Seven Cities Church Podcast

Brian continued the series on finding wholeness in Jesus, focusing on winning the battle in our minds, particularly by examining Philippians 4:4-9. He emphasized the importance of surrendering our worries to God through prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving, which allows us to gain peace that surpasses understanding. By redirecting our thoughts to godly virtues, we can change our perception of struggles and cultivate a healthier mindset, fostering joy and tranquility in Christ amidst challenges. Ultimately, Brian encouraged us to practice God's presence and seek a deeper relationship with Him to navigate mental battles and find true peace in Jesus.

Pastor Jay focuses on the theme of wholeness in Jesus and addresses the question of whether God feels distant. He explains that while, apart from Christ, we are indeed separated from God, Jesus' sacrifice has removed this distance and reconciled us to the Father. Pastor Jay outlines two main problems that contribute to the perception of God's distance: failing to fully expose ourselves to Him and giving our devotion to other things instead of God. He encourages us to examine our lives, confess our struggles, and draw closer to God through prayer and community, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability and genuine relationship with Christ.

Ethan explores the theme of "wholeness" as laid out in Matthew 5, focusing on the Beatitudes. He emphasized that true wholeness is found in Jesus and involves a daily commitment to embody the characteristics Jesus describes, such as humility, mercy, and peacemaking. Ethan reminded the congregation that achieving these traits requires sacrifice and rejecting cultural norms that contradict Jesus' teachings, and stressed that this journey is one of progression, not perfection. Ultimately, he urged everyone to examine what they are truly chasing in life and to realign their focus on Jesus to experience the fullness of wholeness.

Pastor Jay begins a new series titled "Whole: Finding Wholeness in Jesus," addressing the theme of brokenness that many face. He emphasizes that while God allows brokenness in our lives, it serves a purpose, as He desires our wholeness. Through the biblical story of a woman who suffered for 12 years, Pastor Jay illustrates that Jesus not only heals but also restores our identity, calling us His children. Ultimately, he encourages the congregation to seek hope in Jesus amid their struggles, highlighting that our brokenness can lead to a deeper relationship with God and can serve as a testimony to His glory.

In today's message, Pastor Jay concluded the Easter theme with a reflection on being a "Walking Masterpiece," based on Ephesians 2:10, highlighting that we are God's workmanship created for good works. He emphasized that our identity in Christ transforms us into a masterpiece, countering cultural narratives that suggest we are created by chance without purpose. The sermon outlined key actions that reflect this identity, such as making disciples, reconciling others to God, living at peace, restoring fellow believers, and sharing hope. Ultimately, Pastor underscored that true transformation in our lives naturally leads to these good works, as they stem from our relationship with Jesus.

Salvation is the greatest gift you and I could ever receive, and it is made possible by the resurrection of Jesus. Today we celebrate Resurrection Sunday and bring a close to Holy Week 2025 by looking at two simple but profound verses, Ephesians 2:8-9, as we learn how Jesus has purchased the greatest gift for us.

It's Palm Sunday and we are celebrating Jesus, our victorious King! Today's message continues our journey through Ephesians as we talk about what it means to be seated with the King. Main Text: Ephesians 2:4-7

We are jumping into Ephesians 2 as we start our theme for April, From Death to Life, our journey towards Easter. Today's message covers Ephesians 2:1-3 as we learn how to live in the world without becoming the like world.

Do you believe that Jesus is truly above every person, power, or problem you could possibly face? Join us as Ethan Adams, our Student Minister, teaches us that Jesus is above all things, so we don't have to fear what the future may hold because we are disciples of the One who has all dominion and authority. Main text, Ephesians 1:21-23

What does it mean to obtain an inheritance, and what does a spiritual inheritance look like? Join us as Brian Pham, our Young Adults Minister, teaches us about our inheritance in Jesus as we continue our series, Living Like Royals, Walking in Our Kingdom Identity. Main text: Ephesians 1:18-20

We are launching a new series today, Living Like Royals: Walking in Your Kingdom Identity. Join us as Ryan Mann, one of our elders, teaches us about the importance of being strong in our faith and loving all the saints. Main Text - Ephesians 1:15-17.

Sabbath Sunday is a day of rest and connection. We are resting so we can focus our attention more fully on God, His creation, and those He has placed near us. In the spirit of connection, we are replaying a message from our series, Living the Journey, focused on being in life-giving relationships.

Today, we close out our Spiritual Blessings series, a study of Ephesians 1:3-14. Join us as Pastor Jay shows us how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are active in our lives and how each have a part in our salvations. Today's text is Ephesians 1:11-14.

Do you know what it means to be saved and adopted into the family of God? Join us today as we continue our series, Spiritual Blessings, learning about the mystery of God's will by studying Ephesians 1:8-10.

Join us as we continue in our series Spiritual Blessings, a study of Ephesians 1:3-14. Today, we are unpacking verses 6 and 7 and answering some big questions like what is redemption, what does it mean to be redeemed, and why did Jesus have to die to redeem me? 

Today we celebrate all that God is doing at Seven Cities Church as we license five men for Gospel ministry. Licensure is an acknowledgment of God's call on the life of the one being licensed and the church's recognition that these men have submitted to the call and are living a lifestyle reflecting the Gospel, see 1 Timothy 3 and 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

Before time began, God the Father had a plan to rescue you and me through Christ the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are chosen by Him and made a part of His family. We've been rescued and adopted! Join us as we learn more about God's plan to rescue us and how we can live as children adopted into His family.

Join us as we kick off our new series, Spiritual Blessings. We are learning about the blessings God has given us in His spirit in the heavenly places according to Ephesians 1:3-14. In this opening message we discuss the Apostle Paul's exclamation of praise about the blessings of God as we set the tone for the rest of the series.

Have you ever struggled to pray? Do you know what it means to fast? Do either of these things even work? Join us as Pastor Jay walks us through the words of Jesus in Matthew 6 and helps us learn how we can implement the spiritual practices of fasting and prayer in our lives.

In 2025, we are asking God to Revive us  - to breathe His life into us through the power of His Holy Spirit. Join us today as Pastor Jay talks to us about the spiritual practices in our life and how our practices impact the way we live in Christ.

Do you believe God to be God of the impossible in your life? That is our question for the day as we look at the Promise of Jesus through the lives of two barren women and a virgin. In these three instances, God shows that He truly is God of all we believe to be impossible. Main text: Genesis 18 and Luke 1.

The Old Testament has several prophecies about the birth of Jesus. Today we focus on the one found in Isaiah 7:14 - the promise of Jesus as Immanuel, God with us."

We live in a world of constant comparison. Living in constant comparison breeds discontent. How can we find contentment in a world of comparison. Join us as Pastor Jay teaches us how to find contentment in Christ when we are surrounded by comparison.

Have you ever had to wait for something? Most people don't like to wait but we cannot allow waiting to rob us of our contentment. Join us as we learn how we can wait contently and honor God in our lives as we wait on Him.

Join us as during this Thanksgiving season as we kick of this 3-part series, Enough is Enough, learning about the art of gratitude and contentment. We are starting by learning what contentment really is and answering the question, "Am I truly content?"

Is God real? Do I really matter to him? Can I have a real relationship with him? Have you ever wrestled with those questions? Join us as we close out our series, Living the Journey, learning how to be a disciple in the Seven Cities. We are going to answer those questions and learn how they are not just good news for us, but how they can also help us take the good news to others.

Do you know what it means to have compassion? Not sympathy, but true, biblical compassion. Join us as Pastor Jay teaches us about biblical compassion and challenges us to be moved with the compassion as Jesus was moved with compassion.

What does it mean to live a surrendered life? We often avoid the thought of surrender because we equate surrender with losing. What if we told you that the only way you can find true victory is through surrender to Christ. Join us as Pastor Jay teaches us about our next mark of a disciple, living a surrendered life, as we continue our series, Living the Journey: Being a Disciple of Jesus in the Seven Cities.

Join as we celebrate our 4th birthday and hear a special message from Pastor Jay on who we are as a church and where we are headed in 2025. 

Do you feel like you are always in a rush? Like nothing ever happens fast enough for you. What causes us to live so hurried? Join us as we learn how to be still and  live more like Jesus lived, unhurried. 

Join us as we finish up the mark of a disciple, living in obedience to Christ. Last week we learned the technical side of how to study the Bible. This week, Pastor Jay answers the questions we submitted and teaches us the relational side of studying the Bible. If you are unsure of how to study Scripture and why we need to do it, this is the message for you.If you would like to receive any of the resources Pastor Jay mentions in the message, please email us at info@SevenCitiesChurchVA.com.

Living in obedience to Christ requires us faithfully following all that Christ commanded, but how do we do that? It starts by being able to understand and apply all he taught us in His Word. Join us in the classroom today as we learn how to study the Bible in a way that helps us understand and apply the words of Jesus.This is part 1 of a 2 part message. If you would like to receive any of the resources Pastor Jay mentions in the message, please email us at info@SevenCitiesChurchVA.com.

We were designed for relationship, but not just any relationships; we were designed for life-giving relationships. Join us as we talk about our next characteristic of a Christ-follower, being in life-giving relationships. We are learning what makes a relationship life-giving and how we can ensure we bring life to the relationships we are in.

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus in our cultural context? Join us as we kick off a new series, Living the Journey. We will explore what it looks like to be a Christ-follower where we are as we seek to become more like Jesus and share the good news about Him with the world around us.

We can get so focused on the things we want but don't have that we miss the true blessing we have in Jesus. Join us as Caleb Berryman, our Student Minister, teaches us how to be content in Christ and see Jesus as the true prize, our eternal reward.

How is your prayer life? That is the question of the day as we discuss Jesus' parable of The Friend at Midnight. Pastor Brian teaches us about the importance of praying boldly and trusting in God as our good Father.

We are in Luke 16 in a parable that has caused a lot of questions over the years. What is it that Jesus is teaching us through this parable about a conversation between a man in eternal torment and father Abraham. Join us as Pastor Jay gives us two truths that Jesus is teaching through this parable and dispels one lie we often believe.

Grace and forgiveness are the theme of the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, but what do they look like in our lives. Join us as we learn about God's grace and forgiveness, and how they should cause us to show grace and forgiveness to others.

Jesus teaches us about the invitation to celebrate with Him through the parable of the Marriage Feast, but we have to accept it. Join us as Pastor Brian explains this parable to us and challenges us to accept Christ's invitation and to invite others.

Jesus gives the Parable of the Sower to talk about 4 different types of soil that seed can fall on. The seed represents the Word in our lives and the soil our hearts. Join us as Pastor Jay walks us through the story Jesus told to illustrate how the condition of our soil determines the outcome of the seed planted in us.

One day, we all will stand before Jesus and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant," or "Depart from Me, I never knew you." Are you ready for that day? Join us this week as Pastor Jay walks us through the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and teaches us how to be prepared for Jesus' return. 

Jesus tells this parable to a crowd of people who thought pretty highly of themselves. They were under the impression that they could earn their way to God. Maybe you live under the heavy burden of trying to earn God's favor. The good news of the Gospel of Jesus is that we don't have to earn God's favor. He has freely given us all good things in Christ. Join us as Pastor Jay teaches us how to humbly draw near to the Father as He draws near to us and how to experience the rest we have in Jesus.

Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan in response to a questions intended to trick Him. The trick didn't work! Instead, it provided Jesus an opportunity to teach us a powerful lesson about being a neighbor and what true love looks like. Join us as Pastor Jay walks us through this parable and helps us realize that we cannot love others truly until we realize how truly loved we are by God.

Do you celebrate what God celebrates? It starts by valuing what God values. Join us as Pastor Brian shows us what God values and celebrates - finding His lost children - through Jesus' parables of the lost coin and the lost sheep.

Jesus is coming back again! He's coming back for His bride, the Church. The question for all of us is, "Am I ready for His return?" Join us as Pastor Brian walks us through the parable of the Ten Virgins (also known as the Ten Bridesmaids) and challenges us to answer the question, "Am I prepared for Christ's return?"

Join us as we kick off our new series, Stories Jesus Told. We are learning about the parables of Jesus. Pastor Brian starts us off with Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son on Father's Day. 

Join us as Pastor Brian closes out our series, You Asked For It, by sharing a biblical perspective on the tough topics of forgiving yourself and forgiving others.

What does the Bible have to say about marriage and how can we apply that to our lives? Join us as Pastor Brian teaches us how to have a biblical marriage as we continue our series, You Asked For It.

Our world is so divided. How can we, the family of God, bring unity to a world divided on a myriad of topics? Join us as Pastor Jay teaches us how we can have unity in the midst of division and how we can show the world what it means to be one. 

On the seventh day of Creation, God rested, and God instructed the Children of Israel to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, but what does that mean for us? Join us as our Student Minister, Caleb Berryman, teaches us how to experience the rest we have in Jesus.

Today's topics are grief, forgiving yourself, and finding confidence in Christ. That may seem like a lot to cover but they are somewhat interconnected. Join us as Pastor Jay teaches us about grieving and forgiving ourselves in a way that honors God and points others to Christ as we find our ultimate confidence in Him.