The Creed: Beliefs That Shape How You Live

Aug 23, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Beliefs Blossom in Broken Places

The story of a church plant in Bolivar reminds us that God works through imperfect efforts. Even when plans change or outcomes feel uncertain, faithfulness plants seeds that outlive human understanding. Like a brother finding redemption through a struggling ministry, God’s purposes often bloom in unexpected soil. What seems like failure may become fertile ground for eternal impact. [44:00]

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you seen God bring life from something that felt like loss? How might your current challenges be preparing soil for future fruit?

Day 2: Creeds Versus Cultural Currents

Our world shouts competing beliefs about identity, truth, and purpose. Like advertisements normalizing new norms, cultural creeds seep in unnoticed. The Apostles’ Creed stands as an anchor against these tides, declaring timeless truths about God’s nature and humanity’s design. To hold fast, we must daily immerse ourselves in Scripture’s clarity. [54:57]

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (Romans 12:2a, ESV)

Reflection: Which cultural message have you unconsciously absorbed? How does the Creed’s declaration “I believe in God the Father” confront that lie?

Day 3: The Ripple Effect of Rootedness

A man’s recliner became holy ground when his renewed faith met eternity. Like roots stabilizing a tree, biblical beliefs prepare us for life’s sudden storms. The Bolivar campus’ legacy shows how planted believers create shockwaves of grace—impacting families, communities, and generations beyond their sight. [36:26]

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.” (Colossians 2:6–7a, ESV)

Reflection: What daily habits help you sink roots deeper into truth? Who might be blessed decades from now by beliefs you’re nurturing today?

Day 4: When Windows Open Wider Than Plans

The pastor’s van became a sanctuary of gratitude for financial blessings. Tithing isn’t transaction but training—a reminder that God owns all resources. As campuses expand and adjust, giving becomes less about funding projects and more about trusting the Provider who multiplies seed. [35:23]

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse…put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you.” (Malachi 3:10, ESV)

Reflection: When has obedience in giving surprised you with joy? How does titheing reshape your view of God’s ownership?

Day 5: The Unseen Battle for Belief’s Steering Wheel

Satan’s Eden strategy still whispers: “Did God really say?” Like a driver ignoring road signs, we crash when preferences override truth. The Creed serves as a doctrinal dashboard—keeping us aligned with reality. Every “I believe” statement steers us away from ditches of deception. [01:21:29]

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth.” (Ephesians 6:14a, ESV)

Reflection: Which biblical truth have you recently had to “fasten tighter”? How does declaring the Creed armor you against daily doubts?

Sermon Summary

The call to be planted in God’s house begins with the confidence that planted people flourish. Giving reminds the church that God is the source, resources God’s house for vision, and opens life to the blessing that comes back “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” Kingdom advancement shows up locally, nationally, internationally, and through campuses, and the Bolivar transition stands as an adjustment, not a failure. The testimony of that campus carries weight because lives were changed, family members came back to God, and a thriving church remains in place.

The creed puts language around the basic truths followers of Christ are supposed to know and live from. The Apostles’ Creed is not a Catholic thing, it is a Christian thing, a declaration rooted in the faith handed down from the apostles’ doctrine. The creed does not replace Scripture. The creed points back to Scripture, gives believers a firm foundation, and guards against distortions of truth in a world drowning in moral confusion and cultural compromise.

Belief matters because “what a person believes determines how that person lives.” The question is not whether people believe, because everybody believes something. The real question is what belief is shaping identity, choices, relationships, sexuality, money, family, and eternity. Some beliefs come from mom and dad, some come from culture, and some come from painful experience, but followers of Christ are called to build life on something more dependable than all of that: the revealed truth of God’s word.

Paul’s words in Ephesians show that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are given to equip God’s people, build up the church, bring unity in the faith, and help believers grow up into Christ. Mature believers are not tossed around by every new wind, every clever lie, or every cultural creed that sounds like truth. God’s word becomes the standard that tests every claim.

Culture keeps preaching its own creeds: truth is whatever is true for the individual, the heart should be followed, identity should be invented, love means total affirmation, gender is self-defined, and marriage can be redefined. Scripture answers each one with God’s truth. God’s word is truth, the heart is deceitful, identity is received from the Creator, love carries both grace and truth, God made male and female, and marriage belongs to God’s design.

Everyone is being discipled by someone. Jesus says true disciples remain faithful to his words, know the truth, and find freedom through that truth. The battle for belief began in the garden when the enemy challenged God’s word, and that same lie still tries to convince people that God is holding out on them. God is calling his people not to rethink what is true, but to remember what has already been true.

Key Takeaways

1. Belief determines the whole life. [46:48] Belief is not just an idea sitting in the head. Belief quietly becomes the engine underneath decisions, habits, relationships, and reactions. A person may say one thing out loud, but the lived life keeps revealing what has actually been trusted. [46:48]
2. Creeds expose hidden discipleship. [55:31] A creed is not only something ancient churches recited. Every life has a creed, even when it has never been written down. The important issue is whether that creed has been formed by Scripture or absorbed from culture, pain, politics, entertainment, and personal opinion. [55:31]
3. Scripture tests every cultural claim. [01:12:38] Culture does not need to sound obviously rebellious in order to be dangerous. Some lies sound compassionate, reasonable, and modern, but still move against God’s word. The gospel does not ask whether an idea is conservative or progressive, but whether it is biblical. [72:38]
4. Truth frees where lies bind. [01:19:04] Bondage is never sustained by truth. Something false has usually been swallowed, repeated, and built into the way life is understood. Jesus connects freedom to remaining faithful to his words because truth does more than inform the mind, it breaks the power of deception. [79:04]
5. God’s word gets final say. [01:24:07] Circumstances can feel loud, personal experience can feel convincing, and emotions can feel urgent. God’s word must still be held beside all of them and given the final authority. Spiritual maturity grows when Scripture is allowed to correct even long-held beliefs.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:41] - Declaring the Apostles’ Creed
[33:53] - Giving and Resourcing God’s House
[38:55] - Advancing the Kingdom Through Campuses
[40:53] - Bolivar Campus Transition
[46:19] - Why Beliefs Matter
[48:28] - The Apostles’ Creed Is Christian
[52:32] - Creed as Baptismal Confession
[55:31] - Everyone Has a Creed
[60:50] - Ministry Equips for Maturity
[67:48] - Cultural Creeds Versus Scripture
[74:08] - Culture Is Trying to Shape Belief
[78:30] - Everyone Is Being Discipled
[80:29] - The Battle for Truth
[82:51] - Questions That Reveal Belief
[85:34] - Invitation to Receive Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ephesians 4:11-14
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” [01:00:50]

John 8:31-32
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” [01:19:04]

Romans 12:2
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” [01:15:44]

Jeremiah 17:9
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” [01:09:08]

John 17:17
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” [01:08:20]

Observation questions

According to Ephesians 4:11-14, what are church leaders given to do, and what kind of instability are believers meant to grow out of? [01:00:50]
In John 8:31-32, what two things does Jesus connect to abiding in his word?
What cultural creeds were named, and what biblical answers were given to them? [01:07:48]
What different places do beliefs often come from in a person’s life, and what more dependable foundation are believers called to build on? [57:24]

Interpretation questions

If beliefs shape identity and daily living, what does that reveal about why the question is not simply whether a person believes, but what that person believes? [46:48]
Ephesians 4 says maturity keeps believers from being tossed around by every wind of doctrine. What might that kind of instability look like in real life today, especially in a culture full of competing messages? [01:03:21]
Jesus says truth brings freedom, and bondage is often sustained by deception. How does that help explain why wrong beliefs can feel normal for a long time and still keep a person stuck? [01:19:51]
Romans 12:2 calls believers not to be conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of the mind. How does that speak to the difference between being shaped by culture and being shaped by Scripture? [01:15:44]

Application questions

What belief has quietly shaped the way you handle money, relationships, family, sexuality, or your sense of identity? Where do you think that belief first came from? [01:22:51]
Is there a cultural idea you have accepted without really comparing it to Scripture? What would it look like this week to put that belief side by side with God’s word? [01:23:19]
When have you followed your heart and later realized your heart was not a trustworthy guide? What would it look like now to follow the Lord more carefully than your feelings? [01:08:38]
Who or what is doing the most discipling in your life right now—God’s word, social media, entertainment, politics, pain from the past, or something else? What makes you answer that way? [01:18:30]
When present circumstances feel loud, what usually gets the final say in your thinking—God’s word, your emotions, other people’s opinions, or your past experience? Where do you feel that tension most right now? [01:24:07]
Jesus says true disciples remain faithful to his words. What is one practical way you could abide in his word this week so that truth is shaping your mind more than the world is? [01:19:04]
Can you think of a time when changing a belief because of Scripture led to growth, peace, or freedom in your life? Is there an area now where that same kind of surrender may be needed? [01:23:26]

Sermon Clips

35s

#WhoShapesYourFaith

“Everyone is being discipled. Everyone is being discipled. No one is neutral. Everyone is being discipled by someone. The only question is is who is shaping your beliefs? Is it culture? Is it politics? Is it entertainment? Is it social media? Or is it god through his word? And cultural creeds are really, I believe, shaping a lot of Christians' lives right now. Amen.”

56s

#AreYourViewsBiblical

“Listen to this, we'll go to number two. The gospel doesn't ask whether our views are conservative or progressive. The gospel simply asks, are they biblical? Are they founded upon God's word? Amen? Are your views, are your beliefs based upon the b I b l e? Amen. Somebody says, well, the Bible is no longer relevant. You know what? Anyone who says that hasn't read the bible because the the bible itself says that the word of god is alive and active. How many know it's a living thing? Amen. And it's still the only foundation for us as believers to build our lives on. Number two, culture is always trying to shape our beliefs. Culture is always trying to shape your beliefs. And no generation has been exposed to more voices than ours.”

39s

#TestBeliefsAgainstScripture

“Those are all statements of belief. They're things people believe in their life. So everyone believes something. So the question is not do I believe? The question is what do I believe and why do I believe it? Why does that matter? Because what I believe determines the way I live my life. Amen. Every culture has beliefs that have to be tested by god's word. They have to be put up against god's word and say, is this right or is this wrong? Amen?”

80s

#ScriptureHasFinalSay

“When I hold god's word side by side with my present circumstances, who gets the final say? When I hold god's word side by side with my present circumstances, Who gets the final say? Your beliefs up to this point are what God's word says. Last but not least, is my faith rooted in biblical truth or merely in personal experience? Those are good questions to ask ourselves, good things to ponder as we continue on with this series over the next six weeks. Can I tell you, it's not gonna be near as, you know, line up online as it has been this week with me just kind of establishing this and just kinda laying the foundation for what we're gonna be talking about over the next, few weeks? But I hope it's been very helpful the things that we've said. Hope it's challenged you when it comes to what your beliefs are and whether you might need to consider changing some. The world is constantly asking us to rethink what we believe. God is calling us to remember what has already been true. Amen? Let's remember what's true.”

79s

#BeliefsShapeIdentity

“And so it's so important that we go back to scripture and we go back to biblical truths. I want you to notice this morning that the focus of the creeds is our beliefs, and that's really all we're focusing on today. We're not even talking about I believe in God the father, Christ the son, not we're just focusing on our beliefs. The word creed comes from the Greek word credo. Believe it or not, it actually means I believe. Everybody say I believe. I believe. Amen. The dictionary defines creed as a set of beliefs. Watch this. A set of beliefs that influences our identity and and the way we live our lives. Let me say that again. The, the dictionary defines a creed as a set of beliefs that influences our identity, influences the way we see ourselves. Amen. And the way we live our life. So my question to you this morning as we began this series is this, What are the beliefs that are influencing your identity today? Who you are? The way you live? Do you really know? Have you thought about it? Are they based on scripture or are they based on something else entirely?”

49s

#RenewYourMindWithScripture

“Folks, I don't know if we've stressed this enough in our camp. I don't know if we've made, you know, an issue out of it enough when it comes to the importance of building your life upon the truths of God's word. Do you know that's why you read your bible? You don't read your bible to get brownie points or, you know, just to kinda do this religious thing that you're supposed to do now that you're a Christian. You read your bible to renew your mind with God's word. So that the beliefs that you've had, come on, you are transformed by the renewing of your mind and you no longer believe those things, but you now believe what God says about you. Amen. Can I tell you what God says about you is the best thing that you can believe about you? Amen?”

37s

#CreedPointsToScripture

“The creed doesn't replace the authority of the scripture. Not at all. But what it actually does is it very simply just points us back to the scripture's truths and reminds us of the belief that should shape how we think and should shape how, we live our lives as Christians, but also guard us against any distortions of truth that this world may present us with. And we're living in a time when there's a lot of distortions of the truth out there. I think this is interesting about the creed also.”

80s

#ExamineYourBeliefs

“And they're gonna be up on the screen and take a snapshot of them, take them home with you. And I want you to think about them today. And here's my questions to you. What beliefs have quietly shaped your life? What beliefs have quietly shaped your life? Whether they came from mom and dad, whether they came from life's experiences, whether they came from the opinions of others, what beliefs have quietly shaped your life? Have I accepted cultural ideas without comparing them to scripture? When is the last time I changed what I believe because of what scripture says? Can I tell you, I've spent a lifetime changing what I believed when I discovered a truth in God's word? Amen. And it's how, you know, I've become a follower of Christ, a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, you know, live my life in a way that is pleasing to him. And can I tell you, I discovered when I live my life the way that he wants me to live it, it's amazing how much better my life goes in every respect, and I mean, in every respect?”

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