Living A Next Level Faith (Sermon Blog)
Series Recap: In this second message from the Simon Says series, guest speaker Logan Mabe taught from 1 Peter 2, where Peter calls believers to grow spiritually, live in community, and represent Jesus faithfully in the world. Faith, Logan reminded us, is not meant to stay static—it’s designed to level up.
Growing a “Next Level” Faith
Logan began with a simple illustration: faith is like Mario leveling up. Just as Mario starts small and grows stronger as the game progresses, Christians are called to grow in maturity and strength as they follow Jesus.
Peter shows us three ways to grow in “next level faith”:
Grow Up — Feed on the Word of God.
Be Built Up — Live in community with other believers.
Live Up — Pursue holiness and proclaim Jesus in the world.
1. Grow Up: Feeding on the Word
Peter writes,
“Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the Word, so that you may grow up into your salvation.” — 1 Peter 2:2
Spiritual growth starts with what we feed on. Logan reminded us that the Bible isn’t a book that happened—it’s a book that happens. It’s alive and active in every generation.
To grow, we need to:
Remove bad appetites. Peter says to rid ourselves of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
Feed on the right things. Prayer, Scripture, worship, giving, serving, fasting, and solitude all nourish our souls.
Be consistent and intentional. Growth doesn’t come from random bites of Scripture but from daily, steady time with God.
“Salvation is the starting point, not the finish line.” — Logan Mabe
Just like a baby grows from milk to solid food, mature believers grow by developing a steady spiritual diet. The question is: What are you feeding on?
2. Be Built Up: Growing in Community
Peter continues,
“You yourselves, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house.” — 1 Peter 2:5
Faith isn’t a solo sport. We grow stronger together. Jesus is the cornerstone—the foundation—and we, as living stones, are built around Him.
Logan reminded us that community is where faith matures. The New Testament contains more than 50 “one another” commands, such as:
Love one another.
Serve one another.
Forgive one another.
Encourage one another.
Pray for one another.
When we worship together, learn together, and serve together, we strengthen one another. God never intended for us to grow in isolation.
Logan shared a personal challenge: find someone 20 years ahead of you and someone 20 years behind you in faith.
Learn from those who have walked the road before you.
Invest in those coming behind you.
That’s how a church family grows generationally and spiritually—together.
3. Live Up: Pursuing Holiness and Proclaiming Jesus
Finally, Peter calls us to live out what we believe:
“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation… that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” — 1 Peter 2:9
To live up means to:
Know who you are. Your identity is rooted in God’s calling, not the world’s labeling.
Live differently. Holiness means living in such a way that people see God’s goodness through your words and actions.
Proclaim God’s greatness. Wherever you live, work, or play—reflect His light to those around you.
Logan shared that holiness isn’t about being better than others—it’s about living out of gratitude for who God has made you to be. When we remember where we came from and what Jesus has done, we can’t help but live in a way that points others to Him.
Living It Out
Next-level faith means:
Growing up by feeding on God’s Word.
Being built up in genuine community.
Living up by reflecting Jesus to the world.
As Logan said, “Faith is not about staying small—it’s about growing stronger, together, for God’s glory.”
This Sunday, Pastor Steve will return for Part 3 of our series, Simon Says.
Join us at Pacific Life Church as we keep learning from Peter’s letters how to live a faith that’s real, resilient, and ready for the next level.