VCC Voice: Recent Episodes
Valley Christian Center
Love. Mend. Train. Release. Our mission at Valley Christian Center is to cooperate with Jesus in serving people.
Pastor Bonnie spoke to us about Living under Kingdom Influence.
She showed us through scripture (Philippians 2:12) how when we partner with God and "show up" for the testimony of God in our lives, He brings us fresh revelation that we are to take hold of and live up to. (Philippians 3:13-16) Pastor Bonnie pointed out that God's divine power gives us everything we need for a godly life and the ability to actually participate in His divine nature! (2 Peter 1:2-10) So it's God working in us and through us, and us being daily committed to live our lives as disciples of Jesus, partnering with Him as we walk in our deliverance and freedom, maintaining our existence by strengthening our endurance, and our well-being, in holy awareness and humility. When we give the Father full access to our whole selves...we open ourselves to new revelation that expands our lives (new wine skins) to be more like Jesus.
Pastor Bonnie also shared some beautiful testimonies from her own life and brokenness becoming beautiful. May the Holy Spirit touch your heart as you listen and give you fresh revelation from Him!
Pastor Nicole completed her "Freedom" series for July with an amazing word on GRACE! Using Moses as an example (from Exodus 33) she showed us how we experience Christ's empowerment (power, strength, and ability) through God's grace.
Pastor Nicole said we experience that power...
- In the impossible.
- In our relationship with God.
- In His presence and through His rest.
- In our Identity in Christ.
God knows us, He knows how he formed us, He knows what we struggle with, He knows what He has called us to, and because He knows us, we have His favor.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
There is so much treasure in this word, you may really want to get in there and listen with something to takes notes on. The great thing about listening to the video is the ability to rewind and listen to parts more than once so you can really catch them!
As Christians we realize that there is no hope without God, but she pointed out that even sometimes as believers we feel hopeless in uncertainty. If our hope is something we try to conjure up in ourselves, or we focus on our uncertain situations, we will lose hope. And because of our expectations or wrong focus, we get disappointed.
Pastor Nicole said that our hope is a trust in God's very nature - that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will. We can look forward with anticipation to what God will do with assurance that whatever happens will be good regardless of the form it takes. Then we won't lose hope or get disappointed.
We have an unshakeable hope through God...but we should also be a channel of hope for those who don't know God because all of the world's "hopes" can be fulfilled in Jesus.
As she continued her Freedom series, Pastor Nicole asked two questions:
- Am I seeing in my life what I say I believe to be true about God?
- Does what I say I believe to be true about God actually line up with Scripture?
Pastor Nicole said that there can be incongruency between what we say we believe about God and what we actually see in our lives. She said that these "gaps" are not necessarily the problem because the awareness of those gaps drive us forward into experiencing the truth of who God is. Our view of who God is can be skewed and it is only by believing who God says He is, and believing God will do what He says He will do that the gap is closed. This is using our faith.
We have an incredible gift of faith! When God shows us a gap it is an invitation to step out of our reality into His reality. It's not about getting the outcomes we hoped for but continuing to believe regardless! It's not about us falling short, it's an invitation to experience more of God. It is an invitation to believe Him in the midst of impossible situations. Ephesians 3:17 (TPT) Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you. Walking in the freedom of faith transforms us!
Pastor Nicole spoke on The Gift of Freedom - Freedom to Love.
She encouraged us for the month of July to Pause, Remember, and be Thankful for the gifts of freedom we receive from Christ.
The gift of Love was the focus for yesterday's sermon. Using John 15:1-17 as her main reference, Pastor Nicole showed how our ability to love comes with our salvation, through the love of God and Jesus for us. We receive that gift in that moment, but it can still be difficult for us to love. She pointed out how our walk in this life is to learn to love. Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
Love is the foundation of everything. The Love that the Father has for us that He sent His Son, the love that Jesus demonstrated on our behalf by laying down His life on the cross, this is the same love that we receive through Jesus. This is the same love that we remain in as we obey His voice because we are partnering with Him. This is the same love that fulfills our joy. This is the love we are called to love Him with as well as the same love we are called to love our neighbors and ourselves with. It is our Superpower! She went on to give us questions to ask when we are having a hard time loving, to help pinpoint the area we are struggling with.
In this illuminating message from Brian, he talked about the way grumbling/complaining affects our lives. Starting by explaining that grumbling comes from agreeing with something that doesn't align with God's truth. It is rallying to a selfish cause and arises from a smoldering discontent. Brian showed us how the literal meaning of the Hebrew word for grumble is Without Foundation/Unjustified + Narrow Thinking/Self Importance + Lack of Faith. Proverbs 18:21 Death and Life are in the power of the tongue... Our grumbling can be like a negative prophecy against ourselves and opens the door to discord and division as our words echo out and have a ripple effect around us.
He went on to show what happens when we complain, signs that we complain too much, what we call it and why we say we do it (justify it), why we really do it, and the effects it has on our brain (Who knew 30 minutes of complaining a day damages your brain!?)
Brian showed us that the solution(s) to grumbling is,
- Having an attitude of gratitude
- Set a goal or purpose - a solution to what is bothering you
- Return to Joy - Practice appreciation
- Savoring - Park in the positive not the negative
- Awareness/Watchfulness - Taking our thoughts captive
Pastor Nicole shared more important truths of our identity as sons and daughters of God from Colossians 3:1-4 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you will appear with Him in glory.
Focusing on the four words Seek, Set, Hidden, and Appear she said:
When we SEEK the things that are above - We will find transformation that brings His purposes. Being in alignment with God's heart we are set up to experience His perfect will - who He has created us to be.
How do we seek Him?
By SETTING our mind on things above not on things of the earth.
What does that look like? Daily exercising our mind by taking those thoughts captive that go against who Jesus is. This way of living invites us into a way of living from a Kingdom perspective.
As we discover and live from the knowledge that we are HIDDEN with Christ in God, it sets our environment around us through the Kingdom of God. There is a connection between our identity being revealed as image bearers of Christ and God APPEARING through us (to those around us) that brings Him glory and praise.
It was wonderful to have Rob Nelke back with us yesterday! He shared on the "Suddenly Moments" in the Bible (like when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and Saul's encounter with God on the road to Damascus) and our own experiences of unexpected ways that God brings significant change, surprisingly breaking in with an intervention.
Rob shared that sometimes we are in a situation that we have been waiting (maybe a long time) for God to intervene in. He encouraged us not to lose heart in the waiting because God's timing is perfect, and our answer might be right around the corner. He pointed out how God works all things for good and also is working to draw us nearer to Him. Sometimes there is even spiritual warfare involved in the delay. Rob said, "Keep praying because God is, God can, God will!" He went on to share ideas on how to not grow weary in the wait that were practical action steps we can incorporate into our everyday lives. (Watch to find out what they are!)
Speaking from Colossians 1:13-23, Pastor Nicole talked about how the more we know and understand our true identity, the more like Jesus we are (live, love, and look like Him.) The enemy wants to rob us of our identity and give us a false one because our identity in Christ is powerful. We understand our identities because we know the hope of the Gospel. But the world is having identity crisis because they don't know who Jesus is anymore or have the hope that we have. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, and by Him, through Him, and for Him were all things made. Pastor Nicole pointed out that if we look at others with that in mind, we will always recognize people and situations as redeemable. We just need to introduce them to Him and by the power of Jesus, as people encounter who He is, they will be transformed. We were all once alienated but are now reconciled to God. The moment we say yes to Jesus we are blameless, holy, and above reproach, not by anything we have done (it is NOT our actions that define who we are.) but by Christ's actions on our behalf. First, we get the revelation of who we are, then from that, we live out of who we are in a relational day by day life. When we continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, not moving away from the hope of the gospel, there is a transformation of our hearts and a revealing of our identity. Pastor Nicole encouraged us that our society's identity crisis is not hopeless because we have the answer! It's just too beautiful not to share!
We certainly were blessed to have Kyle Randleman come share with us. His word was based off John 3:1-16 which is a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.
Jesus told Nicodemus that "...no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit." We are all dead in our sins and need to be reborn into new life. To enter God's family, we are birthed into it by the Holy Spirit. The water part of this process is our repentance (as illustrated by water baptism.) Even though Nicodemus recognized Jesus as a rabbi and that He was sent from God, he couldn't understand the concept of being born again. This leads up to John 3:16 where Jesus tells him how God loved the world and sent His only Son so whoever believes in Him would have everlasting life. God took action to show us how much He loved us by Jesus going to the cross so He could have relationship with us and we could be a part of His spiritual family.
Kyle shared part of his testimony and that at his lowest moment a total stranger looked at him and said, "Jesus loves you!" and that those 3 words completely changed the direction of his life from there on. He stressed how important it is for us as spiritual family to gather together to uplift and encourage one another and corporately worship God. We have all been baptized into one Spirit making us one with Christ.
This Sunday, Pastor Nicole finished up the first chapter of Ephesians from her sermon on May 12th. Covering verses 15 - 23, which is a prayer of Paul for the early Church but applies as much to us today as the continuation of the Church.
Sharing that the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him is a shift in our perspective so we see things as He sees them, and seeing God for who He really is, Pastor Nicole had us partner with this prayer and pray it for each other. Having the eyes of our understanding opened literally means hope wells up within us because we understand the wealth of God's investment in us. When we realize that truth, we can't help but be who God created us to be and share the love of Christ with others through Kingdom Living, the calling to which God has called us. When we all see, experience, and walk in the truth of who God is and who/what He made us for, we get to experience the riches of His inheritance through the lives of the people around us, and the greatness of His power that is available to us! While, we are a vessel of God's power, we are also to steward it, exercise it, and use it as He reveals, and we obey. This is how His body operates in the fullness of God and He fills (completes) us with all His fullness.
The language in Ephesians is so lush and the way Pastor Nicole expounds on it, animates Paul's prayer for each of our lives in a real way.
Yesterday, Pastor Nicole preached from Acts chapter 1 + 2 for Pentecost Sunday.
She talked about how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost brought every nation, tribe, and tongue together in Christ. The Holy Spirit was sent to unify and empower the church to be witnesses to all of humanity. When we align ourselves with Jesus in unity it makes the church a powerful force. The only way the devil has to derail us is by sowing discord through offence or isolation. The enemy uses distractions to get us focusing on things that bring disunity and keep us from being witnesses. Pastor Nicole showed how we can be in unity like the early Church at the day of Pentecost.
- We as the Church can come together with one passion for Jesus Christ. Talking, seeking and asking of God.
- We as the Church are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Jesus to all of Humanity.
- We as the Church partner with the Holy Spirit in how we will respond to Him.
After second service everyone went outside, and Nicole staked the ground for God with a cedar stake that has 70 scriptures sealed inside it declaring our commitment to follow Christ in unity.
Pastor Nicole showed us the Heart of God for the Church from Ephesians 1:3-14.
She started by encouraging us to sit with God and mine for nuggets of truth that are everywhere around us (illustrated by her experience mining for Turquoise!)
Ephesians 1:3 says that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (divine privileges and resources) in heavenly places. These are resources that God gives us to fulfill opportunities He places in our lives. Pastor Nicole went verse by verse in the text and asked us, "Where do you see yourself?"
Do you recognize and know that you are:
Chosen
Adopted (irrevocably)
Made New
Accepted
She pointed out that we receive everything from God through His grace and that grace is what empowers us to do what He calls us to do.
God wants sons and daughters who work in cooperation with Him. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance. As we trust Him, we step into our inheritance and through our inheritance our purpose is made known.
Pastor Nicole pointed out how important it is for us to renew our minds so that we can fully walk in God's truth. Not doing this keeps us from walking in our authority in Christ.
Pastor Bonnie brought the Word to us yesterday.Using John Chapter 1 as her main text, she spoke about how God created everything by speaking it into existence and that Jesus IS the Word and nothing exists that was not created by Him. What a marvelous mystery that we walk with the Word of God made flesh and bear His name! She said that God is still creating things with His Word. When we read scripture, it's important to understand context, etc. but we also should seek the Holy Spirit about what He wants to create in us through it. We come to the Word to experience and encounter God for that transformational piece. And while, as she pointed out, we are filled with all the fullness of God, we can expand that area the more time we spend in His presence.This word from Pastor Bonnie really illuminated the awe, and magnificence of God and our relationship with Him.
Pastor Nicole shares the importance of entering into God's rest and then we celebrate seven baptisms!!
Angelica Rapley comes to share about healing! As you listen you'll learn effective tools for healing as you minister to the people around you!
Last Sunday Pastor Nicole shared a message from the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew chapter 6.
Going through the prayer line by line, she brought out how even though the Father knows what we have need of before we ever pray, praying aligns our hearts to His heart, positioning us to partner with Him.
Nicole showed how the beginning and end of the prayer are both about our focus on God and who He is. Verse 13 says, "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
When we pray...Be in agreement with God's dominion (kingdom), partner with God's ability (power), see God (glory) for who He is and praise God (glory) for who He is.
Prayer is an integral part of the Christian life. Lord, let this word will sink in and breathe new life into all our prayer lives!
Brian continued with his deep dive into the topic of emotions with an insightful word on Reconciling Love + Anger.
He broke down how human anger is (technically) a 90 second chemical response but how we can get stuck in a cycle of anger if we ruminate on those feelings and circumstances. Usually, the thing that triggers our anger isn't the root cause of our anger. Anger is meant to be a protective emotion, but we can spiral down into areas that we aren't meant to be if we don't take our thoughts captive.
Then Brian pointed out how God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and neither are our ways His ways. (Isaiah 55:8) We tend to interpret God's character based on what we experience as humans. But God IS love so everything He says and does is coming from pure love. He defined God's wrath as His love in action against sin. "The wrath of God is not an emotion or angry frame of mind, but instead the settled opposition of His holiness to evil."
Please note...there were major audio issues with the livestream! This message is unfortunately missing a word or two about every minute, but it is the best audio we have from Easter Sunday! We have since found the wayward cord and replaced it!Pastor Nicole continued her series on Surrendered Sacrifice with the account of the women going to the tomb of Jesus after His crucifixion.She pointed out that even though they thought they were seeking a dead Jesus, because their hearts were positioned to seek Him, they encountered not a lifeless body, but a risen Lord and an empty tomb. Hallelujah! The Angel then told the women to go tell the disciples that Christ was risen and that He was going before them and they would see Him there.This is how Pastor Nicole showed that the Angel's instructions to the women is an invitation for us as well...Position your heart to seek JesusEncounter the resurrected, living JesusGo tell othersHe goes before you and you will see Him thereThe fruit of which is Holy Awe.When we seek Him, we put ourselves in the position to encounter the risen Lord!
As we go forth in the name of the Lord, we can invite those around us into His Kingdom and mission! Pastor Nicole shares the story of Palm Sunday and we see the lessons gleaned play out in a very tangible way through the testimony of the Uganda team's testimonies!
As we continue our journey to the cross in this Surrendered Sacrifice series, Pastor Nicole shares about Jesus being betrayed by a friend, about trusting God's authority and sovereignty to keep us present with Jesus, and to respond to the voice of the accuser with my identity!
As we prepare for Easter, Pastor Nicole walks us through the Passover meal. Jesus's example of servant leadership gives us the opportunity to reflect on what it looks like for us to be a servant, respond as a servant, and love as a servant.
In this both inspiring and tough message, guest speaker Jason Corley from New Generations shares his message on discipleship, suffering, and the amazing works of God around the world despite intense hardships.
As we approach Easter, Pastor Nicole focuses on what it means to be surrendered to Jesus's sacrifice in our daily walk with Him.
Brian really opened up the book on emotions in his sermon, "Let's Get Emotional." He shared about how we are created in God's image and likeness, how emotions can be hurtful or helpful, the difference between guilt and shame, and what Godly emotions look like.
Richard shares what it looks like to dream with God, using Scripture and testimony from his own life as well as examples of what it looks like here at VCC.
(Please note, there is no episode for January 14th due to an ice storm canceling services)
Pastor Nicole gives us encouragement as we go corporately into a season of prayer and fasting!
Pastor Bonnie reminds us of the hope we can have as we wait on the Lord through the stories of Simeon and Anna.
Pastor Lee Schnabel ties Bethlehem and other stories in Scripture to us in our lives today.
As we look to Jesus in this season and into the New Year, the story of Zacharias teaches us to be present in His presence.
As we enter the Christmas season, Pastor Nicole looks to Luke 1:45-54 to help us find ways to be present in His presence this season and throughout the year!
This week in our series on Spiritual Warfare, we're unlocking generosity! But it might look different from how you've seen it before!
Our guest speakers from Teen Challenge remind us that our reality is not bigger than God's Truth!
In this week's message, we continue to look at the tools of spiritual warfare by recognizing the lies of the enemy and combatting them with the LOVE of God!
Pastor Nicole continues to share on spiritual warfare as we take the time to recognize wrong belief systems we might carry.
Pastor Nicole begins a series on the foundations of Spiritual Warfare including core values to keep in mind as we look at the topic moving forward.
Mitch walks us through the Word of God to teach us how to prepare for the unpreparable!
Through the lens of 1 Corinthians 12, Pastor Nicole explores the ideas of "What does it mean to be the Body of Christ?" and "What keeps us from being part of and experiencing the freedom of being in the body of Christ?"
Pastor Nicole shares the powerful divine exchange that occurs when we forgive another person!
This week we look at Romans 8 and the irrevokable love we receive when we are adopted into sonship by God.
As we look at Matthew 6, we remember to rest in the TRUTH of what God says, practicing living from the Kingdom of God instead of a worried worldview.
In this week's message, we explore the differences between a "works" lifestyle and a "miraculous" lifestyle!
Building on the message from last week, Pastor Nicole looks specifically at what it means to walk in the authority Jesus has shared with us!
Pastor Nicole looks at the four places in Matthew where Jesus says "Oh ye of little faith" and talks about the blinders we put on and how to take them off again.
Pastor Bonnie shares the importance of standing firm on who God is, despite our circumstances, and allowing the truth of who He is to wash over us!
YWAM missionaries John and Charity share the testimony of their son nd share their heart behind moving to Uganda!
As she wraps up this sermon series out of the book of James, Pastor Nicole shares the importance of kingdom patience for each one of us!
Continuing the series out of James, Pastor Nicole shares what it looks like to be a judge of the law versus a doer of the law.
In this ongoing sermon series, Pastor Nicole outlines keys from the book of James to help us endure temptation, not allowing our forbidden desires to bait us into living as a prisoner of the enemy!
How do we as the church reach and support the next generation? Carlos shares his heart for Gen Z and how we can support them into adulthood with God by their side!
Pastor Nicole continues to share about God's wisdom and how we can grow in His wisdom and understanding!
In this fourth installment of the series "Living Out of the Word" as we learn what it means to follow the resurrected Jesus, we look at how we can walk in the wisdom God gives us.
Our Guatemala team saw God move in incredible ways throughout their trip! Pastor Nicole gives a rundown of the numbers and the entire team shares their most significant moments from the trip!
Pastor Nicole shares what it means to be a Pentecostal church, a Foursquare church, and part of the Valley Christian Center Family
Pastor John shares about the importance of carrying our own cross as we surrender to the will of the Father.
Pastor John Leon shares the importance of the Cross. Come back next week to hear the second half of his message!
As Pastor Nicole encourages us to live out of the Word of God, following the resurrected Jesus, we are exhorted to see others with impartiality!
Pastor Bonnie talks about running the race WITH Jesus instead of on our own and the difference it makes!
Pastor Nicole continues her sermon series encouraging us to live our lives connected to who God is!
Join Pastor Nicole in exploring how to live out of the Word of God, enabling us to be doers of the Word in our daily lives!
In this episode we consider the differences between following a crucified Christ and a resurrected Christ.
Pastor Nicole looks at the different types of vulnerability and how being vulnerable with Jesus can be a good thing..
Pastor Nicole finishes her three part series on Tourist or Pilgrim by sharing the ways we can live as a Kingdom Pilgrim!
Do you live your life as a tourist or a pilgrim? Pastor Nicole defines both and shows us how a Kingdom Pilgrim might live their life!
Pastor Nicole shares insight on key characters in the early days of Jesus (Anna, Simeon, and the Wise Men) and how it can influence how we walk out our days.
Richard shares the importance of the five fold ministry, operating as a culture of honor, and the roles of apostle, pastor, prophet, teacher, and evangelist in Scripture and in the church today.
Join us as we look at what God has done over the past year and some insight into where He's taking us in the new year!
Dean shares his story of becoming a chaplain and what a first responder chaplain deals with regularly. Trigger warning: This episode includes stories of first responders and the trauma they're seeing on a day to day basis including traumatic deaths and discussion of suicide. Please be careful with your mental health as you listen.
John & Charity share the amazing things happening in Uganda as they minister to refugees, orphans, and others in the country.
Guests from Teen Challenge share the testimony of God's work in their lives through the Adult and Teen Challenge program!
Clint talks about peer pressure, both the good and bad, and encourages us in our obedience to God.
Pastor Nicole reflects on the ways God has been guiding us in 2022 and poses questions to us, as individuals and as a congregations, to see if we are looking like the early church in the book of Acts.
Guest speaker Foch Fuller encourages us to connect with Jesus as we are invited in to dine with Him and He with us!
Pastor Nicole continues her series on character by talking about algorithms to achieving Christlike Character.
What inhibits our character growth? Pastor Nicole shares a few examples and the remedy!
Pastor Nicole teaches on becoming prayer partners with God, positioning yourself to praying to God, and letting God show us how we can live a lifestyle of prayer!
What does the Bible say about the prophetic and how does prophetic culture look at Valley Christian Center? Pastor Nicole concludes this four part series!
What does the Bible say about the prophetic and how does prophetic culture look at Valley Christian Center?
This message from missionary Dr. Lee Schnabel shares the importance of the prophetic as we step out in being missional to the people in our communities and around the world.
What does the Bible say about the prophetic and how does prophetic culture look at Valley Christian Center?
What does the Bible say about the prophetic and how does the prophetic culture look at Valley Christian Center?
Pastor Clint shows us how to avoid three enemies of spiritual growth through the lens of 1 Peter.
What does it mean to love, mend, train, and release people as we say in our mission statement?
God's faithfulness is beyond measure! Pastor Bonnie chimes in on the attributes of God this week!
Pastor Nicole shares a short message about the power of testimony followed by a powerful testimony from Jeremy about the miracles he saw in Colombia!
In this fourth installment on the attributes of God, we learn about God's peace and how to pray for peace.
The final installment of the Sent series is here! Episodes 1-5 can be found in Season Two and might take a few days to get uploaded as we upload our messages backwards!
This is the sixth installment of Pastor Nicole's Sent series! Previous episodes can be found in Season Two; please be patient as we upload three years' worth of messages into podcasting platforms backwards!