Before when I thought that I was supposed to feel regret and shame of my sins and do confessions daily, my internal view of God was that he would become distant if I did sins and I felt he became distant. Now I know the true salvation message and I feel like God is there always. But so do the people that do the repentance. They think they know God and that God is there. I'm not sure how to understand God and how to know him to have a relationship with him when there are so many models to see Him through and all people seem to "know" him.

by Pastor Joseph Cortes 1 John 1:9; Romans 5:20; 1 John 2:1–2 There is a deep relief hidden in these words: “If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us… and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Notice who does the cleansing. He does. We are excellent at scrubbing what God alone can remove. Like a stain that has sunk deep into fabric, sin cannot be erased by effort, discipline, or religious chemicals. The harder we scrub in the flesh, the more visible the stain becomes. This is why self-effort always leads to despair. Scripture acknowledges something many believers forget: sins of ignorance exist. There are sins we fall into knowingly—and sins we commit without even realizing it. Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices were required even for unintentional sins. Under the New Covenant, Christ Himself has become the final offering for all sin. If perfection were the requirement for fellowship with God, no one would stand. But grace does not run out. Where sin increases, grace increases all the more. This is not permission to sin—it is permission to breathe. John makes this clear. He writes so that we do not sin—but he also acknowledges reality: “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.” Not one of the righteous. The Righteous. Jesus does not stand against you when you fail. He stands for you. He intercedes. He advocates. He applies His finished work again and again, not because it was insufficient the first time, but because your need is ongoing. This is why condemnation has no place among believers. If God does not withdraw His love when you fall, who are we to withdraw grace from one another? The table of the Lord is not a reward for the sinless—it is nourishment for the dependent. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Not occasionally. Not religiously. Continually. As often as you eat and drink. Remember the One who provides living bread and living water. Remember the cross. Remember the empty tomb. Remember that He is alive and at work within you.

by Pastor Joseph Cortes There is no better place to begin a new season of life than by remembering Jesus. Not our resolve. Not our promises. Not our spiritual performance. Jesus. John writes words that unsettle both the self-righteous and the self-deceived: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” This statement does not target unbelievers alone. It pierces the heart of everyone—including those who have been saved by grace. The truth is simple and uncomfortable: Christians still sin. Sometimes knowingly. Sometimes unknowingly. Sometimes habitually. To deny this reality is not holiness—it is deception. There exists a strain of teaching within the Christian community that confuses transformation with perfection. It pressures believers to prove their salvation by their ability to stop sinning, often singling out habitual sins as evidence that someone is “not really saved.” What begins as concern quickly becomes condemnation. And condemnation, no matter how spiritual it sounds, always poisons the soul. John does not say, “If we say we no longer sin.” He says, “If we say we have no sin.” The difference matters. To claim sinlessness is not faith—it is calling Jesus a liar. The gospel never taught that salvation removes our need for grace. It teaches that grace is now our daily air. Paul himself—author of most of the New Testament—described an ongoing internal war. He delighted in the Holy Spirit inwardly, yet wrestled with sin outwardly. His cry was not, “I need stronger willpower,” but “Who will deliver me?” And his answer was not himself—it was Jesus Christ. This is where many believers stumble. Having begun in the Spirit, they attempt to finish in the flesh. They grit their teeth, make vows, adopt methods, and rely on human effort to accomplish what only God can do. The result is frustration, shame, and repeated failure. Grace does not excuse sin—but it exposes the lie that we can defeat sin without Christ. God never asked you to clean your own heart. He asked you to bring it to Him.

Wanted to pop-in and say God bless whoever reads this. I am grateful to have this group to come to and know there is love here. Gosh what a place! Thanks be to God for a space of people thriving in Christ!

what a blessing to be amongst those who also want to shout Christ is King from the rooftops!