Podcasts about through christ

In today's sermon from Lamentations 3:22–24, Pastor Mark reminds us of the unchanging and unfailing faithfulness of God. In the midst of suffering, uncertainty, and hardship, Scripture declares that God's mercies are new every morning and His steadfast love never fails.This message points us to the truth that God's faithfulness is not seasonal, situational, or dependent on our circumstances—it continues always. Pastor Mark connects this powerful promise to the ultimate display of God's love and faithfulness: the death of Jesus on the cross and His victorious resurrection.Through Christ, we are reminded that God keeps His promises, remains near to His people, and offers hope that cannot be shaken. If you are walking through a difficult season or simply need encouragement, this sermon will strengthen your faith and renew your trust in the God who is faithful forever.

Slaves to Freedom | Romans 6 Grace is not permission to sin more. It is the power of God changing who we are. We are not who we were. Through Christ, our old life is buried and we are raised to walk in newness of life. We are who God is making us. Romans 6 shows that salvation is not only forgiveness. It is transformation. If this teaching helps you, share it and subscribe for more Bible teaching through Romans.

What does the grace of God really mean for your life today?In this powerful episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef unpacks the life-changing Truth of God's pursuing grace—from the Garden of Eden to your present struggles. Before grace, we were spiritually dead, enslaved to sin, and powerless to change. But through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God entered the scene—not merely to impress us with His omnipotence, but to rescue us from eternal death and bring us into abundant life (John 1:16).Drawing from the sweeping narrative of Scripture and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, Dr. Youssef reminds us:God's grace awakens the spiritually dead.God's grace empowers us to overcome sin's strongholds.God's grace sustains us when we stray.God's grace assures us of eternal hope.Even when we falter, the Lord remains steadfast—the “Hound of Heaven,” faithfully pursuing His children. Through Christ, we are not merely survivors of sin's battle—we are conquerors.If you are struggling with guilt, spiritual apathy, or discouragement, this devotional will anchor your heart in the unchanging grace of God and call you to renewed surrender to the Spirit's work in your life.“Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given” (John 1:16).Listen now and rediscover the awe-inspiring grace that saves, sanctifies, and secures you for eternity. The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today's devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don't have to walk through it alone.

Through Christ's redeeming work, believers receive full adoption into God's family, the Spirit of sonship, and the inheritance of Christ Himself. Because of Jesus, we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters—fully loved, fully welcomed, and fully heirs of God Where in your life are you living more as an orphan instead of a son or daughter of God?

We're blessed to hear from our Lead Pastor, Jeff Ellis, this morning as he brings us a new message in our series of messages about Jesus's words to the 7 churches in Revelation, called "Seven". In this message from Revelation 2:8–11, Jesus speaks directly to a church facing intense pressure, fear, and suffering, reminding them—and us—that nothing we endure goes unseen. This sermon offers hope for anyone who feels crushed by life's circumstances, showing how Jesus understands our pain, calls us not to live in fear, and invites us to remain faithful even when the cost is high. Through Christ's promise of the crown of life, we are encouraged to discover lasting strength, courage, and purpose in the middle of hardship, knowing that faithfulness to Jesus leads to true life that cannot be taken away. #WalloonChurch #Bible #Revelation #SevenChurches #Scripture #LoveLikeJesus

Dawson Jones invites us to explore two great achievements of the cross: justification and reconciliation. Through Christ's blood we are justified by faith—declared righteous not because of our performance, but because of His—and through Him we are reconciled to God, welcomed home as beloved sons and daughters with full access to the Father.

Our modern world promotes a culture of constant striving, leaving many people feeling exhausted despite their achievements. The biblical concept of rest offers a radically different approach to life—one that begins with understanding God's original design for humanity. When God rested on the seventh day, it wasn't because He was tired, but to establish an eternal pattern for how we should live. The Hebrew word Shabbat means completion and celebration, not just ceasing work.The fall fundamentally changed our relationship with work and rest. Originally, humans were meant to work from a place of rest, in partnership with God, expressing their God-given purpose through meaningful activity. After the fall, we began working for rest, desperately trying to find our purpose through our achievements rather than expressing the purpose God had already given us. This shift transformed fulfilling work into exhausting toil.However, God consistently calls His people back to rest throughout Scripture. Through Christ, we can enter this rest today—not by earning it through perfect obedience, but by receiving it through faith. Jesus, as our High Priest, understands our struggles and has made a way for us to approach God boldly. True Sabbath rest becomes a celebration of God's completed work and a practice that frees us from self-reliant striving, allowing us to work alongside God rather than carrying life's burdens alone.

Many of us carry wounds shaped by our earthly relationships—especially when love from a parent felt inconsistent, absent, or conditional. Those experiences can quietly influence how we view God, leaving us striving for approval, afraid of failure, or convinced we must earn love through performance. This devotional reminds us that the Father’s love is not based on our past, our perfection, or our ability to “get it right.” Through Jesus, we are welcomed into God’s family as His children. Not because of human effort or merit, but because God chose us. Receiving the Father’s love often requires unlearning lies we’ve believed for years—that God is distant, angry, or withholding. Scripture reveals a different truth: when we receive Christ, we are fully embraced by a Father whose love heals, restores, and never lets go. If your earthly story included loss, pain, or rejection, God’s love meets you there. He invites you to stop running, stop striving, and rest in the security of being His child. Main Takeaways God’s love is received, not earned. Through Christ, we are given the right to be called children of God. The Father’s love heals wounds left by broken earthly relationships. You cannot outrun God’s love or exhaust His grace. Your truest identity is found in belonging to God. Today’s Bible Verse “But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13, HCSB). Your Daily Prayer Prayer excerpt for listeners: “In Christ, I am given the right to be called Your child. I rest in the finished work of the cross and trust that You are healing my wounded heart.” Listen to the full prayer here, or to read the full devotional and complete prayer, visit the links below. Find more encouragement, devotionals, and prayers here: LifeAudio.com – Christian podcasts, devotionals, and faith resources Crosswalk.com – Bible study tools, devotionals, and Christian living content This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today. Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.orgTrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. https://trinitycredit.org Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The SSPX met with Rome after signaling it may consecrate bishops without Vatican approval. We break down what was said and what comes next. Meanwhile, a secret, password-protected video message from the Charlotte bishop is set to be shown at Mass this weekend. And finally, the Stop/Start feature is dead. All this and more on the LOOPcast!00:00 Welcome to the LOOPcast03:20 SSPX Meets with Rome12:10 Charlotte Bishop Video18:18 What's going on at Notre Dame?38:29 End of Immigration Enforcement Surge in MN46:00 EPA Change58:55 Good News1:08:35 Twilight Zone1:20:16 Closing PrayerEMAIL US: loopcast@catholicvote.org SUPPORT LOOPCAST: www.loopcast.orgSubscribe to the LOOP today!https://catholicvote.org/getloop   Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-loopcast/id1643967065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/08jykZi86H7jKNFLbSesjk?si=ztBTHenFR-6VuegOlklE_w&nd=1&dlsi=bddf79da68c34744 FOLLOW LOOPCast: https://x.com/the_LOOPcast  https://www.instagram.com/the_loopcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@the_loopcast https://www.facebook.com/LOOPcastPodcast Tom: https://x.com/TPogasic Erika: https://x.com/ErikaAhern2  Josh: https://x.com/joshuamercer Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithfuland kindle in them the fire of your love.Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created,and you shall renew the face of the earth.Let us pray.O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithfulby the light of the Holy Spirit,grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wiseand ever rejoice in his consolation.Through Christ our Lord. Amen.All opinions expressed on LOOPcast by the participants are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CatholicVote.

Has the Church Replaced Israel in God's Plan?Apostolic Life in the 21st Century with Dr. David K. BernardIn light of ongoing global attention on the nation of Israel, many Christians are revisiting an important theological question: Has the church replaced Israel in God's plan, or does God still have a future purpose for the Jewish people?In this episode of Apostolic Life in the 21st Century, Dr. David K. Bernard offers a thoughtful, biblically grounded answer rooted in passages such as Romans 9–11 and Galatians 4. He explains that the church is the ultimate fulfillment of God's redemptive plan, with Israel playing a vital role in bringing forth the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Through Christ, God's promises are fulfilled not by ethnicity, but by faith, as both Jews and Gentiles are invited into the church through the work of the Holy Spirit.At the same time, Dr. Bernard clarifies that this truth does not mean God is finished with the nation of Israel. Scripture indicates that God still has a purpose and plan for their salvation.This episode brings biblical clarity and balance to a complex and often emotional topic. If you're seeking a scriptural perspective on Israel, the church, and God's plan of salvation, this conversation is essential listening.Visit PentecostalPublishing.com to shop Dr. Bernard's full catalog of published works. Enter promo code DKB10 at checkout to save 10 percent on your order.If you enjoy this podcast, leave a five-star rating and a review on iTunes or your preferred podcast platform. We also appreciate it when you share Apostolic Life in the 21st Century with family and friends.

Reconciliation means the relationship is restored. Through Christ, we've moved from enemies to beloved children. But reconciliation isn't just a status—it's a lifestyle. Having been reconciled to God, we're now called to live as ambassadors of reconciliation in a broken world. This is the journey of sanctification, where we increasingly reflect God's character not to earn His love, but because we've received it. We pursue holiness from security, not insecurity. We serve from fullness, not emptiness. As you close this devotional series, commit to one specific way you'll live differently this week because of God's pre-approval. Let your actions flow from acceptance, not toward it. You are already His beloved. Now live like it.

Through Christ we overcome

Pastor TJ explains that believers are no longer under the authority or condemnation of the law because they have died to it through the body of Christ. Using the illustration of marriage, Paul shows that death changes relationship and authority—just as death frees a person from marriage law, believers' death with Christ frees them from the law's rule. Blaine emphasizes that the law was never meant to save; it exposes sin and ultimately produces death. Through Christ, Christians are released from the law so they can belong to Him, bear fruit for God, and serve in the new way of the Spirit rather than the old way of external rule-keeping. The message highlights that true transformation comes not from more rules, but from new life in Christ and ongoing sanctification by the Spirit.

Continuing in Nehemiah, this sermon emphasizes how God accomplishes His work through the collective participation of His people rather than through individual leaders alone. God gives His people both an identity and an assignment, demonstrating that when believers are united in mission, God can accomplish incredible things. The rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall serves as a metaphor for church building today, showing that spiritual fruitfulness comes from God working through His people collectively. The sermon challenges the church to move from a “cruise ship mentality” (consumer-focused) to a “battleship mentality” (mission-focused), emphasizing that every member has a place in God's work regardless of their profession, past, or perceived qualifications.Main Points:God gives His people an identity – The wall provided security, which made Israel's identity as God's people possible. Through Christ, we are adopted as God's children with permanent belonging.Your believed identity determines your lived reality – What you believe about yourself shapes what you do. When we believe we are deeply loved by God, we can deeply love others.God works through His people – The wall was built with an “all-hands-on-deck” mentality. Everyone from perfumers to rulers to daughters participated.The church needs a battleship mentality, not a cruise ship mentality – We're called to ask, “Where can I serve?” rather than “How will this meet my needs?”Scripture Referenced:Nehemiah 3 (main passage); Psalm 127:1; Romans 8:15-16; Leviticus 26:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:3-4Community Group Guide:Begin with PrayerBegin by thanking God for bringing your group together and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your discussion and reveal how He wants to work through each person present.Discussion Questions:Part 1: Understanding Identity (Read Romans 8:15-16)How does understanding your identity as an adopted child of God, able to call Him ‘Abba Father,' change the way you approach daily challenges and relationships?The sermon stated: “Your believed identity determines your lived reality.” Where do you see this principle playing out in your own life? Are there areas where you struggle to believe what God says is true about you?Part 2: All-Hands-on-Deck Mentality (Read Nehemiah 3:8,12 and 3:5)What encourages you about seeing a perfumer and a ruler's daughters working on the wall? What excuses might they have made to avoid this work?In Nehemiah 3:5 the nobles “would not stoop” to do the work. Is there any area of need you've noticed where you've thought, “That's not the kind of work I want to do”? What would it look like to have a different attitude?Part 3: Grounding in Humility (Read 2 Timothy 2:3-4)Be honest: Do you tend more toward a “cruise ship mentality” (consumer mindset) or a “battleship mentality” (mission-focused)? What evidence supports your answer?The sermon mentioned that God often calls us to be faithful “right where we are” before calling us elsewhere. What does faithfulness look like in your current season—in your home, neighborhood, workplace, or church?What barriers (time, fear, insecurity, busyness) keep you from finding your place at the wall? How can this group help you overcome those barriers?Personal Reflection and Practical ApplicationPray daily: Use the phrase “Abba Father” in your prayer time this week, letting the reality of your adoption sink deeply into your heart as you cry out to the One who has called you His own.Encourage: Take time to acknowledge and encourage those you know who are being “faithful right where they are” within the church or our broader community.Identify: If you are currently serving, thank you! Spend some time praying and journaling through all the ways God has been at work in you and through you as you've faithfully stewarded your time and talents. Give Him thanks and ask Him to help you press on. If you are not currently serving, prayerfully ask God where He might desire to use you and take the next faithful step.Worship Setlist:There is a Savior; Cornerstone; Such an Awesome God; Worthy of it All; No Other King

Through Christ's manifestation, the devil's systems collapse, and God's righteousness is established in the lives of believers. 

This powerful message takes us on a journey through the blessing of Abraham and how it transforms our daily lives. We discover that from the very beginning, God blessed humanity with dominion and provision, but sin separated us from that blessing. Through Abraham, God established a covenant not just to bless one man, but to create a channel of blessing for all nations. The remarkable story of Isaac reaping a hundredfold harvest during a famine reveals something profound: when we operate under God's blessing, circumstances that destroy others become opportunities for our promotion. What's even more striking is the contrast between Jacob and Joseph—both had access to the same blessing, yet Jacob chose victimhood and saw the blessing stop working, while Joseph maintained faith through slavery and prison and watched God turn every attack into advancement. This teaches us a critical truth: the blessing is always available, but our response determines whether it flows. Through Christ, we've inherited this same Abrahamic blessing, and it's not just spiritual—it manifests in every area of life. The key is acknowledging God as our true source, not our employers or circumstances. When we shift from serving money in the kingdom of darkness to serving God in the kingdom of light, everything changes. Our jobs become channels, not sources, and promotion comes from the Lord. This isn't about greed or materialism; it's about recognizing that God created abundance for His family and wants to bless us so we can be a blessing to others.

TRANSCRIPT What I'm calling today's word is predestination and grace and faith. I'Il read from Ephesians chapter one, verses five to eight, which is the passage we read in our discussion groups a couple of weeks ago. Starting from verse five, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure or good purpose, Eudokia, of his will, according to the riches of his grace, which is made abundant toward us in all wisdom and understanding. So recently in our group discussions, we began to discuss and explore the extravagance of God's love, and his powerful promises to us of what I've just read. Predestination and grace, and being adopted to belong to his family, partakers of his life through Jesus, partakers of the nature of God. The first chapter of Ephesians is a mighty trumpet blast of what God has done through Jesus Christ, and through the work of his unlimited atonement for humanity, never limit the atonement work of God, for everybody. If one died, all were dead. So I've got three questions today. What is predestination? Well, the short answer is, it's God's purpose for our life. What is grace? The divine energy that accomplishes our predestination. What about faith? Predestination and grace only become our reality when we believe. So I've answered the three questions. We can go home now. But really, I want to look at these three questions in greater depth. So we'll look at these three questions. Predestination is purpose driven. It is God's foreordained plan for a person's life or role. It is not a statement about going to heaven or hell, as the Calvinists much later mistakenly interpreted. You've got to search the scriptures to see this, and it's very clear. Through Christ's atoning work, when Jesus brought his divinity into all of humanity, we are also brought into adoption, becoming part of his family. We're then transformed into Christ's likeness to become co-labours with him in his work in the world. There's our journey. Right smack in the middle of it is the grace of God. We try that journey on our own without the grace of God, and we can become very good citizens with a good conscience doing the best we can, but we need God's grace to be able to walk in his will for our lives, empowered by his life. Grace is the divine energy that accomplishes this divine purpose, making this gospel of good news, that's what the gospel is, possible. That is then believed upon by us. And this displays God's wisdom and strategic brilliance. And that was the last verse that we read when we did the discussion group. God thought that through and gave it to us. He wants to express who he is through us. That's his desire. So we'll look at the grace. The plan of being predestined is energized by grace from God's side. All comes from him. The word grace is cardis, which means a gift. It's not primarily about emotionally feeling favored. It is God's favor, but we don't often feel very favored going through tough times. But God's grace is still available. If it weren't, we wouldn't be able to go through them with him and being empowered by his Spirit in faith. It's God's powerful and operative transforming presence that enables the purpose of our predestination to be achieved. What does grace do? Is it like electricity? No, it is a force. Is it just emotion? No, grace creates a relational bond in our hearts. The Bible says, a new heart I will give you, in Ezekiel 36. That's the power of grace. It changes the disposition of our hearts. We desire to do for God and with God. That's his gift, that's his covenant. And that works the transformative change of the new desires that God has willed for us. Look at things relationally, then you're looking at God and what he does, why he does it, and how we can respond. But without faith, if we don't respond by faith and say, I believe that, that grace is there laying idle and fruitless. It's in vain. Don't just think of it as something that may be available. He said, approach the throne of grace, receiving mercy, so that you'll find grace in times of need. We need the mercy because we don't do it very expertly. We bumble our way through. And God says, I don't care how much you bumble your way through. I'm not looking at your human performance index. I'm looking at your heart. Dispose to me, doing the best you can, and this grace is available. But tell yourself that I'm being merciful to you because you're not very merciful to yourself. You're a bit hard on yourself. I've forgiven your sins, you know that. But you're worried about your performance, don't. The work of atonement is operating on about eight and a half billion people on the planet right now. But the problem is that a scarce number of people, including many churchgoers, don't know that or believe it. That work can only become a reality for people who will hear it and believe it and respond to it by faith. And today, we'll look at how we can respond to it by faith. Paul was saved from wasting his pre-destined future when he was struck down on the road to Damascus. He was pretty proud of his performance up till then, as a religious man, a Pharisee of the Pharisees. But then, he was struck down by the Lord Jesus, and he believed, he was baptized, and he received the power of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 1, Paul writes in verse 17, and here's the predestination part. It pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and invited me through his grace to reveal his son in me, that I might preach him amongst the Gentiles, or the nations, the unbelievers. Paul knew that this was given by God's grace, but not only given by God's grace, it was to be lived through God's grace. Paul said, his grace towards me was not in vain. Wasn't futile, but it can lie wasted. I've already said, the scripture actually, confidently enter, come to the throne of grace. So we can see that all of this is God's doing. If that's God's doing, what is our belief? It is our doing. It's believing everything that God is doing, and believing that what he's doing is true, and real, and personal for each one of us. It's always doing, the doing. Now, my faith, my personal level, sometimes involves getting out of my own way, and to stop worrying that I'm not fulfilling God's predestined purpose in the ordinary, daily doing of what I'm doing. Do I have enough faith and grace? Am I actually doing just exactly what you want me to do, Lord? I better try and think through this harder. God says, my goodness, I wake up then. I wake up to myself and decide to trust that God knows what He's done. He knows what He's done for me, and what He is now doing for me, and He just wants me to trust Him in that I'm doing for you, in all the things that are happening. And when I trust God, simply, come to my senses, faith floods in. Not faith that I'm going to get what I want, but faith that God can now get what He wants. The moment we start telling ourselves that we don't have enough faith, we stop having faith. It's a bad conversation. Our soul's outward, disordered mindset of what is real has taken over from our God-ordained spiritual reality, what He's ordained. Now, let me explain how God's ordered spiritual reality can turn into a disordered soul reality. That's very important to me. Everything that is spirit desires to be expressed in some outward way. Spirit cannot just exist, isolated, doing nothing. Spirit wants expression, no matter what kind of spirit it is. And you can name hundreds of them. The human spirit, a spirit of fear, God's spirit, a political spirit, a religious spirit. They all want expression in some way, and they manifest themselves through whoever's available to give way to that spirit. But we have our predestined spirit in us. God, as a pure spirit being, lovingly desired to express himself through us. God as spirit wants far more to express who he is than any other spirit would. He is spirit. The Holy Spirit yearns jealously for us. Let us be manifested, expressed through you. So God desired to do that, to express himself through humanity. And that occurred perfectly through the life of Jesus. That was the one, the only one. That happened perfectly. And the atonement of Jesus on the cross allows that expression of the life of Jesus through us by the Holy Spirit in us. That's how it happens. God's predestined purpose for us in Christ is our reality. That's what God and God's spirit wants to express through us. His purpose for us, him, with us, in that. It is our I am reality. God said, I am who I am. In Exodus chapter three, Jesus said, before Abraham was, I am. John eight, Paul said, I am what I am by the grace of God. 1 Corinthians 15. Now, this is the key. We can become the expression of who God wants us to be, by the grace of God, if we believe it. We are who we are by the grace of God. God is the source of our true I am spiritual being. He created it before the foundation of the world. But what do we do with that spiritual reality? Well, the Bible says, in 1 Corinthians 15, that we generate a soul, genomai. We create a soul, a faulty expression of our spiritual being, which becomes flawed and damaged throughout our lives because of survival mechanisms that we create, starting from a young age. That's our doing. Our spirit wants to express itself. We are spirit, soul, and body. And we express, through our soul, an I Am that has had to react to everything that's going on around us. We learn, from a young age, to strategise, to defend, or to advance ourselves, through the difficult circumstances of our lives. We create another I Am in our souls. And that becomes the I Am that other people see. They see that as who we are. Oh, there's that cranky person again. There's that angry one. There's that difficult one. There's that one that seems to be always feeling shameful and guilty all the time. Why do they do that? So that soul becomes the expression of who we are, to other people, and absolutely to ourselves, with all the reactions and hard to get on with behaviours that we wish we didn't have as well. The reactive strategies have become the soul's unhelpful helpers in times of difficulty and stress. So we have to discover the true I am, whose source is God's reality for us. That's the journey of the soul. 1 Corinthians 2, 11 tells us, gives us the clue on how to go on this journey. And I'll be doing this in the course later this month, the healing salvation of the soul. It says this, For what man knows the things or the parts, the things of a man, except the spirit of the man which is in him. And even so, no one knows the things of God, except the spirit of God. So we can get to know, because our spirit, Bible says in Proverbs, the spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord that searches out all the inward parts. We can allow the Holy Spirit to help us search out and find out, what did I dump into my soul when I got into reaction at that time, when I was a little one, or when I was a teenager, or what I'm doing even now? The Holy Spirit says, I'm gonna help you to stop trying to use your unhelpful helpers to help yourself. We can be guided by the Holy Spirit who becomes the new helper. That Jesus promised, he said in John 14, I will pray the Father, and he will give you another helper, that he may abide with you forever. Jesus didn't have to make and create helpers. He had the Holy Spirit full on, all the time, in the grace of God. He was the perfect expression of God in humanity, and he's saying to us, I'm giving you my life, and I'm going to get you back from that disordered soul into being able to express who you are, predestined to be in your spirit, by my grace. So the healing of the soul course, I'll be starting in our mid-week meetings, is based on this spiritual understanding of how to find our true I am, in a non-threatening way. We don't go in there and say, oh, what a terrible sin. And we find a helper that we've created, and it's a helper that says, you're not matching up. You could do better than this. It's called the, you can do better helper. You ever found one of them? Well, the you can do better helper is not a sin, but it does cause us to miss the mark, because we'll make errors of judgment, and we will start getting into things that become just us reacting, and our self-help, whatever other helper it could be, our anger helper, that will be the thing that wants to run things. But there's the try harder helper. Just look at that for a sec. We've all got one of them, but I've seen a try harder helper, when I was sharing with a person, I've seen that try harder helper cause that person to feel, when it was revealed that that's it, they felt, oh, well, that's a sinful helper. I am angry, I'm gonna get rid of that. I say, no, no, no. That try harder helper has got you to where you are now, for your sake, trying to help you to get through the sense that you couldn't do things properly. It was trying to help you get over the fear of failure. Don't get angry at it. It was doing the best it could. You made it, you created it. But don't get angry, just say, you can move over now. I've got another helper. You see, this course that I'm doing is not threatening. Oh, you'd better repent from that help. No, acknowledge it and say, thank you, bye. And there's a process. We find the true I am. We get to know the things of the strategic helper parts in our soul. We ask for wisdom from the Holy Spirit as our new helper that Jesus promised us. God's reality of who we are, not our concept of self that is lesser and smaller because of the awful things that have happened to us, the things that we wanted that haven't happened to us, all because of what? Certain people, our own mistakes, disappointing circumstances? Well, suffering is part of life. But unnecessary suffering happens when we make these things that happened define who we are. They're not you, they've happened to you. And that's, it's not God's purpose for your life to be defined by the things that happened to you, it's God's purpose for your life to be with him in the things that happened to you. So, the happenings, let's see these happenings as outside of us, and our soul reacting to them. But, what's inside of us? That's the, who is inside of us? God is inside of us. The things are outside of us. 1 John 4, 4. Greater is he that is in you, than that which is in the world. So, I spoke about finding wisdom. What wisdom do we need to get in order to understand our true reality? The fact that greater is he that is in you, than that which is in the world. Well, James tells us. James 1, 5. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reprimanding, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith. I tell people, you're gonna get the wisdom you need as you diligently apply yourself to what we're doing here. It will come, God will speak. I'm thinking, am I bold enough to say that? I am, because I see it happen all the time, because the Bible says do it. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He's a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Well here we are, the two mindsets. The mindset of the soul, or the mindset of the spirit. Spiritually minded is life and peace. Carnally minded is death. Bible says the carnal mind cannot please God. It's hostile to God. Humanity. But the spiritual mind is in harmony with God. And James here says, you're double-minded and you'll become unstable. Now double-minded is a good phrase because it's speaking about having a spiritual mind and a soul mind, the two I ams. But look, I want to open that word up to you. Double-minded in the Greek doesn't have the word mind in it. I still think it's a great phrase because the mind is in the soul. And there is a mind in the spirit. The mind that knows Jesus is in the spirit. The mind that bumbles around out here is in the soul. We'll talk about that later. But the Greek word for double-minded is di-psychos. That means double-souled. It's soul. It's a soul problem. It means a double-souled person. A soul in conflict with itself. With a mind that is in conflict with the mind of the spirit. I continually see the Holy Spirit giving wisdom to people about their true being as they do the healing of the soul process. It's the grace of God doing that, and our faith receiving it, and believing it, and living it out. So, what about faith? What is the goal of our faith? And here's a key scripture, 1 Peter 1.9, receiving the end. The word there in Greek is telos, the purpose, the end of our faith. The salvation and healing of your soul. That's what your faith is for. To get your soul back in shape, in alignment with your spiritual destiny. That's what the course is for. So, when I'm sitting in the presence of God, I want to come back, shake myself, wake myself up, and say, soul, move over. I want to hear what God is saying about me, to be the l am that I know you say 1 am. And I bring scriptures to mind. I do a whole lots of, well, there are a whole lots of things I don't do. I don't try and analyse myself. I just think about what God is doing and how great He is and He's wonderful at time. That's what I do. But I bring scriptures to mind. I thank God I'm in His presence, even if I don't feel anything. I thank God that He's doing a mighty work in me and I don't even feel it's happening. I can feel actually quite at odds with myself, but my spirit is saying, wake up, God's at work, give this time, be still, know that I'm God. You don't have to feel it. All right, thank you, Lord. But here's some scriptures that I bring to mind, and I'll just leave it with this. Paul says in Ephesians 3.20, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. That's the power of the Holy Spirit. Take out the book of Philippians and have a look in Philippians chapter one, chapter two, and chapter three. In Philippians chapter one, you'll find this. He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. He's doing the work. Philippians 2.13. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do what is his highest purpose for your life. His good purpose. I mean, oh my Lord, you're at work in this, and I've been trying to do all the work. And he says, I told you, be still, know this. And third, in Philippians chapter three, verse 21, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. You know, when I'm sitting there, I can feel restless, agitated. This is a waste of time. And time goes by, and I start feeling subdued. I think I'm doing a pretty good job here of calming myself. I'm supposed to say, that's not you. I'm subduing that restless heart of yours, that anxious, fidgety mind that wants to analyze. Give me some more time. Okay, Lord, thank you. Ill be still and know you're God, and I'll leave the rest to God. So, thank you, Lord. Help us to learn to let go of outward happenings, to let you happen within us at all times. Amen.    

This week's message reminded us that the greatest battles we face aren't always external. Often, the battlefield is the mind. Romans 12:1–2 calls us to resist conforming to the patterns of this world and instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We were challenged to recognize that not every thought deserves agreement, that we are not defined by our strongest thoughts. Through Christ, we can take thoughts captive, identify lies, and replace them with truth. God desires dominion over every area of our lives, including how we think. When we invite Him into the process, we begin to walk in clarity, freedom, and victory. Proving what is the good, acceptable, and the perfect will of God. What's the loudest thought in your head right now? And what does God say about that? Missed last night's message? Each week, Paradigm sermons are posted on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts!

The passage in Ezra 2:40–42, detailing the return of 74 Levites, 128 singers from Asaph's lineage, and 139 gatekeepers, serves as part of the theological and liturgical foundation for the restoration of God's temple and people after exile, symbolizing the resurrection of divine order and worship. These roles—Levites as temple caretakers, singers as worship leaders, and gatekeepers as guardians of holiness—reflect a divinely ordered structure that prefigures Christ's work as the ultimate High Priest, Gatekeeper, and Living Temple, where all believers now serve in functionally Levitical roles. The meticulous genealogical verification underscores the necessity of authentic identity and faithfulness in God's service, mirroring the New Testament reality of being sealed by the Spirit and called to live as holy, worshiping, and mission-driven people. Through Christ, the old covenant's rituals are fulfilled: the presence of God is no longer confined to a physical temple but dwells in believers, who now carry His law in their hearts, proclaim His glory through song, and guard the boundaries of His kingdom with discernment. This passage thus reveals a profound gospel truth—exile is ended, resurrection life is restored, and all who are in Christ are invited to feast with God in eternal fellowship, not by merit, but by grace through faith in the one who opened the way.

Jesus didn't just save us — it re-imaged us. Through Christ, God restored what was lost in Adam and reintroduced humanity to its original design: dominion, sonship, and authority.

Have you ever felt trapped by rules and regulations, wondering if you're measuring up? In this illuminating message, Pastor Brandon unpacks the true purpose of God's law through a fresh lens. Using memorable illustrations—from traffic signs to dirty mirrors—he reveals how the Ten Commandments weren't meant to save us, but to show our need for a Savior. Through Christ's perfect fulfillment of the law, we're freed from its crushing weight. Discover how Jesus transforms our relationship with God's commands from burden to blessing, offering a life of genuine freedom rather than religious obligation. Don't miss this transformative teaching that will revolutionize your understanding of grace! Brandon Bachtel | Walk in the Way www.stonepointchurch.com

What you believe about God shapes everything about your life. This message invites us to examine the images of God we carry and to receive the truth Scripture reveals: God calls Himself Father. Jesus spoke to Him as “Abba,” inviting us into a relationship marked by closeness, trust, and belonging. Through Christ, we are adopted, named, and welcomed into God’s family with intention and joy. This sermon speaks to wounded hearts, misplaced images of God, and the deep longing to be known and loved. It leads us into Romans 8 and the freedom of living as sons and daughters who cry out, “Abba, Father,” with confidence and hope.

Influences That Shape Our Personal DevelopmentEvery one of us has a story—and that story has helped shape who we are today. In Session 2, we explored the many influences that impact our soul, inner stability, and emotional health.We looked at how original sin, culture, family of origin, and spiritual dynamics all intersect to form our personality, worldview, and sense of self. From our earliest (even preverbal) experiences to the spiritual environments we grow up in, these influences leave lasting impressions—both healthy and unhealthy.The good news? Our past does not have to define our future.Through Christ, healing is possible. We discussed how to:Entrust justice to GodRecognize God's redemptive work in our storyForgive those who have hurt usCelebrate who God uniquely created us to beBreak generational patterns through repentance, faith, and community

 Episode 100 10 Favorite (current) Worship Songs 1. My Testimony by Elevation Worship 2. Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me by City Alight 3. Scars by I Am They 4. I Thank God by Maverick City Music 5. Goodness of God by CeCe Winans 6. Sing Wherever I Go by We the Kingdom 7. Thank You Jesus for the Blood by Charity Gayle 8. What an Awesome God by Phil Wickham 9. Bless God by Brooke Ligertwood 10. Jesus Lifted Me by Cain  10 Favorite Bible Verses 1. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 2. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” II Corinthians 1:3-4 3. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 5:20 4. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 5. “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9: 1-2 6. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Act 4:12 7. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 8. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,” Joel 2:25 9. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7 10. “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” Ephesians 6:19 10 Favorite Treats 1. Milka chocolate bars 2. Iced lattes 3. Manzanilla green olives from Trader Joe's (yes, specifically these) 4. Homemade popcorn 5. Coffee ice cream 6. Roasted and salted macadamia nuts  7. Kettle cooked potato chips 8. Kouign-amann pastries 9. Chips and salsa 10. Italian Confetti Almonds from Trader Joe's (yes, specifically these) 10 Favorite Books 1. How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn 2. Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri 3. The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 4. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom 5. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder 6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 7. Persuasion Jane Austen 8. The Chronicles of Narnia (the whole series) C. S. Lewis 9. Rainbow Valley by Lucy Maud Montgomery 10. God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew 10 Favorite Movies 1. It's a Wonderful Life 2. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 3. Napoleon Dynamite + Nacho Libre (cannot pick one and they are a pair to me) 4. My Fair Lady 5. Sleepless In Seattle 6. Little Women (1994 version) 7. Sense and Sensibility 8. That Thing You Do 9. To Kill a Mockingbird 10. Up  10 Favorite Places I've Visited 1. Cinque Terre, Italy 2. The Cotswolds, England 3. Big Sur, CA 4. Murren, Switzerland 5. Meteora, Greece 6. Olympic National Park, WA 7. Annecy, France 8. Hyderabad and Secunderabad, India 9. Reykjavik, Iceland 10. Glacier National Park, MT  10 Favorite Coffee Shops  1. Scout Coffee, San Luis Obispo, CA 2. Honest Coffee, Franklin, Tenn 3. Orange Inn, Laguna Beach, CA 4. Certified Kitchen and Bakery, Boise, ID 5. Merchant, Long Beach, CA 6. Giovanni Cova & C, Milan, Italy 7. Jo's Coffee, Austin, TX 8. Barista Parlor, Nashville, TN 9. Hooray Coffee, Redlands, CA 10. Sant' Eustachio Il Caffee', Rome, Italy  10 Favorite Things That Were Also Really Hard 1. Natural childbirth 2. Writing books 3. Being a public high school teacher 4. Becoming a speaker 5. Sharing the most vulnerable parts of our marriage story publicly 6. Running a half marathon 7. Fighting porn 8. Parenting teens and young adults 9. Home schooling 10. Becoming a podcaster  10 Favorite Things from Nature 1. Giant Sequoia trees 2. Cardinals 3. Sea otters 4. California Poppies 5. Coast Live Oak trees 6. Moss 7. Tidepools 8. Red Tailed Hawks 9. Wild Mustard 10. Dolphins  10 Favorite Adventures 1. My Christian walk 2. Being married to Aaron 3. Becoming a mom 4. Spending 2 summers in my teens in India with my dad 5. Summering in Scotland with 25 teens + Aaron when we were newlyweds 6. Becoming an author 7. Family road trip from California to Minnesota 8. Home schooling our kids 9. Backpacking through Europe as a young married couple 10. Family trip to Italy  10 Misc Favorite Things: 1. The color yellow 2. My Blundstone boots 3. My Nugget ice maker 4. Wearing brand new socks 5. Watching travel shows with Aaron (especially Stanley Tucci, Rick Steves and Travel Man) 6. Colorful bags from Orla Keily 7. My collection of Yearly bangles that Aaron started for me 8. Red shoes 9. Stickers – especially travel and encouraging words 10. My collection of Ronnie Kappos jewelry that Aaron started for meThe Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

We all feel the tension inside—a war between fear and faith, weakness and strength. In this message, Ben Young unpacks 2 Timothy 1:6–7, reminding us that God has placed His Spirit in us. Through Christ, we have power, love, and self-discipline to face life's battles with courage and clarity.

1. Strengthened With His Power2. Filled With His Fullness3. Beyond All by His PowerToday's sermon explored our human tendency to always want "more" and how only God can truly fill the void within us. Drawing from Ephesians 3:13-21, we examined how our culture constantly tells us that happiness comes from having more things, being more successful, or achieving more status. Yet as Solomon discovered, and as Eddie Murphy confessed, even those who gain everything the world offers still feel something is missing. The good news is that we were created with a God-shaped void that only He can fill. Through Christ's sacrifice, we can experience the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit, the fullness of God's love, and His ability to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we could ask or imagine.Takeaways:- We are strengthened by His power within us - The Holy Spirit living in us is God's seal and guarantee, giving us power to live for Him, to stand when we fall, and to keep moving forward even in hardship and defeat.- We can comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of God's love - His love is wider than we can imagine, longer than time itself, deeper than the cross, and higher than the heavens where He prepares a place for us.- God is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think - When we make the Lord our Shepherd and find our contentment in Him first, He unlocks the gates of prayer and enables us to move in His attributes, sharing with others what He has done for us.This week, be encouraged to pause when you feel that longing for "more" and ask yourself: Am I seeking fulfillment in things that can never satisfy, or am I drawing closer to the One who fills every void?

1. Strengthened With His Power2. Filled With His Fullness3. Beyond All by His PowerToday's sermon explored our human tendency to always want "more" and how only God can truly fill the void within us. Drawing from Ephesians 3:13-21, we examined how our culture constantly tells us that happiness comes from having more things, being more successful, or achieving more status. Yet as Solomon discovered, and as Eddie Murphy confessed, even those who gain everything the world offers still feel something is missing. The good news is that we were created with a God-shaped void that only He can fill. Through Christ's sacrifice, we can experience the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit, the fullness of God's love, and His ability to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we could ask or imagine.Takeaways:- We are strengthened by His power within us - The Holy Spirit living in us is God's seal and guarantee, giving us power to live for Him, to stand when we fall, and to keep moving forward even in hardship and defeat.- We can comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of God's love - His love is wider than we can imagine, longer than time itself, deeper than the cross, and higher than the heavens where He prepares a place for us.- God is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think - When we make the Lord our Shepherd and find our contentment in Him first, He unlocks the gates of prayer and enables us to move in His attributes, sharing with others what He has done for us.This week, be encouraged to pause when you feel that longing for "more" and ask yourself: Am I seeking fulfillment in things that can never satisfy, or am I drawing closer to the One who fills every void?

In this message, Bishop McBath reminds us that the Church's core calling is reconciliation—not division. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 5:11–21, he teaches that reconciliation begins with our broken relationship with God, not merely our broken relationships with one another. Through Christ's sacrificial love, we are reconnected to God purely by grace, not merit. But reconciliation doesn't stop there. God entrusts reconciled people with a reconciled mission. As Christ's ambassadors, we now represent a new kingdom, guided by a new love and a new way of leading—making decisions about others based on grace, not race.

In this message, Bishop McBath reminds us that the Church's core calling is reconciliation—not division. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 5:11–21, he teaches that reconciliation begins with our broken relationship with God, not merely our broken relationships with one another. Through Christ's sacrificial love, we are reconnected to God purely by grace, not merit. But reconciliation doesn't stop there. God entrusts reconciled people with a reconciled mission. As Christ's ambassadors, we now represent a new kingdom, guided by a new love and a new way of leading—making decisions about others based on grace, not race.

Join Pastor Tom Messer as he explores God's new covenant with His people as described in Jeremiah 31, contrasting it with the old covenant of law. Pastor Tom emphasizes that the new covenant transforms our relationship with God from external obedience to internal transformation, writing God's law on our hearts rather than stone tablets. The core message is that all human problems stem from forgetting who God is in any given moment. The new covenant reconciles the tension between God's justice (law) and His mercy (love), demonstrating that God is both perfectly holy and perfectly loving simultaneously. Through Christ's sacrifice, believers receive forgiveness not based on their performance but on Jesus' perfect obedience. This covenant relationship should reshape how Christians view God, themselves, and others, moving them from consumer-based relationships to covenant commitment. The sermon concludes with communion, illustrating how Christ's broken body and shed blood established this new covenant of grace.

Join Pastor Tom Messer as he explores God's new covenant with His people as described in Jeremiah 31, contrasting it with the old covenant of law. Pastor Tom emphasizes that the new covenant transforms our relationship with God from external obedience to internal transformation, writing God's law on our hearts rather than stone tablets. The core message is that all human problems stem from forgetting who God is in any given moment. The new covenant reconciles the tension between God's justice (law) and His mercy (love), demonstrating that God is both perfectly holy and perfectly loving simultaneously. Through Christ's sacrifice, believers receive forgiveness not based on their performance but on Jesus' perfect obedience. This covenant relationship should reshape how Christians view God, themselves, and others, moving them from consumer-based relationships to covenant commitment. The sermon concludes with communion, illustrating how Christ's broken body and shed blood established this new covenant of grace.

Today's Promise: John 5:24 What is the greatest promise found in all of Scripture? It is the promise of eternal life. In this episode, we explore the heart of the gospel and the hope that changes everything. Jesus offers eternal life that never ends. Jesus didn't come merely to improve our lives; He came to give us eternal life, the ultimate fulfillment of His promise of abundant life.   The Bible makes it clear that every person is separated from God because of sin, leaving us unable to restore that relationship on our own. But God did not leave us without hope. Through Christ's death on the cross, forgiveness was secured, the barrier of sin was removed, and the way back to God was opened.   This episode invites you to reflect on the meaning of eternal life, the cost Christ paid to make it possible, and the life-changing promise available to all who place their trust in Him.

Stop and think about who Jesus was speaking to when He said the following: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Of course, it was directed specifically at those (Jewish people) who had been held under an unprofitable law which required them to work at hearing and *doing* all of it in order to *try* to attain to right standing with God. There was no rest for them to enter into within that system of the stone-tablet ministry. Unfortunately, some of that obsolete arrangement has trickled down similar concepts to corporate Christianity today. God has not placed you *under arrest* only to be released on parole based upon rehabilitation and good behavior. Through Christ, He has placed you under *a rest.* He is the One who sets captives free. This is the reality and truth for you right now, even if you don't always feel as though you are experiencing such perfect peace and rest at all times. While the religious world loves to strike a "balance" ... and will try to regulate your rest based on regulations and law-like lifelessness planted in decrees and ordinances, we have been given something much better in the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. It's God's grace—and it will bring internal and eternal peace when we embrace it. He died so we could live in it. --Available on Amazon - "Clash of The Covenants: Escaping Religious Bondage Through the Grace Guarantee" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0713ZSKY7

January 11th, 2026 | Encounter | Hebrews 4:11-16What if the key to spiritual growth isn't a shortcut—but a daily encounter with God's Word?In this message from the Encounter series, Pastor Todd Kaunitz invites us to experience a fresh encounter with the living presence of God through Scripture. Drawing from Hebrews 4:11–16, he reminds us that the Bible is not just a book to be read, but the very Word of God—living, active, and powerful to transform our lives.Pastor Todd unpacks what it means to “strive to enter God's rest,” showing how ongoing obedience to God's Word leads us into the abundant life found in Jesus. As the Word exposes the true condition of our hearts, it doesn't lead us to shame—but to grace. Through Christ, our great High Priest, we are invited to approach the throne of grace with confidence and find mercy and help in our time of need.This message also launches the NT260 challenge—an invitation to read one chapter of the New Testament a day, five days a week, for the rest of the year. The goal isn't simply to read the Bible, but to encounter Jesus through His Word.If you're longing for spiritual rest, renewal, and a deeper relationship with God, this message will challenge and encourage you to open the Scriptures—and meet Him there.Do you know JESUS?: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nblongview.org/do-you-know-jesus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Need PRAYER?: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nblongview.org/pray⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SUPPORT through giving: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nbbctx.org/giving⁠⁠

This week we continue to look at God's eternal story, asking who we are within it and how we must reject false narratives. Scripture reveals that humans are created as God's image-bearers…meant to reflect His glory and loving rule. But sin distorts that role by replacing God's story with our own. Through Christ, we are restored to true humanity, called to live lives that reflect God's light so that others may see Him and glimpse His coming kingdom.

In the opening chapter of the Bible, before sin entered the world or any curse was spoken, God looked upon the man and woman He had created in His image and blessed them. This powerful moment is recorded in Genesis 1:28: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'” This verse contains God's original blessing over humanity—a divine declaration filled with purpose, empowerment, and authority. It is not a mere wish but a five-fold mandate: be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion. These commands reveal God's dream for mankind: to produce the fruit of our God-given potential, to increase and expand, to carry His presence everywhere, to bring order to chaos, and to exercise wise, righteous stewardship over creation. The blessing comes first, then the assignment—empowerment precedes responsibility. Though sin brought toil and struggle, the original blessing was never revoked. Through Christ, believers are restored to walk in this same authority and fruitfulness. This episode unpacks the deep meaning of Genesis 1:28 and shows how it still speaks directly to your identity, purpose, calling, family, work, and assignment today. Whether you seek clarity about your destiny, greater confidence in your authority, or fresh revelation of who God created you to be, this message will reignite your sense of divine purpose. The blessing was spoken in Eden before you were born—it still echoes over your life now. God still desires a people who are fruitful, multiplying, filling the earth, subduing chaos, and ruling with dominion.

Paul confronts a way of life marked by futility, urging believers to embrace a healthy fear of God that leads not to shame but transformation. Through Christ, we are called to put off the old self and be renewed in the spirit of our minds by the truth that is in Jesus. This renewal reshapes how we speak, manage emotions, and treat others—moving from selfishness to selflessness. God's holiness and love meet at the cross, where sin is dealt with and love is displayed.

Mental health matters to God because He created us—body, soul, and spirit—in His image and designed us for harmony with Him, ourselves, others, and creation. Scripture shows that many of the struggles we face today began with the Fall, when sin introduced shame, fear, broken relationships, distorted thinking, and separation from God. These fractures affect our spiritual, emotional, mental, and relational health.Yet God did not leave humanity without hope. From the beginning, He promised redemption and healing. Through Christ, we are offered new life, restoration, and comfort. The Church is called to care—practicing healthy self-care and compassionately helping others—so that, having received God's comfort, we can share it with those who are hurting. Mental health begins and finds hope in God's redemptive plan.

We’ve seen animals “set free.” The one incarcerated awaits the day to be “set free.” Through Christ, what joy in that one can also be “set free.”

Building on last week's reminder that God hears our prayers and meets us with comfort, this message from Hebrews 10:19–26 calls believers to live with confidence, conviction, and committed fellowship because of what Jesus has done. Through Christ's sacrifice, a new and living way has been opened. The barrier that once separated humanity from God has been torn down—not by religion or effort, but by the finished work of Jesus. Because of Him, we now have bold access to the presence of God. In this message, Pastor Scott Goodman walks us through three essential exhortations from Hebrews 10:

Pastor Blaine teaches that because believers are united with Christ, sin no longer has authority over them. Romans 6 shows that salvation doesn't just forgive sin—it fundamentally changes who we are. Through Christ's death and resurrection, Christians have died to their old selves and been raised to new life, meaning they are no longer slaves to sin but servants of righteousness. Blaine emphasizes that grace is never a license to keep sinning; instead, grace empowers obedience. The call of the passage is to live in light of what is already true—counting ourselves dead to sin, actively turning away from it, and offering our lives fully to God as people who have been made alive in Christ.

Do you really believe the Bible is true—and if so, is it shaping how you live?In this message from our Do You Believe? series, we walk through Romans 1–6 to answer a foundational question: Who is your master—sin or Jesus?The Apostle Paul makes it clear that grace doesn't give us permission to keep sinning; grace changes masters. Through Christ, we are set free from sin, not free in sin.This message challenges us to examine our lives honestly, confront the sins that try to rule us, and discover what it truly means to be slaves of righteousness.

Do you really believe the Bible is true—and if so, is it shaping how you live?In this message from our Do You Believe? series, we walk through Romans 1–6 to answer a foundational question: Who is your master—sin or Jesus?The Apostle Paul makes it clear that grace doesn't give us permission to keep sinning; grace changes masters. Through Christ, we are set free from sin, not free in sin.This message challenges us to examine our lives honestly, confront the sins that try to rule us, and discover what it truly means to be slaves of righteousness.

Christmas brings different expectations for everyone, but what we truly need isn't something we can unwrap—it's a person. Jesus Christ came into a world that wasn't expecting Him, born in humble circumstances to rescue humanity from our condition of malice, envy, and spiritual separation. God's love appeared not because of our good works, but according to His mercy. Through Christ, we receive soul cleansing, invitation into God's family, and eternal life. Whether you need to trust Christ for the first time, return after drifting away, or go deeper in your faith, this Christmas offers an opportunity to move beyond surface celebration to deep reflection on God's incredible gift of Himself.https://www.ankenyfree.church

This message takes us on a profound journey through the entire biblical narrative, revealing that Christmas is far more than a celebration of God's redemption—it's the culmination of His desire for relationship with us. From the Garden of Eden where fellowship was broken, through every covenant and promise, we see God weaving a dual purpose: not just to save us, but to reveal Himself to us. The problem isn't just that we needed saving; it's that we became enamored with the gifts God gives rather than the Giver Himself. Isaiah 9 prophetically declares the coming Prince of Peace, describing how this child born and son given would break the yoke of slavery to sin—that crushing burden and oppressor that holds us captive through legalism and lies. The incarnation wasn't merely a rescue mission; it was God putting on flesh to restore what broke in the garden: intimate, personal fellowship. When heaven announced 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace,' it wasn't promising the absence of chaos, but the presence of a Person. Peace isn't a circumstance; it's Jesus Himself. The challenge before us is whether we're living in relationship with the Gift, or merely collecting what He gives. Through Christ, we have access—to His presence, His voice, His power—and He brings peace to our hearts one area at a time as we walk with Him. This Christmas, we're invited to move beyond consumer Christianity and rediscover that we are complete in Him, the God-man who became like His creation to reveal who we were always meant to be.

Where is peace in our chaotic world? Jesus came not just to save us for eternity, but to heal us NOW. From the Garden of Eden to today, humanity has been caught in a cycle of brokenness—hurting God, hurting each other, hurting ourselves. But Isaiah prophesied about a Redeemer who would be called the Prince of Peace. Through Christ's blood, God tore down the dividing wall of hostility.

Pastor Chad teaches from Luke 2 that the Song of the Angels reveals how Christmas is the moment when heaven and earth collide. The angels' proclamation of “Glory to God in the highest” and “peace on earth” announces not good advice, but good news—that God has acted in history through the birth of Jesus to change the world forever. Through Christ, God offers what humanity needed most: peace with Himself, reconciling sinners through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and inviting all people to respond in faith and worship.

This is Romans Part 2: The Gospel – The New Humanity (Romans 5–8). In these chapters, Paul shows how the good news of Jesus doesn't just pardon sinners—it creates a whole new humanity. Through Christ, we are freed from sin, filled with the Spirit, and assured of God's unshakable love."More Than Conquerors" is a sermon based on Romans 8:31-39 preached by lead pastor Billy Glosson.This sermon was preached at Mission Church — a church in Morganton, North Carolina in the heart of Burke County.Join us in person on Sundays, 10 AM221 Herron St.Morganton NC, 28655

Speaker: Brent Kercheville. Romans 5 is to be a life-changing chapter. Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Through Christ we have access by faith into grace in which we stand (Romans 5:2). We rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:3). We rejoice in our sufferings because we […] The post Risen With The Gospel (Romans 6:1-5) appeared first on Biblical Truths from West Palm Beach church of Christ.