighty God.

When we think of the first Christmas, we rightly tend to think about a manger, shepherds, wise men and angels celebrating the birth of a promised savior. But what if there is more to the story than we realize? Over the next four weeks we are going to take a closer look into the birth of the baby born in the manger in order to discover some often overlooked truths of the Christmas story. Truths that offer the very things that our hearts have been searching for all along.

As we draw to the end of Peter's letter, he reminds the church of how important it is to support each other as we endeavor to live the kingdom life, especially when we are spiritually and emotionally exhausted. This Sunday Peter gives two critical challenges. He offers one final challenge to the church about enduring hard things as we live for Christ and he offers a critical challenge to the pastors/elders of our church about godly leadership. 

The end of the world is coming—how will you live? In 1 Peter 4:7-11, the Apostle Peter encourages us to live with urgency, knowing that "the end of all things is near." With time running out, he calls us to remain vigilant, to pray, love deeply, and serve each other. Our actions today matter for eternity. As the world draws closer to its end, let our hearts be ready to glorify Christ with all of our lives as we wait with purpose. Jesus is coming back Christian!

When was the last time you slept through your alarm clock in the morning? I don't know about you, but that can be a frustrating way to start your day. I asked this question because as we continue in our study through first Peter, the apostle essentially offers us three heavenly wake-up calls to keep us alert and awake in our calling to follow King Jesus. What are they? Let's find out together on Sunday. 

"Bring it on!" - These were the words my 5 foot tall girlfriend (soon to be wife) told me during an intense intramural volleyball game at our college. The fire in Bekah's eyes in that moment has forever burned a lasting memory in my mind. She had a compelling resolve to win that game. This week, Peter wants to remind every Christ-follower that we too must have a compelling resolve to live for Christ especially when we feel like we are losing. If you find it difficult to follow Christ at work, or school, or even around your family, Peter has some very encouraging words for you this Sunday. Hope to see you there. 

What does marriage look like in this day and age? How are we as Christians supposed to think about the roles of husband and wife? In 1 Peter 3:1-7 Peter gives us clear expectations for how Christians are to live for his Kingdom in marriage. Join us this Sunday as we unpack the truths of God's Word for all of our lives. 

The moment we've been waiting for... what does the bible say about governmental authorities? The apostle Peter helps Jesus followers explore their calling to engage politics in a way that unifies the church and attracts the unbeliever. With the presidential election just one month away, the timing of this teaching could not be any better. 

Much like a coach at halftime, attempting to motivate his players to unite together and win the game, Peter has been reminding us of who we are because of Christ and all that he has accomplished for us. Now, he urges us to impact and influence our community by living the kingdom way of life wherever we find ourselves. So, at this week's Sunday gathering, we are going to listen to Peter's advice as he carefully helps us live the kingdom life amidst distractions, frustrations, and disappointments.  

"Be holy for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:16) I don't know about you, but when I consider what the Lord is calling me to in this verse I frequently feel like a failure. Instead of "stepping into my calling to be holy" I often feel like I'm floundering in my calling? This week the apostle Peter is going to offer us some wonderful help and instruction on how we can truly live as holy human beings. 

I imagine if you were to ask people, "What does it mean to have a flourishing life?", you would hear a variety of answers. Some might suggest a loving family, a successful career, or financial affluence. But the answer we find in God's Word is quite different. This week we are going to walk through 1 Peter 1:13-21 and discover for ourselves not just what a flourishing life is but how we can live it. 

As we move into the fall season, I couldn't be more excited to begin a brand new series with you all. Starting this Sunday, we're going to work our way through the book of 1 Peter. Peter wrote this letter to a group of believers scattered across Roman provinces as they each faced pressure to conform to the cultural norms around them. He wrote this letter to encourage them and to remind them that they are first and foremost followers of Christ. They are citizens of a better kingdom. That is the central truth that I believe will bring out the best in us as we journey the months ahead.

It is truly exciting to consider all that the LORD may have in store for our church family as we continue to give ourselves to lifting high the person and work of Christ. However, much like a car can not function properly without the presence of gasoline, nor can the church function properly without the presence of Christ-Exalting Generosity. As we gather this coming Sunday, we are going to be studying Paul's instruction to Timothy as he set out to pastor the first church in Ephesus. It's there that Paul reveals what will happen when the church participates in "Christ-Exalting Generosity."

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32Although Jesus was referring to His death on the cross, this truth is still a very real experience today. As we continue to grow together and lift Christ higher together, people in our community will be drawn to Jesus. This Sunday, we are going to learn how to be a church that attracts others to Christ and the gospel. DOXA Family, as you go throughout the rest of this week remember that You Are Loved!  

As summer comes to an end and life begins to settle back into rhythm, we want to take time to "reset" our hearts and lives on Christ and His desires for our church family. Over the next four weeks we are excited to lead everyone to a clearer, more passionate pursuit of Jesus as we prepare to follow Him throughout the rest of this year. We hope you will join us as we "reset" our heart on Jesus together! 

A few weeks ago we celebrated our country's national independence. Our family typically commemorates this day with fireworks in the night sky, food on the grill, and friends around the house. Physically speaking, we have the opportunity to achieve our dreams, earn an education, and become financially independent all because we live in a free country. So it is fitting that we make a big deal about living in an independent nation.But spiritually speaking, when we celebrate and/or desire our independence, it raises significant concerns. In fact, this Sunday, as we open up God's Word we are going to learn that living the kingdom life requires the exact opposite. In John 15, Jesus is going to tell us why dependence is "far better" than independence. 

"Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25Habits shape our lives. Each one of us have our own habits that we do everyday. We drink our coffee, we watch certain T.V. shows, we have our favorite local coffee shops, stores, etc. But there are some habits that we can develop that are unhealthy for our walks with Christ. One of those is being in isolation. This week our kingdom paradox will show us how Christian Community is far better than isolation.