New Life Church - Fort Smith: Recent Episodes
New Life Church
Welcome to the weekly podcast by New Life Church in Fort Smith, AR - led by Pastor Brandon Cotten. Visit newlifechurch.tv to find an NLC near you.
On this Father's Day, we look at what it means to leave a legacy. David was aware of the legacy he wanted to leave with Solomon and made clear the things that were most important to him: the things of God. When you invest your life, you are exchanging the days you do have to impact the days you don’t have. The greatest use of your life is to invest in something that outlasts it.
Hannah faced a life of pain. She faced that pain by taking it to the Lord, and in doing so, God gave her peace in the midst of the pain and ultimately gave her a son.
Sometimes, God will let you have the thing you think you want, so you can find out how much you need Him. Just because you get the things you want does not mean you’re getting the things that are best. Sometimes, you get the things you want, and God shows you that those things aren’t the solution you think they are. This happened to the people of Israel. They wanted a king when God was supposed to be their King.
Sometimes, decisions in life are clearly lined in Scripture. Other times, we experience things in life where the answers are not so easy. Should I accept this job? Is this who I am supposed to marry? What's for lunch after church?!! Thankfully, the Bible does give principles that can help us navigate these situations.
If I only had ____________, I’d be happy….
What is that you need in order to find contentment? Is it possible to even be content in life? Paul says yes, it is — and he’s learned how. Check out this week’s message as we walk through the Secret of Contentment in Philippians 4.
Previously in Philippians 2, we discussed values Paul wanted the church in Philippi to know, giving us Jesus as the greatest example of them. Paul, in Philippians 2, continues to teach these values through 2 other examples, Timothy and Epaphroditus.
When Paul is writing this letter to the Philippians from prison. At this point, he had been intensely following Jesus for between 20 and 30 years of his life. He was a FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWER OF CHRIST. Paul is someone who has been on a long walk with Jesus. He’s learned some things on his long walk and you can see them in this letter.
In Philippians 2, Paul is outlining some family values for Christians.
There are some things that, if you’re a Christian, we do these things. This is what has to be important to us. He says, if you’ve experienced any good from being “united with Christ" and being in God’s family, then this is for you. It’s like putting up a fence . You figure out what land belongs to you and you put up a fence. That fence does a few things: it keeps stuff in, it keeps stuff out, and it sets boundaries. This is what Paul is doing here by telling us our family values.
The book of Philippians is all about joy. It’s one of the most joyful books we’re going to read. But here’s the catch: the man writing this book about joy is writing it in CHAINS! He’s in prison! One reality of life is that there’s always something out to steal it from me.The question is how do I keep my joy? Paul faced continued hardship, prison and suffering, but with joy in his heart.
Worship is probably one of the most misused words in the Bible. We use it to mean, a church service or the music we sing at church. Worship isn’t lip service, it’s life service. It’s what I do with my life. It’s how I use my life. In today’s passage, we see a woman named Mary and the posture of her life was one of worship. When we see Mary, she’s at the feet of Jesus. We can learn from the way she worships, and we can learn from her life.
Have you ever dreamed about doing something great with your life? God has called us to do great things, but greatness looks different in His Kingdom.
The story of Jesus and the fig tree can be confusing at first glance. Some might conclude that Jesus was upset that he didn’t find anything to eat and he overreacted. As we studied this parable in Mark 11, we learned that Jesus was teaching us about the importance and expectation of producing good fruit in our lives as Christ-followers. He gives us precious insight into how our entire lives (not just our prayers) are affected by harboring unforgiveness! Jesus wants freedom for us today!
The rich young ruler runs up to Jesus, and he gets down before him and says I’ve done it all. I’ve checked all the boxes, and I’m wildly successful. And yet there’s still something is not right, something is missing. And the Bible says, Jesus looked at him and loved him/.He saw what really had a hold of this man’s heart. Jesus didn’t want this man’s money, he wanted this man’s HEART.
The condition of our hearts determines how we receive God's Word. The parable provides a mirror for us to assess the condition of our hearts and make adjustments so that God's Word can bear fruit in our lives.
In Mark 1, we come across Jesus healing a man of leprosy. In Jesus' time, leprosy was a prevalent disease that caused physical, emotional, and spiritual decay. Jesus proves to not only be able but also willing to heal this man and change his life forever.
The vision of our church is to reach our friends and family with the life-giving message of Jesus, to see them become fully devoted followers of Christ. We do this by living a Christian life, telling others about the Gospel, and surrounding ourselves with other believers.
A new year is an opportunity to hit reset on life and get yourself a fresh start. Maybe you find yourself coming into this year feeling stuck. By God’s grace, you get a new set of 12 months. And you can make some changes so that you don’t end up making the same mistakes that you made in years past.
Everyone has things they are afraid of in this life. Hundreds of phobias exist for the fears people face today. In spite of our fears, we must trust that God is faithful and obey what He calls us to do.
Everyone has made mistakes. It is part of life. Some mistakes we make actually lead to funny stories later on in life. But there are also mistakes in life that are the opposite of this. There are mistakes we make that are not funny, that we wished we could forget. If we are not careful, we will live under the umbrella of our mistakes and constantly feel weighed down by shame and guilt. Learn how to overcome the guilt and shame of mistakes and live in the freedom that comes from Christ.
So many people get nervous or anxious about the return of Christ, but the Bible doesn't. The Bible tells us that when you really understand what's happening, it should give you comfort, strength, and confidence to face the future because we know how it all plays out.
When it comes to the end times, the Bible is clear that we should not only be ready but to also focus on the correct things. God is far more concerned with who will are when Jesus returns than us knowing that time or date He returns.
The greatest adventure that you will ever go on in life is to do what God has for you to do. Nothing else compares to that. Nothing comes close to the feeling of God working through you. God has never made anything without a reason – not once.
The church is growing, and we have a lot to celebrate! And there are so many stories right now of people going all in following Jesus. God is moving and we’re so HOPEFUL about the future! Here’s our heart for what we hope to see IN this house
Vision happens by default or design. Either you determine the vision or someone else will. Godly homes don’t happen on accident but rather they are built. We build our homes on God's Word, accepting the responsibility He has placed on us to lead and, by His Spirit, we adopt His vision over our own.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Jesus declares this exact mission when He sits down in the synagogue and unroll the scroll of Isaiah 61. He tells them that He is anointed " to proclaim good news to the poor... to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" and that this was being fulfilled right before them. He is still doing this same work today.
God went to incredible lengths to provide a way for us to have relationship with Him. What a blessing we have! In response, we should live our lives in light of His sacrifice, worthy of His calling.
In life, we all love a story or movie with a happy ending. When we think about our lives, we want to see it end in a grand fashion. On the contrary, life doesn’t always end that way. The Bible is always honest about the realities of life, and the book of Jonah is the perfect example of that. We didn’t get a happily ever after! Instead, we get Jonah Chapter 4– we get real life. We get real emotions. We get a real argument – between Jonah and God – and we don’t even get a good end to that argument!
At some point, all of us are going to need a do-over. All of us are going to need a clean slate, a fresh start. That’s why Jonah 3 is good news for us! We get to see the heart of God and it’s the heart of a Father who tracks us down with a second chance in his hand!
In Chapter 2, we find Jonah in the worst place of his life, the stomach of a fish. It's in this place that he finally decides to reach out and pray to God. We learn through these 10 verses to quickly turn to God, that He hears us even when we pray imperfectly, and that every place we find ourselves has purpose.
Jonah begins his book by running away from what God told him to do. It takes him much further than he imagined and had more impact on those around him than he thought as sin always does in our lives. What Jonah finds in the midst of running away is a God of second chances and a God who provides a way back to Him.
If you don't have a clear picture of your destination, you are unlikely to get to the place you want to go. The same could be said for our walk with God. Often, we either have no vision or the wrong vision. However, when we live by God's Word and the guardrails He has placed around our lives, we are able to live the way God created us to live.
In the conclusion of our series on the Life of David, we look at what it takes to live a life that last beyond our own lives.
The Bible details at length the life and success of David, even calling him a man after God's own heart. But what if one of greatest lessons we could learn from his life came from failure and not success. David was not a man without mistake but rather a man who knew where to go when he failed. We can also develop this reflex to run to God in both good and challenging season of life.
David was anointed king but immediately went back to the field. On his way to the throne, he would learn lessons that prepared him to reign as king. Too often, we want to rush to the end product before learning what it takes to do what God has called us to. Learn how to be faithful where you are as He prepares you for where you are going.
In life, we will have times that feel like we're being pressed down. David was in a similar situation when he arrives at a town called Ziklag, which means "pressed down." Oftentimes, we want to run or ignore the situation, but David takes it before the Lord and "recovers all that was taken."
Often in life, our kindness is directly related to how well someone else has treated us. It's conditional and runs out. God's kindness is different than our kindness. David's treatment of Mephiboseth shows us how to show kindness when we have every reason not to show it. We see how God saw us in our brokenness and thought we could offer Him nothing, He still showed us His kindness through the blood of Jesus.
Sometimes we approach familiar biblical stories with the assumption that we know everything about it. David and Goliath is one of the most popular stories of the Bible. Let's revisit this familiar story and see what deeper things God would have in the passage.
David is one of the most well-known Bible characters. This summer, we revisit some of the key moments in David's life to see more of who God is and how would have us live today. Today, we look at the differences between Saul and David and what makes David a man after God's heart.
If we're being honest, none of us would want all of our thoughts displayed on a screen for all to see. We all think and do things we know we shouldn't. However, in spite our mistakes and shortcomings, we have a God who loves and forgives, abounding in grace and mercy, and calls us to live a greater in Him than we could ever live on our own.
One of the most important steps we take as followers of Christ is learning to hear from God. Oftentimes, we have questions like "is God speaking?" and "how does God speak?" Find out ways to hear from God consistently and how to be able to recognize His voice when He speaks.
On Mother's Day, we look at how to fight for your family. One of the greatest attributes of a mom is how she fights for the family. We look qualities of both men and women that can fight.
In the finale of our series What is a Christian, we look at how God calls us to live on mission. God has made us on purpose for a purpose. Discovering that purpose and living to see it unfold in your life is a fantastic part of our relationship with Jesus.
As Christians we are residents of this world, but we are citizens of Heaven (Phil. 3:20). This week, we learn what it means for our primary address to be in the Kingdom of God. Jesus wants us to have a fuller picture of what the Kingdom looks like and how it plays out in our everyday lives.
Growing is God's will for our lives as we follow Him. He desires all of His followers to become more and more like Him. For some of us, we have delayed this process. Others have become lazy and complacent in approach to growth. Through His Spirit along with biblical community around us, He causes us to grow more and more like Him.
As we look at what it means to be a "Christian", we have to start at step 1. Following Jesus is the beginning of our journey of being Christian.
Mary and Martha, close friends of Jesus, take 2 different approaches to His Presence. One serving on His behalf, the other listening to His teaching. Too often, we set this story at one sister versus the other, a tale of right versus wrong. But what if they are both doing good things and one is to be prioritized over the other. Our worship should inform our work, not the other way around.
Worship has various ways of being expressed in our lives as we follow Jesus. In Luke 7, we see a beautiful representation of worship. It was worship from the heart. It was from a place of complete need of Jesus. It was worship from a place of gratitude.
Sermon Review Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MLqGs3G0Eu7CAn8js66bVPnILI5fT6KK/view?usp=sharing
Abraham is known for one major quality: faith. His faith was counted unto him as righteousness. But Abraham was not without tests of faith. Learn how he handled tests in life and how his faith persevered.
Sermon Review Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Llvcmq9Dnmeur0EaXHgc8YTlQ2KaZj3q/view?ts=640f5c65
In our world today, millions of people suffer from anxiety or depression. And if we're being honest, we may put on a front on the outside, but our souls can sometimes be fragile. The Bible is no stranger to the dark night of the soul. Today, we address indicators of a fragile soul and how the Bible leads us to a more secure soul in Christ.
In a world consumed with instant gratification, we are called, as followers of Christ, to be generous. God gives us a divine ability to wait and handle the things He has given us in a way that honors and glorifies Him, ultimately affecting not only our lives but those who are around us.
Sermon Review Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W3ygIX1iQw5qy8JGlakGn_3p1mgVrlgF/view?ts=6402af1c
As humans, there is no coasting or neutral zone - we are all being formed in one direction or the other. And if everything you do in your life is forming you, the question should be “What am I being formed into?” Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This means we need to change the way we think. We must see this life differently than the world does.
Sermon Review Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i22Cbozu9DCRPOn8rTWqd9-R0jgpItcJ/view?ts=63f412a2
The world has a lot of advice on relationships. Culture tells us many things about what we should do in regard to our relationships that directly oppose Scripture. Anything resembling holiness is going to feel legalistic in a culture that permits everything. God has a design for the family that’s better than anything the world has to offer. God created the family, and as the Creator, He designed how it should work.
Sermon Review Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qOomHkphKpn6tdkwJRhcLSfdKX4PFMGs/view?usp=share_link
We've all come across people in our lives that we've found hard to love. For whatever reason, whether they have done things to hurt you or made decisions you didn't approve of, these relationships happen. Jesus shows us consistently how He would approach people deemed unlovable, especially with Zacchaeus. This story reminds us of the beautiful reality that God loves people even when they don't have it all together.
Sermon Review Notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y7wpbsbuCmfN-cHi9lUFEG2TcXusplQ8-BX1vz2Pffw/edit?usp=sharing
The longer you live, the more you understand that life isn’t all about money, hobbies, pleasures, etc. As good as those things can sometimes be, we learn more and more that life is more about the people in our lives. And sometimes, relationships are broken. No greater biblical example of this than Jacob and Esau. Through their story, we learn WHAT leads to broken relationships and HOW we can begin to reconcile broken relationships that need to be put back together.
Sermon Review Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HRZA6veGINHSUUfYXKhLjSUErqvgIrur/view?usp=share_link
Having strong roots of faith in our lives help us navigate the weighty things in life and help us not get blown away. Better roots must be planted, nurtured, and connected.
Sermon Review Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OS03um91b9ZGENP1Ki0-Lo2d0P2dQF03/view?usp=share_link
Bitter roots lead to bitter fruit. Many of us have experienced pain, betrayal, and disappointment which often lead to a negative response, such as anger that results in bitterness. This “poison fruit” can end up destroying our lives, which is why the Bible is so clear about avoiding bitterness, tossing it aside, getting rid of it, and walking in forgiveness. Ultimately, bitterness will affect the work of God in your life!
Sermon Review Life Group Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1llel6BS1uBsTE5blKwUyAoBg790zGya_/view?usp=share_link
God expects His followers to be fruitful with their lives, to advance His Kingdom on Earth. However, we often look on the outside of our lives to assess our fruitfulness rather than the root of it. Thankfully, God is full of grace and continues to invite us into more relationship with Him and how to become more fruitful.
Find sermon review life group notes here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mskdm5SJLCwrEyy5vcZCgpA-lhHjo-wg/view?usp=share_link
Have you ever had the thought that there is more to life than what you care currently experiencing? Even with fame and fortune and experiences, we can be left wondering if this is all life has to offer. Jesus teaches us not only what matters most in the life but also how we store it up.
Throughout all of the stories we read in the book of Acts, the underlying power behind all of them is the Holy Spirit. From the front page until the last of the book, we see the Holy Spirit at work in the life of the early church.
We all face times of trials and difficult situations. Leaders respond in a godly not react in the moment. Paul facing a nasty storm and subsequent shipwreck demonstrates to us just how to lead in hard times.
In our world today, we can become easily discouraged. Whether it's from comparison, situations, or fatigue, we will be presented with chances allow ourselves to be discouraged. Barnabas found himself with plenty of reasons to be discouraged, but the "son of encouragement" did just the opposite.
Everyone goes through adversity in life. Sometimes it comes in the form of relational adversity. Other times it comes as vocational or maybe physical adversity. When faced with adversity, we must control how we respond. Paul and Silas were faced with major adversity in Acts 16. See how their response can inform us how to respond in hard times.
The Bible gives examples of great success as well as great failure. We see this clearly in Acts 4-5 within the early church. We see stories of unity, grace, God's power at work and radical generosity. We also see great calamity within the church around Ananias and Sapphira. Keeping our lives centered on Jesus and not ourselves ensures we don't get off track.
While preaching, Jesus sees that people need to eat. The only food available is five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus blesses it and gives it to the disciples to distribute. At the end of feeding 5,000 men plus women and children, twelve baskets of food are left. Jesus does impossible things in impossible circumstances.
We've all made mistakes in life. Because of our past mistakes and shortcomings, we can easily disqualify ourselves from being around God. If anyone was too far gone to be used by God, it was Saul. Yet God saved him and called him to something great for the kingdom of God.
Everyone faces criticism. It comes through different channels and different people, but we have and will all face it critics in our lives, especially the follower of Jesus. The question becomes "how do I biblically handle criticism?"
In our last weekend of our Vision series, we look at how our love towards others shows the love of the Father.
We believe in the next generation. Not only do we believe in seeing students becoming fully devoted followers of Christ but also that they contribute to the Kingdom of God moving forward today. Today, we had the opportunity to hear from students and leaders about how they see this generation and the difference they can make.
Too often in life and even in our relationship with God, we want to take control and direction of our lives. We place our faith in God then begin deciding for ourselves the best course of action. We miss one the biggest blessings, that is the Holy Spirit's guidance of our lives. Join us as we break down what that looks like on a practical day-to-day level.
In our relationship with God, we are either moving closer or farther away. In times when we are moving away from Him, we no longer have a firm foundation allowing us to be more vulnerable in our lives. However, fully devoted followers of Christ don't settle for prolonged times of distance from God but practice certain habits to stay close.
To accomplish everything God has for our church, not only do we need to be a family but also an army. Paul tells us in Ephesians that we don't war against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers. We do our part by being a church that faithfully makes disciples.
How is your vision? Is it blurry or do you see clearly the way of Jesus and which direction you should go? What about your vision for your family and for your church? Pastor Brandon talked this week about us having a picture for our future and how to begin to see our life from God’sviewpoint. We were also challenged to settle what needs to be settled for personal vision, as well as for service and ministry in the church.
We know the Bible tells us clearly to work hard and live our lives in a way that glorifies God. However, in a world where achievements and good deeds often put us in a position of fame and notoriety, our relationship with God can easily become one based on our own effort and works. Jesus calls out this very issue with the Pharisees in Matthew 23. In the Kingdom of God, the great are those who serve and give their lives for other people to God's glory.
The end times can have many feelings associated with it. Some people have fear of the end. Others may not take it seriously. Jesus did neither. We must see how He prepared His disciples for the end and apply those principles to our own.
In Matthew 5:43-48, we find some of the most difficult words to follow that were spoken by Jesus when He teaches to love our enemies. Going against our natural inclination, He tells us to love our enemies and not only love them, but to also pray for them! It is easy to sometimes add or take away from Scripture to suit what we want it to say, but God’s Word is clear here.
God has designed each and every person in a unique way. All of us have certain gifts, talents, and abilities. As we walk with God, we learn how best to use them, not for our own gain, but for the kingdom of God. Even in seasons of waiting, we develop and utilize what God has given us as we wait for Him to lead and guide us.
Jesus had just been baptized by John the Baptist. Following His baptism, those present heard from Heaven these words “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased...” Jesus was in a good place, but immediately to follow, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Just like Jesus, sometimes you will follow the Spirit into a place that doesn’t feel like the promised land. But keep trusting and following Him. He’s walked through it Himself and will lead you through it (Psalm 23:4)! After a 40 day fast, Satan came and tempted Him. Like Jesus, we all face temptation. From this story during the life of Jesus, we learned some ways we are tempted and how to follow Jesus’ example.
Applying this story of Matthew’s calling to our own life, we see the heart of our Father. He is not afraid to meet us where we are, to see us before we even see Him, to have His eye on us and actively seek us, and to call us to follow Him. As our first step, He doesn’t require anything else but to follow Him. We, like Matthew, have a choice when He calls. We can either follow Him, or start down a path of questions and concerns that ultimately lead us away from Jesus rather than towards Him.
We can learn a lot about Jesus in this story. He listened, despite being busy at the time, and simply got up and went. He honored the humility of Jairus by performing a miracle for his daughter. He turned sorrow into joy and can do the same for us! We can also learn a few things from Him about how to lead our family and others we influence.
Have you ever wanted to see or experience a miracle? Perhaps you’ve asked for a miracle that didn’t come to pass in the way you were hoping, and you wonder if God even performs miracles today. We read Matthew 20:29-34 about two blind men who begged Jesus for the miracle of sight, and Pastor Brandon used this passage to identify several perspectives with corresponding applications or points. Perspective Points: The Hurting The Hecklers The Healer The Healed There will be distractions when we are seeking Jesus for a miracle, but keep your focus on Him, specifically cry out for your request, ignore the naysayers, keep asking, and follow Him no matter what. There will always be an answer, whether it be yes, no, or not right now. However, we can trust that there is a purpose in the process!
As we being our study of Matthew, we start in a logical but unlikely place: Jesus' family tree. As our Savior, you would expect Jesus to come from the perfect family, but that couldn't be further from the truth. You find all sorts of unexpected people.
The story of Noah and the ark is a familiar story to many of us. Today, we take another look to see how Noah's faith can encourage ours.
Conflict. We all face it at times in our lives, and some of us experience it on a daily basis. This week, Pastor Brandon addressed how we should prepare for it, view it, and respond to it by giving us four points of consideration.
Be Full of the Holy Spirit - Psalm 23:1-3
Take the First Step - Matthew 5:23-24
Admit When You’re Wrong - Matthew 7:3-5
Listen to Understand, Not to Win - James 1:19-20
Pastor Phillip spoke this week on the kind of flourishing faith we should desire for our children. Going against culture’s expectations and desires for them of “just being happy” and/or succeeding in their activities, he talked about desiring the kind of flourishing faith that is resolute and uncompromising. Rather than our children centering a life on themselves, we want them to have a life centered on Jesus Christ. The reality is, as the church family, we have the opportunity and responsibility to influence children to flourish in their faith.
Mother’s Day is a day that can bring a variety of emotions and it affects different people in different ways. Pastor Brandon focused his message this week on ways a mother can get to a place where she is called blessed and pointed out 4 things, based on Proverbs 31:28-31.
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Build your life on Christ
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Protect the call of God on your children's lives
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Be their biggest intercessor
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Relax in the grace of God
Next to choosing to follow Jesus, choosing your spouse is the most important decision you will make in life. You are choosing who you are going to follow Jesus with. Genesis 2:18 says that man is not made to be alone. We have a divinely designed deficiency, created in a way that we are not able to fulfill all the needs we’ll ever have in this life. God saw this in Adam and addressed it relationally. He created a helper for him!
During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He healed people with the touch of His hands. He could have always healed with a spoken word, or just a breath or thought, and yet He often chose to use His hands, a symbol of the importance and power of touch. In Mark 3:1-6, we read of a man with a withered hand who wanted to be healed. It was the Sabbath, but that didn’t stop Jesus from healing him! Jesus asked the man with the withered hand to stand up in front of everyone and stretch out his hand. In order to be healed, he had to acknowledge his weakness/illness and stretch forth the very hand that he likely was embarrassed about. He had the faith he needed to do something uncomfortable, and he was healed immediately.
God's love is evident all throughout the Scriptures. He consistently loves us even though we make mistakes and fall short of His glory. We see this on full display in the parable of the Prodigal Son.
Jesus was hated for many reasons. Ultimately, His perfect representation of the Father cause friction with the religious leaders of His day. One attribute that had this effect was His mercy. The religious leaders showed how holy and righteous they were by the distance they could put between them and sinful people. Jesus, however, demonstrated His great mercy by coming close to them and bringing them to God. Today, we explore His mercy with the woman caught in adultery.
From His birth to His death on the cross, attempts on Jesus' life were made by the rulers and critics of His day. But why? Today, we learn about how Jesus' growing caused the Pharisees to plot His death.
One of the realities of life that everyone faces is death. This can a difficult thing to process, often filled with worry and anxiety. For the follower of Jesus Christ, we know that death isn't the end, but the realization of the promise to be with Him for eternity.
Who is Jesus? He is our Rock. He is trustworthy and faithful, not just in the best times, but also when things don't go as planned. So the question become, "how do I build my life on Him?"
Who is Jesus? Jesus tells us His name is I Am. He reminds us that He has always been and will always be. No matter what situation we may find ourselves in, God is the answer.
Who is Jesus? Many people answer this question in different ways. The best place to look to learn about Jesus is His own words about Himself in the Bible. Today, we look at John 10 where He is described as the Good Shepherd.
God has given gifts, purpose, and a calling to all who follow Him. Many times, however, life can creep in and stifle them in our lives. Thankfully, Paul encourages Timothy to fan the flame of the gift of God in his life, and we can learn how to do just the same.
Discipleship is a process. One of the greatest ways for us to progress in following Jesus is to identify where we are in our relationship with Him and what our next step is to moving closer. Ps. James walks us through the steps of discipleship as well as helpful questions we can ask ourselves in our current place.
Worry has become an issue that many people deal with in our world today. Anxiety and stress building up causing us to be concerned around what could be coming in the future. Graciously, Jesus offers us another way. A way marked by peace and trust.
In the final week of our series Essentials, we look at a foundational truth - every Christian has been given a purpose by God as we follow after Him.
In week 4 of Essentials, we look at how God gives us freedom. All throughout the Scriptures, we see how how the presence of God brings freedom. Unfortunately, we can get discouraged and frustrated because it doesn't happen immediately. See how God brings about freedom while also giving us hope along the way.
Our relationship with God was never to be practiced with just us and God. He designed to follow after in community and fellowship with other believers. Learn how these relationships are so vital following after God.
In week two of our series Essentials, we explore some misconceptions around prayer and how we can grow closer to God through prayer.
We all know that life throws various situations at us. The key is to learn how to handle them and respond. Find out how the Bible shows us how to confidently walk through any circumstance as we trust in Him.
Jesus came to bring peace to those who follow after Him. Peace between us and the Father. Peace that passes all understanding. Join us as we close our the advent season.
Listen to our pastor celebrate what God has done and the perspective we need to have as a church moving forward to do what God has called us to do.
In this new series called Essentials, we discuss some of the core habits and perspectives of a fully devoted follower of Christ. This week, we look at what it means to have our identities shaped and molded by God.
Our world today is consumed with fast and easy. Unfortunately, this can lead us to become increasingly impatient, angry, and frustrated. For the follower of Jesus to stand firm and endure, patience is required.
It's can be very easy to take control of our lives, to feel like we need to be in the driver's seat. However, we will find that James instructs us to put our lives in God's hands rather than boast in the plans we have for ourselves.
God wants to shape and mold us into His image. In this message, we explore how God does this in our lives.
In James 4, we are met with a decision. Do I live my life for God or for the world? One leads to joy, fulfillment, and rest while the other will not.
This week, James 3:1-12 teaches about our words. Our words show us who is really in control of our lives - God or ourselves.
In week three of our James series, we discovered the heart behind James 2:14-26. James is praying that we have a faith that is real, not counterfeit and gives us a way by which we can measure whether our faith is genuine. Works do not save us but are fruit of a saved life!
In week two of our James series, one of the things Pastor Brandon spoke about was seeing people through the lens of mercy rather than a lens of judgement.
*For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7*
New Life Church believes in the value of a soul. We all were created in the image of God. We know that everyone has a past, present, and a future. We want to make sure that we are treating people the way God has treated us.
In the first part of our series covering the book of James, we breakdown James 1:1-18 and look at how to handle trials and temptations that will come our way in this life.
In the final installment of our series You Are Here, we discuss the lordship of God in our lives. Simply put, we allow Jesus to be the center of our lives not just a piece. Every area of our lives comes into complete submission when Jesus is my Lord.
Continuing our You Are Here series, we look at the next step for someone beginning in God to someone who is close to God - His Word!
In part 1 of our new series titled You Are Here, we look at the first step towards becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ: salvation. It is by God's grace alone that we are saved and all of our spiritual growth begins in that moment.
This week's overtime features some of the pitfalls to be aware of when starting a fast.
We usually have way more content or material for a message than we have time to actually get into on the weekend. This "overtime" podcast gives you some of our favorite things that didn't make it onto the stage on Sunday.
Ps Brandon starts off 2021 with a new series - Walking with God. This week, we learn about building the habit of prayer into our daily lives.
The ladies debate pumpkin spice & what daily devotion to Jesus looks like for them in this season of life.
When we watch home renovation shows there’s a part of us that wonders what hidden value our house has that’s just waiting for some new paint and the right perspective. In this podcast, we are asking ourselves what it would look like if we were intentional about flipping the spiritual atmosphere in our homes and discovering the hidden value that’s waiting under the surface when we invest in our families. Join Sam and Sarah Hansen as they share honestly as they fail and learn along the way.
From 2017, Pastor Marcus taught a series called Overwhelmed, addressing how to face anxiety and times of feeling overwhelmed. We pray this helps you today!
The guys tackle Supreme Court news, Basketball Bubble and how to grow in your faith when you're not physically gathering at church regularly.
Welcome to the first ever Sisterhood Podcast. This episode, Brenda, Jess, Megan & Sarah introduce themselves and chat about COVID life.
Pastor Brandon teaches on Godly submission and the kingship of Jesus in our lives from 1 Peter 2.
Pastor Brandon Cotten teaches through 1 Peter 1:1-12. Trials will come to all of us, but for the believer, there is hope in the worst of times.
Pastor Brandon Cotten & Pastor Nick Bertin walk through 1 Peter 1:3-5 from Sunday's Live Stream
The very first episode that we're actually releasing - Marcus Brown, Nick Bertin & Brandon Cotten talk basketball, COVID-19 & confronting racism in the Church.
Pastor Marcus Brown starts teaching through the book of Galatians by talking about the difference between religion and truly knowing Christ.
What is the fear of the Lord and how do we walk in it? Pastor Brandon Cotten teaches on the fear of the Lord as we wrap up the Fear Not series.
Pastor Marcus teaches on tackling fear and the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den from Daniel 6.
No matter what mess you are in - no matter how bad the odds look - God has the power to save!
Pastor Marcus teaches the first message of 2020. Some things in life need to be held tightly, some held loosely, and others need to be let go of.
Pastor Marcus Brown teaches on a Vision for Generosity from 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 in the second week of our Vision Series.