First Champaign-urbana

How do you know if someone truly loves Jesus? True love for Christ is not just an emotion—it’s expressed in obedience, and in that obedience, we experience the abiding presence of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Join us as we discover what it truly means to live in communion with the One who never leaves us.

The night before the cross, Jesus revealed the Father to His disciples—and He still does today for all who trust in Him. Join us as we explore five powerful revelations that change everything.

You live life long enough to realize nothing ever seems to go as planned. We recognize that sometimes it’s our fault, sometimes there’s another to blame, and other times - that’s just life! Regardless of why troubles come our way, getting through them is always needed. As we continue through the Gospel of John, Jesus gives us the cure for a troubled heart.

We have endless songs about it. We have hundreds of movies about it. We have all forms of art expressing it. The “it” is love. Love is not only everywhere, it’s arguably the deepest yearning for all people. As disciples, we are called to do one thing more and better than everything else - love! But let’s be honest, it feels loaded at times to “love” well and rightly. Join us as we seek to discern what love truly is and how we can go about extending it to others.

What’s been the most radical act of kindness you’ve experienced? Maybe it was the generosity of a family member or the selflessness of a stranger, either way - it probably left a mark in you, for good reason. As we continue in our study through John, we see one of the most radical acts of love and the purpose behind it all.

Transformation is a powerful process that reflects profound change, much like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. When we embrace this idea of change in our lives, we discover that transforming faith goes beyond mere belief; it is a life-altering relationship with God. This faith empowers us to shed past limitations and embrace a new identity. Just as the caterpillar's metamorphosis reveals its potential, our journey of faith unveils the incredible possibilities that arise when we allow God to work in us.

Once all the promos, trailers, and build up are over - it’s time for the show! While the teasers may give you a taste of what is to come, nothing compares to the actual event. As we continue our study through John, Jesus reveals what all the precursors were about for the “time has (finally) come” to see what all the fuss has been about.

Over the past decade, Hollywood has begun to embrace the idea of an ‘anti-hero.’ A “hero” who breaks the mold of conventional hero-type figures. Stories filled with characters like Jack Sparrow, Walter White, or The Punisher have something that catches our attention. But what if the “hero” is just completely unforeseen - do we have a name for that person?

What is the most vibrant expression of love you’ve ever received in your life? Maybe it was an engagement ring, a personal letter, or award of recognition. Now flip it, if you had to express your love towards someone in the most obvious and tangible way possible - what would you do?

Queue Taylor Swift… “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate…” That phrase is fairly common in our society today as it could refer to someone who doesn’t like you all the way to someone plotting against you. But, have you ever had a hater who literally plotted to take your life? Jesus did! Join us as we continue our study through the Gospel of John and take a look at a few different responses to who Jesus was.

There are a few things you can count on in life - and one of them, whether we like it or not, is pain and trial. Spending any time on this earth, we quickly learn it never goes the way we would hope or plan. In this message, we wrap up one of the most popular stories in the life and ministry of Jesus and learn about how to get through life’s toughest moments.

They say there are only two certainties in life—death and taxes. And while Jesus doesn’t promise that His glory will shine through taxes, He proclaims the opposite about death. As we continue our series, I Am: The Gospel of John, we lean into how, in Jesus, death doesn’t have to be the end.

While we cannot change anything about Jesus, we let our thoughts, wants, needs and desires do that anyways, do we not? At some point or another, all of us have some sort of view or desire of Jesus that could very well not match up to who He really was. Picking up where we left off in our study through the Gospel of John, we see how Jesus handles people who want Him to be someone He’s not.

There’s an old saying, “You can’t get runover by a truck and not be changed!” Well, we believe the same to be true as generous disciples of Jesus. If we become RELENTLESS in our pursuit of Jesus, surrendered in our discipleship and generosity, then the transformative impact will be undeniable. We will see Spirit-led fruit in the changing of marriages, relationships, parenting, evangelism, and more as we grow deeper in our love and dependency for Jesus.

There is an urgency of souls in our church, homes, and community at large. And while we cannot take the Gospel to every single person - we are going to try! But - in order for us to make it more probable and possible, there is a burden we need to release. We won’t bury the lead - we believe the time is now to become a debt-free church! Not to build a bigger building or spend it on ourselves, but to match the urgency of souls who need Jesus and to leave an unmistakable Kingdom footprint in our community.

“Go and make disciples of all nations…” This was Jesus’ last command to the apostles. We desire to be a church where we make Jesus’ last words our first work. A church that does not make disciples who make-disciples is not a church at all. We will not back down or shy from this Great Commission, and that is why it is the vital seeds we desire to plant in the life of our church for now and forever more.

What would it take for our church to see a move of God like never before? What would it take for you to see a move of God in your life? While we might not all answer that question the same - we do know it all centers around planting seeds before God to see an abundant Kingdom harvest. Join us as we announce and cast the vision for the future of FIRST!

5 Commitments for 2025 by First Christian Church Champaign

There are countless amounts of infamous gifts in Christmas movies, but one stands above them all! (And no, we’re not thinking of the ‘Jelly of the Month Club'). The funny thing is, in all these movies, every gift is depicted as falling short of what truly is the reason for the season.

A high-powered gal from the coast returns to her seemingly insignificant small town in the Midwest in the heat of an ever so stressful time in her life. Looking to regain some sensibility or purpose, she instead finds what she’s been looking for all along… If this plot sounds familiar, there’s dozens that follow this script on that one “channel”. However, sometimes knowing what’s going to happen next is the just peace of mind we need.