Beginning Sunday, October 9, through Sunday, December 11, CapCity's newest series, 'Unfiltered' will follow the ideas based out of Randy Frazee's study "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus."

Copies of his book are available for purchase in the Connections Room for $5.

We want encourage you to grab a copy and follow along with us as we complete this study church-wide, from Adults through Students to Life Groups. You can use the table below for chapters and key ideas for each week.

Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

Want to dig a little deeper?

The YouVersion Bible App has a 31-Day reading plan for "Believe." Written by Randy Frazee this study will help you experience a greater spiritual growth as you learn simple, life-giving steps to help you think, act, and be more like Jesus. They study consists of daily devotions, key verses, and life applications.

"If there is a God, a big "G" God, and if Jesus was right about who God really is and what God is really like, the only way anybody can get to really know Him is to shut up and listen.  You’re not going to reason your way to God.  You’re not going to feel your way to God.  You can’t put God in a test tube.  You can’t snap your fingers and demand God show Himself, or explain Himself.  What arrogance! You have to shut up and listen: because the only way to know the real, big "G" God is to pay attention when He shows Himself … which He does.  In fact, that’s what the Bible is all about.  In fact, that’s what Jesus was all about.  You see, we Jesus followers think that God revealing Himself in Jesus blows away any of the other notions of God they can come up with.  Listen, guys, if Jesus was right … the debate about God … is over.  And … when a guy who is dying on a cross tells you, “I’ll be back,” and He pulls it off … I’d listen to Him."    - Stephen "Doc" Pattison

"One of the smartest theologians of the last century, a guy Karl Barth, put it like this.  He says, “Faith is awe in the presence of the divine incognito; it is the love of God that is aware of the qualitative difference between God and man and God and the world.” He’s God; we’re not! He’s transcendent; we’re creatures.  He’s omnipotent; He’s omniscient … Do you understand the chasm between God and us?  And yet, when Karl Barth was asked to summarize everything he knew about God, he quoted the almost unbelievable words of a children’s song: “Jesus loves me … Jesus loves “me” … God loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Do you get it?  Do you get what that means? Do you get how that can change your life … how it should change your life?  The eternal, transcendent, omnipotent God loves… you. The Creator God wants to do life with... you.  He wants you to trust Him.  He’s got your back … and your future.  The definition of insanity would be to blow him off. …" - Stephen "Doc" Pattison

"So, according to God's story, you need to be saved.  God thinks you need to be saved.  Do you?  You don’t have to believe you are lost – God still thinks you need to be saved.  And He’s so convinced that He sent his Son as a sacrifice to save you.  

In Peter’s very first sermon in Acts 2, he says God had a purpose.  God had a plan to save us.  And in verse 36, Peter says the plan was to make Jesus “Lord and Christ.”  Jesus is the hero.

And if Jesus is the hero, and we are the ones at fault, who need to be saved, it begs the question:  What do we do about it?  That’s precisely what they asked Peter, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (vs. 37)

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (vs. 38-39)

You’re in the story.  You’re guilty.  You’re lost.  You’re in a conflict you can’t resolve.  A conflict within yourself.  And a conflict with your creator.  But there’s a hero…" - Ben Webb, Associate Minister.

"Bottom line … if this is the Word of God, if this really is the story of the Word of God, God revealing himself to us culminating in Jesus … the craziest thing in the world would be to sit in on a shelf and ignore it.  Why do so many reject it? Because, bottom line, they want to be the boss.  But guys, we’re Jesus followers …, and when God talks, we listen.  All of us want to live a life that matters.  All of us want the strength necessary when times get tough.  All of us want the best life possible … for now and forever.  Well, guys, digging in this is part of how we get there." - Stephen "Doc" Pattison  

"Guys, this stuff is not optional for a Jesus follower.  You were created in the image of God.  To be fully human, you need to be like him.  You’ll never be a “god,” but you can be “godly” for the very best life possible.  For the very best life possible for you and to give those following in your footsteps the best chance you can give them." - Stephen "Doc" Pattison  

"But “church” is about way more than just worship, isn’t it? Here at CapCity, we talk about more than just worshipping together. We talk about connecting, growing, and serving together … because going it alone just doesn’t cut it. Alone … we’re kind of wussy, we’re kind of weak. Together … we are a whole lot smarter, bolder, a whole lot stronger, and a lot gooder (… that’s a word … now). It’s kind of like … we drag each other to heaven, right?" - Stephen "Doc" Pattison

"Now be careful.  You’ll be tempted to focus on that “loved by God” part and put yourself right back at the center of the stage.  And it’s true.  God loves you.  But so am I.  And so is the person next to you.  And so is every person you’ve seen, heard, or heard of.  

Focus on the “all people” part of that statement.  Then think about someone whom you feel is excluded.  And then go back to the “all people” part of the statement.  It’s the video we started with.  We can find all the reasons to separate or discriminate.  But all people are loved by God because all people bear the image of God.  

What if we believed God loves all people?  What if we began seeing all people as loved by God?  What if we started treating all people as loved by God?" - Ben Webb, Associate Minister

"Sometimes, we must move past our childish ideas, or they will mess us up. That’s why some people don’t like God. They have these childish ideas about God, and because their ideas about God are messed up, they don’t like … their imaginary God. I heard one guy say, "If I believed about God what you believe about God, I wouldn’t like him either.” But what if your ideas about God are wrong?" - Stephen "Doc" Pattison

"What if it’s not your body? What if you are just flat-out wrong? It may be your choice, but what if it’s not your body. Wouldn’t that mean that whatever choice you make matters to the one who actually owns your body? And … what if … what if it’s not your life. That’s kind of offensive to say. But what if it really is … not. your. life? So … what if, in reality, you are not the boss of you. You think you are. But what if that is an illusion, or maybe, a delusion? And … what if there are things more important than … your rights? Way more important! What if a fixation on “my rights” makes me a bit of a jerk, way littler than I was created to be? Well … I’ll show you. " - Stephen "Doc" Pattison

"The apostle John saw a vision, and then he wrote: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” (Revelation 21.2) A brand new heaven and a brand new earth. A new dawn, revealing a brand new Paradise. A Paradise that is vaguely familiar to us.

Some of you saw the movie Titanic. Can you picture in your mind the final scene? Jack is dead. Rose is an old, old woman, her life behind her, fading like the photographs on her nightstand. We see the once great ship broken and rotting at the bottom of the sea. And then something begins to happen. Down in the depths of the sea, a light begins to break through, as pure and fresh as on the first morning of creation. It streams through every portal, every hatch, awakening every haunted place. That glorious light cleanses and restores the ship's grandeur right before our eyes. The rubble disappears, and the boat glistens as it did on the day it was born. In the twinkling of an eye, it is restored. The magnificent ballroom doors swing open, and all the characters of the story gather together again. A grand party is underway as the lovers are reunited.

Folks, that’s a picture right out of the Bible. A restoration. Everything broken is fixed. Paradise is regained. This is what God has been trying to tell us all along. All the way back in the Old Testament, God said through Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will create new heavens, and a new earth.” (Isaiah 65.17)." - Stephen "Doc" Pattison

To catch up on our current series or to go back and see others, head to our YouTube Channel, Capital City Christian Church, or check out our Podcast.

We would love to hear from you!

What do you think about our Unfiltered Series? Let us know at [email protected].