Pea Ridge Baptist Church with Dan Londeree

Psalm 23 is an expression of trust in God's guidance, provision, and protection, portraying the Lord as a shepherd who leads His people through both peaceful and hard times. It reassures believers that even in the darkest valleys, God's presence offers comfort. This psalm invites us to live with confidence, knowing that God's goodness and mercy follow us all our days.

The author of Hebrews uses multiple references to the Old Testament to build comparisons that show Jesus is greater. Along the way, this author also issues warnings to the reader that serve as reminders to stay committed to following Jesus while waiting for him to come again.

Jesus was a revolutionary. He brought a gospel revolution to Israel and the religious leaders who were in power refused to believe in him. Their lives were characterized by hypocrisy, while Jesus shared the truth in love. Where do you see yourself in the people described in the latter portion of Matthew's record of the life and ministry of Jesus?

Jesus often used parables (stories with meaning) to share the good news of his kingdom. Why was he not more direct? He wanted people to truly seek to understand and receive him. The parable of the soils illustrates this. Which soil most closely describes your life?

Zach Stevens and our youth group students and volunteers share what they've learned about Jesus, and Pastor Dan wraps up with a glimpse into 1 Peter where the apostle focuses on the example set for us by our Savior.

One day, Jesus was approached by a wealthy man who sincerely desired to know what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus' conversation with this man shows us that following him means laying down our selfish desires.

In Paul's letter to the Philippian church, he challenged the believers to have the same attitude that Jesus had. When individuals in a church follow Jesus' example of humility, the body experiences unity and we all work together to glorify God.

While Romans is widely considered Paul's "theological masterpiece," we must understand that his purpose was to show believers what it looks like to live out that theology. This pattern emerges in many of Paul's letters, and Romans 12-16 is an example.

In his letters to believers in Gallatia and Rome, Paul taught that our "old self" was crucified with Christ. And yet, he also acknowledged that we all still struggle against our selfish human nature. If we are set free from this, how do we then live in this freedom?

The kingdom of God is "upside down" in that it operates very differently from traditional earthly kingdoms. As Paul began his first letter to the church in Corinth, he explained that this new kingdom does not rely on human power or wisdom; the only foundation is Christ, who is the power and wisdom of God.

We have examined the example of Jesus and the early church. This week we focus on the example of Paul, whose life and ministry is documented in the book of Acts. What can we learn from the way Paul lived? Much like Jesus, he was committed to sharing the Good News, loving God and loving other people.

In Acts 1, Jesus' disciples revealed that they desired the earthly kingdom of Israel to experience a glorious restoration. Jesus gave them a realignment of vision and values and the rest of Acts records what happened as they followed his teaching. We must be mindful of our own priorities and make sure we are focused on the new spiritual kingdom of the Gospel rather than any earthly kingdom.

Jesus calls all of his disciples to follow him, which means to obey his teachings and emulate his way of life. We can assess where we are on this journey by looking at what he confronts and what he values.

In the first message of the Immersed series, we see how Jesus is different than the traditional human way of life. His way is a new way of life for those who choose to follow him.

As we enter a new year, our goal is to immerse ourselves in God's Word so that we can walk His path. Knowing His Word while focusing on knowing the Lord will result in a life filled with joy, and a life that honors Him.

Roger Adams, who served as the pastor at Pea Ridge from 1990-99, shares what it means for followers of Jesus to let our light shine in a dark world. We need to adopt some specific practices to help us to do this, and know what problems to watch out for along the way.

As we enter into 21 days of gratitude, Psalm 100 gives us the "how" and "why" of giving thanks to God. Each of us can choose to enter into God's presence with thanksgiving as we remember who He is and what He has done for us.

What is it that causes us as individuals to become complacent in our relationship with God? We begin to live as though we are fine exactly the way we are, and this comes from the deceiver who wants to convince us that we do not need God. As we look to Jesus, he empowers us to lay aside this and other wrong mindsets and take steps to follow him.

"Run to win." This is Paul's exhortation to the believers in Corinth, and it should resonate with us as well. While we should each pursue Jesus with everything in us, we also need to develop a vision of what it looks like to pursue him together as a community of believers.

God's design for the cycle of work and rest is intentional. He set the example for us in His work of creation and gave specific instructions to the nation of Israel through His law. Even today, following that cycle and having the right motivation for work and rest is what is best for us.

We live in a culture that pushes us to constantly strive for more. There are two sides to this coin. And these two sides might not be as clear as we would like them to be. Can a person be content and still have a desire to strive for more? For the believer, motives are the key.

There are two instances in the Gospel of John that record Jesus speaking of living water. When we consider these, along with other biblical references that are similar, we can easily see that Jesus is teaching about the power of the Holy Spirit to give life. God will not force us to open ourselves to the flow of this living water. He invites us to make that choice.

God has worked in different ways to speak to different people throughout history. One common theme in all of these examples is this: those who heard the voice of God were paying attention to Him. Ask Him to help you identify the biggest distractions in your life and then with His help, replace them with His truth and wisdom.