Matthew 16:18 - "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." This verse indicates Jesus' plan to spiritually develop his people, the certainty of spiritual opposition and the guarantee of ultimate victory. In this transformative teaching, Pst. Akin shows us how Jesus is the Lover, Shepherd, Owner and Head of the church.

In the Old Testament, mercy means the willingness to show favor or act in favor of a person, group of people, or nation based on God’s character of goodness. In the New Testament mercy means compassion. Compassion means acting to remove the punishment, oppression or pain based on God’s covenant loyalty. Covenant is what gives us the assurance and confidence in approaching God for mercy as new covenant believers.

God has prepared a great year ahead for you and your family. 1st Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” While God has prepared a glorious future for you and your family…you and I have the responsibility to prepare ourselves for the glorious future.

A new year brings with it the opportunity for new beginnings and a restart. The fact that many people lose motivation for pursuing their goals by the second month of the year is not a valid excuse not to set goals for yourself. At the end of the day, goals met, decisions made are the primary tools for transforming and changing our lives.

New Year's Resolution have gotten a bad rap in many quarters. However, that is not a reason for not setting goals. Perhaps there is a better approach that can guarantee goal achievement and eliminate the frustrations that come from nonattainment.

Man is designed to be very resilient. He can make do with minimal food, water, sex and even sleep. However, man was not designed to go without hope. Without hope, man loses a reason for living. We had no hope and were without God in this world but the birth of Jesus was a game changer. Because he came, now we can say Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Grace - God's benevolence to man - is at the heart of the gospel message. The Apostle Paul makes this clear in his greetings in all his letters. A proper understanding of grace is important if we would enjoy God's peace and cease from striving. What are implication of this truth for relationships and what we give ourselves to?