Church of the City: Recent Episodes
Matt Naismith
This is the podcast for the weekly teaching of Church of the City in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. We are the family of God, on the mission of God, making disciples of Jesus, praying, "In Guelph as it is in Heaven."
We're so thrilled to have Mike Anderson join us Sunday to bring the word! Mike will continue our series on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, taking a close look at Proverbs 11:30, and what we become in the hand of God when we bear the fruit he desires for us.
We always love to hear from our long-term missionaries, and this Sunday we're thrilled Bechara Karkafi will be opening the word.
Steve Adams brings a fresh voice to our Extraordinary Fruit series. See you at 10am at 75 Norfolk St!
Join us at 75 Norfolk this Sunday as we continue our series on the Fruit of the Spirit with a conversation about kindness. In particular, we'll consider the nature of God's kindness towards us, and how this should motivate the way we respond to those we share life with. See you on Sunday!
This Sunday we'll be back at 75 Norfolk and considering patience in our Extraordinary Fruit series. In preparation for Sunday, consider patience for a moment: what scenes come to mind? Ask the Spirit to help you be open to how he might want to ripen the fruit of patience in our lives. See you Sunday!
We enjoyed kicking off our new series on the fruit of Spirit this past Sunday. Join us this week as we consider joy as a key to our transformation into Christlikeness. Also, we want to remind you that there is no nursery during the summer months, but ages 3 to 12 are in the gym together for a combined program. See you Sunday!
This Sunday we are starting a new series for the Summer: the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit are so often misunderstood; are they virtues we work hard to achieve? Or do we just sit back and let God work this change in us when he pleases? Or is there another option? Join us over the next couple months as we unpack how we can all participate in the Spirit's impressive gardening project.
This week at Reunion we take a beat to reflect, pray, and worship together. Join with us as we lift up our church, our city, and our world to God in prayer and worship!
This week wraps up our series on Ezekiel. We turn finally to chapters 47 and 48 to see Ezekiel's vision for good news: the new land. We hope you've enjoyed learning with us this season.
Join us for a special Sunday as Dave brings the word on Ezekiel 43:12-46:24 and the Good News: the New Torah. This is Dave's last teaching at COTC as he and Donna move out West this Summer. Please join us in thanking Dave for his years of faithful service as an Elder at Church of the City.
At Reunion, Spencer will be leading us through Chapters 40:1-43:11 of Ezekiel. This is an important moment as Ezekiel is given a vision of good news in the form of a new temple. Join us as we consider this passage together.
We're excited for Becki Lee to bring the word this Sunday on Ezekiel Chapters 38-39, looking at the proclamation of the good news: hope for the nations.
Join us this Sunday as we enter into the second half of the book of Ezekiel, after Jerusalem's fall. We'll consider the hope of new life that God extends to us, even today, and how that changes the way we approach everyday life.
We as elders and staff are praying for you if you sensed a step of obedience God was asking of you last Sunday. This week we'll look at Ezekiel 25-32 as Ezekiel directs his prophecies outward towards the surrounding nations.
This week we'll look at Ezekiel's final prophecies before he learns of the fall of Jerusalem. We trust you've finding that, in the midst of difficult passages like the ones we've been looking at in recent weeks, the Spirit still has rich things to teach us. We'll also be hearing some stories of God at work through our missional communities.
This Sunday we continue our journey through Ezekiel by looking at one of Israel's darkest moments and considering what God might want to teach us from a passage as difficult as this.
This week in our series in Ezekiel, we'll be looking at chapters 4-7, and considering what God's warnings to the people of Israel might mean for us in twenty-first century Guelph. We'll also be having our Welcome Home lunch after the service. If you are newer to Church of the City, we'd love to have you join us. See below for more details!
The Old Testament prophets are all interesting characters, Ezekiel perhaps the most so. His actions and visions are strange, often bizarre, even, and can leave us wondering what we can learn from them for the Christian life today. Join us this Sunday as we begin our new series, Ezekiel: A Strange and Beautiful Witness, and hopefully see in Ezekiel's ministry hope as we follow God today.
This weekend, over the course of Good Friday and Easter, we'll consider just how deep the brokenness runs that Christ died to redeem us from, and Sunday we'll consider how glorious a restoration we have received because of Christ's resurrection. We'll even have some interactive element for kids and grownups that we are excited to experience together! See below for more details on both services.
This weekend, over the course of Good Friday and Easter, we'll consider just how deep the brokenness runs that Christ died to redeem us from, and Sunday we'll consider how glorious a restoration we have received because of Christ's resurrection. We'll even have some interactive element for kids and grownups that we are excited to experience together! See below for more details on both services.
Join us for our Palm Sunday Reunion as we begin our journey through Holy Week. We'll see you at 10am as Mike leads us in our reflection on this unique Sunday in the Christian tradition.
This Sunday is the final message in our Following Jesus series, and we're going to get practical! We will consider together the steps to actually forming and living with a Rule of Life. Don't miss it!
During this series we've been talking about following Jesus. Jesus himself made it clear, however, that loving God must always be partnered with loving our neighbour. What would it look like to make the wholeness of our city a part of our plans for following Jesus? Join us this Sunday as we consider!
This week, as part of our Following Jesus series, we're going talk about everyone's favourite topic: Money. Seriously though, it might seem like money is the 'root of all evil,' and certainly we in our society today experience our fair share of economic hardships, but how we view and use our treasure is not merely a topic for civics or even stewardship; rather, the Bible has a lot to offer on how using our treasure is an exercise in spiritual discipline. Join us Sunday for this important discussion.
This week in our Following Jesus series, we'll be considering how our bodies and the world around us can either be pathways to deeper communion with God and others or distractions that lead us into isolation. We all have to choose!
It's fitting on this first Sunday of Lent that we cover Relationships as a key element for growing closer with God. Jesus made it clear that the Christian life is all about a deepening relationship with God and with one another. Join us at Reunion this Sunday as we continue our Following Jesus: Everyday Rhythms for Deep Communion series.
For many, conversations about "spiritual disciplines" often bring the bible to mind. Sadly, this is often accompanied by a sense of duty and obligation. Is it possible to cultivate a different relationship with the Scriptures? Join us this Sunday at Reunion for our Following Jesus: Everyday Rhythms for Deep Communion series, as we explore the transforming power of God's word.
This week in our Following Jesus: Everyday Rhythms for Deep Communion, we take a look at one of the oldest and most sacred disciplines in Christian Living: Prayer. Believe it or not, prayer is not complicated. That said, we all find it challenging at times to speak to God or feel confident He's listening. Join us at Reunion as we dispel some myths and discuss the important role prayer plays in our Christian life.
We're starting a new series called Following Jesus: Everyday Rhythms for Deep Communion. We talk often about "following Jesus together" at COTC, but what does that actually look like in everyday life? Join us as we explore practices that Christians have been using for centuries to cultivate their relationships with Jesus!
In the midst of a world that prioritizes busyness, God invites us to be a people who find deep rest. A key practice that meets this need is Sabbath. Join us Sunday as we continue our new series Following Jesus: Everyday Rhythms for Deep Communion, as we discuss Sabbath as a means of connecting with God, ourselves, and the world around us.
A special commissioning service as Spencer steps into the Lead Staff Elder role COTC. Steve Adams is our guest speaker.
For our last Reunion gathering of the year on Dec 31st, we will focus on the theme of God's faithfulness. This involves looking back at how God has sustained us over the past year, and looking ahead to ways we're trusting God heading into the new year.
Mike continues our advent series, Advent on the Ground, with the second theme of advent, "peace." Peace seems like an elusive commodity in our world today. People often promise to bring us peace, whether through good leadership, a new technology, or a powerful idea, but these promises often fall short. It leaves us asking: who can truly lead us into peace?
This week brings the conclusion to our Serving in the Royal City series. We'll be exploring the pursuit of justice as a key way that believers are called to serve the world around us.
We're excited to be talking about the values of our church - the things that are core to us at Church of the City. Join us as Spencer helps us consider why worship matters so much to us as a church!
We kick off a new series: Serving in the Royal City. God calls us to serve our city as a reflection of our service to him, our King. Over the course of the next three weeks we will consider our call to serve our neighbours and the vulnerable. Jeff Hesselink, a chaplain with the Fellowship, kick things off
For this final week in our Vision series, we'll explore four commitments we ask of every person at COTC to make. MCs, Reunion, gospel saturation, all-of-life discipleship—these aren't just buzz words, so what do we do with it all?
We continue our Vision Series with Cam unpacking what it means for us to live our lives on Holistic Mission.
We continue our Vision series this Sunday discussing our next value: life in a spiritual family.
This week in our Vision Series we ask, what part can Church of the City play in making Guelph look the way we hope it will? What would that take?
Church - we are so excited to start our 2023 Vision Series this Sunday. This feels like a pivotal year in the life of COTC, and we look forward to kicking it off by reminding ourselves of who we are and why we're here.
Spencer continues our journey through our Summer Series Rest Your Soul, looking at Mark 6 and the enemies of rest in our lives
Spencer invites us to consider how big and beautiful God's mission really is in the context of Paul's ministry
Mike walks us through Paul's closing remarks and benediction in Ephesians 6:21-24, as we wrap our series on Ephesians.
Spencer preaches on Paul's instruction to other members of the household in Ephesians 6:1-9.
Daves takes us through Ephesians 4:25-5:2 and what it means to live out our new Christian identity in community
Pastor Spencer opens our new series, The Worth of Waiting, speaking on "The Plan of Redemption"
Pastor Spencer teaches on "John the Baptist: The Candle of Love" from our Advent Series
Pastor Matt speaks from our Ecclesiastes series on "Aspirations: If I Only Knew, Had, or Did"
Pastor Matt continues our new Vision series by teaching on our second core value, "Formation".
Pastor Matt continues our Psalm 139 series looking at verses 16-19 and specifically, the topic of abortion.
This is part two in our "Enough" series. Pastor Matt explores three passages that help us understand what generosity is, how we can be motivated to become a generous people and that even in lack, the opportunity for generosity still exists.
Pastor Matt and Pastor Spencer are in the Hot Seat answering questions as they come in about our series, The Bride!
Pastor Matt teaches on 'Her Rhythms: Gathering, Scattering & The Mystery In-Between' from our series, The Bride!
Pastor Spencer speaks on "Structures for Her Good". He teaches of the 3 Essential Church Structures: Members, Elders and Deacons.
Pastor Matt teaches on 'Her Allegiance via. Her Submission & Obedience (Doctrinal Commitment to Truth)'
Pastor Matt opens our new series, The Bride, as we celebrate two baptisms!
*baptisms are excluded for participants privacy
Pastor Matt closes our 2022 Easter series by speaking on the Resurrection from Hebrews 10.
Pastor Matt opened our Easter 2022 series speaking on The Necessary High Priest from Hebrews 9 v1-14!
Pastor Jeremiah from Church of the City Brampton digs into Part 2 of Samson from Judges 13-16.
Pastor Matt introduces for us the book of Judges, as we study it over the coming months.
Pastor Matt invites us to consider the story of Jesus birth through the lens of God's love.
Pastor Matt unpacks the theme of joy in Luke 1 and 2, identifying a pattern that leads us to respond.
Pastor Spencer explores the concept of peace in the Scriptures and how Christ has the power to become our peace in every circumstance.
Pastor Matt introduced and lead us through readings based on hope as we begin this Advent season.
Pastor Matt concludes our Seven Churches series and unpacks Jesus' word to the church in Laodicea.
Pastor Matt interviews George Sinclair for a special accompaniment podcast to our Seven Churches series.
George Sinclair has served in a suburban and in a rural “multi-point” church. He is currently the Rector of Church of the Messiah in the heart of urban Ottawa. He was the Chair of Essentials Canada and founding Chair of his denomination (ANiC). He currently serves as the Chair of the ANiC task force to make ANiC more deeply biblical at every level. He is the Principal of Ryle Seminary. He is the Chair of the Dig & Delve servant leadership team which puts on a yearly apologetics conference in Ottawa. He also speaks regularly on Parliament Hill to the Parliament Hill Christian Fellowship. He is blessed to have been married to Louise since 1981. They have 9 children and lots of sons and daughters-in-law and grandchildren.
Cameron Ogilvie, one of our Elders, unpacks for us Jesus' word to the church in the ancient city of Philadelphia.
Pastor Matt continues The Seven Church series and unpacks for us Jesus' word to the church in Sardis.
Dave Marttunen, one of our elders, unpacks Revelation 2 v1-7 and Jesus' word to the church in Ephesus.
Listen to week one of our new series titled, "The Seven Churches: Responding to Jesus in the 21st Century." Pastor Matt provides an introduction to Revelation and helps us begin asking questions that will be answered over the next two months.
Pastor Matt teaches week two of our Vision series exploring who we are and what we want to be about in the next season. In this episode, we explore one of our new values: Formation.
Pastor Matt teaches part one of our Vision Series, clarifying who we are and where we want to go in our desire to see our communities look more like heaven, so every person has a relationship with Jesus.
Pastor Matt concludes our series in John 15 v1-11 exploring a fourth characteristic of relationship with Jesus: pleasure.
Pastor Matt continues our summer series in John 15 v1-11 looking at the promises Jesus makes to those who attach to Him.
Pastor Matt is joined by Tim Brown, Executive Director of Hope Story and Clarence Meekis, an Indigenous Canadian and an elder at New Hope Church in Thunderbay to listen and learn about the experience of Indigenous peoples in Canada historically and today.
Pastor Matt interviews Raja Stone (UCC Waterloo), Albert Chunrg (Trinity Grace Church Toronto) and Michael Harris (Kingdom Life Church, Guelph) about racism, justice and the gospel. This is part two of a two part conversation.
Pastor Matt explores Jesus’ concluding remarks in the Sermon on the Mount and why they are important for disciples of Jesus today. What does it mean to follow Jesus and what must we be aware of and cautious about?
Pastor Spencer digs into Jesus inviation to ask and his promise to provide. But what does this mean? Can we ask anything?
Pastor Matt unpacks what Jesus means by "Do not be anxious about your life," and whether or not this is distinct from a type of anxiety or worry that is about associated with planning and responsibility.
Pastor Spencer unpacks for us Jesus teaching on treasures and the condition and impulse of our heart in relation to them. Do you have stuff or does your stuff have you?
Pastor Matt interviews Raja Stone (UCC Waterloo), Albert Chunrg (Trinity Grace Church Toronto) and Michael Harris (Kingdom Life Church, Guelph) about racism, justice and the gospel. This is part one of a two part conversation.
Pastor Matt leads us through Matthew 6v5-18 using the Discovery Bible Study method. This way of reading and studying the Bible can be used on a regular basis in your own devotional time and with others.
Cameron Ogilvie, one of our elders, helps us better understand the heart of Jesus teaching on giving to the "needy" in Matthew 6v1-4.
In our final workshop, Dr. Nadine Nyhus speaks from her medical and psychiatirc education and experience to the value and significance of regulating our autonomic nervous systems and how doing so influences the spiritual practices.
Join us for our sixth Formation Workshop digging into the discipline of Sabbath. Our very own Spencer Adams teaches and guides the discussion.
Join us as we continue in the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' teaching on divorce and remarriage.
Pastor Spencer leads us through the Road to Emmaus narrative helping us understand Jesus's resurrection as good news, in the midst of confusion and pain.
This Good Friday we rememeber and reflect on the emotional agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and what that tells us about God and his heart.
Join us for our fifth lecture in our Formation Workshops digging into silence and solitude. Our presenter was Dave Wilkinson, a Spirital Director with Soul Formation and who lives in the Northwest of the United States in Spokane, Washington.
Join us as we continue in the Sermon on the Mount looking specifically at Jesus teaching on murder and anger. Pastor Matt helps us understand what type of anger Jesus is talking about and why it is so deadly.
Join us for the fourth lecture in our Formation Worshops with Esther Wong, who leads teaches and then leads us in the Examen, an ancent method of daily spiitual reflection.
Join us as we continue in Sermon the Mount transitioning from the beatitudes to the rest of the sermon. Pastor Spencer helps us understand and ask some questions about Jesus saying he came to, "fulfill the law and the prophets."
A hinge text between the beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus illustrates his disciples place in the world as being salt and light. Pastor Matt explores three clues from this text to help us better understand what Jesus is getting at.
In this episode from our mid-week Formation Workshops, Jeff Hesselink breaks down what fasting is, the spiritual dangers and physical risks of fasting, as well as practical considerations.
We continue our beatitude series looking at Matthew 5 verse 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
In this episode, part two of a two-part mini-series in our Formation Workshops, Sarah Evans teaches and leads us through praying with Scripture using gospel contemplation.
In this episode, part one of a two part mini-series in our Formation Workshops, Sarah Evans teaches and leads us through praying with Scripture using Lectio Divina.
**Please note: During the facilitated prayer section please note that there is a slight ringing sound.
Pastor Matt continues our Gospel of John series looking at the remainder of John 2 and into John 3
Pastor Spencer continues our Gospel of John series answering the question of who we are, in light of who Jesus is.
FOCUS - Tech & Boundaries
Tips: How to set your phone to monochromatic
Iphone - Use your search function to find "Color Filters". Turn on color filters and select greyscale.
Android - First you need to enable Developer Mode. Open Settings, System, About Phone. Tap on Build Number 8 times.
Second, Go back to System and then into the new Developer Options menu. Open Simulate Color Space and chose Monochromacy.
Other versions of Android might have this under Accessibility if you do not find it here.
Teach Us to Pray : Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil - Spiritual Warfare
This is a message from our summer series on the life of David, the ups and downs of faithfulness and why we need the true King.
Pastor Spencer preaches on David's experience of grief from 2 Samuel 1v1-12.
Justice: Break Our Hearts for What Breaks Yours | What do the Scriptures teach us about how God does justice?
Justice: Break Our Hearts for What Breaks Yours | What is God's vision of justice? Micah 6v6-8
Flesh: How Jesus' Birth Changes What We Think We Know About God
Shepherds & Wise Men: Two Types of Visitors with the Same Response (Lk 2v8-21, Mt 2v1-12)
Flesh: How Jesus' Birth Changes What We Think We Know About God
Joseph's Submission (Matthew 1v18-25)
Song of Songs : Everlasting Love
Parental Advisory: The following Sermon contains adult themes.
Song of Songs : The Danger & Opportunity of Marriage
Parental Advisory: The following Sermon contains adult themes and discusses the biblical views on marriage.
Song of Songs : God’s picture of marital love (physical & emotional intimacy)
Parental Advisory: The following Sermon contains adult themes and discusses the biblical views on intimate relationships.
In Guelph as it is in Heaven: Where Jesus is King | Freedom Sunday & Empowered by the Spirit
In Guelph as it is in Heaven: Where Jesus is King | Subversive Rubric : Philippians 2v1-11
Confession & Obedience - Hebrews 10v19-39 [Easter Sunday]
With Audio from the Bible Project - https://thebibleproject.com/explore/gospel-kingdom/
What is the Bible? - Origins and Historicity. Guest speaker Wayne Baxter
Includes audio from the BibleProject - see the video at https://youtu.be/7_CGP-12AE0
A four week look at who is the Holy Spirit and why we need him in our life.
Includes audio from the The Bible Project - https://thebibleproject.com/
Continuing our study of the book of Exodus 23v20-24v18
Includes audio from the The Bible Project - https://thebibleproject.com/
Advent Series - "Life With God" - God With Us.
A joined Christmas Service with Crestwicke Baptist Church.
Includes audio from the The Bible Project - https://thebibleproject.com/luke-chapter-1-2-birth-jesus/
Today we begin a study of the book of Exodus.
Over the next 8 weeks we will explore the book of Exodus and how it applies the our lives.
The vision series will explore what Church of the City is all about. Why we don't "go to church" because "We are the Church".
This week we look at what it means to be a church Family. What does the bible mean when we says Brother or Sister in Christ.
Continuing in the book of Esther : A Case Study of How to Win Friends and Influence People
What is the purpose of our work?
Does it have any value?
And how is work a place to mirror the image of God to our world?
Pastor James and Pastor Matt respond to questions texted-in from those at Church of the City.
Some of the topics covered were the soverignty of God, salvation, eternal security, guardian angels and baptism.
What is the hope we have in Christ and his resurrection?
How do we endure through suffering?
What if the resurrection did not happen? What if it did?
Join us as we explore each of these questions.
What does a godly leader look like?
What does it mean to lead people in difficult circumstances?
How does a leader strive for continual sanctificiation? What motivates us?
Pastor James explains.
What is the church?
What is the church called to be and do?
What is the churches role in the city? Does it have a role?
Why are we called 'Church of the City'?
What does life look like when shaped by the gospel?
What does leadership look like when shaped by the gospel?
What are the qualifications for elders and deacons/esses?
What is the role of men and women in church leadership?
Are men and women equal yet distinct?
All of these questions are addressed and answered in this teaching.
How do you decipher or decide if something if right or wrong?
How do you confront false teaching or untruths in your life?
In this teaching, we answer these questions