We're a church in Hamilton, Ontario learning to practice the way of Jesus, and we pray for the day it'll be in Hamilton as it is in Heaven. These recordings are from our Sunday "Word and Table" gatherings, and are offered freely to all sinners, saints, and skeptics interested in learning what it might look like to *be* the Church.
Patience may seem like a strange thing to include alongside love, joy, and peace, as the fruit of the Spirit, but patience is a super important part of a healthy, holy life. In this message, our friend Sarah Robinson walks through the life of Jesus, showing how He perfectly illustrates patience with Himself, with others, and even with God. #HolySpirit #fruit #Jesus #FruitoftheSpirit #peace
Date: Sunday October 12, 2025Scripture: Galatians 5:22-26Speaker: Mike MileskiSeries: Fruitful: Cultivating the Fruit of the SpiritGod's peace is far more than just the absence of war or violence. Peace is the opposite of worry, fear, and anxiety. In our anxious world, we are desperate for peace, and God offers peace by His Spirit as He is allowed to live His life through us.In this message we get to see several pictures of what it looks like when God's people learn to trust God to run the universe, and so, find peace.#HolySpirit #fruit #Jesus #FruitoftheSpirit #peace
Date: Sunday October 5, 2025Scripture: Galatians 5:22-26Speaker: Mike MileskiSeries: Fruitful: Cultivating the Fruit of the SpiritDo you remember what joy feels like? Many of us think God is indifferent as to whether we enjoy Him or not. As though all He cares about is being obeyed.In this message, we're introduced (or re-introduced) to the God of joy, and invited to find in Jesus an all-satisfying treasure, greater than anything else the world has to offer.#HolySpirit #fruit #FruitoftheSpirit #joy
Date: Sunday September 28, 2025Scripture: Galatians 5:13-26Speaker: Mike MileskiSeries: Fruitful: Cultivating the Fruit of the SpiritThis message is the first in a nine-part study of the fruit of the Spirit. Here, we're introduced to the Spirit and His fruit, and invited to consider the first fruit in the list: love. What happens when we compare the ways the world understands love with the love that is revealed to us in God? We see a love that He'll produce in us when He is allowed to live His life through us!#HolySpirit #fruit #FruitoftheSpirit #love #allyouneedislove #fourloves #CSLewis
Date: Sunday September 21, 2025Scripture: Jeremiah 29:4-14Speaker: Mike MileskiSeries: Be the ChurchA third difference between going to church and BEING the church is about how we think about sharing Jesus with others: What we say about Jesus matters, and HOW we say it REALLY matters. In this message, we learned that the Church is sent - by Jesus, to embody the Good News in our communities, schools, workplaces, and churches - as ambassadors of Christ.#Jesus, #BetheChurch, #Benediction, #HamOnt, #Gospel, #Church, #Orthodoxy, #Orthopathy, #Orthopraxy, #Mission, #Evangelism, #Outreach, #Shalom
Date: Sunday September 14, 2025Scripture: Acts 2:42-47Speaker: Mike MileskiSeries: Be the ChurchAnother difference between those who merely GO to church and those who are BEING the church is how we treat each other in community. We will ALL find our way into communities of various kinds. In this messages we learned what kind of community we're made for, and are challenged to find it - and commit.#Jesus, #BetheChurch, #Benediction, #HamOnt, #Gospel, #Church, #Orthodoxy, #Orthopathy, #Orthopraxy, #Community
Date: Sunday September 7, 2025Scripture: Mark 9:1-8Speaker: Mike MileskiSeries: Be the ChurchThe difference between GOING to church and BEING the church can be seen in how we do discipleship differently: It's not about believing a bunch of true things ABOUT Jesus, but becoming like Him. In this message we shared how we as a church understand discipleship, using the three Orthos: Orthodoxy (right belief), Orthopathy (right attitudes), and Orthopraxy (right actions).#Jesus, #BetheChurch, #Benediction, #HamOnt, #Gospel, #Church, #Orthodoxy, #Orthopathy, #Orthopraxy, #Discipleship
Date: Sunday August 31, 2025Scripture: Matt 22:15-22Speaker: Hobbe SmitSeries: Money TalksWhen the Lord was being challenged about whether it's right to pay taxes to Caesar or not, He used it as an opportunity to teach us about the value of a person, compared to the value of a coin. In this message, our friend and neighbour Hobbe Smit shares that God's image is stamped on us and asks: what difference does that make?#money #wealth #greed #covetousness #possessions #materialism #consumerism #jesus #gospel #idolatry #poverty
Date: Sunday August 24, 2025Scripture: John 6:1-15Speaker: Bill AllanSeries: Money TalksJust before the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Jesus' disciples couldn't imagine HOW they'd be able to look after all these people. Their perspective was limited by sight, not by faith. In this message, our friend and AGC President Bill Allan shows us that Jesus can be trusted to meet our needs - big ones and small ones. #money #wealth #greed #covetousness #possessions #materialism #consumerism #jesus #gospel #idolatry #poverty
Date: Sunday August 17, 2025Scripture: Acts 5:1-11Speaker: Derek HissonSeries: Money TalksThe story of Ananias and Sapphira is an ancient horror story of greed, deception, and pride. How much does God love us? How much does God care about the Church and its mission? This tale gives us the answer. #money #wealth #greed #covetousness #possessions #materialism #consumerism #jesus #gospel #idolatry #poverty
Date: Sunday August 10, 2025Scripture: Luke 12:16-34Speaker: Mike LewisSeries: Money TalksHow we relate to money can show where we've put our trust, but more often, it shows where our trust is NOT. We fear to lose, we fear to go without. As God's people we think we trust God to provide, so why are we just as anxious as anyone else? #money #wealth #greed #covetousness #possessions #materialism #consumerism #jesus #gospel #idolatry #poverty #anxiety #fear
Date: Sunday August 3, 2025Scripture: Proverbs 30:7-9Speaker: John GarnerSeries: Money TalksOne of the reasons we're more often managed by our money than managers of our money is because we fail to see it as a tool entrusted to us by God. In this message, our friend John Garner teaches through the ancient, gutsy, counter-cultural prayer from Proverbs 30: "Give me neither poverty or wealth" #money #wealth #greed #covetousness #possessions #materialism #consumerism #jesus #gospel #idolatry #poverty
Date: Sunday July 27, 2025Scripture: Matthew 19:16-24 Speaker: Rony MikhaelSeries: Money TalksThe Rich Young Ruler rejected Jesus' invitation because he couldn't imagine allowing anything to supplant his wealth as his true god. In this message, Rony asks us whether wealth has the same power over us.#money #wealth #greed #covetousness #possessions #materialism #consumerism #jesus #gospel #idolatry
Date: Sunday July 20, 2025Scripture: Luke 12:22-31Speaker: Thomas + Miriam VanderkrukSeries: Money TalksJesus has more to say about money than almost any other subject - so you'd think we'd trust that He knows what He's talking about. This week's message is a conversation with Tom + Miriam - newlyweds learning to trust God to provide.#parables, #gospel, #jesus, #church, #money, #wealth #possessions, #consumerism, #materialism, #coveting, #greed
Date: Sunday July 13, 2025Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20Speaker: John HilberSeries: Money TalksEcclesiastes is a collection of practical, realistic wisdom sayings that most of us ignore at our own peril. In this message, we see that we're not the first ones to struggle with the power of our possessions. God's ancient people were just as torn, just as tempted to find their identity in their possessions. This, we learn, is 'vanity'.#money #wealth #greed #ecclesiastes #covetousness #possessions #materialism #consumerism
Date: Sunday July 6, 2025Scripture: Joshua 7:1-26Speaker: Lane FusilierSeries: Money TalksWhy do we do what we do? It's because all of us have disordered desires. If we're greedy for money, and if we'd disobey God in order to have more of it, it's because we don't love what we think we do. This message is an invitation to reflect deeply on WHY money has such a hold on our hearts.#money #wealth #greed #covetousness #gospel #church #achan #desire #disorderedloves #augustine
Date: Sunday June 29, 2025Scripture: 1Kings 12:1-16Speaker: Mike MileskiSeries: Money TalksIn a world of Ahab's, will we be a Naboth? In this ancient scam, the wealthy King Ahab and Queen Jezebel take advantage of a man with much less, and have him killed in order to seize his property.Most of us won't be involved in something so cruel or underhanded. But this story forces all of us to ask: What are we willing to do to have what we want? What would we not do? Whose suffering will we tolerate if it means having more, or nicer things? #greed, #money, #wealth, #possessions, #jesus, #gospel, #church, #hamont
Sunday, June 22nd, 2025Scripture: Genesis 1:26-28; Revelation 22:3-5Teacher: Nathan TomesIn this wrap up to our series on Creation, we're challenged to think of the Image of God not as some ability that we have that animals don't, but as an identity and a calling. It's two things not one, and it makes a huge difference for how we relate to ourselves, one another, and the world. #imagodei, #identity, #calling, #vocation
Sunday June 8th, 2025Teacher: Dr. John Walton. Moderator: Mike MileskiIn this final lecture, Dr. John Walton addresses the ancient context and language of Genesis two. What does it mean that humans were created "from dust"? Was Eve really formed from Adam's rib? Dr. Walton also answers questions submitted by conference attendees.
Teacher: Dr. John Walton. Moderator: Mike MileskiIn this lecture, the first of our The Lost World conference, Dr. John Walton orients us to the ancient meaning of Genesis one. What is God trying to communicate in this story? What makes this passage so important? What does it NOT say? Following his lecture, Dr. Walton answers questions submitted by conference attendees.
Sunday, June 15th, 2025Scripture: Isaiah 45:18–23; Philippians 2:9–11Teacher: Dr. John HilberOne of the thorny issues in Creation Conversations is the fact that many ancient Near-Eastern cultures told stories that greatly resemble what we read in Genesis. For some, this suggests that maybe Genesis isn't a reliable account of Creation after all. Did ancient Israelites plagiarize the Babylonians, Canaanites, Mesopotamians? What beliefs did they have in common? What's unique about the biblical Creation account, compared with others'? How is our faith helped by knowing what other cultures were saying - before Genesis - about Creation?#Genesis #Creation #Israel #Hebrew #Mesopotamia #Babylon #Canaan #hermeneutics #interpretation
Sunday June 8th, 2025Scripture: Colossians 1:15-23Teacher: Dr. John WaltonWhat was God's aim in creating the world? Humanity? A garden? The tree? What did it all mean? In this message, Dr. John Walton, author of the "The Lost World of..." series presents Order as a unifying theme of the Genesis story, and indeed, all of Scripture. At Creation, God's aim was to bring order, and He has called us to be participants in that work as order-bringers with Him. This message was the second in our The Lost World conference.#TheLostWorld #Genesis #Creation #Evolution #Order #NaturalSelection #CulturalRiver #AdamandEve #Paradise #Garden
Sunday June 1, 2025Scripture:Â Psalm 8Teacher: Mike MileskiOur culture seems divided between those who trust *either* in science, *or* in the Bible. Yet this isn't a choice God asks us to make. Studying the biblical teaching about creation is like any other important work: we need to be equipped with the right tools and information. If not, we'll fail to see what's there, or, we'll impose meanings on the text that aren't true. This is the first in a series of messages called "In the Beginning". In this message, we're introduced to some "Garden Tools" that will help see and reflect deeply on what Scripture does (and does not) teach about Creation.#InTheBeginning #Gospel #Jesus #Genesis #Creation #inerrancy #authority #inspiration #Culture
May 25, 2025Mike and Heather MileskiWhile not yet "old" Mike and Heather have definitely learned a few things about aging, and wrestling with the implications. What's the hardest part of getting older? What are the blessings of aging? Should Christians retire and collect shells, or is there some other way we should look at our senior years? #aging #retirement #thegospel #newlife #resurrection #church
Can a Christian's anxiety or depression be cured by trusting God more? Should we go to therapy, or is that dangerous? Isn't it true that our mental and emotional problems are really just spiritual warfare? This week, Mike and Heather share candidly about their own journey as a couple navigating diagnosed mental illnesses - what it's meant for their family, their marriage, and their faith. #mentalhealth #mentalillness #depression #ptsd #BDP #trauma #anxiety #thegospel #jesus #church
May 11, 2025Mike and Heather MileskiWhat are the signs of a healthy church? How can we know if it's time to leave a church? Is there really such thing as a "good" church, and what's our responsibility?In this session, Mike and Heather discuss some of their best and most painful church experiences, and what they've learned from it all. #church #membership #jesus #thegospel #religion
Sunday May 4, 2025Mike and Heather MileskiHow is practicing our faith in Hamilton different from other contexts, like the country? What are the challenges that come with being a Christian in the city? What are some unique advantages or opportunities?In this recording, Mike and Heather kick off our Life Lessons 2025 series with a conversation about what it's like to practice the way of Jesus in the city. #Hamont #Hamilton #YMCC #church #thegospel #jesus
Sunday, April 27, 2025Teacher: Mike MileskiThis morning we concluded our Passion series with some review and reflection on the meaning of the Cross. By creating space and time this contemplative prayer exercise, we hope you'll invite God's Spirit to internalize all these beautiful truths about what happened when Jesus died.#prayer #contemplativeprayer #scripture #church #thegospel #visodivina
Sunday April 20, 2025Scripture: Acts 2:22-36Teacher: Mike MileskiPeter explained how when Jesus died, death couldn't hold Him. It was impossible for Him to stay dead. In that case what was the point of the Cross? Jesus went down into Death and blew it up from the inside, freeing those who'd been trapped there. And in case there was any doubt, He proved it by rising from the dead on Easter Sunday morning! The Cross is a picture of the end of death!#easter #resurrection #heisrisen #harrowingofhades #sheol #hades #death #newlife #thepassion
Sunday April 13, 2025Scripture:Â Rom 5:12-21Teacher: Mike MileskiWhen Adam disobeyed God in the Garden, all humanity was brought under a curse and God's image in us was distorted. God has sent a second Adam: His Son Jesus. Where the first Adam failed and disobeyed, Jesus has succeeded by obeying all the way to the cross. The Cross is a picture of a new start, and the decision each of us must make. We will follow one Adam or the other - which Adam are you following?#AdamandEve #Eden #curse #fall #sin #obedience #jesus #recapitulation #thepassion
Sunday April 6, 2025Scripture:Â Col. 2:9-15Teacher: Mike MileskiSince the beginning of time, we've been tempted, deceived, and shamed by Satan, our accuser. He uses the Powers against us, and his schemes leave us feeling defeated. But at the Cross, Satan was disarmed of his greatest weapon and utterly defeated by Jesus. The Cross may not have looked like a victory, but it was! This what the defeat of Satan looks like! #jesus #satan #thecross #thepowers #christusvictor #thepassion #gospel
Sunday March 30, 2025Scripture:Â Eph.2:11-22Teacher: Lane FusilierOur culture is divided across all sorts of lines: Race and religion. Liberals vs conservatives. The wealthy vs the poor. Traditional vs modern. As often as we participate in these divisions, we are rebuilding the very walls that Jesus died to destroy. On the Cross, Jesus died to make peace and tear down all the walls between us.#peace #peacemaking #gospel #jesus #racism #classism #poverty #wealth #liberals #conservatives #division #unity #church #thepassion
Sunday March 16, 2025Scripture: Romans 6:15-23Teacher: Mike MileskiIn Scripture, slavery is a metaphor for sin. And from the beginning, God has made provision for slaves to find freedom, through a ransom. Once we realize the price that's been paid for our freedom from sin, it transforms us. We'd never go back to our old masters. Or would we?#slavery #gospel #redeemer #ransomtheory #atonement #devil #sin #jesus #Christianity #church
Sunday March 16, 2025Scripture: Isaiah 53Teacher: Danielle VisserThe image of Jesus on a cross strikes some of us as an overreaction - like "surely there's nothing I could have done to deserve THAT". Others assume that as horrible as the Cross is, it's not enough - like "My sins are too serious; I'm unforgivable. THAT would never work for me." In this message, Danielle goes to the Scripture to show how it corrects both assumptions: The Cross is good news: Yes, there's a penalty we all deserved, but it's been borne by Jesus. And yes, we all deserve to be separated from God, but a substitute has settled it for us!#Gospel #Jesus #church #PSA #atonement #cross #lambofGod #passover
Sunday, March 9, 2025Scripture: Romans 3:21-26Teacher: Mike MileskiThe Cross means different things to different people. And yet, the Scriptures tell us many reasons why it was necessary for Christ to die. In this message, we study what some have called "the most important paragraph in the Bible" to understand how Jesus solved the most serious problem facing the world.#gospel #righteousness #atonement #cross #jesus
Date: Mar 2, 2025Scripture: Matt. 5:10-12Speaker: Mike MileskiIn our culture, it's hard to imagine having to endure opposition on account of our faith, but there have been times when identifying as a Christ follower resulted in terrible, painful persecution. In this message we wrap up our study of the Beatitudes by exploring the reasons for persecution, its roots, and its results for the Church and our witness. #persecution #peace #powers #spiritualwarfare #gospel #church #jesus
Date: February 23, 2025Scripture: Matt 5:1-9Speaker: Mike MileskiAnyone who has spent time in a church community knows that Christians are not immune to conflict. When it comes, some will go on the attack; others will run and hide from it, and some will try and ignore it and pretend everything is okay. The choices we make about how to resolve conflict show whose we are - and in this beatitude, Jesus says that it's the peacemakers who'll be called God's children!#peace #conflict #reconciliation #forgiveness #gospel #shalom #unity #jesus
Date: February 16, 2025Scripture: Matt 5:1-8Speaker: Mike MileskiPeople wear masks for all kinds of reasons - we want to appear different than we are because we fear rejection, or because we crave acceptance. In this study, we learn that our greatest problem is the problem of a divided heart - we anchor our hearts to too many different, unhelpful things, instead of one glorious, beautiful thing: Christ. Jesus' promise for us is that it's those with undivided hearts who'll see God!#hypocrites #hypocrisy #masks #augustine #heart #religiousaffections #gospel #jesus
Date: February 9, 2025Scripture: Matt 5:1-7Speaker: Mike MileskiMany of us divide the world into good guys and bad guys; safe and unsafe, lawbreakers and law abiders. And on that basis, we'll make all our decisions about who deserves our friendship, our time, and our kindness. In this beatitude, we learn how mercy - according to Jesus - upends all of that. Mercy is a challenge, and choice, and a crisis. But it's the merciful who'll be shown mercy!#lesmiserables #jeanvaljean #24601 #mercy #merciful #gospel #church
Date: February 2, 2025Scripture: Matt 5:1-6Speaker: Mike MileskiThere are people who hunger and thirst for righteousness - they long to know that they're been forgiven, seen, and loved by God. Assurance can seem elusive, and many will struggle to find it. In this study, we learn that the struggle for righteousness IS our assurance! And those who hunger and thirst for it will be satisfied!#assurance #salvation #justification #sanctification #HolySpirit #gospel #jesus #luther #martinluther #church
Series: Beatitudes (part 3) Date: January 26, 2025 Teacher: Mike Mileski Who are the "meek"? This might be the most counter-cultural of all the Beatitudes! Jesus embodied meekness, yet He wasn't weak. How do we know whether we're meek?What will it look like for His people to follow His example, and inherit the earth? #beatitudes, #gospel, #jesus, #beatitudes, #meekness, #Kingdom, #vangogh, #lotr, #frodo
Series: Beatitudes (part 2) Date: January 19, 2025 Teacher: Mike Mileski The pain and suffering we face cause people to react differently: we escape it, we numb ourselves to it, or we may lose our faith. Yet we have a God who can handle our questions, our doubts, and our pain. He welcomes it, and says "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." We hope this message will be a comfort to you. #beatitudes, #gospel, #jesus, #beatitudes, #grief, #lament, #mourning, #Kingdom
Series: Beatitudes (part 1) Date: January 12, 2025 Teacher: Mike Mileski The Sermon on the Mount is regarded by many as one of the greatest, if not the greatest collection of teachings ever shared. In it, Jesus shares many of His most important, counter-cultural ideas. This week, we're introduced to the Sermon on the Mount, and the first of Jesus' Beatitudes. What's Jesus' goal in the Beatitudes, and what could He possibly mean by this first one: "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven"? #beatitudes, #SermonontheMount, #deconstruction, #happiness, #blessed, #theGospel, #jesus
Series: The Perfect Gift (Part 6) Date: December 29, 2024 Teacher: Mike Mileski It's so easy to rush ahead to thoughts about the new year ahead, and forget to reflect on what's happened in the year gone by. So this week's recording is a prayerful reflection exercise: We review each of the themes of Advent (hope, peace, joy, love, and Christ) and created quiet space in which to examine, and hear God speak. We hope this recording might help you unpack and appreciate the ways God blessed you over Advent this year. #prayer, #Advent, #reflection, #contemplation, #ContemplativePrayer, #ListeningPrayer, #Rest, #NewYear2025, #HappyNewYear
Series: The Perfect Gift (Part 5) Date: December 24, 2024 Scripture: (John 1:1-13) Teacher: Mike Mileski At this time of year, Jews celebrate Hanukkah, or as a reminder that when things seemed darkest, a miracle occurred, and the light was restored. It points the way to God's true and greater light: Christ who is God incarnate. He said so while celebrating Hanukkah. There is a lot of darkness, but Christ has come - He proves that God is not done doing miracles; His light still shines in the darkness. #light, #Advent, #Christ, #incarnation, #theGospel, #Hanukkah, #FeastofDedication
Series: The Perfect Gift (Part 4) Date: December 22, 2024 Scripture: (Matthew 1:18-24; 2:13-23) Teacher: Mike Mileski It turns out that a lot of what we call "love" in our culture really isn't. It's often self-serving, fragile, and conditional. God's love is not, and we see it demonstrated in the choices of Joseph, who married Mary, and served as father to Jesus. If you struggle to know what real love looks like, this message should encourage and challenge you. #love, #Joseph, #Advent, #theGospel
Series: The Perfect Gift (Part 3) Date: December 15, 2024 Scripture: (Luke 1:26-56) Teacher: Nathan Tomes When Mary of Nazareth received the news that she'd be mother to the Messiah, it would have been easy for her to react with self pity over the disruption of her plans and goals. Instead, she bursts out in one of the most beautiful, joyful, important, and disruptive prophetic songs ever recorded. Where does her joy come from? How can this joy be ours? #joy, #Mary, #theGospel, #advent
Series: The Perfect Gift (Part 2) Date: December 8, 2024 Scripture: (Luke 1:57-79) Teacher: Mike Mileski Often, what passes for "peace" really isn't - like in the Pax Romana, when Rome conquered and destroyed and enslaved, and the world called it "peace". John's parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth weren't deceived because because they'd been praying for God's TRUE peace: His Shalom. Advent is their story too - the story of prayers answered, and a son who would prepare the way for Messiah, who'd teach us all the "path of peace". #peace, #shalom, #pax, #paxromana, #violence, #paxamericana, #paxeuropa, #ukraine #gaza #war
Series: The Perfect Gift (Part 1) Date: December 1, 2024 Scripture: (Luke 2:22-39) Teacher: Mike Lewis The years before the arrival of Jesus were dark, difficult ones for God's people. As an oppressed, conquered people, many in Israel had given up hope that things could get better. Two important exceptions were Simeon and Anna. Their hope - in spite of appearances - is a powerful testimony to all of us that Jesus is God's perfect gift for people who struggle to trust that God CAN and DOES keep His promises.
Series: Formed (Part 9) Date: November 24, Scripture: 2Corinthians 3:12-18 Teacher: Mike Mileski Over the last several weeks we've learned about spiritual disciplines by which God forms us - like a potter with clay - into the image of Jesus. In this final message, we review and reflect on what we've heard and invite God to speak to us. This guided listening prayer creates space for us to slow down, quiet our hearts, and listen for the Spirit's voice. We trust it'll be helpful for you! #prayer #listeningprayer #contemplativeprayer #spiritualformation #formed
Series: Formed (Part 8) Date: November 17, 2024 Scripture: Acts 8:26-40 Teacher: Mike Mileski Many of us have cringey evangelism stories to tell. Somehow we learned that evangelism is about proving Christianity is the best religion, and those who reject it are fools. In this message, Philip's conversation with the Ethiopian Eunuch gives us helpful lessons about what Gospel proclamation is and isn't. And, we saw why anyone who believes this Gospel - literally anyone - is qualified to announce it to others. #evangelism #gospel #jesus #witnessing #defeaters #apologetics #conversion #sexualminorities #holyspirit #church
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