City Alive Church: Recent Episodes
Joseph Yergan
What would it look like for God to be King? In Jesus Christ, the reign of God has come to drive out sin, sickness, and death. In Luke 7:11-17 Jesus interrupts a funeral service to bring a young man back to life.
Deeper than what our eyes can see, prayer engages us in a conflict in the spiritual realm. Without true spiritual authority the church is bankrupt. In Acts 12, the fervent prayers of the church release an angel that gets Peter out of prison. Our prayers aren't confined to our geography. In prayer God reaches through walls we cannot.
What is the first thing you do when you pray? While there's no single correct way to begin our prayer time, Scripture does give us guidance about how to approach God: with adoration and with an open ear.
Here's a secret most preachers won't tell you: nobody naturally feels good at prayer in the beginning. Jesus' own disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. Join us the next couple of weeks as we go on a journey with Jesus where he teaches us what it means to pray.
At City Alive we come to the Lord's table every week. Why? The greatest turning points in the Bible center around food. Humanity fell at a meal, is saved by a meal, and is heading towards a meal in the age to come.
Technology has transformed every area of our lives. Some are too optimistic or pessimistic about our devices. But the truth is that our technology is like fire. It can either create life or destroy it. Our phones can either lead us to experience God in new ways or drive us away from him. Our technology should cause us to look up to the Lord, who is the only true Creator. And to look ahead, to the city of God.
What truly separates Nazirites is the call of God. In today's text, God calls Samuel as a young teenager, and it alters the course of Samuel's life and Israel's history. God doesn't need a perfect person. He is just looking for someone who will say yes to his call.
Miracles happen when our lack is met by God's abundance. Hannah's repeated prayers for a child are answered. And the transformation of this family lead to the transformation of the nation of Israel.
The American church is experiencing a radical decline. We live in a generation of DIY spirituality, where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Yet despite a corrupted nation and compromised spiritual leadership, God always raises up consecrated Nazirites who will bring about his purposes in the earth.
This week we explore God's radical challenge to the prophet Hosea: to marry a prostitute. Hosea's faithful love to his unfaithful wife is a profound picture of God's covenant love for his people.
The Kingdom of God is more political than most Christians realize. "Jesus is Lord" is both a spiritual statement and a political one as well. Jesus is the risen and ascended Lord of heaven and earth. But Jesus' kingdom operates with a different sort of power. It's the cross-shaped power of sacrificial love.
What is the most important thing to gain wisdom? What is the most important thing in your life? Your Heart. Proverbs says to guard it more than anything else, because everything else in your life flows out from it.
What do 3,000 year old proverbs have to do with us today? It turns out, quite a lot. The average adult makes 35,000 decisions every single day. In an age of endless options and possibilities, we need God's wisdom more than ever. Proverbs is immensely practical. It gives us insight from God for our families, friendships, work, money, and time so we can live a life of flourishing.
We were made for the person of God. We exist for his presence, to know him, love him, and enjoy him forever.
We live in an age of deception and confusion. For believers, the Spirit is the one who guides us into all truth. He draws us into deep relationship with the Father and the Son and declares the truth, beauty, and glory of God to us.
This is the gospel: not that we loved God, but that he loved us first. This week Joey teaches two truths (and two lies) about God's love. God loves us more than we know, and his love wants to transform us more than we know.
We are called to a lifestyle of beloved discipleship, where we are brought into the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the American church salvation has often been reduced to heaven and hell. But we aren't saved for a place, we are saved for the person of Jesus, who is our Life.
Preaching from the Parable of the Talents, Daniel shows us the heart of Christ regarding the gifts he has given us. Jesus is the Master who will return to judge and reward his servants.
The great need of the church today is the need for the Spirit to be in our midst. Joey preaches about how the Spirit makes us God's temple, gives us power God's mission, and is God's down payment on a renewed world.
Jacob returns home with a family of his own after 20 years in exile. The night before seeing Esau again, Jacob is left anxious and alone when a mysterious man wrestles him until daybreak.
On the run from Esau, Jacob comes to his uncle Laban. It was here that Jacob the deceiver gets deceived himself. When everything seemed to fall apart for Jacob, it turned out that God was actively working to fulfill his promises.
Jacob goes on the run, fearing Esau's wrath for getting his birthright and blessing. On the journey to his uncle Laban's, Jacob has a dream of a stairway reaching to heaven, and Yahweh himself appears to him.
This week Jacob once again trips up his older brother, as he deceives his father Isaac into giving him the firstborn's blessing. This is a story about the power of our words and the grace of God in our weakness. And most of all, it's a profound portrait of the gospel.
We are diving back in to the Story of God series, exploring the grand narrative of the Bible from the beginning. This story is the true story of the world.
We are picking up the story with Isaac and his wife Rebecca, and their two sons Hairy (Esau) and Heel (Jacob).
A suffering one is surrounded by violent enemies. He is pierced in the hands and feet. People mock him. They cast lots for his clothes. The suffering one says, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
That suffering man is David in Psalm 22.
These hyper-specific parallels to Jesus' suffering on the cross reveal what was on Jesus' mind as he died. Far from crying out in despair, Jesus knows the story is already written, that he will be vindicated, and that through his suffering all nations will turn to the Lord.
Something happened to Jesus in the days before his death: a woman named Mary poured out an entire bottle of perfume on him. Many saw it was a waste, but Jesus was so moved by it he said that wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, this story would also be told in her memory.
Jesus' plan to redeem the world involves kids. In this story from John 6, Jesus uses a boy's lunch to feed a crowd. We need adults like Andrew who will identify young disciples and bring them to Jesus. Their little lunch may not be much in the eyes of the world, but in the hands of Jesus it's everything.
Every generation has to own the task to pass on the faith to a new generation of disciples. Spiritual warfare doesn't begin at 18 years old. When the enemy wants to destroy the church, he targets the youth. It's our task as adults to stand in the gap for the kids of this church and this city, to teach them God's ways, and to tell them the great miracles he has done in our lives.
This week explore Jesus' dialogue with the Rich Young Ruler, who walked away from following Jesus. Despite material and "religious" success, there were deeper idols in his heart. In an age of consumerism, this story still confronts and inspires us today.
As we step into this accelerated season God has for our church, Joey casts vision for the future of our building. Ultimately we give because Jesus gave everything for us.
This week Joey goes deeper into gospel proclamation, spiritual formation, community, and mission.
The beating heart of any church is the gospel. The Church exists to proclaim the gospel to a lost world. Jesus invites us to be made radically new by the good news of his kingdom.
Preaching from 2 Kings 4 about the Widow's Oil, Joey talks about how to step into the future God has for us: by emptying ourselves. The value of a container is its emptiness. And the less there is of us, the more room there is for God.
In this series Joey begins to lay out the vision for being the church God has called us to be. We exist to see our city come alive in Christ through: Gospel Proclamation, Spiritual Formation, Community, and Mission.
Everything in the Christian life is done to the glory of God. And the best way we can glorify God is to speak about his Son, Jesus Christ.
This Christmas Eve, Joey preaches from Luke 2 about the message the angels gave to the shepherds. Jesus' arrival is good news of great joy, because he is Savior, Christ, and Lord.
The story of the wise men is often reduced to a cozy carol of three kings. But the true story is one which confronts the Herods of this world with news that the true King is born. Like the wise men, God is inviting us to leave everything to have a face to face encounter with Immanuel.
Simeon and Anna waited on the promise from God for decades. To the outside observer, it looked like foolishness to keep hoping in God's coming salvation. Until one day, a young couple came into the Temple to perform what the Law required for their baby.
Before Jesus is born, John is born. Before moments of great renewal, God sends forerunners to prepare his way and announce his coming. God invites us to follow him into the wilderness so he can shape us into the forerunners he is calling us to be.
This is our Advent series: God With Us. Throughout Advent we look back to Jesus' arrival in the world so that we can prepare ourselves for a fresh arrival of God in our midst today.
In this message Joey preaches from Matthew's genealogy about Jesus as the solution to the world's story and to our personal stories as well.
This week a panel of speakers share about God's heart for orphans. They address common misconceptions about foster care and adoption, and ways to get involved.
Life is full of storms. Our hope is not for perfect weather, but in the One who has authority over the wind and the waves.
Guest speaker, Ryan Moore, shares about the work he leads with Builders International, which partners with churches and missionaries around the world. Every believer is called to join the mission Jesus has given us to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Joey preaches from Colossians 1:13-20 about the supreme worth and value of Jesus over all the idols of this world.
Water baptism is about being joined to Jesus, so that his death, resurrection, and ascension become our own. And not only are we joined to Jesus, but we are also joined to his church.
Also included (on the front end) is a statement Joey made on how Christians should pray for the situation in Israel and Palestine.
This week Josh speaks prophetically about what true renewal is, and what it is not. The coming renewal is about the natural activity of the church taking care of widows and orphans. And the supernatural life of God bringing the dead to life.
This week we contrast the "Life Together" model of Jesus' ministry with the typical ministry of most American churches: "The Spectator Event" model. True Renewal isn't only about the miraculous, it will also be about ordinary life together.
In spite of all our hurry and important tasks, only one thing really matters: love for Yahweh. This week we experienced the presence of God in a unique way, and Joey shared from his heart about saying yes to Jesus above all else.
The church in the West has tried to come up with many ways to reverse its decline. But the church of the future is one which holds to the truth of the gospel, and is anointed by the Spirit to advance God's kingdom. There's no substitute for the power of God in our midst.
The church in the West has been in a period of radical decline for generations. But every time in history it looked like Jesus' church was dead, it has been resurrected. Great renewals are born from moments like this.
This week we explore what God says about sex. God's standard always leads to life and flourishing while sin always leads to death. But the good news is that God loves sinners. He takes us out of our sin, washes us, and makes us new.
This week Joey shares a word from the Lord about the new thing God wants to do in our lives and in our church.
When we are bound by heavy yokes, Jesus offers us his yoke which leads to rest. More than anything, discipleship is about being paired to Jesus in an apprentice relationship.
So often we yoke ourselves to people and things that don't lead to life, and we end up weighed down with heavy burdens. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus offers us his yoke which leads to rest for our souls.
This week Heather teaches us about reaching the lost, using the strategy Jesus taught his followers in Luke 10:1-11. We find a person of peace and announce the good news of God's kingdom.
This week our guest speaker, Daniel Houck, teaches about opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit. As we step out in faith, the Spirit will move through us to those around us.
This week we see the beautiful restoration of Job at the end of the book. Job's redemption points ahead to the resurrection of Jesus, who conquers all suffering. Job's happy ending foreshadows the world's happy ending in Christ.
When we demand answers from God, sometimes God decides to speak back. In Job 38-41 God reminds Job that he alone is the Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the cosmos, and his ways are far beyond our ability to fathom.
The large bulk of the book of Job (ch. 3-37) is a dialogue with Job and his friends. In these chapters, we learn language for our questions and our pain. We learn that God can handle our hurt, disappointment, and grief. As we give it to God, we move through it to a place of trust in God.
This week we see a glimpse into God's divine council in heaven, where an adversary seeks to oppose Job. In spite of horrific pain and loss, Job chooses to bless the name of Yahweh.
This week we see Job's righteous living, even in his prosperity. He was holy and just, loving God and neighbor well. Job's life is not only a model for us, but he is also a foreshadowing of the truly Righteous One to come.
This week Joey starts a new series on Job. This book is part of the wisdom literature of the Bible. It doesn't give us all the answers to our questions, but it does give us wisdom to navigate the storms of life.
What do we do when the storms of life come? David tells us to bless the holy name of Yahweh, to delight in his loyal love, and to remember all his benefits.
This week Joey preaches from John 11 about the resurrection of Lazarus. John's Gospel teaches us that Life has a name: Jesus. And because he called our name, we are rescued from our death in the grave.
Josh teaches from numerous stories about the extraordinary power of Jesus to heal. Healing isn't something we can produce on our own. When Jesus comes, healing comes.
This week Joey teaches about Jesus as our healer. When we are alone and helpless, Jesus comes to us right where we are and heals us.
Joey teaches about how Christ the King is Lord of the unseen realm. Jesus delivers us from the powers of darkness which enslave us to sin, because he overcame them through his victorious death.
In this first episode of a new series on the miracles of Jesus, Joey teaches about how the gospel is a story of water to wine. We give him what little we have, and he transforms us into something new. Through Jesus, the victory of God has come and the party is just getting started.
This week Jason teaches about spiritual gifts that are given to every believer by the Holy Spirit. We should earnestly desire these gifts and use them to serve Christ's body in love.
This week Joey teaches about the social implications of being in Christ. Because we've been united with Jesus in his death and resurrection, we are also united with all those who are in Christ too.
This week we start a new series on identity! The primary identity of the believer is in Christ. We are crucified in him, risen in him, and ascended in him.
This Resurrection Sunday we celebrate Jesus as the crucified and risen Lord, and the new life we have in him.
This well-known proverb anchors us through the years, grounding us in the Lord. It talks about how when we steward our heart, our understanding, and our ways, God will direct our paths.
This week Joey teaches about navigating life's unexpected storms. We don't know why God allows them. But we can overcome them by keeping our eyes fixed on the Son of God, because the waves will always be under his feet.
This week as we wrap up Abraham's story, we see the Lord test Abraham. In this passage we learn that Yahweh is Jireh, Provider. And his ultimate provision is a substitute sacrifice in our place.
This week we finally see the long-awaited fulfillment of the promise of God: Isaac. The birth of Isaac teaches us about a God who does the impossible and brings life out of dead places.
This week we see Abraham walk in his calling as a priest to the nations. He stands in the gap for a wicked city. We see not only God's justice, but also his unbelievably generous grace.
This past Sunday we had a unique and powerful service. We had our agenda but the Holy Spirit had his own. For the entire service our altars were full of people seeking the Lord. Joey didn't preach but shared a few thoughts from Psalm 63. Check out the livestream on Facebook or YouTube to watch the full service.
At the age of 99, God again appears to Abram and tells him that his promises for him are about to come true. But first, God wants to set him apart, make him holy, and give him a new name.
As we continue Abraham's journey, we see what happens when we try to make the promise of God work on our terms and timing. But for those who know their great need for God, the Lord reveals himself as the El-Roi, God Who Sees.
For the next few weeks we are back into the Story of God series, exploring Abraham's walk with God. This week we talk about a mysterious and profound encounter Abraham has with Yahweh.
This week Josh teaches about the radical generosity of God. When we are changed by God's generosity to us, our lives will begin to overflow in contentment, generosity, and joy.
In our final week of the Forward Series, Joey explores the third commitment every Christian must make: a commitment to being on mission with the risen Jesus.
In this second part of our series on Philippians 2, Joey teaches about how the only way we truly move forward is to be in community with others. Even though many would rather move on without it, we believe in the church because we believe in Jesus as its Cornerstone, its Head, and its Groom.
In this series based on Philippians 2, Joey teaches about how we can move forward individually and corporately. Above all, we start with a confession that the crucified, risen, and ascended Jesus is the world's reigning Lord.
This New Year's Day we talk about the new opportunities we have. Success for 2023 isn't defined by this year's circumstances or by how those circumstances make us feel. True success this year is: giving glory to our Father, following King Jesus, and encountering the Holy Spirit.
In our final Advent sermon, Joey talks about Jesus as the Living One, who has conquered death and given us new life.
This week we explore the stunning reality that the Light of God has come. God's Light is a person who has pursued us in our darkness. For all eternity we will enjoy the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
As we start our Advent Series, we anticipate the coming of Christ. We look forward to the One who satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts: Christ our Bread.
In this second part of our series on the Valley of Resurrection, Joey preaches about God's power moving through God's people to bring life to cities and nations.
In this first part of our series on the Valley of Resurrection, Joey teaches about the power of God's Spirit to bring life out of death.
Missionaries Don & Terri Triplett share about the urgent need to bring the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth.
This week we talk about the power of the gospel and how the believer becomes "in Christ" through water baptism.
This week Pastor Joey shares from his heart about the compelling and powerful person of Jesus.
This week we talk about God's solution to the curse of sin: to bless the world through a blessed people.
This week as we explore the Story of God we look at God's covenant with Noah. We see the power of God's love for his world and the promise of a better covenant to come.
This week we look at humanity's tragic fall into sin and God's stunning promise for salvation.
This week explore the creation of Adam and Eve, and what it means to be made in God's image.
This is the start of our brand new series working our way through the great stories of the Bible. This week we look at how our good God made a good world.