When Your Faith Is On Trial

When Suffering Brings Anxiety

Join Pastor Allen Bonnell for the conclusion of our series in 1 Peter, focusing on 1 Peter 5:6–11. In this message, we learn how to face intense pressure, anxiety, and spiritual warfare by choosing surrender over control. The sermon highlights several key principles for moving from worry to peace: - Releasing Our Burdens: We are called to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, acknowledging that He is in total control of our situations. True humility requires dropping our pride and relinquishing our desire to control our lives, our finances, and our families, which only escalates anxiety. - The Art of Casting: The word "cast" means to forcibly throw your entire weight, grief, and anxiety onto the Lord. Using a practical fishing rod illustration, Pastor Allen demonstrates how we frequently cast our worries out to God but immediately reel them back in through continuous worry. - God’s Watchful Care: God does not just passively know about your struggles; He actively cares for you like a nurse treating a patient, attentively watching over every detail of your personal life. - Purpose in the Resistance: Much like resistance bands used in physical therapy, God allows troubles, hardships, and anxieties to enter our lives to strengthen our areas of weakness and help us grow. This message also celebrates the recent Peru mission trip where 14 team members shared the gospel with 280 people and witnessed 8 professions of faith. Learn why true peace is found not in rugged self-reliance, but in complete surrender to the timing and care of a faithful God.

A Good Shepherd

Join Pastor Allen Bonnell for a powerful message from 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 1 through 5, titled A Good Shepherd. Preached over Memorial Day weekend, this sermon transitions from reflecting on the heavy price of earthly freedom to examining the divine structure God established to protect and guide the local church through the storms of life. The message focuses on the character and call of church leadership, detailing what a true under-shepherd looks like: - A Vital Personal Experience: True leadership stems from a deep, growing relationship with Jesus. God constantly cares more about our character than our comfort, and our holiness than our happiness, dynamically chiseling away what does not belong to conform us into the image of Christ. - The Heart of an Under-Shepherd: Pastors are called to live among the flock and truly smell like sheep. Unlike cattle which are driven heavy-handedly, sheep must be willingly led. Because sheep are naturally defenseless and prone to wander into danger or follow each other off cliffs, God establishes elders to guide, feed, and protect them. - The Three Structural Warnings: Peter commands elders to lead with specific boundaries: 1) Not under compulsion but willingly out of a divine calling; 2) Not for financial or shameful gain, but out of absolute zeal for God; 3) Not heavy-handedly lording authority over the flock, but serving as a living example. - The Call to Voluntary Submission: True safety and spiritual flourishing are found when we willingly place ourselves under God-ordained authorities, including government, employers, marriage covenants, and church elders. Pride resists authority, but humility allows us to thrive within the body of Christ. Pastor Allen concludes with a practical challenge for church owners to commit three hours a week to their spiritual health: one hour in corporate worship, one hour serving others, and one hour in a smaller Life Group community to be truly known.

When Your Faith Is On Trial

Join Pastor Scott Cannon for a powerful message exploring what happens when our faith is put on trial. Diving into 1 Peter 4:12–19, this sermon reveals that there is meaning, purpose, and a divine intention behind the difficult seasons we experience. Using an illustration from an arborist, Pastor Scott explains how trees develop a “root flare” at their base to widen and anchor themselves when facing heavy winds. In the same way, the fierce storms of life are designed to flex our spiritual muscles, breaking us down to build us back up into more mature, deeply rooted followers of Jesus. The message unpacks three distinct types of human suffering: • Common Suffering: Hardships that happen simply because we are human beings living in a broken world, like sickness or a leaky utility. • Carnal Suffering: Consequences and pain that we bring upon ourselves through our own sinful choices, pride, or compromises. • Christian Suffering: Intentionally facing trials, mockery, or systemic pressure simply for choosing to stand up for righteousness and the name of Jesus. To navigate these fiery ordeals, Pastor Scott outlines five keys to standing firm: 1. Realize suffering is bound to happen: Salvation is a completely free gift, but living it out puts a spiritual target on your back. 2. Rejoice when suffering does happen: True joy is a conscious internal choice based on our confidence in Jesus, allowing us deep fellowship with Him. 3. Refuse to be ashamed: Do not run from situations that put your faith on display; proudly stand as a Christian to provide a watching world with evidence that God is real. 4. Remember the reward you will receive: Earthly athletic trophies eventually tarnish and fade, but enduring light afflictions for Christ produces an incomparable eternal weight of glory. 5. Remain faithful to God: Entrust your soul to your faithful Creator even when the situation makes no sense, trading your fragile self-reliance for deep reliance on Him. Don’t quit on God in the middle of the fire. Lean directly into the wind and allow the trial to refine, prove, and strengthen your testimony.

Four Faces of Courage

Join Pastor Allen Bonnell for a special Mother's Day message at Immanuel Baptist Church. While the genealogies of the ancient world typically focused on men to settle legal and land rights, Matthew’s Gospel includes four "speed bumps" in the lineage of Jesus—four women whose stories were scandalous, messy, and unexpected. In this message, "Four Faces of Courage," we explore how God’s grace works through brokenness and outsiders: - Tamar (Courage to Pursue Justice): We look at the "messed up" story of Tamar, who courageously pursued what was right when she was neglected and treated unjustly by those meant to protect her. - Rahab (Courage to Change): A Canaanite prostitute who risked her life to hide Israelite spies. Her story reminds us that no matter how we were raised, we have the courage to turn in a new direction when faced with the truth of God. - Ruth (Courage to Trust): An outsider from Moab who gave her life away to care for her mother-in-law. Ruth teaches us what it looks like to take refuge under the wings of the God of Israel without any guarantees. - Mary (Courage to Surrender): A teenage mom who accepted God’s calling despite the certainty of rumors and social pressure. Her humble submission paved the way for the Savior of the world. Whether your family tree is full of "Cousin Eddies" or you feel like an outsider today, this message is a reminder that God never wastes your wounds. He uses the most unlikely people to advance His kingdom.

The End of All Things

Join Pastor Allen Bonnell for a convicting message from 1 Peter 4:1–11. In a world that interprets events through many different lenses, Peter calls believers to "arm themselves" with a biblical worldview—interpreting life through the reality of Christ’s suffering and His imminent return. This sermon explores how to "number our days" so that every moment counts for eternity. If you knew Jesus was coming back in just one year, how would your priorities change? We look at four radical expressions of Christian love that should define our lives in these last days: - Love Expressed in Forgiveness: Discover how love "covers a multitude of sins" by choosing to let go of grudges and covering the shame of others rather than exposing it. - Love Expressed in Hospitality: Moving beyond dinner with friends, we look at "radical ordinary hospitality"—opening our homes and lives to those we disagree with to further the Gospel. - Love Expressed in Service: Every believer is given a spiritual gift for the common good. We discuss what it means to be an "owner" rather than just a "member" of the church, sacrificing rights to serve others. - Love Expressed for God's Glory: Life is not about our own happiness, but about God’s glory. Learn why the sooner we realize life isn't about us, the more our joy will explode. The message concludes with a challenge to check your direction. If you realize you’re heading the wrong way spiritually, today is the day to turn around. Following Jesus is a "right now" decision.