City Central Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
City Central, Tacoma WA
City Central Church is a place where followers of Jesus Christ seek God's power and presence by adoring the Savior, becoming more like Him and contending for His kingdom. Based in Tacoma, Washington, City Central seeks to share the good news about Jesus with those who are lost, bring restoration and healing to those who are broken and build up and train the saints of God. This podcast features sermons originally delivered at City Central Church in Tacoma during Sunday morning worship services. A few highlighted midweek teachings are included as well. Lead Pastor Chris Hippe preaches the majority of the Sunday morning sermons. Occasional guest messages are delivered by City Central staff members or friends of the ministry. Sermon series notes, links and processing questions can be found in the Resources section of the City Central Church website. God is moving in the city of Tacoma! Join us as we dive into God's Word and seek to know Him more intimately and experience greater depths of His truth and love. If you are listening to this podcast from out of town and have any plans to visit the Puget Sound area, stop by Sixth Avenue in Tacoma and pay us a visit at City Central.
August 9, 2026 - Youth Takeover, we were blessed to have guest speaker Austin Foss share a powerful sermon on grace. Grace is freely given, not earned, yet it is often withheld when hurt, pride, or offense take over. Jonah reminds us that we have received mercy first and are called to extend that same grace to others. True surrender means letting go of our emotions, trusting God's purpose, and choosing to serve rather than live for ourselves.
August 2, 2026 - City Central Elder Darrin Miller continued our sermon series through the seven churches in Revelation. In Jesus' letter to the church in Thyatira, we see that compromise rarely happens all at once—it quietly takes root when we begin to tolerate what God calls us to reject. Although this church was full of love, faith, service, and perseverance, Jesus revealed that beneath their strengths they had allowed false teaching and compromise to take root. Christ calls His people not only to do good works, but to remain faithful by resisting compromise and holding fast to Him.
July 26, 2026 - guest speaker Pastor Samuel Lee brought a powerful message from Revelation 2:12–17, reminding us that while faithfulness may withstand persecution, we must also guard against the subtle compromises that pull us away from Christ. Through His powerful, life-giving Word, Christ calls His people to reject the subtle seductions of the world, repent of idolatry and compromise, and faithfully obey His truth. As we remain steadfast in His name and His Word, He promises His sustaining presence today and eternal reward to those who overcome.
This week, City Central Elder Darrin Miller continued our Revelation series by exploring Jesus' letter to the church in Smyrna—a church marked by poverty, persecution, and suffering, yet one that received no rebuke from Jesus, only His encouragement to remain faithful until the end. Through His words, Jesus reminds us that He sees our struggles, has already conquered death, and calls us to live with an eternal perspective rather than being shaped by the values of this world. As we study this passage, we'll discover that true faithfulness isn't measured by comfort or success, but by steadfast trust in Christ, whose promise of eternal life gives us courage to persevere through every trial.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our series on the seven churches of Revelation by examining Jesus' letter to the church in Ephesus. Through their example, we are reminded that Jesus deserves the first place in our hearts and that loving Him above all else is the foundation of the Christian life. While Jesus commends the church in Ephesus for its faithful service, perseverance, and commitment to sound doctrine, He also rebukes them for abandoning their first love and calls them to remember, repent, and return to the devotion they once had. The message challenges Christians to examine their priorities, guard against spiritual compromise, and cultivate a growing, wholehearted love for Jesus above everything else.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new sermon series entitled The Seven, exploring the seven churches of Revelation. The messages to these churches reveal that this book is first and foremost a revelation of Jesus Christ—His glory, His authority, and His heart for His people. As the risen King who is coming again, Jesus walks among His churches, calling them to hear His voice, remain faithful, reject compromise, and prepare for His return. Through these seven churches, we are challenged to ask not only what Jesus said to them, but what the Holy Spirit is saying to His church—and to each of us—today.
This week, Pastor Chris finished our Driven by Eternity series with a powerful message on living a life of honor—a heart attitude that recognizes the value God places on people and brings glory to Him. In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul teaches that living a life of honor means honoring spiritual leaders, caring for others, embracing the work of the Holy Spirit with biblical discernment, and above all honoring God in every area of life. When we cultivate a culture of honor, we strengthen the church, reflect the character of Christ, and become faithful witnesses to the world.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Driven by Eternity series with a message from 1 Thessalonians 5. The apostle Paul calls believers to live prepared for the return of Christ, recognizing that the Day of the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly, and with unavoidable judgment. Rather than speculating about dates and times, Christians are to live with expectancy, walk as children of light, remain spiritually awake and sober, and stand firm in faith, love, and the hope of salvation. Because Christ has secured our salvation through His death and resurrection, we are also called to encourage and build one another up as we await His glorious return.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Driven by Eternity series with a message of hope. In a world marked by loss, uncertainty, and grief, believers are called to live with a confident expectation rooted in the promises of God. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Paul reminds us that our hope is grounded in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, giving us assurance even in the face of death. Because Christ will return and gather His people to Himself forever, we can grieve with hope, stand firm in faith, and encourage one another with the certainty of His coming.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Driven by Eternity series with a message from 1 Thessalonians 4. Because God has graciously saved and redeemed us through Jesus Christ, He calls us to live lives that please Him in holiness, love, and integrity. Paul reminds believers that pleasing God involves pursuing sexual purity, loving others more deeply, and faithfully fulfilling everyday responsibilities in a way that honors Christ. As we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and look forward to Christ's return, our lives should reflect God's purpose for us as His people, zealous for good works and devoted to His glory.
This week, Pastor Chris continued on our Driven by Eternity series with a message from 1 Thessalonians 3. In a world marked by hardship, temptation, and uncertainty, God calls His people to strengthen one another through encouragement. This message explores how believers can support the afflicted, help the tempted remain faithful, stand firm in the face of trials, and grow in Christlike love. As we journey together, encouragement becomes a vital source of courage, perseverance, and spiritual maturity until Christ returns.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our sermon series Driven by Eternity with a message on authentic faith. In a world filled with pressure, opposition, and imitation, God calls believers to live with authentic faith that is real, rooted, and enduring. Through Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians, this sermon reveals that authentic faith is grounded in God's Word, tested through hardship and persecution, and strengthened to overcome every spiritual obstacle through the power of Christ. When believers truly receive and live out God's truth, they are transformed from the inside out, becoming people of perseverance, joy, and lasting impact in a hostile world.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our sermon series with a message on how ministry that pleases God is not built on popularity or personal gain, but on lives surrendered to Christ with courage, purity, love, sacrifice, and a desire to see others grow spiritually. Drawing from Paul's example in 1 Thessalonians, this message reminds believers that true ministry requires bold faith, genuine integrity, compassionate care, and a willingness to pour ourselves out for the sake of the gospel. As God's chosen people and royal priesthood, we are called to faithfully serve Him in a way that reflects His character and leads others to walk worthy of His kingdom and glory.
This Mother's Day, we had the privilege of hearing from a dear friend of City Central, Shirlee Lamoureux. Through her powerful testimony, we see how there are moments in life when pain feels overwhelming. Some wounds are deep, formed in childhood, through abuse, rejection, abandonment, or loss. Yet even in those places, God sees, knows and heals. God is a Redeemer. He is the One who takes brokenness and brings healing, who takes sorrow and gives joy, who takes ashes and creates beauty.
This week, Jena Hippe brought an encouraging word as we celebrated the joy of giving our lives away in service to the church. Ephesians 2:10 to remind us that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ for a purposeful life of good works prepared in advance. It contrasts two paths: a "small heart" that seeks comfort, avoids hardship, and results in minimal spiritual impact, and a "ministering heart" that embraces others, walks with God through difficulty, and participates in His redemptive work. Ultimately, it calls believers to pursue a life of deep fellowship with Christ that produces lasting joy and meaningful impact in the world.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Driven by Eternity series with a message from 1 Thessalonians describing the marks of a healthy church, beginning with the foundational truth that we are chosen by God and empowered by the gospel through the Holy Spirit. Such a church reflects Christ by imitating His example, enduring hardship with joy, and demonstrating genuine transformation in both character and conduct. Ultimately, a healthy church lives under Christ's lordship and eagerly awaits His return, anchoring its hope in His saving work and promised future.
This week, Pastor Chris began our new sermon series, Driven by Eternity, with a message on how a healthy church is shaped by the certainty of Christ's return—living with watchful hope rather than speculation and ordering its life around obedience to Him. Marked by grace and peace, a healthy church becomes a praying and thankful community whose faith is active, whose love is visible, and whose hope endures even in a troubled world. Anchored in the promise that Jesus will come again, such a church pursues holiness, proclaims the gospel with urgency, and lives in joyful anticipation of redemption.
This week, City Central Elder Darrin Miller shared a powerful message on how Jesus reveals that God desires mercy over judgment—calling not those who think they are righteous, but sinners who recognize their need for Him. Through the story of Zacchaeus, we see that no one is too far gone—Jesus sees us, calls us by name, and invites us into repentance and restoration. This message challenges us to stop focusing on others' sin, recognize our own need for grace, and respond to Jesus with humility, surrender, and love.
It's Easter Sunday! Pastor Chris shared a powerful message about stepping out of the crowd to encounter Jesus personally. Life is often marked by pain, struggle, and seasons where nothing seems to get better, as seen in the woman who suffered for twelve years. But Easter reminds us that through Jesus' death and resurrection, sin is defeated, death is conquered, and even the hardest situations are not beyond His power—so one touch of faith can change everything. In that moment, she was not only healed but also seen, known, and loved, revealing the heart of the gospel: that Jesus meets us in our brokenness and brings restoration and new life.
This week, Pastor Chris highlights how God works "far more abundantly" than we can imagine, calling believers to surrender fully and draw strength from His Spirit within. Rooted and grounded in Christ's immeasurable love, we are invited to experience a relationship that transforms us and enables us to grasp the vastness of His grace. Ultimately, it points to a God who exceeds every expectation, working powerfully in us for His glory across all generations.
This week, Pastor Chris taught us that walking by faith is an intimate trust in a powerful yet deeply personal God who leads with love, even when the path ahead is unclear. Using the example of Abraham, this sermon highlights how faith strengthens believers to trust God fully, make sacrifices, choose eternal priorities, and remain patient, persistent, and joyful in the waiting. Ultimately, a life of faith produces lasting spiritual fruit, shaping us into generous, wise stewards who reflect God's glory and become a blessing to others.
This week, Pastor Chris challenged us to step out of comfort and live by faith, just as Abraham did when he followed God without knowing where the journey would lead. By trusting God's promises, Abraham crossed the lines of the unknown, the impossible, the future, and the pull of the world, demonstrating a life anchored in hope beyond present circumstances. His example calls us to fix our hearts on God's eternal promises, courageously pursuing a heavenly homeland rather than settling for the temporary security of this world.
This week, Pastor Chris taught from Nehemiah, encouraging us to see that God's work of rebuilding begins when a burden for brokenness moves His people to prayer and action. After hearing about the ruined condition of Jerusalem, Nehemiah carefully assessed the situation, received God's vision for restoration, and invited others to join the work. Together, ordinary people with different roles and gifts united to rebuild the wall, reminding us that God accomplishes great things when His people commit themselves to a shared mission.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Greater Things series with a powerful teaching about generosity that leaves a legacy. Generational Generosity is the call to faithfully pass on a legacy of worship, obedience, and wholehearted giving from one generation to the next. Rooted in God's enduring goodness and modeled by leaders like David, it begins with God's vision, flows from willing hearts, and recognizes that everything we have ultimately belongs to Him. When leaders go first and God's people give joyfully and obediently, they leave behind not just resources, but a lasting, godly legacy for their children.
This week, City Central elder Eric Jones invited the church into "The Grace of Giving," showing that true generosity is not driven by wealth but by worship. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 8 and the example of the Macedonian church, he explains how God's grace (charis) transforms crushing pressure and deep poverty into joyful, willing generosity rooted in surrender to Christ. Ultimately, the Lord calls the church to see giving not as obligation but as a Spirit-empowered privilege—an overflow of the gospel that tangibly serves others and reflects the self-giving heart of Jesus.
This week, Pastor Chris taught us to pray by first approaching God as "Our Father," cultivating a deep, loving relationship with Him and reflecting that love toward others. We honor His holy name and seek His kingdom and will above our own, depending on Him daily for provision, strength, and spiritual victory. As recipients of His grace, we forgive from the heart and engage in spiritual warfare, living as faithful witnesses of His present and coming kingdom.
This Sunday, Pastor Chris delivered a powerful message reminding us that enduring prayer is a steadfast, watchful, and thankful pursuit that keeps God's people rooted in dependence on Him through every season of life. Scripture shows us that persistent prayer shapes our faith, resists discouragement, advances God's mission, and aligns our hearts with His will—even when answers are delayed. As we pray regularly, pray missionally, and live intentionally, enduring prayer becomes both our lifeline to God and our witness to the world.
Today was Life Group Sunday, and Casey Mock our Community Life Director taught us about moving from right belief to right practice—living out the truth that God is El Roi, the God who sees. Scripture shows us that God not only sees us personally, but places us intentionally in the Body of Christ, where every part matters and no one is meant to walk alone. Life Groups are how we live this out: a place to be seen, fully known, and truly loved as we follow Jesus together.
This week, Pastor Chris continued teaching us about prayer with a message about prayer being the God-given means by which His limitless power strengthens our inner lives, drawing us into the fullness of Christ's love and presence. Rooted in Ephesians 3, this sermon calls us to a deeper prayer life—one that boldly calls on God, prays according to His will with confidence, and cultivates a faithful secret place with Him. As we do, the Spirit strengthens us from within, enlarges our understanding of Christ's love, and works far more abundantly than all we could ask or imagine.
This week, we had the privilege of hearing a powerful message from a dear friend of City Central, Pastor Charlie Sweet as he reminded us to never stand down when God leads us into wilderness seasons. Through Elijah and Hagar, we see that God may allow the brook to dry up or the desert to surround us, yet He is still present, sustaining, and shaping purpose in the silence. What feels like loss or delay is often God's way of awakening faith, revealing His care, and preparing us for greater glory.
This week, Pastor Chris taught on how prayer opens the door to spiritual abundance by connecting God's heavenly purposes with earthly realities. Drawing from Scripture, it shows that prayer is both an intimate act of trust and fellowship with God and a powerful partnership through which the Holy Spirit releases God's will, power, and blessing in our lives. Ultimately, we are called as believers to pursue a vibrant prayer life that invites heaven to intervene on earth, producing transformation, provision, and renewal.
This week, Pastor Chris launched the 2026 Greater Things Fast with a compelling teaching on the power of fasting. In John 14, Jesus promises that those who believe in Him will do greater works through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we explored fasting as one of the God-given ways we are invited into that deeper, Spirit-led life. Rooted in Scripture, fasting is presented as a grace-filled practice that humbles us, realigns our desires with God, and awakens our hunger for righteousness. As we fast and pray, we make space for God to speak, to break strongholds, and to empower us to walk more fully in His will and power.
This Sunday, we had our Legacy Youth Takeover service! Youth Pastor Stephanie Kram shared a wonderful and thought-provoking message about the blessings and call we have as Jesus followers to live faithfully in everything we do.
This week, Pastor Chris' message explored the wonder of Jesus' name, foretold in Scripture as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. The most powerful name of all reveals who Jesus is and what He brings to a restless world. From God's great love in sending His Son to the peace, strength, and hope found in Him, we discover that the name of Jesus is not just a title, but the promise of salvation and new life.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Christmas series celebrating the wonder of God's promise revealed through His faithfulness, His presence, and obedient faith. From the first promise in Genesis to its fulfillment in the birth of Jesus, God proves Himself faithful by sending a Savior who would defeat sin and dwell with His people as Immanuel. Through Joseph's obedience, we see that God's promises unfold through hearts willing to trust, listen, and act, even when the path is not fully understood.
This week, our Young Adult Pastor, Adina Olson, delivered a powerful message to launch our Christmas series, The Wonder of Christmas. She invited us to behold the wonder of the manger, where God's long-promised salvation arrived clothed in unexpected humility. In Jesus' birth, we see God's faithfulness, His willingness to take on human flesh, and His mission to bring peace and redemption to all. Through the quiet obedience of Mary and Joseph and the hidden glory of Christ's identity, we are reminded that the manger already pointed to the cross—and to the hope it would secure for us.
This week, Pastor Chris taught us that generosity is central to the Christian life because it reveals the true condition of our hearts and reflects the character God designed us to embody. It warns that hurry, worry, and a consuming mindset can choke out generosity, while trust in God frees us to give joyfully. Ultimately, believers are called to give willingly, proportionately, and sacrificially, not out of obligation but out of love and faith.
This week, Pastor Chris taught on biblical generosity reminding us that contagious generosity begins with recognizing that God is the first and ultimate giver, showering us with every good gift and even offering His own Son. When we allow this truth to move from our heads to our hearts and into our hands, it reshapes our mindset about money, purpose, and what truly matters. As we live open-handedly, Scripture promises that generosity not only blesses others but transforms and refreshes our own lives.
This week we celebrated Summit Sunday at City Central—a day to remember all God has accomplished over the past year and to look ahead with fresh vision for what's to come. This Summit was especially meaningful as we heard powerful testimonies of transformed lives and learned about an exciting new campaign to expand our reach in Tacoma and across the globe.
This week, we had the privilege of hearing from City Central's Youth Director, Elijah Hippe, as he shared about three key elements of evangelism. God invites us to partner with Him in reaching others through intercession, invitation, and initiation. As we pray for people, invite them to encounter Jesus, and step out in faith wherever we go, we become living witnesses of His love and power in the world.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Hebrews series with a message on loyalty to Jesus. True loyalty to the Lord is more than words—it is a steadfast devotion expressed through love, obedience, and faithfulness in every area of life. It calls us to love others selflessly, steward our resources wisely, honor the spiritual leaders God has placed over us, and continually offer our praise and good works to Him. In every action and attitude, loyalty to Jesus reflects a heart fully surrendered to His will and grounded in His unchanging love.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Victorious Jesus series with a powerful message on the stability of God's Kingdom. In a world that is constantly shifting and uncertain, God reminds us through His Word that there is a kingdom which cannot be shaken. The terrifying scene at Mount Sinai revealed the holiness of God and the instability of everything built on fear and law, but Mount Zion reveals the grace, peace, and permanence found in Jesus Christ. Because we belong to this unshakable kingdom, our response must be one of grateful and reverent worship to the God who is a consuming fire.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Hebrews series with a message about enduring in faith. The Christian life is like a race that requires endurance, focus, and faithfulness. God calls us to lay aside every weight that hinders us, fix our eyes on Jesus, and trust His loving discipline to shape us into His likeness. As we run, we are strengthened not only by His grace but also by the encouragement of others, enabling us to finish well and bring glory to Him.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Victorious Jesus series with a message on biblical faith. Faith isn't proven in moments of strength, but in times of weakness, when all we can do is trust in the unseen hand of God. Hebrews reminds us that endurance and faith are necessary to receive what God has promised, even when fear or failure tempts us to give up. True biblical faith is not passive—it moves forward, obeys God, and clings to His promises, even when the outcome is uncertain.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Victorious Jesus series with a message from Hebrews 11. Faith isn’t just a feeling or blind optimism—it’s trusting God fully, believing His promises, and obeying His Word even when the outcome is unclear. This sermon explored four expressions of biblical faith: future faith that looks ahead to God’s eternal promises, tested faith that endures trials, generational faith that impacts others, and personal faith that chooses obedience over comfort. True faith sees beyond the present moment and lives with eternity in view.
This week, Pastor Chris unpacked the meaning of true biblical faith as confident trust in God’s character, promises, and unseen purposes. Hebrews 11, highlights how faith pleases God and empowers believers to obey, wait, and endure even when the outcome is unclear. We are challenged as believers to live by faith—rooted in God’s faithfulness and anchored in the hope we have in Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris about persevering in faith by continually drawing near to God with sincere hearts, holding fast to their hope, and encouraging one another in love and good works. Scripture warns of the danger of willfully rejecting the truth after receiving it, reminding us of the reality of God’s judgment for those who turn away. Yet through trials and suffering, we are invited to trust in God’s faithfulness, endure with confidence, and live by faith—knowing that His promises are sure and our reward is eternal.
This week, Pastor Chris taught on the depth of human sin, our inability to save ourselves, and the complete sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. We walked through the origin, nature, and consequences of sin, showing how the old system of animal sacrifices could never truly remove guilt or restore us to God. Ultimately, Christ’s once-for-all offering declares us forgiving and righteous, and empowers us to walk in new life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This week is Life Group Sunday at City Central! Community Life Director, Casey Mock, taught on Biblical community. Drawing from Acts 2, she highlighted how the early church modeled deep fellowship through shared meals, prayer, teaching, and real-life support—laying the foundation for the Life Groups at City Central. In a world where many feel isolated, discouraged, or overwhelmed, gospel-centered community offers strength, spiritual growth, and the encouragement needed to stay faithful and finish strong.
This week, Pastor Chris shared Jesus on the parable of the Great Banquet to illustrate the open and generous heart of God, who invites all—especially the humble and overlooked—to His eternal banquet. While many respond to this invitation with excuses rooted in worldly distractions, their rejection reveals misplaced priorities and hidden idols. Ultimately, the parable reminds us that God's kingdom is for those who respond in faith and humility, and it challenges us to extend that same invitation to others before it's too late.
This week, pastor Chris taught on forgiveness from the parable of the unforgiving servant. We were reminded of the profound truth that God's forgiveness toward us is both undeserved and immeasurable—and we are called to extend that same forgiveness to others. Though forgiveness can be difficult and costly, it is a freeing act of obedience that reflects the heart of God and protects us from the torment of bitterness.
This week, Pastor Chris taught on worship and the condition of our heart. In the parable of the sinful woman, Jesus reveals how extravagant grace produces extravagant worship. Those who recognize the depth of their forgiveness respond with deep love, heartfelt devotion, and joyful service. This sermon explores how God’s grace—not human effort—brings forgiveness, restores relationship, and sets us free to love Him and others with overflowing gratitude.
This week was Youth Takeover Sunday! We heard several of our high school students share on Micah 6:8, and God’s heart for us to “Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.” This verse isn't just a poetic statement—it's a call to action, a blueprint for how we’re meant to live every single day. As followers of Christ, we’re invited into a life that reflects God’s heart: one that stands for justice, overflows with compassion, and walks in humility before Him.
This week, Pastor Larry Jones taught on the parable of the prodigal son highlighting the themes of mercy, restoration, humility, and the boundless love of the Father. He reminded us that while sin can lead us far from God, His grace makes a way for our return—and that return should be celebrated, not criticized. The parable also challenges us to examine our own hearts, whether we identify more with the rebellious younger son or the resentful elder brother. Above all, we see a picture of a Father who runs to meet us, covers our shame, and restores us with joy.
This week, City Central elder Darrin Miller taught on the parables of Jesus in Matthew 13. Jesus paints vivid pictures of what the Kingdom of Heaven is really like. Though small and hidden at first, the Kingdom grows, spreads, transforms, and proves to be of immeasurable worth. Whether you’ve walked with Jesus for decades or are still exploring who He is, these parables challenge us to reflect on what we value most—and to consider what it really means to surrender everything for the sake of something greater.
This week, we had the privilege of hearing from Elder Eric Jones, who shared a compelling message titled “The Weight of Grace: Stewarding What God Has Entrusted to Us.” Teaching from the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, Eric reminded us that God has graciously entrusted each of us with something of eternal value: our time, gifts, resources, and influence, not to bury, but to steward faithfully in preparation for the return of the King. This parable calls us to reject fear-based living, confront faulty views of God, and step into a life of faithful, fruit-bearing work that honors the Master.
This week, City Central had the privilege to hear from our dear friend and founder of the Racial Reconciliation Cohort, Pastor Lonnie Arnold. He shared a powerful message on the parable of the Good Samaritan, shifting the focus from defining a “neighbor” to becoming one. Through this parable, Jesus exposes the limits we often place on love and reveals that true neighborly compassion crosses boundaries and takes sacrificial action. Ultimately, the story points to the Gospel truth that we are the wounded ones in need of rescue, and Jesus, the Greater Samaritan, is the one who shows us mercy so that we, in turn, may go and do likewise.
This Sunday, Pastor Chris kicked off our summer series “The Parables of Jesus” with a message titled “The Prepared Heart.” Parables are not just clever stories, they are ingeniously simple word pictures that illuminate profound spiritual truths. Jesus used them to teach moral lessons, challenge assumptions, invite reflection, and ultimately reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom of God to those who were humble and hungry (Matt. 13:10–12). At the same time, these stories concealed truth from those whose hearts had grown dull or resistant (Matt. 13:13–15), fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah and demonstrating God’s gracious will to reveal truth to the childlike and dependent (Matt. 11:25–26).
This week, Pastor Chris shared a message on generosity and joyful giving. True joy in life is not found in accumulating wealth, but in releasing it for eternal purposes. This message explores the biblical foundation for generous, cheerful giving as a reflection of God’s ownership, our stewardship, and the reality that heavenly treasures last forever. By embracing a life of joyful generosity, we break free from materialism, align our hearts with God’s kingdom, and invest in what will truly endure.
This week, we were reminded that life is not about accumulating wealth on earth, but about investing in what lasts forever. Through the story of Zacchaeus and other biblical examples, we see how generosity, surrender, and eternal perspective reflect true transformation by grace. God owns everything, and we are simply stewards of His resources, called to use them for His kingdom. Rather than living for the temporary things of this life, we are challenged to live for eternity—laying up treasure in heaven where it truly counts.
This week, we celebrated Father’s Day with a sermon about the powerful role of fathers through the lens of God's perfect example. As our faithful, loving, and compassionate Father, God calls earthly fathers to reflect His heart through integrity, presence, life-giving words, spiritual legacy, and intentional leadership. When fathers walk in these truths, they not only bless their families but also leave a lasting impact for generations.
This week, we celebrated Pentecost Sunday with a sermon on the Power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus prepared to ascend to the Father, He left His disciples with a powerful promise—the gift of the Holy Spirit—who would not only dwell within them but empower them for bold and effective ministry. The Holy Spirit equips us to fulfill the mission of Christ, overcoming sin, fear, and every barrier that stands in the way of gospel advancement. Through the Spirit’s presence and power, believers are transformed into witnesses who proclaim the mighty works of God to every nation, tribe, and tongue.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Hebrews series with a message about allowing Jesus to change our hearts from the inside out. In a world filled with temporary solutions and imperfect systems, Hebrews 8 reminds us that there is no one greater than Jesus. As our eternal High Priest, He offers a better covenant—one that fulfills the old, replaces ritual with relationship, and transforms us from the inside out. Unlike the law, which could only guide behavior externally, Jesus writes His truth on our hearts and offers complete forgiveness and lasting intimacy with God. This is not about rule-keeping, but about heart renewal through the superior work of Christ.
City Central’s Young Adult Pastor, Adina Olson shared the Word this week about Jesus being a priest who stays on the throne. We’re invited to see Jesus not just as Savior, but as our eternal High Priest—appointed by God’s unchangeable oath, not by human tradition. Unlike the flawed and fading priesthood of old, Christ’s priesthood is permanent, powerful, and personal. He offered Himself once for all, securing a better covenant and granting us full access to the throne of grace. This isn’t just theology—it’s a holy invitation to step into our priestly calling and live as those redeemed, interceding, and carrying the presence of God into the world.
This week, we explored the rich biblical theme of typology, where Old Testament figures and events foreshadow the greater fulfillment found in Christ. From Moses, Solomon, and the land of Canaan, we are pointed to Jesus as the ultimate Deliverer, King, and inheritance. The mysterious figure of Melchizedek highlights the eternal priesthood of Christ. Through Jesus, we are invited to draw near to God with confidence, living not as owners of our resources, but as stewards of His grace and provision.
This week, Pastor Jena delivered a powerful Mother’s Day message, calling women to embrace their God-given identity as helpers, life-givers, and warriors. As helpers, we are strong, life-giving supporters modeled after God’s own help; As mothers (both biological and spiritual), we are nurturers who birth and sustain life through love, care, and sacrifice; and as warriors, we are called to rise up, intercede, and stand against darkness with God’s truth. Each role reflects a divine calling to walk in the works God prepared for us, living as reflections of His strength, compassion, and courage.
This week, Pastor Chris gave a message about waiting on the promises of God. Throughout the Scriptures, the Lord gives us many promises—and He is always faithful to fulfill them. However, there are often seasons of waiting, which God uses to grow our faith, build our character, and deepen our trust in Him. As we wait on the Lord, we are encouraged to embrace the process with patience and active faith, knowing He will finish what He started. Ultimately, God’s promises anchor our souls with enduring hope and give us strength to persevere through every season.
This week in our Hebrews series, Pastor Chris challenged us to move beyond spiritual immaturity and press on to maturity in Christ. Just as a seed is expected to become a thriving plant, and a child to grow and develop, so too should our faith move from the basics toward depth and strength. Through sobering warnings and hopeful encouragements, Scripture calls us to examine our faith and pursue a life marked by discernment, endurance, and fruitful obedience. The goal isn't simply gaining knowledge—but growing deeper in our relationship with Jesus.
This Easter Sunday, Pastor Chris shared a powerful message about the Samaritan woman in which a weary Jesus intentionally meets a weary woman at a well—and changes her life forever. In a culture divided by race, gender, and religion, Jesus crosses every barrier to offer something far greater than physical water: the living water of eternal life. This woman came searching for something temporary, but found the only One who could satisfy her deepest thirst. Just like her, we are all thirsty—searching, longing, and often settling for things that can never truly satisfy. But Jesus still meets us where we are, offering rest, renewal, and a relationship that quenches our souls forever.
This week, Pastor Chris shared a powerful message about approaching the throne of God with confidence. In a world filled with overwhelming needs and countless ways to cope—whether through distraction, isolation, or even unhealthy escapes—it’s easy to ignore our deeper need for grace. We often find ourselves rationalizing or justifying our mistakes instead of bringing them to God. But a central message in the book of Hebrews is this: in moments of need and repentance, we’re invited to draw near to God boldly. No matter what we may believe about ourselves—or even about Him—God consistently meets us with love, grace, and mercy.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series with a powerful message about the Bible. God has given us the incredible gift of His Word, which answers our deepest questions, guides our steps, and refreshes our souls. Through the living Word, God is actively engaging with humanity, inviting us to know both Him and ourselves more deeply.
This Sunday, Pastor Chris delivered a powerful message on finding true rest in the Lord. While the world encourages rest through self-care and more sleep, the Lord offers a deeper, soul-satisfying rest that endures. Even in the midst of life's challenges, we can experience peace in our hearts when we are at peace with God and hold firmly to His promises and guidance for rest.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series with a powerful message on the dangers of unbelief. In the Old Testament, we see how unbelief kept the Israelites from entering the Promised Land—and the same can happen to us. Unbelief can gradually take root in our hearts, stealing away the abundant life God has for us. Pastor Chris challenged us to recognize the subtle signs of unbelief, turn back to faith, and become a people who fully walk in the trust and hope God has called us to.
This week, as Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series, he invited us to reflect on the faithfulness of Jesus. Faithfulness is a defining characteristic of God’s nature, and Jesus stands as the ultimate example of steadfastness and reliability. Through exploring God’s promises to the faithful—promises of reward and empowerment—we are reminded of the high honor and security we have as sons and daughters of God, not slaves.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series, focusing on Jesus as our faithful High Priest. From the very beginning, God’s plan was to send His Son to live as both fully human and fully divine. Because of this, Jesus understands every struggle and temptation we face, yet still offers us His unwavering love and help. He is our advocate, our constant support, who has triumphed over death and fear on our behalf!
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series, teaching us about the importance of trusting the Lord. God’s perfect track record of faithfulness, goodness, and love proves that He is completely trustworthy. As we deepen our trust in Him, we are empowered to trust others, grounded in the assurance of His unwavering character. Even in the places where trust has been broken by others, Jesus offers restoration, freeing us to build authentic community and live fully for Him.
This week, we had the privilege of hearing from City Central elder, Eric Jones, as he continued our Hebrews series, Victorious Jesus. Reflecting on the supremacy of Christ over sin and death, and the powerful gospel we've received, Eric reminded us that through Christ, believers can experience a deep and personal relationship with God. However, drifting away from the Father can happen so easily, and we must remain vigilant in guarding our hearts. Eric shared key warning signs of spiritual drift and offered guidance on how to return when we find ourselves wandering.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Hebrews series with a powerful message on angels. In His infinite wisdom, God created these heavenly beings to worship Him, protect us, and engage in spiritual warfare against the Enemy. By understanding the authority of angels, believers can gain a deeper understanding of their own authority in the Kingdom of God. Above all, we are reminded that in every aspect of creation, Jesus reigns supreme.
This week, Pastor Chris kicked off a powerful new series from the book of Hebrews titled Victorious Jesus. Throughout this series, we will dive into the supremacy of Jesus, discovering how He is not only God but the ultimate source of power, glory, and significance. Jesus is not just our Savior—He is Lord!
This week, Community Life Leader Casey Mock shared an inspiring message about the importance of Life Groups! She reminded us of what the Bible teaches about living in community—how the early church devoted themselves to the Word, to fellowship, and to encouraging one another in the Lord. We strive to create that same environment in our Life Groups and, if you’re not already, would love for you to join one soon!
This week, Pastor Chris delivered a powerful message on praying in the Holy Spirit. At the heart of this kind of prayer is God's profound love—His gift of a pathway for His people to connect with Him on a deeper level. When we pray in the Spirit, it not only strengthens our faith but also draws our hearts closer to Jesus, deepening our intimate relationship with Him.
This week, Pastor Chris delivered a powerful message on the transformative power of prayer as the bridge between us and the Kingdom of God. Through prayer, we become the conduit through which God's will is released into the world, inviting us into a partnership with Him. As we draw near to God in prayer, not only are we changed, but we also become agents of change in the world around us.
Youth Director Elijah Hippe delivered a compelling message on the power of prayer and the Kingdom of God. He reminded us that we are called to pray not only in times of struggle or moments of blessing, but at all times. Consistent prayer creates an open door for the Kingdom of Heaven to move in our lives. A life rooted in prayer leads to a deeper pursuit of Jesus and His Kingdom.
This week, Pastor Chris kicked off the new year with a powerful series titled Power Through Prayer, designed to guide us through our church-wide fast. As we embark on this journey, it's essential to check the posture of our hearts—ensuring they are soft toward God, ready to obey, and eager to love Him. It might be the perfect time for a spiritual reset. Cultivating a generous heart and making a habit of meeting with the Lord will set us on the right path to loving Him more deeply and following Him faithfully throughout the year.
This week at City Central, our Legacy Youth Ministry took over our services. Claire Mock who is a Junior in high school, leader of a Jesus Club at her school, and a leader in our youth program; brought an encouraging word about living out the authority that God has given us through Jesus.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Christmas series with a powerful message highlighting the humility of Christ and His heart for everyone to know Him. Jesus entered the world in a lowly manner and rather than announcing His arrival to the powerful or the elite, the Lord chose to reveal it to the humble shepherds. This demonstrates that He came for all people and sets a profound example of humility for us to follow. The Lord continues to invite the humble to Himself today.
This week, Pastor Chris shares a powerful message about the hope of Christmas and how it leads us to worship the King. The Wise Men were among the first to encounter the newborn Jesus, and their response offers profound lessons for us today. Just as they bowed in humble worship before the Savior, we too are called to honor and glorify the Lord as we reflect on the hope and joy of the Christmas season. Their example reminds us that true worship flows from encountering the hope found in Christ’s birth.
This week, Pastor Chris continued our Christmas series The Thrill of Hope with a powerful message about how the light of Christ is the only true hope for a weary world. It's not hard to see that our world is broken and filled with darkness, desperately in need of hope. But the hope of Jesus shines through in His victory over sin and the world, a victory that He extends to each of us. In Him, we can exchange our weariness for the joy that only Christ can bring.
This week, Pastor Chris launched our Advent season with the start of our Christmas series, The Thrill of Hope. At the heart of the Christmas season is the hope found in Jesus—His sovereignty and unshakable faithfulness. By placing our hope in God rather than in our circumstances, we can experience peace even in the darkest of times, with His presence serving as an anchor for our souls.
This week, we had the privilege of hearing from Darrin Miller with a word on generosity. God is so generous to us and designed generosity to be beneficial; generous people are healthier, happier, have lower stress, improved relationships and extend their lives to others. As we grow in a deep understanding of God’s lavish love and generosity toward us, we will extend it more freely to those around us.
This week, Pastor Chris shared a message on the lavish generosity of God that frees us to live generously toward others. The flesh tells us that a preserved life is a thriving life, but God tells us that the most joy-filled people are those who give generously. As we obediently give, we witness God’s kind provision and we are a blessing to others.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Advancing Church series with a message about the power of Jesus to restore our hearts and set us free. Through Jesus we are forgiven and made new, no matter where we have been or what we have done. The good news doesn’t end there as the Lord wants to partner with us in our restoration from one degree of glory to another!
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Advancing Church series teaching about sharing the gospel and being aware of how the world can choke out our faith. As believers, we advance God’s kingdom through evangelism but must guard our hearts from the world so we can bear good fruit unto the Lord. God has great affection for each one of us and desires that we walk out our salvation in true knowledge, agreement and commitment to the gospel, making disciples along the way.
This week, Pastor Chris started a new sermon series called Advancing Church. God has a great vision for the Church and wants to use His bride to establish His kingdom on earth. As we gather, we meet with the Lord through worship and prayer and build one another up for the works of the ministry. There is power in the gathering of God’s people!
This week, Pastor Chris finished our Romans series with a word on being aware of the Enemy’s schemes in our lives. Whether we realize it or not, we have an Enemy of our soul and are in a spiritual battle, which Jesus has already one. The Enemy desires to deceive, accuse and tempt us but we can expose his schemes, live in authority over him and walk in Jesus’ victory.
This week, Pastor Chris taught out of Romans 15 about overcoming selfishness. Our society emphasizes self-promotion and self-focus, but God desires for us to be emptied of pride and filled with love for others. The Lord gives us tools to help defeat the Self including carrying one another’s burdens, building others up, staying in the Word and sharing the Good News.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a second teaching on how to love those with different opinions from ourselves. The Enemy aims to divide the Body of Christ though personal opinions and judgement, but the Lord wants us to walk well with one another in love.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series teaching us about God’s heart for the Church to be united. Christians can be so divided and unloving toward one another over issues that are not essential to the gospel, but there is a way forward! We can follow God’s command to love and respect one another by keeping our hearts humble, and our minds set on the primary issues of the Bible.
Community Life Director, Casey Mock shared this week about the different Life Groups at City Central and how you can get plugged in. It is not our inheritance as believers to walk through life alone, rather God has a vision for the church to live in community! Today was a call for each of us to either join a Life Group if we haven’t already or evaluate how we can bring others into the family of God right here in our church.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a word about resetting our hearts on the Lord through His love and grace. Sometimes we grow weary in our walk with the Lord or start walking in our old ways. We need a fresh awakening and today is the opportunity! The first step to softening our heart towards God is to allow Him to love us.
This week was Youth Takeover at City Central! Recent high school graduate and Legacy student leader, Lakiyah, brought the Word from Habakkuk. We spend a lot of time waiting and asking the Lord to move, and we learned from Habakkuk that God is gracious with our questions and ready with a plan. In these seasons of waiting, we can look to God’s character, remember His faithfulness and allow Him to change our character.
This week, Pastor Chris shared a message about being directed by the Word of God when facing the topic of political authority. As believers, we have dual citizenship- heaven and our country- and therefore, we walk in the tension of honoring both God and our government leaders. It is key to submit to God before a political party, check our hearts for bitterness and rebellion, and pray for our leaders.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Roman series with a powerful message on using our gifts to build up the Church, and the call to love others well. The Lord has loved us with an everlasting love and calls us to love and forgive one another. We could all use an upgrade in love and Romans 12 encourages and challenges us to humble ourselves for the sake of sharing the love of Christ.
This week, Adam Narciso brought the Word from Romans 12 about spiritual gifts. Jesus followers carry a special grace from God, known as spirituals gifts, that show up in our day-to-day functions. These gifts are meant to bless and build up the Church, but how we step into them matters.
Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a word on God’s faithfulness to His people Israel from old testaments times to today, and how we as Jesus followers are grafted into God’s family. As we live in the end times, looking back at God’s faithfulness gives us peace and hope knowing He will fulfill His promises to us!
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a message about being transformed by Christ rather than conformed by the world. We are always being influenced by the world around us and must intentionally set our hearts and mind on Christ and godliness. Renewing our minds regularly keeps on the path of righteousness and helps us become like Jesus.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series about sharing the gospel so that many can be saved, and so we can live a vibrant life in Christ. Just as our physical muscles atrophy from lack of use, our spiritual muscles also lose health and vitality when they are not regularly exercised. Evangelism and sharing our testimony help build those spiritual muscles, and the Lord uses it to bring hope to a lost world.
This week, Pastor Chris continues our Romans series with a message from Romans 9 about the relationship between God and believers, known as the Human-Divine Cooperation. This concept is seen throughout the Bible, as God partners with His people, demonstrating His grace and sovereignty while calling them to fulfill His will on earth through their free will.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a message about being secure in God’s love. The love of God is abounding and dependable, different from human love. If we are not careful, we can project our experiences with human love onto God, leading to a deceived and defeated life. With the Lord’s help we can tear down any wrong view of God’s love and start living as an overcomer in Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a message about how the promise of eternity gives us hope in the struggles of today. Life can be difficult and painful, but Scripture describes a future for the believer that is better than anything we can imagine. The joy, peace and beauty of eternity with Jesus gives us hope in life’s trials and difficulties!
This week, we took a shift in our Romans series from understanding the weight and burden of sin to understanding how to walking free from condemnation. We can be our worst enemy, ready to let the hammer of condemnation and shame drop on our heads. Christ has the answer to set you free from condemnation through Jesus’ victory over sin and death, and the power of the Holy Spirit teaching us to walk according to the Spirit.
This week, Pastor Chris shared a message on Romans 7 about the tension of being fully alive in Christ but not a perfect person. Misunderstanding this passage can lead to living in compromise and bondage, instead of the abundance and victory God has for your life. As we partner with God through the Holy Spirit, we learn to walk in a transformed life.
It was a fun time at City Central this week as we had our first ever Join The Team Sunday! Pastor Chris encouraged us with a message about the joy of giving our lives away through serving the church. God wants to advance the His Kingdom and impact eternity through His people’s time and talents. As we allow God to use us how He sees fit, we experience the full joy of living for something greater than ourselves.
One of our elders, Darrin Miller, brought the word this week from Romans 6 about the God who overcame the entanglements of sin on our behalf. In Christ, we are no longer controlled by the effects of sin, rather we are free to live by the Spirit. We can now choose to be dead to sin and alive to Christ.
This week, we had the privilege of hearing from a mama in our house, Carrie Jones, on the Hesed love of God. Motherhood (and life in general) can feel difficult and overwhelming, filled with great days, but also really hard day. Carrie encouraged us that even on our hardest days, God’s deep, steadfast love covers us and Jesus’ blood bridges the gap between us and God. This is good news for all of us!
This week Pastor Chris and one of our elders, Jarrad Mock, shared the next sermon in our Romans series. Many people have wrestled with questions of salvation- am I saved? How do I know I’m saved? How do I become saved? Romans tells us we can have assurance of salvation by trusting fully in God’s grace, evaluating the fruit of our lives, and yielding to Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a message about repentance and Jesus’ power to forgive. It is easy to see how something is deeply broken in the world around us, but often it is more difficult to see or acknowledge the brokenness in our own heart. Just as sin causes chaos in the world, it seeks to destroy our lives and relationships as well. Through the gift of repentance, Jesus is faithful to forgive and we are truly set free from the bondage of sin.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans sermon series with a message about rejoicing in the hope of Jesus. When we lift our head and set our eyes on Jesus, we experience a living hope that carries us is a world marked by hardship and tragedy. In God’s sovereignty, he not only gives us hope in our suffering and hardship but also purpose, using it grow and strengthen us.
We had the privilege of hearing from guest preacher Pastor Larry Jones this week as he taught about being justified by faith. We can easily think we have to earn our way to God by our own merit- through good behavior or works. However, we must recognize we can do nothing on our own to reach God and depend fully on Him for our righteousness. Living in the blessing of God’s righteousness allows us to be a blessing to others.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series teaching on the inspiring faith of Abraham. Chosen from a pagan culture far from God, Abraham became the prototype for how we are saved today- by faith through grace. Thousands of years later we still look at his faith journey to understand how we come the Lord, by faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
This Easter Sunday, Pastor Chris shared powerful message of hope in Jesus. No matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, a newcomer or a regular, this message is for you! While there is overwhelming evidence of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection two thousand years ago, the evidence of His deep, personal love for you is alive today. We place our hope in Jesus grateful for His sacrifice, empowered by His resurrection and hopeful for His return.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series. One of life’s big questions is “how can a person be right before God?” Every major world religion has an answer to this question, but Christianity’s answer is set apart. All other religions require human effort to reach God, but the gospel states we can do nothing to reach God, rather we open our hearts to what God has done for us through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.
This week, we continued in our Romans series, the Power of the Gospel. Pastor Chris taught on the wrath of God, and the difference between living in cheap grace verses biblical grace. When we understand just how bad life outside of Christ is, we deeply appreciate the good news of God’s love and grace. However, it’s possible to live in cheap grace that is not submitted to God’s word and authority. The Lord desires for us to live in biblical grace that leads to repentance and trains us in godliness.
This week in our Romans series Pastor Chris taught us the difference between authentic and counterfeit Christianity. Genuinely walking with the Lord brings transformation, obedience, and sincerity of heart. God invites us to give Him our whole heart and allow Him to change us.
This week in our Romans sermon series, Pastor Chris taught us how religion blinds us to our own sin and hardens our heart toward God. God created us to live in a relationship with Him that transforms us from the inside out. However, we sometimes find ourselves living in religion instead- an outward appearance of loving the Lord while inwardly our hearts are actually cold towards Him. God’s invitation is to recognize the religious forms in our lives, repent and walk in God’s grace and mercy.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Romans series with a message about God’s wrath toward sin and His desire for us to repent and choose Him. We can only know the goodness and power of the Gospel when we understand the deep depravity of mankind. This is good news! Jesus died that we could be righteous, and we want to be a people who oppose our flesh and choose life with God!
Our Young Adult Pastor, Adina Olson, brought a powerful Word from Romans 1 this week about not being ashamed of the gospel. We know the world is becoming more and more lawless, but as biblical Christians we believe in one true God above all other gods and that every knee will bow to Him. This is our hope in a dark world, and we want to unashamedly share the Good News of Jesus to those around us!
This week, Pastor Chris started our series in Romans called The Power of the Gospel. The book of Romans is known as one of the most important books for understanding the rest of the Biblical narrative. We unpacked God’s heart for us to be bondservants of Christ, devoted to the Lord because of a deep understanding of His love for us.
This week was Life Group Sunday! God has a vision for the church including the corporate gathering of God’s people and a home group reality that is essential to a healthy, thriving Christian walk. Pastor Chris shared the different levels of living in community, and components of a healthy Life Group. Casey Mock, Community Life director, then shared stories of love and support found in Life Groups and invited you to join a group today.
This week, Pastor Chris finished up our Abide series teaching us the power and importance of meditating on the Word of God. We can continue in the lifestyle and heart posture of abiding by remaining in the God’s Word, letting it sink deep into our hearts and keeping it at the forefront our minds. God’s invitation to us is to be planted by streams of living water through time in the Scriptures.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Abide series teaching on the theology of prayer. Prayer is our primary communication link with God, yet many of people do not understand why we pray or how it moves the God’s heart. The Lord wants to partner with us through prayer to bring about His will on the earth, but He is waiting for us to pray.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Abide series about finding God in the secret place. Life can be difficult and many people ask, “where is God?” God is longing and waiting to meet with us in the secret place. In His presence, we connection with Him and can experience dynamic change in our lives and our hearts.
This week, Pastor Chris started a series called Abide that will guide us through our 2024 all-church fast. Just as our electronics need to be restarted so they function at their best, we too need a restart to refocus and reset our hearts on the Lord. That is the goal of this sermon series and the Abide Fast. Pastor Chris shared the benefits of fasting and praying, and some practical ways to abide in the Lord as we seek Him during the fast.
This week, our Legacy Youth Director, Elijah Hippe, shared a word on throwing off passivity as we move into 2024. We are called to go and make disciples, but often passivity keeps us from obeying the Lord. By actively initiating with the Lord and with others, we can be a people who partner with God to bring His Kingdom to Tacoma.
This week, Pastor Chris finished our Christmas Peace series teaching about relational peace. The peace of God reaches from the depths of heart and emotions all the way to our relationships with others. The full experience of God’s peace hinges on being in right relationship with the Lord.
This week, Pastor Chris shared a brief exhortation in our Christmas Peace series. For many people, Christmas brings stress and hurry rather than peace. However, God has shalom (peace) for us through a relationship with Jesus. This is open to all who commit to trust in Him, walk with Him and be changed by Him.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our sermon series called Christmas Peace. God offers us an authentic, biblical peace available through relationship with Jesus our King. When we come to Jesus, connect with Him and allow Him to change us, we experience a peace the world cannot offer. We can only have true peace in our life when we rest in Jesus’ presence.
This week, Pastor Chris started our Christmas Peace series. During the Christmas season, most people are looking for peace but instead experience stress and hurry. God offers us a heart-level, lasting peace the world cannot give. Through a relationship with Jesus, we have peace with God, ourselves, and those around us.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our mini-series about how God’s generosity towards us compels us to live generously. It is easy to think we are aligned with God’s heart, but a good look at our willingness to live generously may show we are misaligned. Pastor Chris shared some ways we can see if your generosity is reflecting God’s generosity toward us.
This week Pastor Chris and an elder, Eric Jones, tag-teamed our morning service teaching about living generously. While the world tells us to hold on our earthly possessions, our time and our money, God tells us to live generously and in turn, be blessed. The believer’s motivation for living generously is out of the overflow of God’s generosity toward to us.
Our annual Summit where we hear about where we have been, where we are now, and where God is taking us in the future!
This week, Pastor Chris finished up our Freedom in Christ series teaching on the power of the tongue. Our words are often an indicator of our heart condition and have the power to bring about positive or negative shifts in our life and the lives of others. We want to be a people whose hearts are healthy and whose words bring life, propelling others toward their calling and identity in Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series Freedom in Christ. He taught that if we want to be great in the kingdom of God, we must walk in humility. As believers, we have a choice to live a life of pride and arrogance, or a life submitted to the Lord and poured out for the service of others. Choosing humility is the key to greatness.
This week’s sermon was a continuation in our Freedom in Christ series. Pastor Chris taught from the story of Joseph, who experienced many injustices yet kept his heart right before the Lord. We all experience injustice in our life and must take care to watch over our heart, forgiving those who hurt us and uprooting all bitterness.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series Freedom in Christ. In church culture today, we like to explain away or ignore our pain. However, pain is an inevitable part of life and Jesus wants to shoulder it with us. The invitation of God is to walk with Him through our pain or invite Him into it so He can heal us.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series Freedom in Christ. We learned about the battle of the mind and how our thoughts directly affect our lives and our ability to walk in the freedom God has for us. We must pay close attention to our thoughts, holding fast to God’s truth and quickly rejecting the enemy’s lies.
This week Pastor Chris continued in our series, Freedom in Christ, in which he brought a two-fold message: we as Believers have been given authority in Christ to extend the kingdom of God and it is imperative to live fully in that authority. We must be aware that fear, anxiety and the illusion of control are not holding us back living in our full authority.
Darrin Miller continued in our sermon series, Freedom in Christ, equipping us to withstand the spiritual battle going on around us. To walk in Jesus’ victory, we must know our enemy and his schemes, as well as the weapons we must use to overcome him.
This week, Chris began a new series called Freedom is Christ. Jesus offers freedom for every believer and yet blind spots can so easily form in our lives that hold us back from all that God has for us. These blind spots come in many forms- negative thinking, heaviness of heart, anxiety and more. Today’s sermon was about being aware of the spiritual realm and learning to battle for our freedom from a place of Christ’s victory.
This week our Community Life Director, Casey Mock, shared how life groups are critical to our growth as we walk with the Lord. We believe our inheritance is a sense of belonging and growth, no matter your past experiences surrounding community, and life group is where that happens. It is in community that we go deep in the Word of God running after the fullness of God what He has for us. Several friends joined Casey in sharing about various City Central life groups and their experiences.
This week Pastor Chris continued in our mini-series about financial stewardship, exhorting us to handle God’s resources His way. The Bible provides clear instructions for tithing so that we can know how to live as obedient and faithful stewards. Chris shared how the human heart is prone to wander, and that the tithe is a test of our spiritual health. Like the Israelites, we can lose our direction and live outside of God’s will for our lives. The question of whether we tithe ultimately comes down to a question of whether we will trust God.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new mini-series on financial stewardship. In His earthly ministry, Jesus spoke more about money than He did heaven and hell combined. How we manage our money reflects our hearts and our spiritual health, and our management will determine the rewards we receive in Heaven. Who do you believe your money belong to? Do you consider yourself an owner or a steward of your finances? As Christ’s followers, we have a responsibility to manage what we’ve been entrusted with God’s way and for His glory.
This week, Darrin Miller highlighted a portion of City Central’s heart and mission to reach the lost. Darrin reminded us that we were each lost before Christ found us, and that our mission as Christ’s ambassadors is to actively seek the lost with the heart of Christ. We are not called to have mere knowledge of the Word, but to practice the Word as agents of reconciliation. Darrin urged us to search our hearts and challenge our perspective on the poor and needy, since they are our fellow image bearers of Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris brought our Healthy Church series to a close with a powerful word on the impact of Christ’s resurrection on our daily lives. In the Corinthian church, a sect of people called the Epicureans did not believe in the afterlife, leading to lifestyles of gluttony and self-gratification. Are you living like them, as if God is not in control and as if this world is your home? The resurrection of Christ means that we will be raised with him, and this truth gives us everlasting vision, peace, and hope.
This week Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church series, seeking to Biblically define what it means to be a Christian. There are many ways an individual can respond to the Gospel: they can reject it, simply know about it, or they can open their heart to receive and commit to it. Chris exhorted us to stand in the Gospel, even when the forces of the enemy rage against us. He shared about the wide road that leads to destruction and the narrow road that leads to eternal life. Taking the narrow road means that we leave everything aside, including our terms of what we think the Christian life is, and choose to follow, surrender to, and live for Jesus.
This week we continued in our series through 1 Corinthians, learning about Christ’s heart for His church. Like a groom towards a bride, Jesus pursues us with fondness, love, and affection. As Christ’s church, we have been called out of darkness and into His light and His family. Chris shared how the love of Jesus toward the church is a giving, restoring, cleansing, healing, sanctifying, and transforming love. As His children, we respond to this love by building His church and His kingdom on Earth.
Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church series, walking through 1 Corinthians 14. In our text, Paul provides clear understanding for the purpose of the gifts of prophecy and tongues. Paul urges us to have zeal for the spiritual gifts because they encourage the people of God in personal and corporate ways. Prophecy and tongues are essential because they bring life where there is death, and they build up our inner man in order for the holy spirit to have greater domain within us.
Continuing our Healthy Church series, Pastor Chris answered the question, “What is love?” Pastor Chris contrasts man’s definition of love with God’s definition. At the same time, there are many worldly meanings of the word “love,” the “Agape” love is only found through the love of God. If you are caught by agape love, then you can share agape love; you cannot give what you have not received. As believers, we can be bold in loving people in a way that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things because of the Agape love of God.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church series, sharing about more of the spiritual gifts that God has given us to steward. Part of the resurrection and ascension of Christ was the impartation of gifts to the people of God through the Holy Spirit. Every good and perfect thing comes from the giver of good gifts, and we have a responsibility to steward what He’s given us. Chris encouraged us to grow in our earnest desire to serve others in love, and to advance the Kingdom of God within the body of Christ.
This week Pastor Chris preached through 1 Corinthians 12, sharing the apostle Paul’s message about the importance of each individual piece that makes up the united body of Christ. Like in a puzzle where all pieces join together to create a full picture, the church is not complete until we are each connected and unified. Are you committed and connected into what God is doing in the church? Chris encouraged us to understand what unique gifts we have been given to steward, and to intentionally connect into the body of Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church series with a word on spiritual gifts. In our text, Paul brings correction and clarity to believers competing with one another in their gifting, sowing division in the church instead of unifying power. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been given supernatural power to operate in your spiritual gifts. We are not designed to operate in our own authority and strength for our own benefit. Our unique giftings unify us together to push forward the common goal of building the church and extending the Kingdom of God.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through 1 Corinthians with a word on the personal and powerful nature of communion. Our text in the Word depicts a chaotic gathering of the young Corinthian church, full of open division and compromise due to their lack of maturity in Christ. Paul uses this gathering to contrast and express the sacred purpose of the Lord’s table. Communion is a space designed to remind us of Christ’s personal sacrifice for us and to consistently wash our hearts clean by His blood.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church sermon series with an enriching word on marriage. Our text in 1 Corinthians can be a weighty passage to interpret, and Pastor Chris sought to explain both the cultural and theological implications for us today. The world’s definition of marriage often leads to heartache, pain, and difficulty. Chris expressed the reality that our marriage relationships can have a 100% chance of success if we will pursue God’s plan and design for them.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church series with a powerful and convicting word on idolatry. Chris exhorted us to ask ourselves who or what we currently worship, since everybody is always worshipping something. Whatever we place our ultimate trust in will have the highest priority in our hearts. If there is anything other than Christ on the throne of our hearts, that thing will not only control us, but it will ultimately disappoint us.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church sermon series, diving into the mission and purpose of each Christian believer on this side of heaven. Chris likened the Christian life to a long-distance run that requires training, focus, discipline, and self-control. We are each ambassadors of Christ, designed to live with intention as we share the Gospel with a lost and dying world. Our purpose is to seek opportunities to share Christ and partner with God in redeeming our spheres of influence for the Kingdom.
For Mother’s Day, Pastor Chris continued in our healthy church series with a powerful word out of 1 Corinthians 13. Chris shared about the agape love that mothers extend each day. This kind of love cannot be produced in and of ourselves— It is given and extended to us by God. Agape love is an overflowing stream from the throne of grace. Chris encouraged each of us to open our hearts to the agape love of God so that we can extend it to those in our lives.
This week, Pastor Lonnie Arnold joined us and preached a powerful word on becoming an undivided church. The problem of division runs through the entire book for 1 Corinthians, similar to the division we see in the Christian church in American today. Pastor Lonnie shared how we need to identify what divides us and know how to apply the Gospel to each situation. Only then will we demonstrate the love through which the world will know that we are disciples of Christ.
This week, our young adult pastor Adina Olson continued in our sermon series through the book of 1 Corinthians. In our text, Paul is speaking to the believers in Corinth about their Christian liberties. As Christians, we have been provided great freedom in Christ, but we must keep the commandments to love God and love others as we exercise those freedoms. We must demonstrate the knowledge we have in love to those who don’t know Christ, and not become a stumbling block to those within the body of Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris continued with part two of his sermon on healthy sexuality. In the Corinthian church, we find Paul speaking to pockets of young Christians who elevated the world’s opinion above God’s. Each of us live out a particular lifestyle that reflects what we believe in our hearts. Does the fruit of your life display the reality that you are a new creation in Christ? Pastor Chris exhorted each of us to examine our hearts, and to submit our lives and bodies to Christ as living sacrifices for His purposes and His glory.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the book of 1 Corinthians with a word on healthy sexuality. The city of Corinth was a hub of immorality, similar to our city and much of our nation today. However, Paul was speaking directly to the church in Corinth, calling them to repentance. Chris shared about the danger of indifference in relation to sexual immorality and the important role of discipline for every believer. Unhealthy sexuality will always lead to bondage, but following God’s blueprint for sex can usher in healing, freedom, and victory in Christ.
This Easter Sunday, Pastor Chris shared the good news of the resurrection of Jesus. He explained how Christianity is the only major religion that celebrates a resurrected Savior who defeated death on behalf of all mankind. How do you respond to the resurrection of Christ? Does it fill you with hope? By dying in our place, the risen Christ paid the price for our sin and made a way for us to live with Him in eternity. This Easter, let this incredible truth fill you with joy, freedom, and hope.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church series with a word on faithful stewardship. He shared how we have been entrusted with the things of God, and how we deal with those things matters. Good stewards are humble servants of Christ and others, and they endure in difficulty. Chris expressed how it is easy to steward well when our circumstances are favorable, but faithful stewards will learn how to faithfully steward in the midst of pain, adversity, and hardship.
What is the best reward you have ever received? This week, Pastor Chris shared the reality that we each have a desire to be rewarded for our work. In this life, we all have work to do in order to build and advance the Kingdom of Heaven. Healthy believers know that this life is not our forever home, and how we live matters for all of eternity. God will reward us as His children for the way we live and work this side of Heaven.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church sermon series through the book of 1 Corinthians. In this week’s text, the Apostle Paul is calling believers in the church into greater levels of maturity in Christ. Immaturity in the Lord will manifest as selfishness, often because the self is still on the throne of our lives. We must make Christ our Savior and our Lord, surrendering to His will in all areas of our lives.
This morning, Pastor Chris continued in our healthy church sermon series, systematically walking through chapter two of 1 Corinthians. Chris shared the reality that each of us are either getting healthier in Christ or not. Often, we seek to work through our problems in the natural realm, but we need the continual power of the Holy Spirit to supernaturally produce health within us. How close of a friend are you to the Spirit of God? The measure that you are regularly surrendered to Him will determine the state of your spiritual health.
This week, we were blessed to hear from prophetic teacher Charlie Sweet. Charlie preached a powerful message for our church body, stirring us to pursue the presence of God in our lives and to invest in the next generation. Charlie exhorted us to learn how to drill wells in our hearts for the Lord’s presence to dwell and linger, and to teach the next generation to do the same. He encouraged us to press in for more of Christ’s presence, because to move forward we will need it like we never have before.
In our first service, guest prophetic preacher Charlie Sweet preached a powerful message about revival. Charlie shared how the church appears to be in a desperate state, yet God has restored and revived His people in the past and He will do it again in the present. Charlie exhorted us to cry out for revival, to fight off lukewarm living, and to prepare for battle this side of heaven.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our new sermon series through 1 Corinthians. In our text, Paul is writing to the Corinthian church after having visited them two years prior. He sought to call the church higher, into greater unity and maturity in Christ. Chris shared how supernatural unity is a place of agreement. Christ’s church will be unified when we choose to be of the same mind, restored to God’s original plan and vision for us.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new sermon series through the book of 1 Corinthians. In this series, Chris will share a picture of a healthy church according to the apostle Paul. Throughout his missionary journeys, Paul encountered the city of Corinth—a diverse melting pot with a reputation for fierce independence, sexual immorality, and idolatry. Paul sought to spiritually diagnose the Corinthian church and encourage them to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
This week, our Community Life Director Casey Mock shared about the importance of meeting with the saints outside of Sunday mornings. She shared a statistic from a study that sought to answer what brings health and fulfillment to individuals. That study determined “belonging” as the number one answer. We were blessed to hear some of our life group leaders express how their group has become a safe space to be transparent and find healing in Jesus.
This week at City Central, we cebrated the completion of the fast along with numerous testimonies from what we saw God do during the fast. As well, Brent and Heather Madsen, founders and leaders of the YWAM Mazatlán base joined us to share amazing things that God is doing in their midst!
This week, guest preacher Steve Williams preached a powerful word on cultivating a prophetic culture. Steve Williams is part of the apostolic team with Minister’s Fellowship International, and he has a deeply prophetic spirit and anointing. Steve shared the vital importance of the prophetic in our world today. He implored us to throw off spiritual apathy and ask God for more of the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our abundance sermon series with a powerful word on prayer. Chris shared the reality that prayer is the essential communication link between the visible and the invisible world. Prayer can release what God intends to do, and it has the power to change people. Chris explained what it means to pray in the spirit and shared the 4 different types of biblical tongues. He encouraged us to pray the Word of God, and to pray as often as we possibly can.
This week, Pastor Chris launched us into the new year with a new sermon series about abundant life in Christ. God’s Word says that Christ came to give us abundance, yet we often feel as though we’re lacking. The enemy will always seek to steal, kill, and destroy our hope. Pastor Chris called us into a new day to shake off the old, to ground ourselves in prayer, and to receive our inheritance of abundance in Jesus.
This week, our youth pastor Stephanie Kram jumpstarted the new year with a powerful word on discipleship. Stephanie defined discipleship and gave the Biblical premise for disciple relationships current day. She shared her personal story of being discipled and shared how the most important part of walking alongside somebody is our heart posture. As we invite others into our lives, we fulfill the great commission and go low in order to raise others up.
This week, Pastor Chris preached a powerful Christmas message about the magi in the Christmas story. The wise men were astrologers who traveled over thousands of miles to worship the Christ child. The star they followed is believed by some to be the shekinah glory of God leading worshippers to Immanuel. We can each learn from the example of the magi who pursued Christ and immediately fell down and worshiped Him at first sight.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our sermon series on the promises of Christmas. God’s Word exhorts us to be like little children, full of faith and wonder. The holiday season can distract us from fixing our gaze on Christ and the miracle of His birth. If you have lost your wonder, let the truth of Christ’s character as redeemer, bondage breaker, and refuge restore your awe this Christmas season.
This week Pastor Chris continued in our Christmas series, focusing on the promise of joy. The world encourages us to find joy in superficial things, but we as God’s children have an inheritance of resolute and eternal joy. Mary was a young, diminished, and misunderstood teenager when God called her to carry the Christ child. As she magnified the Lord through her difficult circumstances, Mary experienced a joy that only comes through surrender to God.
This week Pastor Chris began our Christmas series, focusing each week on a different promise fulfilled in Christ, who is the ultimate promise of Christmas. Jesus promises peace and wholeness to all who call him Lord and Savior. Without Christ, we will seek to find peace through favorable circumstances or the absence of conflict. The question to ask ourselves this Christmas season is whether we are living in the peace that only Christ provides.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our mini-series on generosity. Pastor Chris encouraged us to consider the source and purpose of our finances. God’s priorities are very different than the world’s priorities, and the holiday season can tempt us to be consumers rather than stewards of what has been entrusted to us. By choosing to generously give away, we become more aligned with God’s generous heart.
This week, Pastor Chris began a two-week mini-series on generosity. He shared how we are created to live generously because our Father has been abundantly generous to us. Culture tells us to store up our treasure on Earth, and the enemy tempts us to harden our hearts against joyfully giving our lives away. As we enter into the Thanksgiving season, we have an opportunity to stop and remind ourselves of how good God has been to us, allowing thanksgiving and generosity to change our hearts.
This week, one of City Central's elders, Darrin Miller, finshes out the series on The Life of David.
This week, one of City Central's elders, Darrin Miller, finshes out the series on The Life of David.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the life of David with a powerful word on the trouble of temptation. In the story of David’s temptation with Bathsheba, we see David progressively hardening his heart against the ways of God. David abandoned his ultimate purpose as God’s chosen king to pursue his earthly desires, and his sin snowballed into adultery, treachery, and murder. Victory over temptation will come when we actively guard our minds and learn to flee away from sin and to Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the life of David with a powerful word on the trouble of temptation. In the story of David’s temptation with Bathsheba, we see David progressively hardening his heart against the ways of God. David abandoned his ultimate purpose as God’s chosen king to pursue his earthly desires, and his sin snowballed into adultery, treachery, and murder. Victory over temptation will come when we actively guard our minds and learn to flee away from sin and to Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the life of David. As his circumstances shifted from adverse to favorable, David was confronted with a choice. He could either choose to press further into Jesus or shift into neutral and coast in his faith. We can learn a lot about our character by how we respond to blessing and success in our lives. Rather than settling, we can choose to respond like David, and double down on our affection for Jesus.
This week (October 23, 2022) Pastor Chris continued through the life of David, looking at how David responded when his adverse circumstances changed. As we move into 2 Samuel, David’s season of difficulty had shifted as he was elevated and promoted. David made a bold decision to build his life around the presence of God, and He wanted God to be at the center of the nation. Through David, we learn what it looks like to build our lives around God rather than adding the Lord to a foundation we’ve already laid.
Pastor Chris continued in our series on the life of David, sharing how David cultivated a soft heart by trusting God through mistreatment and injustice. David knew that he was not the one who called the shots in his own life, and he trusted in God’s intervention. When we are mistreated, we can either dull our hearts against God or trust him to fight on our behalf. Our hearts will never be more on display than the moments when we respond to man’s mistreatment or rejection.
Pastor Chris continued in our series on the life of David, sharing how David cultivated a soft heart by trusting God through mistreatment and injustice. David knew that he was not the one who called the shots in his own life, and he trusted in God’s intervention. When we are mistreated, we can either dull our hearts against God or trust him to fight on our behalf. Our hearts will never be more on display than the moments when we respond to man’s mistreatment or rejection.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the life of David with a word about friendship. David had people around him who stood by him through difficulty, pain, ease, and celebration. Those he called friends were often the key to helping him to endure in Christ. Jonathan was a fierce, and faithful warrior of God who desired to walk closely with David. These two were committed to each other in Christ, while King Saul became jealous and fearful of David’s anointing. Pastor Chris encouraged each of us to cultivate friendship, and to pursue forgiveness and healing where friendships have caused pain.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the life of David with a word about friendship. David had people around him who stood by him through difficulty, pain, ease, and celebration. Those he called friends were often the key to helping him to endure in Christ. Jonathan was a fierce, and faithful warrior of God who desired to walk closely with David. These two were committed to each other in Christ, while King Saul became jealous and fearful of David’s anointing. Pastor Chris encouraged each of us to cultivate friendship, and to pursue forgiveness and healing where friendships have caused pain.
This week, Adina Olson shared a powerful message on the story of David and Goliath. Adina sought to examine the heart of David in this popular Biblical story out of 1 Samuel 17. As the armies of Israel prepared to battle the Philistines, King Saul sought a warrior who could defeat the giant. As God raised David up to defeat Goliath, we learn how the work David did in his heart privately prepared him for the public battle.
This week, Adina Olson shared a powerful message on the story of David and Goliath. Adina sought to examine the heart of David in this popular Biblical story out of 1 Samuel 17. As the armies of Israel prepared to battle the Philistines, King Saul sought a warrior who could defeat the giant. As God raised David up to defeat Goliath, we learn how the work David did in his heart privately prepared him for the public battle.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new series looking at the life and the heart of David. Chris provided the historical context leading up to David’s appointment as king. In 1st Samuel, the collective whole of Israel had rejected the Lord in their desire for an earthly king. God raised up Saul, but he soon proved himself unworthy as his leadership was marked by partial obedience, arrogance, and unrepentance. The Lord removed Saul and worked through the prophet Samuel to appoint and raise up David as the King of Israel after God’s own heart.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new series looking at the life and the heart of David. Chris provided the historical context leading up to David’s appointment as king. In 1st Samuel, the collective whole of Israel had rejected the Lord in their desire for an earthly king. God raised up Saul, but he soon proved himself unworthy as his leadership was marked by partial obedience, arrogance, and unrepentance. The Lord removed Saul and worked through the prophet Samuel to appoint and raise up David as the King of Israel after God’s own heart.
This week, Pastor Chris continued through the book of Galatians with a powerful word about living by the Spirit. In our text, the apostle Paul provides a solution for the internal battle every believer has of walking by the flesh or by the Spirit. Paul says that the solution is simple, but we each need revelation to hear it. The Father set us free so that we would walk in step with His Spirit in wholehearted humility and dependence.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through Galatians with a powerful word about fear of man. In our text, Peter was fearful of the Judaizer’s opinion of him and his fear spread to others. Chris shared how destructive fear of man can be for our relationship with Jesus. God’s word says that the fear of human opinion disables us but trust in God protects us.
This week Pastor Chris continued our sermon series in Galatians with a message entitled, Authentic or Counterfeit Christianity. The Judaizers of the day were invading the church with a false gospel and Paul’s exhortation the Galatian is to serve the one true authentic Jesus. The church today deals with this very same issue of picking a counterfeit Jesus over the authentic Jesus. Which Jesus do you serve?
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the book of Galatians. In Galatians, the apostle Paul was preaching to a group of Christians believing in a man-made, works-based gospel. Paul continued to preach the simple, transformative truth that salvation only comes through the free gift of grace. There is a difference between a Biblical relationship with Jesus and the man-made religions of the world. We don’t need to strive to prove or save ourselves, we simply need to open our hearts to receive the free gift of grace and salvation in Christ Jesus.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new sermon series through the book of Galatians entitled, “Set Free to Live Free”. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Galatia in order to counter the false gospel that the Judaizers were preaching to the Christian church. These Jewish Christians regarded the Old Testament laws as still binding to Christians, and in their legalism, they disregarded the invasive grace that Jesus offers. Legalism will leave us defeated as we seek to prove ourselves outwardly to God. The simple gospel is that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and this revelation should change us from the inside out.
This Sunday, our Community Life director Casey Mock shared about the importance of being in community and actively pursuing fellowship together. She shared the Biblical truth that we will have trouble and trial in this life and how we need others to lift our arms up when we’re too weak. We want to follow the examples of the Godhead who dwells in unity and the early church who did not neglect to meet together. Christian perseverance is a community endeavor, and Life Groups are a space where we can find our tribe before our trial.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in Malachi with a word on leaving a Godly legacy. Each of us are currently living a legacy and will leave it behind us when we pass away. The question is whether we will leave one of destruction or Godly blessing. A believer with a blessed legacy will live in such a way that counts for eternity. We are each part of a storyline that God the Father has been writing through His people that will last forever.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in Malachi 2 with a powerful message on the justice of God. The Israelites were continuing in their lukewarm living, and they began to accuse the Lord and question His character. Rather than desiring Him, they questioned what He had done for them lately. In their distorted perspective and pride, they cynically twisted God’s truth and created a God in their own image. We want to be a people who see God rightly and align our will with His.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the book of Malachi. Malachi 2 touches on the difficult topic of divorce, and Pastor Chris shared how God’s purpose is always to redeem what has been broken. God loves marriage because it is designed to reflect His perfect love for His bride. He also hates divorce, but His love and story of redemption always reigns supreme over each of us. Chris shared the important truth that we will have a healthy marriage when we keep Jesus on the throne of our hearts and at the center of our marriage relationship.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our new series through the book of Malachi with a word on being a good listener. Listening is a skillset that communicates love and honor to another person. In Malachi 2, we learn from the example of the Levites who did not listen to the voice of God or take his instruction to heart. These priests listened to their own voice rather than God’s, and it reflected the lack of honor they had in their hearts for Him. Chris encouraged us as Gods royal priesthood to listen to His voice in our lives, take His instruction to heart, and honor Him in full obedience.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our new series through Malachi with a powerful word about giving God our best. Malachi is a continuing dialogue between God and His people who have fallen into spiritual indifference. This final book of the Old Testament is strategic for us to read now as we prepare for Christ’s second coming. In Malachi, we find that God corrects those He loves, and that right understanding of His love will change whether we give Him our best or our leftovers. His banner over us is love, and our Father deserves the very best that we can offer him.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new sermon series through the book of Malachi. This final book of the Old Testament was a word for the church as it awaited the Messiah’s first coming. The church had returned from exile, but remained distant from God and spiritually apathetic. The writer of Malachi wrote to those prone to lukewarm living and called them back into a dynamic knowledge and love of God. We can also be prone to forget that God is loving and tender toward us, and that he calls us out of idolatry and worldliness and back into love and passion for him. The good news of Malachi is that God’s love and affection over us does not change, but we must choose to turn our hearts fully back to him.
This Sunday, Chris interviewed his wife Jena about the gift of motherhood. Jena shared how every woman is a daughter of Eve, created to be a bringer and giver of life. She expressed how there are different seasons and phases of motherhood, likening some stages to areas of the armed forces. Jena shared how each woman is called and set apart to speak life. She attested to the intimacy with God that she found only by being a mom, and how she gained significant revelation about God’s complete adequacy in her inadequacy. Motherhood is a gift from God, and we are called to partner with the Lord in bringing and giving life.
This week, Pastor Chris brought our series on the spiritual gifts to a close. Our gifts matter greatly to God because each of us will one day stand before Christ and give an account for how we stewarded the gifts He gave us. We will never live more empowered, at peace, and certain of the love of God than when we live in our gifting. When we abide through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will naturally bear the Spirit’s fruit. Chris shared the important truth that God’s heart behind every spiritual gift is love. It can be easy to operate in our gifting with the wrong heart. Holy Spirit, agape love bears underneath another in faith, even in difficulty. This love is self-giving, sacrificial, and more concerned with the benefit of the other. When we serve in love through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are serving others with the very heart of Jesus Christ.
This week, one of City Central’s elders Darrin Miller preached a powerful message on how to know the heart of God and share His heart with others. Darrin expressed how it is possible to know the Word without intimately knowing and serving the God of the Word. He encouraged us to not miss God’s heart in our desire to know about Him. He continued to share how the Lord transformed him as he chose to serve the least of these in Tacoma, specifically disadvantaged youth, and those experiencing homelessness. Darrin’s message was that we are meant to live transformed each day, experiencing the heart of God and sharing it with others.
On this beautiful Easter Sunday, Pastor Chris preached a powerful word on Christ’s miraculous rescue of us. Chris shared how the biggest questions we have about life are answered through God’s truth in His word. The world is searching for answers and hope in Earthly things. Before each of us knew Christ, we sought answers outside of Christ. Chris shared how Jesus is the only answer to every question we have, and how His death and resurrection are God’s ultimate rescue plan for each one of us.
This week, Pastor Chris gave us a short word on Holy Week and the meaning of Palm Sunday. He shared the story of Jesus entering into Jerusalem and how those who welcomed and celebrated His triumphal entry were nowhere to be found a week later when he was crucified. Chris shared the sobering truth that some people desired for Jesus to save them from their circumstances rather than from their sin. Chris then continued in our sermon series with a word on the speaking gifts. He shared how we each are gifted to serve the Bride of Christ, and the question is whether or not we are using our gifts current day. Just like our lego set illustration, we are created to be connected into something bigger than ourselves.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our new series on the spiritual gifts. If you are a believer in this house, you have been grafted into a team. You have gifts that are necessary to build the Kingdom of God in this specific house. The good news is that we need not fulfill them in our flesh because the gifts are meant to be empowered by the Holy Spirit in us. We want to be a people who understand what God has given to us individually, wisely steward our gifts, and actively use them for the body. You will never be more fulfilled than when you step out and live in your spiritual gifts.
This week, long time friend and family of City Central, Adam Narciso, kicks off our new series Gifted: Finding Your Position by talking about three of the spiritual gifts that God has given to the body for our encouragement and building up.
This week during our 11:00 service, guest preacher Charlie Sweet brought a powerful word on the power of unforgiveness. Charlie shared how the body of Christ has become clouded and disengaged through the pandemic, and that it is time for us to reengage. One way that we can do this is to embrace, practice, and walk in forgiveness. When we forgive, we align ourselves with God’s word and his will regardless of how we feel. Without forgiveness, there will be no breakthrough for us to move forward in victory and peace.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Empowered series with a powerful word on the Holy Spirit. Chris sought to answer who the Holy Spirit is, how he works, and how he relates to us in our daily lives. He explained what the work, fruit and gifts of the Spirit are present-day. The Holy Spirit show us Jesus when we are in times of need. The very spirit that rose Jesus from the dead lives inside of each of us, and the faster we yield to him, the more fruit we will see in our lives.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the book of Acts called Empowered. After Stephen was raised up to take the Gospel forward, Saul began persecuting Christians in a significant way, leading to the dispersing of believers throughout the region. God then raised up Philip who began attracting crowds in Samaria until the Holy Spirit told him to find one lost individual. The core of evangelism is found in one Christian sharing the Gospel with a nonbeliever. The divine shift in the narrative from mass to individual salvation reflects the heartbeat of Jesus to go after the one.
This week Pastor Chris preached on Following Jesus. In the book of Acts, we see Stephen full of faith, declaring truth to the Pharisee’s. As a result of Stephen’s obedience to follow Jesus till the end, he paid the cost of death to declare the truth. Stephen had every opportunity to hold offense against the Pharisee’s. However, he asked God to forgive them in full faith with his eyes fixed on eternity.
This week Pastor Chris wrapped up our mini-series on financial fitness. He shared the surprising reality that Jesus spoke more about finances in the Bible than he did about heaven and hell combined. It matters greatly to the Lord what we do with His resources, and how we spend our money will reveal the motives of our hearts. The Lord and the enemy both have distinct paths for us depending on how we will view and manage the resources God has given us.
This week, Eric Jones preached a powerful word on Biblical financial fitness. Eric shared the surprising truth that Jesus spoke more about money than he did about love. He sought to reveal lies that we commonly believe about money and used God’s word to speak the truth on the matter. We live in a culture that craves prosperity and financial stability, but God calls us to store up our treasures in Heaven. Our heart posture towards the dollar matters greatly to the Lord since all that we have been given ultimately belongs to Him.
This Sunday, our Community Life director Casey Mock shared about the importance of being in community and pursuing fellowship together. She shared the Biblical reality that we will have trouble and trial in this life, and how we need others to lift our arms up when we’re too weak. We want to follow the examples of the Godhead who dwells in unity and the early church who did not neglect to meet together. Christian perseverance is a community endeavor, and Life Groups are a space where we can find our crew before our crisis.
This week, Pastor Chris brought our Pray Like Jesus series to a close with a powerful word on Jesus’s final prayer. In our scripture this morning, Jesus is hours away from being betrayed and arrested. He prayed with an understanding that the disciples were listening, and that his time on Earth was coming to an end. The High Priestly Prayer has everything to do with us and the way that we live today.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Pray Like Jesus series, sharing the reality that our prayer lives reveal how healthy we truly are. Prayer is the temperature gauge for where we are at spiritually. It is the essential communication link between the visible and invisible realm and the primary way we articulate our emotions to God. Without prayer, there’s no communication or abiding relationship with the Lord. As we talk to Him, He talks back to us. If we want to pray like Jesus, the best place to start is the model of the Lord’s Prayer.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our new sermon series seeking to answer how Jesus prayed in hopes that we would learn to pray like him. During our First Love fast, we have chosen to lay aside something we love for something we love even more: Jesus. Fasting often accelerates our prayer life because it welcomes weakness into our lives. As we fast and come to Jesus in our weakness, we want to grow in prayer and intimacy with the Lord as He strengthens us in Him.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new series on prayer for the new year. Chris said that we can expect breakthrough by orchestrating our lives around prayer and communion with Jesus. When we have true revelation of who God the Father is, we will see dynamic change in how we communicate with him. Pastor Chris sought to answer what prayer is and more importantly, what it looks like to pray like Jesus.
This morning, our youth pastor Stephanie Kram brought a powerful word about stepping out in boldness for Jesus. She shared from the book of Esther, expressing how our freedom in Christ is directly linked to our partnership with him. God can call us to do amazing things for Him, but if we don't step out in faith and boldness, we won’t walk out what he has planned for us.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Christmas series with a word on four responses to Jesus’ birth that we should avoid. It’s so easy to lose Jesus in the Christmas season, but we want to be followers who respond to him rightly. Rather than closing off our hearts in entitlement, control or pride, may we open our hearts and praise him for his birth and life.x
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Christmas series with a word on the wisemen in the Christmas story. The magi were likely a large group of people who studied astronomy, yet they recognized the greater power of God. They were seekers of the Savior and they traveled far to worship him. Pastor Chris shared the reality that each one of us worships something. We can all learn something from the intentional, personal, sacrificial worship of the wisemen.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Christmas series, focusing on Jesus’ mother Mary. Chris encouraged us to ask ourselves whether we see what Mary saw. Mary was a young, pregnant teenager near the bottom of the social ladder with nothing to her name. Society deemed her an outcast, yet she trusted in and obeyed the call of the Lord. We can each learn something about how Mary responded to God’s call: with wonder and worship.
This week, Eric Jones began our Christmas series with a word on the inherent expectancy of the advent season. Eric encouraged us to take a pause and reflect on the Savior’s birth because His arrival on Earth gives us hope for his second coming. In the time and place of our Scripture passage, people experienced a deep longing for the Messiah and the same is true for us now. May we each be filled with wonder and expectancy as we celebrate the birth of Christ!
This week, Adina Olson rounded out our sermon series on Heaven with the desire that each individual perspective on the end times would be founded on the Word of God. The most important question to confidently answer about Heaven is whether you know you’re going there. Adina brought us back to the beginning, reminding us of how God’s original plan was simply to be with us. The Lord’s compelling longing is to see us fully united and unified with Him in eternity.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series on Heaven. Chris described a longing that lives in every human heart for the new Heaven and new earth. There is an “already, not yet” tension that plays out in every one of our lives. We get tastes of Heaven on earth, but we consistently feel the pangs of sin and death. We must allow the longing for Heaven to change how we live today. If we truly understand what God has in store for us, we cannot and will not live the same.
This week Pastor Chris continued in our series on Heaven, seeking to answer what Heaven looks like in the present day. There are important, Biblical truths about those who have gone before us and are in Heaven now. At the same time, God’s Word continuously exhorts those still on Earth to set our minds on things above. The truth is this: what we think and know about Heaven matters. The reality of the Gospel is that our response to Jesus will dictate where we will spend eternity. The most important question to answer about Heaven is how you know you’re going there.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new sermon series seeking to answer some important questions about Heaven. We live in a culture that tells us to live for today and to deny the realities of eternity. The truth is that our view of Heaven matters. If we become fascinated by what eternity holds, it will change the way we live here on Earth. As believers, Heaven should be one of our primary motivating factors, driving us forward and giving us courage in all seasons.
This week, Pastor Chris sought to answer what brings people true happiness this side of heaven. The Bible is clear that we will find our lives when we give them away. God’s Word calls each one of us to be actively engaged servants, doing our part to advance the Kingdom. In our text, we find ourselves roughly five years after Pentecost with the Hebrews and Hellenists responding dramatically different to the social issues of their age. In the midst of tension, God’s people need to live sacrificially, not neglecting to meet with and serve the body of Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the book of Acts with a powerful word on being empowered for a reset. We’ve reached a point in Acts where the fear of the Lord was released on the people of God, ushering in a season of many signs and wonders. Each of us have reached a point of weariness in our attempts to live in our own strength. What we may need is a reset in the Spirit. Pastor Chris called on each of us to reset our hearts and recommit to the Holy Spirit’s all-powerful work in our hearts.
This Sunday, Pastor Chris preached a powerful message on deception. In our text, Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit, held onto what was rightfully the Lord’s, and suffered the consequences of their hypocrisy and greed. Chris shared how greediness reveals what is truly in our hearts and where we’re finding our self-worth and identity. If we desire to live in the fear of the Lord, we must also choose to live with a thankful and generous spirit.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the book of Acts with a word on Spirit-empowered generosity. He sought to explain what a Spirit-filled Christian looks like, answering it in one word: generous. Barnabas sets an example for us in our text when he sells his field and lays the profits at the apostles’ feet. When we walk in step with the Spirit of God who has regenerated our hearts of stone, we cannot help but freely and generously give our lives away.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the book of Acts with a word on religious persecution. It is becoming increasingly more unpopular to be a Christian in our culture, but we need not be intimidated. As Bible-believing Christians, we should each expect to face opposition when we speak truth. We need to operate in the fear of the Lord in order to boldly speak the truth of the Gospel no matter the consequence. Chris sought to answer how we can be bold and courageous in the midst of persecution.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Empowered series through the book of Acts. Chris shared how the Lord has a direct path for us for times of refreshment. We can only be refreshed when we are honest in our confession and genuine in our desire to turn away from sin. Repentance is meant to be a normal piece of our relationship with Jesus. It is only through the loving kindness of Jesus that we are enabled to turn away from our sin and find true refreshment.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through the book of Acts with a powerful word on healing. Chris sought to answer what the Bible says about physical healing in order for us to be grounded in our theology on the topic. Ever since sin entered the world, suffering, infirmary and pain have been a reality. Sin certainly affects more than just the immaterial soul. We want to be a people who pursue God’s Kingdom here on Earth through the reality of physical healing for the glory of Jesus.
This week, Damion Walker continued in our “Empowered” sermon series through the book of Acts. Damion shared how the Lord dwells richly within the context of community. Before Jesus’ death and resurrection, He prepared His disciples by calling them to unity through the Holy Spirit. We want to emulate the early church as we seek to come closer together and experience the fullness of God among us.
This week, guest preacher Steve Williams joined us and continued in our series through the book of Acts. Pastor Steve shared the reality that the testimony of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of prophecy. Our God is a consuming fire, and we must allow Him to fill us in order to do His work. As God’s people, we are called to take the prophetic mantel into our spheres of influence. We must posture ourselves to receive the Lord’s anointing and to be empowered to carry it into a lost and broken world.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our series through Acts, teaching us how to be empowered by the Holy Spirit for mission. There are some keys from the early Church that the Lord wants us to know for the here and now. We live in an hour between Jesus’ resurrection and His return, and we’re here on mission to be His witnesses. If we want to be a truly Biblical church in our city, we need to grasp the importance of gathering together, praying together, and seeking unity with the Bride of Christ.
This week, Pastor Chris began a series through the book of Acts seeking to answer how Christianity started and how the early church came into existence. This book was written by Luke who was a physician, historian, and close friend of Paul. Luke sought to give a sequential, historical account of the acts of the Holy Spirit during the origins of the church. Chris exhorted us to approach the book of Acts like soldiers on a mission and to learn how to become intimate friends with the Holy Spirit of God.
For this exciting first Sunday in our new building, Pastor Chris wrapped up our mini-series about crossing over and responding to change in a Biblical way. God has an inheritance for us and He has a vested interested in the condition of our hearts before we run into battle and conquest. He wants to prepare us for the land He’s called us into. Pastor Chris shared four major instructions from the book of Joshua for having a heart that is postured and prepared to take the promised land.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our mini-series about the Biblical response to seasons of change and transition. The book of Joshua lays out principles for healthy change. In our text, the Israelites stood on the edge of the Jordan River where God directed them to cross into the promised land. Rather than take a step of faith, they said yes to fear and grumbling, even to the point of desiring to return to slavery and oppression in Egypt. We want to be ones who hear the Lord’s directives and step forward in faith and obedience.
This week, Pastor Chris shared a word on how to prepare for and embrace change from a Biblical perspective. God’s interruptions often mean growth, and growth will always mean change. The Israelites stood before the Jordan River at the edge of the desert with their eyes on the promised land. All they had to do was cross. Rather than take a step in faith, they questioned the Lord and chose to fear and wander for 40 years. In this season of transition for our church body, we want to embrace what God is doing. He is inviting us to trust Him and take our own step of faith. The safest place for us to be in this process of change is in step with Jesus.
This week, we learned about the importance of Christian fellowship and community outside the four walls of a church building. City Central’s life group coordinator Casey Mock interviewed a panel of group leaders and attendees to hear more about the heart of home groups. We heard stories of vulnerability, support, and transformation.
This 4th of July, Pastor Chris wrapped up our “Choose Wisely” sermon series, honing in on the theme of Biblical, financial wisdom. Throughout Proverbs, Solomon gives us a clear path to follow in order to live in wisdom with our money. Jesus himself spoke more of money and possessions than he did of heaven and hell combined. Pastor Chris shared how our money has the ability to reveal the posture of our hearts. The way in which we steward our money and possessions can become a temperature gauge for how aligned, or unaligned, our hearts are with God.
This week, elder Eric Jones brought a word from the book of Proverbs about wise friendship. Eric shared how we each desire close friendships because we were created in the image of a highly relational, Triune God. Building deep and lasting friendships isn’t easy. We live in a disconnected world and a country that values independence. This has only become more difficult with covid where we’ve literally been mandated to “social distance”. The book of Proverbs provides specific instructions for how to cultivate and build deep, healthy, close friendships.
This Father’s Day, Pastor Chris continued in the book of Proverbs with a word on Biblical parenting. Chris expressed the reality that when we raise our children God’s way, we will actually increase our likelihood of enjoying them. So much of the book of Proverbs speaks to the next generation with simple insights of wisdom. Chris shared how knowledge provides information while wisdom provides transformation. We want to be followers of Jesus who parent in wisdom with Jesus at the center of our lives.
For our third service, Pastor Larry Jones from New Salem Baptist preached a powerful word about celebration. We have reason to celebrate because our victory in Jesus is assured. Everything that was designed against us has failed. Our air, water, and food is all contaminated and yet, we survive. We have survived ourselves: our mistakes, our bad choices, and our personal weaknesses. So much of our trouble is self-inflicted. We spend time trying to cover up our sins. Yet, God is working for our victory. If you are committed to living in victory, you have reason to celebrate.
This week, Pastor Chris brought a powerful about worship and work according to the book of Proverbs. Chris sought to answer what makes a God-fearing, worthy worker. He also expressed what a Godly team member should look like. Our work, like every aspect of our lives, is meant to be an offering of worship to the Lord. To be an ideal team player, we need to seek humility, relate well with others, and be driven by Godly hunger and passion.
This week, Pastor Chris preached a powerful word seeking to define true, Biblical success. He shared the reality that each of us have our own, personal definition of success. We learn through David and Solomon that genuine success is found by doing, following and obeying the commands of God. We want to be ones who define success the same way Jesus does and live lives of radical obedience to Him. To do this, we must hear what Jesus says, obey Him, and trust Him to do His part.
This week, Pastor Chris brought a powerful word about the human-divine cooperative and the tension between our plans and God’s purposes. We begin from the truth that God has good plans to bring peace and plenty to all who will call on His name and surrender to Him. We tend to look at the external while the Lord looks at the heart. Our plans change and shift, but God’s purpose does not change. When we surrender our plans to God and align ourselves with Him, we posture ourselves to receive revelation and partner with Him and His purposes.
This week Pastor Chris continued in our study of Proverbs, sharing a word on the power of the tongue. Chris expressed how the words we choose to speak will reveal how wise we truly are. The Bible likens the tongue to a fire while the world seeks to minimize and trivialize the significance of our speech. The words we speak carry immense power for either healing or destruction, life or death. Corrupting words will corrode our relationships if we do not learn how to guard our mouths.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new sermon series on the book of Proverbs. Chris shared how this Old Testament book provides sound, practical information for those seeking to live in wisdom. The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon, who asked for wisdom when God offered to give him one thing. Chris sought to explain what marks a wise relationship or marriage. God has a prescribed plan for wisdom within marriage to produce a rich reward.
This week, Pastor Chris wrapped up our 1 Peter series with a word about how followers of Jesus should respond to adversity. Closing out his first letter, Peter offers clear understanding for what the Bible says about overcoming spiritual attack. In order to find safety and overcome adversity, we must be and find a safe shepherd, have spiritual covering, find your crew before your crisis, and stand firm to the end.
This week, Dani Cole with World Vision shared a testimony of how the Lord reversed things in her life dramatically after her daughter’s cancer diagnosis. In this particularly difficult season, Dani found herself identifying with the woman at the well. Jesus accepted this woman, affirmed her inherent dignity, and restored her broken circumstances. The woman responded radically, sharing the good news of what Jesus had done for her. Dani shared the heart of World Vision’s child sponsorship program called Chosen, which puts the empowering choice of sponsorship in the child’s hands. By partnering with World Vision, we have an opportunity to affirm a child’s dignity and take steps toward restoring their broken circumstances.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our study on 1 Peter. In this passage, Peter was writing to Christians who had experienced two years of intense persecution from the emperor Nero. Chris has heard faith defined in an acronym: “forsaking all, I trust Him.” We can know the quality of our faith when we’re faced with trial and difficulty. We must have faith that lives on the promises of God and not the circumstances in front of us. We are called to live expecting good things from the good Father. In order to do this, we must learn to expect the fire, rejoice in it, evaluate its’ cause, and entrust it to God.
This week, Pastor Dennis brought a word about how we as Jesus followers should live and deal with offense. He defined offense as resentment or annoyance as a result of a perceived insult. The Bible teaches how offense corrupts. Dennis shared how the gospel will be offensive to those who don’t receive it and how our primary concern should be to walk as Jesus walked. Dennis sought to answer what Jesus was offended by, what we have the right to be offended by, and how we ought to walk out living unoffended.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in 1 Peter, sharing that the word for Easter is hope. He defined hope as “confident expectation of good from God”. This hope is different than a wish or a desire. This hope is firm and steadfast. Each of us chooses to put our hope in something or someone. Is yours in someone or something that will never leave you or forsake you? There is hope to be found when you choose to put your hope in a sure, steadfast, eternal, resurrected King.
This week, Pastor Chris likened Christian suffering to fire. Fire represents suffering and refinement. Fire can burn away unnecessary things and break open seed that has laid dormant. According to Peter, we should not be surprised when trial comes. In seasons of trial, we have an opportunity to grow and mature in significant ways we would not find any other way. According to Chris, growth equals change, change equals loss, loss equals pain, therefore growth equals pain. When trial comes, we have two options: to sin and remain stuck or to serve and posture ourselves for growth.
This week, guest preacher Adam Narciso continued in our study of 1 Peter. Adam and his family were members of City Central’s church body until the Lord called them to ministry in Tennessee. Adam conveyed how Peter is speaking to Christians who are experiencing religious persecution. He focused on verses 19-21, emphasizing what Jesus did on the Saturday in between his burial and resurrection, and what baptism means for the believer.
This week Pastor Chris continued in 1 Peter, sharing with his wife Jena about how to stand firm in marriage. The Hippes shared the reality that every marriage can have a 100% success rate if each spouse will choose to live out what the Bible says. We must choose to honor one another and adorn ourselves with faith, fear of the Lord, Godly thoughts, and humility. The measure we live in fear of the Lord will directly affect the health of our marriage relationships.
This week Pastor Chris continued in our study through 1 Peter, urging us to know and understand what God’s word says about submission to authority. As God’s children, it is not our opinion or the world’s perspective that dictates our reality. We stand on the word of God and we live in fear of the Lord. We are in an hour of lawlessness, and it is more important than ever to know what our Biblical response ought to be. Pastor Chris answers how Christians should submit to leadership we don’t agree with and what role civil disobedience should play in our lives. We cannot follow blindly or respond in rebellion. There is a third option that mirrors Jesus and stands firmly on the Word of God.
This week, Pastor Chris brought a powerful word continuing in our 1 Peter study. We learned that in order to stand firm in the faith, we cannot stand alone. It is vital to our spiritual life to be in the word and in Christian community as we represent Christ amongst an unhealthy, broken world. Our relationship with God’s word matters just as much as our relationships with other people. Pastor Chris called on all those listening to come into community because God is not an individual God and we are not created to do life alone.
This week, Pastor Chris continued in our sermon series drawing from 1 Peter on what it means for Christians to stand firm in our faith. He shared how it is the inheritance of every believer in Jesus Christ to have clarity in the midst of chaos. The battle begins in our minds, and our choices matter greatly. Whether you are in a chaotic season now or can recall a season of chaos from your past, you can find refuge and clarity in Jesus and the truth of His Word.
This week, Pastor Chris began a new series drawing from 1 Peter on what it means for a Christian to stand firm. In many ways, the life of Peter is highly relatable for the average Christian. His life can be described as a parable of extremes, be it of great fear or great faith. Though he denied Jesus three times, Peter knew grace, stood firm, and endured to the end in close relationship with the Lord. He writes his first letter to encourage Christians who are experiencing great persecution in Rome. Peter shares the importance of being rooted and grounded while living in a world that is hostile to the gospel. There is triumph and trial in every season with the Lord, and Peter’s key to making it through difficulty is joy.
This week, Pastor Chris preached about God’s immeasurable generosity toward us. Once we recognize that all we’ve been given is a generous gift, we will learn the joy of generously giving away. Through Christ, we have been given everything we need in order to be generous. The world is looking for Christians to be a light amongst a dark, withholding, needy world. Choosing to hold loose to the financial gifts God has given us and extend them into the God’s Kingdom is our calling as Christ-followers.
This week, Pastor Chris shared a practical, Biblical word on financial stewardship. He expressed the reality that our bank accounts will reflect our hearts, priorities and motives. Jesus spoke about money and there are real, spiritual implications for how we steward what we have been given. If we’re lacking victory in the area of stewardship, we will walk around in bondage wondering where our freedom is. Where you spend your money will show you who is on the throne of your life.
In our third service, Pastor Larry Jones from New Salem Baptist brought a word about taking up the shield of faith in our personal walk with Jesus. To begin, Pastor Larry shared how a spoon placed into a glass of water will appear bent and distorted, although we know it is not. Oftentimes, things in our world that are crooked appear to be straight. We want to be a people who know truth and, like a soldier or a baseball player with a weapon or a glove, intentionally pick up the shield of faith daily.
In our first two services, Pastor Chris shared how meeting for fellowship in homes is both Biblical and vital for the life a believer. When discussing Life Groups with group leaders, we learned that their focus is asking and answering questions about Sunday’s sermon, sharing a meal, building intentional friendships, and praying together. A Sunday morning does not always provide enough time to develop relationships, and Life Groups offer a space to authentically go deeper, share our lives, and build community. Some leaders shared how their fellow group members are the ones they’ve reached out to in times of crisis. Pastor Chris expressed the importance of having your tribe before trouble comes.
This week, Jena Hippe brought a word on what it means to make prayer a lifestyle. She expressed how through her own walk, God has shown the reality of Romans 8:28: “and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Jena shared a testimony from this week where she received an answer to something she’s prayed for 11 years. For those who call themselves lovers of Jesus, prayer is vital for remaining connected to the vine.
This week, Pastor Chris shared about the power of prayer. He expressed the reality that prayer shifts and changes things in cities, in nations, and in culture. It is one of God’s primary means God uses to release His power on Earth. When we learn to have a lifestyle of prayer, we will be strengthened. Prayer demonstrates that we are dependent on God and humbles our hearts. Are you in need of some strengthening this week? If we choose to call out to Him in confidence from within the secret place, we will find strength.
This week, Pastor Chris shared his heart for our 2021 Renewal Fast and expressed what God’s word says about fasting. Fasting is a choice to lay something aside in order to seek God’s face and His will. It is an invitation to walk with God and fully rely on Him. Fasting helps us tune into God’s will for our lives and find sharpening and clarity for areas of breakthrough. Pastor Chris shared how the rewards of fasting far outweigh the momentary, trivial discomfort of it.
This week, City Central’s youth pastor Stephanie shared her heart for the next generation as we transition into a new year. Reaching the generation is one of City Central’s shared values, and our Legacy Youth ministry has seen immense growth in reaching students from across the Seattle/Tacoma area. Stephanie shared the reality that we as believers are called to give our lives away. Each of us are qualified and called by God to serve and give our lives away. By paying it forward with our God-given gifts, money, and talents, we are blessed to see the Kingdom expanded on Earth.
This week, Chris expressed how worship is the response of Mary in the Christmas story. Mary was a 12-13 years old in a small, no-name town and she likely knew what it was like to be hungry and poor. The angel Gabriel brought her good news of great joy that would change her life. She would be the mother of the Messiah. There were two possible responses for Mary at this news – one of great worship and one of great worry. Mary responds with the Magnificat.
This week, Pastor Chris expressed ten points that he appreciates about Jesus and His nature this Christmas season. The birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus all speak to the nature of God the Father. Since Jesus is fully God and fully man, we need to look at His character in order to know who our God is. Luke 1:26-38 shows the angel Gabriel appearing before Mary, explaining just who her child would be. 2020 has been a difficult year for many, but the joyous news of Christ’s birth reminds us that God is with us – He came as a baby because He longed to be that close. As we wrap this year up, we all could use reminding of who Immanuel is.
Pastor Chris wraps up this journey through the life and times of the Prophet Daniel with a powerful message of vigilance and victory from the final chapter of this book. It is a continuation of the account of the vision which began in the tenth chapter. “5I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist.6His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.” (Daniel 10:5-6)
As Daniel listens carefully to the thundering words that this supernatural man speaks, it is clear that the end of times will be one of extremes. There will be both woe and winning. God’s people will be delivered, but through a period of destruction. In the end, it emphasizes God’s sovereign power over all. In fact, for those in the church at that time (which could be soon) they will be part of the most unique, powerful, violent, and important generation in history. Still, it is a time that all of God’s people can look forward to!
Pastor Chris helps us understand the unfolding drama of kings and their empires prophesied in Daniel 11. It’s like a soap opera or mini-series filled with treachery, back-stabbing, palace intrigue, and battles galore. All of this historical detail demonstrates God’s sovereignty over the nations and rulers of any given generation. This lays the groundwork for the coming of Jesus.
Chris shows us how we can draw a simple reality from the people of God who suffered under these brutal, bloodthirsty, conniving rulers – know God, stand firm, and take action. No matter who is in power, God’s will is not delayed or diverted, and He promises to give His People strength to remain overcomers!
Pastor Chris encouraged all of us who are weary of the struggle by sharing the difficulties Daniel experienced. His vision during Cyrus’ reign was a wake-up call for the people of Judah. At 85 yrs. old, he saw in the unseen realm the war against God’s people. He experienced grief, a lament that consumed him. He sought the Lord’s help and God sent hope through the angelic messengers Gabriel and Michael.
Pastor Chris emphatically highlighted the central message of Daniel as he reached this late stage of his life – namely, to obey the Lord. If we fall, we are to humbly repent, both individually and corporately, to find freedom from captivity to sin. In obedience we find joy, hope, and deep love. Daniel was assured by the angelic messenger Gabriel in verse 23, “At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved.” This is a message for all of us!
Pastor Chris brought into alignment the prophetic truths in Daniel’s vision and the future hope for humanity in foretelling Jesus’ first and second coming. He explained how it directly relates to historical and future events. He then drove home the key take-away: we can firmly hope in the future since God has revealed that He defeats our adversary.
Pastor Chris guided us through the often rough waters of Biblical Prophecy. Daniel chapter seven is a rich illustration of what events are to come for both those who are worldly and the people of God. At this point in the story, Daniel was in his late 60s, but his sensitivity to the Spirit of God had not diminished. When he has a night vision, it’s filled with fantastical beasts with wings, horns, eyes, and fur. He’s witness to the Ancient of Days receiving “one like the son of man” with white hair, white clothes, sitting on throne of flames.
Pastor Chris tread on familiar terrain in Daniel chapter 6 with the account of Daniel in the lions’ den. Another lesson for another King who mistakenly thought he was greater than God. Chris recounted how King Darius was easily fooled by his counselors to make a decree that would bring accusation and persecution to Daniel (and, any faithful Jews in exile). Daniel was about 80 years old and he had faithfully served God and multiple Babylonian Kings. His loyalty and position were the envy of many other leaders in the kingdom. It was precisely this spirit of Babylon that manifested as jealousy in the story we all know so well.
Pastor Chris was charged up this week about the instability of King Belshazzar versus the integrity of Daniel! In Daniel chapter 5, we read a detailed account of the sinful, selfish acts of the king that brought him, his leaders, and his subjects, to God’s swift judgment.
Pastor Chris struck a nerve this week as we all saw ourselves in the comfy King more than the sacrificial Servant. In this fourth message on the Unshakeable Kingdom, from the book of Daniel, Chris helps us see the discipline of the Lord that was working in Nebuchadnezzar. God had to take this man, mighty in his own eyes, surrounded by excess, and teach him to learn what is of true value.
In this third message from the Book of Daniel, Pastor Chris unpacks the elements of loyalty practiced daily by the four devout young men from Judah. Daniel’s faithful companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced a fiery test of loyalty, when challenged to choose King over God. Yet, their daily devotion and spiritual discipline helped them stand firm. Instead of a ‘crisis of faith’ these godly men demonstrated a ‘conviction of faith’ in their moment of trial. Through them, God changed the King’s heart toward God and His people.
Pastor Chris is fired-up in this new 12-part series on the book of Daniel! In this first message, “Daniel: An Unshakable Kingdom,” he connects the experiences of young Daniel, and his three friends, in relevant ways to the shaking going on in our world and what must be our response. The emphasis is on the reminder of God’s truth and calling that are an unshakable foundation for the fellowship of believers.
"Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God]." Proverbs 29:18 (AMP)
Pastor Chris began this message on vision with a plant in a pot. He said this type (Daphne) needs room to grow, to be planted in a place where its roots grow deep, its branches spread wide and it grows healthy and strong. If left in the pot, it will be stunted and die.
Pastor Chris starts this 2-part message with a question for us in an exploring our attitudes about people different from us: “Where are your eyes?” Where our eyes go will set the trajectory of our life. Peter, the disciple, did something no other human has ever done, he walked on water – then he took his eyes off of Jesus and began sinking.
What are the three options? Society usually presses us to choose one of two sides. “Are you for or against ?” But, God offers another option: Look to Jesus.
Pastor Chris delivers a commanding conclusion to this series Knowing Jesus in Trying Times: a Walkthrough the Book of 1 John. He explains that this was the Apostle John’s goodbye message to the believers reading this letter. He shares that often a person’s final words stress what is most important. Addressing the biblical concept of idols, Chris deepens our perspective on modern idolatry.
This week, Pastor Chris shared how Christians living in this world are to have an expectation of difficulty and tribulation. John exhorts us to take heart in the midst of it, since we are designed as God’s children to thrive during trials and tribulations. Jesus has made a way for you and I to have peace. He has made a way for us to have peace that dissolves fear and secures us in times of trouble. John 16:33 tells us to take heart. Other translations say to “be of good cheer” and “act of courage in the face of danger”. We are called to live from a position of victory, not for victory. We don’t have to fight for victory, it is already ours In Jesus.
One of our own members, Damion Walker, brings a message from 1 John chapter 4 on what is true love as expressed by God in His character and word. He brings clarity to the need for believers to be salt and light in this world.
Pastor Chris offers a pastoral message for those who are feeling weary and heavy in this hour. He emphasized the importance of reminding ourselves that we are not condemned. Sometimes Christians can live as if they are failures, condemned by their own negative thoughts. Pastor Chris offers three thoughts to remind us of our identity in Christ in order to combat self-condemnation and weariness. The reality is that what we set our hearts on will control us. We must set our hearts on who God is and allow Him to tell us who we are.
Pastor Chris expressed the importance of relationships in our daily walk as Christians. They can be complicated, confusing and difficult to navigate at times. Relationships imprint your life for good or evil, and how we treat each other affects our lives. In reality, you will know what a person believes by how they treat people. Pastor Chris described the difference between natural and supernatural love, and the importance of abiding in Christ in order to supernaturally love others as Christ loves us.
Pastor Chris gives us insight into how racial reconciliation will always be fully accomplished in Christ alone. It will always be opposed by the enemy of our souls who sows division as a tactic to build walls of hostility. He reminds us that scripture addresses this human conflict with one remedy: to become and act as children of God. In the power of Jesus we are made new. We are reconciled to Him and to each other.
Pastor Chris addresses our present societal division and dismay with a message on compassion and action. The Apostle John was eager to remind us all of the kind of love that comes from God. He uses this faith fact as a springboard to challenge us to practice righteousness – not for ourselves, but for others. Loving our brother is essential to knowing God’s love.
Chris orients us to this life theme: what is Jesus’ kind of love? In Luke 10, His response to a lawyer seeking to know how to inherit eternal life includes the command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” We can only truly know the love of God by following the way of God, loving our neighbor. In another teaching, Jesus share the parable of the Good Samaritan. Chris explains that we must act in love, not only in our hearts, but with our hands, money, and time.
Pastor Chris guides us this week in understanding what is fake Christianity and what is real. The Apostle John, who was a New Testament prophet, like the prophets of old, warns us that we are in the ‘last hour’ of the Kingdom of God – the time between Jesus’ ascension and his coming return. During this ‘hour’, many proclaim to be Christians, but they intend to deceive. These are the ‘antichrists’ he writes about (different from ‘The Antichrist’ or ‘false prophet’ in the book of Revelation). They are influencers who follow a ‘counterfeit christ.’
Chris starts with a story about a famous boxer called Kid McCoy from the 1890s who had to differentiate himself from impostors and impersonators. Norman Selby (though not a role-model) became known as ‘The Real McCoy.’ He was different from the imitations.
We continue our journey through 1 John, a love letter to the church from the elderly apostle John who addresses us as ‘Beloved’ just as he heard Jesus address him. In this love, he firmly writes of a new emphasis on an old commandment: to love one another.
Pastor Chris helps us discover how our lifestyle reflects either our love for the Lord or for the world. He unpacks the metaphors John uses to demonstrate how a believer grows in spiritual maturity. When we choose to live the authentic Christian Lifestyle, we think, speak, and act in ways that show others how to make each day count now and for eternity.
In this third message on our walk through 1 John, Pastor Chris shared how God’s justice system works for our benefit. Here in chapter two, the beloved disciple of Jesus writes of how Christ is our Advocate.
Pastor Chris shares this second in a new series of messages from the book of 1 John. It centers on the fact that the darkness of sin is in us, but we can be cleansed from it when we walk in the Light of God. Finding Light in Dark Times helps us understand the darkness waging war within us, and the power God gives us through His Son to dispel the night with His glorious light.
Pastor Chris leads in the first of a new series of messages from the book of 1 John. It’s a message that centers on how we can grow in meaningful relationship with Jesus. Knowing Jesus in Trying Times moves us from knowing about Jesus, or knowing of Him, to knowing Him – as we might know a friend, or brother, or sister, or parent, or even our spouse.
Contagious Joy – Joy in Humility
A Walk through the Book of Philippians (week 5)
Sermon Summary
Philippians 2:1–4 (ESV)
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
As we move into chapter two of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippian Church, Pastor Chris highlights an essential message for Jesus’ disciples to live-out: a lifestyle of Humility. The paradox is that greatness comes through genuine humility. Our culture makes “tooting your own horn” an acceptable activity. Acommon practice of secular society is to promote pride, to engage in self-promotion, the fruit of selfish-ambition. Pride was the first sin, committed by God’s first created being – Lucifer,the ‘Day Star. Son of the Morning.’
“13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high….14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.15But, you are brought down to Sheol (place of the dead)…’”Isaiah 14:13-15 (ESV)
In contrast, humble people who follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus inherently find joy in serving others. Humility bears the fruit of assurance, dependence (on God), authenticity, and thankfulness.
“2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2 (ESV)
“6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God…gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 (ESV)
Humility vs. Pride:
| Pride | Humility | | About my glory | About the glory of Jesus Christ | | Makes me my own “god” | Celebrating God serving me in love | | Leads to arrogance, cockiness, smugness | Leads to confidence | | Is independence | Is dependence | | Is controlling | Relinquishes control | | Our greatest enemy | Our greatest friend | | Is demonic and satanic | Is Christ-like and Spirit-enabled |
Four Actions of Humility
- Humility Builds Churches Strong and Healthy 2. Our Goal is the Humility of Jesus 3. God Humbled Himself 4. Humility is Exalted To the Apostle Paul, humility was the essence of unity in the church. He worked hard to demonstrate by his own example that a life of humility was challenging but rewarding.
“5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:5–7 (ESV)
Paul knew the disciples had witnessed Jesus in the flesh showing them what a humble lifestyle looks like. His effort was to be as much like Christ as he’d heard about.
“12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.’” John 13:12–15 (ESV)
Ultimately, Pastor Chris encouraged us, humility transformed Jesus so that God might exalt Him. His name became powerful and brought glory to God the Father. Jesus exaltation was fourfold: resurrection, coronation, intercession, ascension.
“9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-10
3 Thoughts on Pride
- God hates proud people Proverbs 6:16–17 (ESV)
16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Proverbs 8:13 (ESV)
13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
- God humiliates proud people Proverbs 16:5 (ESV)
5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:18 (ESV)
18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- God opposes proud people James 4:6 (ESV)
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5 (ESV)
5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
3 Key Actions to Cultivate Humility
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Live Thankfully 2. Listen and agree with Word more than your thoughts 3. Invite and pursue correction and counsel Discussion Questions
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How do react when you hear an arrogant person at work or school? What thoughts come to mind? 2. Thinking about Paul’s message in chapter two, what do you suppose the followers in the Philippian church were struggling with? How do Christians today struggle with the same issues; how are they evident in the church?
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Why do you think God hates pride so much? 4. How do you recognize your own prideful thoughts? Application Questions
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What steps will you take this week to uncover prideful thoughts and manners in your life? 2. Who will you share with, and ask prayer from, this week to replace your pride with humility?
Contagious Joy – Finding Life in Death
A Walk through the Book of Philippians (week 4)
Sermon Summary
Philippians 1:18–21 (ESV)
Yes, and I will rejoice,19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
This week, Pastor Chris challenged us to adopt an eternal perspective on life. He unpacked how the Apostle Paul lived with joy by understanding how to live in Christ for now and eternity. First, we must believe that Jesus brought us life through His death (Hebrews 12:2). Then, we can know that death was defeated and holds nothing over us. Released from the fear of death, allows us to live a life of abundance!
1 Corinthians 15:26 (ESV)
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
It was never God’s design for us to physically die. But, because sin entered into the Garden of Eden, we all succumb to death. However, God has given us a way to live life fully, by conquering death (granting his children eternal life) and learning to die to ourselves daily so that His power is working through us.
Genesis 2:16–17 (ESV)
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Four Thoughts about Life
- Life is _____________________ (fil-in the blank)
- Life comes through death
- Gain through an eternal perspective
To the Apostle Paul, Life is Christ . This life is exceeding, abundant, exciting, glorious, adventurous, and so much more (John 10:10). We are not to be spectators in life. Paul’s personal disciple Timothy heard his tutor say, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12 (ESV)
In the end, death comes. Yet, the promise to us as Christ’s disciples is that life is found in death. We are encouraged to live a lifestyle of dying daily to ourselves. A pastor in a struggling church placed a coffin at the altar for Sunday services. He announced to the congregation, “Today we have suffered a loss in this church, come forward and pay your respects.” As the congregants filed past, each looked into the coffin and saw their own image reflected in a mirror facing them. At the end, the Pastor announced, “Church we must die afresh, to serve Christ with our whole heart. Today, our body is declaring that we will die to our self – self-interest, selfish ambition, and selfish wants.”
“24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:24–25 (ESV)
- Dying to self is both a one-time event and a lifelong process (1 Corinthians 15:31, Mark 8:34–35, Galatians 5:24)
- Being “lukewarm” is a symptom of unwillingness to die to self and live for Christ (Revelation 3:15–16)
- Paul lived in the powerful reality of the eternal (Galatians 2:20)
- If we live as the world lives by seeking to find fulfillment now, then how are we different than those who do not know Christ (Hebrews 11:10)?
- We are being prepared for eternity now (John 7:37–39, Romans 8:11).
“16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (ESV)
Discussion Questions
- Do we need more of God? Or, does He want more of us?
- Imagine you are in-charge of creating a bumper sticker with the phrase, “Life is _________” What word(s) would you use to fill-in the blank?
- How do you suppose most people think about the certainty of death?
- What do you think it takes to change our thinking from living for investments, or retirement, or vacation, or better lifestyle to living daily for Christ?
Application Questions
- Read Philippians chapter 1 again and ask God to show you how you can live life with joy.
- Challenge yourself to identify one or two ways that you can ‘daily die to self’ and try it this week. Share with a friend or your life group any revelations you experience!
Contagious Joy – Having Joy in Suffering
A Walk through the Book of Philippians (week 3)
Sermon Summary
Philippians 1:12–14 (ESV)
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
In our third week exploring biblical joy, Pastor Chrisdelves into suffering. He explains that the key to enduring it is understanding how we find godly purpose in suffering.
“What is the purpose of suffering?” Chris points to the Apostle Paul’s admission that he has endured great suffering:
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel…” Philippians 1:12 (ESV)
So, what happened to Paul?
“24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; ….in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” 2 Corinthians 11:23–28 (ESV)
This passage describes what Paul suffered. Pastor Chris showed us that the bible teaches about Four Sources of Suffering: 1) Self-inflicted, 2) Others’ sin, 3) Spiritual oppression, 4) Common brokenness. Knowing the source of suffering is important as far as it allows us to discover the purpose of our suffering and how we react.
What was Paul’s reaction to the suffering he experienced?
“7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7–10 (ESV)
Paul passed the test. He found contentment in the midst of suffering. It's been often said, “There’s no testimony, without a ‘test.’” Here’s a truth about God testing His children: God tests—to prove and increase our faith. Conversely, Satan tempts—trying to undermine our faith.
Four Truths of God’s Tests in Suffering
- God is good and merciful – Exodus 34:6–7 2. God knows what is best for us – Romans 8:28, James 1:2 3. God will allow tests to prove and increase our faith – Romans 5:1-5, James 1:2-4 4. Trials come for the advancement of the gospel – Genesis 50:20 God is not grumpy when allowing trials. He is full of Love, demonstrating His care by giving us a positive test that proves the authenticity of our faith. With this in mind, the Apostle Peter exhorts us to grow strong in our faith:
Four Keys to Live in Suffering – 1 Peter 5:6-14
- Humble yourself before God (5:6-7) 2. Resist the devil (5:8-9) 3. Trust in the Lord (5:10-11) 4. Stand firm with other saints in God’s true grace (5:12-14) Joseph’s life, from Genesis 39-47, is an eye-opening example of great suffering that displayed God’s grand purpose.
Why Did God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Joseph?
• To enable him to overcome a prideful attitude and learn humility (Proverbs 15:33). • To teach him how to serve (Genesis 39:4, 22-23, 40:4; Matthew 20:26-28; Mark 9:33-35). • To train him to be faithful (Genesis 39:2-6; Matthew 25:21). • To test him in moral purity (Genesis 39:7-20; Matthew 5:11-12). • To prepare him to comfort others (Genesis 50:21; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5). • To prepare him to lead his brothers to repentance (Proverbs 16:6). • To teach him patience (Genesis 40:1-14, 23; 1 Peter 5:10). • To enable him to see God accomplish His purposes and fulfill His promises (Genesis 37:5-11, 41:32, 42:1-5, 45:4-7, 50:20). • To teach him how jealousy can cause suffering (Genesis 37:3-4; 17-36). • To save many lives (Genesis 50:20). • To let him experience the blessing of God’s favor (Genesis 39:2-6, 21-23). • To place him in a position to tell Pharaoh of God’s power (Genesis 41:15-16, 25, 28, 32-33). In the end, God’s overall purpose in the suffering of His saints is the advancement of the Gospel. Being an example of the Good News of Jesus’ saving power reveals the sincerity of our faith.
Discussion Questions
- When you think about different kinds of suffering, what comes to mind? 2. How might understanding the types of suffering help believers react differently? 3. In light of the examples of Paul and Joseph, what do you suppose our prayers should sound like when we are suffering? 4. How can we find joy in trials, as James 1:2-4 instructs? What does that joy look like when properly lived out?
Application Questions
- Ask the Lord, “Has my suffering has become my identity?” 2. If so, ask, “How can I replace it with my true identity in Christ Jesus?” 3. Consider whether your suffering has been purposeful, or purposeless? 4. Commit to the Lord to respond to suffering according to 1 Peter 5:6-14.
Contagious Joy – A Walk through the Book of Philippians(week 2)
Sermon Summary
Philippians 1:2–6 (ESV)
”2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Pastor Chris shares the true, and lasting, antidote to loneliness. First, he shared some statistics which demonstrate that loneliness is as destructive as the spread of an epidemic. Suicide is the ultimate expression of loneliness and is the second leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year olds. Those who don’t take their life suddenly may destroy it slowly through drugs, drinking,crime, etc. Loneliness entered the world through sin and leaves a wake of devastation.
Today, we try to find fulfillment through digital connections. Chris called out the mirage of social media. Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities. We want friends but are fearful of intimacy. These virtualconnections (“likes” and “views”) offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. No matter how many friends I have by affinity (we like the same stuff) or proximity (we frequent the same places) they don’t have the enduring quality of true friendship.
Thankfully, the Apostle Paul writes the answer to loneliness here in Philippians. In verse five he thanks God for our Gospel partnership. Expressed simply, gospel partnership is: Grace +Peace = Joy
Grace (unmerited favor freely given to us) + Peace (the result of grace received in fullness) = Joy (pure gratefulness that no matter what we have grace and peace). This is also known as The Great Exchange.
“That is the mystery which is rich in divine grace to sinners: wherein by a wonderful exchange, our sins are no longer ours but Christ’s and the righteousness of Christ, not Christ’s but ours. He has emptied Himself of His righteousness that He might clothe us with it, and fill us with it. And He has taken our evils upon Himself that He might deliver us from them… in the same manner as He grieved and suffered in our sins, and was confounded, in the same manner, we rejoice and glory in His righteousness.”
–Martin Luther, Werke (Weimar, 1883), 5: 608. The Great Exchange.
Jesus becomes the center of the relationship because we have received His grace to be saved. With this assurance, we are confident that we have been granted grace and provided peace.What follows is joy, which brings contentment. Make Jesus the Lord of your relationships – parents, children, spouses, bosses, etc. and strife will cease, joy will follow.
Joyful people are sincere people. Joy is a lifestyle that includes all of the ups-and-downs of life – loss, grief, joy, difficulty, goodness, disappointment, celebration. Christians are designed to persevere in this lifestyle. A Christian who makes Jesus the center of their life is like a tree that produces fruit, the fruit of the Spirit.
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.”Galatians 5:22-23
Three Ways to Understand Joy
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Joy comes through gospel partnership – Titus 2:11–14, Philippians 1:5 2. Joy is not just a feeling, it’s a lifestyle – Romans 12:15, Isaiah 53:3, Ecclesiastes 3:4 3. Joy is a lifestyle that celebrates the forward progress of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – Matthew 13:18–23, Philippians 1:7–11 Four Realities of Loneliness
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Sometimes, God will lead you into loneliness 2. Sometimes, loneliness is the result of your sin 3. Sometimes, we will choose loneliness to seek God 4. Sometimes, we will experience involuntary loneliness Hebrews 12:1-3 (ESV)
1 …let us also lay aside…sin and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2 looking to Jesus, the perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 3…who endured from sinners such hostility,… that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Discussion Questions
- What would most people say is the answer to the question of loneliness? 2. When a person is lonely, what are they like? What do you suppose they think about themselves? 3. What did Chris mean about Grace + Peace = Joy? Have you seen this principle at work in your life? Has it helpedyou drive away loneliness? 4. In what practical ways do you, or will you, make joy a lifestyle?
Contagious Joy – A Walk through the Book of Philippians
Sermon Summary
Philippians 1:1–2 (ESV)
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Chris opened this new series on the book of Philippians with the theme of Contagious Joy. Central to the message is understanding what pure joy is, where it comes from, and how we can live in it daily. By way of contrast, Chris alerted us to the constant tug of our society, which seeks to replace joy with happiness. He shared a revealing quote from an investment banker:
“We must shift America from a needs to a desires culture…People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed. We must shape a new mentality. Men’s desires must overshadow their needs.” – Paul Mazur of Lehman Brothers
This mentality of materialism has been part of the human condition since the fall, as revealed in scripture:
6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. Psalm 39:6 (NIV)
Chris shows us that the antidote to this ‘pull to consume’ is understanding which master we serve. In the book of Philippians, we are reading a letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in that city. He and Silas have been on a missionary journey, the full story of this is found in Acts 16. They are preaching the gospel and doing miracles – one of those lands them in prison. Here’s where it gets interesting! While they are locked up, both men sing songs to God, rejoicing in their suffering for Christ. Despite their circumstances, they exhibit true joy. As a result, God uses and earthquake to open all of the cell doors and on their way out they prayed with the jailer, who invited them to his home where the men of God baptized his whole household and they were saved. They found true joy in serving, humility, and blessing others!
Three Elements of Attaining True Joy
- True joy is found “in Christ Jesus” – serve as Jesus served (Matthew 20:28)
- If you are in Christ, you are a Saint – made holy by His death and resurrection, devoted to God, serving Him only (Romans 1:7, 1 Cor. 1:2, 1 John 5:4-5)
- If you are in Christ, you are called to Serve – Bondservant: a willing slave who is happily and loyally linked to his master whom he loves and respects (Romans 1:1, 2 Peter 1:1, Jude 1)
The absolute truth is that everyone is a slave to something! To be a Christian is to be a slave to Jesus Christ. For those not surrendered to Jesus, they are a slave to sin and the world.
- Slavery to Sin – Titus 3:3
- Slavery to the World – desires of the flesh, the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17, James 4:4)
- Slavery to Jesus - He’s in charge, we do what He says, we listen to Him, we follow, and we obey
Consider, and evaluate your own life, and ask God, “What am I a slave to?” and “Is it a better Master than Jesus?” You will discover that the world and sin did/can not save you, care for you, intercede for you, die and rise for you, or love you.
Discussion Questions
- What do you suppose prompted Paul and Silas to sing and rejoice after being falsely accused, beaten, and wrongly thrown in prison?
- What did you learn about the “great lie of our time” from the background on consumerism?
- How do you determine which master you serve? What are the signs?
- What does the master called Sin say to its slaves?
What does the master called the World say?
What does Jesus say to His bondservants?
Application Questions
- Who is your master?
- What might make you a slave to sin? What will you do to replace it with Jesus?
- What might make you a slave to the world? What will you do to replace it with Jesus?
- Ask God to help you find true, pure joy – this is His plan for you!
History of City Central – Our Story, God’s Story
Sermon Summary
Psalm 77:11 (ESV)
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
As we break our Awaken Fast today, Pastor Chris led us in a 20-year anniversary week celebration of the wonders of God’s work in our midst! He recounted with joy the history of our shared foundation from unassuming places like Spanaway and PLU. One fact is certain in this journey and continues: We are the people of God designed to share the good news of God to our neighbors and the nations!
Our church history and mission can be summed up in a single gospel passage. Luke, one of the twelve disciples, gives the account of Jesus opening the Old Testament scroll on the Sabbath and reading the words of Isaiah, then to the surprise of his hearers declaring that he was the fulfillment of this scripture:
Luke 4:18–19 (ESV)
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
A Chronological Look at the Story of City Central Church
- 1998…Clover Creek Bible Fellowship in Spanaway, Pastors Mike and Cindy Riches
…Simultaneously a stirring of the Holy Spirit in the student body of Pacific Lutheran University (PLU); Students were coming to the end of themselves surrendering to Jesus; their obedience culminated in the genesis of New Song Church, the young adult Saturday night service started by Brian and Christy Brennt (now on staff at YWAM)
- 1999…Renewal Week in November a time of deep repentance overcame the leadership and the body; people wrote out unconfessed Sins then came forward to nail them to an altar cross. Sins like adultery, murder, etc. The elders were cut to the heart.
- 2000…Super Bowl Sunday became Spiritual Warfare Sunday, following thirty days of prayer and fasting, God opened our eyes to the reality of the battle in the spiritual realm as it manifest in a man who was tormented by demonic forces; we had bible knowledge but no deliverance prayer experience to pray him into freedom
…We started to learn the road of abundant life: our authority in Christ, realities of spiritual warfare, hearing from the Lord in a Biblical way, Gods Original Design for people, the nature of strongholds (like fear, unbelief, control), and healing of injustices (rejection, betrayal, abuse, neglect, curses)
…We lived in expectation. Expecting to hear God speak and reveal something new. People started to pour in from all around the world. They came to get restored and made whole.
- 2000…February 16th a prophetic word (new to us!) was received declaring Tacoma the center of a spiritual blaze that would spread; this became known as the Pacific Rim Movement (PRM), here are some excerpts:
| …the Pacific Rim Movement is a mighty thing….the undergirding supports are being put in place right now up and down both sides of the Pacific….Many of you have joined arms, hands, and hearts….Your Father has linked them together….angels have been dispatched from the throne in heaven...will come suddenly to destroy the enemies…who are far outnumbered….captives are going to be set free….a map of the Pacific Northwest….looks very old….begins to look scorched from underneath Tacoma….small fire starts….repeated at Vancouver, B.C., Spokane WA, and then at Portland, OR….merge into one large fire….flames so high….a mighty wind blows the flames across the Pacific….All the nations on the Pacific….no one, no thing able to stop this fire….evidence by things He will do, the miraculous….salvation, healing, and deliverance….it’s impact will be felt around the world due to diverse ethnicity….This has been planned….Tacoma will be like a center point on a compass for a while….due north and all the nations will be attracted to Tacoma….the curvature of the earth will not restrict the radiance of the light reaching people around the world. |
We started preparing for a visitation…and have not stopped.
- 2001…Summer of Revival with Pastor Gerry Fry
- …October 28th Bill S. is healed of Lou Gehrig’s disease…he confessed his healing to the church in all three Sunday services….confirmed Tuesday, Oct. 31st by doctor
- 2002…Flatbed Evangelistic Events (events around the south sound worship and teaching from a large, flatbed trailer)
- 2004…Original City Central Word: The Lord shows a building in the center of Tacoma. He calls it “City Central”…The building is completely on fire. It is raging and burning with fire. Speaking to reaching the next generation, being an equipping center that has a revolving door, reaching the lost. We knew we needed to be in the city.
- 2005…“New Song-City Central”, Moved Downtown to First Congregational Church in May and City Central became its own church
- 2007…Moved to Urban Grace space in summer
- 2009…“City Central Mission Base,” moved into Tacoma Convention Center in fall
- 2010…Pastors Brian and Christy Brennt transition to Kona, Hawaii
- 2010-2011…Move to a Tacoma middle-school to start the replanting process; asked ourselves, “Are we a church or missions base?” Season of 2-3 years of formation. (Sunday night services)
- 2012…Moved into our current building, began renting in August (one Sunday morning service); vision and mission set: Adore God, Become like Jesus, and Contend for the Kingdom; Reach the lost, Restore the broken, and Equip the People of God
- 2015…Pastors Chris and Jena Hippe now lead “City Central Church;” Beautiful growth, by fall we start a second service at 9 a.m.
- 2015-2018…behind the scenes work formalizing equipping pathways, personnel, structure (foundation, framing)
- 2019… time to grow, take territory, purchase buildings to accommodate Saturday night services, more ministry space, permanent signage, media equipment, limitless outreach to young people
This rich history is marked by major spiritual growth in the lives and relationships of the people of our church:
Our Markers
- Creation of Love and Unity Within Body
- Increased Communion and Fellowship of My People with Me and Me with My People
- Coming Together of the Body; Inter-church Relationships and Ministry
- True Repentance Followed by Righteousness
- A Breaking Down of Denominational Walls
Our Tactics
- Church Services – solid, scriptural church marked by evangelism and freedom ministry
- A Church of Hundreds of Strong Leaders – could be sent globally, but called locally to rejuvenate the city
- Ministry of Personal Restoration – freedom ministry, restoring sight to the blind
- Discipleship – training others to train in evangelism and freedom
- Prophetic Ministry/Prayer Teams – hearing God’s voice for others’ edification
- Power of Worship – healing, deliverance, humility, courage, selfless
- Restoration of Children – fathers to children, children to fathers
- Fearless Teaching – fully biblical, tested
- Issue of Authority – fruitful ministry under spiritual covering only for God’s glory
- Servants who Hear and Obey – obedience is better than sacrifice
- Evangelism – an agent of change for the Kingdom
- Deliverance Ministry – battling the forces of darkness, freeing the oppressed
Can you see it? You are invited to join in ownership of this mighty story! We are 41% of the way to our goal of $1.5 M to fund the purchase of the two buildings. We love all of you who have responded in faith to commit to the vision God has for us. For all of us, it is time to “Own it” – to make City Central your church, knowing that God does the planting and growing. It will take all of us.
Discussion Questions
- What do you suppose a person brand new to City Central might think after reading, or hearing, the origins and journey of this body of believers?
- How do you know when you’ve found a church home?
What moves you from spectator to participant in your home church?
- How does hearing the history of City Central inspire you to make a commitment to the future here?
- What aspects of the vision for reaching our neighbors and the nations do you connect with most?
Application Questions
- What is God asking you to do to take ‘ownership’ in the future of City Central?
- How might you step out in faith to see the vision realized of a place to call our own – a base of operations to reach the city for Christ?
Awaken Fast – Finishing Strong
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday
On this annual remembrance day in support of the pro-life movement, a volunteer for CareNet, and member of City Central, Natalie shared with us how God sanctifies every stage of life. This overtly Christian Ministry desires to see women in crisis pregnancy circumstances get completely free help with health testing and one-on-one counseling. Once a woman decides to have her baby, she gets access to parenting classes and practical assistance by way of the Baby Boutique where she can get diapers, high chairs, car seats, formula, etc. Additionally, Healing Tides is a holistic ministry of CareNet providing peer support for women who’ve already had an abortion and are seeking healing. Learn more about this commemorative day and the ministry of CareNet at https://carenetps.org/sohls/
Sermon Summary
Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)
Pastor Chris was away teaching a cadre of doctors about the freedom principles God has revealed and put into practice through City Central. We heard a positive and powerful exhortation from Pastor Dennis Gibson. Dennis shared how we can enter this third week of the Awaken Fast with a plan to finish strong – a principle we can extend to our whole life as Christians.
How can we finish strong in life? Usually we ask, “Where do I begin?” The best starting point is to ask God what He is expecting you to do. Begin with remembering what Christ has done for you on the cross. With that sober reminder, we can orient our time and prayers to press-in through life’s joys and difficulties. Here is the summary testimony of how God has worked in my life. Saved at 27 yrs. old. Grew up in the church, but hated it, so at age 12 I poured myself into the family business. Married at 20 to my high school sweetheart. Our first 7 years of marriage were turbulent. After we had our first daughter, one day before I went to work I looked over at my 2 year-old daughter and heard a voice ask, “do you want her to grow up like you?” It was nearly audible, so answered, “No, I’m miserable inside.” The voice asked, “What are you going to do about it?” Before I left for work, I asked Deb if she had thrown away the bible her sister gave us (I’d told her to get rid of it); she hadn’t. I read the bible cover to cover over the next year. This was key, getting the revelation from God’s word. I focused on reading Matthew to the end. In that reading God challenged me with Romans 12:1-2, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice …this is your spiritual service of worship.” Right then, I offered my life to the Lord. But, I said, “I have a concern. What about the hypocrites? How do I avoid being like them?” God replied, “You’ll have to give an account of your life to me. (Romans 14:12)” I asked, “How can I know you’ll keep me?” He turned me to focus on verse 2, “No longer be conformed to the pattern of this world.” I said, “OK. If you can change my life and keep me, I’ll give my life to you completely.” I committed to go to church the next day, by myself, since the family was sick. I waited at the end, but there was no altar call. Undeterred, I talked with the pastor and I discovered that I must be committed to the truth to finish strong.
14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Gal. 6:14 (NIV)
Five Ways to Finish Strong
- Revelation of God’s Word – revelation leads to transformation (Joshua 1:8 – meditate on the book of the law day and night)
- Commit to the Truth – live your life by God’s word everyday (Matthew 22:37 - “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”)
- Don’t give up – understand spiritual warfare, Don’t let the enemy point out your sin (instead, trust the Holy Spirit to convict) – the enemy opposes the work of God (Matthew 11:12
- Press-in to Jesus every day – desire to know Christ more, (Philippians 10:16), experience the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:14 – “I press on toward the goal…”
- God has made you for His purposes – when we fail know that He is merciful
"13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made...." Psalms 139:13--14
23Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me” Psalms 139:23-24
Search me Lord, see if there be any offensive way in me – pray this every day, God will reveal some to you today and some sin from weeks before. He restores us gently. He needs us to be open to hear the truth and change when he reveals it. His grace is sufficient. Repent and God is faithful to forgive. His lovingkindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4 – “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance…”
Discussion Questions
- What does it look like to others for a person to be double-minded?
- When you see other believers press-in to Jesus, what stands out in their behavior, speech, and attitude?
- According to Pastor Dennis’ testimony and teaching why is it important to finish strong in in our Christian walk?
- How is it different in your mind if you “allow the enemy to point out your sin” instead of the gentle conviction of the Holy Spirit?
Application Questions
- This week, what are some ways that you will ‘press-in’ to Jesus?
- Will you commit to finish strong in this Awaken Fast?
Awaken Fast (part 2)
Sermon Summary
Matthew 6:1–4 (ESV)
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Pastor Chris acknowledged that we can struggle with following the disciplines of the Lord because we develop a closed heart. It’s natural for us to make fasting, or tithing, or prayer simply an obligation – this is legalism and it comes from an unopened heart – like a flower bud not yet in bloom. Jesus taught us how to live meaningful, thriving lives, open hearted, when he gave the Sermon on the Mount and shared the Beatitudes.
Beatitudes are the expectations of life. Jesus shows us how to live our faith in an open, generous way. As you read, not the word “when” appears before each action. “When” is the expected behavior. Graciously, God has built in a reward for each activity we are expected to do. These treasures are the way we account for, and add incentive to, our daily living. Follow these keys to an open heart and your life with flourish while the treasure you seek is promised from God:
Four Keys of an Open Heart
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Generously Give – it is impossible to out-give God, try it
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Shut-the-door Prayer Life – God built you for one-on-one relationship with Him, make the space
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Fast - fasting unlocks your heart to the deeper things of God
Our prayers together, as a church body, for this Awaken Fast are:
- Personal renewal and sensitivity on our hearts to receive more of God
- Revival in the Church of America
- Renewed heart to reach the 253 with the love and truth of Jesus
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Salvation for our family, friends, co-workers, and community to have saving relationship with Jesus
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Invest – store up treasures for eternity
Illustration of the dot and the line. Our life represents a dot, eternity represents an unending line – live on the line, not just the dot. Treasures that we store (invest) now in eternity are the rewards of an open heart and generous hand.
Having an open heart demonstrates that we want to make our life count. Like the Beatitudes, God expects us to spend the time and money He gives us in the ways He shows us. Here are some keys to living life His way:
The 6 Treasure Principle keys:
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God owns everything; I’m His money manager.
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My heart always goes where I put God’s money.
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Heaven–the New Earth, not the present one–is my home.
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I should live today not for the dot, but for the line.
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Giving is the only antidote to Materialism.
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God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving.
(The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn)
Discussion Questions
- How do you see other Christians living life with expectation? What are some ways that they show their focus on God’s priorities?
- What do you think is the best way to live with eternity in mind? How does this living change how you might use your time and money?
- How is fasting going? What have you changed in your lifestyle to meet the meal and prayer expectations of the Awaken Fast? What are some sudden realizations you’ve had?
Application Questions
- Is God first in my life?
- Do I love what God loves?
- How will I live this week with an open heart?
Awaken Fast
Sermon Summary
Luke 5:33–35 (ESV)
33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”
Pastor Chris prepared us for the annual, all-church fast which runs Jan. 6th through the 26th. Since fasting and prayer go hand in hand, he invited Delaney McCall, Prayer Coordinator, to help us focus on the ways to pray as we fast.
First, Chris reminded us of the biblical importance of fasting and prayer:
Ten Thoughts on Fasting
- Fasting is a voluntary absence from food for the purpose of dedicating yourself to prayer.
- Fasting changes us, not God.
- Fasting is an invitation and grace.
- When facing impossible circumstances (Nehemiah 1:4).
- To change the destiny of a people, a city, a nation (Nehemiah 9:1).
- To hear from God fresh and new and to seek His direction (Ezra 8:21).
- To receive God’s aid in battle and to defeat the enemy (2 Chronicles 20:3).
- To get hold of God to receive specific answer to prayer (Acts 10:30).
- To seek the mind of God (Acts 13:2).
- To prepare for ministering in the power and grace of God (Matthew 4:2).
- To obtain a greater degree of God’s authority and power (Matthew 17:21).
- To afflict the soul, dig down, pull out anything in our mind, will, and emotion that would hinder the life and power of God fully expressed in our lives (Leviticus 16:29, Psalms 35:13, Proverbs 20:27, Hebrews 4:12).
- To break the strongholds of the physical appetites.
- Purposes in Fasting:
- Fasting deepens humility and dependence on God.
- It can deepen the hunger for God to work in our lives and ministries.
- Fasting intensifies prayer concentration.
- Solidifies determination.
- Feeds your faith.
- Sensitizes and opens you up more to the Holy Spirit’s working in your life.
- Fires earnestness and zeal - honest sincerity in your walk with God.
- What do you need to fast about?
- Heightened awareness of God. Start to hear God more clearly.
- Gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God.
- Benefits of fasting and prayer:
- Why should you fast?
Need a breakthrough? Restored relationship? Clear direction?
- Fasting is a short season that brings long-term results.
Expectation of God’s direction, answers to prayer.
- Fasting is a time of spirit-led self-examination.
- Fasting Expectations: options to choose a liquid only fast, or the Daniel fast (no meats, sweets, treats), or the Benedict fast (give up one meal per day). God meant for us to fast from food. If you elect to also fast from other activities (social media, entertainment, etc.) that’s really abstaining.
- If you are not praying, you are not fasting.
Delaney then shared these thoughts on praying as we fast:
Two-fold process: 1) fasting is laying down, 2) prayer is picking up
Joel 2:12-13 “…return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love….”
If you consider prayer boring, consider what the Lord does through the prayers of his people.
- Prayer is first ministry to the Lord – Rev. 1:6, we are a kingdom of priests
- James 5 – for faith
- Romans 10 – grow in faith
- Hebrews 11 – cling to faith
- Mark 11:23-24 – speak out faith
- Prayer is an act of faith, not empty words or feelings:
- Prayer is our primary way to grow and maintain intimacy with Jesus. Our foundation of intimacy is our initial surrender of salvation, the starting point. Prayer is the catalyst to keep building intimacy.
Were meant to be on mission as a Praying Church. Prayer is a lifestyle.
Discussion Questions
- When you think of fasting, what first comes to mind? How does it make you feel preparing to fast?
- Why do you suppose God instituted the discipline of fasting for His people?
- What are some benefits of fasting that you’ve personally experienced? Maybe a breakthrough or miracle?
Application Points
- City Central has provided many resources to help you in this fasting time. Explore the “Awaken Fast” button on the City Central mobile app. You’ll have access to the reasons for our church-wide fast, answers to questions about fasting, and weekly devotionals to guide you for the three weeks.
- Also, there will be times for personal and corporate prayer during the fast. Our prayer room is open the following hours during the fast:
Personal Meditation and Prayer
Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm
Corporate Prayer Times
Monday: 12-1pm
Tuesday: 6:30-8am, 12-1pm
Wednesday: 12-1pm, 6:30-8pm
Thursday: 12-1pm, 6:30-8pm
Crossing Over
Joshua 1:1–9 (ESV)
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
This week, Chris and Jena offered us a picture of the Israelites reaching the Jordan River to cross into the promised land and likened it to how we are crossing over from one year (and decade) to another. The Lord is taking us to a new place, and He has a new day for us. What are 7 things God may be calling us to put down and 7 things He wants us to pick up in this new season? In His mercy, God gives us the power to decide and choose our way. We are as free as we want to be. The Israelites had been wandering because of unbelief and found themselves on the fringe of the promised land. Faith call us to go, to move. Will we agree with the Lord and activate faith?
Wilderness Lessons:
- Re-education in the ways of God.
- Learn again what Godliness is.
- Relearn obedience to God.
- Lesson to learn about faith.
- Patience.
Philippians 3:12–14 (ESV)
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Leave Behind:
- Unbelief and Distrust: Unbelief distorts reality. It is a choice (and our daily choice) to trust. We cannot allow our five senses to direct us. The truth of God’s character and promises are what ground and direct us.
- Offense: To overlook an offense is for OUR glory.
- Impatience: The Lord is so patient towards us. It’s who God is. May we choose to extend this fruit of the Spirit toward others.
- Disappointments: This side of Heaven, there will be disappointment. We can come before the throne, honestly tell the Lord about our disappointments, and give them over to Him. Honesty precedes breakthrough. The Holy Spit will fill you with fresh hope.
- Survival mentality: The gospel is a gospel of thriving, not surviving! We are not called to daily seek to survive or make it through.
- Victimization: We are overcomers in Christ. We need to choose our victim mentality for an overcomer mentality. The word says “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
- Fear: Fear is the opposite of faith. We fear when we aren’t agreeing with God’s promises. Fear magnifies the problem and diminishes our authority in Christ.
Numbers 13:32–33 (ESV)
32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
Take into this new decade:
- Greater Love for God: Ask, and He will fill you that you may overflow to those around you.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
- Faith and Courage
Numbers 14:6-9 (ESV)6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
- Season of Harvest
Psalm 126:5 (ESV)
5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
- Perseverance: Your flesh is the last thing that will persevere. Will you let him strengthen you?
Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
- Healing
James 5:14–15 (ESV)
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.) God wants City Central in faith and confidence that He wants to release an atmosphere of healing in this place.
- Compassion: This is a heart issue. What is the condition of your heart when you lack compassion?
Matthew 9:36 (ESV)
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
- Prosperity and Increased Influence: May this be for His glory! He will elevate us so that we can elevate Him.
“I would recommend you either believe God up to the hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith at best. It is little better than a dry-land faith, and is not good for much.”
C.H. Spurgeon.
Discussion Questions:
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When the Israelites arrived at the Jordan River, they sent 12 spies into the land to report on what they found. Why do you think 10 out of 12 reports were negative?
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How did Caleb and Joshua’s reports differ from those of the other 10 spies? What does this say about their heart posture?
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In God’s sovereignty, He allows us to choose Him and His ways. Why do you think He desires for us to choose? What does this say about the kind of God He is?
Reflection Questions:
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What 3 things will you choose to let go of this year? What 3 will you choose to pick up?
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What promises of God do you see in Joshua 1:1-9? How are these promises for you today?
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Reflect on your #1 areas to let go of and pick up. How will you be intentional about walking in newness this year?
Wise Men Still Seek Him
Matthew 2:10–11 (ESV)
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
This Sunday, Pastor Chris encouraged us with the story of the Wise Men and their response to the birth of Jesus. These were men of high standing and great reputation who traveled a thousand miles from Persia. Their intention was to seek the Messiah in order to worship Him. In response, they fell down and worshipped the King. In contrast, the religious were half a day’s travel away and did not come. They were looking for a different kind of Messiah and wanted Jesus on their terms.
Discussion questions:
- What do you make of the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus? (They brought gold in reference to His royalty, frankincense for His divinity, and myrrh for His humanity.)
- What does their response teach us about how we ought to respond to Jesus?
- In what ways do we mirror the religious leaders and their response to Christ’s birth? How can we actively seek to not respond in this way?
Reflection questions:
- Who do you worship this Christmas season?
- What is on the throne of your heart? (What do you think about, talk about, or ponder the most?)
- What would surrender look like for you in this Christmas season?
Sermon Summary
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
In this week’s message, Pastor Chris encouraged us to mirror Mary in this Christmas season. He urged us to learn from Mary as she responded to God’s call on her life. By the world’s standards, Mary had nothing. She was a 12-14 year old girl in small town with no social status. However, God said that she was perfect. At Christmas, we are invited to walk the joy-filled road of Mary.
5 Thoughts on how to live in light of this good new of great joy – How did Mary respond?
- Mary received – Luke 1:28-30
-
- She received a word, plan, and vision for her life from God. Like us, Mary surely had a plan for her own life, but God showed up in a divine encounter and entrusted her with His very own son.
- There is a tension, because often we have a plan for life until God intervenes and invites us to align with His vision. Mary was positioned for such an encounter and for the receiving of grace.
- It is okay to audit, to weigh, and to ponder God’s calling on your life. Mary was greatly troubled and tried to discern what kind of greeting this was.
- “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15
- “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
- Mary would have contemplated the prophecies of the Old Testament:
- There is closed-minded doubt and open-minded doubt. Closed-minded doubt responds in unbelief, while open-minded doubt says “help me in my unbelief”.
- The Angel says, “do not fear”, not that there is nothing to fear. Mary recognized she didn’t need to fear because she found favor (grace). When we live this way, it breaks anxiety.
- In verse 38, Mary responds with “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
- Mary wondered. – Luke 1:31-38
- Genuine Christianity displays humility. It says, “I can’t do this alone” and chooses to partner with God. Pastor Chris called this “grounded obedience”.
- Mary believed in, not just about.
- Mary Surrendered and Believed. – Luke 1:39-45
- Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat.
- When surrender and belief come together, it produces celebration.
- To magnify is to make big. Whatever we magnify will control us.
- Mary Celebrated. – Luke 1: 46-49
- What do you think about? Whatever it is will control you. Mary pondered the promises of God. When we follow God, He lets us in on what He is doing.
- Mary treasured the things of the Lord.
- Mary Pondered. – Luke 2:19, Luke 2:51
Discussion Questions
- Why do you think God chose Mary for this task?
- Do you think Jesus learned how to serve and surrender from his mom?
Response Questions
- What happens to Mary is very personal, but it’s also for us today. How do you think this story is for you?
- Whose plan or vision are you fulfilling over your life? Would you say you are walking on God’s road or your own road?
- What have you been magnifying in your life?
Sermon Summary
Luke 2:8–18 (ESV) 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
In this week’s message, Pastor Chris helps us focus on the reality of Jesus being the reason for our joy at Christmas and our hope every day for the year to come. Remember, Jesus is no longer in the manger but now is in Glory. This is the fulfillment of prophecy. This is great news for all people!
Consider the shepherds. A class of people who were a bit rough around the edges and were looked down on by many in Jewish society. Far different from the nativity scenes and figurines which adorn our homes, yards, stores, and churches at Christmas. Shepherds were so despised that God sent his angel with the message first for them, “Fear not!” he began. God’s messenger follows with, “…for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” In the Bible, 150 times the Lord, directly and through his messengers, says, “Fear not!” God knows that any encounter with him and His heavenly hosts is so pure that people’s impurity manifests and they become fearful. He wants us to know that He helps us live our lives filled with faith instead of fear.
Following this was the pronouncement of Jesus’ birth, the divine coming fully in flesh to live among us:
”23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” Matthew 1:23 (ESV)
Notice that God did not send the angels with their proclamation to the Kings and leaders, or to the wealthy and academics – instead, He sent the announcement to the lowest-of-low, those that needed saving, those who were outcasts from mainstream society. This is a message of hope and transformation! Think of it this way: God formed us. Sin deformed us. The Bible informs us. But Jesus transforms us!
Pastor Chris expanded on this truth with:
Three Reasons Jesus Revealed Himself as a Child
- Jesus came for them
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger…. “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12, 16 (ESV)
- He is Savior, Christ and Lord
1…I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim….one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:1–3 (ESV)
- Revelation deserves response
”4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4–5 (ESV)
Discussion Questions
- What is the best thing that could happen to you this Christmas season?
- What sort of thoughts have you ever wondered about the real Christmas story – why a baby, why angels, why shepherds, why a manger in a stable?
- Why do you suppose people are drawn to the message of the manger?
Why might people have ease accepting the “baby Jesus,” but difficulty accepting “Jesus as Lord?”
- What do you think most non-Christians focus-on at Christmas-time? What might be some ways Christians could do better at sharing the message given to the Shepherds with those around them?
Application Questions
- Ask the Lord to reveal the area of your heart that is missing something at Christmas. What is it? How does the message that Jesus came for the lonely, forgotten, despised, unlovely, sick, and sinful resonate with you?
- Now, ask the Lord what will be one way that you can share this wondrous message with others this Christmas season?
Sermon Summary
Matthew 1:21 (ESV)
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
In this week’s message, Pastor Chris asked, “Where are you looking for Joy, this Christmas?” He challenged us to discern the difference between the secular and sacred Christmas celebrations around us. He inspired us with the idea of believers discovering deeper meaning in the birth of Christ, and those searching for truth responding to the message of the nativity. Are we simply enamored with the baby Jesus the way we fawn over a newborn? Or, are we astounded and humbled that God came in the flesh as an infant to live a sinless life, embody the good news, die a torturous death, and rise from the dead, so that we might have a restored relationship with our Father in Heaven?! That is the audacity of the message of Bethlehem’s holy child!
The consumerism of Christmas has a strong agenda, pulling people away from its true meaning. Getting wrapped up in the material gifts can bring pleasure, but blind us from seeing pure Joy in God’s gift to the world. God’s design for Christmas is for all to have an encounter with Christ that will fill us with His Spirit and bless us with everlasting life.
At Christmas, worship and praise songs are piped-in all around us – in commercials, elevators, radio stations, department stores, and malls. Consider the theology of this beloved carol, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, which answers vital life questions with theological aplomb:
- Who was Jesus? “Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord. Hail! the heaven-born Prince of peace!”
- Why did he come as an infant? “Offspring of a Virgin's womb, Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity, Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel”
- What did Jesus come to do? "Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth"
- How can this life be ours? “Light and life to all he brings, Risen with healing in his wings”
Where we are looking will be the level of our Joy this Christmas. Like the wise men seeking the newborn king by looking intently at the brightest star in the heavens, there is a direct correlation between our focus and our joy.
Isaiah 9:6–7 (ESV)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Five Thoughts on How Jesus’ Name Impacts our Lives
- His name is WONDERFUL. That takes care of the DULLNESS of this life.
Psalm 8:3–4 (ESV)
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
- His name is COUNSELOR. That takes care of the DECISIONS of life.
Psalm 73:24 (ESV)
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
James 1:5 (The Message)
5 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.
- His name is MIGHTY GOD. That takes care of the DEMANDS of life.
Philippians 4:13 (ESV)
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 2:12–13 (NLT)
Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
- His name is EVERLASTING FATHER. That takes care of the FUTURE.
Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
- His name is PRINCE OF PEACE. That takes care of the DISTURBANCE of life.
Philippians 4:7 (The Message)
7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Luke 2:14 (ESV)
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Discussion Questions
- What is it that you want to get out of this Christmas season?
- What would make your Christmas wonderful and satisfying?
Does it have anything to do with the worldly pleasures?
- How might you be putting your hope in something that will bring fulfillment?
Could you be putting your hope in something that brings disappointment?
- What series of single-words comes to mind when you ponder the true meaning of Christmas?
Application Questions
- What will you do to experience Jesus in his fullness this Christmas!
How will He be your Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, and Everlasting Father?
- How will you find and experience true peace (shalom) during this Christmas season?
Sermon Summary
2 Corinthians 5:6–7 (ESV)
6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Pastor Chris shared a message that has been in his spirit, and on his heart, for about 8 months – By Faith. We are to live “by faith” according to God’s Word. Our sight is limited to contained reality. When we exert human effort to accomplish works for ourselves, even for the church or the kingdom, we become exhausted with anxiousness, striving, and worry. Our Lord and Father invites us to trust Him to shed stress, worry and fatigue of doing and thinking of all the possible outcomes ourselves. Rather, we are to point our feet in the direction of faith (not feelings) and begin taking a step. Faithfulness will challenge us to give up control, comfort, and self-reliance. These are smokescreens of the enemy. Chris emphatically challenged us to surrender our own ideas, initiatives, and imperatives and anticipate that God will replace them with His. Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of the Holocaust describes faith as an acrostic:
Fantastic
Adventure
In
Trusting
Him
Consider these two lists which sum up the tension that exists in us when we should trust God, yet rely on ourselves:
Seven Weaknesses of Walking by Sight
1. Human Sufficiency
2. Human Resources
3. Human Wisdom
4. Human Ingenuity
5. Human Calculation
6. Human Strength
7. Human Comfort
Seven Strengths of Walking by Faith
1. Christ's Suffienciency
2. Christ's Resources
3. Christ's Wisdom
4. Christ's Power
5. Christ's Direction
6. Christ's Enablement
7. Christ's Stretch
Three Aspects of Biblical Faith
1. Faith Pleases God
” 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” 1 John 2:16 (ESV)
2. We are Saved by Faith to Walk in Faith
“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)
“The righteous shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4 (ESV)
“The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 (ESV)
God is saying, “Believe me!” Walk without the end in mind, but expect the miracle of God to provide. He loves it when we say, “I don’t know how this will happen, but I’m going to trust you!” It doesn’t seem to make sense, but I know that God is good and gives good gifts to His children.
3. Faith is to be Exercised Regularly
“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6)
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise” (Proverbs 13:20)
“8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. Hebrews 11:8–9 (ESV)
11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” Hebrews 11:11 (ESV)
“17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” Hebrews 11:17, 19 (ESV)
God wants us to join Him in the adventure!
Discussion Questions
1. How do you think we can build churches to endure in an increasing godless world?
2. In what ways are believers tempted to walk by sight?
3. Share a time when you were prompted by the Spirit to walk in faith. What was your answer? What was His response?
4. What are some faith accounts in the Bible that have motivated you to “walk by faith?”
Application Questions
1. What is a need or godly desire that you have that could only be accomplished by stepping out in faith?
2. Seek the Lord in prayer for a faith-step you will take this week. Once you have the answer, share with someone what it is and commit to sharing the results!
Orphan Sunday
Sermon Summary
Guest Speaker: Darrin Miller, Youth for Christ
Pastor Chris introduced our guest speaker who shared the challenge and joy of meeting the need for Foster Care in our community. Guest speaker, Darrin Miller shared his family’s journey. Just 9-years ago, the Millers said, “Yes!” to foster care and then adoption. Darrin challenged us to examine our hearts in light of God’s Father Heart as expressed in His Word. He asked us the overarching question, “How should we live out God’s mission in the way of City Central: “We Adore God, Become like Jesus, and Contend for the Kingdom.”His answer: becoming like Jesus is to know the Father’s love for the fatherless.
2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Cor. 3:2-3 (ESV)
God manifests His love through the example of Jesus, the penultimate “Rescuer.” Scripture is clear, we believers are the ones who’ve been rescued and who are imparted by His Spirit to become rescuers, bringing especially the orphan, widow, and foreigner. Darrin reminded us that we are the vehicle that God uses to extend His kingdom. While the emphasis in this mission is on the orphans, we need to see them as the Father does, as individuals – people, like us, created by God with divine design and purpose.
4 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons[b] of God. 15* For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17* and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 12:8-17(ESV)
Darrin and Sue have needed to rely on God as Jehovah Jireh, “Provider,” in their answer to His call. Their six children are the living testament to their response to be the extension of God’s love to those who were unloved. God has performed miracles in response to tragic circumstances to make the Millers a family like the family of God, adopted sons and daughters of the King! Darrin’s clear lesson from this experience is that it’s not about us doing something great, but about God doing something great in our hearts.
3 … when we were children, [we] were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4:2–5 (ESV)
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, Ephesians 1:5 (ESV)
Questions with eternal impact have been asked. The Millers have answered. They are presenting them to us as witnesses that answering God’s call to be the family of God means he’ll provide what we need to spend our lives on behalf of others. Darrin interviewed two of his kids who shared what family means to them. His son knew the answer immediately, “Family means people who love me, both family and church family and friends.” His daughter was reflective, but clear, “Following the Lord means doing the little things, taking kids to soccer, helping with my younger siblings, I don’t regret anything I’ve said, “Yes” to, over the years.”
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27 (ESV)
If we’re not careful, we can leave Church the same way we came in. Darrin insisted that the Bible supports the truth that God has a heart for the orphans and that every generation must rise to the quest of opening our hearts and lives to them as well.
17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. Isaiah 1:17 (ESV)
5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. Psalm 68:5-6 (ESV)
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. Psalm 27:10 (ESV)
Lastly, Darrin encouraged us, “Don’t disqualify yourself. We are all adopted. Ask the Lord what you should do. He will bless your “Yes!””
19 “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 24:19-22 (ESV)
Discussion Questions
- What do you suppose it was so important to God that He created a “family of God?” Why not simply disciples, or followers, or adherents of God?
- Read James 1:27 again. How do you think God wants us to live out “religion that is pure and undefiled?”
In what ways do we as the church, and individual Christians, demonstrate this principle?
- What might some people say they are scared of if they answer the call to become a foster or adoptive parent?
- What opportunities exist for us to say, “Yes!” to God’s call to be the rescuer to the orphans and vulnerable children in our community?
Application Questions
- After hearing of the need and the challenge, what is God opening your heart to with regard to foster and adoptive care?
- List some of the ways that you’ve “disqualified” yourself from helping meet this need.
Ask God what might qualify you to be a foster parent?
How might you otherwise support the church and community in providing these orphans a “forever-home?”
City Central has partnered for many years with the foster care agency Olive Crest. Representatives were on-hand to help anyone considering fostering to reach out for their guidance. You can find more information on opportunities like Standard Fostering, Respite Care, Foster-to-Adopt, and Emergency Care by visiting their website at https://www.olivecrest.org/pacific-northwest/fostering/. Staff are glad to answer any questions, even put you in touch with a family at City Central who have been on a foster parenting journey already.
Ephesians: True Identity – Battle for Our Identity
Sermon Summary
Ephesians 6:10–24 (ESV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. 21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. 23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
Pastor Chris wraps up this series in Ephesians with a powerful reminder of our identity as spiritual warriors. With similar zeal as the Apostle Paul had in challenging the believers in Ephesus, Pastor Chris emphasizes that we are born-again into a battle, with a real, eternal enemy, a fight which God has strengthened and equipped us to win.
This is a message for both the individual believer and the church. Pastor Chris expressed concern that we may be only hearers of this word and not doers. He exhorted us to take intentional, disciplined steps to recognize the battle, understand the enemy’s tactics, stand firm in His power, and put on the full armor to withstand the accuser’s schemes. We are designed for victory!
Four Revelations of Spiritual Warfare
- You are in a Battle
- We Have an Enemy
- Live in His Strength
-
Understand Your Weapons
-
You are in a battle
”16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” 1 John 2:16 (ESV)
- Desires of the Flesh: Gluttony, disordered sexual acts, drug & alcohol abuse, etc.
- Desire of the Eyes: Disordered desire for material possessions.
- Pride of Life: Desire to be like God but apart from God.
Take a stand, don’t be passive. Stand = vigorously oppose and resist your enemy
“8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” 1 Peter 5:8–9 (ESV)
- We Have an Enemy
Satan = accuser, deceiver, tempter, destroyer
“…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Eph. 6:12 (ESV)
Our enemy is a silent operator. He tempts with whispers. When we succumb to his deception and seek what satisfies that is not from God, we relinquish territory in our hearts and minds. Our enemy uses the place we give as a forward operating base to execute an onslaught of attacks. He wears us down until we are physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually weak robbing us of the joy of the Lord which is our strength. In this state, we are vulnerable, passive, and burdened with torment keeping us from the work and will of God.
- Live in His Strength
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Eph. 6:10 (ESV)
16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” Eph. 3:16 (ESV)
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, Eph. 3:20 (ESV)
- Understand Your Weapons
13 Therefore take-up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Eph. 6:13)
-
Belt of Truth – Luke 12:35, 1 Peter 1:13; God’s Word is the only antidote to the lies from the Father of Lies, Satan
-
Breastplate of Righteousness – Proverbs 4:23; protecting the heart of the saint, standing in Christ’s cleansing blood
-
Boots of the Gospel – Romans 8:37; feet fitted to stand at the ready, able and willing to walk as a witness
- Shield of Faith – Revelation 12:10; when properly lifted, it can help us defuse the attacks on our mind
- Helmet of Salvation – John 6:37, John 10:28; protecting our center of thought with the truth of our eternal position in Christ as redeemed
- Sword of the Spirit – Hebrews 4:12–13; declaring the Word at times of attack will disarm the enemy, walking in its truths will bring victory
- Praying at All Times in the Spirit – prayer is like the oil helping all of the armament to work effectively
Discussion Questions
- What does the battle against ‘spiritual forces in heavenly places’ look like in our lives?
- Why does the enemy begin with questions? Think about how did he deceived Eve and, in-turn Adam? Or, he attempted to disarm Jesus while he fasted in the desert?
- How should we deal with being weary in battle?
- According to the scriptures, how do we prepare for battle? What is our posture, our preparation, and our plan to defend ourselves?
- What are some tactics available to us to go on offense against the devil?
- What item in the spiritual armory God provides is easiest for you to wield? Which one presents the most difficulty?
Application Questions
- How will you become trained to use the spiritual weapons God has provided?
- Having been trained, what is your plan to be victorious in the daily battle against your enemy?
- Commit this week to pray with battle awareness.
Commit this week to start each day by “putting on the armor of God.”
Bebhinn and Salima share Salima's powerful story about how she came to know and follow Jesus.
Bob Sorge gives a stirring message on endurance and perseverance in the face of trial and suffering.
Chris Hippe speaks about being anchored in confident expectation of good in the midst of God's processes in our lives because HE WILL NEVER CHANGE.
Gerry Fry speaks to the City Central body about the need for dynamic personal encounters with Christ.
Adam Narciso speaks on giving ourselves to the inner court ministry and keeping the First Commandment first.
Darrin Miller speaks on Esau selling his birthright and how we can avoid falling into his error in our own lives.
Dwayne Parker aka "Bishop Freeze" shares his powerful testimony of God's redemptive love.
Steve Fry of The Gate in Nashville, TN teaches on how the people of God should carry a constant gladness with them and asks the question, "They did it in the book of Acts, why can't we do it." Hear more from Steve Fry at http://www.thegatenashville.org
Carla Ives from Heart Cry International on when God's speaks a dream and the process of fulfillment