NMC Audio Podcast

When the early church faced a wave of new believers who didn't grow up with the same traditions, a big question emerged. In Acts 15, the leaders gathered to decide whether new believers had to follow all the old religious requirements. After prayer and discussion, they reached a powerful conclusion: don't make it difficult for those who are turning to God. The heart of the gospel is simple—salvation is found in Jesus. It's not earned through rituals, traditions, or human expectations. As we reach people who don't yet know Christ, our calling is to point them clearly to Him, not burden them with extra barriers.

Left to itself, a fire tends to burn out. Throughout the Bible, believers are urged to keep their spiritual fervor red hot, like Paul encouraged Timothy to "fan into flame" his spiritual passion. Life and all its challenges take a toll on a warm heart. More than just giving us a challenge, the Word gives us a clear path to a heart that's hot for Jesus.---Dave Engbrecht served as NMC's Senior Pastor for over 40 years. His messages have been heard around the world through NMC livestream and his travels to visit ministry partners in India, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, Pakistan, Jamaica, Kenya, Russia, Romania, and Armenia. Dave's vision is to make fully committed disciples through healthy local churches led by gifted leaders. He serves on the board of several missions organizations and is a keynote speaker at numerous retreats, leadership training events, conferences, and camps. Dave and his wife Christy are the parents of two married children and five grandchildren.

Following Jesus is more than a private belief—it's a bold, active faith. In Mark 2, four friends refuse to let obstacles keep their paralyzed friend from encountering Jesus. When the crowd blocks the door, they climb the roof, tear it open, and lower him to Jesus. Their faith wasn't passive. It was persistent, courageous, and sacrificial. This message explores what it means to be the kind of follower who does whatever it takes to clear the way for others to meet Jesus, trusting that once we bring people to His feet, He will do what only He can do.---Kory Lantz is the Executive Director of Transformation Ministries—a South Bend nonprofit that helps under-resourced youth to encounter Jesus, engage others with the gospel, and thrive together. Kory and his wife Ali launched Transformation in 2009 and have watched the Lord expand their ministry since then to become a pillar in the community. Known for his visionary leadership and deep relational connection with others, Kory is most passionate about making disciples in his first ministry: his family. Father to four children (and often a few teenage boys who live with them), he thrives helping his kids know that following Jesus is the greatest adventure of your life.

Prophetic words have the power to call forth our true identity, gifts, and calling. Through the apostle Paul's encouragement of Timothy, we see how spoken, God-inspired words can strengthen faith, awaken purpose, and help us stand firm in challenging seasons. We as the Church are called to intentionally speak life-giving, identity-shaping words that help others stand strong in who God has called them to be.---Jerrell Jobe serves as the Discipleship Pastor at Engedi Church in Holland, MI and as an adjunct professor for Bethel University. His nearly 30 years of full-time ministry have focused on spiritual formation, teaching, and leadership. With a deep passion for connecting people to the biblical text through immersive travel, Jerrell has led over 100 trips across more than 25 countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Greece, and Rome. He and his wife Charissa have three young adult children.

Could one step of obedience set off a chain reaction? Everyday faithfulness is the first domino God wants to tip, and fulfill His call in Matthew 9 and the promise of Acts 1:8. This message challenges every follower of Jesus to see your life, not as random moments, but as intentional moves in God's unstoppable mission.---John Vermilya is the Lead Pastor of The Tabernacle, a multi-site church in northern Michigan, and an itinerant speaker with FORGE (Denver, CO). John grew up on the mission field in Haiti, played 4 years of professional soccer, spent a decade in sports ministry with Missionary Athletes International, and has coached for over 34 years. He challenges audiences to resist spiritual apathy, stagnancy, and religiosity and instead, to get in the game by following Jesus with full abandon. With a passion for Scripture, storytelling, and humor, his messages reflect on his own Christian walk as a husband, father of five, and grandfather of two.

In Acts 10, we encounter two men in different places but in the same posture of heart: Peter and Cornelius. One is a Jewish apostle, the other a Roman centurion. Both are united by a simple, powerful act: They make themselves available to God through prayer. It's in those moments of yielded prayer that heaven interrupts earth. Visions are given. Boundaries are broken. Hearts are changed. Through prayer, God transforms not only their understanding, but the trajectory of the Church.

Saul of Tarsus knew the Scriptures better than most of us ever will. He was disciplined, devoted, and certain he was right. Yet, he was still blind. Acts 9 shows us what happens when certainty collides with the living Christ. It's the story of how knowing about God becomes truly knowing Him.

What good can grace do? When God's grace showed up in Acts 4, it didn't just make people feel better—it actually changed things. Relationships shifted. Priorities flipped. A whole community got rewired from the inside out. We're exploring what happens when grace gets to work in real life, and why it might do more than you think.

The religious leaders were stunned by the boldness of Peter and John. They weren't impressed by credentials or training. They only recognized one thing: these men had been with Jesus. What a beautiful invitation from the Lord—to simply be with Him. Our power, courage, and clarity don't come from striving harder, but from abiding closer. When we spend time in His presence, His life transforms ours, and the world can't help but notice.

What do you think about God right now? Your thoughts matter more than you may realize. For years, Christians have been accused of "checking their brains at the door," but what if Jesus actually invites us to engage our minds more fully, not less? What if truly getting our "head in the clouds" with Christ transforms how we live on earth? Discover why your thought life is essential to human flourishing.

Jesus offers a clear warning and a loving invitation when it comes to money. He cautions us to guard our hearts against greed and reminds us that life isn't measured by what we accumulate. He also challenges us to consider who—or what—we truly serve because we can't serve both God and money. He invites us to get curious about our relationship with finances: What drives our decisions? Where do we place our security? As we examine our habits, fears, and hopes around money, we can discover what true financial flourishing looks and feels like. 

God didn't create us as souls trapped in bodies, but as embodied persons, fearfully and wonderfully made. God designed us not just to survive, but to flourish—body and soul together. From the beginning, He formed us with intention, calling our physical lives "very good" Though sin has fractured our experience of health, strength, and wholeness, God's desire for our physical flourishing has never changed.

John 10 offers us a striking and comforting image: Jesus is the way into abundant life—our safety, our belonging, our access to God. As the Good Shepherd, He's not distant or harsh, but attentive and self-giving, one who knows His sheep by name and lays down His life for them. This isn't a voice of control or fear, but of love and trust. Yet, Jesus also names the challenge we face: many other voices clamoring for our attention. Voices promising security, success, identity, or happiness—often loudly, often urgently.

Jesus shared a simple, but not always easy, principle of how to flourish in our relationships. This one instruction has the power to revolutionize every interaction in your life. Let's unpack its depth and the challenge it presents. Let's consider how this truth has the power to reshape our interactions. Let's imagine how it could change in our world if we lived it out. 

What does it truly mean to say, “God is love”? Let's explore the depth of God's agape love—a love that's unconditional, sacrificial, and self-giving. God's love isn't merely an emotion but an action, most clearly revealed through the gift of His Son. As recipients of such overwhelming grace, we're called to imitate God's love by laying aside selfishness, extending forgiveness, and demonstrating Christlike love to one another. When we love as He has loved us, we can change the world.

When we pause to consider the birth of Jesus, it can leave us wondering. Why would God choose to enter the world in such an unexpected way? Why would He humble Himself to become one of us? This week, we celebrate a moment both wondrous and mysterious: the incarnation of God, an event that changed the world more than 2,000 years ago.

In the scandalous genealogy of Jesus, Rahab—a Canaanite prostitute from a city of chaos—hangs a scarlet cord and trusts God's promise. Her story reveals a jealous God whose fierce, passionate love invades the darkest places, redeems unlikely people, and zealously pursues us on His terms, in His time.

Look closely at the life of Abraham and the unshakable covenant God made with him and his descendants. Through Abraham's journey of faith, obedience, and trust, we see a God who is consistently faithful, relentlessly gracious, and unwaveringly good. We're invited to remember that the same God who kept His promises to Abraham is the God who keeps His promises to us today.

Be reminded of Jesus' beautiful invitation: He calls us first to be with Him before He sends us out with Him. Just as He gathered His disciples—ordinary people welcomed into His presence—He welcomes us into a relationship marked by closeness, learning, and transformation. And from that place of being with Jesus, we're empowered and sent to share His love, His hope, and His good news. May we rest in His calling, walk in His presence, and go where He leads.

Have you ever worshiped Jesus with your hands raised while doubt whispered in your ear? In Matthew 28, we meet the disciples staring at the risen Christ bowing in worship, yet some still wavering. Discover why doubt doesn't disqualify you from the mission, but becomes the very place Jesus draws near, claims all authority, and sends you anyway.

Romans 12 is one of the most practical and powerful chapters in Scripture—a call not just to believe, but to become the living expression of God's mercy. Our worship isn't confined to songs or Sunday mornings; it's a lifestyle of surrender, transformation, and love.

The Apostle Paul rallied churches across the Roman world to support believers they'd never met, facing needs that seemed insurmountable. Why would he invest so much energy? Why would he ask so much? As we honor our global partners and enter a pivotal week of generosity, we'll uncover why Paul was so relentless about this collection. The answer might reshape how you think about what's in your hand—and what's possible when you give it away.

It's a special Sunday at NMC! Our global partners are here from Southeast Asia, India, Kenya, Mexico, and Honduras to share firsthand how God is moving around the world. Through stories of calling, challenge, and perseverance, we'll explore how God stirs hearts for ministry, sustains His servants through trials, and continues to build His church among every nation. The same God who calls missionaries to distant fields also calls each of us to live on mission right where we are.

Jesus promised His followers power through the Holy Spirit—not for status, but for mission. When we're clothed with the Spirit, we receive strength to love, witness, and serve beyond our comfort zones. The same Spirit that empowered the first disciples empowers us today to share the gospel with boldness and grace.

Jesus' call in Matthew 28 wasn't a brand new mission; it was the original mission. From Eden to today, God has called His people to multiply, fill the earth, and spread His reign everywhere. This week, we'll uncover the Great Commission's ancient roots and fix our eyes on places where the gospel has yet to be heard. Let's not miss God's great calling for our lives!

After enduring unimaginable loss and wrestling with profound questions, Job's story reaches its powerful conclusion. What does restoration look like after devastating trauma? How do we move forward when life has been shattered? The final chapter of Job's journey helps us discover what it means to live, not defined by our suffering, but as image bearers of God who can still build a meaningful legacy.

In a world overflowing with voices—Reddit threads, self-proclaimed experts, age-old traditions, and dogmatic certainty—we're left asking the same question Job did: “But where can wisdom be found?” Let's explore the empty counsel of Job's friends, the limits of human reasoning, and the surpassing power of God's wisdom that humbles the proud, comforts the broken, and gives life to all who seek Him.

When tragedy strikes and evil seems to triumph, we cry out "Where is God?" Looking again at Job's story we'll explore the age-old problem of suffering and discover why God created a world where pain exists. Rather than offering cheap answers to life's hardest questions, we'll wrestle with whether there's a God who truly understands our struggles and find hope in His greater purpose.

Following the extreme and shocking losses in his life, Job's confronted by his wife, his friends, and even his own thoughts about his existence. How will he respond? Where will he go from here? What's going to happen next? There's not much Job (or others) can do to fix what has happened in his life. But that doesn't mean he's out of options. With the only thing he has left—his voice—Job begins to honestly process and defiantly declare how he feels and perceives. His choice of words can help shape the questions we have for God in times of trial and loss.

Job's story reminds us that our lives unfold on more than just an earthly stage. Behind his suffering was a heavenly courtroom and a spiritual battle Job couldn't see. In the same way, our struggles are not random or meaningless—they're woven into a greater reality where God's sovereignty and our faith are displayed. When we can't see the full picture, we're invited to trust the One who does. There's always more than meets the eye.

The Lord's Table is more than a ritual—it's a sacred invitation. In communion, we remember Christ's sacrifice, proclaim His victory, and honor His presence among us. We're also called to honor one another, recognizing that we share in one bread and one cup. We're invited to approach the Table with reverence, humility, and love, giving glory to God and extending honor to each other.

We all carry burdens: some light, some crushing. All too often, we try to carry them alone, believing strength means suffering in silence. But what if true strength is found not in isolation, but in walking together? In Galatians 6, Paul calls us to build a community marked by nearness, humility, and mutual support—a community that lifts each other's heaviest loads instead of breaking under them. Burdens weren't meant to break us, but to bind us, and in Christ, no burden is too heavy when we carry it together.

Will we choose to be brave in our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ? It's not always easy to share the real parts of ourselves—the struggles, the doubts, the wounds, the areas where we need sharpening—but this is where true unity and maturity are forged. Paul reminds us that we are called to “speak the truth in love” so that we grow together into Christ. When each part does its work, the whole Body is built up in love. We are better together—not because we're perfect, but because we're helping each other become more like Jesus.

Discover "The Guarantee of Your Best Future" in our new series, Me. We. Us. If you've ever wondered how to shape your future or how to unlock a life filled with purpose, you'll be amazed at how close you actually are to finding it. It has been offered to you and is worth fighting for. You need only to engage in it.

Our rally cry is to live in the freedom Christ has already secured for us. This freedom isn't permission to do whatever we want. It's the power to live as we were created to live: full of grace, love, and truth. Paul warns against returning to the yoke of slavery, whether it be legalism, sin, or performance-based religion. Instead, we're called to stand firm in the finished work of Christ, to eagerly await the hope of righteousness through the Spirit, and to run well the race marked out for us—free, focused, and faithful.

The word pictures of Jesus give us something on which to build our lives. Sometimes His parables unravel our perceptions of God. At other points they increase our hope and renew our image of His Kingdom. He seems completely at ease with the open-ended questions, the critique of faith, and the broad imagery which His parables give. Using two everyday objects, Jesus invites us to look at the old and to new and look for meaningful ways to make a life of following Him.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet paints a vivid picture of the kingdom of heaven as a royal wedding banquet—lavish, prepared, and ready. The King has set the table, the feast is prepared, and now the invitation goes out. This is not just a meal; it's a moment of decision. The question is, will we accept the invitation, and will we carry that invitation to others with the same urgency and grace the King has shown us?

In a world where quick answers and instant gratification are the norm, Jesus tells a disruptive parable about a persistent widow and an unjust judge. But this isn't just a story about nagging God. It's a call to steadfast, eschatological prayer: the kind of prayer that cries “Thy Kingdom come” even when nothing seems to change. Through the widow's holy protest, Jesus challenges us to not lose heart in the waiting. Don't give up. Keep praying. The Kingdom is coming.

If there's anything we can expect from Jesus, it's honesty. He tells people they have “little faith” while affirming others who have “great faith.” He calls out hypocrisy in those worried about being religiously correct, and He speaks straight to those who don't seem to care about God at all. At the close of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells a story of an impending storm. His parable invites us to look honestly at all the angles of the story and place ourselves in it. His honest description of the coming storm isn't intended to make us worry—He wants us to respond.

Jesus paints a stunning picture of the Father's heart through the story of the prodigal son—not just a tale of rebellion and return, but a radical revelation of God's compassionate love. When the son who squandered everything finally comes home, the father doesn't meet him with anger or shame. He runs—runs—to embrace him, robe him, and restore him. This is the love of our Heavenly Father: not earned, but freely given; not cautious, but extravagant. We're invited to receive this love without hesitation, letting it heal our shame and rewrite our story. And once we've been embraced by such grace, we're called to extend it to others with the same open arms, the same lavish mercy, and the same joy in seeing the lost return home.

Luke 14:25-33 challenges us to count the cost of following Jesus. Discipleship isn't casual—it demands total surrender. Jesus calls us to lay down everything, even what we hold most dear, to truly follow Him. This passage asks: Have we counted the cost? Are we willing to give Him our all?

We're often content with appearances, but Jesus calls us to something deeper: true spiritual life. In Revelation 3, the church in Sardis had the reputation of being alive but was spiritually dead. This message is a wake-up call to shake off apathy, remember the gospel, and return to a life marked by repentance, power, and purpose. It's time to wake up, strengthen what remains, and walk in the purity and victory that only comes through Jesus.

Examples of faith and faithfulness, like we see in Ruth and her family, are awe-inspiring. They remind us how incredible people actually are and how ordinary people can make phenomenal impact. Looking on, we wonder how they do what they do and how they risk what they risk. But we're not intended to be spectators of faithfulness. Rather we're created to be risk-taking, faith-stepping participants in a story that's more than meets the eye.

This powerful promise from Scripture finds a living example in the story of Ruth. When she humbly approached Boaz and asked him to be her kinsman redeemer, she stepped out in faith—boldly yet respectfully requesting what was both within God's provision and Boaz's power to give. Ruth's story reminds us that sometimes what we need most is already within reach—we just have to ask. God honors courage rooted in trust, and He often moves when we move in faith.

As those created in the image of God, we're not just shaped by His hands, we're shaped to reflect His heart. One of the most profound ways we mirror our Creator is by living out hesed—the rich, covenantal love God continually shows us. Hesed is more than kindness; it's a deep, loyal, and sacrificial love that never gives up, even when it's undeserved. When we show hesed in our relationships and our communities, we don't just talk about God's love, we reveal it. This is what it means to live as His image-bearers: to love as He loves, faithfully, relentlessly, and with grace.

The story of Ruth is built on the key themes of loyalty, boldness, and generosity. But laced in and out of those confidence-building themes are the realities of tragedy, famine, and disobedience. In the first chapter of Ruth, the people who would become her family and Ruth herself face many factors outside. They, just like us, are faced with the question of how to respond.

In Colossians 1:15-23, we're given a breathtaking vision of Jesus Christ—one that lifts our eyes beyond the ordinary and into the Holy of Holies. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, the One by whom and for whom all things were made. In Him, all things hold together. This passage invites us to see Jesus not merely as a teacher or moral example, but as the preeminent Lord of all—supreme over creation, sovereign in redemption, and reconciling all things to Himself through the blood of the cross. It's a vision that anchors faith, inspires worship, and redefines everything.

You may be carrying a heavy load this Easter season. The stresses of life, worries about finances, mental health battles, pressures at work, and on and on... But there's good news! Jesus Christ has risen from the grave, and He offers salvation, rest, joy, and peace to anyone who comes to Him. It's gonna be okay because Jesus is alive!

Sometimes we don't understand what God is doing—and that's okay. In John 12, even Jesus' closest followers didn't fully grasp what was happening. The crowds cheering at the Triumphal Entry had no idea their Messiah was riding in not to conquer by force, but to lay down His life. Confusion and unmet expectations swirled all around. But Jesus was still moving toward the cross with purpose. Just because they didn't understand didn't mean God wasn't at work. When life doesn't make sense, we can rest in the truth that He sees the whole picture, and it really is going to be okay.

In 1971, a man from central Indiana penned the lyrics of a gospel song called, "Because He Lives." When Bill and Gloria Gaither first sang the lyrics, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow," they were echoing the belief and hope of centuries of Jesus followers. Because of Jesus, we have hope that things are actually gonna be okay. But how does Jesus show us that truth, and how do we do offer the same for others? Let's get up close and personal and see what we discover.