The Bridge Church: Recent Episodes
The Bridge Church
When we live for only Gods acceptance, rather than treating our lives like a performance for all to see and judge, we can have confidence that we will see Gods goodness. Just like David, we dont have to seek the approval of others, but instead, we can wait for God to do what only God can do.
Psalm 51 teaches us to be authentic in confession. God restores us when sin creeps in to separate us from Him, and He is faithful in grace and forgiveness when we confess our heart to Him.
Psalm 103 helps us understand that God forgives us, no matter what. Our guest speaker, Byron Grant, reminded us that we have been blessed by the Lord, and that we were created to bless the Lord with all our hearts. Praise God!
Psalm 139 might be a highly quoted Psalm, but it is crucial not to let this allow us to miss the important message. David teaches us that God knows everyone, that God is everywhere, and that God is not only present in every moment but also exists above time. What should our response be to such a God? David responds with honesty and humility.
Psalm 73 shows readers a vulnerable display of emotion, reminding us that we shouldnt hide our emotions from God. Even when doubts arise, or when it's hard to live a life dedicated to Christ, we can give that struggle to God and remember that others have struggled in the same way. Whom do we have but God?
Psalm 40 is an excellent example of how God remains faithful in all circumstances. We can choose to praise and have confidence in Him no matter what life throws our way because when we wait on the Lords timing we are responding to His grace with faith.
Continuing our series on Relationships based on 1 Corinthians, we'll look at how the Lord's supper promotes relationship unity. By bridging the gap between us and God, we're inspired to bridge gaps between each other, cultivating successful, lasting relationships that are built on a foundation of love, respect, and mutual understanding.
In 1st century Corinth, Christians were dividing with each other over competing allegiances to leaders. In a couple of texts, Paul powerfully appeals for restoration. These are words we need today too! Listen in for an important and needed message about Christian unity and how to get it.
Forgiveness is often seen as an obligation in society. It is expected of us to forgive others when they have wronged us, regardless of the harm caused. However, forgiveness should not be viewed as a mere obligation but rather as a tool for personal growth and healing.
"As we continue our series from 1 Corinthians on Relationships, we look this week at a biblical theology of sex. In this text, Paul gives us a series of profound images and ideas that shape our vision of this important, though potentially uncomfortable, subject!"
Many of our relationship issues revolve around conflicts of various kinds and how we resolve those. The first century church in Corinth was no stranger to that and some had taken approaches that deeply troubled Paul. We look at 1 Corinthians6:1-8 and how that text applies to our relationships today.
Acts 19:1-20 gives us the story of what may have been the pinnacle of Paul's ministry as the Lord uses him to plant the church there. Join us to learn how God had been preparing Paul for this ministry and what it could mean for us today.
Paul heads to Corinth and may be at a breaking point. Even Paul could be prone to despair. Let's see how the Lord meets him there, renews him, and empowers him in a fresh way.
We look at Paul's speech in Acts 17:22-34 and ask what it might teach us about how we can engage our own culture with the good news of Jesus.
We dive into Acts 17 and see how Paul practices "pre-evangelism" in Athens. What are we called to do before we even open our mouths?
The Bereans of Acts 17 "examined the Scriptures" and on that basis "received the message with great eagerness". Our beliefs about and posture towards the Scriptures have ahugeimpact on our faith. Let's dig into that more.
"Jesus Is King". That's a statement that can be easily misunderstood- it was in the first century and it often is today. But when rightly understood, it is the best news and changes everything. Listen in on Acts 17:1-9 for more.
Worshiping in prison, loving a persecutor, leading someone to faith in Jesus...those are impressive actions! They're the things Paul and Silas do in Acts 16. Is it an unattainable ideal, or is it what we can grow into as well?
In Acts 16, we meet two very different women who come to know God in wildly different circumstances. Listen in to find out what this says about God and what it says about our relationships with others.
Our hearts are stony and hard, and one of the impacts of this when it happens in God's people is that He is given a bad name in the world. Watch or listen to find out from Ezekiel 36 what God does about that and how He makes Himself known to us so He can make Himself known through us.
Isaiah said the light would shine into the darkness starting with places that nobody would have expected. What does that mean, and what does it have to do with Christmas? What hope is for those living in darkness? Watch and let's dig in.
In the 8th century BC, the prophet Isaiah foretold a virgin birth. We believe that came to fulfillment in Jesus. Watch as we discuss challenges to the story of the virgin birth, and what difference it makes in our lives
We all deal with stuff- circumstances that threaten to undermine us and our relationships. Watch how God works transformation in the stuff the early church dealt with in Acts 15 and 16.
The leaders of the early church affirm that salvation is through the grace of Jesus, by faith alone. This is the basis for the unity in the church. But how does that unity get worked out when navigating the real differences that confronted the early church, and us? Listen in on the lessons we learn from Acts 15.
Salvation through the grace of Jesus, received by faith. That's at the core of the Christian Gospel. Always has been. Still is. Listen in to find out more!
Here is our guest speaker Ren Breuel preaching from The Bridge Church in North Vancouver. . Introduction: Naomi's five losses - Ruth 1:1-5 1. Up! (Not down) - Ruth 1:6-7 2. Forward! (Not backwards) Ruth 1:7-15 3. Together! (Not alone) - Ruth 1:16-19
Listen in as we dig into the insider/outsider dynamics at play in Acts 13 and what it tells us about God's heart and mission!
Acts 13:13-41 gives us Paul's first recorded sermon, highlighting the way Jesus fulfills the Scriptures and the way this displays God's faithfulness. May you be encouraged as you listen in!
Craig explores Acts 13:4-12, and looks at what the encounter between Paul, Elymas, Sergius Paulus and the Holy Spirit tells us about the challenges we face and the calling we receive.
God is still on the throne, and our mission is still the same- to see the word of God spread and flourish. Listen in to find out more from Acts 12 and 13!
To grow in our knowledge of our God, who is the God of the Breakout! As we see in Acts 12:1-19, Jesus has come to set the captives free!
This Sunday we are continuing on in our Rugged Wisdom series with Ecclesiastes 5:1-7. The author of this passage invites us to worship in the house of the Lord, as we seek the guard our steps and draw near to listen. Its a call to come before God with our heart in a posture of complete awe and reverence before Him.
In this passage (Ecclesiastes 12:9-14), we see what actually characterizes wisdom (something we desperately need more of in our world) and how to get it.
Here's some rugged wisdom...death is inevitable for us all, and its timing is unpredictable. That's why Ecclesiastes tells us to enjoy life while we have it! What does this look like?
Nothing new under the sun? Is that really true? According to the author, the pursuits of this world, the newness that we all crave, will always leave us wanting more. And whats worse, as history progresses, often times we just continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. This Sunday well. What the author is trying to say and how this relates to our walk with Jesus.
As we continue to place our value and desires in finite things, we will continue to be discontent. But contentment comes through, or in, Christ who gives us strength. He is enough, and nothing else will ever prove to be. . . . We warmly welcome Brad Bruneski as our guest speaker. Brad has been a pastor for 8 years and is currently training for church planting at The Way Church in Vancouver, BC while finishing up a Masters degree at Regent College. He and his wife, Katie, have an almost 2-year old daughter named Weslie and live in Burnaby.
Ecclesiastes 3 teaches us that there are all kinds of seasons and times in life, and shows us what wisdom looks like in those times, all the while pointing us to worship
The author of Ecclesiastes proclaims that everything is "utterly meaningless". What does he mean by that? Is there hope in the midst of the often empty search for meaning in life?
We wrap up our sermon series on the spiritual gifts by asking two questions: is it worth it to make space for some of these gifts? And how do we make space in our church for these gifts?
In 1 Corinthians 14:20-25, Paul applies all that we've been learning about spiritual gifts to our relationships with people who are open to Christian faith. What effect does our exercise of certain gifts have on those kinds of people?
1 Corinthians 13, aka "The Love Chapter", is one of the most well-known and well-loved passages in the Bible for good reason. But do you know the context?
In this passage, Paul gives us another list of gifts that the Spirit gives, including one that has generated plenty of confusion: apostleship. What are these gifts, and what does it mean to eagerly desire thegreatergifts?
Listen in as we dig into the image of the church as the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. We explore what this image says about the gifts the Spirit has given us and how it speaks to those who feel either inferior or superior to others because of their gifts.
We are exploring the Holy Spirit gifts Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, including what these gifts are, which are available to us, and who they're available to.
When it comes to spiritual gifts, we struggle with various anxieties, fears, or prideful and status-seeking tendencies. But in the end, the gifts of the Spirit are not about you at all. It's all about Jesus.
In Acts 11, we meet a church that represents many of the things we want to be as a church and that we believe the Lord wants us to be
The bible says that just like Jesus was raised from the dead, we can live a new life. How does that work, especially in a world where it often feels as though there's nothing really new?
As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowds proclaim him king...but what kind of King was He, and what kind of kingdom did He establish?
We dig into some healing stories from Acts 9 featuring Peter...but spoiler alert, at the centre of it all is Jesus!
We look at the first three years of Saul's life with Christ: years of joy but also immense challenge from all kinds of angles, and we ask how this should shape our own expectations of life with Jesus.
A dramatic change took place in the life of Saul of Tarsus, and it had nothing to do with anything inside of him, but by an encounter with someone outside of himself. Listen to find out more.
We look at the story of the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip in Acts 8:26-40, reflecting on the process of how a seeker becomes a believer, and how believers can be used by God to serve in the process.
We're in Acts 8, which gives us the story of Philip's visit to Samaria. Join us as we look at what this text tells us about the work of the Holy Spirit to this day.
On Sunday Fabruary 6th we looked at Stephens speech and what he really said that led him to being stoned to death. How could a drawn out re-telling of the Israelites history be so infuriating for the Jewish leaders? His speech also touches on the problem of idolatry and how often the human heart can turn a good thing into the ultimate thing.
The apostles avert a potential crisis in the church by clarifying their own calling and empowering new leaders. Find out more and what it means for us today.
Craig Thiessen preaches on Acts 5:17-42, touching on the complicated relationship between the church and other human authorities and how God calls us to act in the midst of that
Here is our Lead Pastor Craig Thiessen teaching from Acts 5:1-16, which shares the story of Ananias and Sapphira. One of the big themes Ill be touching on is building solid foundations. Its important to begin well, because it sets the tone and trajectory for what lies ahead.
Let's talk about a unique new year's resolution for our church, based on Romans 12:1-2, with application to some current issues.
Here is our Lead Pastor Craig Thiessen preaching from The Bridge Church in North Vancouver BC on October 24, 2021.
Here are Nathan Wiebe our Pastor of Student Ministries and Ashley Galvin the Director of Pre-Teen Ministry preaching from The Bridge Church in North Vancouver BC on August 15, 2021.