Grace Capital City Podcast

What does it mean to grow up? It seems that the writer of Hebrews has some frustrations with this community around the fact that they haven't really matured or grown spiritually. Why is that? Whats going on here? And what does it mean for us to grow in spiritual maturity? In this message Pastor Chris explores the nature of Spiritual Maturity and a key component to our growth that is so easy to miss.

Throughout history God has made a way to draw closer and closer to his people. But when facing adversity the temptation for us to turn to other things besides Jesus is real. In this message, Pastor Holly shows how Jesus as our perfect High Priest is better than anything else and how the role God gives us all changes everything.

At Pentecost we celebrate two important events; the pouring out of the Spirit to all believers and the birthing of God's Church. Both are so important and both are critical to the other. In this message Pastor Chris explores the commission of the early church in Acts and how essential the Holy Spirit was to them and to us still as we seek to follow Jesus. 

How do we understand the Word of God? What does it mean for us as followers of Jesus that God has spoken, and also that God is still speaking? In this message Pastor Chris unpacks Hebrews 4 and the nature and revelation of God's Word to us.

How do we experience spiritual rest? In this sermon, Hannah Martha Cohen Banks engages Hebrews 4 to help us define, explore, and experience true rest. 

What does it mean to live as a child of God? In Hebrews 3 we're told that Jesus lived as a son while Moses lived as a servant, how can follow the lead of Jesus and live into our true identity as sons and daughters? Pastor Chris teaches on the nature of sonship and the importance of living out our standing in God.

In this message from Pastor Olu in Hebrews 2, we explore how Jesus, our suffering Savior, is the Faithful Shepherd who walks with us in our pain. Far from being distant, Christ entered our frailty, broke the power of death, and now helps us in every trial. Only a Savior who has suffered can truly shepherd suffering saints.

In this message Pastor Chris leads us into our new series in the book of Hebrews and explores why Jesus is so much better then anything we could even imagine.

In this episode, speaker Rev. Caleb Cray Haynes shares a message at Grace Capital City's Annual Creation Care Sunday. Rev Haynes is a speaker, writer, and advocate on issues of environmental justice for the church at large. For more information on Rev. Haynes' many wonderful contributions, please visit www. calebcrayhaynes.com . For more information on how to get involved with our Creation Care Justice Ministry at GCC, please visit gracecapitalcity.com/justice. 

In this message Pastor Chris explores the nature of hope, the beauty of hope and why Jesus Christ himself is our Living Hope.

College Director Faith Anderson walks us through Jesus' Triumphant Entry in the Gospel of Mark, reminding us of God's complete vision for salvation through the Prince of Peace.

In this message Pastor Chris unpacks the scriptures and invitation of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. What is it? Why does it matter? And how do I posture my heart to receive all that God has for me in this area?

The topic of healing can include everything from the miraculous to unbelief, faith to curiosity, and overwhelming joy to deep disappointment. In this message, Pastor Holly takes us through many stories of Jesus healing, shares her own experiences seeing (and not seeing) healing miracles, and shows us that healing is always on God's heart and is meant to be a regular part of our lives. As followers of Jesus we are called to demonstrate the Kingdom of God here on Earth as it is in Heaven, so let us go, with humility and compassion, in the name of our Great King and Healer, and see healing in ourselves, our neighbors, and our world. 

In this message guest speaker, Katie Luse, offers some profound truth and revelation about the work of the Spirit in our lives through seasons of trial, disappointment and suffering. Not only is Holy Spirit with us in those moments, but some of the Spirits most important work can be done in these moments if we posture ourselves to His work. Katie is a friend of GCC and leads a prayer ministry called Connect Up.

Whether you know it or not, you are in a war. In Matthew 12:22-30, Jesus showcases the reality of spiritual warfare—a battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Pastor Olu in this week's sermon unpacks what it means to be engaged in Spiritual Warfare, how to recognize the enemy's tactics, and how to walk in the victory Christ has already won. The battle is real, but so is our authority in Jesus. 

The gift of Tongues can be one of the misunderstood and confusing of the gifts, but also one of the most life giving. In this message Pastor Chris explores what the Bible says about the gift of Tongues, how it can play a role in our lives and what its purpose is in our walk with Christ.

As we close out Black History Month, Pastor Chris teaches us on God's heart for the nations, the beauty of diversity and creativity in the Kingdom and the unique contribution the Black Church had made to our faith.

Does God speak? Is God still speaking? What does God's voice sound like? In this message, Pastor Holly challenges us to increase our awareness, expectation, and experience of hearing God's voice and using the gift of prophecy.

As we continue in our Life in the Spirit series Pastor Chris begins unpacking the role that spiritual gifts can play in the life of a believer and how we can walk in them with joy, health and wisdom. 

Dr. Bob Roberts has been a powerful Kingdom voice for decades; planting churches, advocating for religious freedoms around the world and acting as a bridge builder between people of different faiths. In this message he teaches on the role of the Temple and what it means for us as followers of Jesus to carry the Presence of God with us at all times and in all places. 

The Presence of God is one of the most important, but also misunderstood themes in the Bible. In this message Pastor Chris unpacks the significance of God's presence, how we can understand it, but most importantly how it can become a central part of our lives. 

In this new series "Life in the Spirit", Pastor Chris explores the nature and role of the Holy Spirit, and invites us all into a posture to learn to more fully receive from Holy Spirits work. 

A people who are grounded in the spirit of God and a people who are grounded in the truth of God. How can we be a people in 2025 who are grounding our hopes, identity and values in the unchanging goodness of God? Enjoy this message as Pastor Chris explores our word for the year!

What is joy? How can joy strengthen us? And how can we make sure that our joy is rooted in the Lord? In this message, Hannah Martha Cohen Banks explores Nehemiah 8:10 and the access we have to joy through Jesus.

How does the Tabernacle of the Old Testament become a prophetic picture of God's final plans of incarnation in the New Testament? In this message Pastor Chris explores John 1 and what it truly means for Jesus to make his ‘Dwelling' among us. 

This week, College and Justice Resident Faith Anderson teaches about the peace which comes from knowing God and His divine plan for those who love Him. The peace we experience in knowing and being known by God is a part of our inheritance as followers of Jesus.

In this message Jeff and Grace Cecilia bring a powerful teaching and testimony on the role hope has played in their lives and family. For anyone struggling to hold onto hope this is a message you don't want to miss.

We live in a world steeped in the lure and even mythology of what it means to live as "free people". But what does God teach us about freedom? How do we truly exercise our freedoms and what does it actually mean to be free?

Daniel Yang is the National Director of Churches of Welcome, which seeks to remind the church of our Biblical mandate to love and welcome immigrants and refugees in our midst. In this message he teaches from Revelation 2, the letter to the Church at Smyrna, and reminds us of the persecuted church across the globe. What can we learn from our brothers and sisters around the world who have suffered for their faith? How does God call us to live and follow him as those who are able to practice their faith with freedom and security?

In this week's sermon, we continue our Fall series "The Promise and Problem of More," exploring Solomon's pursuit of satisfaction in riches and possession as captured in Ecclesiastes. Despite the unparalleled accumulation of treasure, Solomon found them empty and unfulfilling, highlighting the vanity of misplaced desires. Here we will contrast this with the Good News of the Kingdom: True fulfillment is found only in Jesus, who offers genuine abundance and purpose. Join us as we learn to redirect our eternal longings toward the Eternal Treasure, who is Christ the Lord!

In a world that is continually pushing us into our polarized groups and encouraging us to view one another with distrust and suspicion, how can we learn to be a people that value first the Imago Dei in every person and refused to dehumanize one another to simply political identities?

We live in a world ruled by earthly empires, but King Jesus constantly calls back to our allegiance first to his reign and his Kingdom. In this message Pastor Chris reminds us of how we can center our hearts on the Kingdom of God, while still living faithfully within the empires of this world. 

In Revelation 7 we get a beautiful prophetic picture of every tribe, tongue and nation gathered around the throne of Jesus bringing their unique gift of worship. We believe that even here on earth we have the opportunity to live into that reality.On Sunday, October 13, to celebrate and close out Hispanic Heritage Month, we had our first Hispanic Worship Celebration! It was a great day to celebrate all the ways our Hispanic and Latino brothers and sisters bring so much depth, joy and value to our faith and worship.Pastor Chris sat down with our Worship Director, David Virgo for a recap of the celebration - check it out!

In this message we get to hear from Ryan and Jenni Browne. The Brownes have been a key family to GCC since our launch, and just a few years ago launched internationally to serve the nation and people of Ethiopia. What God has continued to teach them about his heart for every person, how to continually prioritize his presence and how God has miraculously provided for them again and again is such a beautiful testimony to the faithfulness of God.

What is success? What is it not? Could it be that feeling or thought of failing, of being a failure, is actually the kindness of God - letting us feel so we know the success we're seeking is actually a problem wrapped up in ourselves instead of receiving a promise centered on Him? Pastor Holly gives us an honest, challenging, and encouraging message, leading us to discover what success in the Kingdom of God truly is.Spoiler alert: More success will always be a problem when it's based on yourself, when it's all about you.  But the Promise of more success will be found and experienced when success is about God.

We live in a world that is in many ways defined by power. People of power, structures of power, dynamics of power, acts of power. There are times when power is used for good, but it also doesn't take us long to point to things we see or experience that represent power not used well. So what about Kingdom power? What is God's vision of power? We know that God is powerful, so how does God steward His power and how does he invite us to be a people who walk in power?

In this message Pastor Chris explores the Promise and Problem of more Comfort. Throughout the scriptures we read about God's promise to be our comforter, we know that comfort is something we all crave and seek, but at the same time living lives that are entirely insulated by the pursuit of more comfort can rob us of the beautiful destiny we're each invited into. 

In this message Pastor Chris kicks off our new series exploring our 2024 word for the year, More. When it comes to pleasure if we're honest, we'd all love a bit more! The world seems to promise us that we can live lives off endless pleasure, but yet those promises never seem to quite hit the mark. So how do we hold our desires and longings in a way that honors the Lord and also leads towards satisfaction?

In this message, Pastor Chris explores the values of Worship, Family, and Justice,  why they are so central to God's call on our church, and the vision he has called us to pursue.

In this episode, you'll hear a few testimonies from members of our community who participated in the last Form cohort. To apply for the 2024-25 discipleship groups and more information visit our website. 

In this sermon, our Justice & Operations Director Hannah Martha Cohen Banks asserts that Kingdom Service is the practice of putting ourselves in discomfort, submitting to the kingdom, so we can partner with the Spirit in the making of all things new and grow in Christlike humility. 

In this message, Pastor Chris explores the spiritual discipline of Simplicity and how important it is to keep our hearts and minds centered on God's best. 

Even though it's one of the most beautiful, empowering, and freeing spiritual disciplines of our faith, Submission is often noted as the most misused and abused. In this message from Pastor Holly, she gently teaches on what submission is not, what Kingdom submission actually is, the limits of submission, and ways we can practice and grow in this discipline in healthy ways.

In our new series, The Outward Disciplines, Pastor Olu explains the need for all of us to engage in these practices in order to continue developing lifestyles modeled after Jesus. Focusing on solitude, he encourages us through Luke 4: 38-44, to have a regular rhythm in our lives where we are disconnecting from the crowds and clutter so we can connect deeper with God.

In this message, Pastor Chris explores Paul's approach to mission through Acts 17. How do we approach our witness in a way that is truly good news for all people? In a way that invites and doesn't alienate those who may not know Jesus as Lord? 

Acts 16 is a reservoir of insights and encouragement for those who seek to follow Jesus and share His love, power, and wisdom with others along the way. Often overlooked, yet a cornerstone of missional effectiveness is prayer. In this week's sermon, Pastor Olu underscores the pivotal role of prayer in our spiritual life and service, as it opens our eyes to hidden possibilities and hones our perception to participate in God's work of redemption. Get ready to be equipped with practical prayer points to fuel your faith and witness!

In this week's sermon, Pastor Olu briefly explores a pivotal moment in the book of Acts, chapters 10 and 11, where the Holy Spirit challenges Peter to connect with those he typically wouldn't, revealing God's mission of inviting everyone to His table. We will also hear from key leaders from our community, Krista Kartson, Juddie Otieno, and Dan Dreyer, who will share their experiences in cross-cultural engagement. Join us as we explore how the Spirit transforms us into people of love by opening doors to interactions with people unlike us, expanding our perspectives, and inspiring us to share our faith. Let's embark on this adventure of dissolving biases and building tables across cultures. Are you in?

Pastor Holly dives into two stories in Acts 8 involving Philip, a newly appointed leader in the early church, and leads us to ask ourselves two big and important questions: Are we willing to be interrupted AND ALSO are we willing to be the interruption?

The story of Stephen in Acts 6 & 7 describes to us the persecution of the first martyr of the newly formed church. There's so much we can learn from his witness and his faithfulness as it relates to persecution that we may experience in our own walk following Jesus. How do we remain as faith and effective witnesses in the moments persecution comes our way?

In this week's sermon, Pastor Olu leads us to explore Acts 4, which picks up right after Peter and John miraculously heal a lame beggar at the temple. This miracle provokes the people's positive and negative reactions, setting the stage for Peter's impassioned second message. Join us as we learn that, like Peter, we all carry a vital message, and the courage to share it comes freely to us through the Holy Spirit. Tune in to be inspired and challenged as a witness in your everyday life!

In Acts 2 we read about the gathering of the early Christians and how they lived out their faith together. In the midst of these extraordinary stories its so easy to miss the ordinary rhythms that were such a big part of their witness, and how their lives truly did demonstrate the presence of God amongst them. In this message Pastor Chris challenges us to do the same, and to witness to God not in-spite of our real lives, but in the midst of them.