Do You Have to Go to Church to Be a Christian?

Maybe you believe in Jesus. You pray, and you might even read your Bible. But you have not been to church in years, or maybe you have never really gone at all. So a question keeps coming up. Do you have to go to church to be a Christian?

Maybe you have even said it out loud: "I love Jesus. I just don't need church." Or maybe you grew up thinking that showing up on Sunday was what made you a Christian, and now you are not so sure.

That is an honest question, and you deserve an honest answer. Going to church does not make you a Christian. However, if you are a Christian, God never meant for you to follow Jesus without His family.

I preached a message called "Be a Part of the Body!" about why every follower of Jesus belongs in His church. You can watch it here.

Going to church does not make you a Christian

Let me be clear. You are not saved by going to church. You are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.

I have met many people who told me they were Christians because they go to church or pray a prayer. Those are good things, but that answer misses the heart of Christianity. I am a Christian because Christ died for me. He loved me, He rose again for me, and He offered forgiveness to me. It has to do with what He has done, not with what I do.

In fact, we can show up to church, pray, study the Bible, listen to sermons, and even lead someone to Christ and still have a heart that is far from God. A seat on Sunday was never meant to be your ticket to heaven.

So what does make you a Christian? Trusting Jesus. To have faith is to trust, and God gives this promise to everyone who trusts His Son:

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9, NIV)

Notice what is missing from that verse. There is no attendance record and no membership card.

If you have never placed your faith in Jesus, or you have wandered a long way from Him, turning to Him is your first step. It is not too late to come back to God. But the moment you trust Jesus, something else happens too.

The church is a family, not a building or a show

When you place your faith in Jesus, you are not just forgiven, but you are adopted into the family of God. God becomes your Heavenly Father, and every other believer becomes your brother or sister in Christ.

That is why the Bible is full of family words. The Apostle Paul poured his life into a young man named Timothy and called him "my true son in the faith" (1 Timothy 1:2, NIV). You see, the church is meant to be your spiritual family. Christ died not just so that you could be united to Him, but so that you could be united to His church.

The Bible also calls the church a body: "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it" (1 Corinthians 12:27, NIV). Think about it like this. Your big toe might not seem very important. But break it, and then see how walking goes! Every part of a body matters, and no part was made to survive on its own.

So the church is not a building. It is not a concert you go to on Sunday either, where you hear some music, listen to a guy talk, and then go home and forget about it. The church is a community you belong to, where you can be known, loved, and cared for.

You grow in ways you cannot grow alone

I have told our church that the first two steps to knowing the love of Jesus more deeply are to believe the gospel and to belong to Christian community.

Why does this matter so much? Because some parts of growing in your relationship with God can only happen in relationships with other believers.

Peter tells us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18, NIV). To help you grow, God gives you spiritual parents who have walked ahead of you, spiritual siblings who walk beside you, and spiritual children who follow your lead. Oftentimes, the encouragement you need from God will come through another believer.

I will be honest with you. I am a pastor, and I still need other people to encourage me regularly. I might need it even more than you do.

The church is also where you learn to love. When you get close to other Christians, you quickly find out that not everybody is easy to love. That is not a reason to leave. It is one of the ways God makes you more like Jesus.

And you are not there just to watch. "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:10, NIV). Notice that it says "each of you," not some of you. God does not want you to be a spectator. He wants you to be a participator.

People know they need community, so they look for it at a bar, in a fantasy football league, or at a game. But what your heart is really longing for is a relationship with God and with God's people.

What if you love Jesus but not church?

You might say, "I can love Jesus on my own." I understand why that sounds easier. On your own, you do not have to be open about your life, and nobody can challenge you or help you. You can just do you.

But following Jesus on your own terms, with just you and Him, is not the Christian life the Bible describes. It cuts you off from the encouragement and accountability God wants to give you. As the Bible says, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!'" (1 Corinthians 12:21, NIV).

You might point to what Jesus said: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20, NIV). So why would you need a church?

Look at the verses around it. Jesus is teaching His followers what to do when a fellow believer sins, and one of the steps is to "tell it to the church" (Matthew 18:17, NIV). A church is more than a few friends. It has leaders, Bible teaching, baptism, communion, and people who care enough to hold you accountable. That verse is not a get-out-of-church-free card.

You might say, "I watch church online." If you live far away or can't be there in person, watching online can be a real gift. But watching is not the same as belonging. Look for ways to be known by other believers, whether in a church near you or a group that meets during the week.

You might say, "Church people are hypocrites." Some people at church will let you down. They are not perfect, and neither am I.

But the church was never meant to be a gathering of people who have it all together. Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17, NIV). Everybody is sick, including the people in the seats and the pastor on the stage. That is exactly who Jesus came for. Besides, you are not following them. You are following Jesus, and He is the perfect one.

If a church has hurt you, or you feel nervous about walking back through the doors, read about going back to church after years away.

Take one step toward your church family today

So, do you have to go to church to be a Christian? No. You become a Christian by trusting Jesus. But if you belong to Jesus, you belong to His family too. You were created for community by Christ.

Today, you can stop trying to follow Jesus by yourself and take one step toward His people.

Daily Practice: Take some time today to connect with a spiritual parent, sibling, or child. Think of a believer who is a step ahead of you, one who is right where you are, or one who is a step behind you, and reach out to that person this week. If you do not currently belong to a church, find a Christ-centered, Bible-believing church and get connected ASAP!

If you would like someone to pray for you as you take that step, send us a prayer request.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service in Livermore, CA (2026)

Some people call Christmas the most wonderful time of the year. I also know it can be one of the hardest. Maybe this is your first Christmas after a loss. Maybe money is tight, or your family is carrying more stress than joy right now.

Whatever this season looks like for you, I do not want you to face it without hope. So consider this your personal invitation to our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at Arroyo Church in Livermore.

Christmas Eve at Arroyo: when and where

Thursday, December 24, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.

Arroyo Church, 945 Concannon Blvd., Livermore, CA. Our worship center is the round building, and there is plenty of free parking on site.

Come as you are, and bring the whole family. We will have a kids program during the service, so your kids will have a place of their own. You do not need to dress up, and you do not need to have your faith figured out to be welcome here.

If you can't be there in person, you can still join us. The service will be livestreamed on the Arroyo Church YouTube channel.

What happens at our Christmas Eve service

We will sing Christmas carols together, hear the story of the night Jesus was born, and end the service by lighting candles together.

We do not light candles just because it looks beautiful, even though it does. The Bible calls Jesus the light of the world, and John wrote this about Him:

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:5, NIV)

Some of us walk into Christmas carrying real darkness. It might be a struggling marriage, depression, grief, or a fear you have not told anyone about. When we light those candles, we remember that Jesus is the light in the middle of all of it, and the darkness does not get the final word.

If you want a feel for the night before you come, here is last year's Christmas Eve service.

The reason Jesus was born

Last Christmas Eve, I talked about the night God was born. Before Jesus was born, an angel told Joseph what to name Him:

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21, NIV)

The name Jesus means "the Lord saves." Matthew then shows that His birth fulfilled a promise God made about 700 years earlier: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (Matthew 1:23, NIV). Immanuel means "God with us."

Those two names tell you why Jesus came. He came to save you, and He came to be with you. He left the perfection of heaven to be born into a humble family and laid in a feeding trough, because He would rather do that than live without you. The reason for Christmas is relationship.

That is the hope of Christmas. No matter what this year has held, God came near to you, and He still wants to be with you.

Christmas is not about us climbing a ladder up to God. It is about God leaving heaven and coming down to us. He has already reached out His hand to you, and the question is whether you will grab hold of it. If God has been calling you, do not send Him to voicemail. You can answer Him today.

If you are ready, you could pray something like this:

Jesus, thank You for being born. Thank You for pursuing me even when I was running away from You. I commit my life to You by faith, and I place You as Lord and Savior of my life. I give You my life for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name, amen.

If you prayed that prayer, I would love to hear about it. You can tell us on our Connect page.

Everyone is welcome on Christmas Eve

Whether you are with us every week, have not been to church in a while, or are somewhere in between, you are welcome here. If you are in town visiting family, come with them. If this would be your first time in a church, Christmas Eve is a great night to start.

It is also a great night to invite someone. After the shepherds found baby Jesus, "they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child" (Luke 2:17, NIV). They could not keep the good news to themselves. Sometimes all someone needs is a simple invitation, and yours could change their life forever.

Planning your Christmas Eve visit

Not sure what to wear or what to expect? Start with what to wear to church and what a Sunday at Arroyo is like. If you have a question, call the church office at (925) 694-0426, Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If Christmas Eve is your first time with us, we would love to see you again on a Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. You can let us know you are coming on our Plan Your Visit page.

I would really love to see you there. Merry Christmas!

What to Wear to Church (and What Sunday Is Really Like)

Your first time going to church, or your first time back in a long time, can bring up a lot of questions. What should I wear? How long will it last? What do I do with my kids? Will I stick out?

Those are fair questions, and you deserve honest answers. It is normal to feel a little nervous before you walk into a new place. Here is what to expect at church on a Sunday at Arroyo Church in Livermore, starting with the question people ask most.

Wear whatever you feel comfortable in

Most people at Arroyo dress casually. Jeans are completely normal here. If you like to dress up for church, that is great too, so feel free to come dressed however you want.

If you want a simple rule, wear what you would wear to meet a friend for coffee. Clean and comfortable is plenty, and you do not need to buy anything new for Sunday.

Nobody is going to judge you for what you wear. People come as they are, and we are glad they came. What matters is that you are there, not what is in your closet.

Every church is a little different. If you are visiting another church and you are not sure what people wear, look at the photos on its website or social media. You can also call the church office and ask. It is a normal question.

Here is what happens on a Sunday morning at Arroyo

Our worship service starts at 10:00 a.m. every Sunday at 945 Concannon Blvd. in Livermore. The worship center is the round building, and you can't miss it. There is plenty of free parking on site.

Doors open at 9:30, so you have time to settle in before the service starts. When you walk in, grab a coffee and a donut, and a friendly face will help you find your way.

We start with a few songs, then there is a message from the Bible, and then we close with a few more songs. The music is a blend of new worship songs and hymns that have been around for decades, so if you grew up in church, some of it may sound familiar. Nobody expects you to know the songs. The message is clear and practical, and it is for wherever you are in your faith. Most Sundays, I teach through a book of the Bible, one passage at a time.

You do not need to bring anything with you. If you have a Bible, you are welcome to bring it, but the verses are shown on the screens, so you will not need one to follow along.

We often have a time when anyone who needs prayer can come forward and receive it from someone on our pastoral team. Going forward is always up to you, and if you would rather not, you can share a prayer request through the Connect page on our website.

The whole gathering lasts about 70 minutes.

Want to see what it is like before you come? You can watch the service live on the Arroyo Church YouTube channel on Sundays at 10 a.m., and past messages are there too. Watching one or two is an easy way to get a feel for Arroyo first.

Your kids will have a place of their own

Arroyo has children's ministry every Sunday during the worship service, for kids from nursery age through 5th grade. It is a safe and fun place for your kids to learn about Jesus, so you can focus on the service while they have a blast. When you arrive, check your kids in at the kids desk. Older kids and teenagers sit with their families in the service.

You do not have to do anything you are not ready for

Can you sit in the back? Yes. Seating is open, so sit wherever you feel comfortable.

Do you have to sing? No, you are welcome to sing along or simply listen.

Will anyone single you out? No. Nobody will ask you to stand up or introduce yourself, and nobody expects a guest to give money.

Coming by yourself is fine. If walking in alone feels hard, you are welcome to bring a friend along.

Do you have to have your faith figured out? Not at all. Arroyo is a church dedicated to knowing and showing the love of Jesus, and no matter where you are with God, you are welcome to join us. You can come with questions, or while you are still deciding what you believe about Jesus. We love you right where you are.

If you have a question before Sunday, just ask

You can call the church office at (925) 694-0426, Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. No question is too small. You can also let us know you are coming on our Plan Your Visit page. After you fill out the short form, I will reach out to say hi and help you plan your visit.

However you show up, dressed up or dressed down, you are welcome here.

Is It Too Late to Come Back to God After All These Years?

I'll never forget the first time I tried to run away from home. I was seven years old, and I do not even remember why I wanted to leave. What I do remember is packing my backpack with my favorite snacks and shirts, then walking down the sidewalk away from my house.

Then my dad called my name, and in a kind voice he asked, "Josh, do you want to play catch one last time before you leave us?" I loved playing catch with my dad, so I agreed. After a handful of throws, I began to cry. My dad threw off his baseball mitt, ran across the lawn, and gave me a big bear hug. He told me he loved me, and I told him I did not want to run away anymore.

What changed my mind? Experiencing my father's love.

Maybe you did not run from God all at once. Maybe you slowly drifted. You used to pray and go to church, but then life got busy, or you walked away on purpose. Now years have gone by, and you wonder if it is too late to come back.

If you have been running from God or slowly drifting from Him, I can tell you this. It is not too late. There is no place you could fall that is outside of His reach. Peter is proof of that, and I preached on his story here.

Jesus came looking for people who are lost

When Jesus passed through Jericho, a chief tax collector named Zacchaeus wanted to see Him. Zacchaeus loved money so much that he cheated people to get more of it. He was short, so he climbed a tree to see over the crowd. Out of that whole crowd, Jesus looked up, called him by name, and invited Himself over to his house.

In Jesus' day, sharing a meal in someone's home was a way of saying you accepted them and wanted a relationship with them. The people started to mutter about it, but Jesus cared more about Zacchaeus than about His own reputation. He said this is exactly why He came: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10, NIV).

Notice the order. Jesus came to Zacchaeus before Zacchaeus changed a thing. You do not have to earn your way back before God comes looking for you.

Jesus told a story like this in Luke 15. A shepherd with a hundred sheep loses one, and Jesus asks, "Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?" (Luke 15:4, NIV). God is a running God. He does not stand still when you run away. Rather, He runs after you, just as any father would run after a lost child he loves.

And when the shepherd finds that sheep, "he joyfully puts it on his shoulders" (Luke 15:5, NIV). God not only gives you joy when you are with Him, but He gets joy out of being with you. He is still looking for you, and His invitation to you is still open.

God's kindness is what leads you home

It was my dad's love that changed my mind that day, and God works the same way. The Bible says:

"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4, NIV)

Repentance is a word that makes many people picture a screaming preacher on a street corner. However, repentance is not a negative word in the Bible but a positive one. To repent simply means to change your mind. You once thought one way about God and your life, and now you think the right way.

Notice that it is God's kindness that leads you there, and the verse talks about the riches of His kindness. Meaning, God is never sold out when it comes to the supply of His love for you.

His kindness is seen most clearly on the cross, where Jesus was killed for our sins so that we would not have to be. His arms are always open wide toward you. That is what makes it safe to come back home, even after you packed your bags with a plan to leave and never return.

Jesus restored Peter after his worst failure

Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends. The night before the cross, Jesus told His disciples they would all fall away. Peter said, "Even if all fall away, I will not" (Mark 14:29, NIV). That same night, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. When the rooster crowed, he remembered what Jesus had told him, and he broke down in tears.

Now look at what Jesus had said just before that: "But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee" (Mark 14:28, NIV). Galilee is where it all started, where Jesus first called Peter to follow Him. Jesus knew Peter would fall, and He still planned to meet him there.

After Jesus rose, He met Peter by the Sea of Galilee. Peter had denied Him three times, so three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him.

Jesus was not ignoring the wreckage, but like a good surgeon, He put His hand right on the wound so it could heal. Then He gave Peter the same call He gave him at the beginning, telling him to feed His sheep and to follow Him.

The same man who denied Christ three times became the leader of leaders in the early church. There is restoration after the wreckage!

If you are in the family of God, you are in the family of God forever. God promises to never let go of you, even when you feel like letting go of Him. He does not start working on you and then give up halfway, because "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6, NIV).

What about the unforgivable sin?

Some people stay away from God because they are afraid they have committed the unforgivable sin. If that is you, start with the promise Jesus gave: "people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter" (Mark 3:28, NIV).

Right after that promise, Jesus warned about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and it helps to look at why He said it. Religious leaders had watched Jesus drive out demons, and they were saying, "He has an impure spirit" (Mark 3:30, NIV). They saw God at work right in front of them and called it evil. I believe the unforgivable sin is the demonization of Jesus that comes from a hardened heart.

That is not the same as doubting Jesus or not believing in Him. The whole point of the gospel is that Jesus saves people who doubt Him and disbelieve in Him.

And if you have placed your faith in Jesus, you cannot commit it. When you trust Him, you are not just forgiven, but you are filled with the Holy Spirit. God "has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 Corinthians 5:5, NIV). Even if you have done something really bad, that is not the unforgivable sin. Jesus is the friend of sinners.

You can come back to God today

When Jesus was crucified, a criminal hung on a cross next to Him, and that man admitted he deserved his punishment. As he was dying, he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42, NIV). Jesus answered, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43, NIV). It is never too late for anyone to come to Christ.

Your story may not be one big fall, but a slow drift away from your Heavenly Father. Either way, do not try to change on your own, because you cannot create change within yourself. Only God's love can. That is why coming home is about surrender over self-reliance.

God's hand is reaching out to you right now. Grab it by faith, and He will do all the heavy lifting.

Today, you can recommit your life to Jesus. If you are ready, you could pray something like this:

Here I am, Lord. I know You have reached out Your hand to me, and I want to grab it right now. I have drifted, but I am coming home. I want to experience Your grace, Your forgiveness, Your healing, and Your restoration. Amen.

Daily Practice: Read all of Luke 15. Afterwards, take some time to reflect on whatever truths stood out to you.

Why Does God Allow Suffering If He Is Good and Loving?

Maybe you are asking this question because you lost your health or someone you love. Or maybe you turned on the news, saw one more story of pain, and wondered, "If God is good and loving, why is there so much suffering?"

That question is both honest and understandable, because life can be hard. Oftentimes, I have been dragged down by the hardships I face in life too.

I will be honest with you because I love you. We cannot fully understand why God allows every suffering in this life, and that may not be the answer you wanted. But God is not silent about suffering. When you open God's word, you find a story about suffering, and like any story, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Suffering was never part of God's original creation.

The story begins in a perfect world. After God made everything, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31, NIV). The planet was perfect, and people had perfect relationships with each other and with God.

Why did God make us? Love. God created you so He could love you and have a relationship with you, but love is a choice. When I proposed to my wife, Jamie, she had a chance to say yes or no. Thankfully, she said yes! If she had said no and I dragged her to the altar anyway, nobody would call that love.

God gave people a real choice because He wanted a real relationship. And wherever there is freedom of choice, there is a chance of consequences that come from bad choices. Adam and Eve chose to trust themselves more than they trusted God, so sin entered the world, and suffering came in with it.

You see, sin separates us from God, the source of everything good, and that leaves us open to suffering. God does not enjoy watching you suffer. It breaks His heart.

Your pain is not always a punishment for something you did.

When something terrible happens, many people wonder, "Is God punishing me for what I did last week?"

Not all suffering is directly because of your sin, but all suffering is indirectly because of sin. Some pain comes from our own bad choices, and some comes from what other people choose to do to us. But if you get sick, that does not mean you sinned last week. Sin broke the whole world, so a lot of suffering is not tied to any one choice you made.

In John 9, the disciples asked Jesus about a man who had been blind since birth. Who sinned, the man or his parents? "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3, NIV).

Your suffering is not proof that God has turned against you, and He can still do His work right in the middle of it.

We will not understand every why in the middle of the story.

We know where suffering came from, but the middle of the story is where it gets messy. Why does one family do all the right things and still face heartbreak, while another family seems to have it easy?

The Bible is honest about this. It calls Job blameless, yet he lost nearly everything, including his children and his health. When Job asked God why, God did not hand him a list of reasons. Instead, He asked Job where he was when God laid the foundations of the earth (Job 38). Job finally admitted, "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:3, NIV).

Job did not understand everything, but he still trusted that God was great and good. Trying to understand everything about God is like an ant trying to understand the internet. It just won't work.

Think about it like this. Imagine a dad holding his newborn daughter and explaining gravity to her. She won't understand a word, and that is not because he is a bad teacher. She simply isn't ready yet. Compared to God, we are like that baby. He is not asking you to understand it all. He is asking you to trust Him while He holds you.

I have found that God does not cast us away when we ask, "Why would God allow this?" Rather, He gives us Himself as both the answer and the comfort we need. The Bible even gives us words for prayers like that, and Psalm 13 shows us how to pray honestly when we are hurting.

Suffering puts a choice in front of every one of us. Will it push you farther from God, or will it draw you closer to Him? Jesus never promised that life on this planet would be easy, but He did promise to be with you in it.

God is still good, even when what you are going through is not.

Not every storm in your life is one God sent you into. Sometimes it is simply the reality of the broken world we live in, and God allows it for His own reasons. Either way, He is still in control. God could heal you or stop the storm at any moment, but there are also times when He does not.

When He does not stop it, you can still hold on to this: what you are going through may not be good, but God is good, and He can bring good out of it. That is why Paul could write, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28, NIV). Notice, it does not say all things are good. It says God is working in all things.

God cares more about your character than He does about your comfort. He can use your hardest seasons to make you more like Jesus and to draw you closer to Him.

And God is not just powerful. He is present. Think about a bank: it has the power to cancel your debt, but it has no personal relationship with you, so it won't. A family member who loves you might want to help but may not have the money. In Jesus, you have the One who has both the power and the presence to carry you through.

Life can sideswipe you with suffering, but Jesus knows what that feels like. On the cross, He went through the worst kind of pain anyone could ever go through. The spiritual pain was even worse than the physical pain, because He was carrying the weight of our sins.

Jeremiah likely wrote Lamentations while his nation was being attacked and conquered, yet he could still say, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV). God's faithfulness has more to do with the consistency of His character than the consistency of your circumstances.

Suffering does not get the last word.

The good news is that we will not stay in the middle of the story forever. Some suffering ends in this life, and some will not end until the life to come. But if you have placed your faith in Jesus, a day is coming when you will never suffer again.

Here is how the story ends:

"Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:3-4, NIV)

Notice what comes first. Yes, there will be no more crying or pain, but what makes heaven so heavenly is that you get to be with God.

Whatever you are going through right now is not the end of your story, so don't lose hope. Just turn the page.

I do not know what trial you are facing, but God does, and His love for you still remains the same. Today, you can bring your honest questions to God and still choose to trust that He is good.

Daily Practice: Play the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." As it plays, tell God honestly what you do not understand about what you are facing. Then thank Him for one thing you know is true about Him.

If you are hurting and don't want to carry this alone, please share a prayer request. We would love to pray for you.

Grow in What You Know: A Study of Ephesians 1:15-23

Picture standing on the shoulder of a freeway, tire blown, flight about to leave, and a customer service line that will not send help. That is exactly where our pastor found himself on a recent trip — stuck, frustrated, and running (literally) to find a way forward. Nobody likes being stuck physically. But the deeper truth is that nobody likes being stuck spiritually either.

Continuing our verse-by-verse series through Ephesians, Grace for You, this message closes out chapter one by walking through Ephesians 1:15-23. The big idea is simple but life-changing: God does not want you to stay stuck spiritually. He wants you to grow in what you know. It is entirely possible to be 40 years old physically and 4 years old spiritually — to become an adult in body while remaining an infant in faith. One of God's greatest goals for your life is that you keep growing into the person He created you to be.

1. God Wants You to Truly Know Him

Paul opens with thanksgiving and prayer for the Ephesians, and the heart of his prayer is startling in its simplicity:

"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." (Ephesians 1:15-17)

Notice the assumption underneath that prayer: God is knowable. Maybe you have wondered how you can know a God you have never seen or touched — a God who sometimes feels hidden or far away. Here is the good news: God is not playing hide-and-seek with you. We are the ones who wandered off in our sin; He is the One seeking and saving the lost.

God has made Himself known in two unmistakable ways. First, through Jesus. Earlier in the chapter Paul says God "made known to us the mystery of his will" (Ephesians 1:9). Like an author writing himself into his own story, God entered human history in Christ, revealing Himself as a God of grace, truth, and power — welcoming outcasts, speaking with unfiltered authority, healing the broken, and defeating death by rising again. Second, through creation. "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge" (Psalm 19:1-2). A garden points to a gardener; a building points to a builder; the staggering complexity of the universe points to a Creator.

But knowing God is not merely intellectual — it is experiential. You can quote a thousand verses and still not know Jesus. He does not want head knowledge only; He wants heart knowledge. The question is not whether God knows you — He knows everything about you. The question is whether you know Him.

2. Everyone Needs Growth, But Only God Causes It

What is remarkable about Paul's prayer is that the Ephesians were already a healthy church — full of faith and genuine love. Yet Paul still prayed for them to know God better. That tells us two things.

You always have room to grow

None of us are finished projects. On this side of eternity, growth is never a destination; it is a step you take every day. The moment you think you have God figured out, you discover there is more of His love, grace, mercy, and truth to know. Even our pastor confessed a season of stagnation this year — a quiet pride that whispered, "I already know this." The Holy Spirit's reply was gentle but clear: you still have much to learn. Humility shields you from apathy; pride pulls you away from growth. Stay low, and God will grow you over time.

Growth only comes from God

Paul does not thank God that the Ephesians are strong in their own effort. He asks God to grant them "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation." Interestingly, Paul never prays for their circumstances to change — he prays for their character to change, that they would draw closer to Christ. What if your prayers shifted from "God, fix my problems" to "God, change my heart and reveal more of Yourself to me"? Jesus assures us this is a prayer the Father loves to answer: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13). Before you open your Bible, before a hard conversation, before a big decision — ask the Spirit for wisdom. You have a part to play, but apart from Him your efforts amount to nothing.

3. Grow in Hope and in Power

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Every Christian has equal access to the same hope and power, yet not every Christian experiences it. Why? Because the eyes of the heart have not yet been enlightened. Imagine a debit card with a five-million-dollar limit that you believe holds only five thousand. The wealth is there; you simply are not accessing it. So ask God to open the eyes of your heart.

Your hope rests on your inheritance in heaven — a confident expectation of a better future. Because of Christ, even the worst things can be redeemed for good, and death itself becomes a doorway rather than a dead end. Suffering is not the end of your story; it is one chapter in a story that ends in eternal joy.

Your power flows from God's presence. The same resurrection power that raised Jesus and seated Him "far above all rule and authority" (Ephesians 1:20-21) now lives in you. And here is the beautiful part: that power is not against you — it is for you. You are not stepping into the ring alone against a heavyweight champion; the Champion Himself stands beside you, fighting for you. That means you no longer have to walk in defeat over addiction, anxiety, or fear.

A Takeaway to Carry This Week

God loves you exactly where you are — but He loves you far too much to leave you there. So ask yourself honestly: Do you know Him? And if you do, how well do you know Him? The ball is not in His court; He has already made Himself known. The move is ours. This week, before you read, before you decide, before you worry — pray, "God, open the eyes of my heart. Grow me in what I know."

If you are anywhere in Livermore or across the Tri-Valley and you are longing to get unstuck spiritually, we would love to grow alongside you. Come as you are.

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Nervous About Going Back to Church After Years Away?

Maybe it has been years since you sat in a church service. Maybe life got busy, and Sunday mornings slowly filled up with other things. Maybe churches closed their doors during COVID, and you never went back. Or maybe someone at a church hurt you, and staying away felt safer.

Now something in you wants to go back, but you are nervous. What if it is awkward? What if you have to walk in alone?

If that is you, I want you to know that you are not the only one. When COVID shut churches down, a lot of people stopped going, and many of them never came back. Others took years to return. The good news is that the door is still open, and God still wants you with His people.

If you want a feel for a Sunday before you walk back in, watch this Easter message. It is for anyone who is new, and for anyone who has not been to church in a while.

You were created for community, not for a spiritual island

Too many people think they can live the Christian life on a spiritual island with just Jesus and themselves. That could not be further from the truth! You were created for community by Christ.

The church is not a building, and it is not just a service you attend. The church is a family of people who follow Jesus together, which is why the first Christians called one another brothers and sisters. There are not supposed to be any solo Christians.

Think about it like this. A snow leopard is strong and beautiful, and it spends most of its life alone. It does not seem to need anyone. A lot of us would like to be snow leopard Christians who stay independent and do our own thing. However, the Bible does not call us snow leopards. It calls us sheep.

Being called a sheep is not the most flattering thing, I know. But sheep have two things a snow leopard does not. They have a shepherd, and they have each other. Sheep stay together because one sheep cannot fight off a predator on its own. In the same way, you need the Good Shepherd, and you need His people around you. You will grow more in your faith, and you will be safer spiritually, when you are connected to God's people.

Real community takes more than a seat on Sunday. If you want to see what it looks like week to week, read about why you were never meant to follow Jesus alone.

There is no perfect church, but there are healthy ones

Maybe you were hurt by a church in the past, so it is easier for you to trust Christ than to trust His church. Or the church people you knew seemed better known for what they were against than for what they were for, which is a wrong picture of Christianity. If that is your story, I understand, and I am sorry. I have been deeply hurt by fellow church members and leaders too.

However, I do not use my hurts as an excuse to disconnect from the community Christ designed me to be part of. Do not let the hurt from your past keep you from the relationships God wants to give you through a church today. If your church hurt runs deep, please talk it through with a pastor you trust instead of carrying it alone.

Christ is the only one who is perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect church. There are healthy churches, but there is not a single perfect church in existence. So do not hold out for a perfect church, but look for a healthy one.

What does a healthy church look like? It is Christ-centered and Bible-believing, so it keeps pointing you to Jesus and teaching God's word. It is also a place where you can belong and not just attend, where people get to know you and care for you. The very first church looked like this: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42, NIV).

Going back to church will not save you, but it will help you grow

I want to be clear about something: going to church does not make you a Christian. You can be in church and not be in Christ. The Bible says, "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith" (Ephesians 2:8, NIV). You are saved by trusting Jesus, who died for your sins and rose again. You are not saved by filling a seat on Sunday.

That also means you do not have to clean up your life before you come back. You don't need a mask, and you don't need to pretend. You can come to Jesus as you really are, and you will find His arms wide open. A committed follower of Jesus is not a perfect follower.

Now, once you trust Jesus, you need a church family so you can keep growing in your faith. God has always wanted His people to keep gathering. The book of Hebrews was written to Christians in the first century, and some of them had stopped meeting with other believers. Here is what they were told:

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another" (Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV).

Notice the words "as some are in the habit of doing." Drifting away from church is not a new problem, because some Christians were already in that habit nearly two thousand years ago. Notice, too, what God wants for you when you gather with His people. He wants you to be spurred on toward love, and He wants you to be encouraged. To spur someone on simply means to urge them forward.

There will be times when life beats you down, and you will not be able to lift yourself up. In those moments, you will need someone to speak and show the love of God to you. That is what a church family is for.

It is okay to walk in by yourself

For some of you, the hardest part is walking through the doors alone. But feeling alone is not a reason to stay away. If you feel alone, there is no reason why you must stay alone.

You do not need to have it all figured out before Sunday. At Arroyo, our church in Livermore, it does not matter whether you have been going to church for years or it has been a long time. We are just glad when you walk in, and we love you right where you are.

Once you find a church, do not stop at Sunday. It is possible to attend a church and never really belong to it. So don't just come in and leave. Get into a smaller group that meets during the week to pray, talk about God's word, and do life together. At Arroyo we call that a connect group, and wherever you land, look for a group like that.

Today, you can take one step toward a healthy church instead of waiting for a perfect one. Here is your step: choose one Christ-centered, Bible-believing church near you, and go this Sunday. We are better together, so do not live life alone.