Podcasts about pastor rich

Join us as Pastor Rich as we continue our series, Fool's Gold. 

Join us as Pastor Rich as we start our series, Fool's Gold. 

To Find Josh Monday's Podcast---> https://open.spotify.com/show/07cJzde2nVA3lOA3W028dl?si=3899d3fb885544e7To find Josh Monday's Youtube---> https://www.youtube.com/@joshmondaymusicandpodcastTo find C.O.C. Clips on YouTube---> https://youtube.com/@cultofconspiracyclips?si=Lb5mdAkjoeTnhYagTo Follow The Cajun Knight on Youtube---> https://www.youtube.com/@CajunknightTo find the Meta Mysteries Podcast---> https://open.spotify.com/show/6IshwF6qc2iuqz3WTPz9Wv?si=3a32c8f730b34e79https://flavorsforest.com/cult/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/cult-of-conspiracy--5700337/support.

Sometimes we feel too messed up to show up. Like we failed one too many times, so we skip church, or come and hide in the back. This week Pastor Rich pointed us to Isaiah. When he saw God's glory, he didn't run from his uncleanness. He let God touch his lips with the coal from the altar, and the mess became a commissioning. That's the whole heart of it. God isn't after your polished facade or your perfect wineskin. He wants you, filthy and weary and all. Come get filled with the more. Listen in now to hear Life Center Church's latest Sunday message from Pastor Rich.   ⛪️ Connect with us ⛪️  https://www.lifecenternyc.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lifecenternyc/  

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" They're the rawest words in the Bible — a cry most of us have felt but were afraid to pray out loud. In this message from our Summer in the Psalms series, Pastor Rich steps into Psalm 22: a song that refuses to pretend the dark away, yet somehow ends in the dawn. We'll trace how a shepherd's ancient prayer became the very words Jesus spoke from the cross — and what that means for you the next time God feels far away. If you've ever wondered whether faith has room for your hardest questions, start here.

Romans 12 teaches that spiritual transformation begins with surrender. In this message, Pastor Rich walks through what it means to offer your life as a living sacrifice, refuse the pattern of the world, and let God renew your mind. Rich also connects this passage to strongholds in our thinking and the practice of taking thoughts captive. If you are wrestling with anxiety, control, fear about the future, or recurring thought patterns that keep shaping your life, this message will help you move toward surrender and trust in Jesus.   Speaker: Rich Greene Series: Transformed Week: 1 Date: June 28, 2026 Scripture referenced: Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 10   Next steps, prayer, and connection: https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia Website: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/ Give: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/give

Join us as Pastor Rich wraps up our series, Who Are You?

Today's sermon is Bearing Fruit by Rich Chaffin Find more teaching from Pastor Rich at www.cclc.org

Join us as Pastor Rich shares what the Lord laid on his heart to encourage fathers. 

Do your words reflect your relationship with Jesus? In Week 5 of Jesus + Nothing, Pastor Rich closes the series by teaching from Colossians 4 and reminding us that everything is spiritual, including the words we speak, text, post, pray, and use in difficult conversations. This message explores four ways our words can point people to Jesus: pray with your words because they connect you to God, engage with your words because they build bridges to outsiders, encourage with your words because they strengthen others, and honor with your words because they deepen relationships. Speaker: Rich Greene Series: Jesus + Nothing, Week 5 Message: Words That Point People to Jesus Date: June 14, 2026 Scripture referenced: Colossians 3:17, Colossians 4:2-18, Luke 6:45   Connect with us: https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia Learn more about LIFEchurch: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/ Give: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/give  

Join us as Pastor Rich continues our series, Who Are You?

Introduction: Love > Any Spiritual Gift. (1 Corinthians 13:8-13) Spiritual Gifts Are TEMPORARY. (1 Cor 13:8) Jeremiah 5:15 - Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the LORD. It is an enduring nation; it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Isaiah 28:11-12 – For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the LORD will speak to this people, to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear. 1 Corinthians 14:21 – In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Spiritual Gifts Are PARTIAL. (1 Cor 13:9-12) Deuteronomy 29:29 – The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Love is FOREVER. (1 Cor 13:13) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: Why Do I Love? Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:36Open up those Bibles with me please to 1 Corinthians chapter 13. While you're turning there, I would again ask that you would please take a moment and pray for me to communicate God's Word clearly and accurately as I should. And I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive a very difficult passage, but we are going to get through this together.01:05All right? Let's pray. Father, I pray that You would remove any distractions from our minds or hearts right now. All of us. You've called us to love You with our minds, and that happens through the study and understanding of Your Word. And I pray, Father, that Especially over these next few minutes, we would love you with all of our minds. As we lock in to see not what we think your word says or what we heard somebody else say that your word says, but help us all to just lock in and see what your word actually says. And Father, this is a passage where it would be real easy for us to miss the point.02:05Holy Spirit, by the wisdom of Your Word, that we would get what it is that You're communicating here. I thank You ahead of time, Father, as You're continuing to make us a church unified and purified. Make us a loving church, Father, we pray in Jesus' name. And all of God's people said, Amen. 1 Corinthians 13, are you there?02:35or so, a little boy from our church, I will not mention his name, a little boy from our church after the second service runs into my office and he goes, Pastor Jeff, how do I get the girls? And I thought to myself, well, isn't this just precious? Little Lambie comes into Pastor Jeff's office at such a tender age.03:05Wanting relationship advice. Pastor Jeff, how do I get the girls? So I knelt down and I said, the most important thing for you right now at this stage in your life is to always be kind. And he looked me in the eye and he said, we're playing tag.03:39And I knelt down again, and I said, you've got to be fast.03:47And that little anecdote reminds us of a very important truth about life. Context makes all the difference. I was ready to have this heart-to-heart about something that he had no interest in talking about.04:05Context makes all the difference. And it never matters more than when we come to the Word of God. Understanding the Word of God in its context. And we're going through 1 Corinthians verse by verse. And you could sum up the first 12 chapters very simply. Lack of love. That was the problem. That was the bottom line. Lack of love. Paul's like, you're not loving each other the way that you need to love each other.04:35So we get to chapter 13 where Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us the solution. And the solution is love. Love. Love each other. We talked about this last week. Agape love. Self-sacrificing love. Yes, there are feelings involved, but it's a word more about doing. Right? And then he talked about 15 ways that real love Love acts. Why is this so important? Well, look at verse 8. He says, love never ends. What Paul's doing here and what I'm trying to just echo in representing the Word of God is church, can we grasp the matter of love. Can we really wrap our minds and our hearts around how utterly essential and huge it is for us as a church to get this? He says love is eternal. It's never going away. Now, through all of eternity. Listen, this literally should be translated, love never ends.06:02Some translations say things like love never fails. And that's not what he's saying. He's not saying love always conquers the day. He's not saying that because in that sense, love does sometimes fail. I mean, come on, let's not lie to ourselves. Love does sometimes fail. Have you ever loved a family member?06:32and everything went south anyways. Have you ever loved somebody in the church? And you were still met with hostility. In that sense, love does sometimes fail because here's the thing. Love can be rejected. Just ask Jesus. Right? Jesus loved everyone perfectly. But sometimes even in Jesus' Jesus' interactions, his love was rejected. But, that's not what he's saying here. He's not saying love always conquers, he's saying love lasts forever. And he makes that point clear in these subsequent verses. Because their emphasis, we've been talking about this the last, what, two or three weeks or whatever, their emphasis was on the spiritual gifts. They were so, like, obsessed with this.07:32Who has the best gift? Who's the most important person in the church? You're not as important as me. And this gift, that's way more important than this gift. And they were so out of joint about spiritual gifts. And Paul's coming along, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. All that stuff, all that stuff's going to be over someday, all right? But you know what won't ever be over? Love. That's what he's saying here. So, on your outline, love is, greater than any spiritual gift. That is the greater sign, right? Okay, thank you. The one person here who knew. Okay, Brian. Brian Krauss, thank you. He knew that one. That is the greater sign. It's been a while. Thank you. He's always got my back. Love is greater than any spiritual gift. That's the point. Number one, spiritual gifts are temporary. That's Paul's first point. He goes, love never ends.08:32Love never ends. But look, you're all tied up about these spiritual gifts. He goes, that stuff is all temporary. Look at the rest of verse 8. He says, as for prophecies, they will pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. As for knowledge, it will pass away. They're all going to end someday. And Paul gives three examples. They were spiritual gifts that were a big deal.09:02church and there are three spiritual gifts that are a big deal in a lot of churches today.09:07Do you see them?09:08Let's talk about it.09:09First of all, he's talking about prophecy.09:13Jump over tongues for a second.09:16Prophecy and knowledge.09:18That's putting those together.09:20That's knowing and speaking God's truth.09:25It's a big deal.09:26It's a big deal in this church.09:27It was a big deal to the Corinthians because we talked about this a few months ago.09:31In that culture, public speaking was the cool thing. It was competition. It was entertainment. Public speaking was the thing. Right? So prophecy and knowledge, knowing and speaking God's truth. And right in the middle there, he talks about tongues. What are tongues? We talked about this briefly. We're going to really take a deep dive in this starting next week. But what are tongues? Tongues are literally known languages. All right?10:01It's not gibberish. Tongues are a known language. The spiritual gift was to be able to get up and speak in a language, an existing language that you didn't know, that you never learned. Like if I got up and all of a sudden I started speaking Mandarin. I don't know any Mandarin, but all of a sudden I start speaking it. That's what the gift was. And there would be an interpreter to have the gift to translate what was said. But it was a known language. Acts 2.10:31Look at Pentecost. That's what happened. We're going to talk more about that in a second. But Paul's point here is just simply this. All these gifts, prophecy, tongues, knowledge, they're all temporary. They're all temporary. All right, let's not get too excited about these. Like, they're all temporary. Yes, they have a purpose. Yes, used in the church. Yes, a gift from the Holy Spirit for the edification of the body. Yes, but, but, They are not the most important thing because they don't last forever. Alright, we're going to go to Sunday school here for a second. I want you to notice in your Bible, this is so important, notice the different verbs that are used talking about prophecy and tongues and knowledge. Did you see there are different verbs used describing them? One verb is pass away.11:31What that means literally, I'm not going to bore you with a grammar lesson, you can study this out yourself. Take me to Chick-fil-A and I'll show you my homework. But pass away literally refers to something coming along and putting an end to it. Like this is happening, but something's going to come and stop this. All right, that's pass away. The word cease though literally means something that stops all by itself. It just ends.12:01Nothing puts an end to it. It just stops. So notice he says here in verse 8 that prophecy and knowledge will pass away. They're temporary. Something will stop them someday. You're like, well, what's going to stop prophecy and knowledge? Oh, he tells us. We're going to get to that in verse 9. He tells us what puts an end to it. But he says tongues will cease. Again, tongues also temporary. He says tongues, literally, His wording is tongues will stop by themselves. So that is the question, isn't it? When will speaking in tongues come to an end? Well, here we go. Speaking in tongues. Speaking a language you didn't learn. This is the purpose of tongues. Tongues was actually a sign of judgment against the people.13:01the nation of Israel.13:05See, Israel had rejected God, and in Paul's day, Israel rejected Jesus Christ as Messiah, so God was moving on to people of other languages.13:18With speaking in tongues, God was saying, you're not going to listen to a language that you understand?13:23Well, I'm going to speak a language you don't understand.13:27And this isn't something that I came up with.13:29This wasn't my idea.13:30this is from the Old Testament. I want you to consider a couple of verses here. This has always been God's way. Jeremiah 5, verse 15. Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation. It is an ancient nation. Look at this. A nation whose language you do not know. Nor can you understand what they say. Do you see as a sign of judgment?14:00God's saying, people are going to be coming and speaking a language, you don't have any idea what they're saying. He says the same thing, Isaiah chapter 28. He says, for by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue, the Lord will speak to this people. To whom He has said, this is rest, give rest to the weary, and this is repost. Yet they would not hear. There it is again. God says judgment is going to be connected with, I'm going to bring people speaking a language that you're not going to understand. It's their language, but you're not going to understand what it is. You're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, Pastor Jeff, okay, okay, that's Old Testament. But is that really connected to the New Testament? Well, absolutely, because in 1 Corinthians 14, which we're going to be getting to real soon, Paul quotes Isaiah 28 in talking about tongues. He says, in the law, it is written, there it is, by people of strange tongues, And even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord. You see, Paul directly connected speaking in tongues with this sign of judgment from the Old Testament. All right? So tongues was a sign of judgment against Israel, and it was to affirm the apostles, their teaching and their message. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago. Quick review.15:29Speaking in tongues was actually a miracle. And God used miracles through the apostles to verify the new covenant gospel message because the New Testament wasn't completed yet. You see, these apostles didn't get up and say, open your Bibles to the book of James or whatever. They didn't have the Bible completed yet. It was being written at this time. So to verify their message, God backed them up with miraculous gifts.15:59Tongues was one of those. So miracles, including speaking in tongues, speaking a language you didn't learn, miracles ended, now listen very closely, they ended as normative with the apostolic era. What do I mean as normative? Do I believe that God still does miracles, including the biblical gifts?16:29The Gift of Speaking in Tongues today? Yes, I do believe that. I do believe that these miracles still happen on occasion. When God wants them to happen, they happen. But it's not normative as it was in the days of the apostles. In fact, you go through the rest of your Bible, there's zero mention in the New Testament after the book of Acts, after the book of 1 Corinthians, which is the earliest epistle written. There's zero mention of speaking in tongues moving through the rest of the New Testament. Zero mention. Why? Because it was a miracle gift connected with the apostles. Look, you might have a different understanding of speaking in tongues. And you're like, I want to fight about it. And I would say, I have no interest in fighting about it.17:28Because if we were to fight about it, we are going to completely miss the point, right? The point was, the church was fighting about it! And Paul's like, it's temporary! We don't fight about spiritual gifts, he's just reminding us, look, these things are not going to last into eternity! The spiritual gifts are all temporary! But love never ends!17:59All I can do as a pastor is tell you what the Bible says about it. Right? And I know that's why you're here. This is what the Bible says about spiritual gifts. Paul says, prophecy and knowledge will pass away and tongues will cease. But love never ends. Alright?18:28So spiritual gifts are temporary. And number two, write this one down. Spiritual gifts are partial. They're partial. Look at verse 9. He says, for we know in part, and we prophesy in part. Stop there. Knowledge and prophecy. Notice he dropped tongues in the conversation. Tongues has exited the chat.18:59Right? But knowledge and prophecy are always going to be needed in the church age. Right? Not new revelation. I'm not getting up anytime, nor is Pastor Taylor, Pastor Rich, or Brian, or anybody who gets up here to speak. Nobody's getting up here saying, hey, here's this brand new word from God. No, the revelation has been completed with the word of God. So knowledge and prophecy have to do with understanding and preaching the truth.19:28that's revealed in God's Word. But notice he says, we know in part. And we prophesy in part. I don't know everything. I didn't even know the little boy was playing tag. I don't know everything. And I certainly can't preach everything. Because knowledge and prophecy Not only are they temporary, but they're also partial. Look at verse 10. He says, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. All right, here's the question. What is the perfect that he's talking about here?20:32Well, you know what? I did a lot of reading this week. I did a lot of reading. And there are scholars and commentators and theologians, they are all over the board on this. Some people say that the perfect is the completion of the New Testament. That knowledge and prophecy pass away when the Bible is completed. Some people say, that the perfect is the rapture.21:05That's the perfect.21:06When the Lord returns and takes His church, that's the perfect.21:10And I've got to tell you, I don't see how either of those make any sense at all.21:16Knowledge and prophecy passing away.21:18First of all, when the New Testament is completed, even though the New Testament is completed, They're still preaching, right? Have you ever heard somebody preach? Have you ever experienced preaching? Okay. Thank you. They're still preaching. The Bible's complete, but there's still prophecy. We talked about this. Prophecy literally just means speak before. Talk before people. It's sharing the Word of God with people. That's what prophecy is.21:58That's still happening? Yeah. Okay. So prophecy's still a thing, right? And knowledge has to be a thing because I'm not getting up here, nor is any of our other preachers getting up here just talking about ourselves. We're talking about this. So we have to have preaching based on the knowledge of the Word. So that's still a thing, right? So the completion of the New Testament doesn't really, that doesn't make any sense. All right? I was so worried that I was going to get up here and say, you know, is still happening, right? And you're like, huh? Like, no. Like, it is! Right now! And then the rapture. People are like, well, the perfect, obviously, it's the rapture. Is there preaching during the tribulation? The tribulation will be the most evangelistic time in the history of the world. Yeah, the Bible's clear.22:58be preaching during the tribulation.23:01Now that doesn't make any sense either.23:05The context is clear, and it's going to be even more clear as we go through the verses.23:09What is the perfect? He's talking about heaven.23:12He's talking about heaven. Here's what he's saying.23:14Listen, he's saying when we're in glory, when we're in heaven, we are not going to need this partial knowledge of God.23:22We're not going to need it.23:24And we're certainly not going to need to preach in heaven.23:26That's what he's talking about.23:29I want you to listen very closely. Lest I be misquoted. Listen, the Word of God is perfect. But the knowledge is still partial compared to what we will know in glory. Prophecy also is partial.23:57Compared to all that there is to know. In a church like ours, every church has their thing, right? Every church has their thing. This church was planted on the belief that the Word of God does the work of God. And we have committed since day one to do nothing but straightforwardly proclaim the Word of God verse by verse.24:28That's expository preaching. And even though we proclaim God's truth verse by verse, it's still only partial. You can find this on our website. I looked this up. I don't track this stuff. I think Murph does. But go to our sermons tab on our website.24:57some time. Not now. But go to our sermons tab on our website. And they put up a tracker. You know, there are... Do you know how many chapters are in the Bible, by the way? Do you know how many chapters are? There's 1,189 chapters in the Bible. Since 2011, and this is what's tracked on the website. Since 2011, Harvest Bible Chapel, what?25:2715 and a half years, something like that. Okay, in that time, we have preached 214 full chapters in the Bible and 120 partial chapters. You know what that is percentage-wise? Since this church was planted, percentage-wise, of all the chapters in the Bible in 15, almost 16 years, we have preached 28.1% of the Bible.25:57Bible. Do you know what that means? Again, that's just Sunday sermons. That's not even talking about like, you know, Folsey preaching on Wednesday night or any of our conferences or anything like that. That's just our Sunday sermons. So to this point, we preach 28.1% of the Bible. Do you know what that means? That means if we're going to get to 100%, I get to go, more than 30 more years. I don't think I got it in me. But hypothetically, let's say we do. Let's say we do make it 100%. We covered every single verse in the Bible. Do you know what that means? That's still only part of what there is to know about God. Right?26:58Deuteronomy 29.29 says, the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.27:10Look, this is partial, but we know everything that God wants us to know here.27:18Right?27:19So in saying the knowledge is partial, I don't want you to leave here thinking the Bible is deficient anyway.27:23It's not.27:24This is perfectly what God wants us to know here. But this isn't everything. But it's what He wants us to know here. Like, from the Bible, we know enough to be saved, don't we? I mean, isn't that clear? We know what it is to be saved, right? The Bible's clear. We are born with a sin nature, a rebellious nature. We are lost. We are dead in our sin. And Jesus Christ came and lived a perfect life and died on the cross.27:55That should have been me on the cross.27:57That should have been you on the cross.27:58Jesus said, I will take their place.28:00I will be punished for their sin.28:05And then Jesus rose from the dead three days later, conquering death.28:09And it is through turning from our sin and receiving Jesus Christ by faith, believing in Him that we are saved.28:17That's in the Bible.28:19We know enough to be saved.28:21Oh, do we know enough to live the redeemed life? Do we know what it looks like to live a Christian life? To be a Christian neighbor? To be a Christian spouse? To be a Christian parent? Yeah. But no matter how much we know and preach in the Bible, it's still only partial compared to all their will be to know in glory. So, you got all that? Well, for those that maybe are still a little unclear on the temporary and partial nature of spiritual gifts, Paul gives two illustrations respectively. Listen, verse 11 illustrates the temporary nature of spiritual gifts. And verse 12 illustrates the partial nature of spiritual gifts. He gives us illustrations so that we can understand what it is he's talking about. Alright? Look at verse 11. He says, when I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child.29:50When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. See here, Paul's illustrating the temporary nature of spiritual gifts. And this is an easy illustration to grasp. Super easy. He's just simply saying this, I did things as a kid that I no longer do as an adult. Right? That should be all of us adults, right? Should be.30:21I did things as a kid that I no longer do as an adult.30:25You know, if you would have, if you go back in time, if you got some DeLorean or something that would take you back in time, and you would find me like in the early 80s, you know what I would have been doing? I would have been in the arcade. Oh, I love the arcade. Amen. Thank you. Yeah, I love the arcade. Dad would give me a dollar, and you'd go get the quarters, and you'd play your Pac-Man.30:50And oh I love the arcade. I spend so much time in the arcade. If you would have found me back then, you know what else I loved doing as a kid? Trick or treating. You know why I mentioned that? Because I know there are going to be people upset about this message. I figure I don't want to miss anybody.31:23It's true. I got on my Spider-Man costume. And it was, trick-or-treat was an hour in Shakura. And we made it our goal to hit every house. Maximize the time in Shakura you could hit every house in an hour. But, yeah, that's what I did as a child. Oh, as a child, I remember going to school. I had a blue He-Man lunchbox.31:51I do kind of miss that. Did you see Paul's point? He goes, when you grow up, you don't do the things you did as a kid, right? Well, this is the illustration. He says, our life on earth here now, this is our spiritual childhood. Because we are all, we are all right now, spiritually, we're like children. We're immature. We don't know a ton.32:22And what we do know, we struggle to understand it sometimes. And it's hard for us to sort of take it all in, right? But spiritual gifts are sort of like the ABCs for childhood. Notice, he says, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child. Do you see what that is? Spoke like a child, that's tongues. Thought like a child, that's probably knowledge. Reason like a child, That's prophecy. What's he saying? He's just simply saying this. In glory, we're going to be grown up. So we're going to put away the earthly things, the childish things, the spiritual gifts. We're not going to need earthly spiritual gifts in heaven. That's what he's saying. We need them now, obviously. We're not going to need them in heaven. Because they're temporary. Verse 12 illustrates the partial nature of spiritual gifts.33:22He says, For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then, face to face, now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.33:44Here He's illustrating partial nature of spiritual gifts.33:47He's talking about a mirror.33:48When we hear mirror, we think of the one that we have in our bathroom, right? The big, shiny. You can see all the imperfections and whatever. You can see all of that. It's so crystal clear. But understand, in Paul's day, their mirror was really just shiny, polished metal. That's really all it was. It was just shiny metal that when you saw your reflection in it, listen, the image, was true, but it wasn't clear. It was partial. That's why he says dimly. That's why he says right now we see dimly. Oh, oh, we see the glory of Christ now, don't we? Do we see the glory of Christ now? In His Word, we see the glory of Christ.34:48In a transformed life, we see the glory of Christ. In worship, we see the glory of Christ. We see now, but as glorious as it is, it's dim. But then in glory, he says, it's face to face. And think of how overwhelmed we will be with the glory of Christ.35:19when we're actually looking at His face. How well will we really get it then? All I know is it's not going to be partial then. That's why He says, look at the last part of verse 12 again. He says, now I know in part. Then, see that's glory, that's the perfect. Then I shall know fully even as I know.35:48I have been fully known. You see, now I know Jesus in part. Then I will know Him fully. You're like, well, how much? How much? How much? He says, I will know Jesus even as I have been fully known. He says, I will know Jesus as Jesus knows me.36:23Do you know what this means?36:28It means that someday It means that someday I'm going to be out of a job You know, like right now, I've dedicated my life to this I strive to tell you how glorious Jesus Christ is. That's all I try to do. Tell you how glorious He is. As revealed in His Word. His love for you. Oh, we don't deserve it. But He has demonstrated a love for us that nothing compares to. Oh, His love. All He's done. Laid down His life. Suffered disgrace and humiliation and insults.37:16and to raise from the dead triumphantly so that we could be adopted children of God. But you know, someday I'm not going to need any spiritual gift of prophecy or knowledge or exhortation in heaven because everybody there is fully going to know Jesus. Do you know how frustrating that's going to be for me? Do you even care?37:46I'm getting a strong vibe that you don't. Because this is heaven. Here's a preview of heaven. I'm going to be like, isn't Jesus awesome? And you'll be like, dude, I'm looking right at him. Yeah. Yes, he is awesome. Love is greater than any spiritual gift because they're temporary.38:17They're partial. But, but, but, number three, but love is forever. Love is forever. You probably know this verse. He says, so now faith, hope, and love abide. These three. But the greatest of these is love. Shifted gears a little bit, didn't he?38:47He says, so now faith, hope, and love abide. Like spiritual gifts, we use those sometimes, right? We use our spiritual gifts sometimes. But these three, faith, hope, and love, we're using those all the time, right? He says, but love is the greatest. Love is the greatest. Why? Why is love the greatest? Verse 8, because love never ends.39:16That's why it's the greatest. Faith, hope, and love. Oh, faith. Yeah, faith is pretty important. We need faith because according to the Bible, that's the only way we're saved. We are saved by faith. It is by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We need faith. We need it for salvation. Hope. What do we need hope for?39:46We desperately need hope. You know what we need hope for? We need hope for perseverance. Hope is the only thing that keeps me going. It's knowing that things will not always be as they are right now. Knowing that there is a glorious future for everyone who loves Jesus Christ. That keeps me going. We need hope for perseverance. But you know, faith and hope, those are just earth things. They're temporary.40:16Because someday faith is going to be replaced by sight. You're not going to need faith in heaven. Oh, and someday hope is going to be replaced. Someday hope is going to be replaced by reality. Look, I'm here. Everything he promised, I got it now. But what's going to replace love? Nothing.40:49Spiritual gifts, ministry, stuff, even faith and hope are all temporary things. And they're all partial things. Love is the only thing that is for now and for eternity. That's why I look at chapter 14, first two verses, here it is.41:16That was the introduction. Here's the sermon. Look at chapter 14, verse 1. He says, pursue love. Pursue love. We talked about this before, right? Last week. Pursue love. Become like God. That's what it means to pursue love. Become like God. Be imitators of God. You know, the Bible doesn't say God is faith.41:47The Bible doesn't say God is hope. The Bible does say God is love. Pursue love. Pursue love, church. Hey, examine yourselves. Examine your relationships. Meditate on what it means to love. Go to God and say, God, make me love the way that you have called me to love. Pursue love.42:15That has to be your goal. It has to be. It takes us right back to love is patient and kind. You know, all that stuff we talked about last week. Remember that exercise last week? Put your name in where it says love. Put your name in there and see if the passage still makes sense because where it doesn't, it shows you where you need to grow. Remember that exercise? That can't be a one and done.42:4715 ways real love acts. Put your name in where it says love. See if it makes sense. Remember that exercise last week? Yeah, I think we should do that again, right? You're like, no, no, no, no. Hang on, hang on. You're like, hang on. Time out. Pastor Jeff, before you do that, that's a lot to remember, right? 15 is a lot to remember. Like, Pastor Jeff, could you maybe exercise some spiritual gift?43:17and summarize it for me. And the answer is no. I don't need to summarize it for you because the Bible already did. All of it can be summed up in one thing. And that is, love your neighbor as yourself. That's all through the Bible, right? Leviticus 19.18, Matthew 22.39.43:459, Galatians 5, 14, James 2, 8, over and over and over and over. Love your neighbor as yourself. That's what you need to meditate on. How do you want people to love you? How do you want people to forgive you when you mess up? How do you want people to talk to you? How do you want people Because the only thing that we have here on earth that we're also going to have in heaven is each other.44:29So, pursue love.44:35Our worship team would make their way forward in our communion servers.44:40We're going to close our time here around the Lord's table because again, Love isn't something that you can muster up. Love isn't something that you can try harder. The only way you can love is it has to come from God. It has to be the rivers of living water flowing through you. The Bible says we love because He first loved us. And there is not a more thing that I could think of, than to gather around the Lord's table and remember and participate in the reality in how He loved us.45:29We're going to ask you to stand, and when you are ready, come down the center aisles, receive the elements, and return to your seat via the outside aisles, and hold on to the elements, And when everyone has received as a sign of church unity, we will receive the Lord's Supper together. So please come when you're ready. We love because He first loved us. God demonstrated His love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.46:11The Bible tells us that on the night that Jesus was betrayed, He took bread and He broke it and He gave thanks. And He said, this is My body, which is given for you. Eat this in remembrance of Me. After the meal, Jesus took the cup and He said, this is the new covenant in My blood. Pour it out for the forgiveness of sin. Drink this in remembrance of Me.46:44Would you please stand as we close our time in worship. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 13:8-13What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What is the difference between “pass away” and “cease” (1 Cor 13:8)? How does this help us understand these spiritual gifts listed?What does “the perfect” refer to in 1 Cor 13:10? Defend your answer!Explain Paul's 2 illustrations in 1 Cor 13:11-12.How is love greater than faith and hope (1 Cor 13:13)?BreakoutPray for one another.

What does it look like to honor Jesus in marriage, parenting, & work? In Week 4 of Jesus + Nothing, Pastor Rich teaches from Colossians 3:18-4:1, a passage that can feel uncomfortable in our culture. Rather than fast forwarding through difficult Scripture, this message invites us to ask what faithful obedience looks like in the roles God has given us. Rich walks through biblical submission, sacrificial love, parenting with a shepherd's heart, work as unto the Lord, and authority as stewardship under Christ. The message also makes an important pastoral distinction: Scripture is never permission for abuse, manipulation, or cruelty. Speaker: Rich Greene Series: Jesus + Nothing, Week 4 Message: Honor Jesus in Every Role Date: June 7, 2026 Scripture referenced: Colossians 3:18-4:1   Connect with us: https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia Learn more about LIFEchurch: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/ Give: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/give

Join us as Pastor Rich continues our series, Who Are You?

Join us as Pastor Rich continues our series, Who Are You?

Introduction: Mark 1:8 - I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Since I'm a Member of the Body of Christ… (1 Corinthians 12:12-31) I shouldn't DOUBT the Part I Play (1 Cor 12:14-20) Because That DENIES My Purpose (1 Cor 12:14-17) Because That DISHONORS God's Design (1 Cor 12:18-20) I shouldn't DOWNPLAY the Roles of Others (1 Cor 12:21-26) By Acting Like I Don't Need ANYONE ELSE (1 Cor 12:21-24) By Exclusively Focusing on My NEEDS (1 Cor 12:25-26) By Shining the Spotlight onto ME (1 Cor 12:27-31) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: How is the Church Like a Body? Taylor Brown Download Audio Transcript 00:36Please turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 12, verses 12-31. 1 Corinthians 12, verses 12-31. Isn't it frustrating to witness someone not do his or her job correctly? Maybe you have an employee or a direct report who constantly comes late, makes excuses, or has a suspicious number of grandparents that he has funerals he has to attend.01:06How many grandparents do you actually have? You hire a contractor to carry out a project in your house and he makes huge mistakes. And he acts very inconvenient when you come, when you ask him to come back and fix those mistakes. Your waitress has a horrible attitude and never checks on your table because she is constantly texting. You know what's even more frustrating than that? Witnessing or experiencing someone else.01:36not allow others to do their jobs correctly. You watch your favorite team lose yet again because one key player can't get his act together and he messes it up for everybody. You have a boss who is an expert in incompetence. He expects everyone to do their jobs as well as his job. You have a co-worker who makes your job so hard you can't finish this project at work because she has constantly dragging your feet and she is not communicating with you.02:10And instead of accepting that blame, taking it on herself, she points the finger of blame at you and says that it's your fault.02:19You know what's infinitely more frustrating than all the examples I've given already?02:24Witnessing a Christian refuse to do his or her job in the church.02:30or experiencing another Christian attempt to hinder you from carrying out your job in the church. Instead of contributing to the team, this person backs away, tries to go solo and do his or her own thing. Instead of building others up and encouraging them, they tear others down and diminish them. Wasted potential is a sorry sight to behold. Misused talents are squandered resources.03:02Missed opportunities for ministry are to be grieved. As you learned over the past eight months in 1 Corinthians, the church is commanded to be unified and purified. Unfortunately, this unity is undervalued, ignored, and tested by many who should know better. This purity is jeopardized, abused, and cast aside by many who claim to know and love Jesus Christ.03:30Excuses are made and commitments are unkept. Complaints are spoken instead of genuine praise. Zooming in on me and what I want is far more common than focusing on us and what we need. Am I describing you? Am I describing your contribution to the church?04:00Ask yourself, am I contributing to the unity and purity of Harvest Bible Chapel, or am I subtracting from it? Are you neglecting to do your job in the church? Are you standing in the way of others and making it hard for them to carry out their jobs in the church? Take a moment to go before the Lord and consider those questions.04:32Quiet your heart and ask God to convict you today. Ask God to challenge you today. Ask God to change you today. Go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we come before you as your people for the most important appointment of the week. May we not be distracted. Or may we truly dial in to what what you want to teach us this morning. Lord, may you show us who you've called us to be and what you've commanded us to do. I pray we'd all walk out of this room with a different vision of the church and a different idea of what we are called to do individually in the church. I ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. We are in the Q&A section of 1 Corinthians. Paul is addressing questions that this congregation asked him in a previous And last week, Pastor Jeff showed us Paul's answer to the Corinthians' question about spiritual gifts. Every single believer is given at least one spiritual gift that is to be used to bless the church and advance the gospel. No one is skipped over. No one is forgotten. No one is left giftless. And these gifts are to unite, not divide.06:00And Paul continues to answer this question in chapter 12, verses 12 through 31, by providing a powerful illustration. He compares the unity of the church body to the unity of a physical human body. Check out what he has to say in verse 12 of chapter 12.06:30So it is with Christ. I'm going to ask you a very easy question, and I'm even going to let you cheat to get the right answer. So everyone, look down and give yourself a quick once-over. Come on, go do it. Are you ready for my question? How many bodies do you have? It's not your question. Just one, you got the answer right. Great job.07:01I'm asking you an easy follow-up question. You can look down again if you have to. How many body parts do you have? Do you have more than one body part? Yes, you have more than one. According to Dr. Google, which is never wrong, you have 78 organs, 206 bones, and 30 to 40 trillion cells. You have individual body parts, legs, feet, toes, toenails, arms, Arms, Hands, Hands, Fingers, Fingernails, Heart, Lungs, Kidney, Stomach, Pancreas, Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Nose, Nose, Hairs, Mouth, Teeth, Gums, Tongue, Uvula.07:41And on the list goes. Sorry, Pastor Jeff's uvula was swollen this week, and you're talking about it a lot, so I had to add that.07:50He was sick. That was the reason why.07:54But these individual parts do not operate or function independently from one another.08:00Instead, they work together as one body. They serve different roles. They carry out the same mission to keep you alive and kicking. And Paul is saying this truth about your physical body applies to the church body as well. Yes, we all have different roles. We all have different functions. But we do not operate independently from one another. We work together as one body.08:30same mission to lift high the name of Jesus Christ by making disciples.08:37And you may be thinking, hold on a minute.08:39This illustration seems to break down a bit because I've always had my physical body.08:44It's the only one I've got.08:46How did I become a part of the church body?08:48When did that happen?08:50It's a great question.08:52Thankfully, Paul answers it in verse 13.08:55He says, For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one Spirit. You realize at one point you didn't exist. There was no you. Then you popped into existence and you grew in your mother's womb. And at one point you were born into this world with your physical But if you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, if you have been saved and given new life in Him, you have experienced more than just one birth. According to God's Word, you've experienced a new birth. And on your spiritual birthday, you were brought into the body of Christ. You became a part of the body of Christ. And this second birth is a work of the Holy Spirit, who Paul That sounds really cool. What in the world does that mean? Baptized in the Holy Spirit. Well, 2,000 years ago, John the Baptist baptized men and women in water as a sign of their repentance. But John was up front. He was very clear that he was not the point. He was not the be-all and end-all. He came to point to someone greater than him. He says, He says, I baptize with water, but He will baptize with the Holy Spirit.10:37Who is this greater person?10:39Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit?10:42Jesus Christ Himself.10:46This has massive implications for my life, your life, and the life of this church body.10:52This means that I, Taylor Samuel Brown, wasn't just baptized in water on July 30, 2000 by Pastor Jesse Boggs at Northgate Church. Yes, that was an important day. That was an important baptism. But I experienced an even more important day, an even more important baptism years prior. Before that, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit by Jesus Christ. I was saved from my sins.11:25I was made into a new person.11:27I was brought into the body of Christ.11:32My water baptism was simply an outward symbol of the salvation I experienced.11:39Of this baptism in the Holy Spirit that I experienced.11:45And Paul even says that I drank of the Holy Spirit.11:50Again, sounds great, but what in the world does that mean? Well, think about it this way. When you drink something, you are filled with that liquid, aren't you? Whether it's water, coffee, wild cherry, Pepsi, or kombucha. When you drink a liquid, you are filled with that liquid. When you drink of the Holy Spirit, you are filled with the Holy Spirit. He lives within you. He takes up residence within you.12:20If you have trusted in Christ, you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. You have been filled with the Holy Spirit. In verse 13, Paul mentions different factors that would divide people back in his day. He mentions ethnicity and social status. In 2026, we live in a world where we are constantly being tried to be ripped apart because of our many differences. We have different backgrounds. We have different skin colors. We come from different financial situations. We have different careers. We have different personalities. We have different temperaments. We are different in so many ways. And as we'll discover soon, that is good news to celebrate. But we are the exact same in the most important ways. We have the same Heavenly Father. We have been redeemed by the same Savior.13:20been changed by the same Holy Spirit. We belong to the same body. Our differences may be great, but our unity in Christ and His Spirit is even greater. So after this long and theologically heavy introduction, you may be thinking, all right, this is all very interesting, but what's the point? I get it. I'm a member of the body of Christ.13:49Now, you need to be encouraged to do your job in the body of Christ. Now, you need to be encouraged to let other people do their jobs in the body of Christ. So on your outline, since I'm a member of the body of Christ, number one, I shouldn't doubt the part I play. I shouldn't doubt the part I play.14:19Some of you in this room and watching online struggle to truly believe that you have an important part to play in the life of this church. You may think to yourself, I mean, sure, this is my church and I'm involved, but if I left, nothing would change. No one would notice. I don't have an upfront role that matters. I don't play an instrument. I don't really matter here. And as one of your pastors, it deeply saddens me that some of you feel that way about you.14:51It deeply saddens me that you believe a lie about yourself instead of believing what God's word says about who you are. You do matter. You do have a part to play at Harvest. This church does need you and it wouldn't be the same without you. And I'm not just saying that to make you feel good. I'm saying that because that's what God's word says. Listen to what Paul says in verses 14 through 17.15:19For the body does not consist of one member, but of many. If the foot should say, because I'm not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?15:49I didn't doubt the part I play. Letter A on your outline, because that denies my purpose. Because that denies my purpose. You claiming that you have no part to play in the body of Christ because you don't have the gifting of another person is as ridiculous as your foot saying, I have no part to play in the body because I'm not a hand. I'll never be able to hammer a nail into the wall. I'll never be able to type on a keyboard, so I just give up.16:18I mean, sure, your hands can't do, your feet can't do what your hands can do. But your hands can't do what your feet can do as well, right? Walking is pretty important, right? Most of you don't agree with that. Walking is really important, right? Your hands can't do that. Okay, good. Man, you are sitting right now, but eventually you will have to get up and walk away.16:45You claiming that you have no part to play in the body of Christ is as insane as your ears saying, I have no part to play in the body because I'll never be able to look at the Grand Canyon. I'll never be able to stare up at a starry night. So I'm just going to tune out and call it a day. I mean, yeah, your eye is important, but your eyes can't do what your ears can do. Without your ears, you wouldn't be able to hear anything. Just imagine if your entire body was just just one feature. Eyes are beautiful, aren't they? I love my wife's eyes the most, and I could stare into her eyes for hours. But imagine if Kate was just a big eyeball and nothing else. There's a big eye bouncing around my house and sleeping in the bed next to me at night. That sounds like the premise of a horror movie. I mean, yeah, I'd still love her because I made a vow to her 12 years ago, but That'd be pretty rough. That'd be hard. A big eye has 20-20 vision, but it can't really do anything else. A big ear has great hearing, but it can't really do much else. Now imagine if every single person in this church had the same exact gifting and function. Would that be productive or disastrous? It would be a total and complete I have been in a room with thousands of preachers before.18:20Imagine if those thousands of preachers tried to carry out the same function in the same church.18:27There would be arguments about who does what.18:29The bills would never get paid.18:31The building would fall in disrepair and probably burn down.18:34Preaching is an essential function of the church, but is not the only function.18:41Some of you men in this room do have a preaching gift.18:44We are so thankful for you. You realize it's very different. It's very unique to have this many guys who can preach a message in a church. That doesn't happen everywhere. God has gifted this church. But others of you guys do not have a preaching gift. And that is not something to be upset about. That is not a bad thing. Not everybody has the gift of preaching. Not everyone has an upfront role.19:14If your part is behind the scenes, it matters. Maybe your part is in the AV booth. Without Mike back there, without all the AV team back there, no one would be able to hear the sermons. I'd just scream at the top of my lungs for you to hear me. Without Ben and Lincoln working on the sermons afterwards, people across the country and across the world wouldn't be able to hear it, which does happen.19:43Maybe your part is being on the prayer team. You show the rest of the body what it looks like to faithfully lift up the needs of the saints to the Lord. Maybe your part is security. You function as the antibodies of the church that keeps the rest of the body safe. Maybe your part is working at Harvest Academy or working as an adult leader in Arrow. You are training up the future generation in Jesus Christ.20:14is leading a small group. You are on the front lines of congregational care and discipleship. Maybe your part is on the relocation and building committee with Pastor Rich and the others. You help formulate the budget. You count on Sundays. I can keep going and going and going. Without a doubt, you do have a part to play. Stop believing that you do not matter. Stop being envious of others. Stop denying your purpose at harvest.20:45I shouldn't doubt the part I play because that denies my purpose. Letter B, I shouldn't doubt the part I play because that dishonors God's design. Because that dishonors God's design. Let's look at verses 18 through 20. But as it is, God arranges the members in the body, each one of them as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?21:18When you badmouth a team's starting lineup and strategies, who are you ultimately dishonoring? The coach who decides who starts and designs the place. If you pick apart every single detail of a restaurant and complain about it to everyone that you know, who are you dishonoring ultimately? The manager, the owner, who decides who to hire, who makes all the big decisions. If you complain about your gifting and part in the body, who are you ultimately dishonoring? God himself. He is the one who created you. He is the one who designed his church. Paul says that God arranges the members in the body, each of them as he chose. When you are discontent with your part in the church, you aren't just hurting yourself, and you are hurting yourself.22:13You aren't just shortchanging your fellow members. You aren't just making ministry hard for the pastors, elders, and other leaders. You are accusing God. You are saying something about Him that is not true. You are shouting this message to your Creator. God, you made a mistake with me. I deserve a do-over. You could have done better. Is that a great message to send to the most important and powerful person the universe. No, it is not. Because God doesn't need a do-over. Because he nails everything on the first try. God did not make a mistake with you. He designs you purposefully and puts you into his church with purpose and design. It's a complete waste of time, energy, and effort to resist the Lord. So cut it out. Get on board with his plans for the body. Lean into your God-given part instead of backing away from it. Do your job in the church because it was personally chosen for you. Since I'm a member of the body of Christ, I shouldn't doubt the part I play. Since I'm a member of the body of Christ, number two on your outline, I shouldn't downplay the roles of others. I shouldn't downplay the roles of others.23:44from sabotaging yourself to sabotaging others. It is foolish to stand in your own way, but it is wicked to stand in the way of other people. As we just talked about, many of you struggle with a low view of yourself and how God has gifted you. Others of you have the exact opposite problem. You have a low view of others and how God has gifted them.24:13In the next several verses, Paul warns you to not downplay the roles of others in the church. Listen to verses 21 through 24.24:43which are more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it. I shouldn't downplay the roles of others, letter A on your outline, by acting like I don't need anyone else. By acting like I don't need anyone else. So Paul turns the tables on the Corinthians as well as you and me in these verses. He flips the scenario.25:13First, he says it's dumb for a foot or an eye to say that they're not a part of the body. Now he says it's dumb for the eye or the head to tell other parts of the body that they don't matter. This kind of attitude is arrogant. This game of comparison misses the point. You know, naturally, we all create lists of importance and systems of ranking.25:43a to-do list that you want to complete, right? Where do you put the items that you think are the most important? Top of the list, right? Where do you put the items that you think are probably the least important? At the bottom of the list. Several months ago, many of you took part in the college basketball brackets, right? You decided which teams you thought were the best and which teams you thought were the worst. If I were to ask you your favorite movies, you could list them very quickly. If I were to ask you to list your least favorite movies, you could do it even quicker. We naturally evaluate everything. We're constantly grading other people's performances. We form our own personal rankings. And this was happening in the Corinthian church back in the first century. There were the spiritual elite at the top of the charts who looked down on those they thought were weaker, less honorable, and even unpresentable.26:45Paul says those brothers or sisters who seem weaker are actually indispensable. Those who seem to have a less than honorable role deserve greater honor. Those who seem unpresentable should be treated with the utmost respect. You may be thinking, oh, Pastor Taylor, I'm not spiritually elite. I don't look down at other people. I don't act like I don't need anyone else.27:16Are you sure about that? Are you sure? Do you make excuses for why you can't be in community with other believers? Do you refuse to join a small group or be involved in other ministries that we offer here like fishermen, live, laugh, lunch, precepts, mugs and moms? You say you don't have time or energy for these things, but inwardly you know that's not true.27:43By not joining a small group or participating in any of these ministries, you are communicating a loud and clear message, I'm doing just fine on my own. I don't need anyone else. I am self-sufficient. Maybe you are a part of a small group of one of the other ministries that I mentioned, but as soon as you walk in, you put up your defense shields. You don't share a detail of your life with anybody. No one knows anything about what you're struggling with or how they can pray for you because you don't.28:13tell them. You don't want to trust anybody else because they might let you down. You were hurt in the past and so you think, well, it's going to happen again, so I'm not even going to try. Are you someone who comes in late and leaves early because you are terrified of knowing others and being known? You're acting like you don't need anyone else. Are there people in this room or the other service that you actively avoid?28:45Is there a guy in your small group that you intentionally leave out of conversations and hangouts? Is there a woman down the aisle from you who you are blatantly rude to face to face and make fun of behind closed doors? All of these behaviors are childish. All of these behaviors are reflective of the Corinthians, not Christ. All of those behaviors hurt the body and do not help the body.29:14I shouldn't downplay the roles of others by acting like I don't need anyone else. Letter B, I shouldn't downplay the roles of others by exclusively focusing on my needs. By exclusively focusing on my needs. Let's read verses 25 through 26. That there may be no division in the body, that the members may have the same care for one another.29:44All suffer together. If one member is honored, all rejoice together.29:53Have you ever been walking around your house minding your own business whenever you stub your pinky toe on the bed or a bench or a chair?30:01Let me ask you, in that moment, is it just your pinky toe that reacts?30:07Does the rest of your body think, man, sucks to be pinky, too bad for him.30:11I'm just gonna kinda do my own thing for a little while he calms down. No, when you stub your pinky toe, the pause button is pressed on life and nothing else matters. Your whole body reacts, your face grimaces, your mouth yells out some things that you hope nobody else hears. Your back arches, your hands reach down and grab your damaged foot and you pogo stick around on the undamaged foot and then your eyes inspect the damage. Your whole body reacts to the pain.30:43You ever had a bad back problem? Or a nagging tooth pain? Are you able to compartmentalize that and not think about it? Now when your back hurts, it's game over for your day. If your tooth is throbbing, you have one all-consuming thought, end the pain right now. Your whole body feels the pain of even its smallest member.31:12The same should be true of the body of Christ. If one person is in pain, all of us should be in pain. If there is a need, we should all rise up to meet that need. If someone in your small group has a big surgery or a major medical issue, start a meal train. Go visit them in the hospital. Take care of tasks around the house.31:41If there's someone on your serving team who loses a family member, show up at the funeral. Show up at the visitation. Your presence will speak far louder than any words you could possibly share. Care about the pain of other people. Meet the needs of others. Care about what other people need, even more than what you need. If one member suffers, all suffer together.32:11If one member is honored, all rejoice together. Here's a question that's been nagging at me all week. Do I love to celebrate the victories of other people? Very often the answer is no. What about you? Do you love to celebrate the victories of other people? Do you rejoice with other Christians?32:41When something good happens to another Christian in your life, do you think, praise the Lord, what a blessing? Or do you think, man, when's it going to be my turn? Nothing good ever happens to me like it does to that guy. When there's a couple in this church that has a solid marriage and really great godly children, do you think to yourself, man, what a great example that I want to follow? Or do you think to yourself, when will my family get it together? I'll never be like Mr. and Mrs. Perfect. I wish they'd stop rubbing it in my face.33:13You have to understand that other people's success is not your failure. According to Paul, their success is your success because you are a part of the same body. Let's share in the pain together. Let's share in the joy together. Let's thank the Lord in the good times together. And let's trust the Lord in the hard times together.33:41I shouldn't downplay the roles of others by acting like I don't need anyone else. I shouldn't downplay the roles of others by exclusively focusing on my needs. Finally, I shouldn't downplay the roles of others by shining the spotlight onto me. By shining the spotlight onto me. Let's wrap up with verses 27 through 31. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, These verses are jam-packed with a ton of stuff that we cannot get into. We don't have the time right now.34:41But it's really important to see that Paul mentions an office that no longer exists today. The office of apostle. Some churches have not got that memo yet. God is not posting apostleship jobs on Indeed. He is not hiring or looking to fill that position in 2026. Paul also talks about the sign gifts like speaking in tongues, miracles, and healing. Thankfully, I don't have to wade into that controversial topic because Pastor Jeff did it last week and he'll do an even deeper dive this summer.35:11Sometimes it pays to be the associate pastor.35:15But for now, catch the principle that Paul is communicating instead of getting bogged down in the details.35:21And the best way to do that is to answer the layup questions that Paul asks.35:25Let's go through the list.35:26And you have to participate.35:27You have to answer the question.35:29There's one obvious answer for all of them.35:31Are all apostles?35:33Good job.35:34Are all prophets?35:36Are all teachers?35:38Do all work miracles?35:39Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? What's Paul's point? God has given every single believer a spiritual gift or several spiritual gifts, but he has not given any believer all the spiritual gifts. That's not possible. You know, we have a lot of talented musicians and vocalists here at Harvest, don't we? Let's give them a round of applause and thank them for all they do for us.36:13You know, Jesse Hogan, he can sing, he can play the guitar, he can play the drums, he can play the piano. He can play three instruments and I can play none. I guess I shouldn't rank our abilities, right? I shouldn't compare. I'm sorry, I'm still learning that lesson myself. I shouldn't compare with Jesse. Jesse can play all those things, but he can't play every single instrument in the world of which there are over 1,500.36:39Also, Jesse can't play all those instruments at the same exact time. If Jesse tried to come up here and do a one-man band and try to run between the guitar, the piano, and run between the drums, he would make a total and complete fool of himself. Because prideful exaltation always leads to forced humility. Jesse needs the rest of the band around him.37:09He needs everybody else. He needs the vocalists who can't reach the notes that he cannot. He needs Chris or Jay on bass. Jesse needs everybody else working with him. You know, the Corinthians were experts in self-exaltation. Many in the church wanted to shine the spotlight onto themselves. Look again at verse 31. Paul says, On a first glance, it may look like Paul is commanding the Corinthians to seek after the biggest and best gifts, but that totally misses the point of what he's actually saying. If you pay attention to the context, he's saying the exact opposite. This word, earnestly, is most often used in the context of envy and jealousy. A better translation of this verse is, But you are jealous for the higher gifts Paul is not commending them He is not celebrating them He is correcting the Corinthians Because they desired the flashy and showy gifts Serving wasn't on their mind because they wanted to show off Paul is telling them You're not the point So stop trying to be You're not in competition with one another You are working together Be in sync with one another do your job and help other people do their job as well. And he concludes by saying, and I will show you a still more excellent way. What is that still more excellent way? It is the way of love, which Pastor Jeff will talk about next week. This whole topic of spiritual gifts and the unity of the body should be viewed the lens of love.39:05The love of Christ for us, our love for Christ, and our love for each other. Otherwise, we'll miss the point of why God even gifted us in the first place. If you have been saved by Christ, never forget that you belong to Christ. Never forget that you belong to Christ's beloved body. Since you're a member of the body of Christ, you shouldn't doubt the part that you Since you're a member of the body of Christ, you shouldn't downplay the roles of others. As this sermon concludes, some of you in this room may feel a bit left out because you're not a Christian. You are not a member of the body of Christ. As of now, you are a detached hand or foot that has no function in the church body. As of right now, you are a detached eye or ear that is not connected to anything greater than yourself. As of now, the life-giving blood of Christ does not flow in you and through you. I have to warn you, if you continue in this state of self-isolation, you will wither away and die in your sins. You will experience a life without purpose, and you will endure an eternity separated from the giver of life.40:35and the other recipients of his life. If that's you, I beg you to turn from your sin and turn to Jesus. Place the full weight of your faith upon him, what he has done through his life, death, and resurrection. And then, and only then, will you be forgiven and given new life. Then, you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. You will be filled with the Holy Spirit. You will be brought into the body of Christ.41:04you will be placed into the perfect role that you were made for. You will be given the high honor and responsibility of serving Christ and his body. We'd love for you to join us. Let's pray. Father, we come to you and we thank you for your word. We thank you for the encouragement and the conviction that we all experienced. Lord, if there is someone in this room who is currently not a member of the body of Christ, who is not saved. May today be the day where they finally say no to sin and yes to your son.41:43And for the rest of us, Lord, may we do our jobs.41:47May we let other people do their jobs.41:49May we work together and encourage each other.41:51Lord, we thank you for all that you're doing with this new building project.41:57Lord, none of that matters if we can't work together now.42:01May we be faithful now.42:03May we work together now. We ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 12:12-31What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Re-read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 - What does it mean that we are baptized in the Spirit and drink of the Spirit? Why is this so important for church unity? Do you ever doubt the part you play in the body of Christ? How can you fight against this discouragement? How do you see professing Christians standing in the way of others and downplaying their roles in the church? How do you see this disturbing trend within yourself? What does it look like to prioritize the needs, hurts, and victories of other members in the church body over your own? BreakoutPray for one another.

How do you trust God when you are suffering and cannot make sense of what is happening? Pastor Rich continues the Jesus + Nothing series with a message from Colossians 1-2 on the mystery of Christ in us, the hope of glory. Paul writes about suffering while he himself is in prison, reminding us that struggle is not evidence that God has forgotten us. In Christ, suffering can become a place where we experience His presence, depend on His strength, reject counterfeits, and focus again on what is real. This message names the ways we often reach for substitutes when we are hurting: control, blame, escape, positive thinking, busyness, and trying harder. But Jesus is not a supplement to add to our lives. He is everything. Speaker: Rich Greene Series: Jesus + Nothing, Week 2 Message: Jesus Is Everything in the Struggle Date: May 24, 2026 Scriptures referenced: John 15:13, Colossians 1:24-29, Colossians 2:1-17 Next steps, prayer, and connection: https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia Website: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/ Give: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/give

Join us as Pastor Rich kicks off our next series, Who Are You? 

Introduction: What About Spiritual Gifts? (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) Spiritual Gifts are FROM God and FOR Every Believer. (1 Cor 12:4-6) Spiritual Gifts Are to Be Used to BLESS the CHURCH. (1 Cor 12:7) Spiritual Gifts Come in Many FORMS. (1 Cor 12:8-10) 2 Corinthians 12:12 - The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. Hebrews 2:4 - while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Wisdom Knowledge Faith Healing Miracles Luke 9:1 – And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases Prophecy Distinguish between spirits Tongues Interpretation of tongues Spiritual Gifts Are Given at the HOLY SPIRIT'S DISCRETION. (1 Cor 12:11) SEEK God. Consider the INTERSECTION. Take an ASSESSMENT. Take the Spiritual Gifts Test! Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: What About Spiritual Gifts? Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:38Open up your Bibles with me, please, to the book of 1 Corinthians 12.00:45While you're turning there, let's just pause for a second, and I'm going to ask that you would please pray for me00:53to be faithful to communicate God's Word accurately and clearly as I should.01:01And I will pray for you to be open to receive what it is that God said. All right, let's pray. Father, sometimes we come to your word and I guess some passages seem to hit some of us more than others. And we're about to enter into a section that according to your word literally is for every single one of us. So I pray.01:31That Your Spirit would be the power behind the wisdom of Your Word and that You would continue to conform us into the image of Your Son, not just individually, but as a church body. Father, glorify Your name as we immerse ourselves into Your Word now. We pray in Jesus' name and all of God's people,02:02Amen. Look at 1 Corinthians 12, verse 1. Paul says,02:07Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.02:18This section of 1 Corinthians has been a big Q&A section.02:25They had sent Paul questions and he was responding with answers.02:28And up to this point, we've mainly been dealing with earthly matters. We've been talking about liberty and marriage and gender. And now we're on to more, I guess you could say, spiritual matters. And he says, concerning spiritual gifts, look at that verse 1, I do not want you to be uninformed. I don't want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts.02:58Spiritual Gifts. Wow, that's a phrase that really describes the church today. Right? Because as always, church, we will go to either side of the extreme. When we talk about spiritual gifts, immediately you're going to have some people on one end of the spectrum that just completely neglect or ignore them. And think, oh, that's just like,03:28Goofy, charismatic stuff, but we're like sober-minded people. You completely dismiss the role that the Holy Spirit has in the work of the church. They're just neglected. And we do church according to human intellect and creativity. And then you have people on the other end of the spectrum that don't neglect the gifts. You could say they misrepresent the gifts of the Holy Spirit.03:58And over on the other extreme, people are doing all kinds of goofy things in church saying that it's a work of the Holy Spirit. We're slain in the Spirit and we're hooping and hollering and barking and howling. It's a gift of the Spirit. Excuse me. Absolutely essential in your work for Christ. Absolutely essential04:28in the health of the church, in the health of this church, you have to understand what spiritual gifts are, and you have to use your spiritual gift in the church. All right, look at verse 2. He says, you know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols. However, you were led. What he's doing here is he's setting up a contrast.04:58by idols.05:00And we're going to see this as we go throughout this section,05:03but the Corinthians in their former pagan lifestyle05:07learned a lot of bad methods of worship.05:11Pagan methods of worship.05:13And they brought those into the church.05:15Like, I guess this is how we worship.05:17And Paul here is making the contrast.05:20Like, look, no, no, no.05:22You used to be led by idols.05:24Now, now you are led by the Holy Spirit of God.05:30The Holy Spirit. Somehow, despite how essential His role is in the church, He just doesn't seem to get the press that the other members of the Trinity get, right? I mean, we talk about Jesus a lot. His sacrifice on the cross for our sins. His resurrection from the dead.05:58We talk about God the Father a lot. But God the Holy Spirit, just is essential. The Bible says that every Christian, every born-again Christian receives the Holy Spirit. That's Romans 8 and 9, among other places. That's God's presence abiding in you. Why? Why does God's Spirit live in you? Well, there's two main reasons. One is for character, right?06:28The Holy Spirit manifests the character of Christ in you. That's the fruit of the Spirit. That's Galatians 5. That's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That's what the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer manifesting those characteristics. So it's character. The other reason the Holy Spirit lives in believers is for service.06:58And that's what we're talking about in this passage today. Every believer is given a spiritual gift to be used in the church. And you're like, wow, you know, how do I know that I even have the Holy Spirit? Well, look at verse 3. Paul says, therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says,07:28Jesus is accursed. And no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit. So how do you know you have the Holy Spirit? Here's a foundational test. How do you regard Jesus? And I don't just mean what do you say about Jesus here in church on Sunday morning or at small group. I mean in your heart, in your innermost being privately,07:58How do you regard Jesus Christ? In your heart, is Jesus Christ everything to you? Because your true heart disposition towards Jesus is manifest by the Spirit. If you're born again, Paul says, you cannot curse Jesus. And apparently some of that stuff was happening in the Corinthian church. That's a whole other study for another time.08:28Paul says, if you have the Holy Spirit living in you, you absolutely will regard Jesus Christ as your Lord. The Holy Spirit. He's not just for preachers and missionaries, by the way. The Christian life, every Christian's life, is a Holy Spirit-led and empowered life. So the question that Paul's getting into here, and Pastor Taylor's going to be talking about this more next week, here's the question on the table.08:58They asked. He's answering, so what about spiritual gifts? I mean, what are spiritual gifts? And how is it that the Holy Spirit uses spiritual gifts in the church? So on your outline, what about spiritual gifts? What about them? Paul's giving us a great foundational teaching on Holy Spirit gifts.09:28Number one, write this down. Spiritual gifts are from God and for every believer. Look at verses four through six. He says, now there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit. And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities,09:58is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. He says there's many kinds of spiritual gifts, but notice he says they all come from God. And he really wants to make that point clear because you notice he mentioned every member of the Trinity as being the source of spiritual gifts. You notice that? He talks about the Holy Spirit in verse 4. He talks about Jesus Christ, the Lord, in verse 5. He talks about God, the Father,10:28in verse 6. Spiritual gifts are gifts that come from God. Now, understand that spiritual gifts are different than talents. Okay? Like a skill that you have to play an instrument or to paint a mural. Spiritual gifts are different, but listen. I can show you biblically, and that's a study for another time.10:58come from God. Absolutely.11:03But here we're talking about ministry gifts.11:06Church ministry must be Spirit-powered, not done in the flesh.11:15Why?11:19Because if we're just doing ministry in our power, in man's power,11:25we're going to get man's results.11:27But when ministry is done in God's power, we get God's results. So which do you want? At the end of the day, I want to see what God can do in this church, not what I can do. But you notice the end of verse 6, beginning of verse 7, to everyone, to each. Listen, because every Christian possesses the Holy Spirit, all Christians, all Christians are given a spiritual gift.11:59It's so fascinating because every gift is a characteristic of Jesus Christ Himself. You realize He had everything perfectly. Think about that. Jesus, God in the flesh, who embodied every characteristic perfectly. You see the Holy Spirit giving us a spiritual gift. What's going on here? Here's what's going on. The church is called the body of Christ.12:29And each member is given a gift so that collectively, we as the body of Christ become a sort of representation of Jesus Christ himself. It's absolutely mind-blowing. But God wants the church to be Christ-like, and this is how it happens. We each use our spiritual gift. We're collectively built up in all of the characteristics that Jesus Christ possessed perfectly in the Incarnation.12:57So, spiritual gifts from God for every believer. All right, number two, spiritual gifts are to be used to bless the church. Look at verse 7. He says, to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For the common good.13:28It's kind of funny when you think about it. You're given a spiritual gift, right? But in a real sense, the spiritual gift given to you isn't even for you. Isn't that strange? God's given you a gift, but He goes, oh, that's not for you. That's for everybody else. You see, my spiritual gift is supposed to benefit you.13:57benefit me.14:01And that's why we believe in every member of ministry at Harvest Bible Chapel.14:05If you're attending here, if you consider this your church,14:09we're not shy about asking where do you want to serve.14:15Not because we're like, we need help.14:18We do need help.14:21But that's not the primary reason.14:24It's because if you're part of the church, God has gifted you to bless the church. Right? So I have to ask you, how is God using you in this church? How's God using you? If you've been given a gift that's for the common good, how is that working in your ministry?14:55Now look, I've got to tell you, we are so blessed at this church. We were talking about this not too long ago, but we have a crazy high percentage of people who are actively serving in this church in so many ways. We're not there yet, but that number needs to be 100%. And if you're attending this church and you're not serving, please hear me.15:26I just want to lovingly tell you that God hasn't called anyone to warm a seat. Nobody's spiritual gift is attendance. We need you to be using your spiritual gift for the common good. All right? So spiritual gifts are from God for every believer. Number two, spiritual gifts are to be used to bless the church.15:54And number three, spiritual gifts come in many forms. Here's where we need to spend some time. In this section here, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Now, this list is not exhaustive, okay? Actually, we're not going to look there today. We're going to stick in this passage as is our custom. But you can see also Romans chapter 12. You can see Ephesians chapter 4. There are other gifts than the ones that are listed.16:24here. This isn't exhaustive. This is more just representative. Spiritual gifts come in many forms. Let's look at verses 8-10. Paul says, for to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit.16:54To another, faith by the same Spirit. To another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit. To another, the working of miracles. To another, prophecy. To another, the ability to distinguish between spirits. To another, various kinds of tongues. To another, the interpretation.17:24of tongues.17:27Alright, so with spiritual gifts there are two categories.17:31There are speaking gifts and there are serving gifts.17:35But there are also two kinds of gifts.17:38There are permanent gifts.17:40There are gifts that were given that will be active in the church until our Lord returns.17:46And there are gifts that are temporary that were only for a time and purpose.17:51And this is where we get controversial.18:00Because this is where a lot of people have a lot of different opinions. But are you ready to go to Sunday school for a few minutes? Three of you? Okay. Thank you. Tristan always has my back. Always. And some of you are like, I don't know if I want to get out of here.18:23this road. Well, we're going through 1 Corinthians. This is next. And we receive God's Word as presented, right? So let's do it. But I want to talk about temporary gifts. And please hear me out before you storm out. That door's hard to slam, but it can be done. Before you storm out, before you throw anything at me, I would like you to please hear me out for a few minutes, all right?18:53Because this isn't my opinion. This is what the Bible says if you read it straightforwardly. Temporary gifts, sometimes they're called sign gifts. Those are the more miraculous type gifts. Please hear me because this is where I'm going to be misquoted, but not you. Listen, those gifts are not normative today.19:23Do I believe that they still happen? 100% I do. But they are not normative. Okay? So if somebody's like, well, what is Jeff's position on some of these sign gifts? I do not believe that they are normative today. I'm going to show you why. Can God do them? Yes. But, listen close. These sign gifts, are these spiritual gifts19:53that are possessed by people in the day of Paul and the apostles. And the answer is no. They're not possessed by people as they were in Paul's day. God still does them on occasion, not normative, but they're not possessed by people. I want to talk about miracles for a moment. Pastor Taylor and I were talking about this last week.20:23I think when we read the Bible, we get this idea that miracles were just like happening all the time, right? Like Moses woke up and like before his oatmeal, he like fired off five miracles. Boom. Not a man a meal, not oatmeal. But actually miracles in the Bible were actually very rare.20:53And apart from Moses' day, and apart from the day of Jesus in the apostles' ministry, miracles performed through men were actually very rare things. So why did we see so many miracles, especially in Moses' day, and especially in Jesus' and the apostles' day? Because this is why.21:21God performed miracles through people to verify or prove when new revelation was given. That's why it was normative in Moses' day. That's why it was normative for the apostles. Because God was giving new revelation, and that was the way He verified it. Any knucklehead can run around and say,21:51this is the new word of the Lord. And like, how can you prove that? Anybody can say that. God would verify what is actually revelation from him by backing it up with people who were giving not just this message, but performing these miracles. That's why you see that in Jesus. Why did Jesus perform so many miracles? Why did Jesus perform miracles? He's putting on a show, right?22:21He wanted to dazzle people, right? Hey, check this out. Check out what I can do. Anybody got two fishes, five loaves? Let me show you a trick. No! Jesus wasn't an entertainer. Why did Jesus do all the miracles? Actually, He referred to them as signs. Why? Because they were done to prove He is who He said He is. He's like, I'm God in the flesh. And of course, you're going to have people that were like, pfft.22:51I'm not buying that. But when you see this man raising the dead, healing the sick, feeding multitudes, you're like, there's something more to him. Right? Jesus' signs proved he is who he said he is. You're like, awesome, but what about spiritual gifts? Well, same principle here. Listen, to back the apostles'23:21while the New Testament was completed, was being completed, God authenticated the gospel with sign gifts. That's what the Bible says. You're like, where does the Bible say that? Many places. I'll give you a couple. Okay? Like 2 Corinthians 12. Look, the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience with signs and wonders and mighty works. You see?23:51the true apostles were performing miracles. It was to authenticate the gospel message. Same thing in Hebrews 2.4. It says, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will. Same principle as God was giving us the New Testament. You see, in those days, they didn't have the New Testament completed yet.24:21was being worked on by the Holy Spirit. So when somebody got up and said, let me tell you this message from God, how do we know it was from God? He backed it up with miracles. That's why when you go through the book of Acts, you see miracles less and less and less and less as you go through the book of Acts. We spent like three years in Acts, and that's what you see. In 1 Corinthians here, the book that we're studying, it was one of the earliest24:51written. So sign gifts were still very much a thing when Paul wrote this, but they were on their way out and they were ending as normative spiritual gifts when the New Testament was completed. That's why in none of the other epistles you see any talk about the spiritual gifts of miracles or healings or tongues or interpretation of tongues. You don't see that in any other25:21book in the New Testament.25:25Because it was phasing out.25:28We have God's word complete in written form,25:31so we don't need to verify it with a miracle.25:35God wrote it all down for us.25:37All right?25:39So, with that backdrop, I'm going to go through these quickly.25:44Each one of these could be a sermon,25:45and that's not the intention.25:49Interestingly, Paul does not explain them. He just lists them. I want to give you a little definition for each, a little understanding. So look at your spiritual gifts here, starting in verse 8. The first one is wisdom. What is wisdom? That's just skill in applying the Word of God. Do you know who typically possesses this gift are people that are counselors, whether it's formally or informally, people that are able to say, I understand how to incorporate God's truth.26:19into my life.26:21I can help you incorporate God's truth into your life.26:23It's applying the Word of God.26:24That's wisdom.26:26Next is knowledge.26:30That's understanding the Word.26:34It's somebody that can see Bible facts and knows how they fit together.26:39You know what's amazing?26:40Did you ever see these Christian authors?26:43They take like one subject and they write a whole book about it.26:46That's always amazing to me.26:48Like, how do they do that? They wrote a whole book about one subject? Well, I think a lot of them have the gift of knowledge. Right? Next is faith. Gift of faith. Now, obviously, this is faith beyond believing to get saved, because every follower of Christ has that kind of faith. Right? But you ever notice that there are some Christians that you meet that just seem to have a deeper,27:20Confidence in the Sovereignty of God. You know what I'm talking about? There's some Christians you meet, they could be going through just the worst trials a human being can go through, and they're just like, you know what? God's in control. He's got this. And they're just completely unflappable. They have the gift of faith. Those people are typically the best prayers. Right? Next on the list.27:48is healing.27:51Now again, I believe that this is one of the gifts27:55for people that was phasing out at this point.28:01But what is healing?28:02Well, it's just supernaturally healing a physical illness.28:12I wish I had that gift.28:14I wish it was still a thing.28:17And you might say, well, Pastor Jeff, I think it is still a thing. Because I saw this guy on TV. He was slapping people on the head deaf and they were getting up with full hearing. Interesting about those people, they never go to the cancer ward or the children's hospital. I mean, if I had the gift to heal people, that's the first place I'd go. You're like, oh, so you don't believe in healing? Oh, yeah, yeah. Look, listen.28:47Let's be clear. God still heals. I believe that 100%. And I have seen in this church God miraculously heal people. I believe that God heals. I'm not convinced that Benny Hinn ever did. All right? So next is miracles. Miracles. Like, wait a minute. What's the difference between miracles and healing? I'm not going to bore you with the long systematic Thompson Chain reference.29:17But here's the thing. That word for miracles, when you trace it through the New Testament, was most often connected with casting out demons. That's the difference. That's the distinction. See, that's what Jesus was talking about. Look at Luke 9.1. We'll have it on the screen. It says, and he called the twelve together, look, and gave them power and authority, here it is, over all demons and to cure diseases. So miracles.29:47In the New Testament referred to casting out demons. Again, I believe that was an apostolic era. Do I believe God still does that 100%? Absolutely, yes, He does. Normative? That a person has the gift and is running around doing that? No. All right, next is prophecy. Prophecy. Now, when we think prophecy, when we hear that word, what's the first thing we think of? Like future stuff, right?30:17Tell us the future. Well, sometimes, actually rarely, that's part of it. But you realize that's not what prophecy literally means at all. Do you know what the word prophecy is? It literally breaks down to a compound word that means speak before. You're like, speak before what? Speak before an audience. That's what prophecy is. It's somebody that stands in front of a group of people and says things.30:47Before Them. That's prophecy. It's the public speaking of God's truth. That's what happens when I get up here, Taylor or Brian or Justin or whoever stands up here proclaiming the Word of God. That is prophecy. We are speaking before. Right? Next is distinguishing between spirits. If you're interested, we did a whole sermon series on this.31:17A couple years back, this is what we more commonly call discernment. It's the ability to evaluate if something is from God or not. And in that sermon series, I'm not going to preach it all now, but I'd just like to remind you that that is something that we are all called to do. We are all called to discern what is from God and what is not from God. And again, I'll remind you that we live in a day that it is more crucial than ever because we live in a day where we have access to more information.31:47than we've ever had. You open up your phone, you're going to have 10,00031:51preachers giving you contradictory31:54message about31:55thus saith the Lord. How do we know31:57what God actually said? Discernment32:00is the gift to be able to32:01tell, he's not saying what God32:03said, but this guy definitely is, right?32:05Right?32:10Some people have that gift.32:13Alright, next gift is tongues.32:18Next gift is tongues.32:21You're like, are tongues for today?32:26People ask that, are tongues for today?32:31Yeah, tongues are for today.32:32How would you eat your ice cream otherwise, right?32:38Listen, I'm not going to go too far into this.32:42Oh, you're scared? No, not at all.32:43We're actually going to be doing a very deep dive in this. We're spending four weeks on this subject. But what is tongues biblically? Tongues is the ability to speak in a foreign language unknown to the speaker. It's a known language, by the way. It's not gibberish. It's somebody speaking an already existing language that that person doesn't know. They're just speaking it. Like I said, we're going to spend so much more time on this. And then interpretation of tongues is just simply that.33:13a person that was gifted with the ability to translate what the tongues speaker says. Many forms. One spirit. Oh, speaking of the Holy Spirit, number four. Spiritual gifts are given at the Holy Spirit's discretion.33:47Look at verse 11.33:52He says,33:54All these are empowered by one in the same Spirit34:01who apportions to each one individually as He wills.34:09As He wills.34:11The Holy Spirit, in His sovereignty, determines who does what. That's the Holy Spirit's job. Understand, as your pastor, I did not get to choose your gift. Like, oh, you want to be a part of our church? All right. Prophecy. Okay, how about you? You want to join the church? All right. Healing. You're like, you totally didn't listen to that sermon, did you? I don't get to determine that gift.34:41get to determine that gift. You know what? Preaching looks like a lot of fun. I think I'm going to ask the Holy Spirit for the prophecy gift. He is the one who determines the gift. It is a gift. And the gift giver determines the gift that he wants to give you. The gift giver determines the gift35:12that he wants to give you.35:19And I know this is a hard sell in our day.35:23I mean, Murph, you get it. You go back. We get it.35:27The gift giver determines the gift he wants to give. We get it. The younger people don't get that.35:33Like, why not? Because you know what we do in our day?35:38You know what we do in our day? We have a big event.35:42We have a baby shower, a wedding, little Joey's birthday party. He's turning five. Going to have his party at the Chuck E. Cheese. Do you know what we do today? We tell people what gifts we want, don't we? We do that. Little Joey's turning five. He's registered at Target. Right? Right?36:10Or, yeah, I'm getting married. Yeah, I'm getting married. Yeah, I'm registered at Target. We tell people the gifts that we want. I'm getting married. I want this toaster. I want this knife set. I want this vacuum. And then, I mean, we've done it. Aaron and I will go and be like, okay, this is the vacuum they want.36:40and we buy it and we wrap it up. And then they act surprised when they open it. They open it up and they're like, oh, you got me exactly what I was asking for. Oh, you shouldn't have. But you go back a generation, the gift giver determined what gift you got. Don't try that with the Holy Spirit, okay? You're baptized.37:11I'm registered at Target.37:15Well, we don't get a say in it.37:17It's His gift, right?37:19It's His gift.37:19Do you think I would have signed up for this?37:25Oh no.37:26Oh no.37:30He'll make a better choice than we would anyways.37:33Alright.37:35That's all well and good.37:36But that's really not the question37:39that we're asking right now.37:40The question that we're asking right now is how do I know what my spiritual gift is right I mean it's clear he's given all of us each of us a gift to represent the body of Christ and we're to use it in the common good we saw the kinds and you're like awesome what is my spiritual gift how do I find out what my spiritual gift is all right I'm going to give you three things we're going to close with this three things how do I know what gift I've been given letter A seek God38:10You're like, that sounds like a cop-out. No, look. If you make your life about on-your-face praying and in the Word and just get serving in the church, the Spirit's going to do what the Spirit does. He's going to be at work through you. You're going to figure that out real quick. So just don't worry about seeking a gift. Seek the gift giver. He'll do what He does.38:40That's what he does. Seek God. All right? Letter B. Consider the intersection. Like, what's the intersection? I was studying for this this week. I came across something. I thought it was super helpful. It's one of those diagrams where everything intersects. What do they call that? A Venmo diagram?39:10Venn. Not Venmo.39:20What's a Venmo?39:23Oh, that's giving money.39:26Also a spiritual gift. Right!39:30So you could Venmo your...39:31Alright.39:33I just feel like I had like an inception moment here.39:37Alright.39:38Consider the intersection.39:39Yeah.39:40All right. So I came across this Venn diagram. And I thought it was helpful. I'm going to try to recreate it here. But there's three things here. First of all, this circle here, we're going to call that, we're going to call this one ability. We're going to call this one ability. What is it that you seem, not complicated,40:10You seem like you're able to do this. Right? Of all the gifts. You're like, you know what? That's something that I seem like I'm able to do. I mean, I'm not boasting or anything. It just seems like something that I'm able to do. Okay? And then, with this one, we're going to call this one affinity. That's an idea. Okay. That's affinity. Like, well, that's an idea. Like, what do40:40I enjoy doing.40:42If somebody was like, you can do whatever you want in the church, whatever you enjoy most,40:46what would be the line I get to the front of first?40:50What's my affinity?40:53And then the third thing here, my circles are getting less and less circle-y, but I think you get the idea.41:01This one we're going to call affirmation.41:12You know, you have people maybe in your small group or other people in the church that are, they say to you, you know what? You seem like you have a real gift for teaching. You really seem like you have a gift for praying with people. So the point is this. Consider the intersection right here.41:39This is very likely your spiritual gift. I would say extremely likely. What you're able to do, what you love doing, and what people affirm that it seems like God has equipped you to do, that is very likely your spiritual gift. All right? Then letter C, assessment. Seek God, consider the intersection or assessment. We have a QR code.42:10Go ahead, take your phone out and give that a scan. Pastor Rich sent this along. But this is an online assessment. And really, I think between seeking the Lord, considering the intersection, doing the online assessment, I think that's going to get you all on your way to giving you a deeper understanding of what your spiritual gift is. So go ahead. Go ahead, do the...42:41Either scan that or Venmo me some money. Since you have your phone out and I just learned what Venmo is. Do I have a Venmo? Never mind. Aaron says I don't have a Venmo. All right. Our worship team would make their way up. While they're coming, you know, when I was in high school, I played soccer.43:11In my junior high year of playing soccer, the coach didn't like me. Why? Because I was unlikable. So I sat on the bench most of the season. Now, I knew I had the ability.43:39senior year, we had a new coach, and I didn't sit for one minute that entire season. In fact, I was co-captain of the team. But I got to tell you, I think back to that junior year of playing soccer, and I just remember feeling incredibly frustrated because I felt incredibly useless. You know, you put your shin guards on, you put your cleats on, you put your44:09your soccer uniform on.44:12And you just, I just sat there and watched the whole season.44:16Just sat there.44:21So many times I thought, why am I even here?44:25Why am I even here?44:26What am I doing?44:29I want to tell you, you don't have to worry about that with God's team44:34because there are no bench warmers.44:39God doesn't tell any of His children, you know what? You're nice and all, but you go sit over there. We don't really need you. Or you just wait, and if we decide there's a place we can squeeze you in, we'll see if we can do that. No, no, no, no, no. God's Word has made it very clear that He has called and He has gifted every single one of you.45:08this church. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, so often we get a gift and we don't say thank you, but Father, we thank you not just for the gift of your Holy Spirit himself who lives within us, but the gift that he has given each of us to serve you and your church. For some people here, Father, this is probably brand new teaching.45:38Never really considered this. And for some people here, Father, maybe we've known this and have sort of strayed from it. But I'm asking today, Father, that your Spirit would grip every heart in this church and grip the church collectively so that we truly, as the body of Christ, might represent the person of Christ.46:08as these spirits are at work in us. So Father, I pray for the person here who maybe has been coming to this church but just hasn't stepped up. Remind them, Father, it's not just a matter of the elders and pastors and ministry team would value your input. Remind them, Father, that you have equipped them to serve your church.46:38We do so to your glory and honor. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 12:1-11What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What does it mean that spiritual gifts are for the common good (1 Cor 12:7)?Are sign gifts such as healing and miracles still possessed by people today? Why or why not?Why is it important to understand that the Holy Spirit is the One Who chooses what gifts believers receive (1 Cor 12:11)?How do you know if a ministry is done by the power of the Holy Spirit, or done in the flesh (that is, just by “human power”)?BreakoutPray for one another.

Today's sermon is You Must Be Born Again by Rich Chaffin Find more teaching from Pastor Rich at www.cclc.org

What do you really believe about Jesus? In Colossians, Paul reminds the church that the gospel is Jesus plus nothing. Jesus is not simply one part of the Christian life. He is supreme over all creation, the one who rescued us, the one who defines our identity, and the one who holds all things together. Pastor Rich teaches that we often treat faith like a buffet, choosing the parts we want while leaving surrender, patience, generosity, forgiveness, and obedience behind. But if Jesus is truly enough, then every area of life belongs to Him. This message will help you ask whether Jesus is the foundation you are building on, or decoration you add to make life look better. Speaker: Rich Greene Series: Jesus + Nothing, Week 1 Message: Jesus Plus Nothing Date: May 17, 2026 Scriptures referenced: Colossians 1:3-6, Colossians 1:9-10, Colossians 1:13-23, Colossians 3:17 Next steps, prayer, and connection: https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia Website: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/ Give: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/give

Join us as Pastor Rich and Mrs. Frances Harris aka Queen Mother discuss being a Proverbs 31 woman. 

This message continues our journey through the book of Acts, where the first followers of Jesus experienced remarkable depth and growth as they embraced a new way of life. Together, we explore four practices God uses to shape us—practices that lead us into the kind of authentic, life-giving community we long for. Scripture Referenced: Acts 2:42-47

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

Discouragement can feel normal when life stays uncertain, but this message reminds us where courage really comes from. In this sermon from Joshua 1 and Joshua 4, Pastor Rich shows how God meets us in the middle, re-anchors our confidence, and reminds us of His faithfulness when fear and discouragement try to take over. Speaker: Rich Greene Series: Strength & Courage Scripture: Joshua 1, Joshua 4:3-7, Numbers 13, Deuteronomy 34:12, Romans 5:5 Next steps: Connect / Prayer / Baptism / Salvation: https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia Website: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/ Give: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/give

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

This message is Part 1 of our new sermon series on the Book of Acts that will take us through the summer. As a companion to our series on Mark, Acts shows us how Jesus invites ordinary people to carry on His mission and live out what He began. Scripture Referenced: Acts 1

Today's sermon is Do This by Rich Chaffin Find more teaching from Pastor Rich at www.cclc.org

If you're trying to do the right thing and life still feels hard, this message is for you. Pastor Rich opens Numbers 13–14 to show how God gives us a new perspective so fear doesn't have the final word. In this message, we look at Joshua and Caleb, the difference between fear and faith, and three questions that shape our perspective: What are you looking for? Who are you listening to? What words are you speaking? This message is for anyone facing discouragement, opposition, uncertainty, or a season where God's promise feels harder to believe than the obstacles in front of you. Next steps: Connect / Prayer / Baptism /Salvation: https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia Website: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/ Give: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/give

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

In Part 2 of this conversation, I continue my discussion with Pastor Rich Tidwell as we go even deeper into the topic of Christian Zionism and what it truly means to think biblically in a VERY politically charged world.Building on Part 1, we further examine the theological arguments surrounding Israel, challenge commonly held assumptions, and reinforce the biblical truth that no nation (past or present) is above God's standard of righteousness. We also discuss the danger of allowing political alliances or emotional ties to override clear scriptural teaching.This episode pushes the conversation further, calling Christians to spiritual consistency: to stand for truth, reject erroneous partiality, and remain rooted in God's Word above all else. Our ultimate allegiance is not to any earthly nation, but to the Kingdom of God.If you're seeking clarity, conviction, and a deeper understanding of how to navigate these complex issues faithfully, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.--Follow Pastor Tidwell on X: https://x.com/richtidwell--https://www.youversion.com/bible-app

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and remember that the story doesn't end where it seems. What looked like the end was only the beginning. We wrap up our six-month journey through the Gospel of Mark with a message on three powerful lessons Easter teaches us about life with God. Scripture Referenced: Mark 16:1-7

Introduction: What Does God Want Me to See and Know This Easter? (Ephesians 1:15-23) The HOPE THAT IS FOUND in Belonging to Christ. (Eph 1:18a) The UNENDING RICHES THAT ARE AVAILABLE in Christ. (Eph 1:18b) The RESURRECTION POWER of Christ. (Eph 1:19-20a) The SIMPLICITY OF SUBMITTING TO THE KINGSHIP of Christ. (Eph 1:20b-23) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript 00:00-00:05Please turn your Bibles to where Sydney just read, Ephesians chapter one, verses 15 through 23.00:06-00:10Ephesians chapter one, verses 15 through 23.00:12-00:16You know, kids are so easily distracted, aren't they?00:17-00:19Their kids, their heads are often in the clouds.00:20-00:22They're not thinking about what they should be thinking about.00:22-00:25They're not looking where they should be looking.00:25-00:28They don't know important things that they need to know.00:29-00:33I know this from first-hand experience with my own kids, Sam and Emmy.00:33-00:40Sam and Emmy are so easily distracted, and it can be so hard to get their attention.00:41-00:47Sometimes I physically have to put my hands on their faces to redirect their focus.00:47-00:49Why do I do that?00:49-00:55'Cause I want them to see something so that they will know something.00:56-01:02Sam makes a huge mess and he's not cleaning up despite my many pleas for him to clean it up.01:02-01:07I have to gently put my hands on his face to redirect him to the disaster zone.01:08-01:14I want him to see the mess so he will know that he needs to clean up the mess.01:15-01:21Emmy throws a temper tantrum about something completely unreasonable and she's not listening to reason.01:22-01:26I lovingly put my hands on her face to redirect her focus to my eyes.01:27-01:37I want her to see the seriousness of my face so that she will know that she needs to say sorry, she needs to ask for forgiveness, and stop her pouting.01:38-01:46My kids are so easily distracted, and they need parental reminders from their mom and dad.01:47-01:50But if we're honest, we're not much better than kids, are we?01:51-01:53You and I are easily distracted.01:54-01:58You and I do not think about what we should be thinking about.01:58-02:01You and I do not look where we should be looking.02:02-02:06You and I do not know important things that we need to know.02:07-02:15You and I need our Heavenly Father to lovingly grab a hold of our faces and redirect our focus.02:17-02:25You and I need to see and know important truths that God wants us to see and know.02:26-02:33You and I need to truly see Jesus Christ for who he is so that we can truly know him both now and forever.02:34-02:45You and I need to truly see what is expected of us in this book so that we will know what responsibilities we need to carry out from day to day.02:45-02:47We're at the end of our latest series.02:49-02:49Respect the office.02:50-02:53Jesus' roles determine my responsibilities.02:53-03:00Last Sunday, we saw that Jesus is the ultimate prophet who perfectly represents and speaks for his Father.03:01-03:10When you truly see Jesus as prophet, you know that you must listen and believe whatever he says.03:13-03:25This past Good Friday, Pastor Jeff showed us that Jesus is our great high priest who laid down his own life, who shed his own blood as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross.03:26-03:36When you see Jesus as priest, you know that you must confess your sin, you must repent of your sin, you must ask for forgiveness of your sin.03:38-03:51This morning we will see that Jesus Christ is the king of all, who is high above any ruler, any president, any CEO, any billionaire, and nothing and no one can compare to Jesus Christ.03:51-03:58And when you see Jesus as King, you know that you must obey whatever he says.04:00-04:10As is our custom at Harvest, please pray for me that I'll faithfully proclaim God's word, and I will pray for you that you will faithfully receive God's word.04:13-04:18Father, we come to you, And we thank you for what this day represents.04:20-04:27We thank you that because of your son, because of what he has done, we can have true hope.04:27-04:30We can have true life.04:31-04:36And if there are people in this room who do not have true life, may you seek and save the lost today.04:36-04:39May you bring the dead to life.04:39-04:42May you give faith where there previously was no faith.04:42-04:48And for the rest of us, Lord, may we be comforted, may we be encouraged, may we be challenged and built up by your word.04:48-04:52I thank you so much that you watch over your word to perform it.04:52-04:54Your word never returns to you empty.04:54-04:57It always accomplishes the purpose for which you sent it out.04:57-05:00And Lord, I trust you and we trust you this morning.05:00-05:03We ask that you would do a great and mighty work in all of our hearts.05:04-05:08We ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.05:10-05:19In the original Greek, the apostle Paul writes, one long run-on sentence in Ephesians chapter one, verses three through 14.05:19-05:26Have you ever listened to a family member or friend who breathlessly tells you a story, they're really, really excited, they just wanna get it out?05:26-05:30That was me growing up, no one could understand any story I was telling growing up.05:31-05:33That is the Apostle Paul in this passage.05:33-05:40He is so blown away by who Christ is and what he has done for the Ephesian church.05:41-05:48He gives a huge list, they have been redeemed, they have been rescued, they have been adopted into the family of God.05:48-05:54They have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, and on and on the list goes.05:56-06:03In Ephesians chapter one, verse 15, Paul takes a deep breath, so he can go on for another run-on sentence.06:04-06:07So let's read the beginning of Paul's second run-on sentence.06:08-06:10In chapter one, verses 15 through 17.06:10-06:12of Ephesians.06:12-06:38He says, "For this reason, because I have heard "of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love "towards all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks "for you, remembering you in my prayers, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, "the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom "and of revelation and the knowledge of him." Paul isn't indifferent to the Ephesian church.06:39-06:40He isn't like, eh, whatever.06:41-06:46He has a deep love for these people because he ministered in Ephesus for years.06:46-06:50He personally led many of the Ephesians to Christ.06:51-06:55And since the day he left Ephesus, he has been receiving reports about them.06:55-06:56He's been checking in on them.06:56-07:01He's been hearing about their deep faith in Christ and their love for one another.07:03-07:13All that the Ephesians have been given in Christ and all they've been doing for Christ Paul to constantly give thanks and pray for them?07:15-07:16What is he praying for?07:17-07:19What is he asking for on their behalf?07:21-07:35Well he tells us in verses 17 through 18 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation and the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know.07:38-07:39Let's stop there for a minute.07:39-07:41pick up the rest of Paul's thought very soon.07:42-07:44What is Paul's prayer for the Ephesians?07:45-07:48To see so that they will know.07:49-07:57To see important truths with the eyes of their hearts so that they will know these truths in their hearts for the rest of their lives.07:59-08:09The truths that Paul wants the Ephesians to see and know are the same exact truths that you need to see and know on April 5th, 2026.08:11-08:14Some of you are here because you really wanna be here.08:14-08:20You couldn't wait to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord with other brothers and sisters in Christ.08:21-08:23Others of you would rather be someplace else.08:24-08:26You're really hoping, I won't talk for too long.08:27-08:37You're really hoping that this service will be mercifully short so you can get back home, eat Easter lunch, hunt for some eggs, and pass out from a food comb on the couch.08:38-08:42And if that's you, I want you to hear a loud and clear message from me.08:42-08:44I am so glad that you're here.08:45-08:48I have been praying for you all week long.08:48-08:54I have been praying that you would see and know what God wants you to see and know.08:55-09:01Whether you are excited or unenthused to be here, you need to ask yourself one question this morning.09:02-09:06What does God want me to see and know this Easter?09:07-09:11What does God want me to see and know this Easter?09:12-09:15Number one, your outline, the hope that is found in belonging to Christ.09:16-09:19The hope that is found in belonging to Christ.09:22-09:26Let's return to Paul's thought that we left hanging a minute ago in verses 16 through 18.09:27-09:45He writes, "I do not cease to give thanks for you, "remembering you in my prayers, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, "the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom "and of revelation and the knowledge of him, "having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, "that you may know." What does he want them to see and know?09:46-09:50What is the hope to which he has called you?09:51-09:57Paul wants the Ephesians to see and know the hope that is found in belonging to Jesus.09:59-10:02Have you ever noticed that the hardest words to define are the simplest?10:04-10:06We use words like hope every single day.10:07-10:08But what does it actually mean?10:08-10:10What is hope?10:12-10:13There are actually two definitions for hope.10:14-10:18There is the worldly definition and there is the biblical definition.10:19-10:24There is the wrong definition and the right definition.10:25-10:30And your personal definition depends upon your status relationship with Christ.10:33-10:38If you do not love and follow Jesus, hope is only wishful thinking and nothing more.10:39-10:42Hope is crossing your fingers and wishing for the best.10:43-10:47Hope is knocking on wood and longing that nothing bad will happen to you.10:49-10:52You have no basis for this hope beyond your desire for it.10:54-10:57That kind of hope is no hope at all.10:59-11:09In the next chapter of Ephesians, Paul says that until you trust in Christ for salvation, you are without hope and you are without God in the world.11:11-11:16So that is the wrong and unbiblical definition of hope.11:17-11:21Let's talk about the right and biblical definition of hope.11:22-11:28According to God's word, hope is confident expectation in the character and plans of God.11:29-11:34Hope is confident expectation in the character and plans of God.11:34-11:48When you trust in Christ and belong to him, you have a confident expectation that every single one of your sins have been wiped away, have been paid for, that your past, present, and future offenses are no longer held against you.11:49-11:57When you trust in Christ and belong to him, You have a confident expectation that God will keep every single promise in this book.11:57-12:06When you trust in Christ and belong to him, you have a confident expectation that you are bound for heaven and not hell.12:09-12:13These hopes aren't maybes or mightbes that you're unsure of.12:13-12:16These are firm and fixed realities that cannot change.12:18-12:23If you're a true born-again believer in Christ, You have no need for wishful thinking.12:23-12:25You have no need for crossing your fingers.12:25-12:27You have no need for knocking on wood.12:28-12:37When you truly belong to Jesus Christ, you see that he is trustworthy, and you know that there is a 0% chance that he will fail you.12:40-12:43What does God want me to see and know this Easter?12:44-12:48Secondly, the unending riches that are available in Christ.12:49-12:53the unending riches that are available in Christ.12:57-13:07At the end of verse 18, Paul goes on to pray that the Ephesians would see and know what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.13:08-13:14If I were to ask you to come up with your net worth off the top of your head, would you be able to do it?13:16-13:19Some of you uber savvy and prepared individuals exact number.13:20-13:25This would also be really easy for you teenagers and college students because your net worth is practically zero.13:26-13:27You own nothing really.13:28-13:30Others of us would need to sit down and crunch the numbers.13:31-13:33Subtract our debts, add our assets.13:35-13:39Do you realize that all of your assets will belong to someone else?13:40-13:43All of your stuff will be passed on.13:45-13:52Maybe you've already thought about the family heirlooms, the keepsakes that you wanna pass down to your kids, your grandkids, your friends, your relatives.13:52-13:57Maybe you've already been the beneficiary of a very small or a very big inheritance.13:59-14:01You inherited a house and all that came with it.14:02-14:06You inherited a decent chunk of money that you were not expecting.14:08-14:19No matter what you've inherited in the past or what you plan to pass down to others in the future, these things pale in comparison to the inheritance that God gives to his children.14:20-14:21I mean, think about it.14:21-14:22What is God's net worth?14:24-14:25It's limitless.14:25-14:26It's incalculable.14:26-14:28What does God own?14:30-14:32You are the first service, so I'll give you some grace.14:32-14:33Let's try that again.14:34-14:36What does God own?14:37-14:41So if you belong to him, what do you stand to gain?14:42-14:43Everything.14:45-14:46God isn't a cheapskate.14:47-14:53If you're a born again believer in Christ, God doesn't put you on a weekly allowance plan that is based on your performance.14:54-15:08God's not up in heaven thinking, "Well, I was gonna loosen the purse strings a bit more "and give Taylor more this week, "but he really let me down, he really failed me, "so too bad for him, maybe next week, if he behaves better." That is not how God operates at all.15:09-15:11He is unbelievably generous towards you.15:12-15:15He's unconditionally loving towards you.15:18-15:21I know what some Christians in this room and watching online are thinking right now.15:21-15:23Taylor, that sure sounds nice.15:25-15:26But that's not my experience.15:27-15:31You're saying that I have everything, but I feel like I have nothing.15:33-15:35Life isn't going very well for me right now.15:37-15:40I get that, and I felt that.15:41-15:43You may feel like you have nothing.15:44-15:47You may feel like you are running on empty.15:48-15:52You may feel like you have nothing left to give.15:53-15:59But I want you to see and know all that is available to you in Christ.16:00-16:04In Christ, you have unlimited access to God the Father in prayer.16:04-16:10You can come to him 24/7 to bring your request, your Thanksgiving just to talk to him.16:11-16:14You've been given the very word of God.16:14-16:18You can talk to God in prayer and God talks to you in his word.16:19-16:23You've been filled with the Holy Spirit who leads, guides, and comforts you.16:23-16:29You have a protective and older brother named Jesus who is constantly interceding for you in heaven.16:32-16:37As a pastor, I hear so many people tell me, I just want more of God.16:38-16:40I just want more of the Holy Spirit.16:40-16:42I just want more from God.16:43-16:48Listen, in Christ, you have been given everything that God has.16:49-16:50You have been given all of him.16:51-16:55God cannot give you more of himself because he's given you all of it.16:58-16:59Do you really believe that?17:01-17:03Do you really live like you believe that?17:05-17:07No gift has been reserved.17:07-17:09No blessing has been withheld.17:10-17:13No grace has been kept back from you.17:15-17:19Even if you are financially poor, you are spiritually rich.17:20-17:25Even if you feel empty, you have been filled with the fullness of God.17:27-17:31If the past 12 years, my wife and I have shared a joint bank account.17:31-17:41And whenever we open that account, For some reason, PNC Bank put her name in bold letters on the top of the checks and me in smaller letters underneath of hers.17:43-17:44I'm told that's not how it usually goes.17:44-17:45Am I right?17:46-17:47It's very emasculating.17:48-17:51I think PNC laughs at me every time they print those checks for us.17:52-17:53But here's the thing.17:54-17:56My checks clear just as well as Kate's does.17:58-18:03My card withdraws money out of our account just like Kate's card does.18:05-18:14I have unlimited access to a bank account with my wife, but I also have unlimited access to an even greater account.18:14-18:18I share the resources of someone even greater than my wife.18:18-18:21I share the infinite riches of an infinite God.18:22-18:31On our account, his name is huge and mine is teeny tiny small, but I still get to access those riches whenever I want to, whenever I need them.18:33-18:37And the same is true for you if you've been adopted into the family of God.18:38-18:48And the same can be true of you today if you let go of the unsatisfying garbage of this world to grab a hold of the infinitely satisfying treasures of heaven.18:51-18:56God wants you to see and know the riches that are available to you in Christ.18:58-19:01What does God want me to see and know this Easter?19:02-19:04Thirdly, the resurrection power of Christ.19:05-19:07The resurrection power of Christ.19:11-19:21In verse 19, Paul prays the Ephesians would see and know what is the immeasurable greatness of his, God's power towards us who believe.19:22-19:23Power.19:25-19:28Power is such a foreign concept to so many people.19:28-19:34Power is such a foreign concept to most people who fill churches Sunday after Sunday.19:34-19:38Most Christians feel so powerless.19:40-19:44They feel powerless to resist temptation so they give in without a fight.19:45-19:49They feel powerless to serve the church so they sit on the sidelines.19:50-19:54They feel powerless to share the gospel so they stay silent.19:55-20:03They feel powerless to be the husbands and wives they've been called to be, so they settle for being passive rather than active.20:04-20:09They feel powerless to be godly parents, so they make excuses.20:12-20:13How about you?20:15-20:17Do you feel powerless?20:20-20:22If you feel powerless, you're not alone.20:23-20:24I certainly feel that way.20:26-20:31I certainly feel that way as a homeowner because I am not a handyman whatsoever.20:32-20:39If there's something broken at your house, I wouldn't recommend calling me as your first, second, 20th, 100th option.20:40-20:45When something breaks at my house, I mostly feel powerless to address it.20:47-20:52Recently, the toilet paper roll holder ripped off our downstairs bathroom wall.20:52-20:56I wasn't surprised, it's the bathroom my kids use the most and they're not gentle with the toilet paper.20:57-21:00It's like they're on the Price is Right rolling down the toilet paper.21:05-21:10I walked into the bathroom, I assessed the damage and I'll be honest with you, I felt an initial wave of powerlessness.21:12-21:16And I thought, well, guess what's gonna be savages in keeping toilet paper on the bathroom sink from now on.21:18-21:22But then I thought to myself, wait a minute, I own a drill.21:23-21:24I own wall anchors.21:25-21:31I have a teeny tiny screwdriver set that can be used as teeny tiny screw that locks this toilet paper holder into place.21:33-21:38I realized that I already had all that I needed to fix this issue.21:40-21:41And guess what?21:41-21:42I did fix it.21:44-21:45Thank you.21:48-21:52The next time you come to my house, I'll show you the glories of the toilet paper holder.21:57-22:09Whenever you feel that initial wave of powerlessness as a Christian, remember that you already have all that you need to face the issue in front of you.22:10-22:13What you already have is far better than a cheap set of tools.22:14-22:17You have the very power of the God of the universe.22:19-22:24And Paul tells us in verses 19 through 20 what this power is truly capable of.22:24-22:38He says that he wants the Ephesians to see and know what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead.22:41-22:47The power of resurrection isn't just something that Jesus experienced and no one else will ever again.22:49-22:57The power of resurrection is something that everyone who trusts in Christ experiences right now.22:57-23:03It is something that you will experience for all of eternity if you've given your life over to him.23:04-23:07Please catch this because this is truly life-changing.23:08-23:20If you have trusted in Christ for salvation, that same power that brought him back from death and raised him from the grave 2,000 years ago resides within you.23:21-23:26That same power raised you from spiritual death and gave you new life.23:27-23:36That same power will enable you to share the gospel, not caring what anyone thinks about you, not worrying about what the response will be.23:37-23:43That same power will inspire you to not believe the lies and discouragement of the enemy.23:43-23:49That same power will motivate you to love your wife, respect your husband, serve your children.23:50-23:56That same power will equip you to use your spiritual gifts in the life of the church.23:58-24:01Yes, in and of yourself, you are powerless.24:02-24:14In and of yourself, you cannot do anything of value for anyone, but in Christ, you have access to the death-defying, life-giving power the God of the universe.24:14-24:19It is at your fingertips whenever you want it, whenever you need it.24:24-24:33Do not insult the sacrifice and resurrection of your Savior by believing that he has left you unequipped for the responsibilities you've been given.24:36-24:41At this point in the message, you may be thinking, wasn't this supposed to be about seeing and knowing Jesus as King?24:41-24:42when is that part gonna come up?24:44-24:47Well, I'm gonna take a page out of Pastor Jeff's preaching book.24:47-24:49Everything I've said so far has been the introduction.24:50-24:51Here's the actual sermon.24:52-24:53Don't worry, it'll be short, it won't be long.24:55-24:56Everything leading up to this has been the warmup.24:57-24:57Here's the main event.24:58-25:01What does God want me to see and know this Easter?25:02-25:06Finally, the simplicity of submitting to the kingship of Christ.25:08-25:11the simplicity of submitting to the kingship of Christ.25:17-25:23When you hear the gospel story, it's usually concluded with the resurrection of Jesus.25:25-25:26Usually goes like this.25:26-25:30Jesus, God himself, took on flesh and came to this earth.25:30-25:31He lived a perfect life.25:32-25:36He had a three year long ministry filled with miracles and sermons.25:36-25:41He was crucified in the tomb for three days, rose again, roll credits, the end.25:44-25:45Is that actually the end of the gospel story?25:47-25:57There is a major event that is missed, and that is the ascension of Christ, which is a fancy theological way of saying that Jesus went back to heaven.25:59-26:05Paul wants the Ephesians as well as you and I to see and know the importance of the ascension.26:06-26:26In verses 20 through 21, he says, the same power that raised Christ from the dead also seated him at the Father's right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.26:28-26:33Through his crucifixion, Jesus is the Savior who destroys the power of death.26:34-26:39Through his resurrection, Jesus is the victor who destroys the power of death.26:41-26:48Through his ascension, Jesus is the king who defeats the power of those who challenge his rightful rule and authority.26:50-27:00Yes, Satan and the forces of darkness seem to be winning right now, but I promise you they have lost already because they cannot compete with the one who sits on heaven's throne.27:01-27:13Yes, people do and can resist the king right now, but one day, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.27:15-27:16You have two options.27:17-27:23You can willingly bow the knee right now, or you can be forced to bow in eternity.27:25-27:35You can joyfully proclaim that Jesus is your savior, your Lord in the present, or you can begrudgingly admit that you were wrong and he was right in the future.27:38-27:45No matter what you say, no matter what you do, you cannot change the reality of this universe's political situation.27:46-27:49Jesus Christ rules and reigns.27:50-27:55But your position, your side of this political reality can change.27:56-27:58Will you choose team pride?27:59-28:00The captain of that team is Satan.28:01-28:04Spoiler alert, that team is gonna lose big time.28:06-28:14There is team submission, and the captain of that team is Jesus Christ himself, who wins every single game in an absolute shutout.28:16-28:17What will you choose?28:19-28:22Will you resist, or will you submit?28:24-28:29Let's wrap up by reading more about the kingship of Jesus in verses 22 through 23.28:29-28:48Paul writes, "And he, God the Father, put all things under Christ's feet and gave him his head over all things of the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." Jesus Christ is the head, the ruler, the boss, the king of the church.28:49-28:56He's in charge around here, not me, not Pastor Jeff, not Pastor Rich, not the elders, not you.28:56-28:59Jesus Christ is head over the church.28:59-29:03He is in charge of every true church across the face of this planet.29:04-29:11And the church should be a living example of what it looks like to submit to the kingship of Jesus.29:12-29:16The church should be on the front lines displaying the love of Christ.29:16-29:21The church should show a watching world what it looks like to obey the word of God.29:24-29:29How are most Christians doing at setting that example of submission in 2026?29:32-29:32Not the best.29:33-29:42Most professing Christians act like they know Jesus, but they live like they do not know Jesus.29:43-29:49Many professing Christians seem to care more about their own personal opinions than the authoritative word of God.29:50-29:58Most professing Christians seem to love themselves more than the lost, more than their fellow church members.30:00-30:04Do you profess to know Jesus, but make Jesus look bad?30:08-30:13Do you give others around you a totally inaccurate picture of what it looks like to submit to King Jesus?30:15-30:21If your answer to those questions is yes, it's time for repentance, it's time to change course.30:22-30:31Earlier I said that God can never give you more of himself and that's 100% true, but you can always give God more of yourself.30:32-30:34God withholds nothing from you.30:35-30:37What are you withholding from him?30:39-30:40Is it your finances?30:42-30:47Do you foolishly think that all the money in your account belongs to you when it actually belongs to God?30:48-30:49Is it your time?30:50-30:57You've been wasting the most precious gift you've been given, time, by spending it on yourself and no one else.30:59-31:00Is it social media and entertainment?31:01-31:06You're constantly consuming garbage, yet you act surprised that garbage comes out of your mouth?31:07-31:09Is it your status and reputation?31:10-31:16You care so much about what people think of you that you're willing to tear others down and lie your way to the top.31:17-31:22Listen, care about nothing and no one more than Jesus.31:24-31:26The Christian life is so simple.31:28-31:31Do you want me to share the not so secret secret of the Christian life?31:33-31:34Doesn't seem like you want it, no one said anything.31:35-31:38Do you want the not so secret secret to the Christian life?31:39-31:40All right, fine, I'll share it with you.31:41-31:43Just do what Jesus says.31:46-31:47Just do what Jesus says.31:48-31:50Obey his word.31:50-31:56Life is so much simpler when you submit to Jesus in every single way.31:56-32:00It's so complex to figure out other masters to follow.32:00-32:06It's so unsatisfying to be the boss of your own life 'cause if you are honest enough to admit it, you are clueless.32:07-32:08You have no idea what you're doing.32:09-32:10You have no idea what's going on.32:13-32:17Yes, the Christian life is simple, but it's also challenging, isn't it?32:18-32:24It is absolutely pride crushing to admit that you know nothing and Jesus knows everything.32:25-32:29It's humbling to acknowledge that he is in control and you are not.32:30-32:35It's difficult to follow Jesus, not cater to your own personal preferences.32:37-32:39I have to tell you, you will feel miserable.32:40-32:48You will feel directionless until you see and know that submitting to Jesus is the only way to lasting joy.32:50-32:52The worship team can now make their way forward.32:54-32:59Do you see and know that Jesus is the ultimate prophet?33:01-33:05He spoke the truth 2,000 years ago and he still speaks the truth to this day.33:06-33:10Do you see and know that Jesus is the high priest?33:10-33:17He laid down his own life, he shed his own blood on the cross to wash away your many sins.33:19-33:22Do you see and know that Jesus is the king of all?33:23-33:31He resurrected from the grave, he ascended to heaven where he sits at the Father's right hand, where he rules and reigns right now.33:32-33:37This position of prominence proves that He is God and you are not.33:38-33:45This position of prominence proves that He is a rightful claim over your life and you have none.33:47-33:52If your heart is still unyielded to Christ, if your knee is still unbowed, what are you waiting for?33:53-34:00There is no better time to obey Jesus' command to believe in Him than this very moment.34:02-34:06There is no better opportunity to trust in Jesus for salvation than right now.34:08-34:16There is no better day than Easter Sunday to draw your line in the sand and say, today is the day when I gave my life to Jesus.34:16-34:19Today is the day when everything changed for me.34:21-34:29If you turn from your sin and you place your faith in Jesus, the old you will die.34:30-34:33never to be seen or heard from again.34:34-34:43A new you will rise from the grave with Christ, and one day you will live with Christ forever and ever.34:45-34:51That is the ultimate truth that God wants you to see and know this Easter.34:52-34:53Let's pray.34:56-34:59Father, this amazing news often seems too good to be true.35:00-35:10How could a holy, perfect, all-powerful God care about weak people like us?35:11-35:15People who have rebelled against you, who've wanted nothing to do with you.35:16-35:34Lord, instead of just turning your back on us, instead of just consigning all of us to hell forever, You sent your one and only Son to become one of us, to live the perfect life we could never live, to die the death that we deserved to die.35:36-35:38Lord, let this news never become old to us.35:39-35:40May it never become normal.35:41-35:42May it always blow us away.35:43-35:49And Lord, I do lift up those of us in this room who are still resisting, who are still doubting.35:51-35:54God, I can't change anyone, but you can.35:56-35:57I know you can save.35:58-35:59I know you can bring the dead to life.35:59-36:02Lord, I ask you would do that this very moment.36:04-36:05Lord, we thank you for who you are.36:05-36:09We thank you for what you've done, and we thank you for all that you continue to do for us.36:10-36:13We ask all this in Jesus' name, amen. Small Group DiscussionRead Ephesians 1:15-23What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What is the difference between worldly hope and biblical hope?What are the riches and blessings that have been made available to you in Christ?What does it mean that you share in the resurrection power of Jesus? How should this truth change how you live from one day to the next?How are you failing to submit to the kingship of Christ right now?BreakoutPray for one another.

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, I sit down with Pastor Rich Tidwell to examine the widely discussed topic of Christian Zionism and what Scripture actually calls Christians to believe and practice.Should believers automatically support everything Israel does, or are we called to something deeper and more discerning? Together, we break down the foundation often used to justify unconditional support and biblically challenge the idea that any nation or people group is exempt from God's standard of righteousness.This episode is a call back to consistency in the Christian life where truth is not based on politics, emotions, or alliances, but on God's Word alone. If you've ever questioned how to faithfully navigate modern geopolitical issues as a Christian, this conversation will help ground you in a more biblically sound perspective.Stay tuned for Part 2, where we continue digging even deeper into this very important discussion.--Follow Pastor Tidwell on X: https://x.com/richtidwell--https://www.youversion.com/bible-app

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

At the beginning of Holy Week, we journey with Jesus from the joy-filled procession of Palm Sunday, through the sorrow of the Cross, and ultimately to the victory of the resurrection. This message reflects on Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem—riding on a humble donkey while the crowds waved palm branches. In it, we discover a powerful truth: the King has come, but not in the way people expected. These familiar symbols invite us to consider how our own expectations of Jesus compare with who He truly is, and what it means to follow Him in our everyday lives. Scripture Referenced: Mark 11:1-10

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

What do you do when you know something other than God has your heart? In this message from March 22, 2026, Pastor Rich walks through Psalm 115 and Psalm 42:1 to show that holy practices are not about earning God's favor. They are a response to being loved, remembered, and pursued by God. If you have felt distracted, spiritually numb, or stuck in patterns that never truly satisfy, this message offers both clarity and a practical next step for putting Jesus first again.   Speaker: Rich Greene Series: Holy Practices Date: March 22, 2026 Scripture: Psalm 115, Psalm 42:1   Next steps: Connect / Prayer / Baptism / Salvation: https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia Website: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/ Give: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/give

This message continues our journey through the Gospel of Mark. As we approach Good Friday and Easter, we turn our attention to Jesus's teaching on what it means to live as His servants in the world. In Mark, we meet the Servant King, who shows us that true greatness is found not in power, but in humility, sacrifice, and love. Scripture Referenced: Mark 10:35-45

What keeps us spiritually stuck is not always lack of information. Sometimes it is the gap between hearing God's Word and putting it into practice. In this message from Holy Practices, Pastor Rich walks through Psalm 1 and Matthew 7 to show how a life rooted in Jesus becomes steady, fruitful, and able to stand through the storm. Speaker: Rich Greene Series: Holy Practices Scripture: Psalm 1; Matthew 7:21-27 In this message, we explore: why where you're planted shapes what your life produces the difference between hearing God's Word and practicing it how the Holy Spirit helps illuminate Scripture practical ways to engage the Bible daily Next steps: Connect / Prayer / Baptism / Salvation: https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia Website: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/ Give: https://www.lifechurchnow.org/give

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

This message explores one of the most significant events in Jesus' journey to the cross. In the transfiguration, Jesus reveals his true identity and glory. This powerful moment was meant to strengthen and assure the Church, reminding us who Christ truly is—especially in times of hardship and uncertainty. Scripture Referenced: Mark 9:2-8

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

This second week of Lent, we continued our series through the Gospel of Mark, focusing on Peter's pivotal confession in Mark 8 and the intense conversation that followed. We learn what it means to follow Jesus with the concerns of God in mind rather than our own. Scripture Referenced: Mark 8:27-33

Josh Monday Christian and Conspiracy Podcast Ep. 352Pastor Rich Tidwell: instagram.com/richtidwellPastor Rich Tidwell You tube: @richtidwellHow to Support the ministry: $5.99 a monthpatreon.com/JoshMondayChristianandConspiracyPodcastJoin the Patreon here: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Joshmonday_podcastIf you want to donate to the Ministry CashAPP:https://cash.app/$JoshmondaymusicPaul and Crystals links: https://thetinfoilhatfactory.com/Youtube: ⁠@joshmondaymusicandpodcast ⁠ Tips for the show to Support our Ministry: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/joshmondayCoffee Mug Is Available email me your mailing address Joshmonday⁠@rocketmail.com ⁠ Please subscribe to our Spotify and You Tube Channel Joshmondaymusic and Podcast and help us grow so we can keep on spreading the good news. To all of our current and future subscribers thank you for your time, we appreciate you. Please do us a favor subscribe to our You Tube Channel, hit that bell, share, like and comment below on our You tube. Please leave us a 5-Star review on Apple and Spotify.Check out my new show Sunday Service and Wednesday Brought to you by Cult of Conspiracy Podcast. On Cult of Conspiracy Spotify, Patreon and Apple Podcast Channel.Join the study as I go deep into the Bible. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/josh-monday-christian-and-conspiracy-podcast--6611118/support.

Welcome to the audio podcast of Generation Church, led by Pastor Rich and Tina Romero. Our hope is that these messages give you hope, faith and encouragement throughout the week. To learn more about Generation Church: Visit us online: https://mygeneration.cc Contact us: https://mygeneration.cc/contact Interact with us: If you made a decision to follow Jesus, text "Established" to 970-00

As we continue our series through the Gospel of Mark during this Lenten season, we reflect on Jesus' powerful teaching about what truly makes a person right with God. In a world focused on outward actions and appearances, Jesus directs our attention inward and toward the condition of our hands and our hearts. Scripture Referenced: Mark 7:1-23