There is a growing call for Christians to stop sitting on the sidelines and start engaging the real battle in front of them. This is not about anger toward people or political posturing. It is about understanding who the real enemy is, what weapons God has given us, and how to use them every single day.

The phrase "tip of the spear" comes from military language. It refers to the very front point of an attacking force, the first soldiers to engage the enemy. In the context of faith, it describes Christians and churches that are on the front lines of advancing God's kingdom, taking risks, and breaking new ground.
This is not a passive posture. It is an active one.
Being a tip of the spear Christian means being on the front lines against darkness in your community. It means enforcing what Jesus already accomplished. As Ephesians 6 makes clear, we are not fighting against flesh and blood. The battle is spiritual, and it requires spiritual weapons.

This distinction matters more than most people realize. Jesus already won the victory. The cross was not a defeat. It was the decisive moment where sin, death, and the power of hell were broken once and for all.
So when Christians engage in spiritual warfare, they are not trying to win something that has not yet been decided. They are enforcing a victory that has already been secured. That changes everything about how we approach the battle.
As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: "We are human, but we do not wage war as humans do. We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God, and we capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ."

The enemy is real. First Peter 5:8-9 says: "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith."
He is described as great, and that is not something to dismiss. Going into any battle while underestimating your opponent is dangerous. But here is what is equally important: the devil is not God. He is not all-powerful. He is not all-knowing. He is not everywhere at once. He is inferior, and he is inferior to you specifically, because the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside every believer.
It is time to look in the mirror and remind your soul what your Spirit already knows.

These are not complicated or hidden. They are the consistent, foundational truths of Scripture that the church has always had access to. The challenge is not discovering them. It is actually using them.
The Word of God
The Bible is not just a book of comfort. It is a weapon. Ephesians 6:17 calls it the sword of the Spirit. Hebrews 4:12 says: "The word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword." Truth is what the enemy cannot stand against, and the Word of God is the source of that truth.
Praise and Worship
Every time you choose to praise God regardless of your circumstances, you are landing a blow against the enemy. Praise is a celebration of God's goodness even when everything around you looks dark. Worship is surrender, lifting up who God is above everything else. Throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly told His warriors to worship as they went into battle, and He would handle their enemies. That principle has not changed.
Prayer and Intercession
Ephesians 6:18 commands: "Pray in the Spirit at all times, on every occasion." Prayer is not just a spiritual discipline. It is a weapon of warfare. When you pray, there is a transaction that takes place between what you see and feel and what is actually real in the heavenly realm. Jesus taught His disciples to pray in a way that calls down the realities of heaven to earth. That is part of how the kingdom of God expands.
Faith
Faith is not a feeling. It is obedient action based on who God has revealed Himself to be. Faith says the assignment is bigger than what I can accomplish on my own, and I am going to move forward anyway because God will provide. It does not wait for perfect conditions. It moves when God says move.
The Blood of the Lamb and the Word of Your Testimony
Revelation 12:10-11 points to these two things as powerful weapons against the forces of hell. The blood Jesus shed on the cross dealt with sin, guilt, shame, and the power of death in one decisive moment. The enemy has no answer for it.
And your testimony matters more than you think. You do not need a dramatic story of being pulled out of addiction or rock bottom. Every believer has the same core testimony: you were broken, you were a sinner, and God loved you anyway. He gave Himself for you so you could be redeemed, forgiven, set free, and placed on the path He created you for. That story, told with conviction, builds faith in others and pushes back the darkness.

A church that takes this seriously pursues God's agenda over its own. Matthew 6:33 is the foundation of that posture. When we prioritize what God is doing, He takes care of what we need. That is not a motivational phrase. It is a promise.
A tip of the spear church does not settle into comfort. It does not reach a point of looking around and deciding things are nice enough to coast. It keeps moving at the pace God sets, even when that pace is uncomfortable or the vision seems too large.
It also does not wait for the culture to get better or worse before deciding to act. Whether things are getting darker or lighter, the assignment does not change. The truth of God's Word does not change. The call does not change.

One of the clearest points in all of this is that tip of the spear Christianity is not a calling reserved for people in ministry. It is for every believer. The weapons described in Ephesians 6 are given to the whole church, not just those on a stage or behind a pulpit.
Your world might be your home. It might be your workplace. It might be your neighborhood. But wherever God has placed you, that is your front line. And you are equipped for it.

This week, ask yourself what it actually looks like for you to be a tip of the spear Christian in the specific world God has placed you in. Not in theory. In practice.
The challenge is this: choose at least one of the weapons described above and be intentional about using it every single day this week. Pick up the Word of God and read it with the understanding that it is a sword, not just a devotional. Pray with the awareness that something is actually happening in the spiritual realm when you do. Praise God out loud in a moment when everything in you wants to complain. Share your testimony with someone who needs to hear it.
Ask yourself these questions as you go into the week:

• Am I approaching my daily life as someone who is enforcing a victory that has already been won, or am I living like the outcome is still uncertain?
• Which of God's weapons am I actually using consistently, and which ones have I left sitting on the shelf?
• Where has God specifically placed me to be on the front lines, and am I showing up there with boldness or with hesitation?

Anthony
Anthony's story is a modern retelling of the Prodigal Son. After years of searching for fulfillment in relationships, substances, and distractions, he found that nothing the world offered could fill the void inside him. When he first encountered God's presence at church, something shifted deeply within him. After giving his life to Christ, the weight of his past and the pressure to be perfect drove him to run back to his old life. The turning point came when he realized he was never meant to be the perfect one - Jesus Christ is. No matter how far you have run, God is already watching from the hill, and He will sprint to meet you the moment you turn back toward home.

If you can relate to Anthony's story, whether you are new to faith, returning after a long time away, or simply feeling the weight of your own imperfection, this message is for you! God's grace is not reserved for people who have it all together. It is for the ones who are still finding their way home!

Run to the arms of the Father and find community that will help you in the hard times and lead you closer to Jesus. There is nothing you can do that can separate you from the love of Jesus. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

At CONVO we have amazing small groups called CREW to help you in your everyday walk of life while centering everything towards the Lord! No judgement, no shame, just welcoming with open arms like Jesus! To find more information and sign up for our CREW groups, visit our website! If you are looking for a church to call home, we would love to have you join us on Sunday mornings at 9am and 11am!

Insecurity, doubt, fear, and the voices of critics can drown out what God is actually saying about who you are and what you are called to do. But here is the truth: if God calls you to something, He is going to give you the authority to carry it out. That promise is not just for pastors or Bible heroes. It is for every believer sitting in the tension between who they are right now and who God is making them to be.

It does not matter your age, your background, or how long you have been following Jesus. Most people quietly downplay the role God has for them. Insecurities, past sin, fear, and the lies of the enemy are loud. They compete with the voice of God and often win.
But God has never been in the business of choosing the most qualified. He chooses the willing. He chooses the unlikely. And He uses them to do the miraculous.

Most people know the basic outline: David defeats Goliath. But the deeper layers of this story reveal something powerful about how God works in the lives of ordinary, overlooked people.
God Chose the One Nobody Expected
When the prophet Samuel was sent to anoint the next king of Israel, He went to a man named Jesse who had seven sons. Samuel looked at the oldest and thought, surely this is the one. He looked like a king. But God stopped him with this:
"Don't judge by His appearance or height, for I have rejected Him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
Samuel went through all seven sons. None of them were chosen. He asked Jesse if there were any others. Jesse almost dismissed the idea entirely, saying there was one more, the youngest, out in the field watching sheep. That was David. He was not even brought in to be considered. And yet he was the one God had chosen.
God Does Not Waste the Waiting
After being anointed as the future king of Israel, David went right back to the fields to tend sheep. No fanfare. No immediate promotion. Just the same lonely, hard, sometimes dangerous work he had always done.
But God was not ignoring Him. He was preparing him. The fields were where David learned to fight lions and bears. The fields were where he learned to hear God's voice. The fields were where his faith was built in private before it was tested in public.
If you are in a season that feels insignificant or exhausting, do not give up. God does not waste the waiting. He is using it to prepare you for what is ahead.

The Philistines had been taunting the Israelite army for forty days. Goliath, their giant champion, issued a daily challenge. No one stepped forward. The entire army was, as the Bible describes it, terrified and deeply shaken.
David showed up to deliver food to his brothers on the front lines and heard the taunting. He started asking questions. His brothers mocked him. King Saul told him he was just a boy. But David had a different perspective entirely. He had seen God show up in the fields. He knew who his God was. And so he said this:
"I have been taking care of my Father's sheep and goats. When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with my club and rescue the lamb from its mouth... The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
David was not focused on what he could not do. He was focused on who his God was.
He Did Not Try to Be Someone He Was Not
King Saul offered David his armor before the battle. It did not fit. David took it off and went out with what he knew: a slingshot and a stone. He did not try to step into someone else's calling or someone else's armor. He knew who he was in God, and that was enough.
Sometimes you have to look a little ridiculous to see the miraculous. Noah looked ridiculous building an ark. David looked ridiculous walking toward a giant with a slingshot. But God used both of them in extraordinary ways.

David cried out to Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, when He faced Goliath. This name reveals God as the commander of angelic forces, the warrior king, the protector who wages war against all evil.
Revelation 19 gives a picture of Jesus returning not as a humble servant but as a conquering king:
"Then I saw heaven opened and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire... On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords." (Revelation 19:11-16)
That is the God who stands behind you when He sends you into hard places. When the enemy comes against you, you do not have to cower. You can look behind you and see the commander and king of heaven's armies standing there with you.

Jesus did not leave earth and say "good luck." He sent His Holy Spirit to live inside every person who surrenders their life to Him. And He gave His followers real, tangible authority to act in His name.
"One day Jesus called together His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick." (Luke 9:1-2)
And in Mark 16, He extended that commission beyond just the twelve:
"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone... These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages... they will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed." (Mark 16:15-18)
This is not just for a select few. This is for anyone who believes. That includes you.

This is one of the most important questions a believer can ask. How do you know it is God's voice and not your own desires, your pride, or the pressure of other people?
The answer requires slowing down and learning to discern. Here are three practical ways to grow in that discernment:

• Get into godly community. Surround yourself with people who are wiser and further along in their faith. Humble yourself and learn from them.
• Get into the Word of God. Start with Proverbs. Read a chapter a day. As Proverbs 1:7 says, "Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
• Chase after His presence. Pray. Worship. Make time with God a non-negotiable. You cannot walk in His authority if you are not walking with Him.

David knew his God because He spent time with God in the waiting. That is where he learned to hear God's voice over everything else. The same is available to you.

Walking in God-given authority means understanding that the Spirit living inside you is greater than anything you will face in this world.
"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the Spirit who lives in the world." (1 John 4:4)
It means you do not have to have the right credentials, the right background, or the right resume. God uses the unlikely. He uses the broken. He uses the ones who feel like they are the least qualified in the room. If He could use a fifteen-year-old boy with a slingshot and a stone to defeat a giant and eventually lead an entire nation, He can use you.
Walking in that authority also means being willing to look a little ridiculous. It means standing for truth when it is unpopular. It means stepping into the calling He has placed on your life even when the voices around you say you are not enough.

This week, identify one area of your life where you have been listening to the voice of fear, doubt, or criticism more than the voice of God. It might be a calling you have been avoiding, a conversation you have been afraid to have, or a step of faith you have been putting off.
Then do one concrete thing to move toward it. Get into the Word. Pray specifically about it. Share it with someone in your community who can speak wisdom and encouragement into your life. Take the step, even if it feels small, even if it feels ridiculous.
Remember: if God is calling you to it, He is going to give you the authority to do it.
Ask yourself these questions as you reflect this week:

• What giant in my life am I staring at instead of looking at who my God is?
• Am I in a season of waiting that I have been resenting instead of allowing God to use for preparation?
• Whose voice am I listening to most: God's, the enemy's, or the critics around me?
• What would it look like this week to take one step in the authority God has already given me?

You do not have to have it all figured out. You just have to say yes. He will take care of the rest.

Marshall
The gifts the Lord gave Marshall many years ago were not by coincidence! Through his missions trip to China, he was able to us the gift of tongues by faith to lead him and his team to minister to others in a powerful way! For years, in the background, Jesus was preparing Marshall to have faith and use the gift He gave him in a powerful way. Jesus changed his life and the lives of those in China forever, and He can do the same for you!

If you can relate to Marshalls' story, don't doubt the gifts the Lord has so graciously given to you - Use them in faith to grow in your relationship and to encourage others! Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20  "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing is impossible."

Run to the arms of the Father and find community that will help you in the hard times and lead you closer to Jesus. There is nothing you can do that can separate you from the love of Jesus. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

At CONVO we have amazing small groups called CREW to help you in your everyday walk of life while centering everything towards the Lord! No judgement, no shame, just welcoming with open arms like Jesus! To find more information and sign up for our CREW groups, visit our website! If you are looking for a church to call home, we would love to have you join us on Sunday mornings at 9am and 11am!

It's easy to show up on Sundays, look the part, and still miss the point entirely. The Bible is clear that following Jesus is not a passive experience. It is a call to action, a rescue mission, and a life poured out for others. Here is what Scripture says about moving from inaction to purpose.

In Luke 10, a religious expert tries to trap Jesus with a question: "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus responds with one of the most well-known parables in Scripture.
A Jewish man is beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the road. A priest walks by and crosses to the other side. A temple assistant does the same. Then a Samaritan, someone despised by Jewish culture, stops, tends to the man's wounds, puts him on his own donkey, takes him to an inn, and pays for his care.
Jesus asks, "Which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked?" The answer is obvious. The one who showed mercy.
Then Jesus says something that should stop us in our tracks: "Yes, now go and do the same." - Luke 10:37
Jesus is not describing a nice idea. He is issuing a command.

When studying the Holocaust, historians and educators teach history through four roles of responsibility. These roles are not just historical categories. They reveal something deeply important about how we live our faith today.

• Perpetrator: The one doing the harm.
• Victim: The one the harm is being done to.
• Bystander: Someone who witnesses or is aware of injustice but chooses to remain passive, indifferent, or silent.
• Rescuer: Someone who risks their own safety, status, or comfort to protect and assist those who cannot help themselves.

Out of 18,000 pastors during the Nazi regime, only 3,000 boldly stood against it. Twelve thousand chose silence and compliance. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of those who stood firm, said it plainly: "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak, and not to act is to act."

Many Christians assume that as long as they are not doing something wrong, they are fine. But Scripture challenges that assumption directly.
"Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and not do it." - James 4:17
Matthew 25 makes this even more sobering. Jesus describes two groups, sheep and goats. One group helped those in need. The other ignored them. His response to those who did nothing:
"I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me. And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life." - Matthew 25:45-46
Inaction is not neutral. It is a choice, and it carries weight.

Scripture is filled with warnings and calls about fruit. Not just a few verses, but a consistent theme throughout the entire New Testament.

• "Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire." - Matthew 3:10
• "You can identify them by their fruit." - Matthew 7:16
• "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." - James 2:17
• "When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father." - John 15:8
• "You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit." - John 15:16

In Mark 11, Jesus curses a fig tree that had leaves but no fruit. This was not just about a tree. It was a prophetic statement about a church that looks good on the outside but produces nothing of value. He is not coming back for a church that is well put together. He is coming back for a church that produces fruit.

This is an important distinction. Producing fruit is not about earning your way into heaven. Salvation is by grace alone.
"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God." - Ephesians 2:8
But that same passage continues: we are saved so that we can do the good things He planned for us (Ephesians 2:10). Our works are not the root of salvation. They are the fruit of it. They are our response to the greatest gift ever given.
Titus 2:13-14 says He gave His life to free us and to make us His very own people, "totally committed to doing good deeds." That is the expected response to grace.

Step 1: Start with Your Own Heart
You cannot produce sweet fruit from a bitter heart. Luke 6:45 says what is stored in our hearts is what will come out. Before going on mission, the soil of your own heart has to be fertile. That means dealing with unforgiveness, pride, and selfishness honestly before God.
Step 2: Die to Self
Selfishness is one of the greatest threats to the church today. Philippians 2:3-4 says: "Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too."
Following Jesus means His mission becomes your mission. He did not come to be served. He came to seek and save the lost.
Step 3: Pick Up Your Cross
"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me." - Matthew 16:24
Your cross will look different from someone else's. Maybe it is starting a ministry, having a hard conversation, serving on a team, speaking up at work, or showing up for someone in need. Whatever it is, if God has been prompting you, that is your cross to pick up.
Step 4: Trust the Power He Already Placed in You
God did not leave us to figure this out alone. He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, empower us, and guide us.
"And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God." - Romans 7:4
The same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in every believer. That is not a small thing. Act like it.

Consider this: one man showed up at a gym unashamedly carrying his Bible and living out his faith. Because of that simple act, a conversation happened. That conversation led someone to church. That person rededicated their life to Christ, went into ministry, traveled to Cambodia to help rescue girls from sex trafficking, and their family's influence led to others being baptized.
One person. One obedient act. A chain of rescue that history may never fully record, but heaven certainly will.
If you choose not to produce fruit, who will not hear the Gospel because of your silence?

Everything we are called to do flows from what He already did.
"For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son." - Colossians 1:13
"He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed." - 1 Peter 2:24
He did not stop at the cross. He is still fighting for us. He is returning to make all wrongs right. And until then, His mission is our mission.
No matter how far you have wandered, no matter how long you have been living for yourself, He is like the Father in the parable of the prodigal son. He sees you from a distance and runs toward you. He wants to embrace you, restore you, and send you out to do what you were made for.

This week, identify one specific area where God has been prompting you to act and you have been holding back. It does not have to be dramatic. It might be a conversation, a commitment to serve, a step toward reconciliation, or simply showing up somewhere you have been avoiding. Choose one thing and do it. Move from bystander to rescuer in that one area.
Ask yourself:

• In what areas of my life am I choosing the comfort of a bystander over the calling of a rescuer?
• What fruit is my life currently producing, and does it reflect the grace I have received?
• What cross has God been asking me to pick up that I keep setting back down?
• Is there someone in my life right now who needs me to show up for them the way the Samaritan showed up for the man on the road?

Easy does not mean purposeful. His mission is your mission. Go produce fruit.

Lanni
Even though she grew up in the church, she had yet to learn the REAL truth of Jesus! Early in her adult years, she realized her faith was not borrowed from her parents and had to come from her alone. As Lanni was able to experience Jesus for who He truly is, she was able to heal from past personal experiences, became sober and fully committed her life to Christ! The truth has set her free! Jesus changed her life forever, and He can do the same for you!

If you can relate to Lanni's story, continue to seek the truth of Jesus! To be told the truth is loving and good and will save people from being separated from God! Run to the arms of the Father and find community that will help you in the hard times and lead you closer to Jesus. There is nothing you can do that can separate you from the love of Jesus. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

At CONVO we have amazing small groups called CREW to help you in your everyday walk of life while centering everything towards the Lord! No judgement, no shame, just welcoming with open arms like Jesus! To find more information and sign up for our CREW groups, visit our website! If you are looking for a church to call home, we would love to have you join us on Sunday mornings at 9am and 11am!

Following Jesus was never meant to be something you add to your existing life. It was always meant to be a complete surrender. This is a look at what it truly means to make room for God, why syncretism is quietly weakening the church, and what has to change if you want to experience the life Christ actually created you for.

Jesus did not mince words when He described what it looks like to follow Him. In Matthew 16:24, He says: "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me." - Matthew 16:24
To the people hearing this, the cross was not a metaphor. They lived under Roman rule. They knew exactly what crucifixion meant. Jesus was not describing a minor lifestyle adjustment. He was describing total surrender. He goes on: "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." - Matthew 16:25
The Apostle Paul echoes this in Galatians 2:20: "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20
When something is crucified, there is no surviving it. That is the point.

Syncretism is the blending of various beliefs, religions, preferences, and cultural influences into one. And it has quietly crept into modern Christianity in a significant way. It shows up when people build a faith that looks like Jesus plus something else. Jesus plus cultural values that contradict Scripture. Jesus plus other religious texts. Jesus plus whatever feels compassionate in the moment. The result is a version of Christianity that has been diluted to the point where it no longer points people to the real Jesus. Jesus made an exclusive claim: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6. That is not a statement that leaves room for blending. Christianity does not mix with other belief systems. The moment a cultural practice or personal preference conflicts with the truth of God's Word, the culture has to go.

Many people think making room for God means sliding a few things over on the shelf of their heart and adding a cross. But what God is actually calling for is a demolition. A clearing out. A complete emptying of everything that is not of Him.
To be a vessel that carries the heart of God, you must be emptied of all that is not of God.
When you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10), you are giving God permission to come in and do a full remodel. You are not adding Jesus to your existing life. You are clearing out the entire space and inviting Him in.

Salvation begins at a moment, but it is not the finish line. It is the starting line. What follows is a process called sanctification, the ongoing transformation of your mind, will, and emotions to align with the heart of God.
Romans 12:2 puts it plainly: "Don't copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." - Romans 12:2
Jesus prayed for this transformation in John 17:17: "Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth." - John 17:17
And James 1:21-22 adds a practical challenge: "Get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise you are only fooling yourselves." - James 1:21-22
God works from the inside out. The Pharisees tried to look righteous on the outside while remaining dead on the inside. God is doing the opposite. He is renewing you from within, and that renewal eventually changes everything on the outside too.

1. Make Room for God
This is where it starts. Salvation opens the door, but daily surrender keeps it open. Every day is an opportunity to say, "God, I don't want mixture in my life. I don't want compromise. Remove what is not of You."
2. Make Room for the Church
There is a popular idea in Western Christianity that says, "I am the church, so wherever I go, I'm doing church." That is not accurate. You are a member of the body of Christ. The body, gathered together, is the church. You cannot reject what God has established in the local church and still claim to be the church. Jesus said He is coming back for His bride, and His bride is the church. Prioritize it.
3. Make Room for Other Believers
Smaller gatherings and community groups are not just a church program. They are where real transformation happens. When you open yourself up to relationships with other imperfect people, your insecurities get exposed, your preferences get challenged, and your capacity to love grows. Sometimes you show up needing something and discover someone else needs it more. When you lay down your need to meet theirs, God meets yours. Matthew 6 has been saying this all along: seek His kingdom first, and everything else will be taken care of.
4. Make Room for the Mission
The mission is the lost. And it will pull you out of your comfort zone. Making room for the mission does not necessarily mean quitting your job. It might mean staying in it. Your workplace is a mission field. Your home is a mission field. The grocery store is a mission field. God has placed you exactly where He needs you. The question is whether you are showing up with that awareness.

John the Baptist said it best in John 3:30: "He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." - John 3:30
The things that used to define you before Christ, your old ambitions, your selfishness, your need for control, those things have to decrease so that Jesus can increase in your life.
God is not asking you to lay down your dreams because He wants your life to be boring. He is asking because you do not yet have a full picture of what He can do with a surrendered life. The tighter you hold on to control, the further you get from the life He created you for.

This week, take an honest inventory of your heart. Ask yourself what you have been trying to make Jesus share space with. What belief, habit, cultural value, or personal preference have you been blending into your faith that does not actually line up with Scripture?
Then do something about it. Not just think about it. Do what the Word says.
Here are a few questions to sit with:

• What in my life has been taking up space that belongs to God?
• Am I following the Jesus of the Bible, or a version of Jesus I have shaped around my own preferences?
• What does it look like for me to make room for the church, for other believers, and for the mission this week specifically?
• What needs to become less in my life so that Christ can become greater?

The challenge is simple but not easy: surrender one thing this week that you have been holding onto. Bring it to God and ask Him to fill that space with more of Himself. Then watch what He does with a life that is actually cleared out and ready for Him.

Micaiah
Living in bondage under the influences of this world was never enough to stop the love of Jesus from reaching Micaiah! Jesus continued to chase after her and help her heal from her past. Jesus changed her life forever, and He can do the same for you!

If you can relate to Micaiah's story, don't hide in shame of your past! Run to the arms of the Father and find community that will help you in the hard times and lead you closer to Jesus. There is nothing you can do that can separate you from the love of Jesus. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

At CONVO we have amazing small groups called CREW to help you in your everyday walk of life while centering everything towards the Lord! No judgement, no shame, just welcoming with open arms like Jesus! To find more information and sign up for our CREW groups, visit our website! If you are looking for a church to call home, we would love to have you join us on Sunday mornings at 9am and 11am!

Reno is one of the most unchurched cities in the United States. Over 300,000 people in the area have never stepped foot inside a church. That number is not a statistic to gloss over. It is a mission field sitting right outside our doors. This post explores what the Bible says about why every believer is called to share the gospel, and how that calling connects to a simple but powerful question: how will they hear unless someone tells them?

The answer starts with Jesus Himself. In Matthew 9:35, we see a summary of His ministry: He traveled through towns, preached the good news, and healed people. But what comes next is just as important.
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, 'The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.'" - Matthew 9:36-38
Jesus saw the need. He felt compassion. And then He did something remarkable. He started commissioning people to go.

Jesus did not keep the work to Himself. He gave authority to His 12 disciples first, then sent out 72 more. Each group came back with reports of what God had done through them.
"When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, 'Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!'" - Luke 10:17
Jesus responded by pointing them to something even greater than miracles. He told them to rejoice because their names were written in the book of life. The work was never about the workers. It was always about the One sending them.
And then, after His resurrection, Jesus made the commission universal.
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20
That commission includes every believer today.

There is a chain of logic in Romans 10 that is hard to argue with.
"But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?" - Romans 10:14
Three questions. Each one depends on the one before it. People cannot call on God if they do not believe. They cannot believe if they have not heard. And they cannot hear if no one speaks.
That last link in the chain is us.

When the church pulls back, something else moves in. In Reno, that vacuum is being filled with psychic events drawing over 100,000 attendees, $75 sessions to contact the dead, crystals, astrology, tarot cards, and what are sometimes called New Thought churches. These are places that teach the principles of Jesus without Jesus Himself.
The deeper question people are asking is not whether God exists. Most people already sense that He does. The real question is: how do I reach Him? Through a Ouija board? Through manifestation? Through a zodiac sign?
We have the answer. The question is whether we are willing to give it.

One of the most encouraging things about real-world evangelism is how ordinary the people doing it are. People who had only been evangelizing for a month. People who fumbled through their words. People who were nervous and did not stick to the script.
And yet people gave their lives to Jesus. In Walmart. At a convention center. On the street.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18
The power is not in the delivery. It is in the message.

The harvest is real. People are searching. Many of them are exhausted from trying to be their own God, from carrying the weight of manifesting their own reality, from looking for peace in places that cannot give it.
Jesus said it plainly: "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28
That is the message people are ready to hear. They just need someone to say it.

Before any outreach event, before any conversation about Jesus, the first form of evangelism is how a believer lives their life. Many people who might otherwise come to faith have been pushed away because of how a Christian behaved in front of them.
Evangelism is not just a program. It is a posture. It is the way we carry ourselves every day, in every interaction, as people who actually believe what we say we believe.
The church growing in numbers while the surrounding community grows faster in the opposite direction is a sign that something needs to shift. The harvest is plentiful. The workers are few. That gap is not closed by better programs. It is closed by believers who go.

God does not send us out alone. The same Holy Spirit that filled Jesus with joy as He looked ahead to what His followers would accomplish is the same Spirit available to every believer today.
"And these signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages." - Mark 16:17
The signs follow those who believe and go. Not those who wait until they feel ready.

This week, find one person outside your normal Christian circle and start a genuine conversation. It does not have to be a polished gospel presentation. Ask them how they are doing. Listen. Look for an opening to share what Jesus means to you. Pray before you go, and trust the Holy Spirit to bring the right words at the right moment.
The chain in Romans 10 only breaks if we stay silent. You are the link between someone hearing and not hearing.
Ask yourself these questions as you go into the week:

• Is there someone in my life right now who has never heard the gospel clearly explained?
• What is holding me back from starting that conversation, and is that reason bigger than their eternity?
• Am I living in a way that makes people curious about what I believe, or does my daily life contradict my faith?
• Have I prayed recently and specifically for God to send me to someone who needs to hear about Jesus?

The harvest is great. The workers are few. But you are already in the field. The only question is whether you will reach down and gather what God has already prepared.

Anna - God has transformed her life from carrying the weight of shame in her motherhood journey, to being held in the Savior's loving arms with grace! Jesus changed her life forever, and He can do the same for you!

If you can relate to Anna's story, don't hide in shame! Run to the arms of the Father and find community that will help you in the hard times and lead you closer to Jesus. There is nothing you can do that can separate you from the love of Jesus. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

At CONVO we have amazing small groups called CREW to help you in your everyday walk of life while centering everything towards the Lord! No judgement, no shame, just welcoming with open arms like Jesus! To find more information and sign up for our CREW groups, visit our website! If you are looking for a church to call home, we would love to have you join us on Sunday mornings at 9am and 11am!

What if the reason so many Christians feel powerless is because they are trying to fulfill a Spirit-empowered mission without the Spirit's power? God never intended for you to live the Christian life on your own strength.

The Holy Spirit is not a secondary or optional part of the Christian life. He is the very power source behind the mission Jesus gave every believer. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God would come upon people from the outside, enabling prophets and leaders to do extraordinary things. But after Jesus died and rose again, providing the perfect sacrifice for sin, the Holy Spirit could now dwell within believers, baptizing them from the inside out. This was a promise of the Old Testament heard about but never personally experienced. We live in that reality today.

Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28, calling His followers to go into all the world and make disciples. But in Luke 24, He gave a critical instruction first: wait for the power of the Holy Spirit before going anywhere. These two commands are inseparable. The mission and the power belong together. Speaking in tongues, often misunderstood or avoided, is a personal prayer language available to every believer for spiritual edification and empowerment. It is distinct from the corporate gift of tongues and interpretation described in 1 Corinthians 14, which is given to some for building up the church body. Paul himself said he prayed in tongues more than anyone, and he encouraged believers to do the same privately while using prophecy to build others up publicly.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a one-time experience. Throughout the book of Acts, the same believers were filled multiple times. Like a glass that gets emptied as it is poured out, we need to be continually refilled. Common hesitations, such as feeling like it is fake, wondering if it will work, or feeling like the gift has been lost, are all addressed directly in Scripture. God is not a ventriloquist. He does not take over. He fills, and we respond in faith by opening our mouths and speaking. The call is to pray in the Spirit daily, stir up the gift consistently, and refuse to let the enemy minimize what God has freely given.

Today is a great day to stop settling for a version of faith that runs on your own energy and start leaning into the power God has already placed within you.

Many Christians reach a point in their faith where the version of God they have encountered does not feel big enough for what they are facing. That tension is not a sign of weak faith. It is often the beginning of something greater.

God did not stop at salvation when it comes to what He wants to give His children. The Holy Spirit, His gifts, and His power are available to every believer, and yet unbelief inside the church is one of the most significant barriers to experiencing them. Mark 6 reveals that Jesus was unable to do many miracles in Nazareth because of unbelief, and what He did accomplish there, a few healings, would be considered revival by many churches today. That is not the ceiling of what He wants to do. It is the floor.

The gift of tongues is one of the most misunderstood gifts the Holy Spirit offers, but it serves a real and powerful purpose. First Corinthians 14 describes a personal prayer language that edifies the believer, literally building up a dwelling place within them and tearing down old patterns and cycles that natural effort alone cannot break. Romans 8 reminds us that the Spirit intercedes on our behalf with understanding that goes beyond what our natural minds can access.

When believers stop settling for a minimum version of faith and begin asking for the fullness of what God has promised, something shifts, not just personally but in the communities around them. The pattern of the New Testament church, seen clearly in Acts 19 and the transformation of Ephesus, is not a relic of history. It is an available reality for the church today.

Whether you are new to the topic of spiritual gifts or have wrestled with questions about tongues and the Holy Spirit for years, this is a grounded, Scripture-based exploration of what God has made available to every believer. The invitation is open. The question is whether we are willing to receive it.

Are you ready to stop agreeing with the giants and start believing God for more?

Hope is one of the most powerful forces in the human experience, but it is also one of the easiest things to lose when life gets hard. What does it actually mean to have hope that does not depend on your circumstances? And what does it look like to face the giants standing between you and everything God has promised you?

Real hope has a source, and that source is not a feeling, a circumstance, or even a powerful moment in worship. It is Jesus Christ Himself. Hebrews 6 uses the example of Abraham to show that God's promises are not cancelled by delay. Abraham waited patiently, and what God promised came to pass. God cannot lie. It is not simply that He chooses not to. Lying is completely contrary to His nature. That means every promise He has spoken over your life is still standing, regardless of how long it has been or how impossible things may look right now. He is a strong and trustworthy anchor for the soul, and that anchor does not move when everything around you feels like it is falling apart.

The story of the twelve spies in Numbers 13 brings this truth into sharp focus. God had already told Israel they could enter the promised land. The spies were sent to scout it out, not to vote on whether to go in. Ten of them came back focused on the giants and convinced the entire nation to turn back. Two of them, Joshua and Caleb, believed the report of the Lord and were ready to move forward. The consequences for the ten and for the generation that followed their fear were severe. An entire generation forfeited their inheritance because they believed more in the power of the giants than in the faithfulness of God.

Every promised land has giants in it. That is not a sign you are in the wrong place. It is part of the process. The giants may be personal strongholds, past wounds, or destructive habits. They may also be larger forces at work in your city or community, things like addiction, trafficking, corruption, or spiritual darkness in places of influence. God is calling His people to stop waiting on the sidelines and start engaging. You are qualified. Give your life to Jesus, get baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit, get the Word of God in you, and go. Isaiah did not wait for a detailed plan before he said here I am, send me. God does not always give you the full map before the first step. He asks for obedience, and He provides faithfulness every step of the way.

What does it look like to have God's heart for the city where you live? It starts with being honest about the giants standing in the way and having the courage to face them with bold, active faith.

In Numbers 13, God sent twelve spies into the land of Canaan. Ten came back paralyzed by fear, convinced the giants were too powerful and the walls too thick. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, came back ready to move forward. They had seen the same land and the same obstacles. The difference was not what they saw. It was what they believed about God.

The church today faces a similar crossroads. Sobering statistics reveal that only 6% of self-identified Christians hold a biblical worldview, and a significant portion hold beliefs that contradict the core of Scripture. This is not a reason to point fingers but a call to honest self-examination. A church that does not know the Word of God cannot stand against the giants of its time. Those giants are not abstract. They are real and present in every city, including addiction, suicide, the devaluing of human life, and leaders who champion darkness over truth. The level of peace in any city is directly connected to the spiritual engagement of God's people.

Three responses are possible when facing these giants. The first is doubt, letting fear of the enemy grow louder than trust in God. The second is indifference, a self-focused faith more concerned with personal comfort than the mission of God. The third is the Caleb and Joshua response, courageous and faithful, anchored in Matthew 6:33 and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Revelation 21 warns that cowardice heads the list of those who will not inherit the blessings of God. That warning was written to believers. The same God who parted the Red Sea and raised Jesus from the dead goes before His people today. No giant is too large, and no wall is too thick for Him.

There are real giants in your city right now. The question is which kind of spy are you going to be? Identify the giant you have been avoiding and take one step of faith toward it this week!

God has always had a heart for cities and communities, and He calls His people to reflect that same heart wherever He has placed them. In Jeremiah 29, God told the Israelites in exile not to simply survive until things improved, but to build, plant, invest, and seek the peace and prosperity of the very city they found themselves in.

That same call belongs to every believer today. A passive, privately-held faith that stays comfortable and disengaged is not the posture Scripture calls Christians to. History shows that when the church loses its fire and retreats from the world, entire nations that were once rooted in the gospel can drift into spiritual emptiness.

Jesus makes the calling clear in Matthew 5. Believers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt that has lost its flavor is worthless. Light that is hidden defeats its own purpose. When darkness seems overwhelming in culture and society, the honest question is not why there is so much darkness, but where the light has gone? Romans 10 reminds us that people cannot call on a name they have never heard, and they cannot hear unless someone tells them.

Sharing the gospel is not the exclusive responsibility of a few gifted leaders. It belongs to every Christian, in every workplace, neighborhood, and relationship. God is calling His people out of comfortable, self-absorbed faith and into kingdom-minded living, where every city is seen as an outpost of His kingdom and every believer is sent as salt and light into the places that need it most.

God has placed you exactly where you are for a reason. Are you active and engaged, present but neutral, or absent and disengaged? The harvest is great, the workers are few, and God is not looking for perfect people. He is looking for willing ones!

Official Statement from Pastor Craig Dyson and CONVO Leadership:

In light of recent events where a church in Minneapolis was stormed and disrupted by leftist protesters and fake journalists, CONVO Church wants to clearly communicate our position and how we will protect our gatherings.

We strongly condemn any attempt to disrupt a church service for any reason. The purpose of our gatherings is to worship God, disciple believers, and share the gospel. These gatherings are protected by law, but even if they were not, we would not allow them to be interrupted.

More importantly, it is not a Christian virtue to tolerate unsafe, abusive, or violent behaviors. We protect the  environments for families and generations to worship together. Meekness is not weakness. Hateful and disruptive attempts will be met with swift and deliberate actions. We are committed to showing God’s love while also exercising strength and responsibility in protecting our church and people.

CONVO Church has an organized Safety Team led by law enforcement officers and trained church members who serve to protect our worship center and children’s areas, and to be first responders for emergency needs in the church. They are authorized to take swift, appropriate action to stop and remove any individual or group attempting to disrupt our services.

Firearms are not permitted in the building without authorization. Open carry is not allowed on church property except for uniformed officers or approved Safety Team members. Anyone wishing to legally conceal carry must first speak with a Safety Team member for approval. If you desire to be a part of the solution and protection of our church, then you need to complete ENGAGE and sign up for our Safety Team. Any law enforcement present, in the event of a disruption, may engage as a de facto member of the Safety Team and is permitted to take action with the existing Safety Team.

If a disruption occurs, we ask all members and guests to remain calm and follow instructions. Please do not intervene—allow the Safety Team to do their job.
We will not be intimidated or bullied. We will love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, bless those who curse us, and at the same time faithfully steward and protect our people and gatherings as we worship God together. The mission of the church will go forth.