Podcasts about pastor jeff

In this episode, Pastor Jeff & Lydia discuss what spiritual and demonic warfare can look like and why it happens. They also discuss how you can recognize spiritual warfare and how to handle it.

Pastor Jeff reminds us that loneliness is just a feeling—God is always with us. Just like Moses, we can trust His plan and know His love is bigger than any lonely moment. Whenever we feel alone, we can talk to God, and He will give us courage and help us through. Exodus 3:11 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Big Idea: Love is the root system that allows you to reach toward Heaven.1 Corinthians 13:1-13I. Love is greatest1 Corinthians 13:1-3If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. II. Love has grit1 Corinthians 13:4-7Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.III. Love lasts 1 Corinthians 13:8-13Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.Next Steps: Believe: I accept the love of Jesus for the first time today.Become: I will ask God to help me love like him this week. Be Sent: I will show God's love to someone in need this week.Discussion Questions: Besides the cross, what is the greatest act of love you've ever witnessed? How does biblical love differ from other forms of love, such as romantic or friendship love?Does love separate people from the animals?  Explain your answer.What would you say to someone who says they are “falling out of love”?What aspect of love in 1 Corinthians 13 do you need to work on this week?How will you let love guide the way you use your spiritual gifts this week?Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you accept and show God's love this week. 

Introduction: Watch! (Matthew 7:15-20) Watch Out: FALSE PROPHETS! (Matt 7:15) Watch For: FRUIT! (Matt 7:16-20) What They DO. John 7:18 – The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. What They SAY. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 – Do not despise prophesies but test everything: hold fast to what is good. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 7:15-20What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Why did Jesus say BEWARE of false prophets? What exactly is the danger?What are examples of good fruit you should look for in a “prophet” (preacher, pastor)?What are examples of bad fruit?What are some topics many false prophets talk about? What are some topics they often avoid?False prophets talk about the Bible but not out of the Bible. What is the difference? BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Before we continue in our series on the Sermon and Amount, I want to say a few things.In light of the events of last week, with the death of Charlie Kirk, the murder of Charlie Kirk,absolutely horrible.But at the same time, it's horrible.It's not really shocking, is it?It's not really shocking that something like that would happen.And I would say if you are shocked that something like that could happen in our country,then you haven't been paying attention.It's not shocking because this is exactly the kind of climate that the Lord told us we would be living in.Look at 2 Timothy 3.Turn in your Bibles there for a second, please.2 Timothy 3.Paul says, "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents,ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."Does that sound familiar at all?This is where we are.Charlie Kirk was a man who was murdered because of what he said.Because there were people that didn't like what he said. Does that sound familiar?The whole reason we're here is to worship God incarnate who came and said things that people didn't want to hear.And they murdered him for it.Yet God accomplished his purposes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.There's a young man who spoke boldly of the Lord who was publicly executed. His name was Stephen.God used that to advance his gospel purposes. There's a young man who spoke boldly for the Lord who was publicly executed.His name was Charlie.And already we're seeing God is using that to advance his gospel.It's a little terrible for Charlie's family and friends, but Charlie himself, he's having a good day.He is experiencing the fulfillment of the hope in Jesus Christ that he believed in.He's having a good day.As we had done this last stretch of the Sermon on the Mount, last week we talked about the command that Jesus gave us to enter the narrow gate.He said, "The way is hard." And here is another reason that the way is hard.Jesus said that we have to be willing to die.That's the call to discipleship. For anyone who has followed Jesus, Charlie got that.If he were here right now, what do you think he would tell us to do?What would you tell us to go after the Lord? To seek Jesus Christ, to get in His Word?And that's what we're going to do.So I'd like you to bow your heads, please. I want you to please pray for me.To be faithful to communicate God's Word as I should, and I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive what it is the Lord wants to teach us today.Father in heaven, we live in the days that you advertised. You told us exactly what this would be like.Father, we were just singing about how worthy you are.Father, may we all, like this faithful saint this past week, Father, may we all demonstrate how worthy we consider you by our willingness to lay down our lives.It's not going to get any better until our Lord returns.Calm Lord Jesus. Open up our hearts and minds to your Word today, Father.We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.Open up your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7, and we'll be picking up in verse 15.Last Halloween, I was at work. Aaron sent me a video at the house of a mysterious knocking.She's going through the house recording this. There was this knocking. She went to the doors. She went outside.Nobody but just this constant mysterious knocking. Creepy at any time, especially on Halloween, right?Well, we found out who was knocking. We have a woodpecker problem.Oh yeah, funny for you. We got a woodpecker problem.So we got on the Internet to figure out what we need to do to deter the woodpecker.And one of the things that they recommended was getting a plastic owl.They say that owls are just like natural woodpecker predators, right?So you're going to put an owl where the woodpeckers want to come, and that scares the woodpeckers away.So I dragged the ladder out, and I climbed up the side of the house, and I lashed the owl to the raid on vent with thick twine.And you know that woodpecker came back. So I went outside.Like, what did I do wrong here? And you know, I think I see the problem.That owl doesn't look ready to attack, does he? Looks like what we got here is a hostage situation.And I think the woodpecker saw this and was like, "Oh, this house is awesome."They just take my predators and lashed them to the house.You know what I learned from this? I'm not very good at deceiving.I can't even deceive a bird. But you know, there are, unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there today who are great at deceiving.Last week we talked about entering the narrow gate. Jesus said the way is hard.He said the narrow gate is hard to find. It's hard to walk.And here's another reason the narrow gate is so hard to enter. Look at verse 15.Jesus says, "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves."It's hard to enter the narrow gate because there are false prophets that are good at deceiving.It's hard to enter the narrow gate because you have people that are standing saying that they represent God and they don't, and they're ushering people into the wide gates.Like, well, who would fall for that? Well, according to verse 13, Jesus said many, many.If you look at the flow of Jesus' sermon here from last week to this week, here's what our Lord is saying.Jesus is saying strive to enter the narrow gate and beware of those who would mislead you away from it.I want you to draw some things down on your outline. Here's what, it's really about one word today. Watch. Watch.Watch number one right this time. Watch out. False prophets."Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves."See, God has this plan to save sinners, and the plan to save sinners, it has two tracks. One track is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."Took away our sin, provided eternal life." That's one, that's one track.The other track that this train of salvation runs on is the gospel message being spoken through the people of God.Satan has his counterfeits. Just as God sends his people out to usher people into the narrow gate,Satan has his counterfeits leading people into the wide gate. And Jesus tells us in verse 15 about these false prophets that they're not always obvious, but they are always dangerous.Do you see that? They're not always obvious, but they are always dangerous. Let's break that down. They're not always obvious, first of all.Notice Jesus says that they're in sheep's clothing. What is sheep's clothing? That's just another way of saying, "Wool."Our Lord wasn't talking about going to the Spirit of Halloween store and buying a lamb costume. He's not talking about that.He's talking about a wool coat, because in those days that's what a shepherd wore. They wore a wool coat.So Jesus is saying false prophets are dressed as a shepherd. In other words, they look like a legitimate pastor.Oh, they sound so good and people just love them, but they're not always obvious, but they are always dangerous.That's why I look at the first word of verse 15, "Beware." Jesus didn't say, "Take note or notice." Beware. Look out for these people.Always dangerous. Jesus says they might look like shepherds, but inwardly they're wolves.Number one enemy of sheep. Inwardly evil.What does a wolf do with sheep? Does a wolf show up to feed the sheep? Does the wolf show up to care for the sheep? No.Wolves, when they show up, they're there to take. A wolf is there to get what the wolf wants. A wolf is there to destroy the sheep.And Jesus said that is what false prophets are like.Jesus said you have to beware. It's all through the Bible. All through the Bible. Read Old Testament, Deuteronomy 13, Isaiah 30, Jeremiah 14.We talked about this recently through the New Testament, Matthew chapter 24.Almost every New Testament epistle warns against false prophets.And here once again Jesus is calling us church to discernment.And you've heard me say this before, that is my biggest concern for the church at large, but that is my biggest concern for this church.It's lack of discernment.Like, well, what's discernment? Disernment is the ability to detect what's from God and what's not from God.My concern is for this church.My concern is for people here who genuinely love the Lord, genuinely love His Word, being led astray.Because more than ever we have countless opportunities to listen to junk teaching.Internet, podcasts, YouTube. Jesus tells us to beware and church never, never has it been a bigger problem because wolves have a bigger platform than ever in history.You have to discern who you follow, who you listen to, who you read. You have to discern.I'm shocked at the lack of discernment that we have in the church today.People just gobble up anything as long as it has a sticker on it that says Christian.It's not all from God. It's not.That's why Jesus tells us to beware. It's not all from God.Like, well, does it really matter? Does it really matter? I mean, come on.Aren't we just nitpicking here a little bit, Pastor Jeff? Does it really matter?Well, let me ask you this. Imagine that you woke up tomorrow morning and you had the most severe stomach cramps.I mean, it just felt like razors in your intestines and you're just like doubled over in pain, can't function, calling off work.I got to get to a doctor. Which doctor are you going to?Do you want the trendy doctor who has the most patience, who will lie to you to make you happy, but is really using you and misleading you?Or do you want the doctor who cares about you and will tell you the truth?You're like, well, it's a no-brainer, isn't it?Why isn't a no-brainer there? But when it comes to Bible teaching, we want the trendy lying guy.The wide gate leads to destruction. Does this stuff matter? Yeah, it matters, because your eternity is on the line.And you better be sure that you haven't been ushered into the wide gate by some false prophets.They're not always obvious, but they are always dangerous. They're dangerous to Christians.They're dangerous to the church. They're dangerous to our families.If Jesus, if God Himself is telling us we need to beware of these people, then we better be paying attention.Watch out for the false prophets. You're like, all right, well, how do I know?Like, if these people are out there and they're not obvious, but they're dangerous, how do I know?How do I recognize them? Well, number two in your outline, watch for fruit.Look at verses 16 through 20. Jesus tells us to beware.Look at verse 16. He says, "You will recognize them by their fruits."Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruits.A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruits.Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits.I gotta tell you, this is one of the most comforting passages in the Bible.Jesus says you will recognize them. You will.Jesus didn't say, there's false prophets out there that'll lead you to hell. Good luck.You'll recognize them if you discern, if you care to discern.If you take the Lord's warning to beware, if you take that seriously, you'll recognize them.I recognize them how. Jesus said you'll recognize them by their fruits.You mean like a tree? Yeah, like a tree.You recognize a tree by what it produces, right?In the same way Jesus is telling us you recognize false prophets by what they produce.I don't really have to explain Jesus' analogy here too much, do I?Jesus illustrates it by saying, look, good trees make good fruit. Bad trees make bad fruit.Like, that's how you know. You're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on, hang on, hang on.Back in verse 1 of chapter 7, I thought you said we're not supposed to judge someone's heart.That's right. You can't judge someone's heart. That's why Jesus says to judge the fruit.Jesus here is telling us, look, you have to judge by looking at what they produce.Like, well, what is that? Very simply church, it's two things.There are two things, any preacher you listen to, whether it's here or down the street or on the YouTubesor the Facebooks or whatever, wherever you're listening to preachers, you have to look at two things.In verse 1 of chapter 8, I thought you said, look, what is that?I thought you said, look, what is that?I thought you said, look, what is that?I thought you said, look, what is that?It'll come out. It always comes out eventually.What's in the heart is always revealed in actions. You will recognize them by their fruit.There's good fruit to look for.This pastor, this preacher you're listening to, you're following. There's good fruit to look for.What about things like humility and selflessness, repentance and obedience, generosity and hospitality?What about the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?Do they seem to have a motive to want to glorify God?Are they a person that wants holiness and righteousness? Do they seem like they want to magnify Jesus?There's a lot of fruit that we can talk about, but really, I guess since we're in this current sermon series, let's boil it down to this.Let's make it this easy.This preacher that you're evaluating, is he a Beatitude guy?Because a true Christian and a true prophet, someone speaking for God, is someone who exemplifies the Beatitudes.That's what our Lord is saying. You want good fruit, you're not going to find it from a false prophet.Because nothing good comes from them.You don't get grapes from thorns.You don't get things from thistles, do you?You know, Jesus made a very powerful statement of evaluation in John 7.18.Look at this. Jesus said, "The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory."But the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.The second part of that verse, Jesus is speaking obviously of himself.That's Jesus' standard for his own identity.But here, in the first part of that verse, Jesus is giving us a clue on how to identify a false prophet.Look at this. He says, "The one who speaks on his own authority is the one who seeks his own glory."See, that's the bad fruit that you need to be looking for.That preacher that is constantly looking for more attention.It's about his branding, his image, him being the face of it. More spotlight on me, please.Ain't I great?It's all about his pride, his ego, his power. Self-centered.Watch out for that guy. Watch out for the guy that's seeking his own glory.Self-centered and self-indulgent.You know, these people will put on a pure and holy front, write this down.Eventually, false prophets are found to be full of greed and/or lust.And that comes out eventually.You're like, "Well, Pastor Jeff, it's sort of hard to evaluate this fruit,because this kind of stuff often gets covered." You're right.This is the kind of fruit that's not always so readily seen,but there is a more obvious fruit that we need to evaluate.And that's the letter B. Listen to what they say.Listen to what they say.And oh, what they say matters, by the way, because Jesus says, "Beware of false prophets."Prophets?Prophets?It's about someone giving a message, right?A couple years ago, back when we were chicken farmers,we were chicken farmers. I heard a couple people laugh.At least that's what I like to refer to myself as.But we went to the rural king and we got ourselves six leg horns.And when you buy them at the rural king, they're sexed,which means you're getting all females, right?Because we wanted them eggs.Well, our leg horns grew up.They're so cute when they're little.And then when they get to that adolescent age, they get really ugly.And then they turn into beautiful creatures.Like humans, right? I know you're thinking it.I knew you were thinking it.All right, so we had these six chickens and the one day Aaron goes,"Hey, you need to come out and look at something. I need your opinion."And I went outside and our one leg horn, again, just coming out of adolescence,but our one leg horn was like, "Ah, ah, ah!"And I'm like, "Hmm, little gene, little J-E-A-N is actually little G-E-N-E."And you know what little gene we didn't know what he was until he opened his mouth?And that's true about false prophets.You might not know what they are until they open their mouth.Listen to the message.What am I listening for?And this is discernment 101. We've talked about this stuff.Disturment 101. What are we listening for?False prophets always have a twisted view of Jesus, always.His person, His work, who Jesus is, what He did, what it means.False prophets always have this twisted view.According to the Bible, the incarnation is Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man.God became a man to die as a man for men.That's who Jesus is. That's what He did.He rose from the dead to give us eternal life.That's who Jesus is. That's what He did.And if you don't get that doctrine right, nothing else really matters, right?And it's easy to take the shots at the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons and the Christian scientists.And those ones are obviously off about who Jesus is and what He did.I mean, that's so obvious. They're not really my concern.I'm more concerned about the ones who present themselves as being biblical.Listen to the message.Are they accurately representing God's Word?You've got to have discernment people.False prophets will teach some man-centered nonsenseand they like to sprinkle in some random out-of-context versesand non-discerning people say, "Well," he mentioned the Bible,"so that has to be from God."They twist Scripture to attract an audience.Do you ever wonder how they fill those massive auditoriums?Like, how do they do that?Like, if they're false prophets, how are there so many people packed in to hear them?It's because they tell people what they want to hear. That's why.They tell people what they want to hear.Their message is, they're going to talk about things like, look, God is love.That's really the only thing you need to know is God is love.Is that true? Is God love? Yes, absolutely.You see, the problem is that's the only aspect of God that they talk about.You know, the Bible at the same time talks about other attributes of Godthat are also just as true and just as important as the fact that God is love.God is love. That's all you're going to hear.And if you just believe, if you have enough faith, deep down in your heart of hearts,deep down in your hearts, way deep down in your heart, if you really believe,you're going to be physically healed and you're going to be wealthy,they say things like, you know what, you have the power to control your destiny.They say things like, it's never God's will that you lack.It is never God's will that you suffer.And then we sprinkle in a couple of verses to make it sound like I'm saying what the Bible says.And then the world comes along and they're like, oh, that's the kind of religion that I want.It puts the spotlight off of Jesus and on to me.That's the problem.Self-centered teaching attracts self-centered people.You know, we tend to measure success with numbers and then we somehow equate numbers with authenticity.Listen, huge red flag, when the focus of preaching is all about our benefits, not God's glory.I mean, that kind of preaching might be attractive to people, but not to God.So preaching, it leads to the wide path.Listen to what they say.And listen, not just listen to what they say, listen to what they never say.Listen to what they never say.Yeah, we're going to go with that.Are they teaching the whole counsel of God's Word?Or do they cherry-pick topics?It's a huge clue for false prophets.They're never going to talk about sin or repentance or denying yourself or judgment or hell.They're never going to talk about that.It's all so easy.It's nothing offensive.It's nothing that convicts.It's nothing that could possibly bring godly sorrow into your life.We're not going to talk about that.We don't want anyone to feel bad.We just want you all to feel comfortable.All the way to hell.The false prophet, listen, talks about the Bible, but not out of the Bible.And if you learn to discern the difference between those two things,you're going to be able to spot a false prophet instantly.They talk about the Bible, not out of the Bible.They're not preaching a narrow gate.And if they're not preaching a narrow gate, which gate are they leading you into again?1 Thessalonians 5, Paul says, "Do not despise prophecies, but test everything.Hold fast to what is good."Any teaching that includes here, any teaching that you hear must be tested with the Word of God.You see, in God's infinite wisdom, that's why he gave us a book.Why?Because anybody can walk around and say, "Well, this is what God says.I have a message from the Lord.Let me tell you what the Almighty is saying.Anybody can do that."But God gave us His Word in written form so that we could read it, and we can understand it,and we can compare what we hear with it, and know for sure what's from God and what's not.And here our Lord tells us, "Beware.Beware of false prophets, because not everything called Christian is from God."Satan is not going to make it obvious for us.Deception is his MO, and he's going to make sure that his false prophets wear sheep's clothing.They're going to be dressed just like a shepherd.Like that's the worship team to come back up.And church, I want you to stand.I want you to stand.We're going to get into prayer groups.So in just a moment, I want you to stand up.Go ahead, stand up.Don't be shy.And here's what I want you to do.I want you to grab a few people near.You're getting a little groups of about six or eight or so.Look, we're not going to go through and count.All right?And if you want to stand and pray by yourself, that's your business,but I want to encourage you to just grab a few people nearby, get into little groups.And here's what I want us to do today.I want us to heed the warning of Jesus.We need to pray.We need to pray for our church, for our families, for our little ones.We are bombarded more than ever with false teaching.So what I want you to do in your little prayer groups,I want you to pray just two things, all right?Number one, I want you to pray that we would know and love the Word of God.All right?And number two, that we would learn to recognize false prophets by their fruit.Those are the two things that we're praying about now.

It's quiz day at the kitchen table. We're pausing on our Practical Theology series to test our theological knowledge! In this episode, Pastor Jeff puts Tiffany (and you) on the spot with 14 questions plus a bonus round. From creeds and confessions to soteriology and salvation, we review some of the core truths of the Christian faith.In this episode[00:02:27] Q1: Which Gospel begins with Jesus' genealogy back to Abraham?  A: Matthew[00:04:00] Q2: The belief in one God in three persons is called what?  A: The Trinity[00:05:00] Q3: Which creed begins with “I believe in God, the Father Almighty”?  A: The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed[00:06:27] Q4: Who wrote Confessions?  A: Augustine of Hippo[00:07:39] Q5: Salvation is primarily deliverance from what?  A: Sin[00:08:09] Q6: What does the term “atonement” mean?  A: Reconciliation between God and man[00:08:58] Q7: Which verse begins “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith”?  A: Ephesians 2:8–9[00:10:13] Q8: What does soteriology study?  A: The doctrine of salvation[00:11:00] Q9: The doctrine that Jesus is fully God and fully man is called what?  A: The Hypostatic Union[00:11:40] Q10: The Westminster Confession of Faith is most associated with which tradition?  A: Reformed/Presbyterian[00:12:48] Q11: What does Sola Fide mean?  A: Faith alone[00:14:00] Q12: Which term best describes God's unmerited favor?  A: Grace[00:14:43] Q13: Who wrote the book of Revelation? Where was he exiled?  A: John, exiled on Patmos[00:15:42] Q14: Which Jewish ruler visited Jesus at night?  A: Nicodemus[00:17:35] Bonus Question: What new denomination formed out of the United Methodist Church?  A: The Global Methodist ChurchGiveawayIf you scored 100%, email pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.org with the subject line I'm a winner! Include your name and address, and we'll send you a Kitchen Table Theology coffee mug (plus maybe a Southern Pecan K-Cup).We love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today's episode, email me at pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.orgVisit my website https://www.jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church. Check in with us on Facebook or Instagram @pastorjeffcranstonRemember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!

As this week unfolded, I'm more convinced than ever: there has never been a greater need for the Church of Jesus Christ than right now. Jesus promised, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” In this message from 2 Timothy 1:6–12, Pastor Jeff shows how taking ground fortifies the church—by stirring up every believer's gifts, living with Spirit-given courage (not timidity), boldly proclaiming the Gospel, and entrusting our lives and mission to Christ. We're not launching a campaign for buildings or chairs; we're advancing the cause of Christ. If we had three more campuses today, they'd be full—because God is moving. Join us as we deploy gifts, step forward in faith, and make Jesus known in our families, our city, and our culture. Speaker: Jeff Schwarzentraub

As this week unfolded, I'm more convinced than ever: there has never been a greater need for the Church of Jesus Christ than right now. Jesus promised, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” In this message from 2 Timothy 1:6–12, Pastor Jeff shows how taking ground fortifies the church—by stirring up every believer's gifts, living with Spirit-given courage (not timidity), boldly proclaiming the Gospel, and entrusting our lives and mission to Christ. We're not launching a campaign for buildings or chairs; we're advancing the cause of Christ. If we had three more campuses today, they'd be full—because God is moving. Join us as we deploy gifts, step forward in faith, and make Jesus known in our families, our city, and our culture. Speaker: Jeff Schwarzentraub

Welcome to the Harvest Bible Chapel podcast. Today, we're continuing our series True Religion: The Book of James. Pastor Jeff Bucknam is preaching from James 1:12–18 with a message titled ‘Dangers to Receiving the Crown of Life.' Trials and hardships can shake our faith, but James reminds us that those who persevere will receive the crown of life that God has promised. In this sermon, Pastor Jeff exposes two lies that keep us from trusting God and shows us why we can be confident that our God is faithful and good. Let's listen together. This podcast is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. Executive Producer: Flavius Herlo Speaker: Pastor Jeff Bucknam Sound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan Tripp Graphic Design: Wesley Cassford Social Media: Bryan Spahr Producer: Dave Putnam WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US: • Website: www.harvestbible.org/ WE INVITE YOU TO FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: • Instagram: @harvestbiblechapel • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harvestbiblechapel/

This week, Pastor Jeff continues a series in the book of Acts named ACTS: The Mission of God is Our Mission. The next message in the series is based in Acts 2:42-47 and is entitled "Devoted." The main idea of the sermon is: Devoted to the teaching of the Word, fellowship, and prayer, the church on mission grows day by day. ————————  Connect with Us: Website: parkwoodonline.org Facebook: facebook.com/parkwoodonline Instagram: instagram.com/parkwoodonline.org  Check out more resources and sermons online at: parkwoodresources.org

Welcome to #SundaysatTCAB! Pastor Jeff Ponder launched the fall series, Experiencing God - Knowing & Doing the Will of God, last week. Today we ask the question, "Is my life God-centered?" When we understand what this looks like in our daily lives, then we get to experience God to the fullest, joining Him in His work and living with purpose. We pray today's message encourages you in your walk with Christ. New to The Church at Bushland? Tell us a little about you and receive a personal note from Pastor Jeff. First Time Guest: https://www.thechurchatbushland.com/guestform?location=livestream How can we pray for you? Submit your prayer request here: https://www.thechurchatbushland.com/prayerrequest Subscribe to get the latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChurchAtBushland We also have our newest channel, @TCABClips, with sermon and worship highlights and short content from Digging for the Truth. Subscribe, turn on notifications, and never miss an episode! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6VflV8HJUd-6vTX9CSJRKw Listen while you work, exercise, or whatever keeps you busy: Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/the-church-at-bushland/id6442779332 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/077EsZwp6Y7pPhv7X8mXEY?si=893d09eeae9142d5 Support the online ministry at TCAB. Join the giving team today! https://www.thechurchatbushland.com/giving Download the TCAB App today! iOS - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-church-at-bushland/id1495461805 Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kidunottech.culminate.tcab Connect with The Church at Bushland: Website | https://thechurchatbushland.com Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/thechurchatbushland/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/thechurchatbushland/

Pastor Jeff continues our series in Acts.

Today is FRI-YAY! With a special shout-out from Pastor Jeff. Today, he reminds us that through Jesus, we can have peace over depression. Life may still be hard, but we don't have to carry our burdens alone—His perfect, never-ending peace is always with us. Isaiah 9:6 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Today on Sound Doctrine we join pastor Jeff Johnson in Acts twenty-seven. Paul is at sea and on his way to Rome with a couple hundred other men. They encounter an enormous storm that lasts for fourteen days and they end up on the island of Malta. Pastor Jeff is going to relate this to the storms we face in our lives, to help us respond in a God-honoring fashion. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/621/29

The world is full of noise and many voices, but God calls us to listen to Him. Pastor Jeff reminds us that when we spend time with God and focus on His Word, He gives us peace, helps us release worry, and rest in His love. Isaiah 26:3 3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about “Back to school!”  How do these words make you feel?  Returning to school, ministry, or other routines can be a stressful time.  What's a healthy way to deal with current and future tensions?  Your pastors suggest “authentic living”.  Jeff introduced our new sermon series which suggests how to get real with God, self, and others. Jeff used Luke 19:1-9 as his scripture reference.

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about how God loves Calgary!  Did you know that?  He loves this city.  He is the God of this city.  In the bible, the church is sometimes called a city.  That's because the church is to be an example of what our city could be with God living here. Jeff's scripture reference was Hebrews 12:18-24.

Charlie Kirk has died. Pastor Jeff does an emergency broadcast to speak about the shooting and death of Charlie Kirk and to pray for his family.

Today, Pastor Jeff reminds us that God gives us peace beyond understanding. Life changes—vacations end, grades shift, teams win and lose—but His peace in Christ never runs out. When we trust Him, His peace guards our hearts and keeps us strong. Philippians 4:7 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Pastor Jeff reminds us today that perspective matters—like seeing a cup half full or half empty. When we trust Jesus, we choose the “half full” view, remembering God's past faithfulness and trusting Him for the future. Exodus 16:3 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

In this powerful conclusion to our Made for More series, we explore how each of us can be a catalyst for change by focusing on the transformative power of Jesus in our lives. Pastor Jeff reminds us that while changing the entire world might seem daunting, we can each change the world around us—one life at a time. Join us as we embrace the vision of restoring, refueling, and returning to life with Jesus at the center, igniting change that reverberates around the globe!Message Notes: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=ry2VaztcegSmall Group Discussion Questions: https://storage2.snappages.site/PJBKS3/assets/files/MFM5SGQ.pdfFind us on:YouTube: YouTube.com/TheHarborInstagram: Instagram.com/TheHarbor_lifeFacebook: Facebook.com/TheHarbordotlifeWebsite: https://www.TheHarbor.lifeWatch/listen on The Harbor AppNew episode every week!

James 1:1-4. Ever wonder how spiritual giants are forged? In this powerful text we see how life's trials aren't roadblocks but refining fires. Like copper being purified through intense heat, our faith grows strongest through challenges. Drawing from the wisdom of James,  Pastor Jeff shows how choosing joy in trials isn't about plastering on a fake smile, but trusting God's sovereign purpose. Whether you're in life's furnace now or sensing storms ahead, this message unlocks the secret to emerging stronger. Don't miss this transformative teaching on becoming an everyday disciple who points to Jesus everywhere they go.For upcoming events and important announcements at Skyline, visit our Facebook page for the latest details!If you'd like to check out more resources, get to know Skyline Church, or donate to our ministry and missions please visit www.skylineofallon.com. Don't forget to leave us a review and subscribe to have our Sunday message downloaded straight to your phone each week!

Have you ever felt really upset, sad, or like life was just too much? This week in our Inside Out series, Pastor Jeff will be talking about the hard emotion of depression—and how God offers the soft emotion of peace to overcome it. John 14:27 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Big Idea: God sets the order of service for his church.  It's up to us to keep it orderly.1 Corinthians 14:26-40What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything is to be done for building up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, there are to be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no interpreter, that person is to keep silent in the church and speak to himself and God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. And the prophets' spirits are subject to the prophets, since God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but are to submit themselves, as the law also says. If they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, since it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. Or did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only? If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord's command. If anyone ignores this, he will be ignored. So then, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything is to be done decently and in order.I. If prophecy is so important, why do so many people want to speak in tongues?II. If someone is speaking in tongues and no one is around to interpret, what should I do?III. What is the "purpose" of praying in tongues?IV. Why do some people accept 1-2 gifts but reject the others?  Are they a package deal?V. Because you spoke a word of prophecy, does that give you the title “prophet”?Next Steps: Believe: I need the Holy Spirit to give me the gift of new life today.Become: I will learn or develop my spiritual gift(s) this week. Be Sent: I will use my spiritual gift to grow Jesus's Kingdom.Discussion Questions: Where or to whom do you look when you are confused about spiritual issues?Who do you turn to first? Why?How can you tell if someone speaking in tongues is genuine?How confident are you that your source for answers aligns completely with the Bible?When is the last time you heard a word of prophecy?  What made you certain it was prophecy?What would you say to someone who is using their spiritual gift to draw attention or praise to themself?Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you push back darkness this week. 

Pat and Jeff complete their two-part podcast on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship. In this episode, they talk about the importance of faith with obedience and obedience with faith, or as Bonhoeffer writes, “Only those who obey can believe, and only those who believe can obey" (Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship (p. 70). Touchstone. Kindle Edition). The problem with being obedient to Jesus for most of us is, as Pat says, "we want a savior, but we don't want a Lord.  In other words, we want to be saved, but we don't want to be told what to do. Note: The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of Pat Barry and Jeff Quinto and may not reflect the opinions of the Bethel Bible Series or Bethel Lutheran Church. Blessings in Christ,  Pat & Jeff Soli Deo Gloria!

In Ephesians 2, Paul reminds us that we were once spiritually dead in our sins, but God's rich mercy and love gave us new life through Christ. Salvation is not earned through good works but is a free gift received through faith. As believers, we're no longer strangers but full members of God's family. This identity transformation changes how we approach church engagement—not as an obligation but as family members working together. Understanding our place in God's family helps us avoid the dangers of isolated faith and empowers us to live as a connected, serving, and generous community.

Hey YC Online! ABOUT YOSEMITE CHURCH: Our mission is meeting people where they are and loving them to where Christ wants them to be. Yosemite Church wants to help you find your next step. Find locations, videos, and more info about us at https://yc.church/ or download the Yosemite Church app. NEXT STEPS: Have you made a decision to follow Jesus? You may be wondering what's next on your journey. We want to help! Let us guide you to your next steps in your walk with Christ: https://yc.church/baptism GIVE ONLINE: https://pushpay.com/g/yosemitechurch FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: https://www.facebook.com/yosemitechurch https://www.instagram.com/yosemitechurch/ All music performed under CCLI Licenses: 6010 and CSPL028666

The goal of Christianity is Christlikeness. Spiritual growth is the fruit of our faith; evidence that we are connected to the vine. In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany revisit a past series with Jeff and Jen to explore the Holy Spirit's role in salvation, sanctification, and equipping believers for ministry.They explain the indwelling presence of the Spirit, how He reproduces the character of Christ in us, why He is essential to understanding Scripture, and how He empowers every Christian with spiritual gifts to serve the church.What We Discussed00:17 – Introduction and RecapTiffany introduces the theme of spiritual growth, reminding us that it happens in partnership with the Holy Spirit, who empowers believers to live out God's truth.01:24 – The Indwelling Spirit Pastor Jeff explains the many-faceted work of the Spirit: giving new life, assuring salvation, sealing believers for eternity (Ephesians 1:13–14), and comforting us in trials.07:55 – The Spirit Teaches Us ScriptureThe Holy Spirit illuminates God's Word, teaching and reminding us of truth (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:10). Pastor Jeff emphasizes asking the Spirit for understanding when we encounter difficult passages.11:00 – Equipped for MinistryBelievers receive spiritual gifts to serve others (1 Peter 4:10). Jeff explains the S.H.A.P.E. acrostic: Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experience—all used by the Spirit for God's purposes.15:08 – What Spiritual Gifts Are NotJeff clarifies common misunderstandings: gifts are not about specific offices, age groups, or techniques. Instead, they are Spirit-given abilities exercised through our unique lives.17:53 – The Spirit as Our EnablerTrue ministry is Spirit-powered. We act in obedience, but the results belong to Him. Like a doctor who treats but cannot heal, only God brings transformation and life.19:40 – Dependence on the SpiritPastor Jeff and Jen remind us that daily dependence on the Spirit is vital. He empowers, guides, and sustains us through change and growth, making us effective in ministry.Key Quote“With the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are never alone, never lost, and never without His power.” – Pastor Jeff CranstonWe love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today's episode, email me at pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.orgVisit my website https://www.jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church. Check in with us on Facebook or Instagram @pastorjeffcranstonRemember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!

What does it mean to take bold steps of faith for God's kingdom? As Brave Church launches an ambitious vision for expansion, Pastor Jeff reveals how Joshua's courage to enter the Promised Land mirrors our calling today. Through new campuses, prison ministries, and global outreach, God is inviting us to participate in something bigger than ourselves. Drawing from Joshua 1, Pastor Jeff shares how to take the courageous step into God's mission, stand on His promises, and witness His power in action. Join this transformative three-year journey to reach thousands for Christ—your next step of faith awaits! Speaker: Jeff Schwarzentraub

Welcome to the Harvest Bible Chapel podcast. We're continuing our series in the book of James, True Religion: The Book of James. Today, Pastor Jeff Bucknam brings a message from James 1:9–11 titled “The Rich Poor and the Poor Rich.” We live in a world where wealth promises security, comfort, and happiness—but James flips that upside down. In God's kingdom, the poor are rich, and the rich can be poor. What truly matters isn't the size of your bank account, but where your hope is anchored. Let's listen together. This podcast is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. Executive Producer: Flavius Herlo Speaker: Pastor Jeff Bucknam Sound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan Tripp Graphic Design: Wesley Cassford Social Media: Bryan Spahr Producer: Dave Putnam WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US: • Website: www.harvestbible.org/ WE INVITE YOU TO FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: • Instagram: @harvestbiblechapel • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harvestbiblechapel/

Community: Week 1 - Community / Pastor Jeff Bowman by Hope City Church

Thank you for watching All Peoples Church live stream. Pastor Jeff and Dr Gabriel Miller answer questions from our APC family. Service from September 7, 2025. For more information, please visit our website, www.allpeopleschurch.us or find us on social media!

Pastor Jeff delivers a powerful message entitled, "STEWARDING YOUR EXPECTATION"   Authentic Church is a Bible-based, Spirit-empowered, Presence-driven church in Orange County with the mission to Love God, Love People, and Live Authentic.   Our Vision is to Encounter God, Discover Community, and Fulfill God's call on our lives.   For service times and info, please visit us online or via our social media platforms: AuthenticOC.com   To stay up to date on all things Authentic, text the word "Authentic" to 94000   Subscribe to receive our latest messages!   #Sermon #AuthenticChurch #OrangeCountyChurch   We would be honored if you would like to support this ministry and help us continue to reach people with the authentic gospel... click here: https://pushpay.com/g/authenticoc   Love God. Love People. Live Authentic.   Stay Connected   Website: https://authenticoc.com/   Authentic Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthenticChurchOC/   Authentic Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authenticchurchoc/   Authentic Church YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWxskUerFuBNhLZI3wpqzlg

This week, Pastor Jeff continues a series in the book of Acts named ACTS: The Mission of God is Our Mission. The next message in the series is based in Acts 2:14-41 and is entitled "The Word Proclaimed, The Word Received." The main idea of the sermon is: As the Holy Spirit is poured out, Peter proclaims the gospel, thousands repent and believe, and the church is established. ————————  Connect with Us: Website: parkwoodonline.org Facebook: facebook.com/parkwoodonline Instagram: instagram.com/parkwoodonline.org  Check out more resources and sermons online at: parkwoodresources.org

New to The Church at Bushland? Tell us a little about you and receive a personal note from Pastor Jeff. First Time Guest: https://www.thechurchatbushland.com/guestform?location=livestream How can we pray for you? Submit your prayer request here: https://www.thechurchatbushland.com/prayerrequest Subscribe to get the latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChurchAtBushland We also have our newest channel, @TCABClips, with sermon and worship highlights and short content from Digging for the Truth. Subscribe, turn on notifications, and never miss an episode! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6VflV8HJUd-6vTX9CSJRKw Listen while you work, exercise, or whatever keeps you busy: Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/the-church-at-bushland/id6442779332 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/077EsZwp6Y7pPhv7X8mXEY?si=893d09eeae9142d5 Support the online ministry at TCAB. Join the giving team today! https://www.thechurchatbushland.com/giving Download the TCAB App today! iOS - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-church-at-bushland/id1495461805 Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kidunottech.culminate.tcab Connect with The Church at Bushland: Website | https://thechurchatbushland.com Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/thechurchatbushland/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/thechurchatbushland/

Introduction: John 3:36 - whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. Ephesians 2:3 – were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Enter By the Narrow Gate (Matthew 7:13-14) It's Hard to FIND. (Matt 7:14) John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Luke 14:33 – So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. It's Hard to WALK. (Matt 7:14) It's Hard to DISMISS. (Matt 7:14) Matthew 11:12 – From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 7:13-14What was your big take-away from this passage / message?How would (specifically) you answer this question: How do I know which gate I entered?We are saved by grace. But are things like repentance, counting the cost, and entering the kingdom violently considered “works”? Why or why not?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT I'd like you to just bow your heads for a moment,and I'm going to ask that you would please pray for meto be faithful to communicate God's word accurately as I should.And I will pray for you to be ready to receivewhatever it is the Lord wants to teach you today.Alright? Let's pray.Father in heaven, you are greatly glorifiedas transformed people by the power of your Holy Spirit.Our obedient to what you've revealed in your Word.That's all I'm asking for today, Father,for your glory to be on display as we respondto what you've told us in your Word.Manifest your grace and your goodness here today, Father.We ask in Jesus' name, amen.If you haven't already opened up your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7,we're just going to be looking at two verses today.For some of you, these could be the mosttwo important verses you ever hear.When I was a kid growing up in Shakura,we attended the Little Methodist Church.And when you're - I don't know if it's still the case in the Methodist Church,but at that time, when you're 12,you go through confirmation classes.You go to the Methodist Church, and then they teach youabout doctrine and John Wesley and the books of the Bible.But one part of this confirmation class,it took place over several days,but one part was the pastor would take you into the auditorium,just you and him.And I'm assuming that his conversation with the others went as it did with me.I remember the pastor took me to the auditorium and he said,"Jeff, you don't want to go to hell, do you?"And I'm like, "You mean today?Because mom's expecting me home for dinner."He's like, "You don't want to go to hell, do you?"And I was just like, "No."He goes, "Well, then you want to accept Jesus Christas your Lord and Savior, right?"And I'm like, "Okay.""Great."And he sent me back with the other kids.And then every time this pastor saw me after that,he would say, "I remember the day you gave your life to Jesus.""Oh, Jeff, I remember the day you gave your life to Jesus."And I was like, "Yeah, that was awesome."Is that what it means to follow Jesus?You see, since February we've been going through the Sermon on the Mount,the greatest sermon ever preached.And over the next four weeks, we're looking at how Jesus closesthe greatest sermon ever preached.All of the content leads to this.Over the past several months, we've looked at the heart of the discipleand the beatitudes.This is what a Jesus follower looks like.We talked about the heart of the law.Jesus didn't come to get rid of the Old Testament.He said, "I came to fulfill it."We talked about the heart of religion.Look, it's not about doing things for showto get a pat on the back from people.We talked about the heart towards the world.How should we interact in this world with money and stuff and people?And now we get to the close of Jesus' sermon, and here he's saying,"Now what are you going to do about it?"Now that you know what I call you to,is your heart ready for judgment?Look at verses 13 and 14.Jesus says, "Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide,and the way is easy, that leads to destruction,and those who enter by it are many.For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard,that leads to life, and those who find it are few."Everybody's heading to eternity.I don't need to sell anyone on that, do I?Everyone's heading for eternity,and Jesus said there are two gates.There's exactly two options,and here Jesus is calling for an urgent choice.He commands, that's the first sentence in verse 13,"Enter by the narrow gate."That's a choice literally between heaven and hell.Jesus says, "Make your choice."Who would choose hell?I mean, really.Who would choose hell?I mean, yeah, I've shared the Gospel with a lot of people over the years,and I've met the guy, probably you have to.It's like, "Well, I'm going to hell,and I know I'm going to hell, and I don't really care,because all my buddies will be there."But I'm like, "You are clueless."You meet that joker.But who would really, honestly, seriously choose hell?Why wouldn't you choose heaven?I mean, really.See, my friends, that's the thing.That's why this message is so urgent,because no one thinks they are choosing hell.Everyone thinks that they are going to end up in heaven.Somehow, some way, I'm going to end up in heaven.Everyone thinks that.Everyone is, according to Jesus.In fact, it's even worse than we think it is.As we saw in the video, we have this mindset that most of us are good,and we're going to heaven, and there's a few really bad people that are going to hell.Jesus didn't say that.Notice Jesus said the exact opposite.He said many are going to hell, to destruction,and he said few are going to heaven.Few find life.So do you know what you have to do to go to hell?Do you know?Nothing.You don't have to do a thing.And that's where you'll end up.John 3.36 says,"Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life."Look at this."But the wrath of God remains on him."How do you get the wrath of God?He's already on you.Paul says the same thing in Ephesians 2-3.He says, "We were by nature children of wrath,like the rest of mankind."That was our default mode.And I want you to notice in these two verses,Jesus didn't say, "Choose which gate."He didn't say that.You already did choose a gate.There's no language here that says,"Well, tell me, how do I go through the wide gate?"You already did.Notice with the narrow gate, look at the very last phrase in verse 14.Jesus said, "Those who find it are few."The wide gate is something that has to be found.The wide gate, Jesus never said you had to find the wide gate.It's wide.It's easy.And you're already on it.Heading to destruction.So what we have here in these verses is a command.It's a command to enter the narrow gate.Look at verse 13 again.Enter by the narrow gate.It's a command. It's a call to action.Meaning it doesn't happen by accident.It's worth noting that Jesus,we're going to see this in these upcoming messages as well,there are people that are going to be shockedthat they're going to hell.But you know, the Bible never says that there are peoplethat are shocked that they end up in heaven.That guy doesn't exist.That guy doesn't exist where Jesus says,"Come on in to glory."Like, wow, I didn't know I was coming here.Wow.That guy doesn't exist.The gospel is a command.Listen, it's a command.It's not just an invitation.It's not just a suggestion.You really ought to think about maybe turning to Jesus.It is a command.Look at the words that are used to describe coming to Christ.They're all commands.Words like "repent."You're commanded to repent.Believe.Receive.Believe.Here, the command is "enter."This is the big takeaway from the Sermon on the Mountaccording to Jesus.Because of everything that He said,going back to the Beatitudes,leading to this point,Jesus commands us to choose narrow.It's not enough to listen to sermons about the narrow gate.It's not enough to study the narrow gate.It's not enough to even kind of like the narrow gate.Jesus said, "You have to make the choice to enter the narrow gate."Have you made that choice?I want you to jot some things downon your outline.This is the command, "Enter by the narrow gate."What does our Lord say about it?First of all, number one, write this down.It's hard to find.It's hard to find.Again, in verse 14, Jesus says,"For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life.And those who find it are few."It's hard to find.It's narrow.What exactly do you mean it's narrow?Well, one thing that it means, that it's being narrow,is that it's the only way to be saved.Jesus made that claim.The Bible makes that claim over and over and over.In John 14.6, Jesus said,"I am the way and the truth and the life.No one comes to the Father except through me."The gate is narrow because it's the only way to be saved.Not every road leads to heaven.That doesn't even work in the physical world, does it?If you came to me after service and you're like,"Pastor Jeff, I really want to go to Cleveland.How do I get there?"First of all, I'm not sure you really do want to go there.But if you have to listen, you know how to get to Cleveland?Just pick a road. It doesn't matter.Get in your car and just pick a road.As long as you believe in your heart's that that road will take you to Cleveland,then you will get to Cleveland.Would that work?People are like, "I think I'll ask Pastor Taylor."Right?I mean, that's foolishness.So why do we think that any road is going to get us to heaven?Not every road will take you there.Because your problem is sin before a holy God,and the only way that that sin can be forgivenis through Jesus Christ, because He's the only onewho paid the penalty to take away your sin.It's narrow because it's the only way to be saved.It's narrow also because you're called to leave some things behind.You get a picture of this narrow gate almost like a turnstile,like walking into Kennywood.If you're going through that turnstile, you've got to leave some stuff behind.Like leave what behind?Your sin?Your self-centeredness?Your rights?Your pride?You've got to leave your old self behind,because listen, you're both not going to fit through the turnstile.You both won't fit through the narrow gate.Jesus said it costs to enter this gate.We don't have time today, but just write down Matthew 10, Luke 14.Jesus said there's a cost to entering the gate.Leave stuff behind.Like, well, what's the cost?Jesus said you have to love Him more than you love your own family.Jesus said you have to deny yourself.Jesus said you have to consider yourself a slave to Him.Oh, and you have to consider yourself a slave to everyone else.Jesus said things like you have to take up your cross.You have to be willing to lay down your life for Him.Listen, if you're unwilling to do any of that,then you're not going to get through the gate at all.To sum it up, Luke 14.33, look what Jesus says.Not the most secret, sensitive way to address a crowd.Jesus said, "So therefore any one of you who does not renounce all that He hascannot be my disciple."You willing to do that?You're like, "I don't know."Okay, then you're not going through the narrow gate.Back when I was in college, I had several jobs.Here's where two of them overlapped.I was pastoring a little country church,and I was also a magazine vendor for two Walmarts and two K-Marts.Is K-Marts still a thing?It was back then.But I would go in third shift to these stores,and I would stock the magazines.And at the one K-Mart, I got to be friends with some of the employees there.There were a couple cashiers that I invited to church.I'll never forget this.The one cashier, her name was Gina.And she came to church for probably three or four weeks,and then stopped.Well, the next time I saw her at K-Mart,I said, "Hey, I haven't seen you in church."I'll never forget what she said.She said, "I can't go to churchand live the kind of life that I want to live."It's sad.She got it.She got the fact that the gate is narrow.She got the fact that she can't come into the kingdom of heavenwhile carrying all her sin in with her.I don't want to talk about Gina though. I want to talk about you.What have you left behind to follow Jesus?Would you say that there's been a tremendous cost to youin deciding to follow Jesus?And if your answer is, "Well, you know,I haven't really given up that much to follow Jesus,really now that I think about it,I really haven't given up very much."Well, then you haven't found the narrow gate.It's hard to find.Secondly, write this down.Not only is it hard to find,it's hard to walk.It's hard to walk.The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life.The way is hard that leads to life.You see what Jesus is saying?If you find it, and even when it's truly found,it's hard to enter.And when you enter it, it's hard to walk.And right now somebody's like, "Hard? Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,hang on, hang on, hang on."I thought coming to Jesus was just belief.Just believe in Jesus.What are you talking about? Hard.It's just believe, right?Well, I would ask you,what do you mean by believe?Do you know how Jesus described what it means to believe?The Sermon on the Mount.This is how Jesus described what it means to believe.He described it with the beatitudes.When you're broken over your sin and you're meekand you desire righteousness and purity more than anything,you're a peacemaker.And then, if you're really living it, people hate you.That's what it means to believe.Jesus said believing is being salt and light.That means you're different than the world.You stand out because of what you believe.Is that what you mean by believe?Jesus said believing is turning from anger, turning from lust.Jesus said believing is a person who always keeps their word.Jesus said believing is never retaliating.Jesus said believing is when you love your enemies.Jesus said believing is when you choose to giveand to pray and to fast privately.So only God knows.Jesus says believing is giving to Godso that you lay up treasure in heaven.Jesus said believing is never worrying.Not being anxious for anything.Jesus said believing is not being critical of othersbut doing to others what you wish they would do to you.Now, you tell me what's easy about any of that.It's hard to walk.If you've been with us in any part of this journeythrough the Sermon on the Mount,has there been any of these sections that you've pointed atand went, "Oh, that's easy. I got that nailed down."Or have you been more like me every weektaken to the woodshed?Tour up?Or have you been more like meevery week taken to the woodshed?Or have you been more like me?Difficult is the standard.We're told on the front end,when you live different than the world,you're going to have people after you.You're going to suffer.It's hard to walk.That's why a lot of people bail, by the way.They weren't expecting it to be hard.They were believing in gospel that Jesus never taught.Because believing in the gospel,despite the lame way we want to package itin American churches,believing in the gospel is more than just acknowledging facts.And it's even way more than just agreeing with the facts.Believing in the gospel is having a faith in Jesus Christthat makes your decisions for you.Your life should be marked by this.Constantly saying, "You know what?I do this because of what Jesus said.This is why I do that."Your life should be marked by things you say,"You know what? I never do thisbecause God said I should never do that.My life makes my decisions for me."That's what it means to believe.In churches, dishonor the gospeland do a disservice to peoplewhen we make it easy to follow Jesus.Shame on us.We make it so easy for the peoplethat walk in the door and say,"Look, I just want to attend.I just want to come in on Sunday,in late, out early.I just want to attend.I don't want to get involved.I don't want to help out with the kids ministry.I don't want to be on the worship team.I don't want to give to the church.I don't want to do any of that.Look, just make it easy."Where did Jesus say the easy way leads?I want to talk about you again.You find it easy to follow Jesus?Maybe at 9 a.m. on Sunday.I want to ask about your Monday through Saturday.Is it easy for you to follow Jesus?And if your answer is, you know what?I don't know what he's talking about,but I haven't really found it to be that hardbeing a Christian.Then you haven't found the narrow gate.Because Jesus said it's hard.Enter by the narrow gate.It's hard to find.It's hard to walk.Number three, it's hard to dismiss.It's hard to dismiss.The gate is narrow.And the way is hard that leads to life.Man, this sounds like being a Christian is hard.Yeah, it is.So why would I enter the narrow gate at all then?Because of where it leads.And whoever doesn't think aboutwhere the path they are on is taking them is a fool.Throughout this section, throughout these verses,we looked at today Jesus said there's only two.There's two gates.There's two ways. There's two crowds.And there's two destinations.You're going to want to...Destruction and it's life.What's destruction?We've talked about that. That's hell.Yes, destruction here and now in this life,I've yet to meet the guy that has really benefited from their sin.But instead has experienced destruction in this life,ultimately it's destruction in hell.Why is hell referred to as destruction?Because it's eternally being destroyed,but never actually being destroyed.It's burning without being consumed.That's what hell is.And that's where the easy way leads.So if following Jesus sounds too hard for you,you have the option of having it a little easierin this life for 15 minutes,and spending eternity suffering.Not my opinion, Jesus' words.The other destination is life.Life, eternal, glorious life in heaven.Yes, of course, but also life here and now.Eternal life for the Christian isn't something that you get someday.It's something you experience now,and you take with you into eternity.This hard way is the way that Jesus took.And if we choose to follow in His footsteps,we will not only get heaven,but we will experience lifeas it was meant to be lived here and now.And that's hard to dismiss,just because it's difficult.It's over and over in the Gospels.Jesus challenged potential followers to count the cost.You have to count the cost of entering the narrow gatebecause there is a cost.But you also have to count the cost of not entering the narrow gate.You could leave here today and say,"I choose to stay on the wide gateway."What have you gained?What have you gained by staying on the wide gateway?An easier life here for however long that lasts.But what have you lost?You've lost eternity.So right now you need to ask yourself,"What way am I on?"Listen, you can't answer thatbased on something that happened in the past.That's what I mean for some people.It's like, are you a follower of Jesus?Well, I got baptized 30 years ago.That's not the test.The test is, how are we living right now?Are you seeking Jesus now?Are you turning from sin now?Are you denying yourself now?Your life right now proves what way you are on.I'd like to invite the worship team to come back up.We're going to have some folks join us up here.I'd like to invite them up too.We're going to have some people up here to pray,some elders, some members from our prayer team.I'd like you folks to make your way up here as well.In just a moment, the worship team is going to sing a song over you.But before we do that, I want us to consider one more verse.It's Matthew 11 and verse 12.Another staggering statement from our Lord.Jesus said, "From the days of John the Baptist until now,the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence."Look at his last phrase.He says, "And the violence, take it by force."Listen, because the gate is narrow,and because the way is hard,salvation is something that you have to go after violently.It's not, well, just put a check mark on this card and you're saved.Just bow your head and raise your hand and you're saved.Just repeat this prayer after me and you're saved.That's not it.It's something that you have to go after violently.Like why violently?Because the gospel calls you to forsake yourself.You have to go after that violently.Jesus calls you to give up your sin.It's not for weaklings.I'm going to give you a chance.I'm going to give you a chance to prove that you're not a weakling.I'm going to give you a chance today to do something violent.I'd like you to bow your heads, please,because what we're going to dois have a good old-fashioned, much-needed altar call.Bow your heads.Today needs to enter the narrow gate.Maybe there's somebody that walked in here todaythat said, "I know I'm not following Jesus,and I've been meaning to get around to it.Today's the day that you're going to go after this violently."Or maybe there's somebody here that's like,"Well, I don't really know if I follow Jesus."Then that means you don't.Because you can't have a relationship with the God of the universeand not know it.Because it's something you have to go after violently.Or maybe there's somebody here that says,"You know, I made a decision once upon a time,but whether I'm backslidden,or whether I was deceived or confused,I'm not really sure where I stand right nowbecause I'm so stuck in sin."You need to go after this violently.As an act of faith, as the worship team sings over you,we want to invite you to come up and pray.There is still someone here, someone else here,that wants to do business with God.I strongly encourage you not to leave until you do.You shrink back now.It's going to be way easier to shrink back the next timethat you feel called to follow Jesus.Father in heaven,we're not here to put on a show for anybody but you.We want to be sincere.We don't want to settle for some watered-down,sugar-coated version of the Gospelthat so many in our culture have made it.Father, let us go after you violentlywith the urgency that your Son has called us to.We do need to count the costs.I'm asking Father that you would give us the faith that we need.All glory and honor and praise and power be unto your name.We pray in Jesus' name.Amen.

Pastor Jeff continues our series on The Book of Acts.

Pastor Jeff taught from the book of Ezekiel in the week's Bible Reading from the Bible Recap.Join us as we read through the Bible in a year together as a church!To learn more, visit thebridgebiblechurch.com.

Pastor Jeff talks about how God created us to live in community! He redeemed us by His love to experience that same kind of love with one another.

Pastor Jeff shares a powerful message today on reaching the 'other sheep' - a call to share Christ's love beyond our comfort zones. Be blessed by this sermon as you listen and share.

Happy FRI-YAY! It's Shoutout Day with Pastor Jeff! Today, we finish learning how faith helps us overcome stress. Next week in our Inside Out series, we'll see how God gives us peace over depression. Mark 11:22-24 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Pastor Jeff Sparkman shares from John 19 on Pilate's predicament with Jesus on trial. Pilate had a choice to give into the mob or release an innocent man. He chose political expediency and what the crowd wanted over what was right. This Sunday, Pastor Jeff gives some Biblical keys to overcoming the fear of man and the need for approval.

09.03.2025 | In the Beginning 2025 | Part 5: The Tower 2025 | Pastor Jeff Wickwire From the Tower of Babel to today, pride leads to confusion while humility leads to elevation by God's hand. What areas of your life are you trying to build without God's guidance? Join us in exploring this timeless message from Genesis as Pastor Jeff Wickwire reminds us to 'stay humble before God.

Today, Pastor Jeff reminds us that when life feels stressful, Jesus calls us to make a daily choice—to have faith and believe in His promises. John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me.

Listen as Pastor Jeff shares three reasons God has given us the gift of work

Today, Pastor Jeff reminds us that when we choose faith over stress, our hearts grow stronger and God's peace fills us. Matthew 24:3 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Today, we begin Week 3 of our Inside Out series, and Pastor Jeff discusses the hard emotion of stress—and how God provides the soft emotion of faith to overcome it. Matthew 11:28 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  

The goal of Christianity is Christlikeness. Spiritual growth is the fruit of our faith; evidence that we are connected to the vine. In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany unpack what spiritual growth really is, why it matters, and how believers partner with the Holy Spirit to become more like Christ.They explain the nature of growth, the role of discipline and refinement, and the daily practices that help Christians mature in their faith.What We Discussed01:17 – Growth and Maturity in ScripturePractical Theology connects doctrine to daily life. Examples from Corinth and Hebrews show how believers can remain spiritually immature. The Christian life involves either progressing or regressing—there is no standing still.03:42 – Defining Spiritual GrowthSpiritual growth is a progressive development in key areas of life: spiritual character, knowledge of God, faith, and an appreciation of Christ's work.05:00 – The Nature of Spiritual GrowthGrowth is a partnership between the Holy Spirit and believers. The Spirit empowers us to live out God's truth, producing behavioral growth expressed in love, patience, and obedience.07:05 – Lifelong Learning and RefinementSpiritual growth is not linear. God refines believers through discipline and correction. 09:40 – The Goal of GrowthThe ultimate outcome is to become more like Christ. The fruits of the Spirit shape believers into His likeness.12:00 – Practicing Spiritual Growth DailySpiritual disciplines mirror physical habits. Believers need daily nourishment from God's Word, obedience to His commands, and rest in His promises. 14:33 – A Call to Ongoing GrowthSpiritual growth has infinite capacity. Christians should never be satisfied with their current condition but continually press forward in maturity.Key Quote“Although we'll never attain absolute spiritual maturity in this world, we can be relatively mature for our spiritual age as we give ourselves daily to the means God uses to grow us.” – Pastor Jeff CranstonWe love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today's episode, email me at pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.orgVisit my website https://www.jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church. Check in with us on Facebook or Instagram @pastorjeffcranstonRemember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!

08.31.2025 | The Voice of the Valleys 2025 | Part 2: Baca--The Valley of Tears 2025 | Pastor Jeff Wickwire Every valley of tears can become a place of supernatural strength when we learn to draw from God's power. What valley are you facing today, and how has God's strength carried you through difficult seasons? Share your story in the comments below - your testimony might be exactly what someone else needs to hear today.

Welcome to the Harvest Bible Chapel podcast! We're glad you're here as we continue our series in the book of James called True Religion. This weekend's message is titled “Here Comes Wisdom,” from James 1:5–8. In these verses, James reminds us that God generously gives wisdom to those who ask Him. We'll learn three key truths: to ask for wisdom, to ask because God is generous, and to ask in faith without doubting. Whether you're listening on your commute, during a workout, or in a quiet moment at home, we pray this message encourages you to seek God with confidence, knowing that He delights to give wisdom to His children. Listen now. This podcast is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. Executive Producer: Flavius Herlo Speaker: Pastor Jeff Thompson Sound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan Tripp Graphic Design: Wesley Cassford Social Media: Bryan Spahr Producer: Dave Putnam WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US: • Website: www.harvestbible.org/ WE INVITE YOU TO FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: • Instagram: @harvestbiblechapel • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harvestbiblechapel/

During his church’s fall retreat at a nearby camp, Pastor Jeff took a walk with my son, who led him through a wooded trail to the outdoor chapel. Suddenly they came upon the ark of the covenant! Of course, it wasn’t the real ark, but a life-sized, gold-colored replica begun by my husband years ago, with Jeff’s encouragement, and recently completed by my son as a surprise. Jeff was so thrilled, he hurried to enlist others to help him bring the ark to the camp dining hall. What a sight to see the men carrying the ark down the road as two of the pastor’s little grandsons trailed behind hand-in-hand! Scripture tells of the joyous occasion when the real ark of the covenant, which symbolized God’s presence with His people, was brought from the house where it had been kept into its proper place in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:12). King David was so overjoyed he danced “before the LORD with all his might” as the people shouted and trumpets sounded (vv. 14-15). Years later, the Israelites were taken captive to Babylon and Jerusalem was destroyed (2 Kings 25). Scripture doesn’t tell us what happened to the ark. Legends abound, but we no longer need the ark to enjoy God’s presence (John 14:16-17). Through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and sending of the Spirit, God is with all who believe in Christ. That’s an excellent reason to rejoice!