Battle Creek Nazarene: Recent Episodes
Battle Creek Nazarene
Jesus continues to live amongst his followers as they live in community together and receive the Holy Spirit
The post Sermon | Living With Us appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Together, under the rule of King Jesus, we are the temple of God; built up to announce God’s very real presence.
The post Sermon | Building With Us appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Living Hope
The post Sermon | Watching Over Us appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
While it can be comforting to remember where we encountered Jesus in the past, our hope is in a king who is alive today and working on creating a holy future.
The post Sermon | Hope Lives appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The scripture we read today is a reminder that God shows up. In God’s own timing that we don’t always like or appreciate, but God does show up. And when God shows up there is resurrection and life that can only come through the presence of God with us.
The post Sermon | If You Had Been Here appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Hanna shared a message based on the story of people who, because God didn’t follow their religious rules, couldn’t see that it was God who had healed a blind man. They assumed the man was blind because of sin, yet missed how their lack of empathy with the blind man caused them to be […]
The post Sermon | What Caused the Blindness? appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Will shares a message for the 3rd week of Lent
The post Sermon | A Proposal appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
We mature in our faith realizing that to be a follower of Jesus we must not merely speak his words, but we must also live as he lived.
The post Sermon | Wait, Wait, What? appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Jesus shows us that we do not have to give into misaligned appetites, we can in fact live hungering after, and subsequently satisfied in God by feasting on the Word of God.
The post Sermon | Fasting appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
There is a huge difference between a life shaped by seeking to get things from God and a life shaped by seeking to know God.
The post Sermon | The Transfigured Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The purpose of the church is to plant and water seeds that God grows into mature, Christ-like people and communities
The post Sermon | God Makes it Grow appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Jesus viewed those around him as people who needed saving and healing then calls his followers to do the same
The post Sermon | The Mind of Christ appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
If we are called to follow Jesus and live according to his ways, the cross has to be a central part of our lives as well.
The post Sermon | The Message of the Cross appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
If God is the hero of the story than Jesus is the only one who should receive the glory and honor
The post Sermon | Only Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
We have been given what we need to be faithful.
The post Sermon | God is Faithful appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The church is intended to be a community shaped by a God-created sense of belonging.
The post Sermon | Epiphany appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
You as a follow of Christ cannot thrive without the church and the church cannot thrive without you using your gift.
The post Sermon | You appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The people who are tired of walking in darkness can experience the light of Jesus. Not only is Jesus a light we can see in the darkness, but Jesus is the light by which everything else is visible.
The post Sermon | What Are We Waiting For? appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
God is revealed in the humble and ordinary
The post Sermon |Anticipate Christ appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
What are we waiting for? New Creation- It is coming, but it is already here!
The post Sermon | Isaiah 35:1-10 appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Following worldly leaders may appear to solve the problems that we are most concerned about, but only a Righteous King with perception beyond present circumstances can heal/save the world
The post Sermon | The Righteous King appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Peace is Shalom. Shalom is more than the absence of conflict, but is a condition of goodness that is life-giving.
The post Sermon | Shalom appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
We have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and invited to live as citizens of God’s kingdom with Jesus as our king.
The post Sermon | Christ Our King appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
God’s plan for the earth is a renewal of all things.
The post Sermon | Looking Forward appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Our experiences with God in the past can give us strength for the moment and hope for the future
The post Taste and See appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Disciples are curious. Curious because Jesus was. And Curious disciples make discipleship personal because Jesus did the same for us.
The post Sermon | Curious Disciples appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Jesus preferred a sinner who was seeking God from a position of humility over a righteous rule keeper who thought it made him better than others.
The post Sermon | Two Prayer appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The World will decide who Jesus is based upon how Christians act.
The post Sermon | Approved Workers appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
You become a disciple by learning the ways of Jesus and living accordingly.
The post Sermon | What Makes Disciples appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
There is a connection between our trusting God, our being content, and our ability to love others.
The post Sermon | Be Content appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
God not only seeks us out in our “lost-ness” but equips and commissions us to become people that seek others
The post Sermon | Seekers appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Being a disciple is not adding Jesus to your life, but letting Jesus shape who you are and what you do so much that you are given a new life
The post Sermon | Potter and Clay appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Our value and identity is not based upon the work we do, nor should it be how we place value or identify others.
The post Sermon | Seats of Honor appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
God has ordained rest as a priority in the kingdom. And it’s not that we rest as a tool to work; work is accomplished so you may rest
The post Sermon | Rest appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
God’s people have been chosen to bring peace, grace, forgiveness, and life
The post Sermon | Welcome appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
By remembering the grace that God has given to you, you are then freed/called to extend grace to others.
The post Sermon | Remember appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Trusting in God takes the focus off ourselves and frees us to focus on God and on others
The post Sermon | Trust appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The kingdom of God is revealed in everyday activities like working in a field or picking grapes from a vine.
The post Sermon | Corners of Your Field appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The mission of the church is to invite the world to God’s Great Banquet.
The post Sermon | Meals as Mission appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Jesus showed up handing out invitations to God’s party, and they said, “come as you are.” Nothing that you are, or that you have done, merits this invitation which means that nothing that you are or have done can revoke this invitation.
The post Sermon | Meals as Grace appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The kingdom of God is one that is not established through power and defeating one’s enemy, but through the love of neighbor as lived out through a shared meal
The post Sermon | Eating and Drinking appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Christian Freedom is the ability to follow Jesus regardless of the situation
The post Sermon | Free Like Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Our faithfulness to God invites us to share what we have received which results in others experiencing God’s salvation
The post Sermon | Redemptive Like Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Understanding our need for grace motivates us to extend grace to others.
The post Sermon | Inclusive Like Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
A disciple doesn’t just want to know what their teacher knows; they want to do what their teacher does.
The post Sermon|Acting Like Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The Resurrected Jesus invites us to see others differently; not as the world sees them, but as Jesus says they are.
The post Sermon | Friends Like Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Be bold, not because you are strong, but because God is worthy of our trust.
The post Sermon | Bold Like Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
We can encounter the resurrected Jesus in our lives every day, but he will look like someone else.
The post Sermon | He Looked Like Someone Else appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Many people saw Jesus and came to the wrong conclusion about who he was
The post Sermon | They All Heard About Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Sabbath is not about resting so you can work hard again; it’s about worshipping so your work is faithful to your calling
The post Sermon | Jesus, or a Year’s Wage appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Being loved by a generous God should lead us to be generous to others in response.
The post Sermon | Shame, Repentance, Generous Love appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
To live in repentance is to assume a pattern of life that consistently brings you back into faithful obedience to God
The post Sermon | Unless you Repent appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Prayer is a critical element in the life of a Christian because it allows us to pay attention to the things God is doing and choose to participate in that work as well.
The post Sermon | Prayer as Noticing appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Fasting is a response to something that aligns our physical condition with our spiritual, intellectual, and emotional longings for God’s kingdom to come.
The post Sermon | The Fast and the Curious appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
To follow Jesus, we must listen to Jesus, and to listen to Jesus, we must first hear him
The post Sermon | Listen to Him appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Jesus doesn’t tell us how to live so that we can follow him; he is teaching us how we get to live if we choose to follow him
The post Sermon | Living Like Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
There are things the way they are now in the kingdom of this world and things the way that they will be in God’s kingdom. We have to choose which kingdom we put our hope in.
The post Sermon | Filled and Emptied appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Jesus invites us to live in such a way that others are introduced to Jesus as well.
The post Sermon | Fishing for People appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
If those around you do not understand what God is doing in you and through you, be encouraged, because Jesus is with you. We’d love for you to join us on Sunday mornings online or in person at Battle Creek First Church to hear more about how Jesus is at work in your life.
The post Sermon | We Know You appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The Spirit’s Presence is always an indication that one has been called and prepared for a mission
The post Sermon | Filled to Fulfill appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Jesus’s mission isn’t to give us what we want. Jesus’s mission is to provide what we need in order to live the way he teaches us to
The post Sermon | You Dont Have Enough Wine appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Jesus’s mission isn’t to make us happy, but rather the mission of Jesus is to make us Holy
The post Sermon | Baptism by Fire appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
God already has a plan and purpose for the world and invites us to participate in it by aligning our lives to God’s plan
The post Sermon | Love appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The joy of the Lord comes when we take what we do have and give it away freely.
The post Sermon | Joy appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Peace-making is the process of confronting the brokenness of life bringing it to wholeness and fulfillment
The post Sermon | Peace appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Hope in God not only provides us with a direction but transforms us along the way.
The post Sermon | Hope appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
If we are not deliberate about our decision we will end up following all kinds of other kings
The post Sermon | Where Christ is King appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Worldly kingdoms come and go, but the kingdom of God is the one that is eternal
The post Sermon | Where the End is the Beginning appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Where a Little is Everything
The post Sermon | Where a Little Is Everything appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
When Jesus calls us to new life, he calls us to never-ending life in the family of God
The post Sermon | Where Death Cannot Separate Us appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Jesus doesn’t just listen to the prayers of his followers. Jesus listens to and hears the cries of those that are desperate for him. And Jesus desires to wipe away all of those tears and heal all of those broken pieces.
The post Sermon | Where The Blind Can See appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Serving others is a required element of a disciple’s life and helps us live better as citizens of God’s kingdom and not the kingdoms of the world.
The post Sermon | Where the Least are the Greatest appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The Spirit is at work shaping us into Kingdom citizens who bear the image of King Jesus, and the greatest transformation comes from the simple spiritual practices or disciplines that orient our lives toward Kingdom Living
The post Sermon | Where You Lack What You Have appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Tabitha shares a story from Mark 10 about children and the Kingdom of God
The post Sermon | Jesus Welcomes the Children appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The Church should be doing everything it can to help people live faithfully in the Kingdom and should be doing nothing to keep them out.
The post Sermon | Where One Hand is Better than Two appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Those who are last in the kingdoms of the world are most valued in the Kingdom of God
The post Sermon | Where Servants are Great appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
By remembering the mission that motivated the church in the past, the ministries of the church in the present can be shaped so the church is faithful into the future.
The post Sermon | 1, 2, 3, For Five – 75th Anniversary Celebration appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The post Sermon | Engage Culture: Tour Guides in the Kingdom appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The Gospel is lifechanging Good News if the church is willing to share it.
The post Sermon | Encounter Culture: Missionaries appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
There is a correlation between a church’s willingness to serve and a church’s unity and maturity
The post Sermon | Experience Service appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Worship is our response to the revelation that God is at work in our midst.
The post Sermon| Encounter God – Worship appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Discipleship that focuses on knowledge provides people new information about Jesus but fails to transform them to be more like Jesus
The post Sermon | Encounter God – Discipleship appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Our Goal is not to have people attend church services; Our goal is for people to belong to the grace-filled community known as First Church
The post Sermon | Embrace Community: Belong appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
A faith that stays in Jerusalem and that doesn’t confront kingdoms of the worlds is a faith that refuses to declare the good news that all nations and all people are invited to surrender their independence and power and then pledge their allegiance to Jesus Christ and Christ alone.
The post Sermon | Be Bold appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
It wasn’t a set of religious beliefs that Got the Early church in trouble. It was their way of life that was so radically different than the world around it that caused them trouble.
The post Sermon | Be Radical appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Being set apart does not mean being isolated, or alone. Nor does it mean you get to choose your own adventure, be the hero of a story that you dictate, that you control.
The post Sermon | Be Set Apart appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Be Open so you can hear God again calling you to take your next step.
The post Sermon | Be Open appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
We will change the world, not by forcing it to be what we want it to be, but by living the way Jesus taught us and enduring the suffering that comes with it.
The post Sermon | Be The Change appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Battle Creek First Church has been a witness for Jesus during all kinds of seasons, and will continue to be a witness that declares Jesus is King with our actions and words.
The post Sermon | Be A Witness appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The invitation of Christ is not to know information about him, but to follow him into an alternative kingdom that escapes the corruption and destruction of the worldly kingdoms.
The post Sermon | Be Saved appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The Holy Spirit is not sent to provide individuals a way to achieve their own goals, but rather to empower a community of believers (a church) to participate in God’s mission of making all things new.
The post Sermon | Be Filled appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Because of Jesus’ love for us, he invites us into his life where he teaches us and expects us to love one another.
The post Sermon | I Call You Friends appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Tabitha explains how a vine with branches is a powerful way of understanding our relationship with Jesus.
The post Sermon | Remain appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The Old Testament is a story of people who need a Good Shepherd. Jesus arrives and declares “I am the Good Shepherd.”
The post Sermon | The Good Shepherd appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
In this week’s sermon, we explore what the chosen people of God were actually chosen for.
The post Sermon | You Are Witnesses appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
On this second week after Easter, we explore how our belonging to a community of believers can encourage us to believe.
The post Sermon | My Lord and My God appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
In this first Sunday after Easter, we begin a series of sermons where we explore Jesus’ relationship with his disciples after the resurrection and what that means for me.
The post Sermon | I Have Seen the Lord appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The story of Easter is a story of a king on trial. But this story might be different than what you are expecting.
The post Sermon | Trial of a King appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Tanner shares a message about how Jesus’s condemnation of the Temple as a den of robbers can be an invitation for the Church to be faithful to its mission.
The post Sermon | Palm Sunday appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
The Midweek Devotional message for the 5th Week of Lent.
The post Devotional | 5th Week of Lent appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Will shares a message exploring the Cross of Christ as an alternative way of life.
The post Sermon | 5th Week of Lent appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
On this fourth Sunday of Lent, Pastor Tanner reminds us that remembering our experiences with God from the past creates an invitation to trust God in the present.
The post Sermon | Don’t You Remember appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Devotion for the 3rd week of Lent
The post Devotional | 3rd Week of Lent appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Will shares a message on Holiness being contagious. Mark 5:1-20
The post Sermon | 3rd Week of Lent appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Tanner shares a message on being Jesus’ family this second week of Lent Mark 3:31-4:9
The post Sermon | Good Soil appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Tanner shares a devotional thought for the first week of Lent.
The post Devotional | 1st Week of Lent appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Will invites us to fast and feast as we begin Lent this year.
The post Sermon | Fasting and Feasting During Lent appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
In our final Sunday of the Seeing Jesus : Seeing God series, we see the glory of God present in Jesus. But not everyone who ever met Jesus witnessed this event. Only those who stayed closest to Jesus.
The post Sermon | What is God Like? appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Here is our second installment in Reading the Bible Well. This is midweek study series in which Pastor Tanner provides an introduction to Reading the Bible Well.
The post Midweek | Reading the Bible Well – pt 3 appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Tabitha shares a message that reminds us that everyone is seeking Jesus, even if they don’t know that it is Jesus they are seeking.
The post Sermon | Who Seeks Jesus appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Tanner leads a multi-week study in understanding the Bible. We explore some information about the Bible, but also provide tools to aid us in our study and Bible reading.
The post Midweek | Reading the Bible Well – pt 2 appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
If we believe Jesus is who he says he is, we should know what Jesus taught and commit to following that teaching.
The post Sermon | What Does God Say? appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Tanner leads a multi-week study in understanding the Bible. We explore some information about the Bible, but also provide tools to aid us in our study and Bible reading.
The post Midweek | Reading the Bible Well – pt 1 appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
This week we ask what God wants us to be? And we answer that question by saying that God wants us to be like Jesus.
The post Sermon | What Does God Want Me to Be? appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Pastor Tanner shares some thoughts from on Inauguration Day.
The post Midweek | Inauguration Day Devotional appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
On this 1st Sunday after Epiphany, we look to the story of John Baptizing Jesus in the wilderness to see what we can learn about God.
The post Sermon | Where is God? appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Seeing Jesus: Seeing God- Our introduction to Epiphany explores how people who don’t know Jesus become people who worship Jesus.
The post Sermon | Outsiders to Insiders appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
As we prepare to turn the page to a new year, first let us stop and acknowledge all that we have lost in 2020 then focus our hearts and hopes back to God who promises to comfort those who mourn.
The post Sermon | Jesus Wept appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
This 4th Sunday of Advent we celebrate a God who comes to dwell with God’s creation because of God’s great love for us.
The post Sermon | Welcome Love appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Welcome Joy – For our third Sunday in Advent we explore how happiness is a result of our circumstances but true Joy comes from God.
The post Sermon | Welcome Joy appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
Week Two of our Advent Series: Welcome to Christmas
The post Sermon | Welcome Peace appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.
This is a very brief introduction announcing our new podcast channel in the new year
The post Intro| Battle Creek Nazarene Podcast Channel appeared first on Battle Creek Nazarene.