City Grace Church: Recent Episodes
City Grace Church
On Dedication Sunday, Pastor Jared delivers a powerful message on raising our children.
Jesus began a brand new movement with some strange new commands. Honestly, His commands don't even make sense until we see Him get up from the grave. But once He does, we begin to see how these new commandments shape the life and faith of His followers.
Join us as we explore the Do Not's Jesus gave His early followers, and find the power they have to boost our faith past our worries, fears, and doubts.
Jesus began a brand new movement with some strange new commands. Honestly, His commands don't even make sense until we see Him get up from the grave. But once He does, we begin to see how these new commandments shape the life and faith of His followers.
Join us as we explore the Do Not's Jesus gave His early followers, and find the power they have to boost our faith past our worries, fears, and doubts.
Jesus began a brand new movement with some strange new commands. Honestly, His commands don't even make sense until we see Him get up from the grave. But once He does, we begin to see how these new commandments shape the life and faith of His followers.
Join us as we explore the Do Not's Jesus gave His early followers, and find the power they have to boost our faith past our worries, fears, and doubts.
Jesus began a brand new movement with some strange new commands. Honestly, His commands don't even make sense until we see Him get up from the grave. But once He does, we begin to see how these new commandments shape the life and faith of His followers.
Join us as we explore the Do Not's Jesus gave His early followers, and find the power they have to boost our faith past our worries, fears, and doubts.
Jesus began a brand new movement with some strange new commands. Honestly, His commands don't even make sense until we see Him get up from the grave. But once He does, we begin to see how these new commandments shape the life and faith of His followers.
Join us as we explore the Do Not's Jesus gave His early followers, and find the power they have to boost our faith past our worries, fears, and doubts.
We love Super Heroes. Our entertainment is full of them! But part of what makes us daydream and imagine superhero stories is that what they do is so far from normal.
Until Jesus came along.
With a story and one simple question Jesus makes being a Hero so accessible to us all.
Something about mom that nobody and no other thing can replace. From food, to clothes, to hugs and affirmation, nobody can love us like mom can. Which means there is a unique role in every life that ONLY mom can fill.
So how do modern moms decide how much of themselves to give to all of the roles that demand her attention?
The answer might be found in making God's priority our preference. Choosing to be what only you can be should always be our priority.
David's life was a series of challenges - sometimes because of others, other times because of himself. And though David failed early on, one of his redeeming qualities was how he seemed to learn to depend on God through his failures.
Join us this week as we see David respond to a final tragedy in his life with such beautiful grace and trust in the goodness of God.
Easter is the time Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus and its symbolism that even in our darkest days, Hope can reign again.
But for some of us Easter is hard to believe.
So is there a way we can trust the sources of the Easter story? And if we were able to begin trusting, even just a little, what could that mean for our own hope in what Jesus has offered us through His Resurrection?
David was so relatable to the highs and lows of our own lives. One episode in his life turns out to be so common that his outcome is predictable...
UNTIL David meets someone who so changes his perspective that David's response goes from predictable to remarkable.
Listen in to what changed David's plans, and see what it has to say to Jesus followers today.
Israel's second king, King David, was called "A man after God's own heart". So what earned him this title? What made him so special to God?
Journey with us back to the 11th Century B.C. as we briefly survey David's life, and find the secrets of pursuing God in a way that pleases Him.
All of us wish we could give more and do more for others. Who doesn't like to be thought of as a good person.
But what if being a good person isn't a good enough way to approach our giving? Is that all that God is up to in His church?
Join us as we look at a fresh perspective on giving, and our role as God's church in this world.
Nobody likes to hurt. None of us like to suffer. But what if we could find reason for our suffering - could that be enough to keep moving forward?
Look with us at someone who seemed to captivate Jesus by his suffering, and what about it made Jesus stop and engage.
Join us as we close out the final chapter of the series, The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating.
Marriage is dead! Or is it?
Why does the idea of marriage seem so outdated to our society? And what made marriage so attractive to begin with?
Join us as we recover the power of marriage, and how it sets us free in ways we’ve forgotten to appreciate.
There are few sexual "rules" in society anymore, so how do we navigate to what's good and avoid what's bad for us?
One way to move forward is to go back to the original design and see what it was made for.
Join us in our second message as we look at how sex was designed to be a meaningful part of our human experience.
There's a myth we grow up with that when we find the right person everything will be all right. But it doesn't seem to be working out very well for a lot of us!
There's a new and better way forward, which turns out to be the way God intended things all along. Instead of spending all our time trying to find the right person, God's plan involved us becoming the right person.
The church that Jesus started became the church we know today against impossible odds. From a dusty corner of the Roman Empire to a world-wide body of people who claim allegiance to a Risen Savior, the church remains victorious!
And now it’s in our hands.
Join us as we pick up the charge to be the overcoming church our world so desperately needs.
Following the leading of the Holy Spirit can feel like a wild goose chase sometimes! Surely it wasn't meant to be this unpredictable, was it?
But what if it was? What if that's part of the joy and excitement of following someone not of this world? What if predictable, safe Christianity was what we were never meant to experience?
Ever follow someone hoping they could get you where you wanted to go, but realized they were just as lost as you?
Fact is: we all follow something or someone in life. And if that's not Jesus, at some point we have to ask ourselves who we're following. And where exactly are they leading us?
We face the New Year with new resolutions and new hope for new outcomes - better outcomes.
But what if our new intentions can't take us where we want to go? What really determines where we'll end up at the end of this new year?
As we approach the new year, pause with use and reflect on what will make 2019 a great year of following Jesus.
We know what it's like to try and walk in total darkness - we bump into things and hurt ourselves.
But at times, Spiritually we find ourselves in darkness. We bump into behaviors and addictions and attitudes that hurt us and the people we love. So what rescue is there from the darkness??
Here comes Heaven!
For those of us that struggle with following Jesus consistently, it may be because we haven't wrapped our hearts around everything that Christmas says to us.
We tend to view church as a place to make a transaction with God. Christmas tells us that beyond the transaction of Grace, God has gifted us something even greater!
Here comes Heaven!
Join us for 3 weeks leading up to Christmas as we look at 3 stories surrounding the first Christmas.
Each story brings its own powerful message of hope. Each story is a reminder that God is never absent even when He seems silent. His plan is still on track.
Here comes Heaven!
Great relationships aren't found, they're built. And our words are fundamental building tools.
Join us in week 2 as we listen in to the Apostle Paul's instructions for ditching the destructive behaviors of our old life, and using honor to shape the words we use to build the future.
We've all put our foot in our mouths from time to time. But what if there were some guidelines that could keep our feet on the ground and joy in our life?
Join us week 1 as we look into a simple but powerful formula for being the kind of "right" God wants us to be. Instead of being right and winning the argument, being like Jesus requires us to make things right and win the relationship.
Who we end up becoming isn't exactly who we planned to be. So what do we do when we realize we need a change? And where has God been in all of the struggles that led us to 'here'?
Jacob faced exactly these questions and found himself in a wrestling match with God. Did Jacob end up winning? How could he win? Join us and see.
What do we do when it feels like we're losing something so valuable that we can't just sit back and let it die? What would it take for us to let Jesus be Jesus, and finally take Him at His word?
What can wash away my sin?
That’s a big question. We all have memories and messes that seem to haunt us with guilt and regret. We’ve tried a lot of things to erase them, but they seem to show up again at the most inconvenient times.
So, what... is there anything at all... that can wash away my sin?
Why do Christians give? And how do we balance our fears with our faith? Listen in as we hear Paul brag on some Christians who had tackled these questions and turned out as a new kind of people entirely.
Love creates new realities outside of itself, and then love gives of itself for the sake of what it has made. Sound familiar?
Join us for a fresh look at the meaning and drive behind Christian generosity.
Jesus never promised us a life without trouble. In fact, He promised us we would have troubles as a result of following Him.
So what's His message of comfort? What do we do in pain and chaos and confusion?
He tells us to not be afraid... because of something that takes all our fears away.
The opportunity of prayer is amazing and challenging - and that's meant to be inspiring! But at times it feels more dutiful than amazing; we find it challenging for the wrong reasons; and so we miss out on its inspiration.
Listen in with us as we look at an episode in Jesus' public ministry when coming close to Jesus was all of those things for someone who almost missed his chance.
We've all felt that some of our prayers go unanswered, but what if that's not true? Prayer doesn't make sense if God doens't respond when we call out.
So how do we reconcile a good Godwho responds to prayer with times when we didn't get what we prayed for? Listen in!
Like children putting their fingers in their ears, we can block our own hearing of God's voice.
Let's listen to what Jesus taught about the things that keep us from hearing God's voice, and what we might do to take away what comes between us and a good Father!
Prayer should be one of the most beneficial aspects of the Christian life. Access to the Creator and Maker of everything?!
So why do we sometimes dread prayer? Or skip prayer? And why do we so often feel that we don't pray well?
Join us over the next several weeks as we look at the meaning of prayer. What is its significance, and how can we pray in such a way that we experience the same joy Jesus felt in prayer?
One of the most wonderful things in life is to see your kids go happy bananas when you come home. The excitement and smiles and hugs are infectious, and can easily erase the stress of the rat race.
Is that happy excitement the way we feel about being with God? If not, maybe there’s more relationship to our faith than we’re enjoying. Maybe there’s more and we’re missing out!
Ever had your mom call you by your first and middle name when you were in trouble? There was a disciple of Jesus' that would get the same treatment when he was in trouble, and we can see a lot of ourselves in his story.
But after Jesus called him by that name for the last time, something changed. And then something empowered him to be completely different.
And that same thing can happen for you!
Join us in listening in to this week's message of inspiration from guest minister Chris Salyards.
Ever faced connecting with others and thought: “I’m not sure I want the hassle.” Especially in an age of online connections, we sometimes avoid the messy, uncomfortable work of building real relationships.
But Jesus left us an unmistakable example of togetherness. He continued to embrace life and mission with people who seemed only to take and not give.
Join us as we look at why community can be a challenge, and how we are more like Jesus when we’re together!
Communicating our love to our families sometimes seems to fall on deaf ears. How can we make sure our love is not just heard, but really felt?
Join us today for an important difference in the way we show love in this critical sphere of life.
Pastor Andy Hines shares a message sure to inspire and encourage you for the week ahead!
When Jesus got ready to hand His Movement over to His closest followers, He promised they would receive the help they needed to continue what He'd begun.
But what would that look like? How would that come into existence?
Join us as we look at the Kingdom as the church, and think about what that might mean for us today!
We use different measures to determing the value of things, but how would we measure the value of a man?
Would we need to break down his physical composition? Or would we try and weigh his compassion? Or somehow find a way to quantify his intrinsic value?
Jesus shows us the measure Heaven uses, and helps us gain a fresh perspective on a man's worth.
Jesus confused His followers time and again with His talk of dying. They couldn't see how this could possibly be the WAY that God would become their King as He had promised.
And even on this side of the Cross we struggle with this concept. But Jesus was clear: the normal ways of exercising power would not be part of the New Kingdom He was bringing.
Join us and see how Jesus turned the concept of power Downside Up!
The Jewish Temple was the epicenter of Jewish life and Jewish interactions with God. Then Jesus did something offensive to them: He claimed to be greater than their temple!
What did He mean? In what way was He greater?
Join us as we look at Jesus' teachings on temples and the new way God wants to show up in our lives.
Like ourselves, people of Jesus' day thought that the vertical actions toward God were all that mattered in determining whether or not someone is "right with God".
But Jesus fused 2 ideas into one New Command that gives direction for every circumstance and every relationship.
If we can get this one New Command right in everything we do, it will change us, and allow the people around us to see the heart of God through us.
We're so used to conditional relationships ("I will as long as you will.") that something unconditional seems like a fairytale. But every once in a while we see unconditional love, and it challenges us, and somehow gives us hope again.
Those same ideas creep into the way we think of God. If I will, then God will. If I haven't then God won't.
But Jesus showed up to introduce a brand new way of thinking of God. God has done something for us, even though we haven't done anything for Him.
Too good to be true? What if it isn't?
What Jesus brought was brand new - but it had been promised for a long time. Part of the reason Jesus was seen as so radical was because this old promise was being fulfilled in unexpected ways.
Listen in with us this week on a conversation Jesus had with someone familiar with the promise. See how it challenged him, and how it challenges us still.
We tend to find a "people", and stay comfortably close to those people who like us, and who are like us.
But Jesus relentlessly broke down barriers that religion and circumstances had used to isolate people.
Join us for week 4 as we see Jesus reaching into a people group and welcoming someone unexpectedly into His Life - the same Life that He offers all of us who hesitate at the idea that Jesus wants anything to do with us.
We all pretend when we don't want everyone to see the real us. The reason we pretend is because we want people to like us.
But when people only see a pretend version of ourselves, they can never really like us.
The answer? A family where you can belong and be real, but also where you are inspired and empowered to change. Empowered to see the real you come more closely into alignment with the future version of yourself that you were created to be!
That family is found in Small Groups at City Grace. Come join us!
Every follower of Jesus has a moment when their faith takes very real form in actions and behaviors. But when is that moment??
Is the beginning of our Christian faith ever blind? Or are there events and interactions that lead us to that moment?
Join us for week 3 as we watch Jesus begin to call His followers. Notice the circumstances that surround the moments they looked at Jesus and saw The King!
Every temple has some image to represent the god of the temple. When the Creator God built His temple, He created a unique kind of image to reflect Himself. He created us.
But we image-bearers distorted His image beyond recognition, and so pain and confusion came to haunt God's perfect temple.
How would God restore His perfect image of power and love? How would He correct our view of Him, and change the way we reflect Him to each other?
Join us for week 2, and see the King!
Everybody likes Jesus, but not enough of us follow Him!
Some of the reasons are without doubt personal, but some of them may be the way Jesus has been presented.
Join us for a message series that tries to take us into the time and world of Jesus so we can see Him as He was seen by those of His day. We might discover new ways of understanding His appeal that speak to our doubts, and win our hearts to someone who on His own is irresistible!
It turns out that most doubts don't come from a lack of evidence, but a lack of understanding.
The death of Jesus was just such an event for His early followers. They were so shaken by their misdirected hope in what Jesus wanted to accomplish that they could not recognize His resurrection even up close and personal!
If Easter would tell us anything, it's that despite our misdirected hopes and the doubt that follows, a Risen Jesus comes to where we live to assure us that we can hope again!
When we say that Jesus is victorious, we most often have the empty tomb in mind. But how do we explain the New Testament's claims that Jesus won the victory on the cross? And how is the Cross the ultimate display of the power of God?
The key to understanding how Jesus won on the Cross is found in knowing what He wanted to win.
So what is our plan to give back to Him out of what He has given us? Paul left the church a good idea of where to begin being cheerfully generous back to God.
Most of us associate money and finances with one word: Worry. So how do we follow Jesus' commands to "not worry" when it seems we can never seem to find enough money?? We've been conditioned by culture, and sometimes life, to assume that everything that comes to us is for us to consume. Jesus has one word for that. It's uncomfortable and always leads to worry. But once we see our resources His way - the Kingdom way - everything falls into its proper perspective, and worry itself ends up broke.
Sometimes we're the crowd. Sometimes we're the ones Jesus stops to talk with.
How we respond to Jesus is shown by our posture. One thing we learn from today's message is that our posture determines whether we move forward with Jesus or not.
As parents, we have little influence and little time to use it before our children head off to live life on their own. But there is one part of our relationship that lasts beyond their time at home.
Our voice.
Our voice is the voice they hear as they navigate the complexities of life. So is our voice an echo of Jesus' voice? Are we intentional about what we teach and how we teach it?
Fairytales and culture have sold us on the idea that chemistry is the sign that you've found The One. But divorce statistics tell us that finding chemistry may not be enough.
So is forever-love doomed? Or perhaps, is there something beyond chemistry needed?
Join us for a heart-to-heart from an early Christian leader who shows us that it might be time to give up the Fairytales and start loving like grown-ups.
With marriage seemingly on the ropes as an institution, what hope exists for those in troubled relationships, or those looking for lasting ones? Can love last forever? Real love is forever, but experiencing that beautiful truth means letting go of our ideas and embracing the rule of love Jesus showed us. For those willing to journey into this new love reality, the result is a security and beauty in relationships that is worth whatever danger we might imagine. Welcome to the Rule of Love.
The identity of Jesus Christ was pivotal to His movement for one major reason: it told humanity that this was how our God feels about us.
Jesus redefined what it means to be great when He showed us what the greatest does for the least. We are now called to echo His service, and show His creation how much He loves them.