Podcast appearances and mentions of chris altrock

Anxious For Nothing: Chris Altrock 08-30-2020

Turn The Page: Awakening to God -Chris Altrock 02-02-2020

God is the ultimate chef, longing to get his food to those most hungry. And the question then is this: how can God get that food to everyone? We’re so used to drawing boundaries and putting up obstacles. But God wants everyone to get this food. So, how does that work?

Jesus says the kingdom of God is a place for children: “for such belongs the kingdom of God.” Jesus is saying many things with this. One of the things he’s saying is that the kingdom of God is a place where children are centered. And that makes this a gospel issue. Part of being a gospel church is being a church where children are centered.

It’s the way of Jesus that helps us see the humanity behind this issue of immigration. It’s the way of Jesus which is fueling our own efforts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Thursdays with Hopeworks and FriendSpeak. We want to be a church that approaches this issue in the way of Christ.

We see the abuse of power in our society and unfortunately in Christians as well: a self-centeredness that uses power--all forms of power--to get what self wants, often regardless of the abuse it causes others. But we are called to use our power and influence to help others. We see far too little of this in the world. And Paul’s concerned that we don’t see enough of this in the church. Consider your power. Don’t consider it something to be exploited. Instead, empty yourself this week. Use your power for the good of others.

Church should not be the place where we don’t talk about the headlines. Church should be the place where those headlines are talked about and lifted to God in prayer. When we do that, we testify that we, as the people of God, believe that prayer, above all, can affect change in those headlines.

That’s the vision. Trying, by the power of the Spirit, to be a Christian. Not just on Sunday. Not just in a slice of life. But all day long. We will blow it. We will fail at times. But we must try. That’s what it means for Jesus to be our Lord.

Ours is the religion of the Good Shepherd. That’s who God is to us. That’s who Jesus is to us. And that is who our elders, our shepherds, are intended to be to us.

And I think that ‘s what Paul means when he says at the end of Col. 3:11 that Christ is all things. That is, Christ is all the matters. And therefore living out the image of God that we see in Christ is all that matters. Especially when it comes to the way we treat other human beings. Especially when it comes to this issue of racism. Christ is all. He is everything. He’s what matters most. Not the biases shared by our family or friends. Not that prejudices pushed by ours politics or news. Christ is what matters most. And being renewed more and more into Christ’s way of life is what matters most. No matter the cost.

The impossible things we face in life are not physical. They are spiritual. They require spiritual remedies. And it’s time for us to use the power of prayer to do what it’s always been designed to do.

Paul’s experiencing joy in his relationship with God--regardless of what’s happening around him. So how did this happen? Well, it seems to be happening because Paul is doing one thing: he is praying. Paul is talking to God. He’s lifting up requests. He’s giving thanks. He’s praying. Joy with God is possible through prayer. Paul is experiencing joy in his relationship with God because he is praying.

In prayer, we rehearse out loud what God says of us. In prayer we fight the voices within and without that tell us we’re not enough. Prayer is one of the ways we experience this grace.

Whenever our friends bring us back to the love of God, whenever we are restored, it’s never just a singular restoration, it’s a restoration that reorients our entire way of being in the world. What Jesus does in this conversation with Peter is not only restore the broken relationship between the two of them but also restores Peter’s sense of vocation, his calling

Chris Altrock teaches on the topic of “What is Man?” This Sunday's lesson begins another 4 weeks in our series 20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know. The following 3 weeks will cover the questions “What is Sin?”, “Who is Christ?”, and “What are Angels, Satan, and Demons?”

We all need a Bethany friendship. There’s not a person in this room who has not experienced, in some form, rejection, abandonment, or neglect. Everyone in this room needs a Bethany friendship. We need friends who provide a place of belonging in their hearts and lives for us. We need friends with whom we can truly be ourselves, without fear of being hated or hurt. And if you don’t have a Bethany friendship in your life, begin praying for God to lead you to one.

Jonah is privileged when compared to Gentiles in Nineveh. And in that position of power, Jonah now sits back and wishes the Ninevites dead. From his privileged spot as a Jew, his bias against this other race leads him to act in ways that demand their death. We see this same sin played out today. There are people today who have power and privilege when compared to others. And, because of their bias against others--this sense that their lives are more valuable than the lives of others, that power and privilege can lead them to act in ways that are deadly.

When Jonah looked at Nineveh, he saw a city without hope. It appeared to have zero potential. There’s no way it’d amount to anything. But, when given a chance, when in the life-giving light of God, Nineveh exceeded even the wildest hopes and dreams. Everyone, from the least to the greatest, even the leader of the city, turned around. Jonah only expected a turn over. God brought about a turn around.

As uncomfortable and unwanted as a belly may be, there is a blessing to be gained. It’s there that we learn, as Jonah states confidently at the end of his prayer, that “Salvation belongs to the Lord.” It’s in the belly that we clearly see the work and hand of God--although sometimes only in retrospect. It’s in the belly that we experience God in ways we may have never experienced him before. It’s in the belly that we find ourselves moved forward in our journey, closer to our Nineveh, than we ever thought possible.

It’s one thing for God to know about the evil taking place. It’s another for him to do something about it. And, in Jonah, the story begins with a God who who takes action regarding evil. Here, he sends his prophet. But, eventually, God will take the ultimate action.

I want to make sure this church hears this Great Commission. Jonah had an echo of it. Jesus gave the full version of it. And what it communicates is this: God wants to send his people to foreign places.

But Paul is praying that the church will be known for something radically different. Paul is praying that the church would be known for what I’ll call “common affection alliance.” What makes the first part of Paul’s prayer--love for one another--is the second part of the prayer--love for all. What bonds us together is that we share affection, not hate, for other people. What unites the church is not common enemy intimacy but common affection alliance.

We are called to believe in our hearts what seems impossible to believe and yet is the key to salvation if we do believe--that God raised Jesus from the dead. What we’ve never seen in any cemetery happened one day in that cemetery. A dearly loved one was raised from the dead. It’s our heartfelt faith in this Easter event that allows us to experience the benefits of all Jesus went through for us.

The reliability of the Gospels is found in the fact that for those who read them and believe them, they encounter a living Jesus. A Jesus who, in our darkest moments, is near. A Jesus who emboldens us to live as we’ve never lived before. A Jesus who will never, never leave us alone.

What do we do about the suffering created by moral and natural evil? If there is a God, and if that God is good, why does he permit moral evil? And why does he allow nature to wreak havoc? Don’t these disprove God, or at least the goodness of God? Christians have traditionally adopted three responses to make sense of all of this evil and the suffering it causes. Our questions about suffering may be addressed through 1) the free-will defense, 2) the natural-law defense, and 3) the soul-making defense.

This sermon, Chris looks into the topic, does God exist? Even as a young child, taught nothing of God, many signs pointed Chris to God. It was here! It worked! It was beautiful! And there had to be, he believed, there had to be Someone behind it all.

Zacchaeus did not have a chance--rather, his greed, self-centeredness and distraction didn’t have a chance. Because once he experienced the welcome of Jesus, those things about him were washed away and replaced with compassion and benevolence. The same is true for you and those around you.

Jesus welcomed women in ways that far exceeded the norms of his own culture. Jesus made room for women to fills roles that were off limits to women in his own culture. As followers of Jesus, we desire this same thing. We are called to welcome women in the say way Jesus did.

Hanging in the balance was a life, the life of the servant. Because Jesus took the initiative and acknowledged the strengths of this Gentile, the end result was that this servant was saved. And that’s a testimony to what happens today when prejudice, intolerance, ignorance, hatred, and racism are not permitted among the people of God. What happens when we, like Jesus, take the initiative to close gaps and when we, like Jesus, see strengths is that lives, and souls, are saved.

Jesus is creating a community where the worst are welcomed in. And once welcomed in, they are empowered and encouraged to move toward the center of the circle, which is Christlikeness. No one is invited to the side of Christ to remain as they are. They are invited as they are, but always with the goal that they will become as he is.

Sometimes, we tend to push the sick away. It’s hard to be around sick people. They take a great deal of energy. They take a great deal of time. And so, sometimes, we push them away. We try to address their illnesses and ailments by separating ourselves from them and leaving them with experts. But Jesus welcomed this sick and wounded. We should too.

Too many churches today are someday churches, satisfied with offering a hurting world the someday of heaven. Jesus is not interested in someday churches--he wants today churches. Jesus wants churches that, like him, bring help, healing and hope to the world today. Agape is a today organization. They are passionately working to do what Jesus did, and to do it right here in Memphis. David Jordan, President and Chief Executive Officer, is with us to share about their ministry.

God has never been interested in one nation. One tribe. One race. Any church that focuses only on itself or only on its own country or only on people who look like them has completely missed the point of the cross and the tomb. God’s concern is for all the families of the nations.

It’s intriguing to me that of all Luke could have included when he wrote his summary of the gospel, the story of Jesus, he included the story of these women. He left out a lot, no doubt. But he included the story of these women who ministered by giving. My hope is that somewhere in heaven there’s a book being written about us. And it’ll include the stories of us who minister by giving. Because that ministry makes a huge difference. The ministry of giving matters immensely.

This Wednesday Night class was led by Chris Altrock and his daughter Jordan. Chris shared eight ways God uses discomfort and pain to help us grow. From her recent month-long mission trip to Malawi, Jordan shared how adversity shaped the people she worked with and how it shaped her.

Mordecai was the one who helped Esther navigate this secular culture. He was the one who helped her through the trauma of losing both parents. He was the one who aided her in dealing with the vulnerability that came with her beauty. Because of the way Mordecai took Esther in and brought her up, she had the chance to grow into the hero whom God needed in the rest of the story.Jerrell Hill was initially a preacher in Riverhead, NY. He and his wife Fern opened their home and hearts to dozens of foster children who were homeless and in need of temporary housing. These were young people who faced odds like Esther--cultural impiety, family instability, and personal vulnerability. Inspired by their son Timothy, they went on to found and build Timothy Hill which opened its doors for the first time on November 15, 1980. It has been a safe haven for hundreds of young people during desperate times of abuse, neglect, and crisis. Their ministry has "taken in" many who were just like Esther and allowed them to go on and take on their role in God's story. They have been the Mordecai in the lives of many Esthers.

Chris Altrock

Chris Altrock and Ron Wade discuss the difference Hopeworks is making in the community and why giving to ministries like Hopeworks is an act of worship.

We are shaped by what we pray. If we hope to live the Sermon on the Mount, these are the words we must pray.“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Chris Altrock

Chris Altrock

Chris Altrock Keynote- "The Freedom of Welcome"

Chris Altrock

In this Podcast, Chris Altrock shares 3 ways that you can be encouraged or encourage others while going through a period of suffering.

This week Chris Altrock expands on his sermon from Sunday about finding friends that encourage authenticity.

Don't just go to church. Go with the church. Chris Altrock and Ron Wade

Chris Altrock.

March 10, 2013 - Sermon by Chris Altrock

March 17, 2013 - Sermon by Chris Altrock

Chris Altrock, preaching minister for the Highland Church of Christ in Memphis, TN, didn't grow up in a Christian family. Raised in rural New Mexico, he became interested in the Christian faith as a teenager and found his calling at the campus ministry at New Mexico State University. He sits down with Jerry Rushford, professor of church history, to discuss preaching in postmodern, globalized culture.

Chris Altrock, preaching minister for the Highland Church of Christ in Memphis, TN, didn't grow up in a Christian family. Raised in rural New Mexico, he became interested in the Christian faith as a teenager and found his calling at the campus ministry at New Mexico State University. He sits down with Jerry Rushford, professor of church history, to discuss preaching in postmodern, globalized culture.