Dr. Jordon Gilmore

Key Illustration: The Growing Seed (Mark 4:26–29)

• A farmer scatters seed, then goes about daily life.
• He doesn’t understand how growth happens.
• The earth produces the harvest over time.
• His role: sow the seed
• God’s role: bring the increase

Takeaway: What matters most is not just what we do—but what God does with what we do.

Personal Reflection

• We often focus more on failures than wins (negativity bias).
• Frustration comes when effort doesn’t produce expected results.
• Question: What are you investing your time and energy into—and what return are you expecting?

Core Tension

Two competing focuses:

1. Cares of life (stress, pressure, distractions)
2. Eternal significance (God’s kingdom, lasting fruit)

Key Truths

1. We Overvalue What We Control

• We think what we spend the most time on is most important.
• We believe success depends mainly on us.
• But scripture shows: God is the true source of growth.

2. The Cares of Life Can Choke Out Fruit (Mark 4:18–19)

• Distractions drain time, energy, and focus.
• Even “good” things can crowd out what matters most.
• Example: Busyness, perfectionism, or unnecessary tasks stealing capacity.

Reflection Question:
What temporary things are costing you eternal impact?

3. We Are Role Players, Not the Star

• God is the main character; we are part of His story.
• 1 Corinthians 3:6 – “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”
• True impact happens in community, not isolation.

Goal: Be faithful and excellent in your role—not obsessed with recognition.

4. Contentment Protects Our Heart

• The farmer simply sowed seed—faithfully and consistently.
• Discontentment leads to pride or frustration.
• Contentment keeps us grounded in God’s purpose.

5. Abiding Produces Lasting Fruit (John 15:5,16)

• “Abide” = remain connected over time.
• Many treat God as seasonal, not constant.
• Lasting fruit comes from consistent relationship, not occasional effort.

Key Principle:
Staying connected to God over time produces more than we ever could alone.

Encouragement

• You may feel like you’re on a hamster wheel—but God is still working.
• Even when you don’t see it, He is producing fruit.
• Your responsibility is simple:
  • Sow faithfully
  • Stay connected
  • Trust God for the results

Closing Scripture (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)

• Don’t lose heart—renewal is happening daily.
• Present struggles are temporary.
• What is unseen (eternal) matters most.

Final Takeaway

Focus less on immediate results and more on faithful obedience.
What you do may seem small—but in God’s hands, it produces eternal fruit that remains.

Joshua Boyd

A Holy God - A Holy People

The Bible is God’s story (His story), and its truths still apply to us today.

One of the clearest themes throughout Scripture is this:

God is holy.

The word holy simply means:

• Set apart
• Dedicated
• Separated for God’s purpose

Holiness isn’t about halos or perfection.
It’s about being separated from what contaminates and dedicated to God.

From the very beginning, God established separation.

Creation

• God separated light from darkness (Genesis 1).
• This becomes a spiritual pattern later in Scripture:
  Light and darkness are not meant to mix.

Because God is holy, sin cannot exist in His presence.

Sacrifices

Under the Old Covenant:

• Bulls and goats were sacrificed.
• Blood covered sin.
• People could approach God again.

These sacrifices didn’t disappear with Jesus.

Instead, Jesus became the final and eternal sacrifice.

God restored humanity step by step by separating a portion to make the whole holy.

The Pattern

1. One man – Abraham
2. One nation – Israel
3. One tribe – Levi
4. The priests
5. The High Priest

Each level represented greater separation and dedication to God.

The earthly tabernacle wasn’t random.

Hebrews 8:5

A consistent biblical principle is:

When a portion is made holy, the whole is blessed.

Examples:

Tithing

Leviticus 27:30

The first 10% belongs to the Lord.

Setting it apart makes the rest blessed.

The Sabbath

Exodus 20

God set one day apart as holy.

Keeping one day for God blesses the rest of the week.

Firstborn Dedication

In the Old Testament, the firstborn child was dedicated to God, symbolizing that the entire family belonged to Him.

The same principle applies when we dedicate our children today.

Through Jesus, holiness is no longer limited to Israel.

Anyone who believes in Christ can now be called God’s holy people.

The apostles repeatedly addressed believers this way:

• Romans – “Called to be His holy people”
• Corinthians – “God’s church… called to be holy”
• Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians – “God’s holy people”

Holiness is no longer tied to nationality—it’s tied to faith in Christ.

Christians are called to live set apart, but not removed from the world.

Holiness isn’t perfection.

It’s choosing daily to set ourselves apart for God.

When we honor what God has called holy, He blesses the whole of our lives.

Just as Paul wrote to believers across the ancient world, the same message applies today.

To the holy people of God:

• Stay strong in a weak world.
• Stay faithful in a disloyal culture.
• Keep God’s Word as the highest truth in your life.

God is holy.

And through Christ, He has called us to be holy too.

Dr. Jordon GilmoreKey Text: Gospel of Luke 24:13–35

Pastor Jordon begins with the story of the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus after Jesus’ crucifixion. They were discouraged and confused. As they walked, Jesus joined them—but they didn’t recognize Him. Only after He explained the Scriptures did they realize who He was. Their sorrow turned to excitement, and they ran to tell the other disciples.

This story reflects a common experience for believers. We can walk through life discouraged or distracted and fail to recognize that God is already with us.

Most Christians would say they know God is always with them, yet many don’t always feel that way. Pastor Jordon referenced Book of Psalms 23:4, which reminds us that God is with us even in the valley. If we truly lived with that awareness, it would change our confidence, actions, and mindset. Imagine entering a difficult situation knowing Jesus was standing right behind you saying, “I’ve got you.” Through the Holy Spirit, that is the reality for believers.

Recognizing God is something that develops as we grow in faith. Pastor Jordon described three stages:

1. Recognizing who God is – understanding His character, power, and voice.
2. Recognizing who He is to you personally – growing in a personal relationship with Christ.
3. Recognizing His work in your life – seeing how He empowers and guides you.

As our faith matures, our capacity grows—meaning God entrusts us with more responsibility and deeper experiences with Him.

The disciples illustrate this growth. Early in Jesus’ ministry they often asked, “Who is this?” In Gospel of Matthew 8, after Jesus calmed the storm, they wondered who He could be that even the wind obeyed Him. But later in Gospel of Matthew 14, after many experiences with Jesus, their response changed to worship: “Truly you are the Son of God.” Their ability to recognize Him grew through time spent walking with Him.

Peter’s story highlights this progression. When Jesus walked on water, Peter asked to come to Him. His bold step wasn’t random—it was the result of many experiences with Jesus that had built his faith.

Pastor Jordon pointed out three ways Peter’s capacity grew:

1. He listened to Jesus’ teaching and asked questions.
Peter actively sought understanding instead of staying confused.

2. He experienced miracles and spiritual revelation.
Moments where truth becomes clear deepen our ability to recognize God.

3. He obeyed Jesus’ instructions.
When Jesus told the disciples to preach, heal, and minister, Peter acted. Later, after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus instructed Peter to “feed my sheep.” Peter eventually preached at Pentecost and thousands came to faith.

A key shift in spiritual maturity is how we pray. Early in faith we often pray, “God, fix this situation.” As we grow, our prayers change to, “Lord, empower me to respond the right way.” We begin to recognize that God often works through us, not just for us.

The challenge for believers is to spend time with God, seek understanding of His Word, remember moments of revelation, and act on His instructions. As we do, our capacity grows and we become better at recognizing God’s presence and work in our lives.