City Central Church Podcast

This week, we were reminded that life is not about accumulating wealth on earth, but about investing in what lasts forever. Through the story of Zacchaeus and other biblical examples, we see how generosity, surrender, and eternal perspective reflect true transformation by grace. God owns everything, and we are simply stewards of His resources, called to use them for His kingdom. Rather than living for the temporary things of this life, we are challenged to live for eternity—laying up treasure in heaven where it truly counts.

This week, we celebrated Father's Day with a sermon about the powerful role of fathers through the lens of God's perfect example. As our faithful, loving, and compassionate Father, God calls earthly fathers to reflect His heart through integrity, presence, life-giving words, spiritual legacy, and intentional leadership. When fathers walk in these truths, they not only bless their families but also leave a lasting impact for generations.

This week, we celebrated Pentecost Sunday with a sermon on the Power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus prepared to ascend to the Father, He left His disciples with a powerful promise—the gift of the Holy Spirit—who would not only dwell within them but empower them for bold and effective ministry. The Holy Spirit equips us to fulfill the mission of Christ, overcoming sin, fear, and every barrier that stands in the way of gospel advancement. Through the Spirit's presence and power, believers are transformed into witnesses who proclaim the mighty works of God to every nation, tribe, and tongue.

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Hebrews series with a message about allowing Jesus to change our hearts from the inside out. In a world filled with temporary solutions and imperfect systems, Hebrews 8 reminds us that there is no one greater than Jesus. As our eternal High Priest, He offers a better covenant—one that fulfills the old, replaces ritual with relationship, and transforms us from the inside out. Unlike the law, which could only guide behavior externally, Jesus writes His truth on our hearts and offers complete forgiveness and lasting intimacy with God. This is not about rule-keeping, but about heart renewal through the superior work of Christ.

City Central's Young Adult Pastor, Adina Olson shared the Word this week about Jesus being a priest who stays on the throne. We're invited to see Jesus not just as Savior, but as our eternal High Priest—appointed by God's unchangeable oath, not by human tradition. Unlike the flawed and fading priesthood of old, Christ's priesthood is permanent, powerful, and personal. He offered Himself once for all, securing a better covenant and granting us full access to the throne of grace. This isn't just theology—it's a holy invitation to step into our priestly calling and live as those redeemed, interceding, and carrying the presence of God into the world.

This week, we explored the rich biblical theme of typology, where Old Testament figures and events foreshadow the greater fulfillment found in Christ. From Moses, Solomon, and the land of Canaan, we are pointed to Jesus as the ultimate Deliverer, King, and inheritance. The mysterious figure of Melchizedek highlights the eternal priesthood of Christ. Through Jesus, we are invited to draw near to God with confidence, living not as owners of our resources, but as stewards of His grace and provision.

This week, Pastor Jena delivered a powerful Mother's Day message, calling women to embrace their God-given identity as helpers, life-givers, and warriors. As helpers, we are strong, life-giving supporters modeled after God's own help; As mothers (both biological and spiritual), we are nurturers who birth and sustain life through love, care, and sacrifice; and as warriors, we are called to rise up, intercede, and stand against darkness with God's truth. Each role reflects a divine calling to walk in the works God prepared for us, living as reflections of His strength, compassion, and courage. 

This week, Pastor Chris gave a message about waiting on the promises of God. Throughout the Scriptures, the Lord gives us many promises—and He is always faithful to fulfill them. However, there are often seasons of waiting, which God uses to grow our faith, build our character, and deepen our trust in Him. As we wait on the Lord, we are encouraged to embrace the process with patience and active faith, knowing He will finish what He started. Ultimately, God's promises anchor our souls with enduring hope and give us strength to persevere through every season.

This week in our Hebrews series, Pastor Chris challenged us to move beyond spiritual immaturity and press on to maturity in Christ. Just as a seed is expected to become a thriving plant, and a child to grow and develop, so too should our faith move from the basics toward depth and strength. Through sobering warnings and hopeful encouragements, Scripture calls us to examine our faith and pursue a life marked by discernment, endurance, and fruitful obedience. The goal isn't simply gaining knowledge—but growing deeper in our relationship with Jesus.

This Easter Sunday, Pastor Chris shared a powerful message about the Samaritan woman in which a weary Jesus intentionally meets a weary woman at a well—and changes her life forever. In a culture divided by race, gender, and religion, Jesus crosses every barrier to offer something far greater than physical water: the living water of eternal life. This woman came searching for something temporary, but found the only One who could satisfy her deepest thirst. Just like her, we are all thirsty—searching, longing, and often settling for things that can never truly satisfy. But Jesus still meets us where we are, offering rest, renewal, and a relationship that quenches our souls forever.

This week, Pastor Chris shared a powerful message about approaching the throne of God with confidence. In a world filled with overwhelming needs and countless ways to cope—whether through distraction, isolation, or even unhealthy escapes—it's easy to ignore our deeper need for grace. We often find ourselves rationalizing or justifying our mistakes instead of bringing them to God. But a central message in the book of Hebrews is this: in moments of need and repentance, we're invited to draw near to God boldly. No matter what we may believe about ourselves—or even about Him—God consistently meets us with love, grace, and mercy.

This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series with a powerful message about the Bible. God has given us the incredible gift of His Word, which answers our deepest questions, guides our steps, and refreshes our souls. Through the living Word, God is actively engaging with humanity, inviting us to know both Him and ourselves more deeply.

This Sunday, Pastor Chris delivered a powerful message on finding true rest in the Lord. While the world encourages rest through self-care and more sleep, the Lord offers a deeper, soul-satisfying rest that endures. Even in the midst of life's challenges, we can experience peace in our hearts when we are at peace with God and hold firmly to His promises and guidance for rest.

This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series with a powerful message on the dangers of unbelief. In the Old Testament, we see how unbelief kept the Israelites from entering the Promised Land—and the same can happen to us. Unbelief can gradually take root in our hearts, stealing away the abundant life God has for us. Pastor Chris challenged us to recognize the subtle signs of unbelief, turn back to faith, and become a people who fully walk in the trust and hope God has called us to.

This week, as Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series, he invited us to reflect on the faithfulness of Jesus. Faithfulness is a defining characteristic of God's nature, and Jesus stands as the ultimate example of steadfastness and reliability. Through exploring God's promises to the faithful—promises of reward and empowerment—we are reminded of the high honor and security we have as sons and daughters of God, not slaves.

This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series, focusing on Jesus as our faithful High Priest. From the very beginning, God's plan was to send His Son to live as both fully human and fully divine. Because of this, Jesus understands every struggle and temptation we face, yet still offers us His unwavering love and help. He is our advocate, our constant support, who has triumphed over death and fear on our behalf!

This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series, teaching us about the importance of trusting the Lord. God's perfect track record of faithfulness, goodness, and love proves that He is completely trustworthy. As we deepen our trust in Him, we are empowered to trust others, grounded in the assurance of His unwavering character. Even in the places where trust has been broken by others, Jesus offers restoration, freeing us to build authentic community and live fully for Him.

This week, we had the privilege of hearing from City Central elder, Eric Jones, as he continued our Hebrews series, Victorious Jesus. Reflecting on the supremacy of Christ over sin and death, and the powerful gospel we've received, Eric reminded us that through Christ, believers can experience a deep and personal relationship with God. However, drifting away from the Father can happen so easily, and we must remain vigilant in guarding our hearts. Eric shared key warning signs of spiritual drift and offered guidance on how to return when we find ourselves wandering.

This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series with a powerful message on angels. In His infinite wisdom, God created these heavenly beings to worship Him, protect us, and engage in spiritual warfare against the Enemy. By understanding the authority of angels, believers can gain a deeper understanding of their own authority in the Kingdom of God. Above all, we are reminded that in every aspect of creation, Jesus reigns supreme.

This week, Pastor Chris kicked off a powerful new series from the book of Hebrews titled Victorious Jesus. Throughout this series, we will dive into the supremacy of Jesus, discovering how He is not only God but the ultimate source of power, glory, and significance. Jesus is not just our Savior—He is Lord!

This week, Community Life Leader Casey Mock shared an inspiring message about the importance of Life Groups! She reminded us of what the Bible teaches about living in community—how the early church devoted themselves to the Word, to fellowship, and to encouraging one another in the Lord. We strive to create that same environment in our Life Groups and, if you're not already, would love for you to join one soon! 

This week, Pastor Chris delivered a powerful message on praying in the Holy Spirit. At the heart of this kind of prayer is God's profound love—His gift of a pathway for His people to connect with Him on a deeper level. When we pray in the Spirit, it not only strengthens our faith but also draws our hearts closer to Jesus, deepening our intimate relationship with Him.

This week, Pastor Chris delivered a powerful message on the transformative power of prayer as the bridge between us and the Kingdom of God. Through prayer, we become the conduit through which God's will is released into the world, inviting us into a partnership with Him. As we draw near to God in prayer, not only are we changed, but we also become agents of change in the world around us.

Youth Director Elijah Hippe delivered a compelling message on the power of prayer and the Kingdom of God. He reminded us that we are called to pray not only in times of struggle or moments of blessing, but at all times. Consistent prayer creates an open door for the Kingdom of Heaven to move in our lives. A life rooted in prayer leads to a deeper pursuit of Jesus and His Kingdom.

This week, Pastor Chris kicked off the new year with a powerful series titled Power Through Prayer, designed to guide us through our church-wide fast. As we embark on this journey, it's essential to check the posture of our hearts—ensuring they are soft toward God, ready to obey, and eager to love Him. It might be the perfect time for a spiritual reset. Cultivating a generous heart and making a habit of meeting with the Lord will set us on the right path to loving Him more deeply and following Him faithfully throughout the year.

This week at City Central, our Legacy Youth Ministry took over our services. Claire Mock who is a Junior in high school, leader of a Jesus Club at her school, and a leader in our youth program; brought an encouraging word about living out the authority that God has given us through Jesus.

This week, Pastor Chris continued our Christmas series with a powerful message highlighting the humility of Christ and His heart for everyone to know Him. Jesus entered the world in a lowly manner and rather than announcing His arrival to the powerful or the elite, the Lord chose to reveal it to the humble shepherds. This demonstrates that He came for all people and sets a profound example of humility for us to follow. The Lord continues to invite the humble to Himself today.

This week, Pastor Chris shares a powerful message about the hope of Christmas and how it leads us to worship the King. The Wise Men were among the first to encounter the newborn Jesus, and their response offers profound lessons for us today. Just as they bowed in humble worship before the Savior, we too are called to honor and glorify the Lord as we reflect on the hope and joy of the Christmas season. Their example reminds us that true worship flows from encountering the hope found in Christ's birth.

This week, Pastor Chris continued our Christmas series The Thrill of Hope with a powerful message about how the light of Christ is the only true hope for a weary world. It's not hard to see that our world is broken and filled with darkness, desperately in need of hope. But the hope of Jesus shines through in His victory over sin and the world, a victory that He extends to each of us. In Him, we can exchange our weariness for the joy that only Christ can bring.

This week, Pastor Chris launched our Advent season with the start of our Christmas series, The Thrill of Hope. At the heart of the Christmas season is the hope found in Jesus—His sovereignty and unshakable faithfulness. By placing our hope in God rather than in our circumstances, we can experience peace even in the darkest of times, with His presence serving as an anchor for our souls.

This week, we had the privilege of hearing from Darrin Miller with a word on generosity. God is so generous to us and designed generosity to be beneficial; generous people are healthier, happier, have lower stress, improved relationships and extend their lives to others. As we grow in a deep understanding of God's lavish love and generosity toward us, we will extend it more freely to those around us. 

This week, Pastor Chris shared a message on the lavish generosity of God that frees us to live generously toward others. The flesh tells us that a preserved life is a thriving life, but God tells us that the most joy-filled people are those who give generously. As we obediently give, we witness God's kind provision and we are a blessing to others.

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Advancing Church series with a message about the power of Jesus to restore our hearts and set us free. Through Jesus we are forgiven and made new, no matter where we have been or what we have done. The good news doesn't end there as the Lord wants to partner with us in our restoration from one degree of glory to another!

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Advancing Church series teaching about sharing the gospel and being aware of how the world can choke out our faith. As believers, we advance God's kingdom through evangelism but must guard our hearts from the world so we can bear good fruit unto the Lord. God has great affection for each one of us and desires that we walk out our salvation in true knowledge, agreement and commitment to the gospel, making disciples along the way.

This week, Pastor Chris started a new sermon series called Advancing Church. God has a great vision for the Church and wants to use His bride to establish His kingdom on earth. As we gather, we meet with the Lord through worship and prayer and build one another up for the works of the ministry. There is power in the gathering of God's people!

This week, Pastor Chris finished our Romans series with a word on being aware of the Enemy's schemes in our lives. Whether we realize it or not, we have an Enemy of our soul and are in a spiritual battle, which Jesus has already one. The Enemy desires to deceive, accuse and tempt us but we can expose his schemes, live in authority over him and walk in Jesus' victory.

This week, Pastor Chris taught out of Romans 15 about overcoming selfishness. Our society emphasizes self-promotion and self-focus, but God desires for us to be emptied of pride and filled with love for others. The Lord gives us tools to help defeat the Self including carrying one another's burdens, building others up, staying in the Word and sharing the Good News.

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a second teaching on how to love those with different opinions from ourselves. The Enemy aims to divide the Body of Christ though personal opinions and judgement, but the Lord wants us to walk well with one another in love.

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series teaching us about God's heart for the Church to be united. Christians can be so divided and unloving toward one another over issues that are not essential to the gospel, but there is a way forward! We can follow God's command to love and respect one another by keeping our hearts humble, and our minds set on the primary issues of the Bible.

Community Life Director, Casey Mock shared this week about the different Life Groups at City Central and how you can get plugged in. It is not our inheritance as believers to walk through life alone, rather God has a vision for the church to live in community! Today was a call for each of us to either join a Life Group if we haven't already or evaluate how we can bring others into the family of God right here in our church.

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a word about resetting our hearts on the Lord through His love and grace. Sometimes we grow weary in our walk with the Lord or start walking in our old ways. We need a fresh awakening and today is the opportunity! The first step to softening our heart towards God is to allow Him to love us. 

This week was Youth Takeover at City Central! Recent high school graduate and Legacy student leader, Lakiyah, brought the Word from Habakkuk. We spend a lot of time waiting and asking the Lord to move, and we learned from Habakkuk that God is gracious with our questions and ready with a plan. In these seasons of waiting, we can look to God's character, remember His faithfulness and allow Him to change our character.

This week, Pastor Chris shared a message about being directed by the Word of God when facing the topic of political authority. As believers, we have dual citizenship- heaven and our country- and therefore, we walk in the tension of honoring both God and our government leaders. It is key to submit to God before a political party, check our hearts for bitterness and rebellion, and pray for our leaders.

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Roman series with a powerful message on using our gifts to build up the Church, and the call to love others well. The Lord has loved us with an everlasting love and calls us to love and forgive one another. We could all use an upgrade in love and Romans 12 encourages and challenges us to humble ourselves for the sake of sharing the love of Christ.

This week, Adam Narciso brought the Word from Romans 12 about spiritual gifts. Jesus followers carry a special grace from God, known as spirituals gifts, that show up in our day-to-day functions. These gifts are meant to bless and build up the Church, but how we step into them matters.

Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a word on God's faithfulness to His people Israel from old testaments times to today, and how we as Jesus followers are grafted into God's family. As we live in the end times, looking back at God's faithfulness gives us peace and hope knowing He will fulfill His promises to us!

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a message about being transformed by Christ rather than conformed by the world. We are always being influenced by the world around us and must intentionally set our hearts and mind on Christ and godliness. Renewing our minds regularly keeps on the path of righteousness and helps us become like Jesus.

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series about sharing the gospel so that many can be saved, and so we can live a vibrant life in Christ. Just as our physical muscles atrophy from lack of use, our spiritual muscles also lose health and vitality when they are not regularly exercised. Evangelism and sharing our testimony help build those spiritual muscles, and the Lord uses it to bring hope to a lost world. 

This week, Pastor Chris continues our Romans series with a message from Romans 9 about the relationship between God and believers, known as the Human-Divine Cooperation. This concept is seen throughout the Bible, as God partners with His people, demonstrating His grace and sovereignty while calling them to fulfill His will on earth through their free will.

  This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a message about being secure in God's love. The love of God is abounding and dependable, different from human love. If we are not careful, we can project our experiences with human love onto God, leading to a deceived and defeated life. With the Lord's help we can tear down any wrong view of God's love and start living as an overcomer in Christ.