Ephesians 3 starts with, "For this reason...". Which means we can't start at Ephesians 3, we have to go back, and look at what Paul is talking about. Paul continues to lay a solid foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, encouraging and reminding the Ephesian church of what God has done!

In our series Understanding Ephesians, we are looking at the 2nd chapter of the letter Paul writes to the church in Ephesus.

In our series Understanding Ephesians, we are looking at the 1st chapter of the letter Paul writes to the church in Ephesus. This is the foundation of the rest of the letter. We are the church, the body of Christ, called to be IN Him, having received spiritual blessings that mark us as His own!

As we continue to set our face toward Heaven, committing to follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd in 2026, we look at what it means to live a "One Thing" life. He is our all. He is our everything. This is the God we love, worship, and follow, the God of the universe, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Guest Speaker: Cameron Wright

What is it that God has for us in 2026? How and where is He leading us? What we know for sure, Psalm 23 says that He is a good shepherd, that he leads his sheep to places of provision (streams & fields), places of comfort, and places of restoration (restores my soul). And he leads his flock together. We are not meant to walk alone! We are a part of His flock. We are His body. We are the church.

At the beginning of this new year, and as we celebrate our 1-year anniversary of the joining of IHOP Miami to Cutler Bay Worship Center, we want to take a moment and ask, "What does this year hold? What does it look like? How can we best prepare ourselves for what God wants to do in us and through us?" It's easy to want and pray for big things, moments that will propel us forward, but Jesus invites us to a long journey of obedience in discipleship. This is the call, to prepare ourselves for the everyday life of following Christ, and when those surge moments come, we can embrace them and ride the wave!

As we finish up our series on Advent over this Christmas season we are looking at the love of God. God's love is calculated, precise, and designed with the intention of redemption. Galatians 4 and Romans 5 say it was at the right time that the Father sent the Son. Jesus came to redeem humanity through his life, death, and resurrection. He moved heaven and earth for you!

As we continue through Advent we come to the third week, where we look at Joy. Scripture says clearly, Christ came to bring Great Joy! Not only this, but the coming again of the Lord will usher in eternal joy for those who believe in Him. This is a time to celebrate, this is a time of Joy. And we find our Joy in Christ!

Indeed there are many things in this world that would like to claim kingship over our lives. There are many "kingdoms" in that sense. Yet, there are really only two kingdoms. The kingdom of our God, which is a Kingdom of Peace, and any other kingdom, which comes second. The kingdoms of this world may find ways to peace, for a season, temporarily, but the only real path to true peace is by submitting to the Prince of Peace and the authority of His kingdom.

In our first week of the 2025 Advent season, we are looking at what it means for Jesus to be our Hope. We don't put our hope in the things of this world, we don't put our hope in the things of God, we put our hope in God Himself. And Jesus Christ, who came to earth as a baby with the intention of laying his life down as a sacrifice for us, IS the hope of our salvation. We look to Him, the only mediator between God and man, our Great High Priest.

We generally think of something we give. We give thanks. We show gratitude. But equally important, and a God-designed purpose is that we receive gratitude and love from those around us, which encourages us, drives out fear from our lives, and gives us a stronger outlook and well-being.

We experience joy on multiple levels. There is the joy of the Lord, which is our strength. There is the joy we experience due to the goodness of God, either in tangible, visible ways, or simply by the very nature of God's goodness around us. As we lean on and rely on the Holy Spirit, the fruit of joy grows in us. And sometime we experience the presence of God tangibly that inspires and encourages joy in us. What does it mean and what does it look like to live a joy-filled life, both personally and corporately?

Celebration isn't something we're meant to do alone. We are made to celebrate together, in community. The body of Christ celebrating God's goodness and all he has done for us, in us and through us, while learning to enjoy and celebrate the life he has given us.

In a new series focused on the Discipline of Celebration, we are taking a look at what it means to live a life of giving thanks. The Bible is full of encouragement to give thanks the Lord, to live with gratitude, and to not forget what the Lord has done. Even in Jesus invitation to communion, he says it is about remembering him, remembering what he has done, who he is, and his sacrifice. When we give thanks to God we redirect our attention to Him, off of ourselves, off of our problems, off of our concerns, and toward His plan, His purpose, and His presence.

In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a parable about 10 people waiting for the coming of the bridegroom for a wedding banquet. No one knew exactly when he would come, and it could be at any moment. 5 of them had enough oil to last a long time into the night as they waited, 5 did not. As the 5 who were less prepared were running out of oil, they asked the others, "Can we borrow?" But they said, "No, we won't have enough..." While they were gone getting oil the bridegroom came and when they finally got back the doors were locked shut. What does it all mean? And why did Jesus say, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..." this parable...

The Apostle Paul wrote that we are ambassadors for Christ, calling to those who need to hear, "Come back to God!" There is an invitation to all, and to all who will listen, to give their lives to the authority of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus invites us to believe in him, to receive eternal life, and to experience the authority of His kingdom now, and in the eternal kingdom. What is our role in inviting others? What is our role for ourselves and our own following of Jesus?

In Matthew 22 Jesus tells a parable about a king who throws a wedding feast for his son. When the invited guests can't make it, he invites anyone and everyone to come enjoy the feast. But one man comes with no wedding garments, and the king removes him from the party. Why? What is it to be invited to the feast but not be willing to change our clothes to honor the king?

Jesus says in Mark 9:35, "If anyone would be perfect, he must be last of all and servant of all." What does kingdom servanthood look like? What does it mean to be servant of all? Jesus invites us to serve others as a response to his disciples arguing over is the greatest in His kingdom.

Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who has sinned against him. Jesus responds not just with a number, but with a parable, a story. The story itself is about forgiveness, but he starts with, "The kingdom of heaven..." Forgiveness is foundational to the kingdom of heaven. Without forgiveness we are stuck in our sin, hurt and pain.

As we continue our series on Seeking the Kingdom we look at what Jesus means when he says that we must seek the kingdom "first". Do we prioritize the kingdom of God? Do we give it our first and foremost attention? And when we realize we have stepped back into living under our own authority, how quickly do we return to submitting to the authority of Jesus?