Netcast Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
Matt Chewning
Netcast Church - Beverly, MA USA - The mission of Netcast is to tell everyone about Jesus and connect them to the church.
This Sunday June 29, 2025 Pastor Travis Boyd continued our series on the Sermon on the Mount and read from Matthew Chapter 7. Join us to hear about the narrow road and asking yourself, what is this road I'm on now going to lead me?
This Sunday June 22, 2025 Pastor Travis Boyd continued our series on the Sermon on the Mount and read from Matthew chapter 7. Join us to hear about God's love, and the clear directions Jesus gives on how to pray!
This Sunday June 1, 2025 Pastor Travis Boyd continued our series on the Sermon on the Mount and read from Matthew 6:19-24. Join us to hear about the importance of storing up treasures that never fade away!
This Sunday May 18, 2025 Pastor Matt continued our series on the Sermon on the Mount and read from Matthew chapter 6 verses 1-8, and verses 16-18. Join us to hear about how Jesus tackles the hypocrisy of the Pharisees!
This Sunday May 11, 2025, Pastor Matt continued our series on the Sermon on the Mount and read from Matthew chapter 5 verses 38-48. Join us to hear about how Jesus calls us to deal with retaliation and our enemies !
This Sunday April 27, 2025, Pastor Matt continued our series on the Sermon on the Mount and read from Matthew chapter 5 verses 31-32. Join us to hear about what Jesus has to say about marriage and divorce!
This Sunday April 6, 2025 Esther Baird continued our series on the Sermon on the Mount and read from Matthew chapter 5. Join us to hear about how Jesus raises the bar on the moral law of God !
This Sunday March 30, 2025 Pastor Matt Chewning continued in our series on the Sermon on The Mount, reading from Matthew 5:17-22. Join us to hear what Jesus says about God's law, and how it applies to our daily lives!
This Sunday, March 23, 2025, Pastor Matt Chewning continued in our sermon series, Sermon on the Mount, dissecting into Matthew 5:13-16 - Teaching about Salt and Light.
This Sunday, March 16, 2025, Pastor Travis Boyd kicked off our new sermon series, Sermon on the Mount. Over the next 4 months our church will be diving into this text in the book of Matthew and Pastor Travis started off by introducing the Beatitudes in chapter 5.
This Sunday March 9, 2025 Pastor Travis Boyd finished off our All In series, and read from Romans 12. Join us to hear about the true meaning, and importance of worship !
This Sunday March 2, 2025, Pastor Matt continued our All In series and read from Romans 12, and Hebrews 3. Join us to hear about how important it is to be all in with the church community, because of our shallow roots! Are you New to Netcast? Join our community through this link! https://netcast.churchcenter.com/people/forms/14863
This Sunday February 23, 2025 Pastor Matt continued our All In sermon series, and read from Proverbs chapter 3. Join us to hear about how the wisest man to ever walk the Earth measures generosity !
This Sunday February 2, 2025 Pastor Travis Boyd continued our All In series, and read from Hebrews chapter 10 verses 22-26. Join us to hear about the importance of gathering with the church as an assembly of believers!
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This Sunday January 26, 2025 Pastor Matt Chewning continued in our All In series, and read from Galatians chapter one. Join us to hear about how Paul explains the gospel, and how it can sometimes be distorted !
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00:00 - All In
03:27 - "You're a Sinner, But Jesus"
05:21 - Share the Gospel with Us
07:27 - The Message of Galatians
14:19 - Paul on the Law of God in Galatians
20:53 - Paul: If Anyone is Preaching a Gospel Contrary to the One
26:09 - 7 Most Common Disparages of the Gospel
32:54 - Heal the Wrong Way: Justified Works of the Law
36:34 - Paul: You're Not Repentant Through Works of the Law
This Sunday January 19, 2025 Pastor Matt Chewning continued in our All In series, and read from John 13 : 1-17. Join us to hear about what it looks like to be all in with God in a practical sense, and how Jesus models that for us !
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00:00 - A Celebration of the Gifts of the Church
01:14 - The temptation to perform
03:16 - How to Get to Greatness
08:46 - John 13: When Jesus Washed My Feet
15:08 - Being a Servant
24:32 - Jesus Christ's Servants
31:31 - Servants and the church
37:14 - The Joy of Being Used by the Holy Spirit
This Sunday January 12, 2025 Pastor Matt Chewning continued in our "All In" series, and read from Luke chapter 16. Join us to hear about the purpose behind being all in with God, and telling people about Jesus!
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00:00 - All In
02:48 - What Does It Look Like to Be a Follower of Jesus?
03:57 - Follow Me and I'll Make You Into Something
09:05 - Jesus Calling His Disciples to Make Disciples
10:45 - The Gospel as a Means to an End
15:33 - Don't Fear Those Who Kill the Body
17:23 - Jesus on The Rich Man and Lazarus
24:53 - Jesus: Life is Hard
29:48 - Hell Is Complete Darkness
39:01 - God's Plan for Christians
This Sunday January 5, 2025, Pastor Matt started our new sermon series, All In. Join us to hear about what it takes to really be all in when following Jesus!
00:00 - A Message About Generosity
02:28 - A New Year With Jesus
09:48 - Jesus Calls Us To Be All In
12:32 - The Rich Young Ruler In Matthew 19
17:39 - Jesus On Good and Bad
22:26 - Jesus Calling Out The Superficial Interest In Eternal Life
25:46 - What Does It Look Like to Go All In?
30:18 - Jesus Always Demands More From Me Than I Thought
This Sunday, Pastor Matt emphasizes the significance of God's providential timing and how it shapes our lives and experiences. He explores the story of Ruth, highlighting how redemption comes through love rather than the law, illustrated by Boaz's commitment to Ruth despite any legal obligations. Matt urges the congregation to learn to be shrewd in their dealings, maneuvering life with wisdom while guided by integrity and faith. Ultimately, he ties everything back to Christmas, reminding us that Jesus' birth represents God's greater story of redemption for all, regardless of our past.
00:00 - Christmas Eve Family
01:18 - The Book of Ruth
08:02 - The Story of Naomi and Boaz
10:24 - Proverbs 16: God's Providential Timing
13:53 - How I Became A Christian Through A Book
16:44 - Wait on the Lord
22:08 - Be shrewd in this world
27:27 - How the Law Can't Redeem You
31:29 - The story of Ruth and King Jesus
35:41 - Why Christmas is so important
This Sunday December 15, 2024, Pastor Matt Chewning continued our advent sermon series and read from Ruth chapter 3. Join us to hear about how Ruth represents the church, and how Boaz is a small picture of Jesus!
00:00 - A Very Thankful Church Family
01:44 - Advent season
03:50 - The Book of Ruth and Individualism
08:58 - The Story of Boaz and Ruth
10:51 - Ruth 3: The Threshing Floor
15:24 - Ruth in the Field and Moabite Ruth
20:48 - The Law of Redemption for Naomi
21:52 - Ruth and Naomi: Going Back to Their Old Patterns
28:29 - What Made Ruth an Excellent Wife?
34:08 - He wants a loyal, kind, communicative, available wife
40:09 - Ruth to Boaz: Spread Your Wings Over Your Servant
This Sunday December 8, 2024 Pastor Travis Boyd continued our advent series in the book of Ruth and read Ruth chapter 2. Join us to hear about how the book of Ruth is a love story, and how Boaz gives us an insight into the character, and nature of God !
00:00 - A message about the founders of Netcast
01:55 - The Book of Ruth
11:23 - The Sovereign Hand of God in Ruth's Life
15:46 - Ruth 2 Verse 4
20:23 - Boaz the farmer provides
26:42 - God's Provision for the Least of These
33:14 - God's a Perfect Provider and Protector
35:07 - Who Do You Trust To Save You?
36:54 - How Much Do You Trust God?
48:19 - God Will Provide for You This Holiday
This Sunday, December 1, 2024 Esther Baird began our Advent sermon series, and read from Ruth 1: 1-22. Join us to hear about the context behind the book of Ruth and the fact that God doesn't deal in cliffhanger situations!
00:00 - Pre-sermon
03:41 - Advent Sermon
04:31 - The Book of Ruth: Context is Everything
09:58 - Ruth 1
12:28 - The Bad Beginning
24:06 - An Unlikely Convert
32:10 - The Cliffhanger
This Sunday November 24, 2024 Pastor Matt read from Romans Chapter 8 verses 30-39. Join us to hear about the reality of God's love; That we are unconditionally loved by God despite life's challenges, that neither trials, nor personal failures—can separate believers from God's love!
Are you New to Netcast? Join our community through this link! https://netcast.churchcenter.com/people/forms/14863
- 00:00 - Romans 8: What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?
- 04:09 - Romans 8 Verse 31 Through 39
- 11:08 - God's Love for the Elect
- 16:40 - How Much Does God Love Me?
- 21:15 - How God Loves You 22:12 -
- Oh My God! Usain Bolt Liked My Face
- 24:59 - The Importance of Covenantal Love
- 30:50 - How God Loves You
- 35:29 - Paul: Who Shall Separate Us From the Love of God?
This Sunday, November 17, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning continued in our series on Romans 8. Join us to hear about how Pastor highlights the struggles of living in a broken world, as creation itself groans for redemption and eagerly anticipates the glory to come. Pastor also encourages believers to remain steadfast in their faith looking forward to the fulfilling hope of eternal life with Christ, reminding us of our identity as children of God!
This Sunday, November 10th, 2024 Pastor Travis Boyd continued our series in Romans 8:12-17. Join us and hear the importance of denying your flesh, and giving your sins a "hard no"!
This Sunday, November 3rd, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning continues in Romans 8:5-11 and emphasized what a life looks like living for the flesh vs living through the Spirit of God.
This Sunday, October 27th, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning began a new sermon series on Romans Chapter 8. Join us to hear about how Paul begins what is considered the most clear biblical understanding of Christianity!
This Sunday, October 20th, Pastor Devon Frye continued our spiritual formation series, and taught out of Colossians, and 2 Timothy. Join us to hear about the dangers of false prophets, and how we must operate with discernment !
This Sunday, October 13th, 2024 Pastor Matt preached out of Ephesians 6 on the ongoing spiritual war. Join us and learn about what it looks like to fight against the enemy!
This Sunday, October 6th, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning preached out of the book of Luke chapter 10 verses 1 through 20. Join us in learning about, and understanding our enemy, and why we shouldn't fear him when Jesus is on our side!
This Sunday, September 22, 2024 Esther Baird continued our spiritual formation series, and preached out of the book of Romans. Join us and hear about what makes the journey inward an important step in our spiritual formation !
This Sunday, September 15, 2024 Pastor Matt Carter continued out spiritual formation series, and preached on Matthew 16:24. Join us and hear about or call as followers of Christ, and the difference between the rich young ruler, and Peter !
This Sunday, September 8, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning continued our Spiritual Formation series, and read from Matthew chapter 13. Join us and hear about the parable of the sower, and five different lies that Christian's often believe !
This Sunday, September 1, 2024 Pastor Travis Boyd read from Romans 12 and began our Spiritual Formation series. Dive in to hear about how counter-formation is an integral part in our spiritual formation!
This Sunday, August 25, 2024, Pastor Matt Chewning is back and read from the book of Nehemiah. Dive in to hear about what it looks like to reevaluate and recommit your life to Jesus !
This Sunday, August 18, 2024 Pastor Devon Frye from Connect Church joined us, and spoke about the pathway to healing!
This Sunday, August 11 2024 Pastor Eliezer Perez from Center Church joined us and read from Psalm 42. Dive in to hear about how to trust in God even when your soul is downcast!
This Sunday, August 4, 2024 Pastor Joie Thomson from Restoration Church joined us and preached out of Genesis. Dive in to hear about the nature, obstacles, and point of God's providence!
This Sunday, July 28, 2024 Pastor Mason Adair joined us and preached out of 1 John, Ephesians, and more. Dive in to hear about what the Bible says about our identity!
This Sunday, July 21, 2024 Jason Lawrenz, Athletic Director and Chaplain of Covenant Christian Academy joined us and preached out of Luke 18:15-34. Dive in to hear about how the treasures of hearts govern our hearts.
This Sunday, July 14, 2024 Pastor Kody Aten from Freedom Church joined us and preached out of 1 Samuel chapter 17. Dive in to hear about how the story of David and Goliath foreshadows the gospel!
This Sunday, July 7, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning wrapped our series, and read Daniel 10-12. Dive in to hear a good reminder about God's love, and how God responds to prayer!
This Sunday, June 30, 2024 Pastor Breno Tonon continued our series, and read from Daniel chapter 9. Dive in to hear about how Daniel connects with God through the chaos, through confession, and through the countdown!
This Sunday, June 23, 2024 Pastor Travis Boyd continued our series and read Daniel chapter 8. Dive in to hear about how Daniel's visions model that all things end except for the kingdom of God!
This Sunday, June 16, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning continued our series and read from Daniel chapter 7. Dive in to hear about Daniel's vision of the four beasts, and how God's kingdom is everlasting!
This Sunday, May 8, 2024, Pastor Matt Chewning started our new sermon Series in the book of Daniel, and preached out of Daniel 1:1-21.
This Sunday April 28, 2024 was Baptism Sunday! Pastor Matt read from passages in Acts, Luke, and Mark. Dive in to hear about the meaning behind baptism, and how we are called to be baptized as followers of Jesus!
This Sunday April 21, 2024 Youth Ministry Pastor John Craft read from 1 Peter 5:12-14 closing our 1 Peter series. Dive in to see how Peter wraps up his first letter to the church, and encourages us to treat each other like family!
This Sunday April 14, 2024 Pastor Travis Boyd read from 1 Peter 5:1-11 and wrapped up our 1 Peter series. Dive in to see how Peter illustrates the power of clothing yourself in humility!
This Sunday April 7, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning continued in our 1 Peter series and read from verses 1 Peter 4:12-19. Dive in to see how Peter encourages the church to not be afraid of the christian label!
This Sunday March 17, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning read from the book of Luke, and the book of 2 Corinthians continuing our series on fasting. Dive in to hear about exceptions to fasting, the reasons why we should fast, and how weakness is a sign of power!
This Sunday March 10, 2023 Pastor Travis Boyd continued our series of Fasting. Dive in to hear about why fasting is so difficult, why it is so important, and practical ways to incorporate fasting into our lives!
This Sunday March 3, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning introduces us to the new sermon series and walks us through the basics of Fasting.
This Sunday February 25, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning read from 1 Peter 4:12-14. Dive in to hear about the benefits of trials in our lives, and how Peter illustrates the opportunity for joy through trials!
This Sunday February 18, 2024 Pastor Travis Boyd took us through 1 Peter 4:7-11 in our 1 Peter sermon series. Dive in to hear about the difference between temporal and eternal perspective, and the way that Peter says we should live in order to maintain an eternal perspective!
This Sunday February 11, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning continued our series in 1 Peter and read 1 Peter 4:1-6. Dive in to hear about what makes followers of Christ different, and the importance of arming ourselves with the thought of Jesus!
This Sunday February 4, 2024 Pastor Matt Chewning read through 1st Peter 3:18-22. Dive in to see how Matt breaks down the five most debated verses in the Bible!
This Sunday, January 14, 2024, Pastor Matt Chewning is back with a word to usher in the New Year! Dive in to get seven points on how to re-center yourself on Jesus, and in turn grow your relationship with God!
This Sunday December 10, 2023 Pastor Matt brought a word about Compassion, and stewarding our wealth towards those who need it. Dive in to hear a testimony from Keewani Cook and her experience with the Compassion International Organization!
This Sunday December 3, 2023 Pastor Matt continued in our advent series "Don't Stop Believin'." Dive in to see how we should manage God's resources, the importance of the first, and how the law of the Old Testament points us to Jesus!
This Sunday November 26, 2023 Pastor Matt Chewning started a new series called "Dont Stop Believing". Dive in to see how not to handle wealth, and to get a reminder to not forget about God's goodness!
This Sunday November 19, 2023 Pastor Matt Chewning closed out our series on the Lord's Prayer. Dive in to see the impact of the Holy Spirit on the church, and to see how prayer is similar to the gym!
This Sunday November 12, 2023 Eddie Martinez continued our series on the Lord's Prayer. Dive in to see the importance of asking for God's protection, the difference between trials and temptation, and why we are able to go through life with the highest confidence!
This Sunday October 29, 2023 Pastor Breno Tonon continued our Prayer Series by talking about what it means to have Jesus be our DAILY bread.
This Sunday October 22, 2023 Pastor Travis Boyd continued our Prayer Series by talking about what Jesus means when he said "... your kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven..." Dive in to see why power rangers aren't really cool, why parents don't let 2 year old's play with knifes, and the real reason God loves us!
This Sunday October 15, 2023 Pastor Travis Boyd, Breno Tonon, and Eddie Martinez started a new sermon series where we study the Lord's prayer. Dive in to see what the words "Our Father" mean, and why Jesus instructs us to pray in that way !
This Sunday October 8, 2023 Pastor Matt Chewning continued in 1 Peter. Dive in to see how Peter outlines the way a man should act as a husband, the importance of understanding women, and why sometimes the facts don't matter!
This Sunday September 10, 2023 Pastor Matt continued in 1 Peter. Dive in to see why we should love those that hate us, why it's gracious to suffer, and why we should always take it on the chin!
This Sunday September 3, 2023 Pastor Matt preached out of 1 Peter 2:15-17. Dive in to see how Peter reminds the church to live a life of freedom, the difference between worldly freedom and Godly freedom, and why we should love and honor everyone!
This Sunday August 27, 2023 Pastor Zenzo Matogo preached out of Romans 8, and James 1. Dive in to see why God leads us to dry places, how Jesus is like a film developer, and why we should count it all to joy!
This Sunday August 20, 2023 Eddie Martinez preached on how our weaknesses, our past, and our failures give space for God to move and build in our lives.
This Sunday August 13, 2023 Professor Mateus de Campos preached on how it may appear that we are really walking amongst the dead.
This Sunday August 6, 2023 Pastor Scott Kearney preached out of 1 Corinthians on what it looks like to train yourself in the way of Jesus. Dive in to hear how the walk with Jesus isn't a marathon, and why sometimes we're like a bamboo plant!
This Sunday July 30, 2023 Pastor Matt Carter preached out of Ephesians on worship! Dive in to see how worship is like exercise, how the holy spirit is proof of God's proximity, and how worship has a vertical AND horizontal aspect!
This Sunday July 23, 2023, Melissa Chang preached on Waiting. Dive in to see how God shows up through waiting, what God means by renewing your strength, and how eagles play into all of this!
This Sunday July 9, 2023 Pastor Matt Chewning preached on 1st Peter 2: 13-16. Dive in to see why submission is always the best position, the best way to shut someone up, and if you would truly like a muffin for paying your taxes!
This Sunday, July 2, 2023 Pastor Breno Tonon continued in the book of 1 Peter. Dive in to see why we shouldn't unpack in the airport, why we don't belong, and why Brazilian birthdays are better!
This Sunday, June 2, 2023, Pastor Matt preached on 1st Peter 2:4-10. Dive to see what type of stone you are, what your identity truly is in Christ, and how mercy plays into everything!
This Sunday June 18, 2023 Pastor Matt preached on 1st Peter 2:1-3. Dive in to find out what it means to be born again, why the Lord is delicious, and why we resemble MMA fighters!
This Sunday June 11, 2023 Youth Min Pastor John Craft preached on 1 Peter 1: 22-25. Dive in to see how we are like grass, how biblical love is about showing grace AND truth, and how we should aspire to be misfits for Jesus!
This Sunday May 21, 2023 Pastor Matt Chewning continued in First Peter, and spoke about what it looks like to live a Holy life. Dive in to learn, and find out the real reason Fathers say "Because I said so!"
This Sunday May 14, 2023 Pastor Matt Chewning continued in the First Peter series. He spoke about the grace that is offered to us, and the importance of understanding how lucky we are to know and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ!
This Sunday May 7, 2023 Pastor Travis Boyd gave a guide on how to be the church in the wild. Dive in to see how Jesus approached living in the wild, and to find out why we should be like the Marty from Madagascar! Are you New to Netcast? Join our com
This Sunday, April 30, 2023, was our first Baptism of the year! Pastor Travis Boyd preaches about why we get baptized and the significance that holds. The 9am, 11am, and 1pm baptisms will be uploaded on Monday, May 1, 2023.
This Sunday April 23, 2023 Pastor Matt Chewning spoke out of Corinthians about what it means to adapt to your communities culture, in order to win them over for the kingdom of God!
This Sunday, April 16, 2023 Pastor Matt Chewning brought back our Church in the Wild series, he spoke out of Matthew, talked about the importance of not being tame, and the importance of not being Christians in a zoo!
This Sunday, April 9, 2023, Pastor Matt preached on EASTER! Dive in to see how we all respond to Jesus one way or another, what religion adds to the equation, and if you know the resurrected Christ or just KNOW about God!
This Sunday April 2, 2023, Pastor Matt preached on 1 Peter 1:8-9. Dive in to see how you can know if you truly love God, how perfection is not the goal, and what the heck Love Is Blind has to do with everything?!
This Sunday, March 26, 2023, Pastor Travis preached another installment of 1st Peter! Dive in to figure out what a trial really means, how God is our goldsmith, and to figure out what you are willing to truly give up.
This Sunday, March 19, 2023, Pastor Matt Chewning spoke about Peter's doxology, the reason we praise, and the importance of worship.
This Sunday, March 12, 2023, Pastor Travis Boyd took a deep dive into the first two verses of 1 Peter. Exploring the words used, and the reason they were used.
This Sunday, March 5, 2023, Pastor Matt started our sermon series on 1st Peter. Dive in to think about “how the heck did I get here?”, why Peter starts his letter the way he does, and how bread alone just isn’t going to cut it!
This Sunday, February 26, 2023, Pastor Travis Boyd finished up the Naked Truth Series with a message on Submission. Dive in to see if you are truly submitting to God, how Jesus is the ultimate model, and why you should always choose the blue car.
This Sunday, February 19, 2023 Pastor Travis continued in the Naked Truth sermon series, where he talks about what it looks like to date God's way.
This Sunday, February 12, 2023, Pastor Matt continued in The Naked Truth sermon series.
This Sunday, February 5, 2023 Pastor Matt started a new series called The Naked Truth...
This Sunday, January 29, 2023 This Sunday, Melissa Chang preached on Perspective, Posture, Practice, and Pacing. Dive in to learn about how to lean on God, how we are beloved by God, and how we are NOT God!
This Sunday, January 22, 2023, Pastor Matt Chewning spoke out of Matthew in order to challenge us to live a less suffocated life by numbering our days!
This Sunday, January 15, 2023 Pastor Travis Boyd speaks out of Mark chapter One, and takes a look into Jesus' life to see how he shuts out distractions in order to spend more time with God!
This Sunday, January 8, 2023, Pastor Matt Chewning preached on distraction. Dive in to find out the symptoms of not choosing the “good portion”, what busyness has done to us, and how we are losing to goldfish!
This Sunday, December 18, 2022, Pastor Matt continued in our series of Advent, and talked about the plan that God has to fix what was once broken.
This Sunday, December 11, 2022, Melissa Chang continued to preach on Advent, and the promises of God. Dive in to learn about what God promises us, what a covenant truly means, and the difference between optimism and BOLDLY waiting.
This Sunday, December 4, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning spoke about the meaning behind advent, and the season leading up to Christmas.
This Sunday, November 27, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning spoke about the significance of tithing, and why it's so important so that we can fully enjoy the blessings God has in store for us.
This Sunday, November 27, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning spoke about the significance of tithing, and why it's so important so that we can fully enjoy the blessings God has in store for us.
This Sunday, November 20, 2022, Pastor Travis Boyd preached on the importance of gathering together. Dive in to see if you are more of a marble or a grape, see why church should be more like an embassy in a foreign country, and find out if you have people who are willing to give you what you need, not what you want.
This Sunday, November 13, 2022, Pastor Matt Carter gave applications of what it looks like to lead a generous life through faithful stewardship of our finances.
This Sunday, November 13, 2022, Pastor Matt Carter gave applications of what it looks like to lead a generous life through faithful stewardship of our finances.
This Sunday, October 30, 2022, Dr. Allen Holmes preached on what it means to truly love God and one another. Dive in to see how to grow in our capacity to love, why it was better that Jesus left, and how fruit has the power to reproduce.
This Sunday, October 30, 2022, Dr. Allen Holmes preached on what it means to truly love God and one another. Dive in to see how to grow in our capacity to love, why it was better that Jesus left, and how fruit has the power to reproduce.
This Sunday, October 23, 2022, Pastor Matt continued the “We Are Netcast” sermon series with All Together All In! Dive in to see how you should welcome your enemy, what true diversity means, and learn how Jesus is truly the Greatest Showman.
This Sunday, October 16, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning spoke about what being a family looks like within the church.
This Sunday, October 9, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning preached out of Nehemiah and challenged us to see what excuses we are making that are hindering us from building the church.
This Sunday, October 2, 2022, was our launch into our new sermon series, We Are Netcast. Pastor Kody Aten of Freedom Church preached out of 2 Corinthians and challenged us to live our lives as missionaries right where we are.
This Sunday, September 25, 2022, was our last sermon in our Gospel of John Series. Pastor Breno Tonon preached about the stories God has written in our lives, and the stories He is still writing.
This Sunday, September 18, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning preached in the Gospel of John and spoke on declaring your allegiance to Jesus on this Baptism Sunday.
This Sunday, September 11, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning shared the story of Doubting Thomas in the Gospel of John and how creating a conditional relationship of faith can cause you to play the role of God.
This Sunday, September 4, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning preached on John about what it looks like to keep your inner-peace.
This Sunday, August 28, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning preached on John 19:38-John 20:18. Dive in to see just how much grace God has given us, what Mary has to do with Jesus’ resurrection, and what “saw” really means.
This Sunday, August 28, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning preached on John 19:38-John 20:18. Dive in to see just how much grace God has given us, what Mary has to do with Jesus’ resurrection, and what “saw” really means.
This Sunday, August 21, 2022, Pastor Travis Boyd preached on what it looks like to fight from a place of victory instead of for victory because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.
This Sunday, August 14, 2022, Pastor Matt preached on John 19:1-22. Dive in to see what carrying your cross really means, what crucifixion was actually like, and see if you are truly ready to fight.
This Sunday, August 7th 2022, Pastor Travis preached on John 18: 28-40. Dive in to learn about how AWEsome God truly is, how to change our perspective on the trial of Jesus, and what a space telescope has to do with all of this!
This Sunday, August 7th 2022, Pastor Travis preached on John 18: 28-40. Dive in to learn about how AWEsome God truly is, how to change our perspective on the trial of Jesus, and what a space telescope has to do with all of this!
This Sunday July 31, 2022, Breno Tonon preached on John 18: 15-27. This sermon looked at the contrast between Jesus and Simon Peter dealing with high tension and chaos. Dive in to see if there truly is a difference between the world and the church, why we never stop complaining, and what it looks like to die to yourself.
This Sunday, July 24, 2022, Kevin Saliba preached on John 18. This is when Jesus was ghosted and then snitched on by Judas and about 1000 people (soldiers, high priests, Pharisees etc) came to arrest Him. Dive in to see what happens and what we can learn from Jesus!
This Sunday, July 24, 2022, Kevin Saliba preached on John 18. This is when Jesus was ghosted and then snitched on by Judas and about 1000 people (soldiers, high priests, Pharisees etc) came to arrest Him. Dive in to see what happens and what we can learn from Jesus!
On Sunday, February, 20, 2022, Pastor Matt Chewning preached about how we are called to do greater works for God's kingdom.
This Sunday, Pastor Matt Chewning preached about what it means to not fully lean on what you feel and the doubts that you may have in the Lord.
Jason Upton visits Netcast today as he takes over worship and sermon. Reference: Philippians 4:5-6
Gospel of John Series. Pastor Matt explains what it looks like to have obedience to God's will without questioning his reason.
The Gospel of John
Today, Melissa Chang explains that when Jesus heals Lazarus, he doesn't just save a friend. He shows us that our story isn't over, even when death is present. Because when you have eternal life, death is only the beginning.
This is a sermon out of John chapter 11.
Addiction, Anger, Control... there is nothing that separates us from the salvation offered in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the greatest showman. Able to take an odd and unique group of people and unite them to do extraordinary things.
Ephesians 2:11-22 The Kingdom of God has no home team. No culture or ethnicity trumps another.
Acts 17 From a name sent from heaven, to a people growing on the North Shore; we are Netcast.
A.W. Tozer once said “What comes to mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” In this series we will be deconstructing false presuppositional beliefs about Christianity and reconstructing accurate ones based on the Jesus we see in the bible.
What comes to mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us. What do you think of when you think of Jesus?
According to scripture, Hell is terrible, eternal and real. There is no possibility of amnesty or reprieve. And the basis of God’s judgment towards us is our righteousness. So, now what?
Isaiah 64:6 A church in the wild is a city on a hill and a light not hidden under a bowl. Light does nothing in light, it only shines in darkness.
Wisdom: Don't ever underestimate its value. It's too important. It's too valuable. It's too precious. Looking through Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon; we will spend the summer gaining wisdom from the wisest man to walk the earth; King Solomon.
The issue of male roles in the church has often brought people to extremes. However, for the church to flourish, we need humble men who are above reproach, serving together in complementary roles.
As we live in awe of Christ's greatness, the mature believer must fight the good fight by ‘fleeing’ from certain things and "running" towards godliness.
Ephesus was a prosperous city and there were wealthy people in Timothy’s church. These men had set their hopes on financial riches as their means of security rather than using it to be a blessing to those in need.
Paul reminds Timothy that a church should honor those who labor in preaching and teaching because they value The Word of God. In other words, what are the people of God willing to do to support its pastors; and is that willingness conditioned by a consumerist mindset or a robust theology?"
As Paul continues to instruct Timothy on how to relate to different people in the church, he then addresses a specific issue that was affecting the church in Ephesus: the support of widows.
Regardless of our age, if we are are a part of the local church we exercise influence over people. It is vital that we strive to maintain the kind of example that Paul calls Timothy to be.
There is a good source and bad source of inspiration for spiritual teachers. The good source is the Holy Spirit who inspires people to teach the Scriptures accurately, leading to repentance and worship in Christ. The bad source comes from false teachers inspired by demonic spirits to lead people to depart from Christ as the ultimate truth.
Paul reminds Timothy that Jesus was not originally from this world, but was in fact the God's dwelling with man.
The Church and its significance are centered around its proper functioning as a family. Paul writes Timothy to instruct him on proper family behavior as believers grow closer to God and each other.
Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all. His life, death and ressurection provide all people the opportunity to accept the gift of salvation and to be forgiven by God.
Every Christian is gifted and appointed to spread the gospel. It is our responsibility, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to evaluate how we are best suited to fulfill that call.
Jesus mediates for us, like a defense attorney mediates for his client, telling the judge, “Your honor, my client is innocent of all charges against him.”
God’s heart is that all people would be saved; therefore, we pray and labor to this end.
Prayer is the sovereignly designed partnership between God and his people for the unfolding of his purposes as he chooses to not act, apart from the cry of his people.
God desires all to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. Therefore, God's people pray for the lost, proclaim good news and join God's mission.
Jesus tells us that our hearts follows our treasures. This means our money is a spiritual tool that God has graciously given to us in order to direct our hearts. Do you spend with spiritual intentions or worldly pursuits in mind?
Don't just “Be Rich”, be good at it! Stewarding wealth with godliness means assuring that our wealth remains a blessing to those around us.
The foundation of Baptism is that it resembles death to life. This weekend, as we gathered to worship together, Netcast baptized 27 people.
Christianity is about the spreading of God's fame and the Lordship of Jesus throughout the nations. The Acts 16 - 19 gives us the details of how this multiplication began.
Diversity is part of being human. God delights in the plethora of differences His human creatures possess. Therefore, we can be sure that the gospel is available to every person regardless of ethnic background, social status, sexual preference or gender.
As the church grows, leadership needs to be dispersed. Here we see some of the things that the apostles did so the church is cared for, and the Word of God continued to be proclaimed.
There's a difference between a biography and a testimony; everyone has a biography but only Christians has testimonies. Today we look at the transformation from Saul to Paul.
Jesus promises to give His people extraordinary power to enable His witnesses to take the gospel to the end of the earth.
The crucifixion of Jesus is the intersection of God’s love and God's justice being put on full display.
Passover and the story of the exodus have great significance for Christians, as Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law and became the Greater Passover.
Jesus didn’t use clever methods to convince those around Him that He is the Son of God, He came in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Aside from the resurrection, the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels.
A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart. May our faith and our lives exemplify the "good soil" in the Parable of the Sower.
After Malachi there was no prophet until John the Baptist came. He appeared first in the wilderness of Judea and the message he preached was repentance. In other words, consider your ways, change your minds: you have thought wrong; now think aright and do accordingly.
God’s final word of the Old Testament concerns judgment for sin and testifies to our inability to love Him without the help of His grace. But when his grace is lovingly received, it leads a believer into radical worship.
We are powerless to revive ourselves from death to life. We cannot think positively to bring life to dry bones, rather, we must surrender our wills and trust God’s power. When we turn to God, we turn to life.
Although human adoption is good, right and necessary, the deepest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. And this act is at the heart of the gospel.
Daniel frequently faced temptation to compromise his belief and avoid the threat of suffering and death. However, he chose ordinary faithfulness in the midst of his trials. Jesus faced that too – he knew the path he was on was heading straight to an agonizing crucifixion. Yet that's what He chose.
The first response of to the holiness of God is an acute awareness of personal sin. When the unholy confronts the holy we become very conscious of our own sinfulness and should be in awe of the weight of God's glory.
David is not praying in this Psalm, he is not asking God to do something for him. Rather he is rejoicing in what the Lord has done and continues to do in his life.
Righteousness does not mean that you are always doing the right thing. Often times, righteousness is seen in how you respond when you realize that you didn't do the right thing.
Jesus is greater than our money because everything under heaven and earth is His. The believer in Christ whose heart has been transformed by the power of the gospel understands the incredible responsibility of stewarding their resources in order to fulfill God's purposes.
As a means of pointing to the resurrection power that would one day come through Jesus; the Old Testament prophet, Elisha, gives us a picture of what it looks like to be hidden in Christ.
The only thing worse than sin itself, is trying to cover your sin as if it's not there. The beauty of the gospel of Jesus, is that it frees us to not walk in shame as we acknowledge our failures and brokenness.
Jesus says "I can satisfy your hunger and quench your thirst. He tells us that He is the the resurrection and the life, the light of the world, and everything other than Him leads to death. Why? Because as the creator of all things, He is greater.
The God we serve is capable of defeating any of the giants in our lives as we step out in faith and fight. Beyond that, the giants we defeat today gives us confidence to fight the giants that are still ahead of us.
How did lowly Gideon do his mighty deeds defeating armies that massively out numbered his? Simple, the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, just like the Spirit of the Lord comes upon every believer.
Moses has an assignment to bring people out of slavery and into freedom. Joshua’s assignment was to bring the people of God into battle. You cannot deeply embrace freedom unless you are also engaged in the battle. If you want to see greater freedom in your life, you have to embrace the battle that God has set before you.
God’s glory is constant, and as we journey through life we will see it manifest in a variety of ways. However, there is nothing more clearly visible in seeing the glory of God than looking at the person and work of Christ.
The Old Testament Passover lamb, although a reality in that time, was a mere foreshadowing of the better and final Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ.
The cross of Christ is evidence that a good God uses bad things for our His ultimate purpose and our ultimate good. And that He is always with us along the way.
Joseph had the chance of a lifetime; the opportunity to repay evil for evil. However, his trust in God freed him to forgive.
Joseph went from rags to riches in a day. However, he never let his rise to power and influence deminish his faith in his God.
Joseph was a man who came under extreme hardship. Yet, he was determined to believe that God was with him.
The Christian life is a life of risk and reward. God rewards those who diligently seek Him.
From day one we see God's unconditional love towards His people. It's rooted into the creation narrative.
The art of confession is something the church should get back to practicing. This message will help us along the way.
Jesus has said to his disciples, “I will rise on the third day.” He said it in Mark 8, again in Mark 9, and yet again in Mark 10. Given that repetition, something curious is going on. On the third day after Jesus’s death, there are no male disciples around; these female disciples do appear, but they are bringing along all the expensive spices and perfumes with which a dead body was customarily anointed. Nobody is expecting a resurrection. If you were the Gospel writer Mark, trying to write a credible piece of fiction, and you have had Jesus saying repeatedly to his disciples that he would rise on the third day, wouldn’t you have at least one disciple thinking this through after Jesus’s death and saying to the others, “Hey, it’s the third day. Maybe we ought to go take a look at Jesus’s tomb. What can it hurt?” That would only be reasonable. But nobody said anything like that. In fact, they did not expect a resurrection at all. It didn’t occur to them. The angel in front of the empty tomb had to remind the women: “You will see him, just as he told you.” If Mark had made up this story, he wouldn’t have written it this way. And here’s the point: The resurrection was as inconceivable for the first disciples, as impossible for them to believe, as it is for many of us today. Granted, their reasons would have been different from ours. The Greeks did not believe in resurrection; in the Greek worldview, the afterlife was liberation of the soul from the body. For them resurrection would never be part of life after death. As for the Jews, some of them believed in a future general resurrection when the entire world would be renewed, but they had no concept of an individual rising from the dead. The people of Jesus’s day were not predisposed to believe in resurrection any more than we are. Is it difficult for you to believe Jesus rose from the dead? How does Jesus' resurrection give you hope?
Father's Day. Jesus promises that we will be at this kingdom feast with him. With these simple gestures of holding up the bread and the wine, with the simple words “This is my body . . . this is my blood,” Jesus is saying that all the earlier deliverances, the earlier sacrifices, the lambs at Passover, were pointing to himself. Just as the first Passover was observed the night before God redeemed the Israelites from slavery through the blood of the lambs, this Passover meal was eaten the night before God redeemed the world from sin and death through the blood of Jesus. When the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I am.” By replying as he does, Jesus is saying: “I will come to earth in the very glory of God and judge the entire world.” It’s an astounding statement. It’s a claim to deity. Of all the things Jesus could have said—and there are so many texts, themes, images, metaphors, and passages of the Hebrew Scriptures that he could have used to tell who he was—he specifically says he’s the judge. By his choice of text, Jesus is deliberately forcing us to see the paradox. There’s been an enormous reversal. He is the judge over the entire world, being judged by the world. He should be in the judgment seat, and we should be in the dock, in chains. Everything is turned upside down. And as soon as Jesus claims to be this judge, as soon as he claims deity, the response is explosive. Mark writes: “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him. (Mark 14:62–65) The high priest rips his own garments apart, a sign of the greatest possible outrage, horror, and grief. And then the whole trial deteriorates. In fact it’s no longer a trial; it’s a riot. The jurors and judges begin to spit on him and beat him. In the middle of the trial, they go absolutely berserk. He is instantly convicted of blasphemy and condemned as worthy of death. While you and I cannot literally spit in Jesus' face, we can still mock and reject him. In what ways are we prone to reject Jesus as God? What are some things that need to happen in your heart and mind so that you can sincerely take what Jesus is offering us through His Feast, His Community and His Crucifixion?
In this encounter, Jesus is saying that there is something radically wrong with all of us—but money has particular power to blind us to it. In fact, it has so much power to deceive us of our true spiritual state that we need a gracious, miraculous intervention from God to see it. It’s impossible without God, without a miracle. Without grace. Consider how Jesus counseled this young man. Yes, this man needed counseling, though on the outside he looked completely pulled together. He was rich, he was young, and he was probably good-looking—it’s hard to be rich and young and not be good-looking. But he didn’t have it all together. If he had, he would never have come to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Any devout Jew would have known the answer to this question. The rabbis were always posing this question in their writings and their teachings. And their answer was always the same; there were no differing schools of thought on this one. The answer was “Obey the statutes of God and avoid all sin.” The young man would have known this answer. Why then was he asking Jesus? Jesus’s perceptive statement “One thing you lack” allows us to capture the gist of the young man’s struggle. The man was saying, “You know what, I’ve done everything right: I’ve been successful economically, successful socially, successful morally, successful religiously. I’ve heard you’re a good rabbi, and I’m wondering if there’s something I’ve missed, something I’m overlooking. I sense that something is lacking.” Of course he was missing something. Because anyone who counts on what they are doing to get eternal life will find that, in spite of everything they’ve accomplished, there’s an emptiness, an insecurity, a doubt. Something is bound to be missing. How can anyone ever know whether they are good enough? How can you pursue a successful career and not succumb to the trap wealth creates? What are some ways the gospel has changed—or could change—your attitude about money?
God has built into every human heart the desire to succeed at whatever we do. This is part of our humanity; to want to succeed. However, Jesus explains to His disciples the true way to greatness. “It is not by seeking to be first,” He said. “It is by a willingness to be last. It is not by getting people to serve you; it is by becoming a servant of all.”There are two kinds of ambition. There is the ambition to be approved and applauded by people, and the ambition to be approved and applauded by God. There are those who want to gain fame and attention and influence and power. The measurement of the ambition to be great before people is always “How many serve me? How much power do I exercise over others? How wide is the extent of my influence?” Who of us has not suffered many times from this desire to be known, to be admired, to be considered great? But Jesus points out that true greatness is never found there. The measure of true greatness is “How many do I serve? How many can I help?” This is the mark of greatness in the eyes of God. Christianity is a radical faith! It is exactly the opposite of the natural instincts of the heart. Our natural inclinations will get us deeper and deeper into trouble. Though we may achieve a form of greatness in the eyes of people, it will turn into cobwebs and ashes in our hands. Teach me the meaning of these words in the depths of my heart. Help me to strive for that greatness that will shine throughout eternity. What does Jesus teach as a radically different criterion for greatness and power? Do our lives reflect a growing understanding and application of His teaching & example?
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. (Mark 7:28–30) In other words, she says, "Yes, Lord, but the puppies eat from that table too, and I’m here for mine." Jesus has told her a parable in which he has given her a combination of challenge and offer, and she gets it. She responds to the challenge: “Okay, I understand. I am not from Israel, I do not worship the God that the Israelites worship. Therefore, I don’t have a place at the table. I accept that.” Isn’t this amazing? She doesn’t take offense; she doesn’t stand on her rights. She says, “All right. I may not have a place at the table—but there’s more than enough on that table for everyone in the world, and I need mine now.” She is wrestling with Jesus in the most respectful way and she will not take no for an answer. I love what this woman is doing. In Western cultures we don’t have anything like this kind of assertiveness. We only have assertion of our rights. We do not know how to contend unless we’re standing up for our rights, standing on our dignity and our goodness and saying, “This is what I’m owed.” But this woman is not doing that at all. This is rightless assertiveness, something we know little about. She’s not saying, “Lord, give me what I deserve on the basis of my goodness.” She’s saying, “Give me what I don’t deserve on the basis of your goodness—and I need it now.” Do you see how remarkable it is that she recognizes and accepts both the challenge and the offer hidden within it? A good translation of Jesus’s rabbinical reply to her would be “Such an answer!” Some of the translations have Jesus saying “Wonderful answer, incredible answer.” And so her plea is answered and her daughter is healed. How will the faith of the Gentile woman affect the way you approach God?
Sometimes when I go to Jesus, he lets things happen that I don’t understand. He doesn’t do things according to my plan, or in a way that makes sense to me. But if Jesus is God, then he’s got to be great enough to have some reasons to let you go through things you can’t understand. His power is unbounded, but so are his wisdom and his love. Nature is indifferent to you, but Jesus is filled with untamable love for you. If you have a God great enough and powerful enough to be mad at because he doesn’t stop your suffering, you also have a God who’s great enough and powerful enough to have reasons that you can’t understand. Is following Jesus safe? Of course it's not safe. Who said anything about being safe? But Jesus is good. He’s the King. In an effort to convey who Jesus is and what He did, Mark, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has rushed into powerful stories that carry cosmic implications to the broken world in which we live. We can all relate to the desperation of the people in today’s text. Nearly 2000 years later, we experience similar brokenness and helplessness. Mark shows all readers that there is One who brings hope, wholeness, and ultimate authority to even the worst of life’s shattered situations. Jesus came back from the far side of the Sea of Galilee, where He restored a demon-possessed man (at the expense of many pigs). Jesus was asked by the terrified residents of the area to leave. As He returned by boat, He was once more surrounded by multitudes that wanted to gain something from being close to Him. The themes in these two stories are that Jesus cares for those in trouble and He can do what is impossible for you and me. Nature, demons, diseases, and even death surrender completely and immediately to His sovereign authority! Do you know anyone who came to Jesus in desperation, convinced He was the only One who could help? Have you ever felt this way? What does the woman’s healing tell us about the role of physicians and the role of faith? Have you ever been frustrated with God’s timing? Have you ever felt He waited until it was too late–but then He came through?
Mother's Day. Jesus knows something the man doesn’t know— that he has a much bigger problem than his physical condition. Jesus is saying to him, “I understand your problems. I have seen your suffering. I’m going to get to that. But please realize that the main problem in a person’s life is never his suffering; it’s his sin.” If you find Jesus’s response offensive, please at least consider this: If someone says to you, “The main problem in your life is not what’s happened to you, not what people have done to you; your main problem is the way you’ve responded to that”—ironically, that’s empowering. Why? Because you can’t do very much about what’s happened to you or about what other people are doing—but you can do something about yourself. When the Bible talks about sin it is not just referring to the bad things we do. It’s not just lying or lust or whatever the case may be—it is ignoring God in the world he has made; it’s rebelling against him by living without reference to him. It’s saying, “I will decide exactly how I live my life.” And Jesus says that is our main problem. Jesus is confronting the paralytic with his main problem by driving him deep. Jesus is saying, “By coming to me and asking for only your body to be healed, you’re not going deep enough. You have underestimated the depths of your longings, the longings of your heart.” Everyone who is paralyzed naturally wants with every fiber of his being to walk. But surely this man would have been resting all of his hopes in the possibility of walking again. In his heart he’s almost surely saying, “If only I could walk again, then I would be set for life. I’d never be unhappy, I would never complain. If only I could walk, then everything would be right.” And Jesus is saying, “My son, you’re mistaken.” That may sound harsh, but it’s profoundly true. Jesus says, “When I heal your body, if that’s all I do, you’ll feel you’ll never be unhappy again. But wait two months, four months—the euphoria won’t last. The roots of the discontent of the human heart go deep.” Why was forgiveness the paralytic’s deepest need? Why is it our deepest need? What other “needs” do we feel are deeper than our need for forgiveness?
The gospel isn’t advice: It’s the good news that you don’t need to earn your way to God; Jesus has already done it for you. And it’s a gift that you receive by sheer grace—through God’s thoroughly unmerited favor. If you seize that gift and keep holding on to it, then Jesus’s call won’t draw you into fanaticism or moderation. You will be passionate to make Jesus your absolute goal and priority, to orbit around him; yet when you meet somebody with a different set of priorities, a different faith, you won’t assume that they’re inferior to you. You’ll actually seek to serve them rather than oppress them. Why? Because the gospel is not about choosing to follow advice, it’s about being called to follow a King. Not just someone with the power and authority to tell you what needs to be done—but someone with the power and authority to do what needs to be done, and then to offer it to you as good news. Where do we see that kind of authority? Jesus’s baptism has already been attended by supernatural signs that announce his divine authority. Then we see Simon, Andrew, James, and John follow Jesus without delay—so his call itself has authority. Mark continues to build on this theme: "They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law." (Mark 1:21–22) Mark uses the term authority for the first time; the word literally means “out of the original stuff.” It comes from the same root as the word author. Mark means that Jesus taught about life with original rather than derived authority. What would your life look and feel like if you fully surrendered to this perfect King? Your work life? Love life? Family life? Financial life? Social life?
Christians are thought to be people who live better, when in actuality we simply believe different. As followers of Jesus, we are justified by faith which is evidenced in a life marked by turning from ourselves and walking towards Christ. It is faith followed by good works. We don’t try to manufacture the Christian life because we can’t do it. Therefore we trust that, by faith, Christ's life is living through our daily death.
If you look around the world today, you'll realize, that something is wrong. Oddly enough, every religion and worldview, has to answer the problem of what's going on around us. However, Romans 3 diagnoses the human condition with a paradox that I’m convinced rings true in all of our lives. The problem is not merely what's around us, but rather, we are all corrupted by something with us. Sin!
Justification isn't just a theological concept, it's a sense of approval and belonging that everyone desires. Justification means that in God's eyes, we are given Jesus' perfect record. We are treated as if we had the perfect resume and lived the perfect life. And the best news of all is that we get this, not from doing anything, but simply by trusting in what Christ ha done.
There are many Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ. Some interpreters place the number of Messianic prophecies in the hundreds. This week we will look at the story of God and how all of it comes together in a specific point in history where God comes to earth by taking on flesh and blood.
Jesus had to suffer and die to rescue people from the prison of sin, and then He would establish His reign. Therefore, Jesus tells his cousin, John, that as the Messiah, he needs to trust Him because He knew what He was doing. That sounds minor until we realize that Jesus was telling John that it was a part of His plan for him to die in prison. This begs the question, when we don't get what we want, do we still trust Jesus?
Close to the end of his earthly life, Jesus prophesies another beginning by telling the people to watch out for the Messiah's return. When Christians think about Christ's return we often struggle with the difficulty of living in expectation while not being quite sure what to expect. In Matthew 24, Jesus outlines some clear expectations of what is to come and calls us to respond by living a life of urgency.
Advent is a Christian season observed as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Jesus at Christmas. The term comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming". For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives. The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Coming. This week we will look at the anticipation of His first coming.
Money is one of the main things we use to fight anxiety and keep control. In Matthew 6, Jesus warns us against being anxious about the various cares of life by addressing how we ought to view our money. Rather than worry over things we cannot control, or trying to purchase control, we should "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
The dictionary defines sacrifice as “anything consecrated and offered to God.” As believers, how do we consecrate and offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice? In John 12 we see a sacrifice that will help us answer that question.
When scripture talks about generosity, it talks in terms of giving to God in an orderly fashion. Many Christians neglect giving to God first and rather settle for giving God leftovers. Giving God our firstfruits sets a pattern of giving back to Him the first (and the best) of what He has given us and illustrates giving to God from a grateful heart.
Throughout scripture the Bible talks about money by referring it to issues of the heart. We are to give back to the Lord, joyfully and sacrificially and in return we will be blessed. We are to use our money to help others, but with discernment and the guidance of God’s Spirit. Deuteronomy 15 outlines for us how we are to guard our hearts by stewarding our money in a way that receives Gods blessing.
Although Jonah still had a terrible attitude, it was an act of compassion for the Lord to provide the covering protection for Jonah. However, when his heart saw a plant as his ultimate joy, it was an even greater act of kindness for the Lord to remove it. In kindness the Lord allows comforts, but he can remove them at a stroke to teach us that our joy should be in him alone.
Nineveh's reaction to Jonah sparked one of the most remarkable revivals in all of history. In this text we see God's response to our repentance. God's threat of distraction was removed and compassion when he saw the grief that was genuine. When we repent of our sin and from our own wicked ways, God is faithful to extend his mercy towards us.
Jonah preached a message that was extremely short and theologically incomplete. But he spoke it with the anointing and power of God and among the people who God appointed to hear his voice. Likewise, our efforts of evangelism have a little to do with us and everything to do with God.
Inside the great fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God and worshiped Him with Thanksgiving. The traditional understanding is that Jonah was alive for three days in the belly of this fish. The horrific event of being stuck in the stomach of a live creature swimming through the depths of the sea is minor in comparison to the experience that Jesus had in his death.
When the storm hits, people tend to get extremely spiritual. In this text we will see The God typically uses the painful circumstances in our lives to draw us closer to Him.
The thing about running from God is that we rarely understand the consequences of our own actions. As Jonah ran from the presence of the Lord, it didn't just affect him, it affected everything around him as well.
Just as God saw Nineveh as a great city to be infiltrated by God's people, he also looks upon our great cities that need to be infiltrated by God's people. However, just because we know what God desires doesn't always mean we desire the same thing. Jonah was so against the will of the Father, that he risked his life and paid the fare to sail to the other side of the world so Gods creation wouldn't hear about grace. In contrast, Jesus was so committed to the will of the Father that he gave his life and paid the ultimate fare so a world that would not accept Him would be extended saving grace.
Gods desire for his bride is no different than Gods desire for a husband and wife. That through a pursuit of relational intimacy we can become a people who experience what it means to be fully known and fully loved. The Church of Jesus Christ is the family of God and our earthly relationships should reflect this spiritual truth.
When the unrevealed will of God is unclear, we often can find ourselves frustrated and confused. So, how can we have confidence that we are honoring The Lord with our decisions? When Gods path is foggy, wisdom is the light that leads.
Paul seems to believe that the number one hindrance to a believers progressive sanctification is sexual immorality. Why is this and how do we fight against it?
Following rules gets you nowhere, it is only through the gift of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit that we are able to change at all. But once we have the Holy Spirit, He is constantly working to transform us more into the likeness of Jesus.
Paul teaches that it is the love of Christ that compels us towards obedience. But God in his mercy has graced us with additional motivations for the purpose of maximizing our joy and bringing glory to his name.
As the living Word, Jesus was the totality of truth who literally took the written word and brought it to life. As one who taught with authority and for change, he is the greatest teacher to ever walk the earth.
Launching a new series, Dan Byrd talks about Jesus in his human form, and talking about sanctification, and how we can be in His name.
Matt Chewning finishes the Discover Series, leading us into the last steps of becoming a partner with Netcast Church
We as the people of God need to come together to help one another understand the word of God. For clear understanding of God's word brings rejoicing and freedom, instead of worry, shame or guilt. As in Nehemiah Chapter 8, the people were at first mournful of his words, and only after the body helped one another understand the true meaning of the word were they free to have joy.
Every person and body working to bring God's plan to fruition will encounter opposition. It was shown back in Nehemiah's day and it's evident today. We must not be discouraged, and have faith to persevere through the opposition, knowing that God will fight along side us.
As in the time of Nehemiah, God calls us to come alongside one another and serve the kingdom of God. We are all called to stop being consumers and start being contributors for the Church.
God has a mission for you, a simple, profound mission. He says he will be with you in this mission and the struggle has already been won. All you need to do is follow His Mission for your life.
Being a godly parent is all about raising children who will follow your example in obeying and worshipping the Lord. Although our children learn a great deal through direct teaching, they learn much more by watching us. This is why we must be careful to not just speak truth to our children but model a life repentance, humility and love.
Contrary to what many believe a biblical portrait of a godly wife to be, Proverbs 31 reveals she is enterprising and ambitious. However, through all of her endeavors, service, and hard work, the godly wife maintains joy as she trusts the Lord with her future. It is her pursuit of Jesus and her abiding in Him which bring the fruit of godliness to manifest in the life of a godly woman.
A man cannot lead where he has not been. A leader goes first, forging the way, wrestling through spiritual issues and then presenting God’s instruction to his family. An ongoing personal relationship with Jesus is crucial in order to lead a family spiritually.
The healthiest thing we can offer our families is a life marked by spiritual growth. To do so, the the fruit of the Spirit must become increasingly evident in a believer’s life. This process of progressive sanctification is cultivated through a lifelong pursuit of Jesus, the study and application of God's Word and by walking in the Spirit.
Before God have us his life, he humbly came to live a life. Born of a virgin he entered our world, becoming our wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father and the prince of peace.
No matter how hard we fight, we cannot claim victory because victory has already been claimed. Christ has won, Satan's power is limited, God's power is supreme and victory is ours.
God does not just give us a new identity; He gives us Himself as our identity. Christ in you is the hope of glory.
Love is defined as a purposeful commitment to sacrificial action for another. The greatest gift God can give us a love that is most clearly seen through the giving of Himself.
Within the New Testament model of church organization the bible states that the highest authority for leadership is conducted by a plurality of male leaders. To be faithful to scripture, today, Netcast has an Executive Team that consists of (3) elders and (3) elders in training
As Netcast has grown, we often are asked by outsiders, “What makes us unique?” Although no church is better than others, there are certain things that do make churches unique.
Though we are all unique and different, there is one characteristic we all have in common… God created all of us with a purpose and mission; and we are called to partner with each other in order to pursue that together.
In order for the local church to be effective, we have to be strategic in what we do. Netcast has specific environments that offer a strategic pathway for next steps towards involvement and growth.
Beyond religion and irreligion, there is “The Gospel”. The beauty of the gospel is that it operates on the
premise that, “I constantly fail to obey God but through Jesus I can be accepted anyway.”
As Christians, we have a responsibility to expose darkness by being a light. The more we are a light, the more we are working with God to turn dark things into light things. However, what is light? Scripture teaches that light and darkness is a contrast between having a correct understanding about Jesus and behavior that models what we believe is true about Jesus.
If Love is a decision to conduct yourself in a way that elevates God's desires above our own passions than Paul is saying that lust is a decision to conduct yourself in a way that elevates our own passions above God's desires. The scriptures teach that “Love” is a sacrificial action done out of a love for God, but “Lust” is a selfish action done out of a love for self.
Some of the most powerful words a human can hear is the words "I love you". However, in todays culture the idea of love is so broad that it has lost the weightiness. We love our families, our restaurants, our sports teams and our TV shows. The problem with such a broad definition of love, is that we cannot grasp the heaviness of it's biblical meaning.
If the Holy Spirit doesn't only transform our Sunday mornings, but our entire lives, then how do we measure our worship within the 40-50 hours a week that we're on the clock? The truth is, When Christians begin to see their work as a part of God's redemptive plan on history, and not just an effort to make another dollar, we then have a healthy motivation for our labor.
When we walk in anger, bitterness, and wrath we fail to find the life Jesus died to give us. Our actions and our attitudes towards others expose our identity and our idols. The letter of Ephesians confronts our sin so that we might let go of our idols and grab onto our identity in Christ. (Special guest speaker, Netcast Church Planting Intern, Matt Lombardi)
Our willingness to be kind reflects our relationship with Jesus and reveals the transformation brought about by “putting on” our new identities. Our attitudes towards one another don't reflect present circumstances, but rather, how we view ourselves as sons and daughters of God.
Anything that is communicated without the motivation and intention of building up those who are listening, is sinful and ungodly. Talk isn't cheap, it can often cost us our integrity, respectability, and character.
We all have a breaking point. The moment we cross the line from frustration to anger. How should we handle our anger in a way that worships Jesus?
Emptiness is a hoax. The thought that we could ever be truly empty is one that makes no sense. I am not talking about physical emptiness, clearly hunger is a reality. I am talking about emotional emptiness. Our lives are always full of something, even if we do nothing, we are still doing something. Every experience pours into us. We can be full of rage, joy, frustration, worship, sadness, or all of the above, the point is we are never truly empty. When the Bible addresses what is going on inside of us, it is operating under that very truth. Therefore, the bible doesn’t ever tell us “how to be full”, instead it points us to what we should be full of.
As followers of Christ we are to put off the Old self and put on the New self. In Ephesians 4:25 Paul begins a series of practical teachings to explain how to put off the "old" and put on the "new." He starts with teaching the church to put off Falsehood and speak Truth. There is more to falsehood than just lying and speaking the Truth is more than just not lying. Jesus is the Truth and we must proclaim truth to our neighbor. What's our motivation for putting off falsehood and speaking the truth? "For we are members one of another."
The world tells us that way to contentment is the pursuit of happiness. This pursuit is one filled with all sorts of material and meaningless possessions. However, happiness is fleeting but joy is everlasting. God is very much concerned with maximizing our joy and pleasure, an action that can only be realized through the truth of the Gospel.
God has gifted His followers with unique giftings and talents that should not terminate on themselves, but instead are for the intended purpose of building up the Church and displaying the gospel to the world. If we are going to walk towards biblical maturity and use these gifts and talents we must look towards Jesus throughout all of it.
The power of God has the unique ability to transform all levels of broken, sinful, messed up people into a beautiful creation that walks in harmony with its creator. When God saves, no matter what He saves from, that act of salvation is always a miracle.
The spiritual health of the Church is of utmost importance to those whom love, care, and serve it. The methods of measurement that we impose upon ourselves to determine that health will either push us to Jesus and His church, or pull us towards self.
"What if we lived in the knowledge of what God has done - continues to do - in us rather than trying to do it for ourselves? What if we were a church marked by the crazy stupid love we had for the people around us - a love that is beyond expectation or reason? God is doing the work in us that is required for us to be. Being filled isn’t impossible. It’s the work of God. "
The implications of the existence of the Church of Jesus Christ are much larger and greater than most, if not all, modern Christians realize or will choose to acknowledge. God uses His people, the church, to make known the shear depths of his glory, the never ending extents of His love, and the overwhelming gift of His mercy. Most of us did not understand what we were getting into when we became Christians and thus part of Christ’s church. However, if you’ve spent anytime longer than a few days as a Christian, you begin to understand that this thing is bigger than you anticipated it to be.
As we continue to work our way through Ephesians we come upon the idea of stewardship. A Steward is someone who has been entrusted to carefully use, manage and control someone else's property for the benefit of the owner.
Racism is an unfortunate issue that we, as followers of Christ, must address in order for us to be healthy as a body. Racism is and racial inequality is a reality that has been present in our country for many years. It is vitally important for Christians to look at racism through the lens of the Gospel in order to see redemption and restoration. The problem with racism is not racism, it's what produces racism. It's the sinful pride that lingers in the hearts of men that says, “I am better than you because I am different than you.”
Living life with a healthy balance comes easy to some, but for most of us is very difficult. We live in a culture that has been shaped by this unbalance. We either risk everything or live life in a bubble of safety. Either we can’t control our eating or we are obsessed with exercise. The comparisons are endless if we really stopped to think them out. The point is that an unbalanced life always leads to a lack of health.
As Christians, we must understand that Easter Sunday is the most important and foundational day in human history. Easter is a day to celebrate because it represents the most life altering event that our world has ever known.
God, is a relational God, He is not a dictator or a tyrant. His commands are not demands from an unloving, unjust, cruel heart. Instead, they flow from a heart of love and grace. When we became Christians we didn’t arrive at the destination. Just as in our own personal relationships with one another, we cannot ever learn everything there is to know about someone and master our understanding of them.
There are ramifications for every decision that we make. If we are honest, in every decision we make we have little knowledge of where they will take us. In this passage Paul tells us that regardless of why we became Christians, when it happened we began to head into a direction with little knowledge of where that decision would take us. Paul wants us to understand that our salvation in Christ has changed everything for us. That decision has had ramifications we will be working out for the remainder of our lives.
The trouble with finding our identity in the things we own or what we accomplish is that its fleeting. We need to understand who we are in Christ in order to have a true grasp of our identity.
How we choose to define ourselves (or let ourselves be defined) has drastic consequences on how we choose to live our lives. The world says that our actions define who we are, but for the Christ follower we know this to be different. As Christians we are defined by what Christ has done through his completed work on the cross, his conquering of satan, sin and death.
All of us were slaves. And not just any slaves, but slaves who offended the master. Like any slave we long for freedom, so we’re constantly trying different “keys” to attain freedom. We are looking for things that will release us from this sense of slavery, but every key leads to less and less satisfaction - less and less freedom. In our pursuit of freedom we find more bondage.
Through Jesus we receive the Father's love and are called “children of God.” What an honor it is that God calls us His children and gives us the assurance that as His children we are heirs and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). In his Gospel, John also tells us that God gives the right to become children of God to all who in faith have received Christ as Lord and Savior (John 1:12). God extends His love to His Son Jesus Christ and, through Him, to all His adopted children.
At Netcast, we believe that simply being a large body of people, doesn't mean you are a healthy body of people. In the same way, being healthy doesn't always accompany being large. In this sermon, we are introduced to the apostle Paul and his church plant in Ephesus. Starting in the very beginning of this letter, we can already see Paul's desire to see the church at Ephesus become a healthy and faithful community of believers.
Suffering is apart of life. We live in a broken and dying world. Therefore, we will all experience hard times at some point. Hard times that cause great pain and suffering in this world. So when we encounter these hard times, what do we do? What do we do when life hurts so bad that we don’t want to get out of bed? How do we get through it?
So, if the bible is true, and humanity is created in the image of God, to find our satisfaction by walking intimately with God; What happens when we suppress that truth and attempt to be satisfied outside of God?
There’s something written in your heart that knows what honors Him and what doesn’t (v. 15). There are times we will live strong by the power of the Holy Spirit and there will be times where we fail, but we are progressively and slowly being made more and more like Jesus. The father is excited to see his children grow! One of the primary ways we grow is not giving up on meeting together as emphasized by the writer of Hebrews.
When we fast, it should be as much about what we DO as it is about what we DON'T DO. In Isaiah 58, God speaks through his prophet, to his people, about true and false fasting.
The point of fasting is to change our schedules and desires in such a way that we find delight and joy in God's presence; that we find true life through Jesus. He is the source of life and when we feast on Him, then we will truly find life and find it to the full. Just as we have made a disciplined plan to fast, we must also create a disciplined plan to feast on God, to engulf ourselves in His Word and Presence. There is a lot in our lives that can easily demand our time and focus, which is why it requires a pre-decision to create space to feast. In this sermon, Pastor Matt outlined his method of feasting on God, called "prowling." Here is his acronym: P – Place to pray R – Reading plan O – Observe something new W – Write down thoughts L – Listen in solitude
In the second week of "Crave" Pastor Matt began by asking the question why. Why do we crave the things that we do? Why do we crave sex, why do we crave a second helping of food, why do we crave the approval of others, why do we crave to dress a certain way, or why we crave to have our house look a certain way? Why do we crave for our sports team to win? Why do we crave that kind of job or that good of a grade? The bottom line answer to these questions is this: we desire what we experience and enjoy or what we see others experiencing and enjoying. In short, our desires are shaped by what we see and experience.
The danger of grace is “understanding it in your mind but not believing it in your heart.” We can understand grace intellectually yet not believe in grace emotionally and relationally. And when this happens, grace becomes a license towards complacency, sin and satisfying our fleshly cravings.
The Father sends the Son. The Son sends the Spirit, The Spirit empowers us to be incarnational missionaries. Which means...to “Put On” Jesus and represent him being his hands, his feet and his voice in our world within your normal rhythms of life.
This Sunday, Matt preached on how Jesus intersects and invades the dark circumstances of our lives with power and redemption. In this story, we learn how Jesus knows your circumstances; he truly knows and understands your circumstances, especially when they are difficult. Jesus gets and invades our difficult circumstances.
In the first Sunday of Advent, Pastor Matt preached on the need for rescue. There is a sense of anticipation for Christmas, as we seek to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It truly is a great and joyous time that completely changed our lives and the course of this world. But the greatness and joy of Christmas only makes sense when we understand our real need, and the world's real need for Christmas. The birth of our Savior is only truly glorious in light of the recognition of our need. It's our only glorious when we come to terms with the inclination of our heart towards sin. When we recognize our need, then we can fully celebrate the hope of Christmas. For that is truly what Advent is about: hope. It's a hope that doesn't come from ourselves.
In the last 6 verses, Malachi will lay out the eternal destiny of the two distinctions. Now eternity is almost impossible for the finite mind to comprehend. Most of us have trouble imagining what we'll be doing next week, let alone 50 million years from now.
As we read this passage, and consider even creating our own "scroll of remembrance" we may have a sense of fear of what actually we would remember. The list of our life could at times feel inadequate and falling short. And that's okay. It's okay because the distinction between the righteous and the wicked it not ultimately rooted in our own lives. Our lives will be littered with mistakes and corrupted by sin. If we would put our own scroll of remembrance, it would fall short. But that's okay. It's okay because the distinction between the righteous and the wicked is ultimately based on Jesus Christ.
"This passage provides the vision for our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ., as members of this Community Group, and as a part of Netcast. After the resurrection, Jesus appears to his disciples for the last time before he ascends into heaven. In his final appearance Jesus sits down to explain to them the central meaning of the Bible and provide direction for the rest of their lives (v.45—he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures)."
So, what can we say about material blessing in the New Covenant? For us, we can say that material blessing has a specific purpose. Paul informs us in 2 Cor. 9:11 how God says, "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." Our material blessing is tagged with an outward focus. Our giving can change the way others worship.
The key difference for us is we are not in the Mosaic Covenant; we are in the New Covenant inaugurated in Jesus (see 1 Cor. 11:25). In the Mosaic Covenant, God blessed Israel as a result of obedience. In the New Covenant, we need to think about material blessing differently. God is certainly able and may choose to give material blessings – but He is not obligated nor has He promised to always act in this way towards us. We can't expect to give $10 and receive a $100 in return. He informs us in 2 Cor. 9:6-11 of how we should think of material blessing. Of particular importance for us today is v.11, as God says, "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." One person commented on this verse saying, "Paul is not advocating giving that will result in blessing but rather blessing that will result in giving." In the New Covenant, we will not be material blessed because of obedience (like in Malachi 3 and the Mosaic Covenant); we will be material blessed in order to be generous. And our giving will bring thanksgiving and praise to God (v.11).
The Jews has a wordily perspective of success and pain. They thought success was material prosperity because of Gods approval and pain was purely evil because God was angry towards peoples actions. They missed the perspective of success being God presence in our lives because of our trust and faithfulness; and pain was God's grace in refining us into His image to maximize our joy.
John 6:53-69 After Jesus shares a difficult teaching which causes many people to no longer follow Him, Jesus turns to His disciples and offers them the same challenge demanding complete surrender in Him. This demand is the same today. There is no middle ground when it comes to following Jesus. You are either for Jesus or against Jesus.
This passage focuses in and gets specific on the way Israel has stumbled. In 2:1-9, God rebuked the priests (for us, church leaders and pastors) for the way they have neglected to teach God's Word. And in their neglect, they have caused Israel to stumble, to sin, and to live outside of the ways of God.
In this passage God is directly speaking to the priests. For our purposes, think about the leaders of the church. In the story of Israel, God had called and charged the priests to help maintain the covenant relationship between God and Israel. In this role they were called to pursue the honor of God's name above all else. And one of the main ways they honored God and devoted themselves to Him was in their teaching--much like the role of pastors and leaders in the church.
The type of worship we offer must reflect the type of God we serve and kind of love we have been given. At the core of Netcast is worship: the vision statement says, "Gospel-Centered Worshipful Communities." This passage is incredible vital to our faith and the future of this church. We must not only understand worship well, but we must be known for our worship.
The truth that God loves you, is a profound revelation that transforms the human heart. He does not hate you, He is not angry at you and He is not mad at you. In the Lords mind, you've been carefully woven & knit together, you're unique, special & the apple of His eye. However, His love for you is based upon no merit of your own but only His divine mercy.
How do we fight a battle that has already been won? Our worship pastor, Josh Sturgeon walks through what it looks like for the Church to fight a spiritual battle on this side of the cross, knowing that Jesus has been given all authority over the enemy.
Satan will do anything and everything in his power to oppose God and those who follow God. However, Satan’s destiny is sealed, Christ has already won and victory belongs to the kingdom of God.
Netcast had the opportunity to serve alongside Pastor Otto Alvarez and his team at Libre Infancia, a ministry focused on children living in one of the most desperate areas of Guatemala City. Through this experience, God made it clear that our two ministries have have a unique chemistry. Netcast has committed its support to the long-term mission of Libre Infancia to break the cycle of poverty in the "Zone 3" garbage dump, through education and the transforming impact of the gospel.
Understanding who you are helps us be who we were created to be. "You" is a plural pronoun. The church- the body of Christ is a chosen race, a royal persist hood, a holy nation. Not you as an individual, but you as a body....a family. As this chosen, royal, holy body- we are called to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us.
The kingdom is full of beautiful diversity as it expresses itself locally. What are some of the unique local expressions we desire to see at Netcast?
Although followers of Jesus need to be Kingdom-Minded, there can be a danger if this mindset is taken to the extreme. To only think in "Kingdom" terms, can run the risk of missing the beauty and importance of the local body.
There is a mysterious relationship between the Kingdom and the local church, but because many evangelicals don't like “mystery” we will often divorce unique distinctive's that God meant to be married.
The politics of Jesus can be summarized into three simple questions: Who is my family? Who is my enemy? And what is the world--and how do I relate to it? The way you answer these questions determines how you live and what Kingdom you are a part of.
Perhaps the greatest problem of North American Christianity is the church in America has fused the Kingdom of God with Kingdom of the World we call the United States of America.
To understand the Apostle Paul's context, it is important to see the political environment of living under the Roman Empire. Empire building has not changed that much in 2,000 years. It is today as it was then, Jesus is Lord .... Caesar is NOT.
Some of the youngest churches in the first century understood their responsibility to provide care, relief and encouragement in a hurting world for the advancement of the kingdom of God. May the churches around the globe today resemble similar characteristics as in act of worship to our great God.
The resurrection of Christ is the most historical event the world has ever known. It demonstrated to us that everything that is not Jesus over promises and under-delivers. However, when our hope is in Jesus we are promised to have a friend who will never leave us nor for sake us in addition to sustaining us through all situations of life.
In John 12, you see this incredible story of multiple characters. Of those, only one stands out as faithful, Mary.
Jesus tells us that in every single circumstance of life, if by the grace of God we chose to believe the accurate nature and character of God, we would get to see the glory of God.
Jesus was always sharing meals with broken people. He served the first communion to broken disciples. So why do we think now that the Lord's Supper is for the super holy? Perhaps we should Biblically reconsider the significance of this sacrament. What kind of power is really present at the table? And more importantly, who is it for? Is the table for the holy--or just for the hungry?
If you go to the New Testament to develop a biblical basis for Christian giving, you could never come up with what is commonly taught and practiced in the majority of churches today; the tithe. So, if tithing isn't the basis for our Christian giving, what is it?
Evangelicalism has been historically known as a religion full of hypocrites. Not because we struggle with sin, but because it's obvious to the world that we struggle with sin, yet we pretend as if we don't. In the gospel we see that the more mature you are as a believer in Christ, the more clear you can see how deeply rooted your depravity actually is. Therefore, take off the mask and begin to let love be genuine.
As Christians, we celebrate Christmas out of a gratitude for what God has done. We remember His birth by giving gifts, offering our worship, and reminding ourselves that He has come to bring direction and empowerment to those who receive Him. He is the greatest gift giver the world has ever known.
The sovereignty of God, while creating problems for our understanding of sin and evil, is the rock-solid foundation that enables us to carry on in life through sin and evil. Where would we turn if we didn't have a God to help us deal with the very evils that he has allowed to come into our lives?
Jesus is so incredible, so powerful and so beautiful that our only response to Him should be..."Everything under heaven and earth is your." By "thinking" in this way, we will become incredible worshippers of God and generosity will flow out of us like never before.
Most of the Bible was originally written to those living in an agrarian society, people familiar with working the land, managing livestock, and raising crops. Many of Jesus' parables involve the farming life. Not surprisingly, then, the Bible contains many references to sowing and reaping. Sowing and reaping is meant to be a motivation for our generosity. It is more than just an agricultural principle. It is a promise from God that we reap what we sow.
The reality of the human heart is our money actually is a mirror that reflects back to us our true belief and trust in the gospel. Therefore, to keep the gospel central, is to also take an accurate picture of our hearts through the lens of our generosity.
People don't need to hear our explanations, our excuses or our rebuttals. They don't need to hear our voice, they need to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. And his voice is only heard through us.
We are a people that doesn't do well without explanations. We want explanations, we need explanations and we thrive off of explanations. And not just any explanations, but we need "GOOD" explanations. The problem with Christianity; if we're honest, is that so much of it is unexplainable.
If every religion, society and generation has known a right way of living, then why has no society has been able to do it? Because we're slaves. We think we are free but we are only free to choose what we will allow to enslave us.
Jesus says that it is necessary for the world to have its eyes enlightened to who he is, in order to experience life the way it was intended to be experienced.
All throughout the evangelical community, people feel the need to deem themselves worthy of Christ. As if more knowledge of Jesus, or good deeds for Jesus, or good church attendance to worship Jesus makes someone more worthy than what is granted in the gospel. The truth is, the only thing that makes us worthy of Christ, is the realization that we are unworthy of Him. That's why it is called grace!!
For us to effectively fulfill all that Christ is calling us to fulfill, we first have to be empowered by God the Holy Spirit. To do anything apart from the Holy Spirit, is to do nothing at all. Therefore, in order to be a church empowered for ministry, we have got to be people that pursue God the Holy Spirit.
There is no evidence in scripture that God has empowered "YOU" to live the Christian life. Rather, God desires to live the Christian life through you as you yield to His Spirit that has made his home inside you.
The Spirit of God, gifts and empowers the Church of God, to continue the ministry of the Son of God, all for the Glory of God. Therefore Christians are empowered, equipped and expected to serve God through the power God provides in the Spirit.
If we are commanded in scripture to be filled with the Spirit; then "What does it mean to be full of the Holy Spirit and how does someone become full of the Holy Spirit?"
If the primary role of the Holy Spirit is to "Communicate" with you personally, outside of reading His inspired words, how can we hear from Him?
Many of us, when we look at our lives and churches we don't see much that is "Super" or "Natural". Much of our lives and churches are instead, "Mediocre and Planned." And worse of all, we tend to be pretty content with that. But this is not how life was meant to be lived.
How do we know the truth about who Jesus really was behind all of the opinions and claims that others have made about him?
As Jesus would gather large crowds, he would often raise the bar of commitment to really separate His true disciples from his in-sincere followers.
If life is like dew on the ground, here one moment and gone the next, than what do we do? How do we establish a legacy?
What Christ did in dying on the cross is the central element of the Christian faith. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, God tells us that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but that God uses that foolishness to shame the wise. If something so central to our faith is foolishness to those who are perishing, Should we seek to alleviate the foolishness or should we embrace it?
Jesus tells us in John 6:27 "not to labor for food that will perish, but rather to labor for food that will last for eternity." So, what does it look like to labor for non-perishable food by starving our flesh and feeding our Spirit?
The clearest way we are able to see whether or not Jesus is our everything, is by observing how we act when Jesus is our only-thing. When all else fails and all you have is Jesus; what is your response? Is He enough?
What does it look like for a local body of believers to live in genuine community with one another?
Every Christian should be partnered with a local church. To not do so is to go directly against what the scriptures call us to.
What does a Gospel-Centered Worshipful Community look like? What did "Community" look like in the scriptures? What should it look like today? Acts 2:42-47 paints us a picture of Community in the Early Church. In this passage we learn that the Faith Community we see established by Christ himself, had some distinctive characteristics. The Church, from its birth, has been: devoted to the scriptures (v.42), Spirit-powered (v.43), unselfish in nature (vv. 44-45), unified as a body (v.46), and attractive to those outside the community (v.47). We as a community of faith must have these characteristics as a foundation for all we do.
The world doesn't need another organization with a slick marketing plan. The world needs to encounter more followers of Jesus who are full of faith and expectant to see God move powerfully. Church plants won't change the world, but worshipping communities will. Hear more about the kind of worshippers who shake the foundations of their nation!
Both the leadership of a local church and the body of the local church, have the same responsibility to the local church. We are called to generously give our Time, Talent and Treasure in order to advance God's kingdom.
The responsibility of church leadership is to feed, lead and protect the flock while also exercising oversight of the local church. By doing this well, the local church can become an equipping center that sends out local missionaries.
Netcast Church exists to bring glory to Jesus by cultivating gospel-centered worshipful communities. So, what are gospel-centered worshipful communities and how do we cultivate them?
Everything that God does, he does for His glorious name. Therefore as believers, we exist to bring glory to God by exalting Jesus. But how?
For the second consecutive year, Pastor Andy Thompson has been Netcast Church's guest speaker on Mother's Day. Pastor Andy is the founding pastor of World Overcomers Christian Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC. He has been a mentor to Pastor Matt and WOCC has been a financial partner of Netcast Church before Netcast first worship service was held on January 23, 2011.
Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." It is not intellectualism that brings someone to Christianity. Christianity is when people recognize that without Christ, we are dead. However, if we hear the voice of Jesus and respond to it; we shall live.
Let's not pretend that Jesus didn't make some outrageous claims about himself. In this text He clearly says that he is the ONLY way to the Father and if we don't honor Him than we cannot honor the Father. What should our response be to a claim like that?
Just like the poverty cycle or addiction cycle, there is a cycle of belief. Belief in the Gospel, leads to obedience to Jesus, which leads to a satisfied life, which leads to greater belief.
Many Christians live with a truncated view of the Gospel. We see the gospel as the "door," the way in, the entrance point into God's kingdom. However, the Gospel is so much more! It is not just the door, but also the path we are to walk every day of the Christian life. It is not just the means of our salvation, but the means of our transformation. It is not just deliverance from sin's penalty, but release from sin's power. The Gospel is what makes us right with God (justification) and it is also what frees us to delight in God (sanctification). The Gospel changes everything.
The church does a great job of answering the "What" (Don't do this; do this.) but has historically struggled with answering the "Why". In this sermon we explore not just that Jesus rose from the dead, but why he rose from the dead.
Just like the women at the well, Jesus pursues us. All of humanity is just like this woman; an outcast with feeling of shameful and unworthiness. However Jesus comes to seek and save that which is lost by giving Himself to us an by doing so, fully satisfying our deepest longings.
Most of us have asked the questioned or been asked it ourselves: "why should Christians obey God or do anything godly if they already know they've been forgiven through Christ's death on the cross for all their sins?" Titus 2:11-14 answers this question by showing that the gospel saves us and also compels us to grow in godly obedience to God...not to earn His favor, but because we have His favor through Christ.
Since God created everything, he also knows how to bring us the most pleasure and joy. Believe it or not, God wants to maximize our pleasure, therefore he tells us to be obedient.
The Bible says that we must be born again to inherit the kingdom of God. But is simply saying that we are born again, enough to actually grant us new birth?
With all of our faults and all of our sin; is it possible to be truly known and truly loved at the same time?
All of us come into Christianity with pre-suppositional thoughts on certain things. The challenge is to allow the scriptures to define our views and not our pre-suppositional thoughts. So, who is this biblical Jesus, what is biblical worship and what is a biblical church?
We all want to see Jesus do the miraculous in our life? However, we neglect the most simple truth to seeing it. Listen for his voice, and do whatever he tells you to do. "Don't be just a hearer of the word, be a doer of the word."
Everyone wants to be great. No one woke up this morning with this deep desire to be lame. So, what does it mean to be great and what does greatness look like as a Christian living in the 21st century?
The Greek word (Zo-ay) which means "life", isn't talking about being alive, its talking about the fullest expression of joy and blessing a life can obtain on earth. How do we obtain this life?
Mission is always most effective when it is birthed out of proper motivation. Our mission for making disciples should not be done out of unhealthy compulsion but rather out of an overflow of worship heart transformed by the gospel.
Often times we don't have all the answers for the skeptics who ask us questions. However, we learn in this passage that sometimes answers aren't what people actually need. Sometimes they need to just Come and See.
If we are called to make disciples of all the nations, how do we go about doing that? In John 13, Jesus gives us an example to follow. He models to us the importance of servant hood in disciple making.
When God saves a person, He turns them into something. And that something is not something that we originally signed up for. Jesus says, "Follow me and I'll make you....Fishers of Men!"
A clear God ordained vision is so important to seek because it doesn't just define what you'll be doing in your future, but it also will define your direction today.
There's a sense in which we live between two worlds. Christ's incarnational mission- His taking on flesh, dwelling among us, dying for the forgiveness of our sins, and his resurrection to new life to secure the same for us- all that Christ did ushered in a new age. He established his Kingdom here on earth, but then let us know that more restoration would come. He made very clear that one day, He'll return to set everything right. Spiritually, it is finished- our debt has been paid and new life is ours through Christ. Physically, we live in a broken, sin-sick world. There is for now an "already/not yet" nature to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. How should we live in this world. How should we approach our attitude toward where God has us for now? Jeremiah 29 speaks directly to this issue. The Israelites had been taken captive and forced to leave their homes in Judea to live in Babylon. They were in exile. God gives his people specific directives in how to live while in exile. You may not like where you live, your job situation, etc... but it is no surprise to God that you're there. He's allowed you (or even led you) to be where you are for a reason. Rather than blaming the situation or even God, God wants us to transform the situation. God is so serious about us seeking the prosperity of the community we live in, He makes clear in verse 7 that our peace and prosperity is tied to that of our community.
Sabbath is more than not working one day a week. Sabbath is actually trusting Jesus with the provision of your future so that you will grow in faithfulness and worship.
Forgiveness is not forgetting. Forgiveness is remembering clearly how we have been offended and in light of Gods grace towards us in Christ, choosing to extend that same grace to others.
The Christian faith is one of risk. If a person is going to walk on water, they first need to get out of the boat. What does it look like for you to risk everything to walk on water?
A good servant of Christ Jesus is one who's life actually lines up with what they claim to believe. Paul tells Timothy to "Guard your life and your doctrine." Good servants of Jesus don't allow there to be a disconnect between life and doctrine.
If worship is everything ,than naturally worship becomes nothing. Music is a wonderful opportunity for God's children to engage in the praise of Gods name. So, what does Jesus say is an acceptable posture of worship?
Worship is more than just singing love songs to Jesus. Worship is our battle cry. In moments of battle, we are not called to engage in war, we are called to worship Christ because he has already won the war. We fight from victory, not for victory.
One way that we worship Jesus is to simply remember all that he has done for us. This is a sermon documenting how the local church fits into the grand scheme of Gods plan.
People who are marked by an encounter with God in worship will shake the foundations of a city. Pastor Josh demonstrates through powerful personal examples what happens "When God Shows Up." When people worship (truly worship) the foundations in the spiritual realms are shaken. Just as Moses encountered God's glory and led Israel out of captivity, we can encounter God's glory. Josh teaches on the difference between God's Omnipresence and Manifest Presence. Josh also answers the question, "Why music?" Music is an integral part of the creation. Every culture, every tongue, even in heaven, music is a central part of how we interact with the creation.
When our eyes are opened to who we are in light of who God is, we are always moved to action.
One of the main enemies to our worship is a misunderstanding of who God is. Once we get a glimpse of who he is, worship becomes a natural response.
For those who truly trust in Christ; Jesus is more than just a good teacher or a moral man. Jesus is their treasure.
For the skeptic, they want their questions answered. For those who recognize their brokenness; they want to be healed. Jesus asks a lame skeptic a simple question that would forever change his life. Do you want to be healed?"
The last of our study through 1 Corinthians. We will recap the entire book and look at the central message that Paul is portraying to us as disciples of Jesus.
God has given each of us talents, abilities and certain giftedness. Are those gifts being used to the glory of your name or the glory of Christ's name through the building up of the church?
The mark of a person's maturity is not in their intellect, knowledge or even their outward expressions of faith. The mark of maturity is love.
Josh gives a brief but concise overview of Paul's teaching on the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. Even though this is a huge topic, Josh illustrates the Biblical purpose, approach, and value of all the spiritual gifts being exercised within the body of Christ.
Paul's admonishes the Corinthian church for the way they were gathering for Worship. In fact, their meetings, according to Paul, were doing more harm than good.
When God saves a person, he immediately gives that person unique spiritual gifts. Those gifts are given to make much of Jesus' name and to be a blessing in the Kingdom of God. What are your gifts and how are you using them?
Believe it or not, there are specific instructions on how we are to behave in the corporate gathering for worship. Too often the church allows people to draw attention towards themselves and away from Christ.
Idolatry is anything more important to you than God. Its anything that you seek to give you what only God can give you. Idolatry is building your life and meaning on anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ. What does it look like to allow freedoms to become idols?
In this message, Josh expounds on approaching spiritual disciplines from a Kingdom perspective, not a personal legalistic approach. We discipline ourselves spiritually to achieve an eternal reward which far exceeds any prize the world has to offer.
Men are good for the spiritual health of the body of Christ. A study from Hartford Seminary found that the presence of involved men was statistically correlated with church growth, health, and harmony. Meanwhile, a lack of male participation is strongly associated with congregational decline.
Pastoral ministry is a calling and not a profession. All pastors are called to fulfill their God appointed duty regardless of whether or not the local church will honor them by paying them a salary.
Although we are called to honor God by honoring our conscience, the gospel doesn't allow us to use our conscience as a means of righteousness. Righteousness is obtained through Christ alone by faith alone.
Divorce is an epidemic in our culture; both within the church and outside of the church. What does the bible have to say about this controversial topic?
If our only fear is our sin being found out and we are not broken over our actual sin, than what does that say about our heart? A Christian was once dead and is now alive by God's grace. However, the enemy loves to convince dead people that they are alive.
Andy Thompson is a spiritual educator, a leader, a motivator of men, a man of faith. He uses modern day parables, humor and truth to challenge spiritual thought and growth in people from every cultural or economic background. He is founding and Senior Pastor of World Overcomers Christian Church, currently located in the Research Triangle Park area of Durham, North Carolina, a few miles west of RDU Airport. The church, which was started in January 2003, now ministers to nearly 5000 people, and is one of the fastest growing ministries in North Carolina.
Judging is a normal part of life and everyone has to do it. As Christians, what is acceptable judging and what is unacceptable judging?
The most important message of the Christian faith is not about being moral, good or religious. The most important message of the Christian faith is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus rose in victory over Satan, sin and death. What is our response?
This generation is in desperate need of "Spiritual Fathers." Men who talk about the deep mysteries of Christ, model godliness, studying the bible, love their wives and kids; men who do not compromise integrity and are quick to repent of sin.
Biblical community and going to a bible study or small group are completely different things. Current evangelicalism has taught us that sitting in a circle in someone's home for 90 minutes per week is biblical community. The early church would tell us that it's much more than that.
Scripture tells us that our hearts have the potential to turn away from the living God and seek other things to bring temporal gratification. If that is the case, what does it look like for us to fight the human heart together as we seek to bring glory to Jesus?
Pastoral ministry is a calling not a job. Although, pastors should be honored and respected as leaders in the church; their responsibility is not to be glorified by the church, but rather be servants of Jesus' church.
Christians, we are to live our lives with eternity in sight. This should motivate us toward obedience and righteousness, as we move closer day by day to our God, who is both our Rewarder and our ultimate Reward.
The evangelical church is full of grown-ups acting like children. It is time for the believers to stop relying on others to feed them and take care of them. Rather, as mature believers in Christ, it is time to start feeding and taking care of those coming behind us.
The Christians understanding of spiritual things is more than a knowledge of biblical words and theological ideas. It is an understanding of the reality and relevance of the works of god through Christ revealed to us by the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures.
In a sex saturated culture, Married Christian couples should actually be the ones who have more sex and better sex than anyone else. Why is that?
Nobody wants to have bad sex, yet we live in a culture that is full of it. How do we aviod bad sex in our lives so that we can fully enjoy the intimacy that we long for?
The Christian message is one that is absolutely hard to believe. Yet today a large percentage of our world believes in it. Why is that true and how is it possible?
The main reason why so many churches are shutting their door each year is because of a lack of unity. What does it look like for a church to be united in Theology, Philosophy and Mission?
Netcast first worship gathering. Matt gives a 17 minute background story on how Netcast Church went from a dream to a reality over a 3 year period of time. Then Matt talks about the church planter Apostle Paul, the city of Corinth and the Corinthians Church.