One day this week as I was re-reading Colossians 1, this phrase stood out:

“…the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing“

It made me think of how many plants can’t grow just anywhere, but only in certain regions or climates or soils. Paul says the gospel seed can grow anywhere it’s planted. There’s no culture or people group on earth in whom the seed of the gospel can’t find good soil, bearing fruit and increasing. This is because the Christian story, the gospel, truly does meet our deepest longings and answer our greatest questions – longings and questions that are universal.

Our first annual Apologetics and Culture Conference will take place this weekend, Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday evening. The theme is FULFILLED: How the Christian Story Satisfies Our Deepest Desires. In his book Our Deepest Desires, our Sunday morning speaker, Greg Ganssle, argues:

“As human beings, we are created with desires. We all long for meaningful relationships, lives that reflect goodness, engagements with beauty, and the freedom to pursue our lives with integrity. But where can our restless hearts find fulfillment for these universal longings? The good news of Jesus Christ makes sense of – and fulfills – our deepest desires. It is only in the particular claims of the Christian faith that our universal human aspirations can find fulfillment and our restless hearts will be at peace.”

Would you join us this weekend? You can find all the details here.

Please pray for each of our speakers: Jacob Daniel, William Lane Craig, Greg Ganssle, and Jason Oakes as they prepare. Pray for all who will attend, believers and unbelievers alike. Pray that God would draw new people to Himself this weekend through these messages. Pray that the gospel would continue to bear fruit and increase here among us.

See you this weekend, Grace. Come hungry, and invite a friend, co-worker, or neighbor!