Midtown Church in Central Austin: Recent Episodes
Jake Box
Matt begins our new series on Parables by taking us through Luke 16:1-8 in his sermon "The Shrewd Manager".
Hannah continues our sermon series, "Psalms of Summer". This week, we focus on Psalm 136.
Justin continues our sermon series, "Psalms of Summer". This week, we focus on Psalm 46.
Matt begins our new practice sermon series, "Psalms of Summer". Week one, we focus on Psalm 37.
Jake finishes our series "The Story of God: Restoration" by teaching on The Garden City.
Jake continues our series The Story of God: Restoration by teaching on The New Heaven and New Earth.
Matt begins our new practice sermon series, "The Story of God: Restoration". Week one, we focus on The Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
Jake starts our new practice sermon series, "The Worship Practice". Week one, we focus on Hallowing.
Jake completes our series on the story of God by taking us through Romans 5:1-11 in his sermon "Peace with God".
Matt continues our series on the story of God by taking us through Romans 4:9-25 in his sermon "The Staggering Promise of God".
Justin continues our series on the story of God by taking us through Romans 3:27-4:8 in his sermon "Boasting and Faith".
Jake leads our Easter message by exploring 1 Corinthians 15 in his sermon "The Good News of Easter."
Matt continues our series on the story of God by taking us through Romans 3:21-28 in his sermon "Righteous through the Faithfulness of Christ".
Jake continues our series on the story of God by taking us through Romans 3:9-20 in his sermon "No One is Righteous".
Justin continues our series on the story of God by taking us through Romans 2:1-6 & 12-26 in his sermon "The Failure of Religion".
Jake continues our series "The Story of God: Redemption" by beginning in verses Romans 1:18-32.
At our first-ever Midtown family retreat, Jake concludes our series, The Community Practice.
Jake continues our series What Child Is This? by walking us through Exodus 34 & John 1:18 as we enter the Advent season.
Caroline continues our Advent series What Child Is This with a sermon on God's abounding love and faithfulness.
Jake continues our series What Child Is This? by walking us through Exodus 34:6–7 & John 1:18 as we enter the Advent season.
Justin continues our series What Child Is This? by walking us through Exodus 34 & John 1:18 as we enter the Advent season.
Jake begins our series What Child Is This? by walking us through Exodus 34:6–7 as we enter the Advent season.
Matt concludes our series, The Story of God, by taking us through Genesis 3:8-24, Paradise Lost
Jake continues our series The Story of God by taking us through Genesis 3:1-9, Paradise in Crisis.
Jake continues our series The Story of God by taking us through Genesis 2:18-25, Known in Paradise.
Justin continues our series The Story of God by taking us through Genesis 2:4-17, The Garden of God.
Jake continues our series The Story of God by taking us through Genesis 1:26-2:3, In the Image of God.
Jake continues our series The Story of God: Creation & Fall by taking us through Genesis 1:3-25, The First Word.
Justin starts our new series titled The Story of God: Creation & Fall by taking us through Genesis 1:1-3, Before the Beginning.
Justin introduces our next spiritual practice series called the scripture practice. In this sermon he explains what the bible is and why we can trust it.
Matt continues our Keep The Faith series with his sermon, 'Preach the Word,' taking us through 2 Timothy 4:1-5.
Matt continues our sermon series through 2 Timothy called Keep The Faith. He covers 2 Timothy 2:2 in his sermon, "Guard the Good Deposit Making Disciples."
Jake finishes up the forgiveness practice and takes us through Matthew 5:23-24. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32
Matt continues our series on Forgiveness by teaching through Luke 17:3-5. "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." - Colossians 3:13
Matt continues our series on forgiveness and teaches from Luke 7:36-50. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. - Romans 8:1
Jake begins our new series on forgiveness. "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Matthew 6:12
Jake preaches our Easter message. If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 1 Corinthians 15:14
Matt continues our series on 2 Timothy with his sermon "Be Strong In Grace" going through 2 Timothy 1:14 - 2:2
Justin begins our new sermon series through 2 Timothy called Keep the Faith. His sermon is titled Fan the Flame and goes through 2 Timothy 1:1-8.
Jake closes our Generosity series with a final message on being generous to the poor. Luke 12:32-33 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Jake takes us through the 3rd sermon in our Generosity series. "If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?" Luke 16:11
Jakes starts our new series on the spiritual practice of generosity. We take a look through Matthew 6:19-24.
Isaiah takes us through a survey of 1 Peter encouraging us to face our shadows. We can't step into the light of the Son if we're too afraid to face the shadows within.
Jake starts our new sermon series called Wisdom For Life by teaching through Proverbs 1.
Josh teaches from 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 on the barriers and practical steps to living missionally.
Jake continues our Advent series by talking about Joy and takes us through Luke 2:1-20 & Philippians 4:4-8.
Today Dwight Edwards finishes up our sermon series on the I Am statements of Jesus. He takes us through the statement, "I Am the Vine."
Justin starts our new series called John: I Am Statements. This week we look at Jesus saying I am the bread of life and what that means.
Jake finishes up our Practicing the Way series with the final sermon about doing life together. The best way to grow in Christ likeness is going to be in community with other believers.
This week Matt continues our Practicing the Way series with the topic healing from sin.
Jake continues our Practicing the Way series and talks about meeting God in pain and suffering
Jake opens up our new series about faith in troubling times by taking us through Habakkuk 1:1-17.
Jake teaches through John 6:25-71 and shares various reasons why people leave Jesus or stay with him.
This week Matt teaches through John 6:16-24 discussing the miracle of Jesus walking on water.
Justin takes us through John 6:1-15. He teaches three major points. Jesus is compassionate, so bring him your needs. Jesus is almighty so ask him for the impossible. Jesus is all-knowing so give him your heart.
Jake finishes our Solitude Practice series by teaching through Mark 1:32-39. He shows the life practices of Jesus and how solitude helps us find clarity on identity and calling.
This week Justin takes us through Mathew 4:1-11. He teaches how the practice of solitude can help us stay connected to God even when faced with the world, the flesh and the devil.
Matt takes us through Matthew 26:36-39 as part of our second sermon in the Solitude Practice series. He teaches on following Jesus' patter of giving God your feelings, desires and trust.
Jake begins our 4 part series on the spiritual practice of solitude. He takes us through Luke 5:15-16 explaining what the practice of solitude is.
Jake takes us through John 5:31-47 discussing how to encounter Jesus and overcome obstacles to belief in him.
This week Matt teaches through John 5:16-30 showing us how to honor Jesus with our lives.
This week Justin takes us through John 5:1-15 and teaches on the topics of healing and holiness.
This week Jake takes us through John 4:42-54 and teaches on what faith is. Ultimately, faith is a believe based on a the promises of God.
On Easter Sunday Jake took us through John 4:1-29, the story of the women at the well. Our thirst for purpose, love, security and hope can be satisfied in Jesus.
Justin takes us through John 3:22-36 as part of our sermon series Encountering Jesus. Justin compares the quest to make a name for ourselves and the joy of making a name for Jesus.
Matt takes us through Mark 4:35-5:20 & 7:31-37 giving us an in depth look at a few miracles of Jesus and him crossing over the sea of Galilee.
Jake teaches on 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 showing the impact of generosity on the giver and the receiver.
Jake shares from Isaiah 53 on how fasting is a way to love God and our neighbor at the same time.
In this weeks sermon titled Amplifying Our Prayers Jake shares how fasting and prayer go together like two wings of a bird.
Jake continues teaching through our sermon series on the fasting practice. He shares how fasting helps keep our flesh in check and helps us draw on the power of God to fight sin.
What is fasting and why should we do it? Jake begins our 4 part sermon series on the fasting practice.
This past Sunday Alice spoke about the importance of living with an eternal perspective
Justin takes us through John 3:1-21 sharing the difference between religion and regeneration.
Matt continues our Encountering Jesus series and takes us through John 2:2-11 showing how the heart of God towards his people is overflowing with love.
Jake takes us through John 1:35-51 asking us the question, "How do you think Jesus sees you"?
Justin takes us through John 1:19-34 showing how John the Baptist testified about Jesus and how we can too.
Matt takes us through John 1:14-18 showing how the story of scripture is "God with us".
Jake takes us through John 1:9-13 showing us how Jesus came to make the way for us to enter God's family.
On Sunday, Jake took us through John 1:1-5 showing how Jesus is the reason, rationale, and radiance of life.
Justin takes us through Colossians 4:2-18 showing the faithful friendship of Tychicus, Aristarchus, and Luke.
This week, Jake takes us through Colossians 3:17-4:1, which gives guidance to wives, husbands, children, parents, slaves, and masters.
Jake takes us through Colossians 3:12-17 showing how we are God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved.
Matt takes us through Colossians 3:1-11 showing how Jesus gives us new positions, priorities, and perspectives.
Justin continues through our Colossians series by teaching on Colossians 2:6-23. Justin shows us from this passage a few ways we drift away from the gospel of Jesus.
Matt takes us through Colossians 1:13-23 showing the supremacy of Christ in revelation, creation, and redemption.
Justin takes us through Colossians 1:1-14 as part of our new sermon series, Colossians: The Supremacy of Christ.
Jake takes us through the first S in BLESS which stands for Serve. Jesus encourages us to serve others in love as he served us.
Justin takes us through Luke 3:23-4:2. We look at the B from BLESS which stands for Begin with prayer. Let's continually lift our neighbors and friends up to God in prayer.
Jake starts a new sermon series called BLESS. He takes us through Genesis 12 and Galatians 3 showing How God blesses us for us to bless others.
Jake takes us through Matthew 6:9-10 and Mark 1:15 showing us why we should pray for the kingdom of God to come to Austin and how to participate in it.
Danny Box (Jake's dad) takes us through Psalm 61 and speaks about surviving stress by relying on God's power, remaining in his presence, and resting on his promises.
Justing takes us through Psalm 130 showing us three aspects of the passage, a cry for mercy, a declaration of hope, and a call to action.
Justing takes us through Psalm 130 showing us three aspects of the passage, a cry for mercy, a declaration of hope, and a call to action.
Matt takes us through Psalm 110 showing how Jesus brings unity to some paradoxes. Jesus is both human and divine, different than God and equal to God, and he is both king and priest.
This past week Jake took us through Romans 8:18-30 showing the hope we have in Jesus through suffering.
Jake takes us through John 17:20-26 showing that the Bible tells the story of God restoring our communion with him, with one another, and with all of creation.
Today Justin took us through John 17:6-19 where we see that God sets us apart and sends us for the honor and glory of God himself.
Each aspect of the Sabbath day: stopping, resting, and delighting is meant to help draw our hearts and attention toward Him in worship.
The Sabbath is a day to Delight. We delight in God's world, our lives, and God himself.
The Sabbath is not just a day when we stop and rest. It's also a day meant to remind us why we can stop and rest.
The Bible encourages us to "Keep the Sabbath holy" yet we struggle to stop in our success-driven culture. This week we remember that keeping the Sabbath reminds us we have limits, our value is not based on what we do and God is good.
Jesus told us to expect trouble and crisis of faith while we are in the world, but he invites us to take heart and see our faith grow in such times by remembering that he has overcome the world.
When facing grief we must know that one way to joy is through grief. Jesus is the source of ultimate joy and in Jesus, joy is certain.
John 16:1-15. Jesus tells the disciples to expect opposition as they bear witness to him, but he promises to give them a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to speak to and through them and convict people of their sins and their need for a Savior.
Luke 7:36-40. How we relate to Jesus is determined by what we believe about who he is and how he relates to us.
Luke 24:13-24. Jesus's followers lost hope after his death, and we, too, suffer from a lack of hope. But Jesus reveals his resurrected self to his followers to give them hope, just as he does to us. His resurrection is our ultimate source of hope.
Luke 5:27-32. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and he did so by eating and drinking with people. He was happy to share a meal with anyone, and his followers should do the same.
Psalm 103. It's too easy to remember the negatives in life and forget the benefits of God, which is why this Psalm calls us not to forget the God who has loved us without condition.
Psalm 66. God turns our troubles into testimonies. Those with troubles should cling to the promises of God and cry out to him in prayer. Those with testimonies should praise God and tell others what he has done for them.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18. Praying unceasingly with a constant awareness of God's loving presence leads to our joy, which we can learn to do by having fixed times of prayer each day.
II Corinthians 3:18. We can enjoy being with God in prayer by recognizing God's presence, reflecting on God's beauty, and resting in God's love for us. When we do, we'll want to be with God more and become more like God.
I Samuel 3:1-10. God still speaks, and we can learn to hear his voice more and more, making prayer a two-way conversation.
Luke:11:1-13. When we pray to God, we come to him as our loving Father who delights to hear our gratitude, laments, and petitions and answer our prayers.
II Chronicles 7:11-16. God accomplishes his providential purpose in prayer, changing the world, by accomplishing his secret purpose in prayer, changing us.
John 15:26-27. Jesus said we would become his witnesses, telling others what we have seen and experienced in Jesus. To become his witnesses, we need to seek him so that we will have firsthand experiences to tell.
John 15:18-25. The world tries to get us to conform to its ways of living without God and redefine good and evil. When we don't conform, the world will hate us as it hated Jesus. Even so, we can be a light to the world when we are transformed by Jesus rather than conformed to the world.
John 15:9-17. Joy is gratitude in all circumstances in response to God's love and grace. Jesus says we can experience such joy as we abide in him through obedience, love, pruning, and fruit-bearing.
John 15:1-8. Jesus is the only source of spiritual life. When we remain in him, we bear fruit and bring glory to God.
John 14:27-31. Jesus gives us his peace as a gift. We receive and access his peace through worship, prayer, thanksgiving, meditation, and obedience.
John 14:15-26. Jesus said if we love him, we will obey his commands. He knew we'd need help to obey his commands, so he promised the Holy Spirit to testify to who he is and remind us what he said.
John 14:6-22. How do we find peace in a troubled world? By trusting God, which would be easier if we could see him.What we see in Jesus is enough to cause us the trust in God.
John 14:1-6. Jesus's disciples were troubled after hearing that Jesus would be with them no longer be with them. Jesus comforts them, saying don't be troubled, I have prepared a place for you, and I am the way for you.
John 13:31-38. Peter promised to be faithful to Jesus unto death, but he broke the promise by disowning Jesus three times. Even so, Jesus was eager to restore Peter and remind him that he was not through with him yet.
John 13:34,35. How will people know that we're disciples of Jesus? When we follow Jesus's new command to love one another as he has loved us.
John 13. In a cultural moment when it's hard to follow Jesus, what can keep us following Jesus? By remembering the good news about how Jesus loved and served us.
John 13:1-5. In light of God’s unconditional acceptance and friendship toward us, how do we extend that kind of unconditional friendship to those around us? John 13:1-5 gives us keen insight into what it takes to have deep, meaningful friendships. When we know we are fully loved and accepted, we are free to extend that to those around us.
John 17:20-26. Jesus prays that we would be one so that the world may believe that the Father sent the Son. We need loving Christian communities, and the world needs to see loving Christian communities.
Ephesians 4:1-16. We practice the community of Christ by becoming a community of practice, and practice means embodied participation.
Mark 3:31-35. Jesus started a new spiritual family and said it takes priority over our biological family. As brothers and sisters, we are obligated to one another.
Genesis 1:26,27 and 2:18. We were made in the image of our triune God which means we were made for relationships.
Matthew 10:1-4. Following Jesus has from the beginning been in community (messy community) because it's only in the context of community that we learn how to love.
Matthew 14:13-33. One of the ways we change is by doing what we can to follow Jesus's missional practices while depending on Jesus to do what only he can do when we do.
I Corinthians 9:24-27. What we do spiritually forms us to Jesus or the world, so we need to ask, "What are the things we're doing, doing to us?"
Luke 6:39,40. Jesus’ goal is to make us like him. But why does it often feel like it’s not happening? In this sermon, we consider two main reasons why and what we need to overcome them.
John 15:1-8. Jesus teaches us that to become like him, we must be with him, and we can be with him today through the power of the Spirit.
Mark 1:16-20. Jesus's invitation to follow him is an invitation to become like him, restoring us to who he created us to be.
Haggai 2. In a time of great discouragement, Haggai urges the remnant to be strong, have hope, and check their hearts.
Haggai 1. After more than forty years in exile, the remnant community returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their home. When the temple reconstruction is halted, God sends Haggai to the nation's leaders to address the ambivalence which had taken root in their hearts.
Psalm 63: To keep our passion for God alive, our desire must be for God, our delight must be in God, our dependence must be on God, and our deliverance must come from God.
Psalm 51. What do you do when you feel impossibly helpless about the guilt in your life? In Psalm 51, David teaches us that when we come to God with gutsy guilt, God gives gob stopping grace.
Psalm 3. This psalm is a lament Psalm retelling the time David fled from his son Absalom. It helps us see a real-life example of what it looks like to see our faith grow as we take our fears and anxieties to God.
Psalm 8. God is magnificent because he created the entire universe, and we are significant because we're made in his image and called to represent him in the world.
Psalm 116. When we pray to God in our distress and experience his deliverance, we grow in our love for God and our faith in God. We can rest because we know he is good.
Ruth 4. Experiencing God's loyal love through others has the power to move us to witness, redeem broken lives, and make our lives significant.
Ruth 3. The story of Ruth teaches us that God's extraordinary love is expressed through the actions of ordinary (and often the most unlikely) people. This is especially in times of suffering and cultural confusion. In this teaching, we consider Ruth's conversation with Boaz on the threshing floor and reflect on how Ruth's actions teach Boaz and Naomi about the extraordinary love of God.
Ruth 2. There's a mystery about where God's sovereignty intersects humanity's free will. We can experience this mystery through "as it turned out" moments when we trust God's providence while faithfully trying to find favor.
Ruth 1. To keep our faith while facing difficult trials, we must believe in God's providence (that He is in control) and God's promises (that He can be trusted). Circumstances don't tell us what God is like, but His promises do.
Matthew 7:24-29. Jesus ends his sermon by warning his readers about what happens to people who don't put to practice his teaching. His warning should cause us to evaluate what foundation we're building our lives upon and put his teachings into practice.
Matthew 7:13-23. Jesus invites us to follow his narrow and hard way that leads to life, and he warns us about the easy and wide way that leads to death - the way of religion and the world.
Matthew 7:12. Jesus summarizes the Sermon on the Mount with the Golden Rule. As much as we love the idea of the Golden Rule on paper, we often follow one of two unwritten rules of our own.
Matthew 7:7-11. Jesus teaches that we can pray with confidence when we ask God to help us become more like Jesus. We can pray confidently because we know it's what God wants for us, God can do it, and He's a good Father.
Jesus' command to not judge is one of our favorites to enforce in the lives of others, but when we try to live by it ourselves, we find it seemingly impossible. We will explore Jesus' position on the subject and its implications for those who want to follow him in this teaching.
Biblical hope is the joyful and confident expectation of what's to come based on something trustworthy. Jesus's resurrection is the trustworthy event that makes Christians have hope that everything will be made new.
I Corinthians 15:3-8. No one expected Jesus to rise from the men and women closest to him. Why did they document their unbelief, what caused them to change into those who proclaimed having seen Jesus risen, and what doe it mean for us today?
Philippians 2:8,9. Jesus's resurrection signaled the start of his restoration of the world, a restoration born through weakness, not power. Weakness is the way of God, the way to God, and the way we partner with God in restoring the world.
Matthew 6:33. Jesus announced the availability of the Kingdom of God to all people. In this teaching, we will unpack Jesus' gospel of the Kingdom and His expectation for those who would become His disciples.
Matthew 6:25-34. We worry because something is wrong in the world and something is wrong with our hearts. We can be free from worry when we believe that we're valuable to God and that he knows what we need and will provide.
Matthew 6:19-24. What we believe about God affects our entire lives, from the inside out. In this teaching, Jesus shows us how our vision of God influences our relationship to wealth, materiality, and the poor.
Matthew 6:16-18. We will practice fasting more regularly when we understand how our bodies affect our spirits and our spirits affect our bodies. We'll realize how fasting helps keep our minds on God when we do.
Matthew 6:5-13. Jesus teaches us how to pray and how not to pray. He promises great rewards for those who pray secretly and simply.
Matthew 6:1-4. Our Father notices us and wants to reward us for our good works, but if we do good works to look good to others, we'll miss out on God's reward.
Matthew 5:38-48. We can only break the cycle of Us vs. Them when we don't retaliate and overcome evil by doing good like praying for our enemies, serving them, and befriending them.
Matthew 5:33-37. Jesus teaches people to be those who keep their word. We keep our word because we were created to reflect God, the promise keeper, and called to love others, as God loves them.
Isaiah 58:6-11. The spiritual practice of fasting has benefits and dangers, so we need to ask what kind of fast God has chosen?
Isaiah 54:1-5. It's time to move from a survival mentality to a "thrival" mentality. We should expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.
Genesis 12:1-3. Why does God bless us? He blesses us because he is good, and he's up to something good. How should we respond to his blessings? By blessing God and blessing others.
II Corinthians 9:10-12. The generosity of one church leads to thanksgiving in another church and God being glorified in His Church.
II Corinthians 8:1-5. The kingdom of God expands through the sacrificial generosity of churches and God's people.
Matthew 5:27-32. Jesus discusses how the misuse and misappropriation of sexual desire lead to the objectification and oppression of others and why this is such a big deal.
Matthew 5:21-26. Our relationship with God is inseparably tied to our relationship with people. Only through repentance and forgiveness can we live at peace with one another.
Matthew 5:17-20. Jesus believed that the scriptures were inspired, trustworthy, unchanging, and fulfilled in him. If Jesus saw the scriptures this way, they should not be neglected or unexamined by us.
Luke 10:38-42. Doing things for God apart from being with God leads to emotionally unhealthy spirituality. There are four symptoms to help diagnose if you're making this mistake.
Matthew 5:13-16. Jesus invites his followers to partner with him in extending his kingdom in the world. As salt, we preserve the world from evil and make the world a more flavorful place. As light, we provide illumination for people to see Jesus.
Matthew 5:1-12. Jesus's kingdom was an upside-down kingdom that sees people differently than the world's kingdoms, and it was a kingdom comprised of the powerless, not the powerful.
Matthew 4:12-25. Jesus's ministry on earth can be summed up in this one sentence; "The kingdom of heaven is near." The people of his day were expecting a king who would establish a new kingdom by forming a new people, confronting evil, and bringing freedom.
John 4:4-26. Jesus offers us living water so that we will never thirst again. Though we often fail to access it, Jesus provides abundant and eternal life that we can't find in the world.
John 3:1-16. Jesus explains to Nicodemus the mystery and the Spirit's work in illumining our hearts to see Jesus and the process by which the Spirit does it.
Mark 2:1-12. Our spiritual needs are greater than our physical needs. Jesus came to heal them both, but he knew that spiritual forgiveness was the starting place for spiritual and physical healing.
John 2:1-11. The human desire for joy is infinite because we were made by God and for God, and we can only be satisfied by an infinite God. Jesus came to make a way for us to experience the joy of the infinite God.
Matthew 4:12-17. Jesus came to expose our sins and call us to repentance. His patience and kindness toward us lead us to repentance to faith and ongoing repentance as we follow him.
Matthew 3:13-4:2. Jesus was unhurried, present in each moment, and interruptable for his Father and people. He lived this way because he is love, and love is patient.
Matthew 11:28-30. Only once did Jesus describe his heart, and he said he is gentle and humble in heart. His gentle and humble heart is what made him draw near to the lowly and offer them rest, the rest that he experienced through his pace and practices.
John 1:35-50. Jesus knows us and calls us by name. He knows our backstory, our current circumstances, and our future.
Matthew 4:18-25. Jesus invited his disciples to not only watch his life and ministry but to join him in it. He trained them to do what he did.
Luke 6:39-40. Jesus invites his followers to become like him, and it's something that we really can do. We can become like him. To become like Jesus, we need to be aware of the unintentional ways the world is influencing us and give ourselves to the practices of Jesus that keep us rooted in him.
John 15:1-8. To become like Jesus, we first must be with him and remain in him. To be with Jesus, we must adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.
Mark 8:34-37. When Jesus called his disciples to follow him, it was a call to be with him, to become like him, and to do what he did. His call is the same for us today. When we become more like Jesus, Austin will become a lot more like heaven.
Colossians 3:15-17. We worship God so we can experience God personally and so we can experience God together. When the church gathers for worship, there is a vertical element unto God and a horizontal element unto each other.
Romans 12:1-2 and Luke 7:36-50. Adoration of God begins with a revelation of our need for mercy. We experience the mercy of God to the degree we believe that we need it.
Psalm 147. We worship because God is worthy, and it's fitting to honor the one who created the entire world yet loves and cares for us.
Psalm 67. God calls all of us to live heroic lives. He calls us out of our ordinary lives into a life of adventure requiring selflessness and sacrifice.
Proverbs 18:21. Our words have power. They can bring life or death. The wise learn how to use their words to bring life.
Proverbs 5 and 7. A loving father helps his son by showing him what is promised in sexual temptation, what it costs to compromise, and what to do to resist temptation.
Proverbs 13:20. Our emotions cloud our decision-making, which is why we need wise friends to make wise decisions. We need to have wise friends, and we need to listen to their advice.
Proverbs 6:6-11. Wise people invest their time, while fools waste their time. Small amounts of time invested accumulate, creating positive results. Small amounts of time wasted accumulate, creating negative results.
Proverbs 30:7-9. Wealth seduces our hearts with its deceptions. It overpromises and under-delivers. That's why Jesus told us not to be foolish by hoarding wealth for ourselves but instead to be rich toward God.
Proverbs 3:1-8. Wisdom is found in God alone, but what's the way to find God's wisdom? The way to wisdom is knowing God's faithful love for you, trusting in the God who loves you, and seeking wisdom from others who trust God.
Ephesians 5:15-17 and Proverbs 1:7. There's one question we can ask ourselves that allows us to grow in wisdom. The question is: "In light of my past experience, current circumstances, and desired future, what is the wise thing for me to do?
Ephesians 6:10-20. Whether we believe it or not, we are in a spiritual battle. Our battle is not with people but with spiritual forces that sneak up on us and tell us lies. To stand against these forces of evil, we must put on the armor of God, arm ourselves with God's word, and call to him for help.
Ephesians 6:5-9. The gospel radically changed the relationships and power dynamics within the workplace in Ephesus, as Christians began to see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, whether slave or master, and accountable to God for their work and how they treated each other.
Ephesians 6:1-4. Parents have a specific role and goal in raising their children. Their role is one of stewardship and servanthood. Their goal is to engage their kids' hearts and train them to be disciples of Jesus.
Ephesians 5:21-33. We're commanded in scripture to submit ourselves to everyone in the family of God, but there are unique ways that husbands and wives are to submit to one another within marriage. When husbands and wives submit to each other in these unique ways, marriages flourish.
I Timothy 5:1-2. The Bible does not speak specifically about dating, but we can find principles for Christian relationships that help us know God's purpose and process in dating, who we should date, and how we should date.
Matthew 19:8-12. The world and even the church (sometimes) teach that others can fully meet our core needs in marriage or that sexual intimacy is the height of human love. Jesus, however, taught something very different, giving love and purpose to those who are single as he was.
II Peter 1:3-9. Jesus changes our character, attitudes, and behaviors as we rely on what he has already given us. We fail to change when we forget what he has already given us.
John 21. The resurrection of Jesus sparked the beginning of the restoration of all things. God restores all things by first restoring people. Then he invites them to partner with him in his restoring work in the world.
Various Scriptures. Jesus' disciple, Peter, learned to trust Jesus more and more as he spent time with him. His life was one of faith followed by failure, but by God's grace he continued to trust Jesus.
Ephesians 5:1-21. Sometimes the most obvious and important realities are the hardest to see and talk about. In this teaching, we learn about how to be aware of, and responsive to, the presence, power, and prompting of God through the reality of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:25-32. The basis of a changed life leads to the behaviors of a changed life. The basis for a changed life is what Jesus has done for us.
Ephesians 4:17-24. How do Christians change? How are we made new? By believing in Jesus and the work he has already done by making us new in God's eyes and living in light of that truth by putting off our old self and putting on our new self.
Matthew 9:35-38. What would Jesus do if he came to Austin as he did to cities in his day? He would see people's needs, feel people's needs, and meet people's needs. Jesus is in Austin today, doing the same through his Body, the Church.
Romans 12:9-18. Christian love is meant to be sincere and without hypocrisy. This sincere love can be practiced in many tangible ways, as described in this passage.
Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus speaks only once about what his heart is like. He says his heart is gentle and lowly. Seeing Jesus as he described himself will move us to draw near to him, who welcomes us with open arms.
The narrative scriptures in the Bible give us four reasons to fast. We fast when we need answered prayers and spiritual breakthrough, when we need to confess and repent of sin when we need discernment and direction, and as a regular spiritual practice to draw near to God.
I Peter 1:3-9. The reality is that in this world, we will suffer, but there is a reason for our suffering. Trials purify our faith and result in praise to God. Knowing this, we're able to both grieve and rejoice in our suffering.
Revelation 7:9,10. We hope for racial unity because God gave John this revelation of racial unity in heaven under Jesus. While this is our certain hope, it's also a view of heaven that we should aim to create on earth by acknowledging our family history, asking God to search our hearts, acting in humility, and attaching in love.
I Corinthians 1 and 8. Is there hope for civil discourse in 2021? There is if we believe that agreement is more important than our disagreements and love is more important than knowledge.
Matthew 5:1-16. Our hope starts with God's promise to restore the world and make all things new. Jesus sets forth a vision of what this kind of world looks like, the unexpected people who are welcome there, and the pivotal role they play in making this world a reality.
I John 3:1-3. Christians throughout history have found common hope in the future return of Jesus Christ. In this teaching, we explore what it means to live now in light of the fact that we will live forever in His kingdom.
Mark 4 and 5. Jesus's power over the natural world, supernatural world, sickness, and death gives us faith to overcome our fears. Fear comes when we think about the what-ifs. Faith comes when we think about the what-is.
Matthew 9:35-38. Jesus revealed God's compassion to the world by how he cared for the physical and spiritual needs of people. His compassion for people always led to action on their behalf.
Matthew 2:4-16. Kings like King Herod forced others to serve them and did whatever they had to do to remain on the throne. King Jesus, instead, left his throne to serve others.
John 1:1-14. God sent Jesus to dwell with us on earth; what theologically is known as the incarnation. The incarnation of Jesus gives us the confidence to know what God is like, comfort that he knows what we're like, and conviction to live for others as he has lived for us.
Ephesians 4:7-16. For the church to grow to maturity and fullness in Christ, every member must use their spiritual gifts, and every leader must equip members to become ministers and missionaries.
Ephesians 4:1-6. Unity is not something the church has to create. It's something we already have in Christ but are called to live on earth in a manner worthy of this spiritual reality. We can only do so when we believe the gospel and relate to one another as God has related to us in Christ.
Ephesians 3:14-21. Why do we need God's power and presence in our lives? Because we're weak in faith and weak in our mind's understanding of the incredible love and power of God.
Ephesians 3:1-13. Paul became a peace-making activist after experiencing God's grace personally and among the multi-ethnic churches he planted. He believed God was most glorified when the church is most unified.
Ephesians 2:11-22. The gospel has the power to truly make peace and unify people of different parties or persuasions. It creates unity in diversity, not uniformity, giving us allegiance to a kingdom beyond this world.
Ephesians 2:11-22. The root of racism is misplaced identity, which creates an "Us vs. Them" mentality. The gospel reforms our identity and restores our true identity. It makes a brand new humanity, one reconciled to God and one another.
Ephesians 2:1-10. You are important. Your life matters. You're significant. We want those statements to be true, but we often question them. The gospel explains why we question our significance and how it frees us to stop our questioning.
Ephesians 1:15-23. Is it possible that after beginning the Christians life full of joy and intimacy with God that years later we can settle for Christian moralism? It happened to the Ephesian church, and can happen to us if we're not careful and prayerful.
Ephesians 1:1-14. The world tells us our identity is based on what we do, what we have, and what people say about us, but our identity is in Christ. We are what he says about us. We are chosen, blameless, beloved, adopted, redeemed, set free, and sealed in Christ.
John 17:8-19. What would Jesus pray for his disciples, knowing he was about to leave them in the world without his protection? He'd prayed that the Father would protect them from the evil one while sanctifying them by his word. He prayed they would live like sent ones, living in the world but not being of the world.
John 13:34-35. Jesus lays out for His followers what they were to be known for. Surprisingly, He didn’t say they were to be known for how they loved Him. At least, not directly.
John 13:1-15. Why do we do what we do? The why behind what we do is what Jesus has first done for you.
What did Jesus believe about spirituality? What role does scripture play in our spiritual lives? In this teaching, we will look at the tradition of spiritual formation that Jesus himself grew up in, and learn what it means for our day-to-day life in our modern context.
To decide whether or not the Old Testament is trustworthy, we first need to see what Jesus thought about the Hebrew scriptures that He knew so well.
People commonly say that the New Testament was compiled and changed to benefit political and religious leaders and is thus, not trustworthy. In actuality, there are three good reasons to believe that the New Testament is reliable and could never be used to gain political or religious power.
The Bible did not create Christianity. Christianity is the result of a historical event - Jesus's resurrection - and the Bible was written as an account and consequence of that event.
Psalm 91. God promises to give rest to those who make him their refuge so we can trust him. He is the God who can deliver us and protect us from disease and harm. Even if he does not, he is with us and will show us his salvation.
Psalm 19. God's glory is revealed to us through his creation and in his commandments. When we live according to God's intention, we participate with creation in experiencing and declaring the glory of God - the active presence of His goodness in the world.
Psalm 105. Worship is ascribing worth to something or someone. We all worship because we all give worth to things, but only God is worthy of all of our worship. When we ascribe worth to Him, we are transformed by Him.
Psalm 32. Confession involves acknowledging our sins to God and not covering it up. When we confess our sin, our loving God responds with forgiveness, protection, and direction. When we confess, we can hide in Him instead of running from Him.
Psalm 80. In his grief over the destruction of Jerusalem, Asaph cries out to God for revival. He calls the people to prayer and repentance so that God would forgive their sin and heal their land.
Psalm 146. What is Biblical justice? It's both punishing wrongdoers and caring for (not ignoring) the oppressed. Only God is purely just, so we cry out to Him for complete justice while at the same time, we are moved in worship to bring His justice to earth.
At the end of this life, we will stand before God to give an account for how we have lived on earth. This reality should cause us to live for God and love others so that we can make a difference in this life and the life to come.
Revelation 21:1-8. The highlight of heaven is that God will dwell among us, and we will see Jesus face to face. All other pleasures in heaven will be derivative from God's presence with us.
If there is life after this life, what will it be like? The afterlife, as described by Jesus and his disciples, is very similar to what we experience on earth, only more beautiful. We'll be reunited with friends and family who share our faith to eat, drink, and enjoy each other forever.
Is there life after this life? We believe so because Jesus promised he was preparing a place for us, but there is growing worldwide scientific evidence mounting as well. Thousands of people have experienced near-death experiences that have scientists and skeptics believing there is life after this life.
Philippians 1:12-21. Is it possible to have joy while in isolation and captivity? It is when your joy is anchored to Jesus rather than your circumstances.
Ephesians 5:15-17. During this pandemic, we've been focused on being careful with our physical health. We also need to use this time to be careful with our spiritual health so that time is not wasted but instead redeemed.
Isaiah 40. In times of waiting, we can be passive (thinking we can't do anything) or active (thinking we can do something). Waiting on the Lord, however, is coming to God, asking him to do something. Waiting requires surrender, prayer, and trust.
We all wrestle with the question of why God allows evil in the world. If there was a perfect answer to the question, it might not help us because what we want more than answers is the nearness of God. We want a God who feels our pain and enters into it and provides a way out of an evil world.
Easter 2020. Even while we're in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can find peace because of what Jesus did for us. We can have peace with God, peace in hard times, and peace in the face of death.
James 4:1-2. What causes us to get angry? Is it circumstances, people, or something out there? Or is it more profoundly something inside of our hearts when we don't get what we want?
Mark 4:35-41. Jesus lived a life without fear because of His assumptions about what God is like. If we have confidence that God is good, attentive, competent, and faithful, then we can join Jesus in the settled conviction that if we belong to God, then God's universe is a perfectly safe place for us to be.
Hebrews 10:23-25. During this time of mandatory isolation, we must remember to consider others and how we can love them. We also must continue to find ways to meet together so that we can help each other hold on to the hope we have in Jesus and become more loving people.
Isaiah 26:3. Our response to the coronavirus outbreak reveals that we value life by the measures we're taking to protect life. As important as that is, our hearts long even more for eternal life, which can only be found in Jesus. In this trying season, let's remember to run to Jesus and point others to Jesus.
Romans 8:1-4. We all experience guilt when we realize we have done something wrong. When we feel the emotion of guilt, we do one of two unhelpful things. We deny our guilt or to let our guilt define us. There is a better third way of handling the emotion of guilt. It involves remembering that Jesus has taken our guilt and, therefore, God sees us and not the things that cause us to feel guilt.
Matthew 15:10-20. Jesus says that what comes out of our hearts puts us at odds with God, because the heart is the place where evil thoughts reside. This truth should cause us to pay more careful attention to our emotions, thoughts, and words.
Jonah 4. All people matter much to God because all people are made by God. Given that truth, the question God asked Jonah, and the question he would ask us is this: Do all people matter much to you?
Jonah 3. Jonah gets a second chance to go to Nineveh. What God does with Jonah in Nineveh is proof that God is immensely patient with us and that no one is beyond God's use or beyond God's reach.
Jonah 2. What caused Jonah's heart to change from chapter 1 to chapter 3? After three days in the belly of a fish, he recognized that God had saved him from what he did deserve and had given him what he did not deserve.
Jonah 1. Like Jonah, we often run from God because we don't trust God's heart for us or don't share his heart for others. Thankfully, God runs even harder after us and can accomplish his purposes through us even while we run from Him.
Luke 5:27-32. Through Jesus, we are able to experience the type of love that we all long for. The story of Levi is a great example of this love expressed through grace and belonging, and the impact it can have on a person’s life.
I Corinthians 15:42-44. What happens to us when we die? Tens of thousands of people around the world have had near-death experiences and come back to life to report what they experienced outside of their bodies. Their reports are very similar to each other, and they align with much of how the Bible describes the afterlife.
Matthew 6:16-18. Throughout the Bible, we see individuals and groups of people fasting, refraining from food to pursue God. Even Jesus fasted, and he expected his followers to fast, but only if they fasted in for specific reasons.
Mark 2:23-28. The Sabbath is meant to be a blessing, not a burden. While Christians are not obligated to keep the Sabbath, they would be foolish not to keep the Sabbath. We keep the Sabbath when we make time to stop, rest, and delight.
Psalm 119:9-11. What can we do to overcome the obstacles of temptation and doubt in our walk with God? We hide God's word in our heart by remembering the past and remembering His promises.
Matthew 1:1-6. Matthew starts his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, and he deliberately includes the details that point to why he wrote this gospel. He points to the story of David and Bathsheba to show that God's grace is greater than our sin. God was faithful to the promise he made to David because God keeps His promises no matter what.
Matthew 1:1-5. Matthew starts his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, and he deliberately includes the details that point to why he wrote this gospel. He points to the story of Rahab, the prostitute, to show that God's grace is greater than the law. She received a new label in Christ, as do we.
Matthew 1:1-3. Matthew starts his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, and he deliberately includes the details that point to why he wrote this gospel. He points to the story of Judah to show that God's love and acceptance does not depend on what we do for Him, but on what He has done for us.
James 5:13-20. Suffering is inevitable, but it can be profitable if we stay faithful to God. When suffering becomes overwhelming, we need the prayer and support of others to help us remain faithful.
James 5:1-11. The way of the world is to get all you can any way that you can with the aim of living a life of luxury and self indulgence on earth. The way of God is to wait patiently for Jesus's promised return and to live for eternal rewards in heaven.
James 4:11-17. Pride is defined as placing yourself above others while humility is defined as bringing yourself lower than others. Humble people bring themselves low by not speaking against others and by not making plans for the future without seeking God's will first.
James 4:1-10. Our selfish living and pursuit of worldly pleasures above God is like adultery in His eyes. Still, there is grace to be found when we humble ourselves before Him.
James 3:13-18. The wisdom of the world calls us to live life for ourselves which leads to disorder and evil, but the wisdom of God calls us to live a life of humility by putting others above ourselves which leads to peace.
James 3:1-12. Our words have consequences and they reveal what is in our hearts. We must learn to tame our tongue and use our words to bless people. Tongue mastery is the measure of spiritual maturity.
James 2:14-26. If we're saved from God's judgment by grace through faith alone, then why does James say that we also need works to accompany our saving faith? It depends on what he's saying we're being saved from and who he's saying we're justified by.
James 2:1-13. Showing favoritism and casting judgment toward specific types of people is incongruent with the Christian faith. It violates the great commandment and shows that we've forgotten how merciful God has been with us.
James 1:19-27. To get wisdom for today we must listen and obey. When we do, it results in true freedom that changes how we live and who we love.
James 1:12-18. God tests us, but he does not tempt us. However, temptation will come during times of testing, especially the temptation to believe that God is not good.
James 1:1-8. When we face trials, what should we do? James encourages us to believe God is using them for our good and will give us wisdom to see how.
Revelation 4 and 5. One of the reasons we don't make time to be with God is that we don't understand how great He is. The Apostle John's glimpse at the glory of God should move us to worship God and value being with Him.
Galatians 5:16-26. Jesus promised that he'd send the Spirit so that we could see and know Him even after we could see him no longer. Now that we have his Spirit, we can see him and walk in step with him as we are made more like him.
John 15:4,5,8. We are invited to live life with God. However, pride gets in our way. When we realize how dependent we are on God, we will be moved to spend time with Him.
Luke 10:38-42. God invites us to be with him, but we're often too busy to meet with him. Our busyness is often driven by our fear that we can't do enough or be enough. That fear, if humbly embraced, can lead us to Jesus to find that he is enough and he is who we want and need.
I Thessalonians 1:2,3. Biblical hope is confident assurance in God and His promises. The hope of eternal life, regeneration, and being with God forever is a catalyst to give us perseverance and purpose in this life.
I Thessalonians 1:2,3 and 4:9,10. What kind of love moves us to sacrificially serve others without expecting anything back? It's Agape love - a love we learn to give to others after experiencing God's Agape love toward us.
I Thessalonians 1:2,3. What does God use to produce change in our lives? Too often Christians use shame, guilt, and obligation as motivators which do not produce real life change. What does produce real life change is faith, love, and hope. Today: Faith.
Psalm 73. There are seasons in life when the circumstances force us to take a look at our motives in following Jesus. If we seek God in those seasons, He can purify our motives so that we want God more than anything else on earth.
Psalm 1. One of the greatest ironies of human existence is that the search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. The Bible teaches that real happiness is possible, but only if it is sought in the right way.
Psalm 25. God promises that he has good works for us to do and he promises to guide us in them. When considering God's guidance, the question is not "How does God guide us?" Rather, the question is "Who does God guide?" He guides those who fear him.
John 6:25-69. Many of the people who were following Jesus ultimately decided to unfollow him. We will be tempted to do the same, especially in seasons of transition, trouble, and temptation. Peter, however, gives us one powerful reason to keep following Jesus.
Mark 10:32-45. Jesus was the best leader in history, but not in the top-down way leaders function in the world. He led by becoming a servant and giving his life as a ransom. He takes his disciples aside and teaches them that this is the way he wants them to lead as well.
Matthew 26:6-16. Jesus's disciples were consumers before they became true followers. This is evident in how they respond to things Jesus did that were outside the scope of their expectations of a Messiah. Ultimately they hit a fork in the road and had to decide to be a follower instead of a consumer.
Mark 8:27-38. To this point in the book of Mark, people were trying to figure out who Jesus was. After two years of following Jesus, Peter is the first to rightly call him Messiah. Then Jesus explains what he must do for them, as Messiah, and what it will cost his disciples to follow him.
John 13:34,35. On the last night that Jesus was with his followers before he was arrested, he gave them a new command. It was similar to commands he had given before, but was new because of the qualifier and promise attached to the command.
Matthew 10:16-31. Where did Jesus want to take those who would follow him? Become a better person? Go to heaven? Live a pain-free life? Not at all. He promised to take them to a place of growing confidence in the character of God that would result in a fearless life.
Luke 5:1-11. When Jesus called Peter to follow him, it was not the first time Jesus has spoken with him. Peter took baby steps of faith before he was ready to leave everything to follow Jesus. We, too, need to simply take the next step of faith that God is calling us to do.
Matthew 9:9-13. What is necessary in order to follow Jesus? Is it belief? Is it obedience? Is it theological agreement? Who Jesus invites to follow Him reveals the answer…and it’s refreshing.
James 1:1. Jesus's brother, James, was not a believer in Jesus before his death, but after his resurrection he called him his Lord and worshiped him. What produced such a change in James, and what does it mean for us today?
John 20 and 21. John records the first three times Jesus appears to his disciples after his resurrection. What do Peter, John, and Thomas claim to have seen? Why should we consider their eyewitness testimony credible? If true, what does it mean for us today?
Matthew 28:1-10. Mary and Mary were the first two people to witness Jesus as risen from the dead. What did they claim to see? Is there reason to believe them? If so, what does it mean for us today?
I Corinthians 15. There are many objective reasons to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. If Jesus really did rise from the dead, what does it mean for us today? How should we respond?
Philippians 4:10-23. What is the secret to finding contentment no matter our circumstances or financial situation? It's in trusting that your life is in Christ's care. When you have this kind of trust you're free to use your finances for good purposes.
Philippians 4:1-9. We all want peace. We want peace in our relationships instead of conflict. We want peace of mind instead of anxiety. In this part of the letter, the apostle Paul gives the Philippians three pathways to promised peace.
Philippians 3:17-21. We all need to follow great examples who can help us learn to follow Jesus and set our minds on heavenly things. If we don’t, we’ll end up following our culture and the examples of others who think only about earthly things which lead to destruction.
Philippians 3:10-14. Paul's life-long goal was to know Jesus and become more like him. While he admitted it was unattainable, he would press on toward that goal knowing it would one day be attained when he would meet Jesus face to face.
Philippians 3:1-11. We're prone to value other things above Jesus. We don't see the value in Jesus, largely because we don't truly believe that he is our only means of salvation. When we think we're saved by Jesus plus our religious acts, we will value Jesus less than he is worth.
Philippians 2:19-30. Paul points to the Philippians to two people who serve as excellent examples of how to live selflessly. The example of two men (Timothy and Epaphroditus) is meant to inspire us to live selflessly and know that to become the greatest we must become the least.
Philippians 2:12-18. We're called to "work out our salvation," but we can only "work out" what God has already "worked in" us. We received salvation by faith, and we grow in Christ (sanctification) by the same faith.
Philippians 2:5-11. If the Bible is a mountain range, this passage is one of the highest peaks. It describes how the loving and humble God, displayed in Jesus (equally God and man), humbled himself to death on a cross.
Philippians 2:1-4. Imagine a world where everyone considers others needs above their own. It's hard to imagine because we're always fighting the "me monster" that wants others to value us. The remedy for the "me monster" is found in believing that Jesus values us so much that he would die for us.
Philippians 1:27-30. Paul's first command to the church he loved so much was to "live up to what they say they believe." It's an important first command because hypocrisy keeps people from following Jesus, but living up to what we say we believe moves people to want to follow Jesus with us.
Philippians 1:12-26. How do we find stable joy that is not attached to our circumstances? It comes from anchoring our hopes to Jesus who is stable. It comes from living for Christ more than for comfort, success, security, relationships, religion, or anything else.
Philippians 1:1-11. Paul was filled with joy because of his partnership in the gospel with the Philippians. Gospel partnership brought meaning to his life. So what exactly is gospel partnership? Who gets to be a gospel partner, and how are they qualified to do so?
Acts 16:12-40. The Philippians church had a strange and beautiful beginning. The church started with the conversion of several families from radically different backgrounds. It's a story only God could write.
This time of year it's common to set goals to become a better person. What if this year we resolved to become more virtuous? In many of Paul's letters to the churches he would list a set of virtues, encouraging the body of Christ to practice these virtues as a means to grow in love for one another. In this two-week series, we'll examine twelve of these virtues and learn how to grow in our capacity to love each other well.
This time of year it's common to set goals to become a better person. What if this year we resolved to become more virtuous? In many of Paul's letters to the churches he would list a set of virtues, encouraging the body of Christ to practice these virtues as a means to grow in love for one another. In this two-week series, we'll examine twelve of these virtues and learn how to grow in our capacity to love each other well.
The good news proclaimed by the angels was for "all people." When the expert in the law asked, "who is my neighbor," Jesus told him a story about "all people."
Normally at Christmas we exchange gifts with friends and family members. What instead we focused on giving gifts? Meaning, giving to those in need who are not able to give anything back to us.
When we think of Christmas, we usually think of presents. We often thoughtlessly purchase presents for people without really thinking about what people really want and need. What if this year we focused more on giving our "presence" to people than giving "presents" to people?
What will you worship this Christmas season? Jesus said you can't worship God and money. Christmas is a story of God coming to the poor and marginalized, the type of people God has always loved. What if we determined this season to care for the poor and marginalized instead of getting caught up in the consumerism of the season?
Matthew 6:7-13. Jesus taught that there is a right an wrong way to pray, but it is not in what you pray or how you pray. It is in why you think God will answer your prayers. Do you think God will answer your prayers because of what you do for Him or because of who you are to Him?
Our prayers really are effectual. Though mysterious, prayer is one of the primary ways we partner with God in what He is doing in the world.
Exodus 33. When we come to God in prayer, we often come seeking His presents more that His presence. But being with God is better than getting things from God.
Daniel 6. Daniel gives an incredibly practical example on how to remain faithful to God while loving and respecting those who are opposed to him, which results in God's character being displayed.
Daniel 5. God goes to great lengths to show a prideful king that He is the Sovereign King in control of the whole world. We, like that king, should surrender our lives to God rather than pridefully trying to control our own lives.
Daniel 4. God patiently pursues Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan, polytheist, murderous, king. He does the same with us today by giving us faithful witnesses, divine experiences, and humbling circumstances.
Daniel 3. How do we live faithful to God and lovingly toward people in a pluralistic culture?
Daniel 2. Is it possible in our culture to speak the truth to those who disagree with us and still maintain loving and respectful relationships with them? It is, and Daniel shows us how to do it.
Daniel 1. What does it look like to remain faithful to God and his ways while also engaging our culture in a loving way? As we begin our series in the book of Daniel we will see there are two things we must live in light of.
There are several misconceptions that most Christians have around the topic of God's heart for the nations and His call to missions. Guest speaker, Mark Proeger, brings light and truth to three of the most common misconceptions.
I John 4:7-21. We are a part of the family of God because we have been loved and served by God. If we are living in line with who we are, what is the the number one thing that should result? And what does that look like?
II Corinthians 5:14-21. God has loved and served us. When we respond to Him in faith, we become his beloved children. He then invites us to join Him in the family business of reconciling people to Himself.
Midtown Church is a family loved and served by God and compelled to love and serve Austin with God. But, why is that who we are?
It is common to believe that in order to be happy you need to focus on yourself. However, observation, experience, modern research, and God’s Word all say a key to happiness is serving others. Why is that?
It’s often said that money can’t make you happy. However, we all know that is not entirely true. There is a strong connection between money and happiness, but the connection isn’t what we would expect.
There are several rhythms that lead to happiness in life. God has "baked them into the cake" of humanity. These rhythms help us fight against the most common "happiness hindrances."
Happiness is found in being with those who love us deeply. And no greater happiness is discovered than the happiness that comes from BEING WITH God, because He loves us deeply.
What makes you happy? Contrary to what every advertisement you see tries to tell you, happiness is more about a who than a what. But why?
We deceive ourselves when we read God's word but don't obey it. We're prone to this deception because it is difficult to obey the word. However, we're enabled and compelled to obey the "word in text" when we consider the sacrifice of the "word in flesh.”
Growing believers feed their souls with solid food, not milk. Solid food requires chewing - studying and meditating on the word of God.
We have a soul. How do we take care of it? According to Jesus, God’s Word is to our spiritual wellness what food is to our physical wellness. We nourish our soul by feeding on God’s Word everyday.
When you think about what God is doing, what comes to mind? As we bring our series in Acts to a close we are reminded that God is on mission to seek and save that which is lost and he invites us to join Him on His mission.
What can give us hope even when those in power horrifically misuse their power? What will result if we have that hope?
What evidence of God's grace does Barnabas find when visiting the new church in Antioch? He finds that people have believed the gospel, have been changed by the gospel, and are committed to their new spiritual family.
As the gospel goes to the household of Cornelius, Peter realizes that no one is unloved or unacceptable to God.
What can change a person like Saul from being a persecutor of Jesus to a follower of Jesus? Only the steadfast pursuing love of Jesus.
In this interaction between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, we glean insights into how to effectively connect with others, and share the good news of Jesus in light of their story.
The church is scattered after the stoning of Stephen, and normal Christians bring the good news to Judea and Samaria. As a result, there was great joy in the city.
The stoning of Stephen was a turning point in the book of Acts. It became clear that Jesus's followers were beginning a new religion different from Judaism - a religion for all people, even the Gentiles.
Jesus invites Levi, a tax collector, to follow him. This shows that everyone (even a tax collector) is invited to follow Jesus. What results from this invitation? Levi invites his friends to a dinner party because that's what people following Jesus do.
After a busy time of ministry and after hearing of John the Baptist's murder, Jesus and his disciples just want to get away from people. However, they are greeted by more than 5000 people on the shores of Bethsaida. How did they find the strength to minister to these people even while they were emotionally spent?
In Luke 7:36-50 Jesus uses the events of a shocking dinner to show us how we will respond to Him when we grasp who he is and how he has come to relate to us.
Peter, Jesus's friend and disciple, felt that his denying Jesus forever broke his relationship with him. Jesus, however, restores his relationship with Peter by offering him a meal at the very place where he first called Peter to follow him.
Jesus did something radical at the Last Supper with his closest friends. He redefined the meaning of the Passover meal by claiming that his body was the the bread that would be broken (the bread of affliction) and that his blood would bring salvation (the blood of the lamb).
Time is something God has given us to steward. How do we steward it well? By obeying the three commands in Ephesians 5:15-17 - to assess our time, to determine our priorities, and to make plans to do God's will.
Busyness is the enemy of intimacy. That's why God created the Sabbath and why He invites us to rest. Rest is a priority of God. The purpose of rest is to reflect and remember that God is our ultimate rest.
The Old and New Testaments contain one common theme: God loves all people. Psalm 67 and Matthew 28 contain the same Great Commission message: God loves all people so He sends us to all people.
What does God promise for those who respond in faith to Malachi's message, to those who continue to wait in faith for the Messiah and His reign? God will be just, and He will redeem His people.
Acts 1:1-11. Listen to our honored guest speaker as he shares with us how we can prepare to experience God’s power by understanding truth, waiting on God’s presence, gathering together, and knowing God personally.
Haggai 1:1-15. After beginning the work of rebuilding the temple, the Israelites faced opposition which led them to discontinue their work. After 16 years of building their own houses instead of the temple, God sends Haggai to challenge the people to continue their work building the temple. Like the Israelites, we too can lose sight of God and allow other things to become first in our lives. We need the reminder of Haggai to put first things first.
Luke 2:8-20. After the shepherds met Jesus they “spread the word concerning what had been told to them about this child.” Why did they react that way? And what will enable us to respond likewise? The answer to both questions is found in what had been told to them about Jesus.
Matthew 2:1-12. The Magi receive revelation by way of a guiding star that a King has been born. They make the long journey to Bethlehem to worship Jesus. In response to the gift that God has given the world in Jesus, they worship Jesus with extravagant giving of their own.
Luke 2:19, Matthew 1:22-23. After giving birth to Jesus we are told that Mary responded by treasuring and pondering all that Jesus’ birth meant. As we reflect on Jesus’ birth this Christmas season let us respond in the same way.
Luke 2:8-16. The angel that appears to the shepherds reveals the Baby Jesus to be their long-awaited Savior and Messiah. At the announcement of this good news the host of angels sing, as should we.
Acts 6:1-7. As a church grows more time and attention must be given to care for the people in the church. But focusing on serving the church can cause the church to lose her focus on serving the city. Is it possible to serve the church family while also working together as a church family to serve our city? Yes, if the church is full of priests.
Acts 5:12-42. In order to saturate a city with the gospel it will require strong convictions and supernatural courage.
Acts 4:32-5:11. In this passage Luke gives us his second summary report that describes the oneness in the church demonstrated by meeting each others’ needs. Luke gives us two contrasting examples in Barnabas and Ananias and Sapphira to show the difference between gospel-motivated worship and worship for selfish ambition.
Joshua 4. Join us as we recount stories from our church’s past and celebrate the bigs things that God has done through this small local church.
Acts 4:1-22. What does it look like to live a courageous life? In Acts 4:1-22, we observe the courage of Peter and John and discover the attributes of those who choose to live a courageous life.
Acts 3. How should Jesus’ followers respond in the face of all the suffering in our world? In Acts 3 we are given a beautiful picture of what God has done, is doing and will do to alleviate suffering.
Act 2:42-47. What was the first church like? What did they do? What were the results? Act 2:42-47 is one of the most beautiful descriptions of what the first church was like. This wonderful description of the first church gives us clarity on the type of activities we should still be seeing in the church of our day.
Acts 2:1-41. The Church was born when the Spirit of God descended. In Acts 2, we learn a lot about the work of the Holy Spirit and how He empowers the movement of God.
Acts 1:12-26. What did Jesus’s followers do during the 10 days between Jesus’s ascension and their being baptized with the Holy Spirit? They did what Jesus told them to do – they waited. But this was not passive waiting. It was the Biblical kind of waiting, the kind that reminded them of their great need for God’s power to accomplish His mission.
Acts 1:1-11. In Acts 1:8 Jesus’ followers are told that we will be His witnesses starting where we are and moving out to the ends of the earth. That’s a big calling! What will enable us to do that?
Matthew 28:16-20. To kick off the new ministry year, let’s revisit what the Church is all about and commit to be all about it.
Luke 12:13-34. One core belief in our culture is that your money is your money to be first used to serve you. Jesus turns that upside down when he teaches that your money is really God’s money and you are to use it first to serve his kingdom. In Luke 12 he confronts the main thing that keeps us from seeking first his kingdom and shows us how that can change.
John 12:1-8, 23-27. In God’s kingdom things are turned upside down. For example, Jesus said, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” But what does losing your life for Christ look like? And what results if we do it?
Psalm 103. What is the one thing we must do in order to live in light of all the life changing, joy bringing, benefits of the gospel? If only I could remember.
Psalm 2. Why is there so much chaos in the world? Who is really in control of every ruler and every nation? Psalm 2 answers these questions in an amazing way. It is a Messianic Psalm that prophetically answers these timeless questions. Jesus is King.
Informational meeting about the upcoming location change for Midtown Austin Church. While no new location has been chosen this meeting and the follow-on Q and A address some of the questions and concerns posed by the partners.
Psalm 139. God is all powerful, all knowing, and all present. These truths about God can overwhelm and unsettle us. However, in the light of the gospel, they bring unparalleled joy and comfort.
Psalm 90. This is the oldest Psalm, written by Moses. As Moses meditates on the incredible fact that God is eternal and outside of time, he is reminded that his time on earth is incredibly short. These truths cause Moses to pray four simple prayers, including “teach us to number our days"
Psalm 62. Life is often difficult. We all long to find rest in the midst of trouble, but where should we look for it and how do we get it? In Psalm 62 we are told where not to look for rest, where to look and how to find it.
Psalm 16. How can we find joy in the midst of uncertainty and insecurity? Psalm 16 begins with a plea for security. From this place of fear, David calms his heart by remembering five wonderful truths. After meditating on these truths, David emerges joyful and unshaken with renewed faith in God’s promise of eternal security.
Psalm 27. How do you deal with the worry and fear in your life? Psalm 27 points us to the one thing that can truly calm our fears. It also has much to say about how to make that one thing our one thing.
Various Scripture. Whether you're raising children of your own or leading a discipleship these are some great principles to keep in mind: 1) A healthy marriage is the best environment to raise kids. 2) Begin with the end in mind. 3) Understand the need of your children. 4) Intentionally invest in a relationship with your children in creative, memorable, and effective ways. 5) Let God be your father and their father.
Psalm 78:5-7. Deuteronomy 6. What is the foundational purpose of parenting? What is the pattern that God gives parents to help them fulfill that purpose? In this message, Jake takes us through Psalm 78 and Deuteronomy 6 to find God's answers for these important questions.
Philippians 2:3,4; 3:17; I John 4:7-9. Justin talks today about how marriage continuously changes and shapes you as the years pass, and gives suggestions on how to remain connected to community during conflict.
Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:21. Today's message looks at how God designed marriage to be: 1) A covenant and NOT a consumer relationship 2) A whole life giving relationship 3) The penultimate relationship, NOT the ultimate relationship.
Various verses. One of the most difficult things singles experience is loneliness. This message parses out the value of friendship, the characteristics of a friendship, and how to be a good friend.
1 Corinthians 7:6-9; 32-35. Singleness is hard but ultimately not forever. Singleness is good because of 1) Jesus. 2) It is a gift from God. 3) It has advantages to being married. This messages explores all three of those reasons more in depth.
Various verses. The final in this four part series discusses Christ's triumphant return and why we can have hope in the promise of Christ's return.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12. This week we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with a beautiful message of hope, love, and sacrifice.
Genesis 1-2:3. Everything came from God who is eternal, creative, powerful, orderly, and loving. We were made to reflect and to represent God and in us we have great value and great purpose to Him.
Though it has received plenty of attention in the news lately, the world's refugee crisis is anything but new. The Bible is full of stories of refugees and offers clear cut truths about them and how we are called to respond to their plight.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3, 1:10-17, Matthew 18:21-35. One of the greatest tools that Satan uses is division. Whether it's personal beliefs held between individuals within the church, or the beliefs of different churches, it's important to recognize that at the end of the day we are called to worship, love, and forgive just as Christ did.
There are many groups of people that we as believers are called to love. Our world has many people of many faiths and backgrounds. As Christians, we ought to love all who are outside the church...not just those who are "like us".
Galatians 4:3-7; Romans 8:14-17. There are many groups of people that we as believers are called to love. One of those groups are the Orphans. Jake Box shares personal experience with adopting his son, Enoch, as well as draws out of scripture that are we all orphans crying our to our Abba Father.
Genesis 4; Ephesians 2, and Rev. 7. We all have witnessed and/or experienced racial division and disunity within our nation. Tori addresses the issue of unifying the races while recognizing that there is beauty in the difference of our cultures.
Habakkuk 3:17-19(Also referenced: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, Luke 21:1-4). The call to give is written everywhere in the Bible. Whether it's the giving of our time, talent, or treasures, we are to do it with a cheerful heart despite the perceived hardship giving could bring. By the end of this book Habakkuk realizes the delight he can have in trusting God's goodness regardless of what he sees around him.
Habakkuk 3(Also referenced: Luke 9:31). The definition of contentment as described in this series has been: an internal sense of well being not based on circumstances but based on confidence in God's loving leadership of my life. Contentment is a choice and by remembering God's faithfulness in the past, you will find faith and even contentment in the most sorrowful of times present day.
Guest speaker and new Hill Country Bible pastor Ben Schenck joins Midtown this week to discuss what it means when we think God is holding us back and what we have to look forward to in His promise of good grace.
Habakkuk 2:4-20. Why doesn't faith lead to peace in troubling times? What does it mean to question God's character? Habakkuk wrestled with and experienced these same questions through an inexplicably difficult time in his life and managed to endure.
Habakkuk 2:1-5. Waiting on God is normal and it requires us to be active. Two easy ways to wait are: 1) Look ahead to God's promise and 2) Look back to the cross.
Is there a way to experience contentment that is not anchored to our ever changing circumstances? When life gets hard or disappointing is contentment really an option? The small book of Habakkuk answers those hard questions in a powerful way. In this new six week series we learn together how we can experience contentment in troubling times.
Luke 4:42, 5:15-16, 6:12, 11:1,4. Psalm 5:1-3, 51:1-2, 63:1. Reasons FOR praying: 1) Prayer gets us closer to God. 2) In prayer God changes us. 3) In prayer we participate with God's work. Reasons we DON'T pray: 1) We've sinned and we think God doesn't welcome us. 2) Not trusting God for anything bigger than what we think we can accomplish ourselves. 3) We're not hungry for God as we are satisfied with lesser things.
Luke 2:8-38 (Also referenced: John 3:16-17, 4:9-10, Matthew 5:14-16). Jesus came to server everyone: religious and non-religious, educated and uneducated, young and old, married and unmarried, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, you and me. How does God come to us? He speaks to us, he gives sign, and He makes His presence known when we seek Him.
Isaiah 9:2, 5-7(Also referenced: Isaiah 8:21-22, 53:5; John 1:9). Christ brings the light to our lives. The light gives life, reveals truth, and brings joy to our lives. We respond to the light by living it in a humble and strong way.
John 1:1-5. Who is Jesus? He is with God, is God, has been with God from the beginning, and is the Creator of everything. He came to give life and give light to all of mankind.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28. In the last message of the A Moving Faith series, the subject of sanctification is examined and how it works for our good and God's glory.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-21(Also referenced: John 6:7-8; Philippians 4:4-7; James 1:2-4; Colossians 3:16; Habakkuk 3:17-19). This section of Thessalonians examines eight explicit commands given on how to experience God throughout your daily walk.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, John 3:16-18. Be prepared for the day of the Lord's return! Although we don't when He is coming back we know who is coming and who we are because of what He did when he first came to save us. So arm yourself today with faith, love, and hope of salvation.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:20. Death was not part of God's original plan for humanity and came about only as a result of sin entering the world. Christ, having conquered death through His resurrection, is our hope for life.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 5:27-30. While last week's message covered why not to pursue sexual immorality this week we take a look at why we should pursue sexual morality and how it can add be a blessing in our lives when practiced correctly.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. Sexual immorality is one of the most prevalent sins in society today. The Bible speaks clearly though to what it is, how it effects us and those around us, and how to avoid it.
1 Thessalonians 2:13-16. God 's word lays out a clear path for where's our faith should be moving us to and provides a clear depiction of what it should look like as we move ourselves towards a closer relationship with Him.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12. When God gets a hold of your life He moves you to grow in Christ likeness and to go with Him on His mission to fill the Earth with His glory. In setting up the church in Thessalonica Paul gives a great example for a faith that is missional(with bold initiative), is pure in motive(with the purest motive being love), and moves us to love like mothers and fathers.
Christianity was never meant to be a stagnant faith. Discussed today are three great ways to assess where we are in our spiritual life: 1) Responding to God's word. 2) Growing in Christ's likeness (Galatians 5:22). 3) Influencing others to follow Christ using the Word, the Spirit, and other people.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-3, 8-9; Acts 17:1-10. People respond strongly to hearing the Gospel. The Apostle Paul's mission trips in his lifetime demonstrate the same strong reactions that people give today to hearing the Gospel.
Nehemiah 1-2; Habakuk 2:14; John 7:38. Vision is a clear picture of what could be fueled by a conviction that it should be. God's vision for the Earth is Gospel saturation personally, locally, and globally. In this message you'll hear the three and five year plan of the church and how our mission aligns with God's vision for the Earth.
Most everyone has heard of the Golden Rule which is to treat others the way you want to be treated. This week we upgrade that rule and focus on what the Bible says about treating others the way Jesus treated them.
Money is mentioned in over 2300 verses in the Bible and Jesus preaches on money in more than 15% of his recorded teachings. Money is morally neutral but is one of the greatest indicators of where our hearts are. The Bible offers an abundance of guidance on the topic of money and how we as Christians need to interact with it.
Generosity comes in many forms. Giving of your time, talent, and treasure is something we're all called to do as Christians. When we sow generously, we reap generously. We may not reap the way we expect to but the Lord is faithful to those who give.
The Bible is love story that starts with a divorce and ends with a wedding. This week Jake walks us through a look at the difficult book of Revelation and the prophecy of the end times that ultimately leads to Christianity's union with the Lord. Revelation can be looked at in four distinct sections: 1. Letters to the Seven Churches(Ch. 2-3; a warning and a promise) 2. Tribulation (Ch. 4-19) 3. Millennial Kingdom (Ch. 20 part 1) 4. Great White Thrown Judgement.
A 30,000ft look at the first four books of the New Testament. Tips on how to study the Gospels: 1) Each Gospel account stands alone. 2) Each Gospel was written from the view point of its author with a specific audience in mind. The Gospel's Big Picture Significance comes in two ways: 1) The entire Old Testament pointed to Jesus. 2) Jesus lived, died, and rose again to save us and renew the world.
Approximately 400 years passed between the end of the final book of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. What happened during that time period and what can we learn from it?
A 30,000ft view of the books of the Old Testament pertaining to the exile and return of the Israelites.
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. Jamie Trussell. A 30,000ft view of the books of the poetical books of the bible.
Joshua, Judges. Jake Box. A 30,000ft view of the books of Joshua and Judges leading into Ruth.
Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. Justin Christopher. A 30,000 foot look at the Israelites journey from enslavement and captivity in ancient Egypt through the desert and into the promised land.
Genesis 1-12, 15. A look at Genesis from a 30,000ft view outlining creation, the fall of man, the first proclamation of the coming of Christ, the lineage of Seth, story of Noah, and Abraham.
John 8:31-32, 36. What is the truth that sets us free? Jesus Christ is that truth and we get to know him by: 1) Spending time with Him. 2) Spending time with others that know Him. 3) Seeking His presence when reviewing our day. 4) Depending on Him. How does knowing the truth set us free? It sets us free by: 1) Freeing us from the penalty of sin(Romans 3:22-24). 2) Freeing us from the power of sin(Titus 2:11-12, Romans 12:2). 3) Eventually setting us free from the presence of sin(1 John 3:2). When confronting sin in your life the following are some helpful questions to walk through: 1) What is it I am doing? 2) What am I believing? 3)What is the truth? 4) What do I believe? 5) What will I do?
Romans 3: 19-26. Earning someone's love can be exhausting. Likewise, the actions and characteristics we require of others to give them our love differ from person to person. God's love is unique in that it is impossible for us to earn by our own actions and has in turn been given freely and perfectly to each of us if we only believe. Referenced verses: Galatians 3:23-24, Zachariah 3.
John 10:11-15. When tragedy, pain, and suffering occur how can we know that God is still good? This week's message provides insight into how our God is still an infinitely good God. Because God is good, he suffered. Because God is good, we do not suffer in vain. And finally, because God is good, I don't have to look elsewhere. Referenced verses: John 8:31-32, James 1:16-17, Psalms 119:68.
Mark 4:35-5:43. In the first message of this five part series the question is asked: Do you really believe God is great? In many examples throughout the Bible God is seen as all powerful(omnipotent), all knowing(omniscient) and in control(sovereign). His power is shown over the natural world, the supernatural world, life and death, and sickness and health. How then can we better understand this and adopt this to our way of knowing and seeing Him in our lives? Referenced verses: John 8:31-32, Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28.
The Book of John. This Easter Sunday message focuses on Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus and their role throughout Christ's life and death.
1 Peter 5:6-13. The end of Peter's letter exhorts us to humble ourselves, giving to Him our worries and anxieties because He so deeply cares for and desires for us to be in close relation with Him. Referenced verses: Isaiah 41, 46; Romans 4, 6.
1 Peter 5:1-5. Church Elders play a pertinent role in the life of the church. They are called to: 1) Shepherd the flock among them. 2) Exercise oversight. 3) Be examples to the flock. This message and passage also relate how the church is to relate to the Elders and to each other. Referenced verses: Heb 13:17, John 10: 11, 18. Midtown Church also extends a warm congratulations to Shelby Sementelli on her baptism.
1 Peter 4:12-19. Peter addresses the suffering that we can expect in life simply by proclaiming to follow Christ. Referenced scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-7, Romans 8, Luke 9, Ezekiel 9, Malachi 3.
Love one another. Show hospitality to one another. Serve one another. This passage explores these three tenets that Peter calls us to live by. In the wake of the passing of one of Midtown's core partners, Sue Gibson Wright, we remember a life richly lived where these principles were exemplified.
1 Peter 4:7-11. First Peter is a New Testament letter that exhorts us to stand firm in the true grace of God. This letter helps Christians see how God's transformative grace practically plays out as they seek to live faithful and loving lives regardless of their cultural surroundings.
Continuing in a series titled With: Evaluating the way we relate to God and based on the passage by Luke 15:11-31. Presented by Jamie Trussell on December 13, 2015.
Part of the Love Where You Live series, Justin Christopher presented Jesus: Friend of Sinners on October 25, 2015. It is based on the passage from Matthew 9:9-13.
Part of the Love Where You Live series, Jake Box presented Value Your Neighbor on October 18, 2015. It is based on the passage from Jonah 4.
Part of the Love Where You Live series, Jamie Trussell presented Love Your Neighbor on October 11, 2015. It is based on the passage from Luke 10:25-29
Continuing the Standing in Grace series, Jamie Trussell presented Together as Priests on September 27, 2015. It is based on the passage from 1 Peter 2:4-10.
Grace to Stand in Suffering was presented by Jake Box on September 6, 2015. It is based on 1 Peter 1:6-12.
Jamie Trussell presented Ongoing Resurrection Reality on August 30, 2015. It is based on the passage from 1 Peter 1:1-5
Celebrating the combination of Hill Country Bible Church Central and Midtown Church Austin, The Joy of a New Chapter was presented by Jake Box on August 23rd, 2015. Based on John 2:1-11
From the series John: That You May Believe. Becoming One is based on John 17:20-23 and was presented by Jake Box on August 16, 2015.
From the series John: That You May Believe. Growth in Christ is based on John 15:1-11 and was presented by Jake Box on August 9, 2015.
From the series John: That You May Believe. The Great Life is based on John 13 and was presented by Jake Box on August 2, 2015.
From the series John: That You May Believe. The Wisdom of Jesus is based on John 8:1-11 was presented by Jake Box on July 26, 2015
Third in the series Wisdom in Life, Wisdom: How to Live It is based on Proverbs 4:5-9, 14-27 and was presented by Jake Box on July 19, 2015
Second in the series Wisdom in Life, Wisdom: How to Get It is based on Proverbs 3:1-12 and was presented by Jake Box on July 12, 2015
First in the series Wisdom in Life, Wisdom: What Is It? is based on Proverbs 1:1-9, 32-33 and was presented by Jake Box on July 5, 2015
Kept and Keep Going, based on Psalm 121, was presented by Jamie Trussell on June 28, 2015
From the series John: That You May Believe. The Gift of the Holy Spirit,based on John 7, was presented by Adam Brunson on June 21, 2015.
From the series John: That You May Believe. Bread of Life, based on John 7:25-71, was presented by Justin Christopher on June 14, 2015
From the series John: That You May Believe. Lord of the Storm based on John 6:16-21 was presented by Jake Box on June 7, 2015
In the series on John - That You May Believe. Adam Brunson presented Agreeing with Jesus about the Bible on May 31, 2015. Based on John 5:31-47.
Seventh in a series titled Life Changing. A Life-Changing Mission based on Matthew 4:18-20, 28:16-20 was presented by Jake Box on May 24, 2015.
Sixth in a series titled Life Changing. A Change of Identity – Part 3 based on John 20:21-22 and Acts 1:8 was presented by Jake Box on May 17, 2015
Fifth in a series titled Life Changing. A Change of Identity – Part 2 based on Philippians 2:1-11 was presented by Jake Box on May 10, 2015
Fourth in a series titled Life Changing. A Change of Identity - Part 1 based on Matthew 28:16-20 was presented by Jake Box on May 3, 2015
Third in a series titled Life Changing. The Backwards Process was presented by Jake Box on April 26, 2015.
Second in a series titled Life Changing. A Life-Changing Purpose was presented by Jake Box on April 19, 2015
First in a series titled Life Changing. Changed, Changing and Will Change was presented by Jake Box on April 12, 2015
Fourth in a series titled The Power of Loyal Love based on the book of Ruth. Ruth 4 was presented by Jake Box on March 29, 2015
Third in a series titled The Power of Loyal Love based on the book of Ruth. Ruth 3 was presented by Justin Christopher on March 22, 2015
Second in a series titled The Power of Loyal Love based on the book of Ruth. Favor and Notice was presented by Justin Christopher on March 15, 2015
First in a series titled The Power of Loyal Love based on the book of Ruth. Providence and Promises was presented by Jake Box on March 8, 2015
Sixth in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Pivotal Circumstances was presented by Adam Brunson on March 1, 2015
Fifth in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Personal Ministry was presented by Jake Box on February 22, 2015.
Fourth in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Providential Relationships was presented by Jake Box on February 15, 2015
Third in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Private Disciplines was presented by Jake Box on February 8, 2015
Second message in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Jake Box presented Practical Biblical Teaching based on Matthew 7:24-29 on February 1, 2015 at Midtown Church Austin.
First message in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Jake Box presented What God Wants to Grow in Us on January 18, 2015 at Midtown Church Austin
The Great Prayer, base on Matthew 6:9-13, was presented by Adam Brunson on January 4, 2015.