BE ON YOUR GUARD; STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH;
BE COURAGEOUS; BE STRONG.
1 CORINTHIANS 16:13
FEBRUARY 22, 2025 • ORANGE COUNTY, CA
For 2,000 years, the Christian faith has been met with resistance. Christians have been opposed, scorned, shunned, marginalized, mocked, persecuted, canceled and even killed. But throughout, faithful followers of Christ overcame. They stood courageously for the truth of the Christian faith…and Christianity changed the world. As a result, those of us who have followed in the 2,000-year history of the church have benefited from unprecedented freedoms and the Faith has flourished.
However, the tide is turning. The culture is shifting. A host of worldview ideas opposed to the Christian faith and values are winning over hearts and minds. And our increasingly secular culture grows in its hostility to Christianity.
So what are Christians to do? Despair and wish for “the good ol’ days?” No. Despair is never an option for those whose hope is in a resurrected Savior. Rather, the New Testament gives us our instructions no matter what cultural context we find ourselves in. The Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
To “stand firm in the faith” we need two things in this cultural moment. First, we must have a knowledge of the TRUTH. We must know what we believe and why we believe it. A shallow faith cannot withstand the constant assault of secular ideas. Truth must be our anchor. Second, we need COURAGE to stand for the truth. We cannot let fear overtake us rather, we must courageously love our neighbors with the truth, goodness and beauty of the Christian worldview. Always.
Truth and courage. Courage and truth. Today, Christians need a good dose of both.
And that’s what you’ll get at the 2025 MAVEN Conference. This worldview conference will equip students and adults to follow Christ faithfully amidst a faithless culture.