Central Christian Church: Recent Episodes
Central Christian Church
Central is vibrant nondenominational church focused on making our community more like heaven. We strive to keep Jesus at the center, looking to scripture for direction, and asking God's Spirit to lead and empower us. We care about justice, we love our neighbors, and we proclaim the gospel.
To find out more about our church, visit us on Facebook or at ccspringfield.org. Or, come join us at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at
Central Christian Church 504 Villa Road Springfield, Ohio 45503
Thanks for joining us for our podcast! Join us for our morning message by Pastor Carl Ruby.
Central's worship leader Elana Elmore delivers the first in a series of messages about women in the Bible, speaking about how the Kingdom of God needs women as servants and leaders.
Dr. Jeff Cook gives a message about how Christian concern for the poor and marginalized relates to the story of Nehemiah. Jeff speaks about God’s love for cities and his desire that they be places where all people have a chance to flourish.
One of the distinctives of Central Christian Church is the quality of the worship music brought by the team every week, combined with how the music resonates though the beautiful vaulted sanctuary.
In 2020, while Central was not meeting in person there was a power surge in the church that destroyed the sound booth computer. While combing through files on it we found this recording of our old choir director Richard Zirkman singing the Lord's Prayer.
Older members may remember a time when Richard sang this every month in church during the service. Take two minutes to listen to this recording, which hardly does justice to what it was like to hear Richard in our church.
Pastor Carl Ruby gives a message for Mother's Day drawn from Psalm 121 about God promising and delivering hope.
Pastor Carl concludes his two-part message on how church works with a sermon about Christian service and volunteering.
Pastor Carl Ruby speaks on the role of elders at Central Christian Church: what they do and what necessary qualities for elders should be.
Pastor Carl Ruby gives a message about Easter, focusing on Mary Magdalene's experience.
Pastor Carl Ruby speaks about Palm Sunday and how Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem on the first day of Holy Week reminded everyone of a conqueror or liberator but displayed humility and meekness rather than the characteristics of other leaders.
Pastor Carl Ruby speaks on another of the villains in the Easter story: Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea who became convinced of Jesus' innocence but caved to pressure from the chief priests and Roman authorities.
Elder Vito Spada speaks about another villain in the Easter story, Judas. Vito offers some insights from what we know of Judas from the Bible:
- The love of money and greed remains the root of all evils.
- You should expect to have a Judas around you.
- The wages of sin is death.
- Those planning evil with you, will not stand with you when evil backfires.
- Judas missed a glorious destiny that awaited him because of the lure of money.
For Kids Sunday, Pastor Carl Ruby reminds us of things that the Bible says about kids: 1) that Jesus wants us to bring our children to him for a blessing, and 2) that children teach us how to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Pastor Carl Ruby continues the journey to Holy Week with a description of another one of the villains in the Easter story: Herod Antipas, the cruel king who shows how a person can be curious about Jesus without repentance.
Pastor Carl Ruby begins the journey up to Holy Week with a character-driven approach to the story of the crucifixion, focusing on the high priests Caiaphas and Annas.
Pastor Carl Ruby delivered a message this Sunday on one specific attribute of God, his goodness. Carl summarized some of the things that Bible passages say on this topic:
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God is both good (pleasant, agreeable & kind) and upright (dependable and trustworthy).
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God’s goodness is everlasting.
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God’s goodness follows us every day.
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God’s goodness keeps us from losing heart.
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God’s goodness is our stronghold.
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Righteousness and justice are grounded in the goodness of God.
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We should taste and enjoy the goodness of God.
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We should reflect on the goodness of God.
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We should give thanks for the goodness of God.
Pastor Carl Ruby concludes his three-part series on Central Christian Church's approach to welcoming the LGBTQ population with a message about how the early church resolved disputes, based on Acts 15:
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The church called upon its Elders to settle important disputes.
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The church considered personal experience.
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The church didn’t want to make it difficult for people to come to Christ.
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The Elders came up with a culturally nuanced approach.
This informed the board's decisions on the LGBTQ conversation:
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It’s not an issue at the very core of Christianity.
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It’s a debate that brings two or more Biblical truths into tension with one another.
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It’s an area where Godly Christians disagree.
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We are to accept those who disagree with us.
Based on Romans 14 and 15, Carl states additionally that:
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Each one of us should be fully convinced in our own mind.
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Liberals must not look down on the conservatives.
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Conservatives must not judge or condemn those more progressive.
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We all need to make every effort to make peace and edify each other.
Pastor Carl Ruby continues his series on how to show love to the LGBTQ population with a message about why Christians come to different conclusions on homosexuality:
1) There is a limited amount of information in the Bible on the topic,
2) The context of the debate today is different from the first century,
3) There are no examples of the church dealing with homosexuality between two people in a loving relationship, and
4) There are translation challenges with the words used in the New Testament.
Carl suggests that to move forward as a church body, we should:
1) Assume the best of each other,
2) Consider how the early church settled similar disagreements,
3) Listen to people's stories, and
4) Remember that the basis of our unity is Jesus Christ.
Chris Malmstrom delivers a message at Central Christian Church this morning on the topic of "witness" as "mission." Chris reminds us that a pivotal theme in the New Testament gospel message is that we are called to be witnesses. (John 17:8, Acts 22:15) Chris describes how churches are missional communities, and he challenges listeners to consider a few questions:
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How does what we are already doing help to serve our missional goals?
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Who are we attempting to reach?
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How are we accomplishing those goals?
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What needs to change?
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When will the vision be implemented and executed?
Thanks for joining us for our podcast! Pastor Carl Ruby talks about how several things related to Central's attitude toward the LGBTQ population: 1) how Jesus-centered churches welcome marginalized people, and this extends to the LGBTQ community; 2) factors involved in Central's board discussion on this issue, and 3) how those at Central can give grace to one another on this issue.
Thanks for joining us via podcast! This week, Pastor Carl Ruby spoke on a third aspect of the vision for Central Christian Church: being engaged with our community and culture. The message for this week looks to the example of Jesus and Paul to inform the way that Christians show compassion to the needy and interact with today's culture.
Pastor Carl Ruby gives a vision for what Central Christian Church should look like, in all things remaining centered on Jesus.
Pastor Carl Ruby speaks about foundational doctrines at Central Christian Church: belief in the inspiration of scripture, the Trinity and the resurrection; faith in Jesus, and anticipation of the kingdom of heaven.
Pastor Carl Ruby gives an overview of the state of Central Christian Church in 2022: 1) how the church is doing spiritually, financially, and socially, 2) the vision for the church, 3) things to be excited about in 2022, and 4) challenges the church will face in the new year.
In this Sunday message Pastor Carl Ruby speaks about I Peter 5:6-7, where Peter encourages believers to be clothed in humility and to cast their anxieties on God.
In the fourth message for advent this year, Pastor Carl Ruby speaks about the messages brought by angels during the nativity story.
Pastor Carl Ruby focuses this week on the shepherds in the advent story and on God's purpose in bringing the message first to individuals that the first century world did not consider important.
Pastor Carl Ruby continues the journey around the advent wreath with a message about Bethlehem, Herod, and how recent events in Michigan give fresh perspective on the tragedy Herod brought about after Jesus' birth.
Pastor Carl Ruby began his advent series during worship this morning with a message about the prophet Jeremiah pointing to the coming of Jesus.
Vito Spada speaks during Central's morning service on the topic of thankfulness: being thankful for the blessings that are easy to see (beginner-level thankfulness) and hard to see (intermediate-level thankfulness). Lastly, Vito helps us understand what "advanced-level" thankfulness looks like.
As a special bonus podcast upload this week, here is a recording of our worship band (nicknamed "Hymns and Hers") singing "All the Poor and Powerless" during this week's live service.
Safe Harbor House in Springfield, Ohio is a long-term, residential, and faith-based program for women who are healing from severe trauma as well as recovering from substance use disorders. This morning, Linda Mortensen speaks about the ministry of Safe Harbor House: the aspects of trauma recovery and practical ways for churches to come alongside struggling women.
Thanks for listening to our podcast! This is a sermon recording from our morning service, when Pastor Carl Ruby preached about Jesus' prayer in John 17.
Sermon Notes: What Would Jesus Pray? (John 17: 20-26)
The Big Idea: Jesus is praying that Christians will be known for their unity.
Threats to our unity:
-Disagreements over doctrinal issues
-Disagreements over cultural issues
-Disagreeable personalities
-Lack of time together
The Goal of Our Unity:
-Worldwide knowledge of Jesus (John 17:21-23)
The Nature of Our Unity:
-It's like the unity of the Father and the Son
-It's like the love between the Father and the Son
The Results of our Unity:
-The world will believe that Jesus was sent by the Father. John 17:21
-The world will see the glory of Jesus in us. John 17:22
-The world will know the depth of God's love. John 17:23
Thanks for joining us for our morning worship service via podcast! This morning, Pastor Carl Ruby speaks about how Christ ties loving others to many aspects of Christian life.
Thanks for listening to our podcast! Join us for our morning worship service as Pastor Carl Ruby brings us a message on practical ways to be spiritually fruitful.
Join us for another of our outdoor services as Pastor Carl Ruby brings a message about how God can still use our faith, even when it is weak.
It's good to have you join us via your favorite podcast platform! This message was recorded during our regular outdoor worship service - Pastor Carl Ruby brought us another message in his series about handling trials.
**The Secret of Not Losing Heart
Losing heart =** Being tempted to just quit because of the evil and rottenthings that are with us.
The Big Idea: God doesn't want us to give up.
Why We Shouldn't Give Up
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God has called us to a way cool ministry. 2 Corinthians 3:7-12
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We got a better deal.
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Our ministry is to reflect Jesus.
- God has our back. 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
a. He won't let us be crushed.
b. He won't leave us in despair.
c. He won't let us be abandoned.
d. He won't let us be destroyed.
How to Find Strength
- Trust God to inwardly renew us. 2 Corinthians 4:16
- Remember that the pain of trials is temporary but the gain of trials is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17
- Stare at things that are unseen and eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Today we had an outdoor service due to the spike of COVID-19 in Clark County, so we apologize for the echoing microphone which will be fixed in future recordings.
Pastor Carl Ruby took a break from his "What's Up With That?" series in a message about where God is in the midst of our suffering.
Join us for our morning worship as Angela Bobblitt from Choosing Hope Adoptions gives us a guest message on challenges in adoption. If you're interested in more about Angela's ministry, visit https://www.choosinghopeadoptions.org/
Join us for our morning worship service as Chris Malmstrom gives us a guest message on the topic of what Jesus says about loving our enemies.
Join us for our morning service as Pastor Carl Ruby addresses one of the foundational practices of Christianity: The Eucharist and the Lord's Table. This is the 21st message in his series "What's Up With That?"
Join us for our morning worship as Pastor Carl lays out biblical examples of social justice in the 20th message in the series "What's Up With That?"
Join us for this morning's worship service as Pastor Carl talks about the aspects of Christianity that affect us as individuals vs. as a body.
We had some issues recording the sermon this morning, so you may notice that the audio cuts out at one point. This was brief and hopefully won't affect your enjoyment of Carl's sermon.
Join us for today's service as Pastor Carl takes a brief detour from the "What's Up With That?" series, talking about how Christians should engage the topics of COVID-19, mask mandates, and vaccines.
Join us for our weekly service as Chris Malmstrom delivers a guest message in our "What's Up With That?" series, on the best ways for Christians to interact with culture.
Join us for our morning service as Carl continues his "What's Up With That?" series in this week's message, "What's Up With Capitalism and Socialism?"
Join us as Pastor Carl Ruby gives us a brief message about being a peacemaker. We also welcomed a guest from Preemptive Love Coalition today, talking about their work.
Join us for our Sunday morning worship as Pastor Carl brings another message from his "What's Up With That?" series - this time, talking about what the Bible says about caring for the environment.
Join us for our morning service as Carl continues his "What's Up with That?" series in a message about what the Bible says about slavery.
Join us for another message in the "What's Up With That?" series as Pastor Carl gives us a biblical analysis of the rapture.
Pastor Carl Ruby talks about racism and Christianity, highlighting how Christians can’t stay racist and have a duty to undo any effect of racism that causes some of our neighbors to suffer.
Thanks for joining us for our podcast! This is another message in the "What's Up With That?" series, and Pastor Carl Ruby is speaking about the difference between patriotism, nationalism, and idolatry.
Join us for another message in Pastor Carl Ruby's "What's Up With That?" series, talking about Christian denominations.
Join us for our morning worship as Pastor Carl Ruby preaches a sermon in the "What's Up With That?" series, on the topic of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's role in empowering and encouraging Christians.
Join us for our morning worship as Pastor Carl Ruby delivers a sixth message from the "What's Up With That?" series, a message about the reasons that people are leaving the church today.
Join us for our morning worship as Pastor Carl takes a break from his "What's Up With That?" series, talking about the attributes of God that are like a good mother.
Join us for our morning service as Carl preaches the final of a three-part message on the topic of heaven, and the third message in his series "What's Up With That?"
Join us for the second message in our "What's Up with That?" series as Pastor Carl Ruby gives a biblical perspective on what is happening in heaven right now.
Join us for the first message in Pastor Carl's "What's Up With That?" series, as Carl talks about what the Bible says about heaven.