The Axiom Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
axiomchurchaz
Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos reveal a church built through shared leadership, discipleship, humility, and multiplication. This final week prepares Axiom for the next season by emphasizing formation over platform and movement over personality.
Acts 18:12–17The church cannot control public opinion. This text explores misunderstanding, resistance, and what it means to remain grounded when faithfulness becomes uncomfortable or costly.
God meets Paul in discouragement and reminds him to stay. This week focuses on endurance, courage, and remaining faithful when ministry, relationships, or culture feel difficult.
Acts 18:1-4
Paul’s ministry in Corinth reminds us that kingdom work happens in ordinary rhythms of life and labor. This week affirms vocation, presence, and faithfulness in everyday spaces.
Acts 17:22–34“The Unknown God”Paul speaks the language of the people around him while still faithfully proclaiming Jesus. This message explores evangelism, public witness, and how the church can communicate the gospel meaningfully in a spiritually fragmented world.
Paul walks through Athens and feels the tension between grief and compassion. This week explores how Christians engage culture without fear, superiority, or withdrawal. Mission begins with seeing clearly.
Acts 17:10-15, the Bereans model a deep hunger for truth without cynicism or passivity. In an age of outrage, reaction, and shallow formation, disciples of Jesus become people who search the Scriptures with humility, discernment, and expectancy.
The story ends not with escape but with God dwelling with humanity in a renewed creation.
The thousand years is not a countdown clock but a vision that Christ already reigns and evil’s power is limited.
Babylon represents the seductive system of wealth, power, and exploitation that shapes culture.
Revelation is not about decoding the future. It is about seeing the present clearly through the resurrection of Jesus.
Each post-resurrection story shares at least one thing, whoever Jesus appears to does not recognize him...
Week 5 – Mercy in the ShadowsApprentice: The Thief
Text: Luke 23:39–43
Not every apprentice has years of formation.
Some begin at the edge.
Even here, love can awaken.
Even here, mercy speaks.
Apprenticeship sometimes begins at the end.
Practice:
Pray for someone who feels far from faith.
Apprentice: Mary of Bethany
Text: John 12:1–8
She wastes perfume.
She ignores calculation.
She loves without restraint.
Apprenticeship grows bold.
Love becomes embodied.
It becomes generous.
Practice:
Give something costly this week without announcing it.
Apprentice: Peter at the Fire
Text: Luke 22:54–62
Peter loves Jesus.
Peter swore loyalty.
Peter denies Him three times.
Love is practiced.
The pilgrimage gives room to get it wrong.
Failure is not the end of apprenticeship.
Under pressure, we discover what shapes us.
But Jesus’ gaze meets Peter not with rejection, but with invitation.
Practice:
Reflect on a moment you failed someone you love. Bring it to Jesus without defending yourself.
Week 2 – The Weight We Cannot CarryApprentice: The Rich Young Ruler
Text: Mark 10:17–31
He runs to Jesus. He kneels. He wants eternal life.
But he cannot release what anchors him.
Apprenticeship exposes attachments.
You can follow closely and still cling tightly.
Love matures through surrender.
Practice:
Name what feels hardest to release. Pray honestly about it all week.
Week 1 – Conceived in the Dark Apprentice: Nicodemus
Text: John 3:1–8
Nicodemus comes at night. Curious. Confused. Reputable but searching.
Apprenticeship begins in questions, not certainty.
New birth cannot be mastered.
Following Jesus means entering mystery.
Practice:
Ten minutes of silence each night. Let questions surface.
Youth Pastor Wyatt teaches on Matthew 3:13-17. Before Jesus acts publicly, he is named beloved. Belonging becomes the foundation from which faithfulness grows.
Jesus reveals a different vision of power — one that restores rather than dominates, and leads through proximity rather than control.
Epiphany Revelation:God is no longer encountered in one location, but among people.Key Shift: Worship becomes relational and portable (here is why that matters) * God’s presence moves into everyday life (access means)*
Anchor Idea:After Jesus, the sacred is no longer confined to places—it is carried by people.
When Jesus names the moment as today, he declares that reality itself has changed. After Jesus, God’s work is no longer only anticipated—it is unfolding now.
The love of God doesn’t hover above the cold; it moves in. The Incarnation is divine warmth taking human form.
The world’s false peace is control. The peace of Christ is restoration. The Prince of Peace comes not to silence the oppressed but to melt hardened hearts.
Advent begins in a land under a spell — where the world is frozen in fear, and hope feels like a rumor. Yet through the frost comes a whisper: “Aslan is on the move.”This series draws from the heart of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia and the ancient rhythm of Advent to name the ache of our world while awakening us to the warmth of Christ’s coming.
The church is a table, not a tower. We give and serve because we want others to experience belonging and grace. God builds through radical hospitality.
God calls His people not only to resolve their own conflicts but to embody reconciliation in the world.
Conflict is inevitable. We face it in our families, friendships, workplaces, and even in the church. The question isn’t if we’ll fight, but how. Scripture doesn’t call us to avoid conflict or to win at all costs — it calls us to engage it with honesty, humility, and hope.
Ross reads James 4:1-4. Honest conflict resolution begins with self-examination and surrendering our motives to God.
Conflict is inevitable. We face it in our families, friendships, workplaces, and even in the church. The question isn’t if we’ll fight, but how. Scripture doesn’t call us to avoid conflict or to win at all costs — it calls us to engage it with honesty, humility, and hope.
Asaph was not a king, prophet, or warrior—he was a songwriter. A poet. A worship leader in the temple who gave voice to both the beauty and the brokenness of life with God. His psalms are full of honesty: he wrestles with doubt, protests injustice, remembers God’s faithfulness, and longs for the world to be set right.
Through Asaph’s songs, we discover that faith is not about having it all together. Faith is learning to bring our whole selves before God—the joy and the grief, the gratitude and the lament, the certainty and the questions.
In this four-week journey, we will learn from Asaph how to pray honestly, to see worship as more than ritual, to remember God’s faithfulness when life feels dark, and to find our ultimate hope in Christ, who fulfills the longing cries of the psalms.
At Axiom, we believe worship is not just singing songs—it’s learning to live in God’s presence with honesty, hope, and courage. Come and journey with us as we enter Asaph’s psalms, songs born in the shadows, that still lead us into the light of Christ.
Psalm 50 reading. In despair, Asaph remembers the mighty acts of God—deliverance at the Red Sea, faithfulness through generations. Memory becomes medicine. He teaches us to look back in order to hope forward.
Text: Psalm 73
Asaph looks at the world and is undone—why do the wicked prosper while the faithful suffer? He brings his confusion and envy into prayer rather than hiding it. In the sanctuary, he discovers that God’s presence reframes reality.
Focus: Learning to pray with honesty before God; doubt and disillusionment as a doorway into deeper trust.
Practice: Journaling prayers of raw honesty. Bring to God what you normally keep hidden.
Tone: “Faith is not pretending everything is fine; faith is bringing everything—especially what isn’t fine—into the presence of God.”
Francis abandoned wealth, pride, and comfort to embrace poverty and joy. He shows us that simplicity is not just minimalism—it’s liberation. Through creation, care, and humility, he embodied Christ’s freedom.
After a profound spiritual awakening during recovery from war wounds, Ignatius devoted his life to helping others listen deeply for God’s voice. He teaches that discipleship is not about frantic doing, but about rooted discernment—choosing what leads us deeper into love.
Menno Simons gave his life not to build a movement, but to follow Jesus faithfully. In a world bent on violence and power, he modeled peace, community, and cross-bearing love—even at great cost.
Focus: Choosing peace and humility over control
Key Texts: Matthew 5:38–45; Romans 12:1–2; Hebrews 10:32–36
Virtue: Convictional PeaceSpiritual Practice: Acts of nonviolent resistance (name and fast from a power-grabbing tendency this week)
In a time of plague and spiritual crisis, Julian received visions of Christ’s radical love. Her message, grounded in divine assurance, invites us to trust not in outcomes, but in the unwavering presence of God. Even in suffering, she insists, “All shall be well.”
Focus: Trusting in the love that holds us, even in the unknown
Key Scripture Texts: Isaiah 43:1–2; John 16:33; Romans 5:1–5
Virtue: Hopeful Trust
Spiritual Practice Companion:
Breath prayer throughout the day: “All shall be well.” (Inhale: “All shall be well”; Exhale: “And all manner of thing shall be well.”)
Week 1 – St. Augustine: The Way of Holy DesireTheme: Restlessness and Return
Summary: Augustine teaches us that discipleship begins not with certainty, but with yearning. His story is one of love misdirected, then redeemed. He invites us to trust that our restlessness is a compass pointing us home to God.
Focus: Reordering our desires through grace
Key Texts: Psalm 42:1–2; Matthew 6:21; Romans 13:11–14
Virtue: Rightly Ordered DesireSpiritual Practice: Daily examen (focus on desire: “What was I truly seeking today?”)
Acts 16:16-40, Beaten and chained, Paul and Silas sing. Not because they’re unafraid but because their hope is rooted deeper than circumstance. A jailer’s heart opens. A city has changed.
Acts 16:11-15 - By a river, with no synagogue in sight, a woman named Lydia opens her heart. There is no altar call, no stadium crowd just quiet hospitality and holy conversation because Paul listened to the Holy Spirit.
Ross Bentley takes us through Acts 15:36-41. Paul and Barnabas part ways, a rift between friends. The gospel goes on, not because of perfect unity, but because grace refuses to waste even our divisions. God can work even through our fractures, nothing surrendered is wasted.
Looking at how caring for creation reflects our spiritual responsibility with Pastor Amie.
"Among the Trees" invites us to slow down and notice the quiet work of God in the hidden places of our lives. Throughout Scripture, trees mark moments of creation, testing, transformation, and promise. From the garden in Genesis to the tree of life in Revelation, we discover that growth in the Kingdom is rarely instant—it’s slow, rooted, and often unseen. This series will help us trust God in the seasons of waiting, pruning, and quiet formation, believing that what He plants, He will bring to life in due time.
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Our prayers often reveal our deepest desires and heart. Jesus prays in John 17 revealing his heart for union with us, himself and the father.
As we look at the prayers of Jesus, Rick takes us through Jesus' most famous "Our Father" aka "The Lord's Prayer.
Travis Mullen helps us unpack Ephesians 1:15-2:10. The book of Ephesians is a powerful letter from the Apostle Paul that explores the incredible riches of God's grace and the unity of believers in Christ. It emphasizes the church as the body of Christ, called to live out its identity through love, unity, and holiness. Paul encourages Christians to understand their spiritual blessings, walk in a manner worthy of their calling, and embrace the transformative power of the gospel in everyday life. This sermon series will dive into the themes of spiritual renewal, the purpose of the church, and the call to live with eternal perspective, strengthening our faith and unity in Christ.
Hugh Halter joins us to tell his story and how suffering, sacrificial living and following the daily bread crumbs of God leads us into God's bigger story.
The book of Ephesians is a powerful letter from the Apostle Paul that explores the incredible riches of God's grace and the unity of believers in Christ. It emphasizes the church as the body of Christ, called to live out its identity through love, unity, and holiness. Paul encourages Christians to understand their spiritual blessings, walk in a manner worthy of their calling, and embrace the transformative power of the gospel in everyday life. This sermon series will dive into the themes of spiritual renewal, the purpose of the church, and the call to live with eternal perspective, strengthening our faith and unity in Christ.
Pastor Rick closes out our year with Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7 invitation to a simplified faith and gospel of adoption into the family of God.
It all begins with barren and the old. Gabriel appears to Zechariah and told him to get ready. John the Baptist would also tell us to get ready for a Savior to be born.
Denise invites our inner child to the table as we image the kingdom described by Jesus as yeast in flour.
Pastor of Missio Dei in Salt Lake City speaks with us about his favorite parable and how it is one of our best images of what God is like showing us that "The good news is bigger and better than we imagined."
Jesus told good stories to break bad spells. In this series we look at the power of parables to change us without short cutting the process of change in us. As we look together at his teachings we also will ask the question of what does this change not just for me but for my church as well.
The son of man came eating and drinking, so should we! How might breaking bread with others shape your missional life?
Taking care of the house, raising kids and all the other "have to do's" that exist often compete for the very thing that makes them possible, marriage. Covenantal love for one another, no surprise, is at the middle of your home.
The best you is the best thing for your children. Who we become in Jesus means more than we realize. Have you ever asked yourself if a person were to spend a week with me in my home, what would they think I cared the most about? If you have kids I bet they could answer that.
If our faith doesn't reach our homes, what value does it hold? Jesus calls us to build our house on the rock, symbolizing that our home is more than just a physical space—it's also the bedrock of our spiritual life. The modern concept of "keeping Christ in our homes" underscores the fact that our identity in Christ may not fully permeate every area of our lives. Our homes are the central setting for spiritual growth and formation. In this series, we'll explore how you can transform your home into a partner in pursuing Christlikeness.
Gavin sits down with prayer team lead George Trifanoff to discuss the focus of prayer at Axiom.
11 years in as a church community and we're still just seeking to have the heart of Jesus.
How do we live out the resurrection truth in a world that still feels like Good Friday? There is no question that the going can get tough but even when it does there is also no question that we can have great hope. We serve the God of deliverance and resurrection. While there may not be much left that you feel like you can hold onto, Jesus gives us HIMSELF to be with us. God is making streams in the wasteland and whispering words of new things. In this series we will look to the hopeful signs of what God is doing out of the ashes and more importantly how we can be apart of it.
How do we live out the resurrection truth in a world that still feels like Good Friday? There is no question that the going can get tough but even when it does there is also no question that we can have great hope. We serve the God of deliverance and resurrection. While there may not be much left that you feel like you can hold onto, Jesus gives us HIMSELF to be with us. God is making streams in the wasteland and whispering words of new things. In this series we will look to the hopeful signs of what God is doing out of the ashes and more importantly how we can be apart of it.
Aaron Dailey joins us to discuss the great reversal that happens through the Spirit in pentecost.
How do we live out the resurrection truth in a world that still feels like Good Friday? There is no question that the going can get tough but even when it does there is also no question that we can have great hope. We serve the God of deliverance and resurrection. While there may not be much left that you feel like you can hold onto, Jesus gives us HIMSELF to be with us. God is making streams in the wasteland and whispering words of new things. In this series we will look to the hopeful signs of what God is doing out of the ashes and more importantly how we can be apart of it.
How do we live out the resurrection truth in a world that still feels like Good Friday? There is no question that the going can get tough but even when it does there is also no question that we can have great hope. We serve the God of deliverance and resurrection. While there may not be much left that you feel like you can hold onto, Jesus gives us HIMSELF to be with us. God is making streams in the wasteland and whispering words of new things. In this series we will look to the hopeful signs of what God is doing out of the ashes and more importantly how we can be apart of it.
How do we live out the resurrection truth in a world that still feels like Good Friday? There is no question that the going can get tough but even when it does there is also no question that we can have great hope. We serve the God of deliverance and resurrection. While there may not be much left that you feel like you can hold onto, Jesus gives us HIMSELF to be with us. God is making streams in the wasteland and whispering words of new things. In this series we will look to the hopeful signs of what God is doing out of the ashes and more importantly how we can be apart of it.
How do we live out the resurrection truth in a world that still feels like Good Friday? There is no question that the going can get tough but even when it does there is also no question that we can have great hope. We serve the God of deliverance and resurrection. While there may not be much left that you feel like you can hold onto, Jesus gives us HIMSELF to be with us. God is making streams in the wasteland and whispering words of new things. In this series we will look to the hopeful signs of what God is doing out of the ashes and more importantly how we can be apart of it.
How do we live out the resurrection truth in a world that still feels like Good Friday? There is no question that the going can get tough but even when it does there is also no question that we can have great hope. We serve the God of deliverance and resurrection. While there may not be much left that you feel like you can hold onto, Jesus gives us HIMSELF to be with us. God is making streams in the wasteland and whispering words of new things. In this series we will look to the hopeful signs of what God is doing out of the ashes and more importantly how we can be apart of it.
Can you allow the resurrection of Jesus to provoke awe & wonder in you? This is the appropriate response to such a thing.
Eric Shenk takes us through Acts 8:26-40. A story of listening and responding to God's radical inclusion.
Panel discussion exploring the prayer practice of Examen originated from St Ignatius and many of the early christian contemplatives as a practice helping in growing our awareness and relationship with God.
Pastor Rick invites us to consider the peace that is possible and available to us this advent season through Jesus.
Enjoy the audio from this year's contemplative advent liturgy called Resonant. The speakers in order were Cody Wilson, Karis Heidenbrecht, Ross Bentley, Ben VanDerlinden with music interludes in between.
Gavin interviews Micah, pastor of worship & arts at Axiom about how he approaches those things in our community.
Do we see ourselves as holy priests of God? That seems to be the call of all God's people and Jesus is the high priest.
Dr. John Amandola helps us think about Leviticus in a way that relates to our modern lens, seeing that God makes a way for us to be his "very goodness" in the world as "new temples" and image bearers of Him.
Lance Linderman revisits the story of Noah and all its challenges through a lens of Jesus.
The question isn't whether or not you'll face lion's, it's will you do it in reliance and faith with Jesus?
As the pioneer and perfector of our faith, God is always before us, calling us further. This final week we point to whats ahead and invite our church to be all in on the very thing that Jesus says we must become like to participate in his Kingdom. Here we discover our stories aren’t finished and that each of are truly still children before God with much to learn and more to gain as we trust Him.
Week two we invite each person to begin to imagine what Jesus means by “on earth as it is in heaven” alongside the lives of others. How do the spaces all around us become co-opt by the good, the true and the beautiful at work in small group environments? Here we begin to understand how Jesus knew that spiritual communities would be the primary way to bring about God’s plan for our world.
“Participating in the Kingdom with Jesus brings me great joy and abundance.”
Week one we invite each person to not just get into the kingdom but let the kingdom of God get into you. We examine some of the stages and steps along the way as a person moves closer to Jesus and closer to one another. Who is the king of our heart? Jesus is, as he should be.
Denise Dynes takes us through the story where Stephen shared the gospel authentically and it cost him his life. We're invited to consider both the cost of the Kingdom and releasing the outcome of how others respond.
Pastor Erik takes us into Steven's story that invites us to think about our stories in light of Jesus.
The Spirit came, not to the spiritual elite in the exclusive sacred space but to the common people in an ordinary space.
If we desire to meet with God, we must make an effort to meet God on his terms. Summoning God as if he is at our disposal is not the way we pray nor is it place that God is found. John tells us Jesus is hidden in plain sight and yet we do not recognize him.
Prayer is communication with God but prayer is more than conversation, its communion. Prayer is the doorway to life with God and yet we find ourselves burdened by expectations and failure.
The visible world has a way of causing us to question the unseen and yet, God refuses to be made into a physical idol. The body dies and the spirit is renewed day by day Paul says. There is something to faith in what is not seen that helps us discover that prayer with God is “accessible”.
In our modern foodie culture we see how easy it is to be caught up in all things physical. Meanwhile, we lose an appetite for the deeper union that our soul so desperately needs. So we starve the flesh in order to make room for the Spirit. We tend to the spirit in prayer and presence.
Here we see the power of God's Spirit at work not inside the holy temple but out on the porch.
In this series we discover that apart from God we are ruined souls. Our deliverance is not simply the acknowledgement of our sin, it is the realization that there is one who knew no sin….Jesus the Friend of Sinners.
Jesus talks a lot about sin. So why don’t we?
In this series we discover that apart from God we are ruined souls. Our deliverance is not simply the acknowledgement of our sin, it is the realization that there is one who knew no sin….Jesus the Friend of Sinners.
Jesus talks a lot about sin. So why don’t we?
In this series we discover that apart from God we are ruined souls. Our deliverance is not simply the acknowledgement of our sin, it is the realization that there is one who knew no sin….Jesus the Friend of Sinners.
In this series we discover that apart from God we are ruined souls. Our deliverance is not simply the acknowledgement of our sin, it is the realization that there is one who knew no sin….Jesus the Friend of Sinners.
God spent 9 months in the womb of Mary. He ate what she ate and went where she went. This weeks contemplation we will consider where is it that we must carry Christ? Who will take Christ to the dying or to the children? What does it mean for Christ to be dependent on man to take him into the world?
Denise Dynes gives us another lens to look at Mary's response to such an unexpected invitation.
As we begin advent, Amie Rowland takes us on a journey of imagining the beginning of Mary, mother of Jesus, story and her response to such costly news.
Peter displays a boldness and courage that those in power don't know what to do with, and it's not Peter that threaten's them but the name of Jesus.
Erik takes us through this passage of Acts as we return to our journey through the book of Acts.
Jesus talk about our attachment to the material things very clearly and invites us to reorient our "treasures" to be heavenly ones.
Our guest Brian Kluth came and spoke sharing 5 reasons why to be a generous follower of Jesus.
Love of enemy is what Jesus introduces to us. It is what He brings into the world that we hadn’t yet seen or understood. It is what sets him apart and what is to set us apart from the world around us. Our witness as Christians is intrinsically tied to our commitment to love our enemies.
Have you ever wondered if Jesus would be Christian if he came today? The dissonance between what we experience in Jesus and what we experience in those who profess to call Lord and Savior seems to miss the mark. Quite a bit. The good news is Jesus is friend of sinners, we just need to learn to own it.
Depression and despair bring with it the weight of insecurity, self loathing and a hyper focus of self. In depression we struggle to escape our thoughts about self. The practice of service is a remarkable grace to making room for joy.
Less is more but we don’t think that way or even feel that way always. Countless times we are invited to surrender so that what is holding us down may not keep us from what’s ahead. This week we learn how to rejoice by letting go.
“He who has an attachment to anything visible is not yet free from greif” – Saint John Climacus
As we celebrated 9 years of being a church community Gavin revisits some of the core values and truths that founded this community.
The disciples are dealing with the trauma of Thomas's betrayal and discerning who will take his place among the 12.
Jesus comes again to the disciples after a night of toil, not catching any fish, to surprise them with breakfast.
The flesh is not bad but the result of living under the rule of the flesh leads to the consequences we experience. God became flesh so that our flesh could be restored and redeemed by the power of the Spirit. Jesus shows us the way.
Jesus shows us and empowers us to resist the devil and lies in all spaces of our lives.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
Jeremiah 6:16
Our vision and mission remain the same. It's Jesus' vision, "on earth as it is in heaven" and Jesus' mission, "go and make disciples."
When we come to understand God's goodness we can begin to live honest, truth-seeking lives. Knowing that our life is eternal we can live as if it is so. Secrets and half truths die off and we flourish as a result of putting to death the lies we live.
Who we are in relation to Christ is one of the most important truths to how we live! As followers of Jesus we must steward the light together and live honestly before God.
In life it can be easy to forget at times that we carry with us a holy expectancy. We often get caught up in filling the lack in our life and in doing so we forget that the lack is left there for God to fill in.
Moses is found knowing that Gods promise will be fulfilled but he also knows that it wont happen in his lifetime. While he sets the people free, he doesn’t get to cross the river and join them in the promise land. We to know that we have been delivered and yet we also know that the fulness of our redemption is not yet at hand.
When do we stop waiting on God? Sometimes it seems as if years of service and faithfulness amount to little or as if our prayers are never heard and yet waiting is where Advent calls us to be.
Pastor Erik explores how a life devoted to Jesus means a life of service to one another.
Colossians 4:5 seems to tell us that is matters the way in which we engage those around us and that wisdom is important.
Denise Dynes reminds us that the call to share our faith and experience with Jesus comes as we are honest and pray for God to provide opportunities and clarity.
In this passage we see the intersection of taking in that which is beyond you through watchfulness and gratitude. In doing so we cultivate the heart of love for that which is all around us while at the same time building up the interior life with God. The two are inseparable.
As we celebrated the completion of our new outdoor space and playground for our city, we recall God's abundance and faithfulness. Gavin shares our story and vision in trusting him and how we were blessed by the generosity of another local church called CCV.
Pastor Bethann talks about how building community around Jesus requires grace and acceptance.
Micah had a conversation with New Mexico artist Melanie Weidner about the way her spiritual life has shaped her artwork and creativity and much more. Check out and support Melanie at http://listenforjoy.com
Ross Bentley shares his experience and practice of prayer, encouraging our community to experience prayer as a rule of life.
Micah takes us through the statement "As my relationship with Jesus deepens, my ability to experience Him in all things deepens as well." He also interviews friend and artist John Delhousaye.
I am finding that laws I once followed out of obedience have become disciplines, and that some disciplines have become practices.
Gavin explores this statement of our limitations and looks at the story of the crippled man by the pool.
In the 16th century the world went through a seismic shift in the wake of the printing press and what emerged from it is at the heart of our own story, the Anabaptist. In this series we look back to these roots as we try to find our grounding in today’s global transformation. We set our minds to the things of Jesus that captured the hearts of our spiritual forerunners.
On Pentecost Sunday we looked at what Jesus says about the Spirit of God and how we will experience the Spirit.
Jesus saw and understood that humanity was living in a false reality. This false reality was adorned with shrines, values, religion, devotion and all the things necessary to uphold this upside down world. In order to help those that desire to live in the Kingdom of God to see, hear and be he came to us using parables as a preferred way for unfolding the truth in order to lead us to new life. As we revisit with Jesus and his teachings on the Kingdom of God may we find ourselves shepherded out of the culture wars and firmly planted with Jesus in the Kingdom of God.
Here Jesus sharply contrasts the Kingdom of the Heavens and the Kingdom of man demonstrating that his powers from above are sufficient for life here on Earth amongst mankind.
Matthew 13:24-30
Each person appropriately formed under the Kingdom of God can be set free in His world empowered to do what they want to do in proportion to the person they have become. Pastor Erik shares on this.
Jesus saw and understood that humanity was living in a false reality. This false reality was adorned with shrines, values, religion, devotion and all the things necessary to uphold this upside down world. In order to help those that desire to live in the Kingdom of God to see, hear and be he came to us using parables as a preferred way for unfolding the truth in order to lead us to new life. As we revisit with Jesus and his teachings on the Kingdom of God may we find ourselves shepherded out of the culture wars and firmly planted with Jesus in the Kingdom of God.
The first week of Lent begins with John the Baptist. He is not the Christ but he is the one who prepares our hearts for Christ. “Repent and be baptized”. Everyone, must be made new by joining Jesus in the baptismal of life, death and resurrection.
Rest is central to our life and experience with God. To truly rest we must confront our conditions of unrest. Jesus fully displays and invites a kind of life where rest is possible.
Gavin & Micah check in about some things they're excited for and debrief Sunday's topic of rest.
Micah and Gavin debrief his month long sabbatical January and the subject of sabbath and rest in our culture.
Gavin and Ross discuss our community's call to continue to experience Jesus, love Peoria, and be together.
Axiom staff records their conversation during Tuesday morning staff meeting reflecting on scripture and invitation from Jesus.
Micah & Gavin talk about this season of advent at Axiom and the intentionality and invitations of the experience.
Church is not an echo chamber it’s a tapestry with many voices and members of the body contributing to it. Join us to learn from others who are seeking Jesus in different and similar ways.
Reverend Kimberly Deckel from All Souls Phx joins us to talk about the politics of Jesus.
Pastor Meghan from Trinity Mennonite teaches us to read and interpret scripture through the lens of Jesus.
Church is not an echo chamber it’s a tapestry with many voices and members of the body contributing to it. Join us to learn from others who are seeking Jesus and inspiring so many. This week we were joined by our friend Kurt Willems from Seattle, WA.
Jesus encounters every part of our life experience including rejection. He shows us how rejection can be a catalyst for deeper life in love and His kingdom.
John 2:13-25
The purpose of life is to experience a loving relationship with Jesus. In doing so we learn from him how to live. We’re able to do this because he came before us and faced the same challenges that we come up against every day. In this series we will explore the way, the truth and the life of Jesus together.
An audio experience of reflections, scripture and worship for the purpose of experiencing Jesus. The music used for this song is "All You Want" by Wild Earth.
Take these 10 minutes to be still and free of distractions as you listen to a guided liturgy reflection.
We were honored to have Pastor Brian from Union Church come speak in our Learning From Jesus series.
We apologize, a couple times the audio froze and did not capture a few parts of the sermon. We edited out the gaps if a couple moments feel odd. Thank you for your patience!
The purpose of life is to experience a loving relationship with Jesus. In doing so we learn from him how to live. We’re able to do this because he came before us and faced the same challenges that we come up against every day. In this series we will explore the way, the truth and the life of Jesus together.
Take these 10 minutes to be still and free of distractions as you listen to a guided liturgy reflection.
Gavin updates us on this coming season at Axiom. Micah, Johnny, and Brianna debrief their experience of the recent "Dialogues" event on Racism.
We conclude our series on communion lifting up Jesus's prayer for oneness in John 17 and observe an amazing story of redemption in Acts!
In this series we are focusing on the meal of Christ, communion and Jesus's radical invitation to eat and drink what is good for us all!
During this season of tensions, divisions and disconnection we sense an invitation from Jesus to elevate communion and what Jesus invites us into through this sacrament. Not just in what and how, but with who?
Jesus always points us towards spaces of reconciliation. As christians we are followers of Jesus who are Christ-like we follow Him into these challenging and difficult spaces where we experience not just reformation but transformation in Christ.
When we experience beauty it does something to us. There is a deep connection to something that's true. Beauty is the catalyst for experience Jesus and His Kingdom of love. Can we allow beauty do what it does best? It draws us into reverence and worship, teaches us something that's true, and gives us hope. Micah shares his heart on this.
Architect and friend, Christoph Kaiser, joins us to discuss his experience of true beauty in his life and field of art.
It comes quite natural to us that we might desire beauty. So much so that it shapes and forms us like a liturgy of life. Right from the beginning in the creative works of God is beauty and the innate desire to make all things beautiful. No artists ever set out to do otherwise than that which God himself has done. Beauty is “in” the eye of the beholder. It is part of us, shaping and forming, creating and making. Beauty is instinctual because we are made in the image of God.
If you were to type the word beauty into an image search on google literally all you would find is pictures of people disguising their natural selves. Surely, this cannot be what beauty is or where it is found but perhaps this is what we have allowed ourselves to think. It’s amazing how such a superficial understanding of beauty can have such a powerful hold on society. The truth of beauty however is far from superficial for it dispels the falsity of ugliness, materialism and judgement that pervades us. It sets us free to repentance. For beauty is the primary standard for entering into the glory of God and the revelation that all is sacred.
Do you give yourself permission to rest? God not only gives you permission but strongly desires you to rest well and often. It's strange that rest needs intentional practice but in our culture we have to be intentional to rest and give ourselves the freedom and permission. We discuss this and more!
“Community is a laboratory of love” (Richard Beck) it is the church living out the Good News of Jesus in the world that we must press into. In the world we are to tempted to disconnect from society. We can love everyone from afar or hate everyone from afar but in community you have to reconcile, look in the mirror of your brother and sister…community by way of love edges out the darkness that isolation seeks to establish. In this way community become the epicenter for fighting the good fight because it exposes in us all the things that we must set free.
As we continue to highlight spiritual disciplines, Micah and Gavin focus on the practice of prayer.
So often when we consider the best way to fight our battles we assume we must call upon resources of that are less than loving when in fact our greatest weapon is love itself.
We continue to highlight a spiritual discipline and practice each week. This week our highlight is the discipline of study and how it shapes our transformation and life with God!
The warfare that has backdropped Gods entire plan of redemption has come to a victories moment in the death and resurrection of the Jesus. The church is now invited to join in this battle. We are called to be participants in fighting a spiritual battle that effects all things. Lance Linderman shares his thoughts.
This week we talk about the spiritual practice and discipline of service and we talk with Jen Richard from Hope Women's Center and learn more about their ministry to women.
By the power of resurrection Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades. Jesus is now Lord of All for death has been defeated and perfect love has cast out fear. The resurrected life now is free by the power of Gods love alive in us and the Gates of Hell cannot withstand it.
We conclude our series of Jesus 2020, The Way of the Lamb in Matthew 7:24-29 as we are invited to be hearers AND doers of the kingdom life Jesus describes and that is good news and solid ground for all who follow!
Axiom children's pastor Bethann Meza joins Gavin and Micah to reflect on the new temporary ways we are gathering and experiencing Jesus together.
We always reproduce after our own kind. Jesus tells us the obvious… healthy fruit trees produce healthy fruit and vice versa with unhealthy fruit trees. You are unlikely to find luscious grapes hanging off a thorn bush. How is Jesus inviting you into His Kingdom?
Matthew 7:7-12
In a healthy relationship there is a constant give and take of asking and receiving, giving and taking. In healthy relationship one asked and the other has the freedom to say “No”, “Yes”, “maybe later”, “not now”, “give me a minute”, “next week”, “Let me think about it”. None of those responses are inappropriate and in a healthy, trusting relationship the one who is asking accepts that the person answering has a good reason for their response. Likewise in healthy relationship a person can ask and keep on asking and not be an annoyance for doing that. Ask, seek, knock and the door will be opened.
Gavin, Erik and Micah discuss the opportunities of the church in this time of uncertainty.
Judgment of others quickly absolves the power of Gods Mercy he had on you. What testimony do we have and what legs can we stand on in wake of Jesus grace extended to us when we deserved death itself. Judgment kills.
Matthew 6:19-34
Believe it or not God and money can get along really well. In fact when they do we are truly blessed for our view of God and his things are in appropriate order. God and possessions believe it or not can be a powerful testimony for our witness to others as well. This is actually an area to discuss not shy away from, Jesus didn’t.
So much of our spiritual motives are misplaced in a culture that is desperate for attention. Look at me! See how I am blessed! Cry’s the one after the wrong reward. Gods reward frees us from the need for approval and like by any other then God himself delighting in us. So let our worship be unhindered by our surroundings and let our confession with God be as alive in private as it is in the public square. Integrity with God begins in secret, quite places with an audience of one.
Micah and Gavin continue the conversation from Sunday's message on Matthew 6:1-18 and touch on Jesus's introduction of the Lord's Prayer.
Turn the other cheek! Love your enemy! How can these principles be? Are we saying be humiliated, hurt and rejected? The audience that Jesus was confronting knew what it meant to be these things. But in our culture, day, and even religious practices we are unacquainted with the space that Jesus often subjected himself too. Kris Hayes takes us further into Jesus's Sermon on the Mount!
Matthew 5:33-37
In Jesus's Kingdom we are offered a way of communication that has conviction, meaning and follow-through. We explore this invitation together.