Commonway Church

Pastor Steve continues teaching through our series on the book of James by looking at James 2:1-13

Pastor Steve continues teaching through our series in the book of James and focusing on 1:13-18.

Pastor Steve continues teaching through our summer series by looking at James 1:5-12.

Pastor Steve Gill kicks off our series on the book of James, tackling James 1:1-4. Today's Key Ideas: -God uses the challenges of life to shape the character of Christ in us. -God uses trials to grow our faith, not to crush it. -Trials happen so that we may have a character-changing faith rather than a compartmentalized faith. ○ Part of my maturing is learning to walk through the enduring. ○ Rough air produces real disciples. Today's Application: 1. What is one recent difficulty I've faced—and how might God be using it to grow me? 2. What is my response to God in this trial? Is it joy or anger? Is it patience or giving up? How we respond correlates the work that he can do in us.

Pastor Tyler Crandall helped us celebrate youth Sunday and explore Psalm 103.

On Mother's Day 2025, Pastor Lisa Ashton gave this sermon, entitled "Unlikely and Undaunted." In this sermon, we are invited to learn from the life of Deborah (Judges 4 & 5) - Israel's unlikely judge. How she exemplified undaunted courage in the face of impossible odds. KEY IDEA: The LORD has gone ahead of you and he will take care of it.

On May 4, 2025, Pastor Tyler Crandall wrapped up our series "Finding Hope" with a message on the history of Pentecost, the giving of the Holy Spirit, and the presence of and spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Key ideas: Jesus promised His followers the Holy Spirit and Jesus always keeps his promises. Through the Holy Spirit, we become empowered agents of hope. Key Passages: Acts 1:4-5, Acts 1:7-8 Acts 2:1-12 Reflection/Application: 1. Where have you experienced the Holy Spirit in the “everyday?” 2. How has the Holy Spirit gifted you? 3. How is God inviting you to use your gift(s) to be an agent of hope? 4. Are there areas where you've been reluctant to step into your gifting(s) or receive the prompts of the Holy Spirit? What's holding you back? Homework: Be on the lookout for opportunities to use your gift(s) and receive the prompts of the Holy Spirit. And then do it.

In the penultimate sermon in our series "Finding Hope," Pastor Steve Gill taught about the importance of Jesus's ascension, found in Acts 1:6-11. The ascension is seen as the climax of Jesus's earthly ministry and the beginning of His heavenly reign. Our hope is in Jesus, the ascended king, who is our greatest advocate. As our heavenly advocate, Jesus silences the voice of condemnation.

On Easter Sunday, Pastor Steve Gill continues in our series "Finding Hope" with the greatest story of hope: Jesus's resurrection from the dead. We learned how, through the resurrection: Our past is redeemed. Our present finds strength. Our future is secured. We were invited to consider our response to Jesus today. Am I already a follower of Jesus? Am I beginning a relationship with Christ? Am I considering Jesus? Or, do I not intend to follow Jesus?

In the sixth sermon in our series "Finding Hope," Pastor Steve Gill invited us to keep these ideas in mind: Pay attention to the tension. The tension between faith and fear. The Scripture for this sermon is Matthew 14:25-32 in which Jesus walks on water and Peter joins Him! Throughout the story, we're invited into the tension of faith and fear: 1. Reality- Acknowledge that fear is real. 2. Remember- Choose to remember Jesus. 3. Response- Respond with Trust in Jesus. Today's Reflection and Application What is one step of faith God is calling you to take this week? Who's in your boat?

In this fifth sermon in our series "Finding Hope" Pastor Steve Gill challenges us with this question: What happens in our pain? The key text for this sermon is Luke 7:11-15. In this story we see Jesus bring back from the dead a widow's son. What can we learn from this story? We can learn that in our pain... 1. Jesus sees us. 2. He feels for us. 3. Jesus responds to us. Today's application: 1. In this season of life, what are you most desiring from God? For God to see you, to feel for you or to respond to you? 2. Who is your life right now that you need to see, to feel for, and respond to in their pain?

In the fourth sermon in our series Finding Hope, Pastor Steve Gill teaches through the story found in Mark 9:14-27. In this story we meet a father desperate for help for his son who has been possessed by a demon since childhood. It is in this story that we find the father saying “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24. Today's key idea: Our faith in Jesus is not about trying harder but about trusting in Jesus. What can we learn? 1. Be honest with God about your doubts. God is big enough to handle your doubts/questions/fears. 2. Trust that Jesus responds to your imperfect faith.

In the third sermon in our series "Finding Hope," Pastor Tyler Crandall teaches this Idea: Jesus offers holistic healing and we are meant to seek him with others. The sermon focuses on the story found in Mark 2:1-12 of Jesus forgiving and healing a paralyzed man who was carried by four friends to a house, taken up to the roof, and lowered through the roof right in front of Jesus. Mark 2:3-5: "Some men came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Questions for reflection and application: Where do I need healing? Who is carrying my mat? Whose mat am I helping to carry?

In the second sermon in our series "Finding Hope," Pastor Steve Gill taught a short sermon on baptism. “Why Baptism?” 1. I want to follow the example of Jesus. 2. I want to identify with Jesus. Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. Matthew 3:13-15 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17

Pastor Lisa Ashton kicks off a new series, Finding Hope, in which we'll be walking through several miracles of Jesus recorded in the Gospels. This sermon focused on the story found in Luke 13:10- 17. In this story, Jesus heals a woman who had been crippled for 18 years. He does this on the Sabbath and in the synagogue, much to the chagrin of the synagogue leaders, who were indignant about such a thing. Lisa challenged us to consider times when we can get so caught up in doing the "Right Thing" that we can miss doing the "Good Thing." We were challenged to pray this prayer, "God to help me to see see with Kingdom vision, that I may learn to value 'goodness' over 'rightness.' Form me to be more like you." *Note: we experienced some technical difficulties during church today. The video for today's sermon and the audio are badly out of sync by the end of the message and with the time and resources we have, we were unable to remedy this fully.

In today's final installment of "Open Hands," Pastor Steve spoke on giving. Key Idea: Do I give Jesus the best of me? Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. Proverbs 3.9-10 (NLT) How do I honor God with my finances? 1. I will give God my best. 2. I will trust God to take care of the rest.

The main idea for this series is: Living a life with open hands is how God works in us and through us. Today's key words: Grace and Truth. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 Today's Application: How do I live with open hands when it comes to the grace and truth of Jesus? 1. Start by looking again at Jesus. 2. Where am I lacking in grace and truth? 3. Where can I live more fully with his grace and his truth?

The key idea behind our series is this; Living a life with open hands is how God works in us and through us. Today's Key Idea: How do I live with open hands when it comes to offense? 1. Be intentional with the process. 2. Meet privately with the other person. “If your brother or sister sins against you, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4.15 Today's personal application: 1. Who am I walking in offense with today? 2. How and when will I start the conversation with them?

The final sermon in our series "The Last Arrow." Today's Starting Question: What does it look like to stand my ground? 2 Samuel 23:11-12, the story of Shammah is a story of standing one's ground. What does it look like to stand my ground? 1. I will do what is right even when the odds are stacked against me. 2. I live for the audience of One rather than for the audience of many.

Pastor Steve Gill teaches part five in our series "The Last Arrow." Today's key idea: What God wants to do through you is often more important than what God wants to do for you. Today's key text comes from 2 Kings 7. It's a story about four lepers who find themselves in a dire, hopeless, and urgent situation. What can I learn from this text? 1. Sometimes God's “for you” is “for you.” 2. Many times God's “for you” is more about his “through you.” 3. What you have been through is often how God works through you.

In the fourth sermon in our series "The Last Arrow," Pastor Tyler Crandall shares on the idea Find Your Tribe. Today's Key Ideas: -We were not created to do life alone. -If we want people to be there for us, we have to be there for people. The Scripture Backdrop for today's sermon is The Story of Jonathan and David found in 1 Samuel chapters 14–23. In this story, we see that David and Jonathan were soul friends. 1 Samuel 18:1 (ESV) says, “As soon as David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” Reflection and Application Who is with you? Who are you with? Where do you need people to be there with you? Where can you be there with people?

In the third installment of our sermon series "The Last Arrow," Pastor Steve Gill taught on the key idea of Refusing To Be Left Behind. In 2 Kings 2:1-14 we see how Elisha will not leave Elijah's side, despite being given permission to do so. As a result, he asks Elijah for a double portion of the Spirit that has been on Elijah, and it's granted to him. How do we avoid being left behind? In a word: Faithfulness. Today's application: 1. Where am I being faithful? 2. Where do I need to be more faithful?

Part two of our series "The Last Arrow" Today's key idea: Moving forward in my future with Christ means letting go of my past. Key Scripture: 1 Kings 19:19-21 Application: What part of your past do you need to lay down to move ahead with God's future plans for you?

In the first of Commonway's series "The Last Arrow," Pastor Steve Gill set the stage for what we will be talking about over the next several weeks. We are challenged by the story of Israel's King Jehoash from 2 Kings 13. King Jehoash was described as hesitant, half-hearted, and not "hungry" enough. When the Prophet Elisha instructed him to strike his arrows, he only did so three times. We are challenged to think about if we are the type of people who will strike our arrows a few times and then quit, or will we keep striking and striking until no arrows are left? The key idea for this message is that God has given us victory in Christ and calls us to walk with a faith that never quits. The application of this message is for each of us to think "What is one thing in life that have quit consistently? And what is my first step to re-engage where I quit?

In the fourth and final installment of our series "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" Pastor Steve Gill teaches from Luke 2:8-18. The Angel of the Lord, and then a host of angels, visit the shepherds to share the good news: that Jesus had come. He had come as Savior, Messiah, and Christ (Lord). For us those shepherds then, and for us now, the Good News of Jesus is to be internalized and externalized. The application of this sermon is: If the good news of Jesus is meant to be internalized, then what Good News do you most need to hear right now? And, if the good news of Jesus is meant to be externalized, then what Good News do you most need to share right now?

In the third installment of our series "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," Pastor Lisa Ashton teaches from Matthew 1 & 2 and the three (or four) times Joseph is visited by angels in his dreams. The story of Joseph is one of messengers meeting him in times of desperation. Our invitation is to look for the messengers bringing light in our world, to be messengers of light, and to pray "Help. Help, Jesus" when we don't know what else to do.

In part two of a four-part series called "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," Pastor Steve Gill looked at the story of the angel visiting Mary from Luke 1:26-38. The key idea of this message is that The Gospel of Jesus is good news, not good advice. This good news is a massive Theological claim; and a massive Kingdom claim. The application for todays message is these two questions: 1. As a Jesus follower, does this good news have an impact on my theology? 2. As a Jesus follower, does this good news have an impact on my lifestyle?

In part one of a four-part series called "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," Pastor Steve Gill unpacked the story of Zechariah from Luke 1:11-25. The key idea is that God is a God of the unexpected. We, like Zechariah, tend to put God into boxes and think we know how he's going to move. But, God has moved and continues to move in unexpected ways that defy our understanding and expectations. We were challenged to think on this question: Where in your life do you need to believe God for the unexpected?

In the fourth and final message in our series "The Satisfied Soul," Pastor Tyler Crandall taught us about gratitude. We saw the differences between thankfulness and gratitude, mainly that thankfulness more or less shows up where you'd expect, but gratitude is sometimes harder. Gratitude is an attitude of appreciation in any circumstances. Gratitude is often a gritty, hard-fought thanksgiving. Today's sermon features several songs. A "Thanksgiving Medley" of the following four songs: 1. "He Has Made Me Glad" CCLI Song # 1493 © 1976 Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing 2. "Fountain" CCLI Song # 7130856 Chris Renzema © Renzema Songs 3. "Saved my Soul" CCLI Song # 7073333 © 2016 CityAlight Music | Integrity's Praise! Music 4. "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High" The sermon ends with "Hard Fought Hallelujah" CCLI Song # 7245804 © Brandon Lake Music | Music by Elevation Worship Publishing

In part three of our series "The Satisfied Soul," Pastor Steve Gill taught on identity. We are constantly confronted with our culture's view that our identity is found by looking inward and outward. But the counter-cultural view of the Church is that our identity is found by looking upward. We learned from Colossians 3 to get rid of old practices and put on our new identity. A satisfied soul is on whose identity is rooted in the Savior, rather than in self.

In part two of our series "The Satisfied Soul" Pastor Steve Gill spoke on the truth that God is a provider. We looked at Philippians 4:10-13, in which Paul tells us he'd learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Steve encouraged us to think about these two questions: Do I know that God is my provider? Do I trust that God is my provider?

On Sunday, November 3, Pastor Steve Gill launched a new series called "The Satisfied Soul." In this message today we looked at Philippians 4:4-5 and Steve spoke about Joy. We learned that true joy is rooted in a Someone (Jesus) rather than a something; and that being joyful is positional rather than circumstantial.

In the seventh and final installment of Commonway Church's series "Around the Table," pastor Steve Gill taught from Revelation 19:5-9 on the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. This is a future event in eternity where followers of Jesus gather with Him to celebrate His reign. Steve spoke some about the symbolism of a wedding as it relates to Christ and the Church. And Steve encouraged us in the here and now to embrace the Savior and embrace the waiting. The sermon ended with Cliff Ritchey signing "Come Jesus, Come" by Stephen McWhirter.

In the sixth installment of our series "Around the Table," Pastor Lisa Ashton teaches from Luke's account of the Lord's Supper in Luke 22:7-38. She walks us through some of what it may have been like in that upper room and how, as He often does, Jesus did things in a way the disciples were not expecting. We learned about the parallels between the Passover meal and the Lord's Supper (Communion, Eucharist). And then we tried to honor His words to "Do THIS in remembrance of Me" with a communion experience.

In part five of Commonway's series "Around the Table," pastor Steve Gill dives into the story of Martha and Mary from Luke Steve helps us understand that this isn't a story about something bad vs. something good, but of something good vs. something better. It is better to lean in and listen at the feet of Jesus. The voice of God sounds like affection, direction, and conviction.

For Part IV of Commonway's "Around the Table" series, Pastor Steve Gill reminds us that there is power in gathering around the table. Steve teaches from Matthew 14:13-21, the Feeding of the Five Thousand and challenges us to be a "contributing Christian". We learn that we're called to serve and to give what we have for those who are seeking and sitting at the table of Jesus.

Dr. Kimberly Majeski gives part three of our series "Around the Table." Kimberly taught from Luke 7:36-50, the story of a woman washing Jesus's feet with her tears, drying them with her hair, and anointing him with expensive perfume. We were challenged to think about who we're inviting to our table, who isn't around our table, and why? Pastor Steve gives some final thoughts and a prayer to close our time.

Greg Dyson, Campus Pastor at Taylor University, teaches from John 13. This is part two of our series "Around the Table." Greg specifically taught about Jesus washing the disciples' feet, and challenged us to serve like Jesus. He encouraged us to do the "little" things, because by living out or faith doing little things we prove that we have a faith. Pastor Steve Gill closes us with some final thoughts and a prayer.

Commonway's new lead pastor, Steve Gill, kicked off our new sermon series "Around the Table." Steve taught from Luke 5:27-32 and invited us to think about who in that story we are most like right now; one of the "sinners" at the feast, Levi (Matthew) the former tax collector turned Jesus-follower, or Jesus. We were challenged, as Jesus followers, to walk in relational proximity and relational intimacy with others; and reminded that around the table is a great place to do that.

In this sixth and final part of Commonway's series "Generosity: It's Not Just About Money" Jon Cavanagh preached on generosity in relationships. He challenged us to, as it says in Philippians 2:5, "have the same mindset as Christ Jesus" in our relationships with one another. Jon also invited us to consider two questions in relationships when we do this: what might we become and what could we create?

On Sunday, September 1, 2024, our worship director, Cliff Ritchey lead Commonway Church through a morning of worship and reflection. Due to copyright and streaming rules, we cannot post the full service. This video contains those reflection times, a poem by Julie Ritchey, and a rendition of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Below is a run-down of the songs we did and their original artists. 1. Glorious Things by John Mark McMillan and Sarah McMillan 2. Graves into Gardens by Brandon Lake 3. Hymn of Heaven by Phil Wickham REFLECTION TIME 4. Song for Jules by Cliff Ritchey 5. How Deep the Father's Love for Us by Stuart Townsend 6. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson (Public Domain) 7. 40 by U2 REFLECTION TIME 8. Open Hands by The Porter's Gate 9. Until These Tears Are Gone by Young Oceans 10. Do it Again by Adam Paulson 11. King of My Heart by John Mark McMillan and Sarah McMillan CLOSING

Part 4 in our Generosity series. A message given by Joy Rediger, the executive director of Urban Light Community Development. Joy preaches on contentment and the cyclical relationship between contentment and generosity.

Pastor Lisa Ashton unpacks part of Jesus's "Sermon on the Mount" - Matthew 6:19-34. In it, we are encouraged to store up treasures in Heaven and to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven.

The second in our series on Generosity: It's Not Just About Money. Neil Kring talks about being neighborly as an act of generosity.

Message from Lisa Ashton on August 4, 2024

Message from Ted Baker on July 28, 2024

Message from Tyler Crandall on July 21, 2024

Message from Corey Andry on July 14, 2024

Message from Lisa Ashton on July 7, 2024

Message from Steve Davis on June 30, 2024

Message from Leah Chandler on June 23, 2024