Podcasts about pastor rich

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him David figured it out Praise opens the door God isn't far off He hears you every time. 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/

Welcome to the VOUS Church Podcast.In today's message, Pastor Rich continues our collection, Your God is Too Small, with God Flex reminding us, God doesn't flex to impress, but to show up.Join us June 19-21 for VOUSCon, three days to encounter Jesus, get equipped, and leave empowered. Don't miss it. Head to vouscon.com to learn more.

Pastor Rich continues our series through The New Family of Jesus. We explore how Jesus unites men and women in partnership to fulfill the mission of the gospel. Discover what this means for our life together, our homes, and our mission as a church family. Scripture Referenced: Genesis 3:16-19, Galatians 3:28

In the message, "Right Place, God's Time," Pastor Rich Whitter explores Ruth 2:1–11, a passage where divine timing meets humble obedience. As Ruth steps into the fields of Boaz to glean what she can, the ordinary act of gathering leftover grain becomes the backdrop for God's extraordinary providence. Pastor Rich highlights how Ruth's faithfulness and courage position her not by accident, but by divine design.In this unfolding moment, Boaz's kindness reflects God's heart—a God who sees, provides, and honors those who take refuge in Him. Ruth had no strategy for promotion, only a willingness to serve and stay faithful. Yet in God's perfect timing, her obedience placed her in the right field, before the right person, for the right purpose.We hope this message inspires you to trust that even in what seems routine, God is at work. Stay faithful where you are—because when you walk in obedience, you may find yourself in the right place at exactly God's time.

Welcome to the VOUS Church Podcast. In today's message, Pastor Rich kicks off our new collection Your God is Too Small, challenging us to tear down the boxes we've placed around God and allow Him to reshape how we see and live. Join us June 19–21 for VOUSCon, a gathering to encounter Jesus, equip the Church, and empower the next generation. Visit vouscon.com to learn more.

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 continue our series on The New Family of Jesus, exploring how racism harms the family of Jesus and our world. And, we examine how the gospel calls us to be different. Scripture Referenced: Galatians 3:28

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 happens when we walk together with God's power? Can you imagine!? Join us this weekend as Pastor Rich explains how the Holy Spirit unites believers not through human language, but through the supernatural language of faith and grace.

In the message, "Then She Arose," Pastor Rich Whitter walks through Ruth 1:1–13, a powerful narrative of loss, loyalty, and the first stirrings of hope. The story opens in the time of the judges, marked by famine and moral decline. Naomi, having lost her husband and two sons in the foreign land of Moab, finds herself empty, grieving, and seemingly without a future. Yet amid the ashes of sorrow, Pastor Rich draws attention to a quiet but pivotal moment in verse 6—“Then she arose.” This turning point signals a decision to return, to move forward, and to trust again in the God she once knew.Pastor Rich emphasizes that faith often begins not with triumph but with simply standing up and taking the next step. Naomi's decision to rise and return to Bethlehem, though tinged with bitterness, is the beginning of redemption—not just for her, but for Ruth, and ultimately, for the lineage that would lead to Christ Himself.We hope this message encourages you to arise—even in your grief or uncertainty—trusting that God can bring purpose from pain and hope from heartbreak.

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

Has there been a time in your life that you were right on the edge of disaster? Maybe that disaster was the result of your mistakes, or perhaps it occurred outside of your control. God uses these times of near crisis to strengthen us. In today's message, Pastor Rich will discuss how the Israelites nearly started a civil war over mistaken motives. Joshua 21:45 - 22:34

 Victory Within: The Pathway to an Overcoming Life   Victorious Christian Living is meant to be the norm for every true believer in Christ.       Revelation 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."   Revelation 2:11 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."   Revelation 2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."   Revelation 2:26 "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—"   Revelation 3:5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."   Revelation 3:12 "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name."   Revelation 3:21 "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."   God actually expects us to overcome. To live victoriously.      #1 It starts with Intimacy.      THIS is eternal life that they might KNOWHim! (John 17:3)   Philippians 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resur- rection, & the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”    John 15:5  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”     If you will get this part of the Christian life right. if you will prioritize this above all, then will be well on your way to victorious Christian living!     Christians who prioritize their relationship w/ Christ through a consistent devotional life tend to live victoriously.   2 Peter 1:2-4 says “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of Godand of Jesus our Lord.  3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 4 Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”     As you spend time with Him you will become like Him.     The law, legalism, is contrary to faith.    The Righteous live by faith   I Jn 5:4 - “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”   And without faith it is impossible to please God!   This is the victory that overcomes the world even our faith.   3 Simple Steps to the Victorious Christian Life -  #1 Intimacy with Christ.  #2 Christlike character #3 Faith in the Word  

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're starting an 8-week journey exploring the call to Justice and Reconciliation—values at the heart of our New Life community. This is the first message in this series. In a time marked by division and brokenness, we'll press into Jesus' vision for a reconciled people and discover how it transforms our hearts, our relationships, and our world. Scripture Referenced: Revelation 7:9-10

Have you ever done something you instantly regretted? Have your actions caused physical or emotional harm to someone else? Did you make a mistake while driving that caused an accident? Even though you deeply regret the action, the sincerest apology won't take away the hurt and pain you caused. Today, Pastor Rich will discuss justice & reconciliation as he discusses the cities of refuge. Joshua 20

Listen in now to hear Life Center Church's latest Sunday message from Pastor Rich.  Listen in now! ⛪️ Connect with us ⛪️  https://www.lifecenternyc.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lifecenternyc/

In the message, "EQUIPPED," Pastor Rich Whitter unpacks Hebrews 13:20–21, highlighting the God who not only calls us but thoroughly equips us for every good work. As our church's new benediction, these verses remind us that the resurrected Jesus—the Great Shepherd of the sheep—continually works in us what is pleasing in His sight. Pastor Rich emphasizes that we are not left to figure out life or faith on our own; instead, through Christ's power, we are made ready, strengthened, and sent with purpose.This powerful reminder assures us that God Himself is our source of strength and success. Pastor Rich urges us to live confidently, knowing that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is actively shaping us for His glory. The message concludes with a call to rely on His ongoing work within us, embracing each day as an opportunity to walk fully equipped by the grace and power of Christ.We hope this message inspires you to trust that God is faithfully preparing you—today and every day—for the good works He has set before you. As we declare this new benediction together, may it anchor your heart in the unshakable truth: He will finish what He has started in you.

Think you can handle everything on your own? That headline is straight-up fake news—and it's costing you freedom.   In Week 1 of our new series, Pastor Rich tackles the first lie the enemy loves to broadcast: “You can fix it yourself.” Here's what we cover: Why believing a lie has the same power as truth and how it quietly shapes your life Five hidden side-effects of the DIY mindset—pride, minimization, guilt, isolation, and hypocrisy How Hebrews 4 shows Jesus as your High Priest & advocate—the One who truly “gets” you A simple challenge to rewrite the headlines in your mind and invite the Holy Spirit to expose every lie   “Come boldly to the throne of grace… there you'll find mercy and help when you need it most.” —Heb 4:16   Ready to quit going it alone?

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

Have you ever had to wait for something? Not so easy is it. Most of us want things as soon as possible. Sometimes God calls us to wait for His will. Today, Pastor Rich will look at Caleb's faithfulness to wait 45 years for the fulfillment of God's promises. Joshua 14:6-15, Numbers 14:30-38

In the Good Friday message, "WHAT ARE YOU PREPARED FOR?" Pastor Rich Whitter leads us through Isaiah 53:3-12, a powerful prophecy detailing the suffering, sacrifice, and ultimate triumph of the Messiah. This sacred text paints a vivid portrait of Jesus as the Suffering Servant—despised, rejected, and pierced for our transgressions.Pastor Rich reflects on the depth of Christ's preparation: not just to die, but to willingly bear our grief, carry our sorrows, and offer Himself as a guilt offering for the sins of many. The message emphasizes the contrast between humanity's rejection of Jesus and God's divine plan of redemption through Him. In His silence before affliction and in His unjust death among the wicked, Jesus fulfilled God's redemptive mission with unwavering obedience and love.This message challenges us to consider what we are prepared for. Are we ready to embrace a Savior who suffered for us? Are we willing to surrender in response to such sacrificial love? As we reflect on the cross, may we be moved not just by Jesus' pain, but by His purpose—bringing healing, righteousness, and restoration to all who believe.

On Easter Sunday, we don't just celebrate a tradition—we remember a moment that changed history forever.   In this message, Pastor Rich shares the real story behind the resurrection of Jesus—not a fairy tale, not a metaphor, but a miracle that happened in real time, in real space… and still has real power today.   Whether you've felt hopeless, far from God, or like it's too late for your story to change—this message is for you. The resurrection isn't just an ancient event. It's a present-day invitation.  

Today's sermon is A Necessary Change by Rich Chaffin Find more teaching from Pastor Rich at www.cclc.org

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 join the Church worldwide in celebrating our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Pastor Rich leads us through a passage in the book of Revelation, reminding us of the hope the resurrection offers those who believe. Scripture Referenced: Revelation 2:8-11

He is risen. What else needs to be said. This Easter weekend Pastor Rich shows us three great Key words in the Easter story.

He is risen. What else needs to be said. This Easter weekend Pastor Rich shows us three great Key words in the Easter story.

Why are you listening today? Are you seeking God secretly hoping no one notices? Are you seeking God merely because you think you have to? Are you here completely by accident? Today as Pastor Rich discusses Jesus' rising from the dead and his appearances to men and women, may Jesus make Himself known to you through the Bible, through prayer and through this podcast. 1 Corinthians 15

Introduction: 1 Peter 1:18-19 - ...knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of ua lamb vwithout blemish or spot. What is Redemption? Jesus Christ Paid the Ultimate price to Purchase my freedom and salvation. What Does Christ Redeem Me From? An Empty life of bondage to sin that leads to an Excruciating eternity in hell. What Does Christ Redeem Me With? His Own life which is worth more than anyone or anything that this world has to offer. Psalm 49:7-8 – Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice. What Does Christ's Redemption Require of Me? Acknowledging that I Cannot Work Off My Debt to God. Isaiah 64:6 – We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Trusting that Christ has Paid my Debt In Full . Colossians 2:13-14 – And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Living for the One who Gave Himself for me. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript If you have a Bible, please turn to 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 through 19.1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 through 19.We live in a time when everything is expensive.Am I right?Every single time you go to the grocery store, every time you go to the gas station, you'rein a state of shock over how much money you had to spend.We all leave our house expecting to spend this amount of money and we always end up spendingeven more than we hoped.It can be difficult to keep track of ever-changing prices, but I want to help you have a heartbeaton how much things truly cost.In April 2025, I'm going to do a quick game with you to make that happen.Who's excited for a game?All right, way more excited than I expected.This is your first official harvest game show called Guess That Price.So imagine I'm Bob Barker and you're the excitable crowd.Everyone say guess that price.Yes, guess that price.Oh man, this is really exciting.So I'm going to ask four questions and you will win amazing and imaginary prizes if youguess the answers correctly.And most of the answers were found on Google, which we know is never wrong.So first question on the board.Is that a pretty good talk show voice?Game show voice?Okay, good.First question on the board, what is the median listing price for a house in Pittsburgh?What do we think?Janelle got it right, $250,000.Come see me afterwards for your imaginary prize.Next question, the best selling minivan in 2025 is the Honda Odyssey.What is the suggested retail price for a base model?$55,000?All right, I'm not hearing any right answers.$42,220.No one wins a prize for that one, I guess.Third question, what is the average price of a baseline Disney World vacation for afamily of four?My mom has an answer, $10,000.Janelle once again is very, very close, $7,093.I guess Janelle is the winner of this game for the most part.Well, it's time for the final and most important question of the game.And for this question, you don't have to shout out your answer, instead silently considerit in your heart and mind.What price did Jesus Christ have to pay to rescue lost and undeserving sinners like youand me?That's very true, Cody, his own life.Until the sermon, we're going to talk the rest of the time about that.So this is the third message in our latest series, What is Finished?And our goal is to unpack what Jesus truly accomplished on that cross 2,000 years agoand why he victoriously declared it is finished with his dying breath.Over the past two weeks, we've studied the doctrine of salvation like a diamond and examinedit from different angles and aspects.First we focused on justification.Our guilt before God is gone.And last week, we talked about the glorious truth of reconciliation.Our broken relationship with God has been restored.And tonight, we will examine another facet of the salvation diamond.Redemption, the price has been paid.You know, during the Easter season, you were bombarded with crosses on bumper stickers,road signs, even in chocolate form.Without even realizing it, you can become numb to the meaning and magnitude of the crossof Christ.So on this Good Friday, I want each and every one of you in this room and watching onlineto be overwhelmed with the weight of your sin and the depth of your debt before a holyGod.Some of you in this room need to come to the realization that you have an outstanding balanceon your spiritual account.That will not affect your credit score or your financial portfolio, but it will affect youreternal destiny unless it is dealt with before it is too late.And for the rest of you whose balance has been taken care of and wound down to zero,I want you to truly count the cost of your salvation and calculate the immensity of whatwas sacrificed for you.Because if you have a cheap view of grace, you will have a weak walk with Christ.But if you have a costly view of grace, you will have a rock-solid relationship with yourLord and Savior.So let's spend a moment in prayer.Please pray for me that will faithfully proclaim God's Word, and I will pray for you that youfaithfully receive it.Father, I am completely overwhelmed by my inability to properly communicate the pricethat has been paid and what your Son has sacrificed for me.What He has sacrificed for everyone in this room.Father, I pray that your Holy Spirit would preach a much better message in our heartsthat I ever could with my mouth.May you watch over your Word to perform it this evening.May you do a great and mighty work.We ask all this in Jesus' mighty name.Amen.So our textual this evening is 1 Peter 1, verses 18 through 19.But before we dive into these verses, we need to understand the purpose of this letter andwho Peter is writing to.Throughout chapter 1, Peter makes it crystal clear that he is writing to struggling andsuffering Christians who do not feel at home in this fallen and ungodly world.He describes these believers as refugees, exiles, aliens, and pilgrims who stick outlike sore thumbs in a culture that hates God.And Peter doesn't want his brothers and sisters in Christ to feel discouraged that they arebeing persecuted and are suffering.Instead he wants them to be encouraged that they are experiencing the results of standingapart from everyone else and acting different.In the verses leading up to our passage, Peter gives a list of important commands.He says, "Prepare your minds for action.Be sober-minded.Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.Be holy in all your conduct and conduct yourself with fear throughout the time of your exile."Simply put, imitate your perfect and holy God by being who he has called you to be anddoing what he has called you to do.Okay?But why?Why should these Christians choose to act differently from the world around them?What is the motivation?Well, Peter gives the motivation in verses 18 through 19 of chapter 1.He says, "Knowing that you were ransomed, redeemed from the futile ways inherited fromyour forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the preciousblood of Christ.Like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."So to fully unpack these verses and what redemption actually is, we need to ask and answer forwhat questions this evening.And the first what question on your outline is, what is redemption?What is redemption?When Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price to purchase my freedom and salvation.Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price to purchase my freedom and salvation.You know redemption was a common concept 2,000 years ago when it came to slavery and captivity.Prisoners of war were not released until their ransom was delivered.Prisoners were not set free until their debt was paid in full.And it's essential for you to understand that apart from Christ, you have a sin debt hangingover your head.You are a sinner by nature and by choice.And you have no one to blame for your spiritual bankruptcy besides yourself.And this debt will not magically go away.It must be paid by someone and there are only two options.Option one is a payment plan.You pay the penalty in hell forever.The second option is much better.And it's the one I hope you will choose.Jesus Christ settles your debt once and for all through His death on the cross that youcan be set free.You know as a pastor I'm asked a lot of theological questions on a weekly basis.And one of the questions I receive almost more than any other, almost even more than"Do my pets go to heaven?"Which will always be the uncontested champion of theological questions.I've lost count of how many people have asked me, "Why did Jesus have to die?"Why did Jesus have to pay a price?Why couldn't God just look past our sin, snap His divine fingers and say, "You know what?Just forget about it.Go on, go home.Don't worry, you're all forgiven."Have you ever wondered that?Have you ever asked that question?Well to answer that question let me walk you through a few scenarios.Imagine with me after service you punch me in the face.First of all, please don't do that.Please, please.Second of all, would there be consequences for your assault?There's a lot of police officers here so I guess they could arrest you.I could press charges.What if you punch your boss in the face on Monday?Would there be even worse consequences?Yeah, on top of going to jail you'd also be fired from your job.Imagine you were pulled over by a cop after service today and you punched that cop inthe face.Were there serious consequences for that?You would be in prison for a long time for assaulting an officer.What if you punched the President of the United States or another world leader in the face?Would there be even worse consequences for that?You can maybe be charged with an assassination attempt.Last question.What is the penalty for slapping the creator of the universe in the face?Sending against the eternal God demands eternal punishment.The punishment has to fit the crime.And infinite debt only makes sense for offending an infinite God.Once again, someone has to pay your debt.It cannot just be forgotten without someone covering the bill that you owe to the Lord.So we answer the first what question of what is redemption, which leads into our secondquestion which we touched on a bit.What does Christ redeem me from?What does Christ redeem me from?And Peter makes her crystal clear in verse 18.He says you were ransom from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers.So what does Christ redeem me from on your outline and empty life of bondage to sin thatleads to an excruciating eternity in hell?Peter says that we have all inherited futile ways from our forefathers.What does that even mean?Well, it's very simple.We all have been taught worthless ideas that lead to meaningless living.You have been served an endless amount of lies throughout your entire life that are niceand candy coated and look great on the outside, but on the inside are hollow.So many people have no idea who created them, why they exist, and what their purpose evenis.Instead of submitting to the perfect revelation of God, they make up their own pointless answersto the question.There is the you do you way of living.You are the bright and shining star of your own universe.Do whatever you want to do.There's the close your eyes mentality and don't think about God.Don't think about life and its meaning.Don't think about death.Don't think about what happens after death.Just enjoy your life as long as it lasts.There's the American dream.You work really hard to get into a good college, so you can get a good job, so you can marrythe right person.Have a bunch of kids who then repeat that same cycle.Impressive degrees, a high paying job, successful children of the measures of success.There's the empty religion school of thought.Just pick whatever religious path seems good to you.They all lead to the same destination.You know that sentiment is almost true.Every single spiritual path but one leads to the same destination, but that destinationis not a place you want to end up.Every path but one that is laid out in God's word leads to an excruciating eternity awayfrom the loving and caring presence of Almighty God.But whoever turns to Christ and walks by his way of salvation is redeemed and is rescuedfrom a life of dead end streets that go nowhere and a destiny of eternal suffering.So we know what redemption is.We also know what Christ redeems us from.Our third what question, what does Christ redeem me with?And Peter gives us the answer in verses 18 through 19.He says, "Not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious bloodof Christ like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."So what does Christ redeem me with?His own life which is worth more than anyone or anything that this world has to offer.You know according to the Old Testament law, the Israelites were commanded to only sacrificeanimals that were free of deformities, rashes, and other obvious issues.They were to only sacrifice animals that were clear of disease and imperfections.This trend first pops up in Exodus 12 as God tells the Israelites to spread the blood ofspotless lambs over their doorpost to be spared from death.And these spotless lambs in every single Old Testament sacrifice point forward to the perfectand spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who came into this world to lay down his own lifeand pour out his own blood so that anyone who trusts in him will be washed of all theirsinful stains.You know Psalm 49 verses 7 through 8 talks about the unimaginable cost of a human soul."Truly no man can ransom another or give to God the price of his life for the ransom oftheir life is costly and can never suffice.God cannot be bribed with gold, silver, a briefcase full of cash, or bitcoin, becausehere he owns it all.No mere human being can take the place of another or pay off the debt of someone else.Only Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man can bridge that gap and pay that price.The blood of Christ is the only currency of redemption.It is the only thing of true value that God the Father can or will accept.Nothing more precious could ever be offered and nothing less will even be considered."So we've answered three what questions.What is redemption?What does Christ redeem me from?And what does Christ redeem me with?We've talked about the theology of redemption.Now let's close by talking about the application of redemption with our final question.What does Christ's redemption require of me?What does Christ's redemption require of me?Well, firstly, acknowledging that I cannot work off my debt to God.Acknowledging that I cannot work off my debt to God.And my five-year-old son Sam loves Legos.Now imagine with me that I take him to the Ross Park Mall to buy a very small and inexpensiveLego set.In the process, he knocks over and destroys five of their most expensive displays.All told, I'm on the hook for $3,000 in damage.And Sam hysterically says to me, "Dad, I promise I'll pay you back.I don't have any money in my piggy bank right now, but here's what I'll do.I'll go around the neighborhood and pull weeds for a penny of weed.I promise I'll pay you back soon."I'm not great at math, but $3,000, a penny of weed, how many weeds would he have topull to cover that debt?How much?300,000 weeds.Come on, let's be realistic.Is that ever going to happen?No way.That is way too high a sum for a five-year-old to handle on his own.And the same way, your sinful sum is way too high for you to handle on your own.Thinking that you can pay it off and work it back to God is as foolish as Sam thinkingthat he can pull hundreds of thousands of weeds to pay off his debt to me.You can never be good enough.You can never do enough to earn your way back into God's good graces.Isaiah 64-6 gives us an important insight about all the things that we think are righteousdeeds.He says, "All of us have become like Juan who was unclean, and all our righteous actsare like filthy rags.We all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweeps us away."The first step in receiving redemption is acknowledging your need for it and admittingthat you can never earn it or buy it for yourself.So what does Christ redemption require of me?Secondly, trusting that Christ has paid my debt in full.Trusting that Christ has paid my debt in full.While you are spiritually destitute and delinquent, Christ has an infinite amount of riches.That He will give to you if you come to Him in humility and faith.Your debt to God will now and forever be wiped away in an instant if you turn from yoursin and trust in Christ.You must believe that He is your Savior and that the incomparable gift of His blood ismore than enough to cover your bill to the Lord.I know what some of you are thinking, "Taylor, you have no idea how long and detailed mysinful bill really is.It's like a CVS receipt on steroids."There's no way that God could forgive that.I don't know the horrible things you've done.I don't know all the things that are written on your debt to the Lord.But do you know who does?Jesus Christ.He knows how broken you are.He knows not just every single sin that you've committed, but every sin that you have yetto commit.Yet He offers you redemption anyway.If you were to pull me aside for service to share your deepest, darkest secret with me,I would have the same exact response to every single one of you.There is no debt that the blood of Christ cannot pay, even yours.But please stop making excuses for why Jesus can't forgive you and just ask Him to forgiveyou.And He will, because the Bible says so.It's that simple.Listen to how the Apostle Paul describes those who were saved.In you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God madealive together with Christ, having forgiven us all our trespasses.Not just some, not just most.Oh, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.Those verses can be true of you right now.If you simply repent and turn to Christ.I beg you, please don't leave tonight without making the most important transaction of yourlife.Submit your sinful bill to Christ that He will pay every last penny and then rip it up,never to be seen again.Finally, what does Christ redemption require of me?Living for the one who gave himself for me.Living for the one who gave himself for me.You will not live for Christ until you are truly thankful for what He has done for you.And your level of thankfulness to Christ will only reach as high as your genuine grasp ofwhat He has sacrificed for you.Let me prove it to you with a few examples.Would you be thankful if I let you borrow my hoodie because you were chilly during service?Pastor Jeff, would you be thankful?But Pastor Jeff wouldn't break his hand patting me on the back for that, right?How thankful would you be if I let, if I lent you my car for a whole week while you'rejust getting worked on?You would repeatedly express your gratitude, maybe even send me a thank you note.What if I found out you were homeless and I let you move into my house rent free?How thankful would you be?You would go out of your way to express your gratitude by cleaning up around the house,doing all the chores outside that I don't like to do.How thankful would you be if I pushed you out of the way of a moving car and died inyour place?You wouldn't even know where to begin with expressing your gratitude and honoring mymemory and helping my family.Magnify that made up example times a billion and describing how grateful you should be asa redeemed sinner.The eternal Son of God died in your place so that you could have eternal life.We hear that so much, but do you really think about it?Do you think about how unbelievable that is?Praise Him for what He has done because He deserves it.Thank Him for all that He has given to you instead of complaining about all the thingsthat you don't have.Stop living for yourself and start living for Him.You need to be thankful to Christ, but you also need to recognize that you belong toChrist.Once your debt is scratched out of God's heavenly ledger, you can't just say, "Hey, God, thanks.I'll see you later when I get to heaven.I'm off to do whatever I want to do now."Paul tells us why that doesn't make sense in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verses 19 through20."You are not your own, for you were bought with a what?With a price.Your life is not your life.Since Jesus gave you His life, your life is now His life.Christ ransomed you from slavery to sin so that He could make you His own personal slave."That may sound bad, but it's actually the greatest news imaginable because everyone is enslavedto something and someone.Money, stuff, possessions, status.These are all harsh dictators that care nothing for you.And Satan has dibs on every single person who rejects Christ, and he hates everyone whois enslaved to him.But the Christian slave has the freest life of all because you belong to the only masterwho truly loves you, who calls you his friend.And once what is best for you?And what is best for you is giving everything you have for Jesus, his glory, and his kingdom.This means that you look and act different.How you spend your time should look different than everyone else.More than anything, you want to meet with God and His Word and in prayer every singleday.How you view your relationship should be different.You want to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ, worshiping, fellowshiping, andserving together.You want to reach out to unbelievers in your life so that they can experience the redemptionthat you've experienced.You view your resources differently.Your gifts, talents, and resources are not to be used to get ahead and advance your ownplans.And you may be thinking, "Wow, this sounds really inconvenient."You still don't get it.True Christians are those who happily rearrange their lives around Christ because they realizethey belong to Him and not themselves.Turning your life upside down is not an annoying inconvenience.It is an absolute pleasure because Jesus Christ is more than worthy and His redemptive rewardsare more than worthwhile.You know what, Harvest?Some choose to designate their financial giving towards certain ministries and missions.You can designate your giving to the building fund, the General Missions Fund, or to Thailandto go to Barnabas and his band of missionaries and evangelists.And I promise you, if you ever designate your giving, the finance team honors your wishes.If you designate your giving to the building fund, it goes to the building fund.If you designate your giving to go to Thailand, it goes directly to Thailand.Do you know that the Lord Jesus designates His giving?He paid an infinite price, but His giving is geared towards one specific purpose, redeemingand recruiting genuine worshipers.Jesus only purchases selfless givers, not selfish consumers.He only purchases loyal friends, not flaky acquaintances.He only purchases faithful servants, not lazy slackers.Do not belittle the price Jesus paid by choosing to be the exact opposite of what He paid for.Do not undermine His sacrifice by choosing to act like everyone else.Do not dishonor the Lord of your life by acting as if you are the Lord of your life.Our worship team and communion service can make their way forward.You know, we spent a lot of time tonight talking about redemption, but now we're actually goingto look at a physical picture of it as we turn to the Lord's Supper.Sin forces us to count the cost of salvation and focus our attention upon Jesus Christand Him crucified.When we eat the bread and drink of the cup, we are reminded that Jesus gave His own bodyand shed His own priceless blood to ransom us from captivity to sin and give us His eternalriches.And to be clear, you don't have to be a member of harvest to take part in communion, butyou do need to be a member of the family of God.So if you have not yet turned to Christ, I want to ask you to stay seated and contemplatethe meaning and message of the cross.Once again, I want to call you to not leave this room without making the most importantdecision of your life.Please stop Pastor Jeff, myself, from one of the other elders.We have Justin over here.We have Brian right here and Pastor Rich in the back.We would love nothing more than to talk to you about Jesus and what next steps with Himlooks like.And for those who are born again believers in this room, we're going to do somethinga bit different tonight for communion.In a few moments, you will leave your seats, come down the center aisles to receive theelements.You'll go back to your seat using the outer aisles and you'll be taking communion onyour own.I ask you to eat the bread and drink at the cup, not quickly or flippantly, but prayerfully.Take time to confess to the Lord.Take time to thank Him for all that He has done for you through the life and death ofHis Son.And after you're done, we ask that you please leave respectfully and quietly.We want you to feel the weight of the cross upon your shoulders so that you can come rightto celebrate the resurrection of the empty tomb on Sunday.So you can make your way forward as you are ready. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Peter 1:18-19What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Do you ever take your redemption for granted? How can you protect yourself from this indifference?Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - According to Paul, why can't you just live however you want to live? How is your Heavenly Master calling you to change and serve Him more faithfully right now? BreakoutPray for one another.

This past Sunday, Pastor Rich brought a powerful word on the application of the blood of Jesus. It's not enough to know about the cross. We're called to engage with it. Like the Israelites had to apply the lamb's blood to their doorposts, we apply the blood of Jesus by faith. That's the power of the applied blood of Jesus. Listen in now to hear Life Center Church's latest Sunday message from Pastor Rich.  Listen in now! ⛪️ Connect with us ⛪️  https://www.lifecenternyc.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lifecenternyc/

In the message, "MY RESPONSIBILITY," Pastor Rich Whitter unpacks Ephesians 6:1-8, guiding us through the biblical responsibilities placed on children, parents, and workers. With clarity and conviction, Pastor Rich emphasizes how obedience, respect, integrity, and diligence are essential marks of a Spirit-led life—no matter our role or age.The passage begins with a call for children to obey and honor their parents, a command not only rooted in love but tied to God's promise of blessing and longevity. Parents, in turn, are instructed to nurture rather than provoke, cultivating faith and discipline in their homes. Pastor Rich highlights that our responsibilities are not mere duties, but opportunities to reflect Christ in our homes and workplaces. Whether we lead or serve, our true Master is the Lord, and we're called to work with sincerity, doing everything as if for Him.We hope this message inspires you to embrace your God-given responsibilities with joy and reverence, trusting that when we serve others faithfully, we ultimately serve Christ Himself.

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

Do you think God needs anything? This Palm Sunday, Pastor Rich shares what God needs from us.

Do you think God needs anything? This Palm Sunday, Pastor Rich shares what God needs from us.

In the message, "BEST USE OF MY TIME," Pastor Rich Whitter explores Ephesians 5:9-33, calling believers to live with intentionality, wisdom, and love in a world clouded by darkness. The passage exhorts us to walk as children of light—bearing fruit in goodness, righteousness, and truth—and to discern what pleases the Lord. Pastor Rich challenges us to make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil, and our time is limited.The message transitions from personal conduct to relational living, emphasizing Spirit-filled wisdom that transforms marriages and homes. Pastor Rich highlights Paul's powerful imagery of Christ and the Church as the model for marriage, urging husbands and wives to love and honor one another sacrificially. At its core, this passage reveals that the best use of our time is to reflect Christ in both our daily walk and our closest relationships.We hope this message encourages you to live wisely, love selflessly, and reflect the light of Christ in every moment, trusting that a life aligned with His will is the most meaningful use of your time.

Welcome to the VOUS Church Podcast In today's message, The Cross I Didn't Choose, Pastor Rich reminds us that the cross we carry–especially the one we didn't choose–can be the very thing God uses to shape us.  This Easter at VOUS, we're remembering that through the cross, we find victory. Join us at vouschurch.com/easter

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

Pastor Rich continues our series on The Narrow Path. We explore one of the most misunderstood teachings of Jesus. What does Jesus mean when he says "do not judge?" This message has importance for every area of our lives. Scripture Referenced: Matthew 7:1-5

Life can be a battle. As we fight through the battles of life, how can we live well and live wisely? Today, Pastor Rich will share some lessons that Joshua, leader of Israel discovered as he led the Israelites to take possession of the land God had promised them. Joshua 10-11

Have you ever asked, “Will God accept me?” You're not alone. In this message, Pastor Rich opens up about his personal experience with rejection—from painful childhood wounds to awkward ministry moments—and how God's unconditional acceptance reshaped his life. If you've ever felt abandoned, overlooked, or like you just don't measure up, this message is for you. Drawing from Romans 3-4 and the stories of Abraham and David, we discover that we are made right with God not by our good deeds, but through faith in Jesus Christ. ✅ God's acceptance is not earned—it's a promise. ✅ You are not defined by your greatest success or failure. ✅ Your past may explain you, but it doesn't define you. Join us for a message that speaks healing to the rejected, hope to the striving, and freedom to the weary.   Connect With Us Need prayer, want to sign up for baptism or surrender your life to Christ? Follow this link : https://bit.ly/m/lifechurchia

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

Introduction: Influencer = Social media professional who has built a sizable following around a relevant topic, and can therefore influence their followers to take an action, thanks to their credibility and authority. As Salt and Light, I Am God's Influencer (Matthew 5:13-16) My Influence is Expected. My Influence Comes from Me Being Different. My Influence Is for God's Glory. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript Open up your Bibles with me, please, to the book of Matthew in chapter 5.Today we are going to talk about influencers.Now the young people here already know something about this, but those of us whoare older, this is, I'm in that category too, this might be a newconcept to some of this. But what is an influencer? We have a definition here, canwe get the definition up on the screen? This is what an influencer is, okay?It's a social media professional who has built a sizable following around arelevant topic and can therefore influence their followers to take anaction thanks to their credibility and authority. That's what a social mediainfluencer or an influencer, that's what that is. And those relevant topics,that's a lot of different things, right? It's food, health, fashion, pop culture,travel, gaming, beauty, you name it, there's somebody out there that is aninfluencer. They are internet celebrities. And by that, some of them were alreadycelebrities and they got online. And some of them are people who becamecelebrities because of their online presence. There's lists of the top ones.I was looking up all these lists and you can do this sometime, not now, but I waslooking up lists of who were the biggest influencers of our day. And forsake of time today, I'm just going to share top five. Here's the top five,according to this one list for whatever that's worth. The number one biggestinfluencer, Cristiano Ronaldo. I don't even know who she is. Is anybody a soccerplayer? Not football. That is a different sport. We call it soccer like goodAmericans. Okay, so apparently Cristiano Ronaldo is a soccer player and on thislist, the biggest influencer in the world currently. Number two, I think I heard ofher. It's Selena Gomez. Isn't she like an, is she an actor or something? Okay,actor, singer. Okay, all right. Number three is Mr. Beast. Probably not his realname. Number four is Lionel Messi. Messi, another soccer player.What? I played soccer in high school and college and it was not popular back then.Now two of the top five so far. Oh, number five. I know number five. Number five isthe Biebs as his followers like to call him. Justin Bieber. That's number five.Did you know God has a face for his brand? God has a spokesman. God has someoneto endorse his relevant topic. Do you know who that is? It's you. It's you.Think it by your heads with me and I want you to pray for me. Once we turn to God'sword that I'll be faithful to communicate it and I will pray for you tohave a heart open to receive what God has for us today. Let's pray.Father, your word tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing through theWord of Christ. The only transformation that can happen is supernaturaltransformation. It has to come from you. And I pray, Father, that as we encounteryour word, as we encounter you, we are profoundly changed. We pray these thingsin Jesus' name. And all of God's people said, "Amen." We just finished what waslike an eight-week series on the Beatitudes. And the Beatitudes describewhat a follower of Jesus is like. Verses 13 through 16 describe the function ofthe believer in the world. You are God's influencer. You are. When you live asdescribed in the Beatitudes, you influence the world. Like, well, how does thathappen? Well, let's see what our Lord says. Matthew 5 verse 13. He says, "You are thesalt of the earth. But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness berestored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out andtrampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world." A city said on ahill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Buton a stand, and it gives light to all in the house, in the same way, let yourlight shine before others so that they may see your good works and give gloryto your Father who is in heaven. Jesus here is saying, okay, here's the shortversion. The world is decaying and it's dark. Have you noticed? What it needs issalt and light. Let's talk about salt and light for a second, shall we? When itcomes to salt, look, in our day, we kind of take salt for granted. It's everywhere.It's on every table, it's in your cabinet. It's everywhere, and it's cheap. But thepeople that lived in Jesus' day would have had a different view of salt. To theGreeks, they considered salt divine. The Romans said that there is nothing morevaluable than two things, sun and salt. In fact, Roman soldiers were actually paidin salt. Do you ever hear that expression? He's not worth a salt? Ask where that comesfrom. True story. It was so important in so many ways. People would use salt inmaking covenants. Salt was used in Old Testament sacrifices. Salt was used forflavor, obviously. Salt is an antiseptic. Like, well, how did Jesus mean it?I believe the main primary focus of Jesus' teaching here is salt as apreservative. Salt prevents corruption. You see, in Jesus' day, they didn't haverefrigerators. They didn't have a deep-freeze chest in the garage like we do.So in order to preserve meat, you would literally have to rub salt into the meatto keep it from spoiling. And in the same way, Jesus' followers are the salt in themeat of the world. We are what's preventing the world from totally rotting right now.But the Bible says, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, the book of Revelation, whenthe church is removed from the world in the rapture, the world is going to go tohell. It's going to get horrific because the salt's been removed. It's gonna rot.So the implication here of salt is that the world is polluted and corrupt and ithas this tendency to rot like meat. And what it needs is your influence. It needs salt.Let's talk about light for a second. Also, much more valuable in Jesus' daybecause, again, we kind of take it for granted, don't we? We're so used to havingelectricity and flicking the lights on. But don't we just lose our minds when astorm takes the power out and there's no light? I know our house does, but theydidn't have that electricity. So light would have been a much more valuablething to them. But you know, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world," back in Johnchapter 8 and verse 12, "and here Jesus says you are the light of the world." Sowhich is it? And the answer is both. It's both. It's His light through us. Just asthe moon doesn't produce its own light but reflects the light of the sun, that'show it is for followers of Christ. We are to reflect the light of Jesus Christ inour lives. Now when the Bible talks about light, it's talking about revealingGod's truth. This is what the Bible refers to when it's talking about light,right? Psalm 119, 105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Solight has to do with the revelation of God's Word. It is the light that tells usthe cause of the darkness. It is the light that shows us that our problem iswe're separated from God. But it's also the light that shows us the way out ofdarkness. It's the light of God's Word that says there is a way to get back toGod, and that is through Jesus Christ, who died for your sins, who rose from thedead to give you eternal life. It's through faith in Him. That's how you get back toGod, and that is only revealed in the light of God's Word. So the implicationwhen Jesus talks about light is this, the world is dark. Sin has made this world avery dark place. What it needs is light. It needs your influence. So on youroutline, I encourage you to take some notes here. Here's the sermon, "As Salt andLight, I am God's Influencer. I am. And if you claim to be a follower of JesusChrist, you are an influencer for God. You are." Let's unpack this a little bit.Shall we, number one, write this down, "My influence is expected." My influence isexpected. Interestingly, in the Greek, we talked about this in the Beatitudes. It'shere too. You know, you as emphatic in the Greek. So literally, you couldtranslate this. Jesus is saying, "You are the only light in the world. You are theonly salt in the world." You know, I was thinking about salt this week. You know,something really interesting about salt, as valuable as it is, it's really no goodon its own, is it? It's not good by itself. I mean, when was the last time youwent to Pantera bread, and you said, "Yeah, you know what? I'm not really that hungry.I'm just gonna have a bowl of salt." Like, who does that? It's no good on its own.Salt is always used for something else. And you know, thinking about that further,light is the same, isn't it? Light is always used for something else. Meaningthis, when you turn on the lights, you don't do it because you're like, "You knowwhat, man? I just really like light." Like, nobody just really likes light. Why do youturn it on? Because it's light that illuminates what's in the room. Light hasno other purpose. So salt and light always used for something else. Always usedfor something else. You know what? You are so valuable. You are. But like salt,you're not valuable for yourself. Here's what I mean. If all God wanted was for youto be saved, then the moment you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, Godwould just take you to heaven. Like, we're done. Good job. I wanted you to be saved.But He doesn't do that. God, when you're saved, God keeps you on this earth for onereason. It's influence. He keeps you here to be salt and light. You see, that's whatJesus is saying here. There is no salt and light except from a Christ followerwho is going to show and tell the people around you about Jesus. Like, well, you'rethe pastor, isn't that your job? No. Look, it can't be. You're going to encounterpeople just through the course of your every day that I'm never going to meet.You're going to work with people and there's people in your family. Thepastor Taylor is never going to meet. So whose job is it to let them know aboutJesus Christ? That's yours. That's why God has you there. There's no alternative.There's just not another option. But you know, side note, it's an interestingparadox. Last week we were talking about persecution, right? And people hating youbecause of Jesus. Isn't it an interesting paradox that the world hates us so much,but the world needs us so desperately? Look, you're expected. You are expected tobe salt and light. That is so clear from Jesus' words. It is just anexpectation. That's why Jesus gives warnings of being useless. Did you seethat? He says, verse 13, "If the salt has lost its taste." And then over in verse 15,he says, "Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket." What's the point?Well, the point is this. If salt isn't salty, it's useless, right? And if lightdoesn't shine, useless. What Jesus is saying here is when salt isn't salty,when light isn't bright, what that means is you've lost your influence. You'velost your influence. It's a terrible place to be when you lose your ability to besalt and light for Jesus Christ. You're like, well, how does that happen? How doyou lose your influence? How does salt lose its taste? How do you hide yourlight? Well, it happens through sin. That's how it happens. Constantlycomplaining, you're losing your saltiness. Gossiping, you're losing yoursaltiness. Do you have a hair trigger temper? You're losing yoursaltiness when that erupts. I'm inappropriate with the opposite sex inany way. Flirtation, direct messages to full-on affairs. You're losing yoursaltiness when you're involved in sin. Jesus gives a hard wording about thathere. He says you're not good for anything when that happens. I can justspeak personally, you know, over the years there have been several pastors whohave been a big influence influence. Several pastors have been a big influenceon me. Some local guys, some national names. People who have disqualifiedthemselves from ministry because of flagrant sin. And in a lot of the casesit was affairs. Whether it was emotion or physical, that seems to be thepredominant disqualifier. And look, right wrong or indifferent, you can reach yourconviction on this. But I gotta tell you, I've thrown away a lot of books and alot of sermons and a lot of materials for ministries. Because those pastors losttheir influence, how can you preach this? And for years secretly live acompletely different way. How can you do that? You don't have audience with meanymore. You're like, yeah, that's terrible. Well, what about you? What aboutyour influence with your unsafe family, with your friends, with your co-workers?When they know that you're a Christian, and by the way they absolutely should,look, when they know you name the name of Christ, they're watching you. They arewatching everything you do. They're watching your attitudes. They're listeningto every word that you say and how you say it and what you talk about. They'relistening. They're watching. I have to ask you, do theysee sin? Or maybe you just try to tone down the salt a little bit whenyou're around them. Maybe when you're around them, you don't want to be theweird religious wackadoo. So you're just, let's just dim the lights a little bit.Can we just dim the lights a little bit? Jesus says, if that's the case, He says,you're not good for anything. Like, Jesus is saying, why do I have you here? Why do Ihave you here if you're not going to be salt and light? You're no good. It's ahard warning. But notice, Jesus didn't say after the beatitudes, okay, now wouldyou pretty please be salt and light? He said, you are. You are. So really thequestion is, how salty are you? How bright are you? Because you're going toinfluence people one way or the other. And Jesus is expecting His influence onthis world to happen through you. So your influence is expected, number one.Number two, right this time, my influence comes from me being different. Myinfluence comes from me being different. That's something else about salt andlight. It has to actually be touching what it's going to affect. Did you knowthat? If the salt's going to be of any use, it has to be on the food. I know that'sprofound, right? What did you learn in church today? He said something about thesalt's no good unless it's on the food. Right. Right. The light must be mingledwith the darkness, right? But at the same time that it's touching, it's alsodistinct. What I mean is salt and light are unlike the medium on which they'replaced. So the point is we are to be different from the world. We're to beas different as the salt is from the meat. We're to be as different as thelight is from the darkness. And that means my friends, we're not we're notself-serving. We're not materialistic. We're not worldly. The influence happenswhen we're different from the world. And somehow we have a hard time asChristians remembering that. We think that we are going to attract theworld by imitating them. We have this game in our minds where we say, "Well, I'mgoing to show them that I'm no different than them. And they're going to see thatI'm cool and I'm relevant and then I'm going to be able to give them the gospel."We think being like them is going to attract them.Just imagine you have this co-worker and you have an exchange like this.Your co-worker says, "Hey, you want to hear a dirty joke?" And your reply is, "Yes." Andthen I will tell you one because I'm cool. Your co-worker says, "Hey, did you checkout that new lady that they hired? She is fine." And your reply to that is, "Yes, Ialso think she is smoking as you do because you and me are the same." Yourco-worker says, "Hey, do you want to have too much beer later?" And your reply is, "Isure would because that would be relevant to my relationship with youbecause I'm just like you." And then maybe after our beers I will tell you howJesus changed me. Changed you? From what? Even in the church. Even in the church.There's this tendency, we want to attract unsaved people so we think we'vegot to be just like them. Let's put on a show. Let's make it like a secularconcert. Let's get the laser lights and the smoke machine and put on a bigtheatrical production here. Let's be like the world. That'll win the world, won't it?Because don't we want people to be comfortable? We hate that, don't we? Whenchurches are like, "We want you to come and be comfortable." Church is the lastplace you should be comfortable. Standing in the face of the Word of God isthe last place you should feel comfortable. The church is, "Let's be like theworld and what that means is we're going to have to not take such ahard stand on the truth of God's Word because we want to win the world, right?And in order to do that, we got to be like the world." I was shown a churchrecently online was advertising, "You can get baptized there." But the interestingkicker was, they said, "You can get baptized any way you want."Any way you want. You want to get dunked? Well, don't you? You want to getsprinkled? We'll splash you? You want us to dip our hands in water and touch yourforehead? We'll do that. You name the way you want to get the water on you. We'll getthe water on you. As our Lord would say, "What is going on?" I heard this quote onetime that always stuck with me. Somebody said, regarding the church, they said,"Just when the world needs us the most, we become just like them." And look, if we'rejust the same, we got nothing to offer them, right? And if we learn anything fromthe Beatitudes, it's this, kingdom of heaven people live different than kingdomof earth people. We are not the same. We are not made out of the same stuff thatthe world is made out of. We are salt and light. My influence comes from beingdifferent, right? And finally, number three, my influence is for God's glory. Myinfluence is for God's glory. Look at verse 16 again. Jesus says in the same way,"Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and giveglory to your Father who is in heaven." Good works. Good works. You do good works?Well, you have to check your motives for that, right? Because it's not about whatpeople think about me as much as what they think about God. But Jesus said,"They'll see our good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."Meaning this, "I do what I do because I love Jesus." And people are going to seethat, and that is going to give me the opportunity to share the gospel withthem, to invite them to church where they're going to hear the gospel. Andour hope is that they receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, becausethat is the ultimate way that God has glorified.But if we're going to be influencers, we have to be salt and light both.Because you can read this passage and be like, isn't Jesus kind of saying thesame thing with the salt and the light? Like, why did He use two pictures? Whydidn't He just keep it short and use one? Because there's some keydifferences between salt and light. The one I want to focus on is this. We couldspend so much time on this, we don't have it. But I want to say this. Jesus issaying you have to have godly conduct, that's salt. And you have to have thegospel message that's light. You have to have both.Meaning this. You can't just walk away from this message and focus on one ofthese aspects, but not the other. Meaning, let's just say you're onlygoing to focus on being salt. Okay, you're like, you know what, he's rightabout the salt, you know what, I got to work on that. I'm just only going to focuson being salt. I'm just going to focus on my walk with Christ, but you neveractually share the gospel with anyone. Well, the question is how is anybodygoing to glorify the Father if you never tell them the gospel? Do you thinkpeople are going to see your good works and just automatically, somehow,miraculously understand the content of the gospel just because you're doinggood works? There was a saying that was thrown around years ago. You know thosesayings that sometimes creeps into the church that Christians use that sound,they sound so like magnanimously spiritual, but they're really, when youthink about it, really kind of empty. This is one that kind of drove me nuts.Years ago, people would say, preach the gospel and use words if necessary. Rememberthat one? Preach the gospel and use words if necessary. Look, words arenecessary. Words are necessary. No one hears the truth just by watchingsomebody's character, but on the other hand, if you're like, you know what,you're right, I'm not going to worry so much about the salt. I'm not going tomonitor my salt content so much. I'm going to focus on being light.But look, if you're just running around telling everyone John 3.16, but you'renot personally walking with Christ, there's no good works backing up thismessage that you're preaching, you're going to leave people asking, why should Ilisten to his message? Because he doesn't seem any different than me. You got tohave salt and light both. See, salt refers to your general conduct. Light is thespecific word. Salt talks about who you are. Light speaks to what you do. Salt isbeing the example. Light is carrying out the work of evangelism. Salt is living it.Light is telling it. See, that salt can't save anyone. Salt holds back thecorruption. You need the light of God's truth to lead the salvation, but thelight has to be backed up by the salt of God the character and good works. That'sJesus' point here. And the end game? The end game is the same end game forliterally everything in the universe. The glory of God.We get that definition of the influencer back up here. I looked at a fewdefinitions here, but I thought, wow, doesn't this definition really speakto the same kind of stuff Jesus was talking about here? Look, here's what Imean. Has our Lord built a sizable following?A little bit. You may have heard of him. He built a sizable following. Does he havea relevant topic? I would argue the most relevant topic ever, eternal life. Is ourLord interesting in influencing His followers to take action? That's whywe're here. Like, well, how does that happen? There's last two words jumped outto me then. Credibility and authority. What's credibility? That's salt. And what'sauthority? That's light. Look, God has given us a new mission field to reach atHarvest Bible Chapel. God has given us a community without a church where we canbe salt and light. So there's an exciting new chapter ahead for Harvest BibleChapel. And just now we're going to have our town hall meeting, getting an updateon how God is moving. And my friends, you were in the presence of a miracletoday because I got done early. We'll do the directors cut in the next service.So why don't you just want to take a couple minutes? We're gonna start at 10promptly, Pastor Rich. So once you take a couple minutes, if you need to check onlittle Joey or use the restroom and then at 10 o'clock sharply, Pastor Rich isgonna come up here and we have an amazing update for you on what the Lord'sdoing. So let me pray real quick and then we'll reconvene here at 10. Father inheaven, I just want to close this time in your word by asking you to empower us tobe what you've already pronounced us to be. You've said we're salt and light, God,we need the wisdom of your word and the power of your spirit so that we can carryout that function in a way that glorifies your name. Thank you Father for all that you've done.We're excited at what you're going to do. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 5:13-16What was your big take-away from this passage / message?In what ways are disciples of Jesus like salt? Like light?How does salt lose flavor (the believer lose their influence)? In what ways do we put our lamps under a basket? Why does Jesus say someone in that state is “no longer good for anything”?Why is it important to both salt AND light? Why not just focus on one or the other?How do you really know if you are doing good works for other people's attention or God's glory?BreakoutPray for one another to be salty and bright.

Welcome to the VOUS Church Podcast.   In today's message, Check the Receipt, Pastor Rich kicks off our Crux collection by reminding us that the cross wasn't a symbol of defeat, it was a receipt of victory. What was meant for shame became our salvation.   Join us for Easter at VOUS as we celebrate the power of the cross. Learn more at vouschurch.com/easter

In the message, "PUT ON THE NEW SELF," Pastor Rich Whitter dives into Ephesians 4:17-32, urging believers to leave behind their old ways of living and embrace the new life found in Christ. Paul calls for a transformation of the mind and heart, emphasizing that as followers of Jesus, we are to put off our former self, characterized by sinful desires, and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.Pastor Rich challenges us to live with integrity, to speak truthfully, and to actively pursue holiness in our daily lives. He highlights the importance of forgiveness, urging believers to let go of bitterness and anger, and instead, extend grace and kindness to one another. By walking in the light of Christ, we reflect His character and bring glory to God.This message encourages believers to embrace the new identity found in Christ, live out the transformation of the Gospel, and actively pursue a life that honors God through genuine love, kindness, and righteousness.

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

Pastor Rich continues to lead us through the Sermon on the Mount. He examines Jesus's statements on the integrity of our words. In a world filled with lies, half-truths, and spin, we learn what it means to align the integrity of our words to our relationship with God and others. Scripture Referenced: Matthew 5:33-37

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

Pastor Rich explores a passage that has been problematic for many. He will unpack Jesus's words on the power of lust and how it impacts our relationships and souls. More than just a sermon on external behavior modification, Jesus will address the aspects we often overlook that lead to transformed lives and relationships. Scripture Referenced: Matthew 5:27-30

Welcome to the VOUS Church Podcast.   In today's message, Singleness is a Piece of Cake, Pastor Manouchka Charles continues our collection of talks: RelationTIPS. Join us as she explores how singleness is not a setback but a reason of purpose, growth and preparation. Like a cake, it has layers and each one matters.   Wondering how to thrive in your current season? Discover a fulfilling life right where you are. Pick up your copy of Single & Secure by Pastor Rich at richwilkersonjr.com