The Engedi Collective: Recent Episodes
The Engedi Collective
Home to episodes from The Engedi Collective's new podcast, and to sermons from The Light Church. Here you will learn more about the founders, members, and friends from this online community, who are championing one another, as they pursue Jesus' callings for their lives.
Host, Rebecca Fanning, interviews the founders of The Engedi Collective (John Kovacs, David Mueller, and Elizabeth Agre) to find out what this Collective exactly is, what the heart is behind it, and who it's for!
Pastor John shares some important updates regarding some significant, exciting, but also bitter sweet, changes to The Light Church.
Summary of Next Steps for The Light
Last Sunday - After several weeks of discussion amongst leadership, as well as prayer discerning and consideration, Sunday April 12th (Easter) will be our last public service.
Church Move - We have informed St. Michaels that we intend to conclude our lease at the end of April. This will give us time to organize our current inventory and make arrangements for a move. Our tentative date for a community wide moving party will be Saturday April 18th.
Home Groups - Similarly to Sunday services, Home Groups will conclude in April. The exact date of last meetings will be determined by each group and their leaders - but all meetings are currently suspended in light of COVID-19.
Sunday Service Visits - As we conclude our Sunday gatherings, we want to prioritize helping current members get connected with a new local church. In order to make this transition smoother, we are organizing group visits to several area churches for Sunday services as well as providing a larger list of recommended local churches.
Light Leadership Network - While we are ceasing to continue in our current format, we believe that God is providing an opportunity for The Light to continue to make an impact through the development of a leadership network for past and present members. This opportunity has been in the works for almost a year and more details will be provided in the coming weeks about what this will look like and how you can be involved.
Romans 13 is an often controversial, mis-appropriated, and even mis-applied chapter of the New Testament. So as we examine it, let's consider a couple of questions: Where is our allegiance meant to be according to scripture? What context is being outlined in this chapter? And how does that context still apply (or not apply) today?
Join us as Pastor John dives into these questions as they relate to our participation in the current context of government; biblically loving our neighbors well in the process; and ultimately pledging our allegiance to Jesus as King above all else.
Join us for our fourth contextual reading in this series on righteousness as defined by Paul, this time from Romans 12 - 15.
Here at The Light Church, we make space in our service every Sunday for people to share any testimonies from their own lives, processes, and journeys as they feel led. Join us this week for an extended time of sharing as several members from The Light speak about what God is doing in and through their lives today!
We return to our series on Romans, picking up at the top of Chapter 12.
Here, we find the recognizable verse 2: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
It's clear that God has a will - and that we can know what that is! But what if conformity doesn't just mean looking like the world - but trying to be anyone other than who God created you to be? What would it look like if each one of us was walking right in the middle of what God has for us this year? Using the gifts He has given us more fully? How powerful would that be? What would come of that which hasn't been able to exist already? Join us as we dive into these questions together in 2020 in light of Paul's words...
Join us as we hear from each member of The Light Leadership Team as they share the word God has put on their heart for the church in 2020.
Family - David Mueller
Simple - Calvin Fanning
Holy - Cynthia Miller
Discernment - Rebecca Fanning
Connection - Maria Kovacs
Purpose - John Kovacs
Here at The Light in 2020 we are seeking to be a family that lives simply and holy by fostering connection, discernment, and purpose!
Join us as Pastor John unpacks 2 Timothy 5-12, Paul's reminder to Timothy of: Our existing foundation of faith; Our agency in tending the flame of the Spirit within us; And the role that same Spirit plays in our ability to even perceive and steward the Spirit in the midst of suffering and brokenness.
Join us as start 2020 with a call to stop, slow down, and practice discernment for God's heart and desires for us in the New Year!
This time of year we hear a lot about "the Word becoming flesh" and "the Light coming into the darkness" - which implies that it, the Word, the Light, Jesus - is SEEN. It doesn't mean that it's showy - but it does show up! So what does Love seen look like? How do we experience it more fully? How do we receive it for ourselves in such a way that we are affected by it? That it is life-changing? Join us as explore the simple truth that God loves us this season...
Sometimes it feels like this time of the year, the holiday season marks a sharp and somewhat unsettling shift - a mad dash to parties, end-of-year festivities, time off, shopping, decorating, you name it. Sometimes it feels like it just sneaks up on us and honestly - we don't feel ready for it, physically or spiritually. But the advent season isn't about BEING ready. At the core, it's about the actual process of preparation, of GETTING ready - of beholding.
We have good, gospel news for you - if you aren't feeling ready, that's ok! This season of advent is about first beholding - letting God saturate us with the truth of the gospel through His Son Jesus in the coming weeks, dwelling on it, thinking on it, letting it wash over us and change us a Word, a thought, a meditation, an encounter at a time. It's not first and foremost about feeling a certain way - but about inviting God to to orient our feelings (whatever they are) to the truth of what He is wanting to communicate about who He is, what He has done, and what He is saying now.
So regardless of where you are at, let's invite God to do what only he can do - and see what we behold in the process!
Paul's letter to the Romans takes somewhat of a shift as he begins Romans 9. He becomes transfixed on this idea of the expansion of salvation beyond God's chosen people, the Israelites, into the rest of the world. This might seem obvious and normal to those of us living in a global context, but this was a huge shift in how people were called to think about God, His movement, His people, and His plan for humanity. It was a significant area of tension for early believers, and it is still relevant to many contexts the church faces today. And Paul has a lot to say about this deeper, more collective understanding of the righteousness and peace bought through Christ Jesus.
So join us as we delve into this next section of Romans and Paul's somewhat theologically dense, but God's ultimately simple truth - that His plans are complicated and beyond comprehension, but they are good and are to be trusted... and are for all mankind!
Join us for our third contextual reading in this series on righteousness as defined by Paul, this time from Romans 9 - 11.
In the Bible, the word most often referenced in relation to healing is “Sozo”, which translates not only to "heal”, but to "make well”; to "restore to health"; to "deliver from penalties of judgement"; to "save."
It would seem that there is an intrinsic connection between salvation and healing, healing and salvation. Healing is more than just relating to the physical and/or the emotional. And by the same token, salvation isn’t just about our eternal destination. Salvation - Healing - Sozo - it’s the all-encompassing idea of spiritual, emotional, and physical healing that takes place when we trust Jesus with our lives, and it starts here on earth!
Join us as we listen to the testimony of Light Leader, David Mueller regarding his own Sozo journey and what Sozo really means for us.
Today we continue our pursuit of Romans 8, coming upon one of our favorite verses, Romans 8:28 - "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Verse 28 is one that we as Christians often like to put on mugs and T-shirts and wall art without fully understanding the scriptural context that it is anchored in. How do we process and digest and celebrate this verse without misrepresenting the challenges and hardships and suffering that is still intrinsic to our faith and our life in a broken world? And what does it really mean for us? For the Church? For those that we are seeking to give an accurate picture of what Christianity is, and what it means to follow God?
Join us as we reengage with Romans 8 and Paul's call for us to be co-heirs with Christ - both in His glory, but also (and often first) in His suffering.
Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 that "When two or more are gathered in my name, there I will be also." And in light of this Word, believers have been meeting and gathering for what we call Church for over 2,000 years. It is fundamentally understood that there is something about us coming together that is meaningful and necessary to our Christian walk and to Christ's presence with us.
But the often overlooked truth of that scripture is that there is also something missing when people AREN'T present in our midst. How does that change our perspective of Sunday service? Family gatherings? Friendships? How does that change our desire to have our family in our midst, and to invite those around us to be a part of it as well?
Join us as Pastor John explores the questions, "What do we have when we come together that we can't have when we don't?" and "How does that change our attitude toward our involvement in fellowship?"
This past week, the trial of Amber Guyger for the wrongful death of Botham Jean in Dallas, TX was concluded. When it comes to justice, we know it is at the root of God's heart; it is something that He is after. So how do we respond when it doesn't feel like justice has been served?
As we've been talking about Life in the Spirit, there is an important realization that we as believers are meant to cooperate with God in pursuit of His justice on earth. God doesn't pursue justice apart from humanity because this is where injustice began, where it resides. Thus, God's justice is pursued here on earth, through people, for people, amongst His creation. It is not separate from God or from us - so what is our response? Join us as Pastor John explores God's Word on the matter in Exodus 1.
Tune in this week as we lean into 2 Timothy 1 and Paul's charge to "fan into flame" the Spirit of God. It seems that too often, we settle for something less than the intimacy of God's voice being close to us. We forget in the midst of uncertainty what God has already spoken and given us to hold on to. So what does it look like to remember, to engage, to encounter and to connect with God so that the Spirit can actually be at work in our lives?
Last week we focused on the story of Nicodemus, unpacking his questions and applying Jesus's answers as they relate to the heightened clarity and understanding that comes from living Life in the Spirit. And this makes sense - according to scripture, the Spirit of God is characterized as one who teaches; who one guides; one not of chaos and confusion, but of clarity and truth.
But as Christians, we know that we don't always have the answers - and sometimes in our walk with Jesus, we find ourselves like Nicodemus: with more questions than answers. How can this be so? And how do we reconcile this with the message of last week? Join us as Pastor John explores the other side of the coin, so to speak - the side of Life in the Spirit based on faith and trust in the midst of confusion and unknowing.
As we continue our series about Life in the Spirit (Romans 8), we turn our attention to the story of Nicodemus in John 3. Nicodemus, a prominent religious leader in the Jewish community during Jesus's ministry, comes to Jesus in the night with what he believes are answers - only to leave with more questions and less understanding. Jesus speaks to him of being "born again", of a Spirit like the wind - unprecedented concepts at the time that we now often take for granted as the established Church. Join us Pastor John dives into Nicodemus's story and questions in light of our calling to live life according to the Spirit and the clarity it brings.
Last week, we talked about what it means to have the Holy Spirit living in us, the presence of God in us - and what that means in the context of our daily lives. But what about when we believe, when we have received the Holy Spirit - but we aren't feeling His presence in a particular moment or season? What do we do when it feels like we are disconnected, even as believers? Listen as we explore Paul's words in Romans 8 about making the conscious choice to set our minds on the Spirit - and what it means to surrender our "Yes" to its work in our lives on a daily basis.
The Holy Spirit is often talked about in the collective Church as the distant relative that you've heard about, but don't really know and haven't really ever met. It seems that frequently, the Holy Spirit and its role in daily Christian life is one of the less understood and more controversial parts of the gospel. Here at The Light, we are humbly thankful to say that the person of the Holy Spirit is not unfamiliar - but we believe there is always more! There is more for us to believe, more for us to see, more for us to receive. An expanding understanding and experience with the Holy Spirit is integral to our walk with God, and is vital to our growth and participation with Jesus in building His Kingdom - so join us as we dive into what the presence of the Spirit really means for our daily lives as Christians!
As a precursor to Romans 8, we pick back up where we left off last week in our new series within a series "Life in the Spirit", focusing on what it looks like to engage with the person of the Holy Spirit, to gain a greater understanding of who it is, and to cooperate with its work in our daily lives.
This week we explore what the question "What happens when God gives us a gift we didn't ask for and weren't expecting?", and what does that say about the character of God and His heart for us?
Join us as we take a embark on a mini-series within a series, entitled "Life in the Spirit", a precursor to Romans 8.
Oftentimes in our daily lives, we can lose sight of the fact that our walk with Jesus is not supposed to be easy. When we start to feel the challenges, when we find ourselves in tough situations, when we don't know what to do or what steps to take next - that's actually normal. When we are uncomfortable, when things aren't as straightforward as we expected, we often begin to try and orient ourselves in such a way that we stop walking in the faith we claim to have. But the very process of faith is a process of dependency, of letting go, of losing control. Walking by faith is counterintuitive to the life that the world tries to sell us on - so what does that look like? What does life in the Spirit, a life of faith, look like? Listen as Pastor John asks and unpacks some of these difficult questions this week...
Romans 5 discusses in great detail the problem of sin that exists in our broken world. And if we aren't careful, we can (and often even the Church itself will) view these portions of scripture as being focused on and preoccupied with sin itself, rather than the freedom that Christ bought for us through His finished work on the cross. But according to the gospel, sin is small, and God is big! And in our lives, the problem of sin should be small in comparison to the answer that is Jesus.
What we see in scripture is that if we are going to walk in the freedom from sin that Jesus has brought about through his work on the cross, then we have to a perspective that is bigger than sin itself. But how do we gain (and maintain) that perspective? Join us as Pastor John explores this question as outlined in Romans 6.
Scripture says that in light of what Jesus has done, we as believers in Christ have been justified - meaning that we have been declared "not guilty" before God. Our sins are no longer held against us because Jesus took them upon himself so that our relationship with God is now restored. And this relationship is fundamentally built upon peace with God - but what does that look like practically in our lives? Join us as Pastor John expands on this idea outlined by Paul in Romans 5 & 6.
Have you ever wondered what God thinks about you? Do you want to know - or are you afraid to ask? As humanity, it is true that we have fallen short of God’s glory. More specifically, we have lived in a way that is less than what we were created, designed, and intended to. We have all sinned, we have all made mistakes. But Romans 5 leads us to believe that God’s attitude towards us may look very different than we might think because of Jesus. Join us as Pastor John delves into the hope of righteousness, of “right relationship” that the gospel of Jesus has accomplished as outlined in Romans 5.
Tune in this week as we welcome guest preacher, David Mueller! As he walks us through portions of Romans 8, he highlights our God-given roles as God's sons & daughters, expanding on what it means to walk practically in the truth of our identity through Christ!
Join us for our second contextual reading in this series on righteousness as defined by Paul, this time from Romans 4:23 - Romans 6:23.
In Romans 4, Paul refers to the extraordinary faith that Abraham had, which was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Paul says that "Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God". But in the life of Abraham, we see this roller-coaster ride of faith and belief to doubt and unbelief. What do we make of this? What does God make of this? And how does this guide us in our reading of Paul's reflection and understanding of faith shared in Romans?
In light of our congregational reading of Romans 1-3 last Sunday, join us as we delve more deeply into the words of Paul and how it speaks to the character of God. As believers, we are often taught about the goodness and the kindness and the mercy and the grace of God in the context of having been saved. But how do we answer the world around us when they ask about the role of those aspects of God's character towards non-believers? Questions such as what is God like? Does He really forgive us of anything? What happens to those who don't believe? Would God really send people to hell? Listen as Pastor John provides some real-world testimonies of such questions, and how the first several chapters of Romans both challenge and encourage us in answering these questions for ourselves and for the world around us.
Join us for a different type of sermon in our series on Romans as Pastor John leads us in a reading of Romans 1-3, encouraging us to see God in the context of these passages as a whole, and to gain greater understanding of how God's incredible grace is at work and desires to work in our lives.
Now that the lenten season has concluded, we pick back up our study of Romans from the beginning of the year. While Romans 1 opens with a rather challenging and often misapplied sense of God's wrath and judgement, Pastor John invites us to better understand God's original intent and heart for humanity in the scripture, seen in His Creation, Jesus's sacrifice on the cross, and the hope found in Romans 2.
As we end our series on LamENT & Justice this Easter Sunday, we are aptly going to take a look at the resurrection. Not the resurrection of Jesus - but that of Lazarus in John 11. Here we find an interesting response from Jesus: although those He loves are deathly ill, grieving, and calling on Him for healing, He waits to arrive on the scene until it seemingly too late. Why? Why, when those whom He loves have faith in his ability to heal and protect does Jesus wait? And what can we learn about God's character, ability, and heart from such a delay? Join us as we conclude this series with a challenging look at the tension of the waiting period, between our need for redemption and God's chosen moment of resurrection, and how we can view it with greater peace, hope, and authority through our Redeemer!
As we begin to wrap up this series on LamENT & Justice, Pastor John and guest speaker John Dorsey give us a simple, but perhaps unexpected challenge as a means of moving forward: to seek deeper, greater, and unprecedented daily interactions with God. Corporate worship, prayer, teaching, and calls to action on Sundays are not designed to be the focal point of our engagement with Him week to week. Rather, they are meant to be a culmination and corporate touchpoint of what God is speaking and doing in our lives in the day to day. One of the more challenging elements of this series is actually connecting with various causes, challenges, and calls to action with genuine empathy towards members of our church family, local communities and the world. So tune in as we explore the simple, but profound idea that if we want to share and pursue God's heart for justice in any arena, we must FIRST seek to know Him more fully through daily relationship and interaction.
The bible repeatedly affirms that this broken, earthly world we live in is under attack by spiritual forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12), that as believers in Christ we know that we are facing an enemy with an army who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The bible also repeatedly affirms that when we cry out to God for rescue from these forces, for discernment on how to combat their attacks and strategically dismantle their principalities - we are heard (Psalm 34:17). So how does this affect our perspectives of lament and justice? And how do we go about recognizing the principalities that are cultivating oppression and injustice in our world while still maintaining our hope in and dependence on God as the ultimate authority & salvation? Join us as we hear from guest speaker John Dorsey, who dives back into the story of Daniel, unpacks it's relevance to the city of Baltimore today, and explores our role as believers in partnering with God to see breakthrough for justice & freedom.
As we have been moving through this series, we've outlined that a fundamental component of lament is simply caring deeply about what God cares about. But what if you aren't there yet? You might hear of injustices, understand them, and even mentally agree with the need for change. But you don't feel an emotional response that leads you to take action.
We are hear to tell you that it's ok - but what does it look like to take the next step? To gain not just a deeper understanding of the Father's heart, but a deeper emotional awareness that leads to tangible expressions and actions towards justice? Join Pastor John as he takes a look at Daniel in the Old Testament, his heart for the people of Israel, and how prayer as an expression of lament was intricately tied to his (and our!) ability to engage and partner with the heart of God for justice within communities, nations, and the world.
What is lament? What does it look like biblically, and what role does it play in today's broken world? While we are often very comfortable with the joy of the Lord and our call to encourage one another, it can be very difficult to see how lamenting fits into our mandate as believers. Lament itself is about mourning, about grief and sorrow, about engaging with the heart of God and those who are hurting around us in response to violence, suffering, brokenness, and injustice. Lament is more than just being empathetic - it's an opportunity to listen, to learn, to engage, to seek healing, and in the end, to bring greater wholeness to our world, and to understand more deeply the heart of God. So join us as we hear from both Pastor John and guest teacher and Light family member, John Dorsey this week!
As we begin this season of Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, we invite you to join us for our new series entitled "LamENT & Justice", dedicated to two distinct but intertwining themes: 1) focusing as a community on the topic of justice and its role for us as a community of believers in this broken world, and 2) engaging in and deepening our understanding of justice through the act of lamenting.
Join us as we conclude our series entitled "Sex Talks", a month-long dive headlong into the topic of sex as it relates to God's intention, the world's brokenness, and the impact that both have had on us as the Church, as Christians, and more specifically, as family here at The Light. This week we hear from Rebecca Fanning, worship leader and member of the Light Church Staff & Leadership as she shares her testimony and journey of learning about the power, strength, and abundance of God's grace through deeper relationship and revelation with the Lord, and through being a part of The Light Church family.
Join us as we continue our series entitled "Sex Talks", a month-long dive headlong into the topic of sex as it relates to God's intention, the world's brokenness, and the impact that both have had on us as the Church, as Christians, and more specifically, as family here at The Light. This week we hear from Pastor John as he shares more of his testimony, the distinction between sex and real love that the world doesn't always separate, and the way that the Lord works to bring healing and restoration not just for ourselves, but for our relationships with friends, in marriage, and with Him.
Join us as we continue our new series entitled "Sex Talks", a month-long dive headlong into the topic of sex as it relates to God's intention, the world's brokenness, and the impact that both have had on us as the Church, as Christians, and more specifically, as family here at The Light. This week we hear from David Mueller, a long-time member of The Light Church and Light Leadership Team as he challenges us to think about how we first learned about sex, how that shaped our viewpoint as adults, and what role our identity as children of God plays in our ability to have a healthy perspective of sex and intimacy.
Join us as we begin our new series entitled "Sex Talks", a month-long dive headlong into the topic of sex as it relates to God's intention, the world's brokenness, and the impact that both have had on us as the Church, as Christians, and more specifically, as family here at The Light. This week we hear from Pastor John as shares about God's original design and intention for sex, the ways in which that has been twisted and distorted by the world, and how he has seen God restore his concept of the good gift of sex and sexuality in his own life.
We use the term "gospel" a lot as Christians, usually in relation to bringing "The Gospel", bringing the "Good News", to those who haven't heard it before, those who don't yet believe. But what really is "The Gospel" for those who already believe? What happens when the "Good News" becomes flat to us, becomes two-dimensional, and doesn't feel like a dynamic, active force at work in our daily lives? Join us as Pastor John continues in Romans 1:8-17, where Paul talks about sharing the "The Gospel" with the church in Rome, reminding and encouraging them (and us) that the grace and peace and joy of the "Good News" is more than just a one-time salvation story. It's a person, it's Jesus Christ - and it's the testimony of his active power and plan for your life TODAY and every day!
Both in secular and Christian contexts, we often speak about "calling" - being called to a profession, called to a specific role, called to a ministry, called to a mission field. But what does that really mean? What does it involve? And how do you move forward if you haven't felt "called" before? As we delve into Romans 1, we see several different aspects of "The Call" defined by the apostle Paul. Join Pastor John as he starts to unpack these and reveal that perhaps "calling" is less about what we do, and more about whose we are.
What is righteousness? Is it following God's moral law to the letter? Is it about behavioral change and rule-following? Or is there something more? What if righteousness is less about a concrete definition and application, and more about an unfolding picture of relationship as God originally intended it? Join us as we continue to explore the definition of righteousness in terms of its relational nature, God's original design for humanity's relationships with himself and each other, and the way this is manifested in the sacrificial generosity of Christ.
What is righteousness? And what does it look like to live and participate in a righteous reality? Is it about making good choices and pursuing individual growth? Is it about living in such a way that creates a better world for oneself and humanity? Today we begin a journey through the book of Romans to explore the concept of righteousness, what God has to do with it and say about it, and the part we play in return...
Last week, Pastor John introduced the season of advent by exploring the weightiness of the advent story, found in the truth that God came down not as a King with great celebration, but as a humble child in the midst of our mess.
This week, join us as we dig deeper into the idea that God not only meets us in our doubt and disgrace, but he is actually greater than them. We can see evidence of this in the story of Zachariah & Elizabeth, and God's encounter with them in Luke 1:5-25.
Often in our world today, the Christmas season is celebrated in a “sparkly” way - with festive lights and decorations, lavish gifts and holiday cheer. But when we read the advent story and we think about the way that God came to us, we see that the truth speaks to the opposite in many ways. There is a weightiness to the advent story, seen in the fact that when God came in the form of his son Jesus, he didn’t come to those who had it together. Instead, he came to the broken and the hurting and the “dirty”. And in this, we see the true heart of God - that not only did he step into the middle of our mess, but he was attracted to us! He came to those that were considered the most sinful and unworthy - and that is still true today! So join us as we begin our advent journey here at The Light Church, celebrating both the joy of the season AND the weight of its significance to each and every one of us.
The world we live glorifies the idea of independence, of accomplishment, of building and learning and growing through the strength, endurance, and determination of the individual. But what does God's Word say about this? Listen as Pastor John reminds us of Zachariah 4:6, and it's simple call to dependence on the strength, might and Spirit of God in all things.
How Jesus' work allows us to embrace our identity and destiny, and fully enjoy God while in the middle of our struggles.
The story of Mary anointing Jesus's feet with expense perfume is a fairly common one. But how does that relate to our modern understanding of sacrifice, and how is it applicable in our daily lives today? Listen as Pastor John reads the account from Mark 12 and how it applies to our approach to a sacrifice of worship and praise.
The concept of covenant is originally presented in the Old Testament, but shifts dramatically with the coming of Jesus and the New Testament. Listen as Pastor John unpacks what covenant has come to mean, how it functions, and the way it serves to connect us to God and to each other as the Church as outlined in Hebrews and 1 Corinthians.
As we near the end of our series on the pillars of growth here at The Light, we reflect on what our expectations of Encounter and subsequent growth are (or often aren't). What happens when we feel discouraged in a certain situation or season? What happens when we don't see the fruit of a particular effort or area in our lives? Does our lack of enthusiasm or energy or desire keep us from encountering and experiencing God? Or does He continue to pursue us even when we lack expectancy? Listen as Pastor John shares several testimonies of God showing up in surprising ways and sharing precious gifts even when our expectations are low and our hearts and minds aren't sure what we will receive from and experience with Him.
Join us as we explore the fourth and final pillar of growth here at The Light Church: Expand. God is always growing His family. Expansion means seeing an open seat at His table for the person in front of you and inviting them in. It sounds like sharing stories of how we’ve encountered God’s great love. It looks like shining a light on where God is already moving in a person’s life. Listen as Pastor John delves into these concepts from both a biblical and anecdotal perspective, encouraging us that expanding God's family (as well as our own hearts) is God's good work that He is faithful to bring to completion!
Join us as we explore the third pillar of growth here at The Light Church: Engage. Engaging is about embracing the call to collaborate and co-create with God. This requires us to let God uncover how He has uniquely designed and purposed us to make an impact, as we go, wherever we go. Listen as Pastor John connects these concepts with the charge in Matthew 5 to be "salt and light" in this world today!
Join us as we explore the second pillar of growth here at The Light Church: Equip. We believe that through Jesus we have not only been forgiven of our faults and failures, we have been adopted in to His family as sons and daughters! Equipping is about learning the depths of our identity as children of God and all that it means to live more fully in the inheritance that Jesus has shared with us. Listen as Pastor John steps us through Ephesians 4, how it describes and outlines our identity in Christ as individuals and as the church body operating today!
Join us as we delve into the four pillars of growth we at The Light believe are crucial in your spiritual journey with God, beginning with Encounter. We believe that the depths of God are unsearchable and yet He has made Himself known to us and desires for us to discover more of who He is. The gospel shows us that God has gone to the greatest lengths so that we can encounter Him, even while we were far off and enemies in our minds. He is all in with His investment. Encounter is His idea. Listen as Pastor John walks us thru example after example of God's loving encounter in scriptures - and how He desires to meet us in our daily lives today!
We believe that God speaks in numerous and abundant ways - thru His Word, thru His People, thru His Holy Spirit - about where we are, who we are, and where we are going. The word "prophetic" has often been misunderstood and misapplied, and it often comes with challenges and tensions. But we believe it also comes with amazing benefit for the people of God as we begin to understand that God wants to speak to each and every one of us, both for the future and for the here and now. Listen to Pastor John as he dives into Proverbs 29 and how it applies to a new understanding of the prophetic as part of contending in our daily lives.
Listen to guest teacher Michelle Miller as she leads us through the historical context of Habakuk, its modern application for social justice and peace, and the sustaining and modern encouragement that God shares with us through it.
Have you ever read about God's discipline and left with more questions than answers? Ever felt like a situation or season was a punishment from God? Join Pastor John as he breaks down Hebrews and its interpretation of God's discipline as it relates to active belief in a good, loving Father.
God's rest is more than just taking time off and paring down activities - it's about actively contending with God and His people for greater peace and joy. Listen as Pastor John explores the definition of "contend" in Philippians and how it is an active pursuit meant to be shared in community.
When we think of rest, we often imagine days off of from work, vacations, sleep, and even just doing nothing. But what is God's definition of rest, and how do we find it in our busy, day-to-day lives? Listen as Pastor John unpacks God's rest as outlined in Hebrews and it's careful intertwining with our belief and obedience.
An unpacking of 2 Timothy 2 and Ephesians 4 as they relate to the paradox of hope in the eternal and the utilization of the precious time God has given us here and now.
We often use the phrase "identity in Christ" within the church. But what does that really mean - and how do we ultimately find and embody that identity?
Kingdom Efficiency is God's timing and sovereignty in bringing about His Kingdom purposes. He invites us to participate in these purposes through relationship with Him.
An unpacking of 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 and its encouraging, yet challenging notion that all parts of the family of God have something unique to contribute for the building up of the church - and the generation of hopeful purpose!
Hear from a few of our Light Church family members and Pastor John as they seek to both share and define the concept of what it means to have a living testimony.
How do you view yourself and your identity in Christ? How does that affect your ability to seek and to bring about significant change in your spheres of influence for the glory of God?
What does it look like to approach the topic of racial injustice, listen to the voices around us already speaking Godly wisdom, take ownership of our participation or our ignorance, and seek God's heart for understanding, justice, and reconciliation?
Link to SafeSpace: a private social media community dedicated to providing care community and connection in the midst of the attack of racism.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/500945460285591/?hc_location=group
A charge from Pastor John about how to practically honor your mother, and a powerful prayer by his wife, Maria!
A lack of motivation often stems from an inability to see what God is doing in your midst. So how do we let God take our perspective and breathe identity, life, purpose and motivation into and over it?
We are told that if we seek the Kingdom of God, we WILL find it - but then what happens? What do we do when we have found it, and how does it change our perspective?
Enter into this Lenten season by stepping out of the traditional sermon format and exploring the book of Philippians as it relates to the journey of Jesus to the cross.
We have already been given the victory thru Jesus Christ - but we are still at war, and if we want to walk in Jesus's victory, we must also walk in his suffering. Is it worth it - and why?
The Armor of God is a gift freely given to us to use in the spiritual battle that Christ has already won and has called us into alongside him. But are you actually wearing it - and fighting with it?
How do we move forward in confidence, peace and joy when we have a motivational deficit in our lives? Listen to some honest confessions of Light Church family members, and how to be encouraged by being a part of not just a church or institution, but God's Family!
What does biblical righteousness mean? This message explores the fundamentally relational nature of righteousness and what it means to be righteous before God.
What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? In this message we discuss what it means to be free and the role of love in how we use that freedom.
Is holiness what we are or what we do? In this message we explore the gift of holiness as both our identity as well as the manner we are to live.
What does it mean to have the fullness of Christ in us? How do we walk in the fullness of God?
Remember who you are in Christ. Be reminded of what it means to have everything we need in Christ.
In light of the terrorism in Charlottesville Va. and the effect of social media in regards to this event and others like it, we discuss the wisdom given to us in James 1:19-20 in regards to how we should process and respond to brokenness, hate and injustice in our world.
When it comes to the dreams we have, how do we know if they are from God or not? One significant test is to find out if they are rooted in His ultimate dream for us. Discover what it looks like to dream from heaven and to join God in His dream of dreams.
Jesus calls his disciples apostles- a word with very specific connotations in the Romans empire of that day. Learn about the foundational role of the apostolic in the church then and now.
Ephesians 4 gives us a vision for the whole church to be equipped for ministry. This involves a number of specific offices functioning in the church (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher) together. It also requires that we figure out what is for each of us to grow in and what is for someone else to grow in. We need this to happen if we are to see the diversity and fullness of Christ through His church.
What is meditation for the believer? Simply put it is hearing Gods words and obeying them. Learn keys to growing in this discipline.
Discover the spiritual disciplines new and fresh in your life- not as a way to earn Gods approval or grace but as means of positioning yourself to receive what He has given freely.
James 2 reminds us that we have an obligation in the family of God to be generous, especially with those who might not seem worthy in our eyes. In this way, we reflect the generosity that God has shown each of us through His son.
As we prepare for a new year, take time to recognize the CONTINUATION of Gods faithfulness, the need for RENEWAL in your spirit and the NEW POSSIBILITIES that are ahead.
In his heart, God is full of life giving words for each of us (Psalm 139) and He desires to share these thoughts generously with us. Learn how to receive and give generous, life giving words and so reflect the Father through what you say.
As we encounter significant change in our country, we as the church need a prophetic vision for how to move forward in the middle of uncertainty, fear and oppression. As we receive this, we will know by the fruit of peace and confidence.
What does it look like today to be a follower of Jesus? In this series, we will answer that question, specifically in the context of the Light Church community. In this message we talk about the importance of defining success the way God does. This means measuring our accomplishments according to what is important in the kingdom of God.
What does it look like today to be a follower of Jesus? In this series, we will answer that question, specifically in the context of the Light Church community. In this message we discuss how to engage the world- that we would be a church of "sent ones" bringing the spirit and kingdom vision, as we go, wherever we go.
What does it look like today to be a follower of Jesus? In this series, we will answer that question, specifically in the context of the Light Church community. In this message, we discuss the importance of equipping EVERY person for discipleship, which includes learning what tools you've been given and how to use those tools.
What does it look like today to be a follower of Jesus? In this series, we will answer that question, specifically in the context of the Light Church community. In this message we talk about the significance of child like dependency and discovering who He is as a good Father.
What does it look like today to be a follower of Jesus? In this series, we will answer that question, specifically in the context of the Light Church community. This week we discuss the significance of knowing God through encounter. What we discover is encounter with God is both the starting point and the journey of the Christian life.
What does it look like today to be a follower of Jesus? In this series, we will answer that question, specifically in the context of the Light Church community.
At its core, we believe being a disciple means:
Cultivating a supernatural lifestyle where sons and daughters are empowered to be transformed into Christ-likeness and equipped to help others do the same.
One of the most important truths of the gospel is that God created us to be a part of His family and through Jesus He has made us His children through the glorious act of adoption. Embracing Gods love for us starts with knowing and remembering our worth as His children.
2 Peter 1 gives us a very clear path for avoiding being ineffective or unproductive in our relationship with God and others. The key lies in discovering the difference between what only God can do and what only we can do.
For many, one of the surprising things about the gospel is that God does not shield us from the possibility of disappointment. In fact, He promises it will come. Often following Jesus leads us in to disappointing moments. Moments that can even lead us to offense. John 6 reveals to us a disappointing yet hope filled moment from the life of the disciples that can make a difference for our lives as well.
When you start pursuing things that matter, you will experience opposition, including- disappointment, discouragement, doubt and disbelief. How do you continue on with Jesus without losing heart?
In the middle of injustice, violence and systemic racism the words of Jesus are as relevant as ever "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God."
What does it mean to pursue peace, especially for those that have none?
This Easter, we pray for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may see the risen Jesus and his hope in our lives!
Before his work on the cross, Jesus celebrated that work as the king who came in the name of the Lord. He brought peace, as he himself is peace. And he brought us his victory over death. So we celebrate, too!
Jesus knew the Father as the prodigal God who loves his children with reckless abandon. God is recklessly compassionate and joyful toward us, withholding nothing. Let him love you. And if you are already with him, ask for his gifts and you will receive.
God works in our lives even before we acknowledge him. This is part of his pursuit of us. Will you trust him to give you what you need? If you do, he will speak to you and invite you to understand his faithfulness and experience it more and more.
God desires to engage us with our biggest hopes and deepest fears. This means being honest with God not only about our needs but also our wants and desires.
When God asks us a question, it isn't because he doesn't know the answer but rather because He desires to hear from us. Often it is the questions God asks that reveal our motives and heart. Listen to the story of Elijah and what God reveals about his heart (and ours) through the powerful question - "What are you doing here?"
When we give something up for Lent season, God replaces it with something much greater.
Experience the heavenly here, expressed through a God who is with us, among us and now in us. This advent, encounter the multi-sensory nature of His love as expressed and experienced through sound, sight, touch, smell and taste.
Experience the heavenly here, expressed through a God who is with us, among us and now in us. This advent, encounter the multi-sensory nature of His love as expressed and experienced through sound, sight, touch, smell and taste.
Experience the heavenly here, expressed through a God who is with us, among us and now in us. This advent, encounter the multi-sensory nature of His love as expressed and experienced through sound, sight, touch, smell and taste.
Pastor John Kovacs explains God's vision for wholeness in people, through a word study of the Greek word, sozo--which means saved, rescued, healed, delivered, and made whole.
Just as it was God’s idea to establish the church, it is His great plan that this relationship would be one of FAMILY- SONS and DAUGHTERS of a GOOD Father. In this family, our value is defined by WHOSE we are, not WHAT we do. This is our God-given identity and it is the basis of our worth. We long to see this family grow WIDE as more discover who they are in God and DEEP as we all continue to learn what our Dad is like and who we are as His children.
Continuing in the book of Acts, we discuss "how to" for sharing our faith today in light of the precedent established for us by the early church.
The Gospel is fueled by the combination of demonstration and proclamation. At the core of our message and our works, the resurrection of Jesus is THE defining moment and work. How can we better live out this "see and hear gospel" today?
Advent is the beginning of adventure with God. For Zechariah and for us, one of the most challenging things to live out is the truth that this adventure is ahead of us rather than in our past. Zechariah's song reveals to us that the key to this is in tuning our ears to hear the faithfulness of God.
One of the most amazing discoveries in the gospel is the truth that God has not only redeemed humanity through Jesus but He has chosen us to be sons and daughters in his family. Do we know what kind of family we have been adopted in to and the inheritance that has been given to us? Or are we still living the life we knew before we were brought into the abundance of the family of God?
Sticks and stones AND words can hurt. Our words our powerful. They have the ability to shape the environment around us. Jesus shows us that the problem of what we say has to do with a deeper issue- what is stored up in our heart. Learn how to let God change you from the inside out and ultimately to redeem your speech.
Are we really ready to believe God for the impossible? And what do we do when we believe for things that don't come to pass the way we had hoped? God is a God of hope and it is in our hoping and even in our disappointment that we find a God who is closer than we think.
Does God invite us to imagine? If so, what should it look like for us to dream with Him? Our imaginations are always at work and play a powerful role in the way that we see the world around us. Will we use our imagination to fuel faith or to feed fear?
At the center of Jesus' work on the cross is the initiation of redemption (buying back) and reconciliation (restored relationship) of all things to God. There is no thing and no one that is excluded from the comprehensive scope of Gods amazing plan of redemption. Realizing this means that there is nothing too small, too big or too broken for God to repair and restore.
In the kingdom of God, one of the most important principles is taking care of the things of value that God has given to us. In the realm of stewardship comes the promise that if we are faithful with little that He will entrust us with more. What does it look like for each of us to steward the most valuable gift we have been given, the Holy Spirit?
What does it mean to be meek as Jesus meant it when he declared "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." ? As we continue our series on the Kingdom of God, we look at what it means to be meek and why this truly is a blessing in the kingdom.
In the kingdom of heaven we are called to love the way that Jesus has loved us. This means loving in a way that is inherently unfair. As we realize the injustice that Jesus bore so that we could know His love, we realize we are free to love others in the same manner.
Hear from Light Church members as they share how God is stirring up creativity and inspiration in a big way for His purposes!