What To Do When Temptations Come (James 1:13-15)

What's the difference between a trial and a temptation? Temptations often are personal. Today in James 1:13-15, we learn from Scripture why we can never scapegoat God when we are tempted. Though we are all tempted, the origin of temptation actually comes from an often unsuspecting source. But God Himself is also the often unsuspecting Giver of exactly what we need when temptations do come our way.

What To Do When Trials Come - Part 2 (James 1:12)

Many of us have come to believe that God is real. But, as Alan Vance says in today's sermon, many of us still question whether God is actually altogether good. This is especially the case when we experience trials in life. Listen in to today's sermon as Alan teaches us from James 1:12 what steadfastness looks like, how trials again have a deeper beautiful purpose for our lives, and finally what "the crown of life" really is.

What To Do When Riches Come (James 1:9-11)

Money is alluring. And there is a reason why Jesus (and the Bible in general) talks about money so much. In today's text in James, we allow ourselves to ask the question we often secretly dream - "what would I do if riches came my way?" In James 1:9-11, there is a word for both the "lowly" and the "rich", and both are avenues to a place of deep, grace-filled freedom. Listen in today as we learn together how and why a life of lowliness is one to be pursued.

What To Do When Lack Comes (James 1:5-8)

"I don't know what to do!" How many times have you said or thought that? Feeling that we are lacking wisdom or not being sure what to do is a feeling all of us share in common. But the Bible lovingly trumpets a hopeful tune - that there is a God who is not only wise, but generous in dispensing it to a weary world lacking in wisdom. Listen in to today's sermon as we learn 3 beautiful character traits of God and then 3 gracious practical take-aways of what to do when we don't know what to do.

What To Do When Trials Come (James 1:1-4)

A new calendar year is a good time for reflection. Beginning today, we will spend 8 weeks looking at what (or Who) James invites us to reflect on in James Ch. 1. In today's intro sermon, we reflect on a harsh reality each of us know - trials of various kinds are a part of life. But James shocks us with a few surprise truths. Listen in as we discover together that what none of us want to go through (trials) is actually life’s most surprising path to where all of us want to arrive (joy).

We Have Come To Worship Him (Matthew 2:1-2)

Ever had an epiphany - when something was made known to you in a profound and clear way? Listen in today as we examine the greatest epiphany in the history of the world, when Jesus Christ made Himself known even to those who were searching the skies for wisdom. What they found when they searched the skies on this night would forever change their lives, and the angle from which they would view the world.

Home For Christmas: Jesus (John 14:23)

When Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem those many years ago, more than just a sentimental story was unfolding. As we learn from John 14:23, we see that when God put on flesh in the person of Jesus, Love itself was introduced to the world. Listen in today as we learn more about how the Love of God displayed fully in the Person of Jesus Christ invites us into our truest possible Home - Himself.

Home For Christmas: Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)

Where were you born? Your birthplace, in one way or another, comes to define you. This week, we dive into learning more about Jesus' birthplace - little & insignificant Bethlehem, the city of David. What does Bethlehem teach us about the heart of God? Listen in this week as we see together how God loves to uplift the "littles" of the world.

Home For Christmas: Eden (Genesis 2:15)

What are you nostalgic about? During the season of Christmas, nostalgia is a feeling many of us are experiencing. In today's sermon, we locate the place of nostalgia in our world today, and discover the one place where it can be truly met and fulfilled. To learn that, we go back to our first home - the Garden of Eden.

Home For Christmas: Heaven (Revelation 21:1)

Today marks the beginning of Advent, the season of "Arrival" remembering Jesus' first coming at his birth and longing for his second coming. As we begin this new 4-week series, we tap into that "longing" today that each of us feels deep within - a longing for our true, eternal HOME. Listen in today as we connect the dots from the baby in the manger to the New Heavens and New Earth coming for those who trust in Jesus.

The Church: Home in Rome (Acts 27-28)

As we reach the end of our journey through the book of Acts, we now find Paul in Rome. Rome is not just a place for Paul in the first century, but it's also an image of the places where we live today too. What is Rome for us? How is the Church to live and exist in Rome? Listen in today as we learn together how the Church is to exist as an exile people, and to find our home in the hard places. Because that's what the Church is equipped for, and that's where the Gospel was made to go.

The Church: Submitting to the Way (Acts 24-26)

How do the way of politics and the Way of Jesus relate? In this sermon from November 14, Pastor Steven analyzes Paul's three interactions with three different politicians in Acts 24-26. How does Paul submit to the government? And ultimately how does he show the truer Way of Jesus? Listen in with us as we try learn together how to be faithful, submitting Christians in complicated political times.

The Church: Persecution With Hope (Acts 22-23)

Today is "International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians." Beautifully, our text in Acts leads us straight into Paul's reckoning with his own persecution - both his personal history being a persecutor of Christians and now being on the receiving end of persecution. What is persecution for a Christian? Why does it exist? What we learn from the Scriptures is that God more than just allows persecution of His followers - He actually also uses it for powerful purposes. And not just for Himself, but beautifully in personal ways for the people receiving persecution. Listen in to learn more of this mysterious, yet hard, blessing of God.

The Church: Discerning God's Will (Acts 21)

How do you make decisions? For Christians, how can you know what the "will of God" is? The Bible actually actually has a lot to say about both. Today's passage leads us to a healthy place of learning the craft of Holy Spirit "discernment." Listen in as we see how a disagreement between two parties actually turns into a beautiful portrait of how the church community works - leading others into truth, humility, and dependency on the Lord.

The Church: Embracing His Grace (Acts 20)

Are you a hugger? What's the difference between an awkward, uncomfortable bear hug and a true embrace? Listen in with us today as we see how God's grace given to us in the Gospel of Jesus is God's true embrace of us. Not even our fragility can keep God from opening His arms to us. Rather, dispensing His grace in full, God embraces us so we can embrace others with that same transformative grace.

The Church: Equipping the Saints (Acts 19)

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In Acts 19, we see and learn something important about why the Church exists. In the challenging city of Ephesus, where witchcraft and magic arts was commonplace, we learn the importance of not just being a Christian, but of also being equipped to be a Christian. What does that bring? What does that require? What does that kind of equipping do? Listen with us today to learn about the power of the Holy Spirit in equipping believers - even making us able to give up other alluring spiritual forces.

The Church: Community In, For & With Jesus (Acts 18)

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What is Christian community? What is unique about the Church? As thousands from around the country and the world flood to our city during the month of October, what are they seeing about the reality of the Church? Listen in today as we hear from Alan Vance about the power of Christian community. And what's the secret to this unique community? Centrally, it is all about the person of Jesus Christ.

The Church: For Every Culture (Acts 17)

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Through the book of Acts, on his missionary journeys Paul encounters cultures of many varieties and with great diversity. Acts 17 is the climactic place where we wrestle with the question, "How does the Gospel relate to culture?" Join us today as we watch how Paul universally brings the Gospel with unique beauty into three different cultures - Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. How does Paul show us how to relate the Gospel to our culture of today?

The Church: Praying and Singing (Acts 16)

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Nothing good happens after 11pm, right? Well what then leads Paul, Silas, and Timothy to sing at midnight in the darkness of a jail cell in the city of Philippi? Listen in today as we take a journey in our heart to find where prayers and songs come from and what they do. Especially in the midnight hours of our life.

The Church: Mundane and Glorious (Acts 15)

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As we return to our ongoing series through the book of Acts, we zoom in today on a church meeting where conflict is occurring. Sound likes a lot of churches even in the modern day! But what we learn in today's sermon is that it is actually in the mundane of church governance where the glory of God shines glorious. Listen in as we see how the predominantly Jewish early Church brings in the new and large Gentile-believing community. They choose not to add on extra burdens, but to instead rely on the same grace they received themselves.