We typically associate Thomas with doubt. After all, we generally refer to him as doubting Thomas.

But as we look at John 20:24-31, the primary issue at play isn’t doubt as much as it is control. Thomas thought that he was sovereign, but was quickly reminded that wasn’t true. Thomas expressed a warped view of himself and God. But even in the midst of his warped view, the Lord was merciful.

“What’s your target demographic?” It’s one of the most common questions I received in the early stages of church planting. But when people ask about a church planter’s “target demographic,” they usually aren’t asking about the overall demographics of the community they’re planting in.

In the midst of the concern, fear, and sadness that was certainly in that locked room on Easter evening - Jesus met with his disciples. And of course, Jesus doesn’t just appear and then disappear as quickly as he showed up. He ministered to them in the same way he ministers to us today.

Our risen Savior meets with us to give us His peace, mission, and Spirit.

The greatest impact we can make on the world begins with how we treat each other within our homes. When a home is filled with love and encouragement, everyone flourishes in their roles and responsibilities.

But in the busyness of life, it can be easy to get stuck in the rut of day-to-day routines and habits and neglect putting a conscious effort into loving and building up our closest neighbor – our spouse.

Despite the denials, everyone knows in their heart of hearts that life is eternal. And the resurrection of Jesus Christ proved that to be true. Jesus defeated sin, death, and the grave, which is the best news of all.

Our family’s identity is often determined by our values and how we spend our time. As Christians, our faith should shape the identity of our family. This should play out in worshiping with the body of Christ every Lord’s Day, but it should also take place in worshiping together as a family in our home.

This Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. Doug Hart preach from John 19:31-42 on the burial of Jesus.

This past Sunday we gathered for lunch after worship to hear an encouraging report on how the Lord is working in the life of our church and the vision for the future of Providence.

We’re sharing Pastor Jake’s State of Providence Address for those who weren’t able to attend and for those who have been supporting Providence from afar.

This Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. John Carroll preach from 2 Corinthians 9:8.

This past Sanctity of Human Life Sunday we were grateful to have Barbara Burgess join us from the Blue Ridge Women’s Center to share about what God is doing in and through this vital ministry.

Barbara was kind enough to share her notes with us so that those who weren’t able to attend her presentation could learn more about BRWC and the important work that they are doing in the Roanoke Valley.

A successful career, wealth, and personal autonomy are not what will give value or meaning to your life.

Only faith in Jesus Christ gives your life meaning. And then, out of His abundant grace, God bestows more blessing upon you, like the blessing of your family.

Your legacy will not be in your work; your lasting legacy will be in your home.

At Providence we want to prioritize God’s Word. We want the Scriptures to be the focus of every worship service, and not only does that include the sermon, but that extends to the prayers that we pray, and the songs that we sing.

As we read of the pain and suffering that Jesus bore on the cross, our only takeaway shouldn’t be, “Wow, he suffered a tremendous amount of injustice, pain, and suffering.” If that’s all we think, then we’ve missed the point. We should see what Jesus went through on the cross and think to ourselves: That should have been me. I deserve punishment for my sin. It was my sin that put Jesus on the cross.

Worship isn’t about entertaining, mass marketing, or catering to the individual. Worship is about praising the living God who sent his Son to die on the cross. The worship of the living God is a category unto itself.

When results are all you care about, the ends will always justify the means. It will never matter how you get there as long as you get there. And that’s what Jesus is to both Pilate and the Jews - an inconvenience, a thorn in their side. He’s someone who needs to disappear in order to make everyone’s lives a little easier.

Consider our passage: Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, which is why he tells the Jewish mob on three separate occasions he “finds no guilt” in Jesus.

And yet, by the end of the passage he turns Jesus over to be crucified.

Committing more time and energy to knowing, serving, and loving the Lord more is always a worthwhile New Year’s goal.

God has already given every Christian the necessary tools for spiritual growth: His Word, prayer, and the sacraments.

So in light of these simple, yet God-ordained means of grace, Pastor Jake is sharing 4 spiritual disciplines that are worth pursuing in 2024.

Submitting to the King requires that you and I submit to his truth. You cannot separate those two things. You cannot claim to be a citizen in King Jesus’s kingdom and at the same time reject his truth.

If you’re a citizen in Christ’s kingdom, then you must submit to the truth of his word.

May we all abandon worldly hope, self-reliance and empty religion, and look where Micah points us - a humble shepherd-king born in Bethlehem who came to make peace for us all by the blood of his cross.

Just as God led the people of Israel out of bondage and slavery, so Jesus leads you and me out of bondage and slavery.

Have you ever wondered how people who knew the Old Testament far better than both you and me could be responsible for killing Jesus? Isn’t that ironic? They’re about to lead the Savior that the Old Testament spoke of to his death.

Just how could they do that? The short answer is obviously, their sin blinded them, but the specific sin was their obsession with keeping the small pedantic man-made Jewish laws. And as we’ll see in this passage, they were so obsessed with their man-made laws that they missed the Savior right in front of them.