May 21st 2023 - Sabbath: RestThe Sabbath is not just a day when we stop and rest.
It's also a day meant to remind us why we can stop and rest.
May 14th 2023 - Sabbath: StopThe Bible encourages us to "Keep the Sabbath holy" yet we struggle to stop in our success-driven culture. This week we remember that keeping the Sabbath reminds us we have limits, our value is not based on what we do and God is good.
May 7th 2023 - John 16:28-33Jesus told us to expect trouble and crisis of faith while we are in the world, but he invites us to take heart and see our faith grow in such times by remembering that he has overcome the world.
Apr 30th 2023 - John 16:16-27When facing grief we must know that one way to joy is through grief. Jesus is the source of ultimate joy and in Jesus, joy is certain.
Apr 23rd 2023 - The HelperJohn 16:1-15John 16:1-15. Jesus tells the disciples to expect opposition as they bear witness to him, but he promises to give them a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to speak to and through them and convict people of their sins and their need for a Savior.
Apr 18th 2023 - Giving Grace At DinnerJake BoxLuke 7:36-40. How we relate to Jesus is determined by what we believe about who he is and how he relates to us.
Apr 9th 2023 - Guess Who's Coming For Dinner?Jake BoxLuke 24:13-24. Jesus's followers lost hope after his death, and we, too, suffer from a lack of hope. But Jesus reveals his resurrected self to his followers to give them hope, just as he does to us. His resurrection is our ultimate source of hope.
Apr 2nd 2023 - The Most Meaningful MealJake BoxMark 14:22-25. The Lord's Supper meal communicated the meaning and purpose of Jesus's death when he made the Passover meal about himself, the sacrificial lamb.
Mar 26th 2023 - Anyone Can ComeJake BoxLuke 5:27-32. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and he did so by eating and drinking with people. He was happy to share a meal with anyone, and his followers should do the same.
Mar 19th 2023 - A Song of God's LoveAlice KolencePsalm 103. It's too easy to remember the negatives in life and forget the benefits of God, which is why this Psalm calls us not to forget the God who has loved us without condition.
Mar 12th 2023 - Troubles To TestimoniesJustin ChristopherPsalm 66. God turns our troubles into testimonies. Those with troubles should cling to the promises of God and cry out to him in prayer. Those with testimonies should praise God and tell others what he has done for them.
Mar 5th 2023 - Unceasing PrayerJake BoxI Thessalonians 5:16-18. Praying unceasingly with a constant awareness of God's loving presence leads to our joy, which we can learn to do by having fixed times of prayer each day.
Feb 26th 2023 - Being With GodJake BoxII Corinthians 3:18. We can enjoy being with God in prayer by recognizing God's presence, reflecting on God's beauty, and resting in God's love for us. When we do, we'll want to be with God more and become more like God.
Feb 19th 2023 - Listening To GodJustin ChristopherI Samuel 3:1-10. God still speaks, and we can learn to hear his voice more and more, making prayer a two-way conversation.
Feb 12th 2023 - Talking With GodJake BoxLuke:11:1-13. When we pray to God, we come to him as our loving Father who delights to hear our gratitude, laments, and petitions and answer our prayers.
Jan 29th 2023 - Revive Us AgainJustin ChristopherII Chronicles 7:11-16. God accomplishes his providential purpose in prayer, changing the world, by accomplishing his secret purpose in prayer, changing us.
Jan 22nd 2023 - Bearing WitnessJake BoxJohn 15:26-27. Jesus said we would become his witnesses, telling others what we have seen and experienced in Jesus. To become his witnesses, we need to seek him so that we will have firsthand experiences to tell.
Jan 15th 2023 - What In The World?Jake BoxJohn 15:18-25. The world tries to get us to conform to its ways of living without God and redefine good and evil. When we don't conform, the world will hate us as it hated Jesus. Even so, we can be a light to the world when we are transformed by Jesus rather than conformed to the world.
Jan 8th 2023 - Your Joy Will Be CompleteMatt TolanderJohn 15:9-17. Joy is gratitude in all circumstances in response to God's love and grace. Jesus says we can experience such joy as we abide in him through obedience, love, pruning, and fruit-bearing.
Jan 2nd 2023 - Remain In MeJohn 15:1-8. Jesus is the only source of spiritual life. When we remain in him, we bear fruit and bring glory to God.
Dec 18th 2022 - Peace I Give YouJustin ChristopherJohn 14:27-31. Jesus gives us his peace as a gift. We receive and access his peace through worship, prayer, thanksgiving, meditation, and obedience.
Dec 11th 2022 - The Presence God Gives UsJake BoxJohn 14:15-26. Jesus said if we love him, we will obey his commands. He knew we'd need help to obey his commands, so he promised the Holy Spirit to testify to who he is and remind us what he said.
Dec 4th 2022 - Veiled In FleshJake BoxJohn 14:6-22. How do we find peace in a troubled world? By trusting God, which would be easier if we could see him.What we see in Jesus is enough to cause us the trust in God.
Nov 27th 2022 - Don't Be TroubledJustin ChristopherJohn 14:1-6. Jesus's disciples were troubled after hearing that Jesus would be with them no longer be with them. Jesus comforts them, saying don't be troubled, I have prepared a place for you, and I am the way for you.
Nov 20th 2022 - He's Not Through With YouJustin ChristopherJohn 13:31-38. Peter promised to be faithful to Jesus unto death, but he broke the promise by disowning Jesus three times. Even so, Jesus was eager to restore Peter and remind him that he was not through with him yet.
Nov 14th 2022 - The Platinum RuleJake BoxJohn 13:34,35. How will people know that we're disciples of Jesus? When we follow Jesus's new command to love one another as he has loved us.
Oct 31st 2022 - Rethinking FriendshipJosh ChevalierJohn 13:1-5. In light of God’s unconditional acceptance and friendship toward us, how do we extend that kind of unconditional friendship to those around us? John 13:1-5 gives us keen insight into what it takes to have deep, meaningful friendships. When we know we are fully loved and accepted, we are free to extend that to those around us.
Oct 25th 2022 - Community In MissionJake BoxJohn 17:20-26. Jesus prays that we would be one so that the world may believe that the Father sent the Son. We need loving Christian communities, and the world needs to see loving Christian communities.
Oct 16th 2022 - Practicing The Truth In LoveMatt TolanderEphesians 4:1-16. We practice the community of Christ by becoming a community of practice, and practice means embodied participation.
Oct 9th 2022 - Spiritual FamilyJustin ChristopherMark 3:31-35. Jesus started a new spiritual family and said it takes priority over our biological family. As brothers and sisters, we are obligated to one another.
Oct 2nd 2022 - Made In The Image Of GodJake BoxGenesis 1:26,27 and 2:18. We were made in the image of our triune God which means we were made for relationships.
Sep 25th 2022 - Christian CommunityJake BoxMatthew 10:1-4. Following Jesus has from the beginning been in community (messy community) because it's only in the context of community that we learn how to love.
Sep 18th 2022 - Missional PracticesJake BoxMatthew 14:13-33. One of the ways we change is by doing what we can to follow Jesus's missional practices while depending on Jesus to do what only he can do when we do.
Sep 11th 2022 - Spiritual DisciplinesJustin ChristopherI Corinthians 9:24-27. What we do spiritually forms us to Jesus or the world, so we need to ask, "What are the things we're doing, doing to us?"
Sep 5th 2022 - Formational ForcesJake BoxLuke 6:39,40. Jesus’ goal is to make us like him. But why does it often feel like it’s not happening? In this sermon, we consider two main reasons why and what we need to overcome them.
Aug 21st 2022 - Becoming Like JesusJake BoxMark 1:16-20. Jesus's invitation to follow him is an invitation to become like him, restoring us to who he created us to be.
Aug 14th 2022 - Keep GoingJustin ChristopherHaggai 2. In a time of great discouragement, Haggai urges the remnant to be strong, have hope, and check their hearts.
Aug 7th 2022 - Consider Your WaysMatt TolanderHaggai 1. After more than forty years in exile, the remnant community returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their home. When the temple reconstruction is halted, God sends Haggai to the nation's leaders to address the ambivalence which had taken root in their hearts.
Aug 3rd 2022 - Keeping The Passion AliveRob HarrellPsalm 63: To keep our passion for God alive, our desire must be for God, our delight must be in God, our dependence must be on God, and our deliverance must come from God.
Jul 26th 2022 - Gusty GuiltMatt TolanderPsalm 51. What do you do when you feel impossibly helpless about the guilt in your life? In Psalm 51, David teaches us that when we come to God with gutsy guilt, God gives gob stopping grace.
Jul 19th 2022 - Praying Through Our FearsJosh ChevalierPsalm 3. This psalm is a lament Psalm retelling the time David fled from his son Absalom. It helps us see a real-life example of what it looks like to see our faith grow as we take our fears and anxieties to God.
Jul 10th 2022 - How MajesticJake BoxPsalm 8. God is magnificent because he created the entire universe, and we are significant because we're made in his image and called to represent him in the world.
Jul 3rd 2022 - Be At Rest Once MoreJustin ChristopherPsalm 116. When we pray to God in our distress and experience his deliverance, we grow in our love for God and our faith in God. We can rest because we know he is good.
Jun 26th 2022 - The Power of Loyal LoveJake BoxRuth 4. Experiencing God's loyal love through others has the power to move us to witness, redeem broken lives, and make our lives significant.
Jun 21st 2022 - Cover Me UpMatt TolanderRuth 3. The story of Ruth teaches us that God's extraordinary love is expressed through the actions of ordinary (and often the most unlikely) people. This is especially in times of suffering and cultural confusion. In this teaching, we consider Ruth's conversation with Boaz on the threshing floor and reflect on how Ruth's actions teach Boaz and Naomi about the extraordinary love of God.
Jun 12th 2022 - As It Turned OutJustin ChristopherRuth 2. There's a mystery about where God's sovereignty intersects humanity's free will. We can experience this mystery through "as it turned out" moments when we trust God's providence while faithfully trying to find favor.
Jun 5th 2022 - Providence and PromisesJake BoxRuth 1. To keep our faith while facing difficult trials, we must believe in God's providence (that He is in control) and God's promises (that He can be trusted). Circumstances don't tell us what God is like, but His promises do.
May 29th 2022 - We're Talking About PracticeJake BoxMatthew 7:24-29. Jesus ends his sermon by warning his readers about what happens to people who don't put to practice his teaching. His warning should cause us to evaluate what foundation we're building our lives upon and put his teachings into practice.
May 22nd 2022 - The Narrow WayJustin ChristopherMatthew 7:13-23. Jesus invites us to follow his narrow and hard way that leads to life, and he warns us about the easy and wide way that leads to death - the way of religion and the world.
May 15th 2022 - The Golden RuleJake BoxMatthew 7:12. Jesus summarizes the Sermon on the Mount with the Golden Rule. As much as we love the idea of the Golden Rule on paper, we often follow one of two unwritten rules of our own.
May 8th 2022 - Jesus On Confident PrayerJake BoxMatthew 7:7-11. Jesus teaches that we can pray with confidence when we ask God to help us become more like Jesus. We can pray confidently because we know it's what God wants for us, God can do it, and He's a good Father.
May 1st 2022 - Judge NotMatt TolanderJesus' command to not judge is one of our favorites to enforce in the lives of others, but when we try to live by it ourselves, we find it seemingly impossible. We will explore Jesus' position on the subject and its implications for those who want to follow him in this teaching.
Apr 24th 2022 - The Hope Of The WorldJake BoxBiblical hope is the joyful and confident expectation of what's to come based on something trustworthy. Jesus's resurrection is the trustworthy event that makes Christians have hope that everything will be made new.
Apr 17th 2022 - A Reasonable and Freeing HopeJake BoxI Corinthians 15:3-8. No one expected Jesus to rise from the men and women closest to him. Why did they document their unbelief, what caused them to change into those who proclaimed having seen Jesus risen, and what doe it mean for us today?
Apr 11th 2022 - The Great ReversalPhilippians 2:8,9. Jesus's resurrection signaled the start of his restoration of the world, a restoration born through weakness, not power. Weakness is the way of God, the way to God, and the way we partner with God in restoring the world.
Apr 3rd 2022 - Seek FirstMatt TolanderMatthew 6:33. Jesus announced the availability of the Kingdom of God to all people. In this teaching, we will unpack Jesus' gospel of the Kingdom and His expectation for those who would become His disciples.
Mar 27th 2022 - Jesus On WorryJake BoxMatthew 6:25-34. We worry because something is wrong in the world and something is wrong with our hearts. We can be free from worry when we believe that we're valuable to God and that he knows what we need and will provide.
Mar 20th 2022 - The Eye Is The Lamp Of The BodyMatt TolanderMatthew 6:19-24. What we believe about God affects our entire lives, from the inside out. In this teaching, Jesus shows us how our vision of God influences our relationship to wealth, materiality, and the poor.
Mar 13th 2022 - When You FastJake BoxMatthew 6:16-18. We will practice fasting more regularly when we understand how our bodies affect our spirits and our spirits affect our bodies. We'll realize how fasting helps keep our minds on God when we do.
Mar 6th 2022 - How To PrayJustin ChristopherMatthew 6:5-13. Jesus teaches us how to pray and how not to pray. He promises great rewards for those who pray secretly and simply.
Feb 28th 2022 - Careful ServiceJake BoxMatthew 6:1-4. Our Father notices us and wants to reward us for our good works, but if we do good works to look good to others, we'll miss out on God's reward.
Feb 20th 2022 - Breaking the Cycle or Us vs. ThemJustin ChristopherMatthew 5:38-48. We can only break the cycle of Us vs. Them when we don't retaliate and overcome evil by doing good like praying for our enemies, serving them, and befriending them.
Feb 13th 2022 - Jesus On Honesty and IntegrityJake BoxMatthew 5:33-37. Jesus teaches people to be those who keep their word. We keep our word because we were created to reflect God, the promise keeper, and called to love others, as God loves them.
Feb 6th 2022 - The Fast That God Has ChosenThomas Cogdell and Angelina GamperIsaiah 58:6-11. The spiritual practice of fasting has benefits and dangers, so we need to ask what kind of fast God has chosen?
Jan 30th 2022 - Expectations and AttemptsJustin ChristopherIsaiah 54:1-5. It's time to move from a survival mentality to a "thrival" mentality. We should expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.
Jan 23rd 2022 - Blessed To BlessJake BoxGenesis 12:1-3. Why does God bless us? He blesses us because he is good, and he's up to something good. How should we respond to his blessings? By blessing God and blessing others.
Jan 16th 2022 - Generosity and ThanksgivingJake Box and Keith AtkinsonII Corinthians 9:10-12. The generosity of one church leads to thanksgiving in another church and God being glorified in His Church.
Jan 9th 2022 - Kingdom GenerosityJake BoxII Corinthians 8:1-5. The kingdom of God expands through the sacrificial generosity of churches and God's people.
Jan 2nd 2022 - Jesus On Objectification And OppressionJosh ChevalierMatthew 5:27-32. Jesus discusses how the misuse and misappropriation of sexual desire lead to the objectification and oppression of others and why this is such a big deal.
Dec 19th 2021 - Jesus On AngerJake BoxMatthew 5:21-26. Our relationship with God is inseparably tied to our relationship with people. Only through repentance and forgiveness can we live at peace with one another.
Dec 12th 2021 - Jesus On ScriptureJake BoxMatthew 5:17-20. Jesus believed that the scriptures were inspired, trustworthy, unchanging, and fulfilled in him. If Jesus saw the scriptures this way, they should not be neglected or unexamined by us.
Dec 5th 2021 - Doing For God and Being With GodJustin ChristopherLuke 10:38-42. Doing things for God apart from being with God leads to emotionally unhealthy spirituality. There are four symptoms to help diagnose if you're making this mistake.
Nov 28th 2021 - Salt and LightJustin ChristopherMatthew 5:13-16. Jesus invites his followers to partner with him in extending his kingdom in the world. As salt, we preserve the world from evil and make the world a more flavorful place. As light, we provide illumination for people to see Jesus.
Nov 21st 2021 - Who Is Actually BlessedJosh ChevalierMatthew 5:1-12. Jesus's kingdom was an upside-down kingdom that sees people differently than the world's kingdoms, and it was a kingdom comprised of the powerless, not the powerful.
Nov 14th 2021 - The Kingdom of GodJake BoxMatthew 4:12-25. Jesus's ministry on earth can be summed up in this one sentence; "The kingdom of heaven is near." The people of his day were expecting a king who would establish a new kingdom by forming a new people, confronting evil, and bringing freedom.
Nov 8th 2021 - The Woman At The WellAlice KolenceJohn 4:4-26. Jesus offers us living water so that we will never thirst again. Though we often fail to access it, Jesus provides abundant and eternal life that we can't find in the world.
Oct 31st 2021 - Born Of The SpiritJustin ChristopherJohn 3:1-16. Jesus explains to Nicodemus the mystery and the Spirit's work in illumining our hearts to see Jesus and the process by which the Spirit does it.
Oct 24th 2021 - The Healing SaviorJake BoxMark 2:1-12. Our spiritual needs are greater than our physical needs. Jesus came to heal them both, but he knew that spiritual forgiveness was the starting place for spiritual and physical healing.
Oct 18th 2021 - The One Who Brings JoyJake BoxJohn 2:1-11. The human desire for joy is infinite because we were made by God and for God, and we can only be satisfied by an infinite God. Jesus came to make a way for us to experience the joy of the infinite God.
Oct 17th 2021 - Repent. For the kingdom of heaven is near.Justin ChristopherMatthew 4:12-17. Jesus came to expose our sins and call us to repentance. His patience and kindness toward us lead us to repentance to faith and ongoing repentance as we follow him.
Oct 3rd 2021 - The Unhurried LordJake BoxMatthew 3:13-4:2. Jesus was unhurried, present in each moment, and interruptable for his Father and people. He lived this way because he is love, and love is patient.
Sep 26th 2021 - The Heart of JesusJake BoxMatthew 11:28-30. Only once did Jesus describe his heart, and he said he is gentle and humble in heart. His gentle and humble heart is what made him draw near to the lowly and offer them rest, the rest that he experienced through his pace and practices.
Sep 19th 2021 - He Knows You By NameJustin ChristopherJohn 1:35-50. Jesus knows us and calls us by name. He knows our backstory, our current circumstances, and our future.
Sep 13th 2021 - Do What Jesus DidJake BoxMatthew 4:18-25. Jesus invited his disciples to not only watch his life and ministry but to join him in it. He trained them to do what he did.
Sep 5th 2021 - Become Like JesusJake BoxLuke 6:39-40. Jesus invites his followers to become like him, and it's something that we really can do. We can become like him. To become like Jesus, we need to be aware of the unintentional ways the world is influencing us and give ourselves to the practices of Jesus that keep us rooted in him.
Aug 29th 2021 - Be With JesusJake BoxJohn 15:1-8. To become like Jesus, we first must be with him and remain in him. To be with Jesus, we must adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.
Aug 22nd 2021 - In Austin As It Is In HeavenJake BoxMark 8:34-37. When Jesus called his disciples to follow him, it was a call to be with him, to become like him, and to do what he did. His call is the same for us today. When we become more like Jesus, Austin will become a lot more like heaven.
Aug 15th 2021 - For OthersJustin ChristopherColossians 3:15-17. We worship God so we can experience God personally and so we can experience God together. When the church gathers for worship, there is a vertical element unto God and a horizontal element unto each other.
Aug 8th 2021 - GratitudeMatt TolanderRomans 12:1-2 and Luke 7:36-50. Adoration of God begins with a revelation of our need for mercy. We experience the mercy of God to the degree we believe that we need it.
Aug 1st 2021 - How FittingJake BoxPsalm 147. We worship because God is worthy, and it's fitting to honor the one who created the entire world yet loves and cares for us.
Jul 25th 2021 - The Hero's JourneyJosh ChevalierPsalm 67. God calls all of us to live heroic lives. He calls us out of our ordinary lives into a life of adventure requiring selflessness and sacrifice.
Jul 18th 2021 - Wisdom and WordsAlice KolenceProverbs 18:21. Our words have power. They can bring life or death. The wise learn how to use their words to bring life.
Jul 11th 2021 - Wisdom and SexJustin ChristopherProverbs 5 and 7. A loving father helps his son by showing him what is promised in sexual temptation, what it costs to compromise, and what to do to resist temptation.
Jun 27th 2021 - With A Little Help From My FriendsJake BoxProverbs 13:20. Our emotions cloud our decision-making, which is why we need wise friends to make wise decisions. We need to have wise friends, and we need to listen to their advice.
Jun 20th 2021 - Wisdom With TimeJustin ChristopherProverbs 6:6-11. Wise people invest their time, while fools waste their time. Small amounts of time invested accumulate, creating positive results. Small amounts of time wasted accumulate, creating negative results.
Jun 13th 2021 - Wisdom and WealthMatt TolanderProverbs 30:7-9. Wealth seduces our hearts with its deceptions. It overpromises and under-delivers. That's why Jesus told us not to be foolish by hoarding wealth for ourselves but instead to be rich toward God.
Jun 6th 2021 - The Way To WisdomJake BoxProverbs 3:1-8. Wisdom is found in God alone, but what's the way to find God's wisdom? The way to wisdom is knowing God's faithful love for you, trusting in the God who loves you, and seeking wisdom from others who trust God.
May 30th 2021 - Ask and AnswerJake BoxEphesians 5:15-17 and Proverbs 1:7. There's one question we can ask ourselves that allows us to grow in wisdom. The question is: "In light of my past experience, current circumstances, and desired future, what is the wise thing for me to do?
May 23rd 2021 - Spiritual WarfareJake BoxEphesians 6:10-20. Whether we believe it or not, we are in a spiritual battle. Our battle is not with people but with spiritual forces that sneak up on us and tell us lies. To stand against these forces of evil, we must put on the armor of God, arm ourselves with God's word, and call to him for help.
May 17th 2021 - Family Matters: WorkJustin ChristopherEphesians 6:5-9. The gospel radically changed the relationships and power dynamics within the workplace in Ephesus, as Christians began to see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, whether slave or master, and accountable to God for their work and how they treated each other.
May 9th 2021 - Family Matters: ParentingJake and Krista BoxEphesians 6:1-4. Parents have a specific role and goal in raising their children. Their role is one of stewardship and servanthood. Their goal is to engage their kids' hearts and train them to be disciples of Jesus.
May 2nd 2021 - Family Matters: MarriageJake and Krista BoxEphesians 5:21-33. We're commanded in scripture to submit ourselves to everyone in the family of God, but there are unique ways that husbands and wives are to submit to one another within marriage. When husbands and wives submit to each other in these unique ways, marriages flourish.
Apr 25th 2021 - Family Matters: DatingJustin ChristopherI Timothy 5:1-2. The Bible does not speak specifically about dating, but we can find principles for Christian relationships that help us know God's purpose and process in dating, who we should date, and how we should date.
Apr 18th 2021 - SinglenessJosh Chevalier and Akiko ScottMatthew 19:8-12. The world and even the church (sometimes) teach that others can fully meet our core needs in marriage or that sexual intimacy is the height of human love. Jesus, however, taught something very different, giving love and purpose to those who are single as he was.
Apr 12th 2021 - Remember To ChangeJake BoxII Peter 1:3-9. Jesus changes our character, attitudes, and behaviors as we rely on what he has already given us. We fail to change when we forget what he has already given us.
Apr 4th 2021 - Altered RestorationJake BoxJohn 21. The resurrection of Jesus sparked the beginning of the restoration of all things. God restores all things by first restoring people. Then he invites them to partner with him in his restoring work in the world.
Mar 29th 2021 - Learning To Trust JesusJustin ChristopherVarious Scriptures. Jesus' disciple, Peter, learned to trust Jesus more and more as he spent time with him. His life was one of faith followed by failure, but by God's grace he continued to trust Jesus.
Mar 21st 2021 - Filled With The Holy SpiritMatt TolanderEphesians 5:1-21. Sometimes the most obvious and important realities are the hardest to see and talk about. In this teaching, we learn about how to be aware of, and responsive to, the presence, power, and prompting of God through the reality of the Holy Spirit.
Mar 15th 2021 - The Basis of Behavior ChangeJake BoxEphesians 4:25-32. The basis of a changed life leads to the behaviors of a changed life. The basis for a changed life is what Jesus has done for us.
Mar 7th 2021 - The New YouJustin ChristopherEphesians 4:17-24. How do Christians change? How are we made new? By believing in Jesus and the work he has already done by making us new in God's eyes and living in light of that truth by putting off our old self and putting on our new self.
Feb 21st 2021 - Extending God's Love To AustinJake BoxMatthew 9:35-38. What would Jesus do if he came to Austin as he did to cities in his day? He would see people's needs, feel people's needs, and meet people's needs. Jesus is in Austin today, doing the same through his Body, the Church.
Feb 14th 2021 - Extending God's Love To OthersJustin ChristopherRomans 12:9-18. Christian love is meant to be sincere and without hypocrisy. This sincere love can be practiced in many tangible ways, as described in this passage.
Feb 7th 2021 - Draw NearJake BoxMatthew 11:28-30. Jesus speaks only once about what his heart is like. He says his heart is gentle and lowly. Seeing Jesus as he described himself will move us to draw near to him, who welcomes us with open arms.
Jan 31st 2021 - Why We FastJustin ChristopherThe narrative scriptures in the Bible give us four reasons to fast. We fast when we need answered prayers and spiritual breakthrough, when we need to confess and repent of sin when we need discernment and direction, and as a regular spiritual practice to draw near to God.
Jan 24th 2021 - Hope During SufferingJake BoxI Peter 1:3-9. The reality is that in this world, we will suffer, but there is a reason for our suffering. Trials purify our faith and result in praise to God. Knowing this, we're able to both grieve and rejoice in our suffering.
Jan 17th 2021 - Hope For Racial UnityJake BoxRevelation 7:9,10. We hope for racial unity because God gave John this revelation of racial unity in heaven under Jesus. While this is our certain hope, it's also a view of heaven that we should aim to create on earth by acknowledging our family history, asking God to search our hearts, acting in humility, and attaching in love.
Jan 10th 2021 - Hope For Civil DiscourseJustin ChristopherI Corinthians 1 and 8. Is there hope for civil discourse in 2021? There is if we believe that agreement is more important than our disagreements and love is more important than knowledge.
Jan 3rd 2021 - The Hope For A Restored WorldJosh ChevalierMatthew 5:1-16. Our hope starts with God's promise to restore the world and make all things new. Jesus sets forth a vision of what this kind of world looks like, the unexpected people who are welcome there, and the pivotal role they play in making this world a reality.
Dec 27th 2020 - The Returning KingMatt TolanderI John 3:1-3. Christians throughout history have found common hope in the future return of Jesus Christ. In this teaching, we explore what it means to live now in light of the fact that we will live forever in His kingdom.
Dec 21st 2020 - The Powerful KingJake BoxMark 4 and 5. Jesus's power over the natural world, supernatural world, sickness, and death gives us faith to overcome our fears. Fear comes when we think about the what-ifs. Faith comes when we think about the what-is.
Dec 14th 2020 - The Compassionate KingJustin ChristopherMatthew 9:35-38. Jesus revealed God's compassion to the world by how he cared for the physical and spiritual needs of people. His compassion for people always led to action on their behalf.
Dec 7th 2020 - The Servant KingJake BoxMatthew 2:4-16. Kings like King Herod forced others to serve them and did whatever they had to do to remain on the throne. King Jesus, instead, left his throne to serve others.
Nov 30th 2020 - The Sent KingJake BoxJohn 1:1-14. God sent Jesus to dwell with us on earth; what theologically is known as the incarnation. The incarnation of Jesus gives us the confidence to know what God is like, comfort that he knows what we're like, and conviction to live for others as he has lived for us.
Nov 23rd 2020 - The Gospel and GrowthJustin ChristopherEphesians 4:7-16. For the church to grow to maturity and fullness in Christ, every member must use their spiritual gifts, and every leader must equip members to become ministers and missionaries.
Nov 15th 2020 - The Gospel and UnityJake BoxEphesians 4:1-6. Unity is not something the church has to create. It's something we already have in Christ but are called to live on earth in a manner worthy of this spiritual reality. We can only do so when we believe the gospel and relate to one another as God has related to us in Christ.
Nov 8th 2020 - The Gospel and PowerJake BoxEphesians 3:14-21. Why do we need God's power and presence in our lives? Because we're weak in faith and weak in our mind's understanding of the incredible love and power of God.
Nov 1st 2020 - The Gospel and ActivismJustin ChristopherEphesians 3:1-13. Paul became a peace-making activist after experiencing God's grace personally and among the multi-ethnic churches he planted. He believed God was most glorified when the church is most unified.
Oct 25th 2020 - The Gospel and PoliticsJake BoxEphesians 2:11-22. The gospel has the power to truly make peace and unify people of different parties or persuasions. It creates unity in diversity, not uniformity, giving us allegiance to a kingdom beyond this world.
Oct 18th 2020 - The Gospel and RaceJake BoxEphesians 2:11-22. The root of racism is misplaced identity, which creates an "Us vs. Them" mentality. The gospel reforms our identity and restores our true identity. It makes a brand new humanity, one reconciled to God and one another.
Oct 11th 2020 - The Gospel and SignificanceJake BoxEphesians 2:1-10. You are important. Your life matters. You're significant. We want those statements to be true, but we often question them. The gospel explains why we question our significance and how it frees us to stop our questioning.
Oct 4th 2020 - The Gospel and MoralismJustin ChristopherEphesians 1:15-23. Is it possible that after beginning the Christians life full of joy and intimacy with God that years later we can settle for Christian moralism? It happened to the Ephesian church, and can happen to us if we're not careful and prayerful.
Sep 27th 2020 - The Gospel and IdentityJake BoxEphesians 1:1-14. The world tells us our identity is based on what we do, what we have, and what people say about us, but our identity is in Christ. We are what he says about us. We are chosen, blameless, beloved, adopted, redeemed, set free, and sealed in Christ.
Sep 13th 2020 - Compelled To ServeJustin ChristopherJohn 17:8-19. What would Jesus pray for his disciples, knowing he was about to leave them in the world without his protection? He'd prayed that the Father would protect them from the evil one while sanctifying them by his word. He prayed they would live like sent ones, living in the world but not being of the world.
Sep 6th 2020 - Compelled To LoveJake BoxJohn 13:34-35. Jesus lays out for His followers what they were to be known for. Surprisingly, He didn’t say they were to be known for how they loved Him. At least, not directly.
Aug 30th 2020 - Compelled By LoveJake BoxJohn 13:1-15. Why do we do what we do? The why behind what we do is what Jesus has first done for you.
Aug 23rd 2020 - What Do We Do With It?Matt TolanderWhat did Jesus believe about spirituality? What role does scripture play in our spiritual lives? In this teaching, we will look at the tradition of spiritual formation that Jesus himself grew up in, and learn what it means for our day-to-day life in our modern context.
Aug 16th 2020 - Is The Old Testament Trustworthy?Justin ChristopherTo decide whether or not the Old Testament is trustworthy, we first need to see what Jesus thought about the Hebrew scriptures that He knew so well.
Aug 9th 2020 - Is The New Testament Trustworthy?Jake BoxPeople commonly say that the New Testament was compiled and changed to benefit political and religious leaders and is thus, not trustworthy. In actuality, there are three good reasons to believe that the New Testament is reliable and could never be used to gain political or religious power.
Aug 2nd 2020 - How Did We Get It?Jake BoxThe Bible did not create Christianity. Christianity is the result of a historical event - Jesus's resurrection - and the Bible was written as an account and consequence of that event.
Jul 26th 2020 - A Cry For ProtectionJustin ChristopherPsalm 91. God promises to give rest to those who make him their refuge so we can trust him. He is the God who can deliver us and protect us from disease and harm. Even if he does not, he is with us and will show us his salvation.
Jul 19th 2020 - A Cry For WisdomMatt TolanderPsalm 19. God's glory is revealed to us through his creation and in his commandments. When we live according to God's intention, we participate with creation in experiencing and declaring the glory of God - the active presence of His goodness in the world.
Jul 5th 2020 - A Cry For WorshipSean RichardsPsalm 105. Worship is ascribing worth to something or someone. We all worship because we all give worth to things, but only God is worthy of all of our worship. When we ascribe worth to Him, we are transformed by Him.
Jun 28th 2020 - A Cry of ConfessionJake BoxPsalm 32. Confession involves acknowledging our sins to God and not covering it up. When we confess our sin, our loving God responds with forgiveness, protection, and direction. When we confess, we can hide in Him instead of running from Him.
Jun 21st 2020 - A Cry For RevivalJustin ChristopherPsalm 80. In his grief over the destruction of Jerusalem, Asaph cries out to God for revival. He calls the people to prayer and repentance so that God would forgive their sin and heal their land.
Jun 14th 2020 - A Cry For JusticeJake BoxPsalm 146. What is Biblical justice? It's both punishing wrongdoers and caring for (not ignoring) the oppressed. Only God is purely just, so we cry out to Him for complete justice while at the same time, we are moved in worship to bring His justice to earth.
Jun 7th 2020 - Living In Light Of The AfterlifeJake BoxAt the end of this life, we will stand before God to give an account for how we have lived on earth. This reality should cause us to live for God and love others so that we can make a difference in this life and the life to come.
Jun 1st 2020 - The Highlight of HeavenJustin ChristopherRevelation 21:1-8. The highlight of heaven is that God will dwell among us, and we will see Jesus face to face. All other pleasures in heaven will be derivative from God's presence with us.
May 24th 2020 - The Description of the AfterlifeJake BoxIf there is life after this life, what will it be like? The afterlife, as described by Jesus and his disciples, is very similar to what we experience on earth, only more beautiful. We'll be reunited with friends and family who share our faith to eat, drink, and enjoy each other forever.
May 17th 2020 - Evidence for the AfterlifeJake BoxIs there life after this life? We believe so because Jesus promised he was preparing a place for us, but there is growing worldwide scientific evidence mounting as well. Thousands of people have experienced near-death experiences that have scientists and skeptics believing there is life after this life.
May 11th 2020 - Rejoicing WiselyJake BoxPhilippians 1:12-21. Is it possible to have joy while in isolation and captivity? It is when your joy is anchored to Jesus rather than your circumstances.
May 4th 2020 - Wisdom In LifeJake BoxEphesians 5:15-17. During this pandemic, we've been focused on being careful with our physical health. We also need to use this time to be careful with our spiritual health so that time is not wasted but instead redeemed.
Apr 27th 2020 - Wisdom In WaitingJustin ChristopherIsaiah 40. In times of waiting, we can be passive (thinking we can't do anything) or active (thinking we can do something). Waiting on the Lord, however, is coming to God, asking him to do something. Waiting requires surrender, prayer, and trust.
Apr 21st 2020 - Why In The WorldJake BoxWe all wrestle with the question of why God allows evil in the world. If there was a perfect answer to the question, it might not help us because what we want more than answers is the nearness of God. We want a God who feels our pain and enters into it and provides a way out of an evil world.
Apr 12th 2020 - Surprising PeaceJake BoxEaster 2020. Even while we're in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can find peace because of what Jesus did for us. We can have peace with God, peace in hard times, and peace in the face of death.
Apr 5th 2020 - AngerJakeJames 4:1-2. What causes us to get angry? Is it circumstances, people, or something out there? Or is it more profoundly something inside of our hearts when we don't get what we want?
Mar 29th 2020 - Fear and AnxietyMatt TolanderMark 4:35-41. Jesus lived a life without fear because of His assumptions about what God is like. If we have confidence that God is good, attentive, competent, and faithful, then we can join Jesus in the settled conviction that if we belong to God, then God's universe is a perfectly safe place for us to be.
Mar 23rd 2020 - Consider One AnotherJustin ChristopherHebrews 10:23-25. During this time of mandatory isolation, we must remember to consider others and how we can love them. We also must continue to find ways to meet together so that we can help each other hold on to the hope we have in Jesus and become more loving people.
Mar 15th 2020 - Video Conference Church: CoronavirusJake BoxIsaiah 26:3. Our response to the coronavirus outbreak reveals that we value life by the measures we're taking to protect life. As important as that is, our hearts long even more for eternal life, which can only be found in Jesus. In this trying season, let's remember to run to Jesus and point others to Jesus.
Mar 9th 2020 - GuiltJake BoxRomans 8:1-4. We all experience guilt when we realize we have done something wrong. When we feel the emotion of guilt, we do one of two unhelpful things. We deny our guilt or to let our guilt define us. There is a better third way of handling the emotion of guilt. It involves remembering that Jesus has taken our guilt and, therefore, God sees us and not the things that cause us to feel guilt.
Mar 2nd 2020 - The Heart of the MatterJake BoxMatthew 15:10-20. Jesus says that what comes out of our hearts puts us at odds with God, because the heart is the place where evil thoughts reside. This truth should cause us to pay more careful attention to our emotions, thoughts, and words.
Feb 24th 2020 - The Compassion of GodJake BoxJonah 4. All people matter much to God because all people are made by God. Given that truth, the question God asked Jonah, and the question he would ask us is this: Do all people matter much to you?
Feb 17th 2020 - The God of Second ChancesJustin ChristopherJonah 3. Jonah gets a second chance to go to Nineveh. What God does with Jonah in Nineveh is proof that God is immensely patient with us and that no one is beyond God's use or beyond God's reach.
Feb 9th 2020 - The Inside StoryJake BoxJonah 2. What caused Jonah's heart to change from chapter 1 to chapter 3? After three days in the belly of a fish, he recognized that God had saved him from what he did deserve and had given him what he did not deserve.
Feb 3rd 2020 - The ChaseJake BoxJonah 1. Like Jonah, we often run from God because we don't trust God's heart for us or don't share his heart for others. Thankfully, God runs even harder after us and can accomplish his purposes through us even while we run from Him.
Jan 26th 2020 - What Mr. Rogers and Jesus Have in CommonJosh ChevalierLuke 5:27-32. Through Jesus, we are able to experience the type of love that we all long for. The story of Levi is a great example of this love expressed through grace and belonging, and the impact it can have on a person’s life.
Jan 20th 2020 - What's After Life?Jake BoxI Corinthians 15:42-44. What happens to us when we die? Tens of thousands of people around the world have had near-death experiences and come back to life to report what they experienced outside of their bodies. Their reports are very similar to each other, and they align with much of how the Bible describes the afterlife.
Jan 13th 2020 - FastingJake BoxMatthew 6:16-18. Throughout the Bible, we see individuals and groups of people fasting, refraining from food to pursue God. Even Jesus fasted, and he expected his followers to fast, but only if they fasted in for specific reasons.
Jan 6th 2020 - The SabbathMatt TolanderMark 2:23-28. The Sabbath is meant to be a blessing, not a burden. While Christians are not obligated to keep the Sabbath, they would be foolish not to keep the Sabbath. We keep the Sabbath when we make time to stop, rest, and delight.
Dec 30th 2019 - Scripture MemoryJustin ChristopherPsalm 119:9-11. What can we do to overcome the obstacles of temptation and doubt in our walk with God? We hide God's word in our heart by remembering the past and remembering His promises.
Dec 22nd 2019 - The Hope of a Promise KeeperJake BoxMatthew 1:1-6. Matthew starts his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, and he deliberately includes the details that point to why he wrote this gospel. He points to the story of David and Bathsheba to show that God's grace is greater than our sin. God was faithful to the promise he made to David because God keeps His promises no matter what.
Dec 16th 2019 - The Hope of a New LabelJake BoxMatthew 1:1-5. Matthew starts his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, and he deliberately includes the details that point to why he wrote this gospel. He points to the story of Rahab, the prostitute, to show that God's grace is greater than the law. She received a new label in Christ, as do we.
Dec 9th 2019 - The Hope of Great GraceJake BoxMatthew 1:1-3. Matthew starts his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, and he deliberately includes the details that point to why he wrote this gospel. He points to the story of Judah to show that God's love and acceptance does not depend on what we do for Him, but on what He has done for us.
Dec 2nd 2019 - SOSMatt TolanderJames 5:13-20. Suffering is inevitable, but it can be profitable if we stay faithful to God. When suffering becomes overwhelming, we need the prayer and support of others to help us remain faithful.
Nov 25th 2019 - Wisdom on WaitingJake BoxJames 5:1-11. The way of the world is to get all you can any way that you can with the aim of living a life of luxury and self indulgence on earth. The way of God is to wait patiently for Jesus's promised return and to live for eternal rewards in heaven.
Nov 18th 2019 - Wisdom About HumilityJake BoxJames 4:11-17. Pride is defined as placing yourself above others while humility is defined as bringing yourself lower than others. Humble people bring themselves low by not speaking against others and by not making plans for the future without seeking God's will first.
Nov 11th 2019 - Humble YourselfJustin ChristopherJames 4:1-10. Our selfish living and pursuit of worldly pleasures above God is like adultery in His eyes. Still, there is grace to be found when we humble ourselves before Him.
Nov 4th 2019 - Wisdom About WisdomJake BoxJames 3:13-18. The wisdom of the world calls us to live life for ourselves which leads to disorder and evil, but the wisdom of God calls us to live a life of humility by putting others above ourselves which leads to peace.
Oct 28th 2019 - Taming the TongueMatt TolanderJames 3:1-12. Our words have consequences and they reveal what is in our hearts. We must learn to tame our tongue and use our words to bless people. Tongue mastery is the measure of spiritual maturity.
Oct 21st 2019 - Faith and WorksMatt TolanderJames 2:14-26. If we're saved from God's judgment by grace through faith alone, then why does James say that we also need works to accompany our saving faith? It depends on what he's saying we're being saved from and who he's saying we're justified by.
Oct 14th 2019 - Show No FavoritismJustin ChristopherJames 2:1-13. Showing favoritism and casting judgment toward specific types of people is incongruent with the Christian faith. It violates the great commandment and shows that we've forgotten how merciful God has been with us.
Oct 7th 2019 - The Wisdom of ListeningJake BoxJames 1:19-27. To get wisdom for today we must listen and obey. When we do, it results in true freedom that changes how we live and who we love.
Sep 30th 2019 - God Is Good All The TimeJustin ChristopherJames 1:12-18. God tests us, but he does not tempt us. However, temptation will come during times of testing, especially the temptation to believe that God is not good.
Sep 22nd 2019 - Wisdom For TrialsJake BoxJames 1:1-8. When we face trials, what should we do? James encourages us to believe God is using them for our good and will give us wisdom to see how.
Sep 16th 2019 - Now and ForeverJakeRevelation 4 and 5. One of the reasons we don't make time to be with God is that we don't understand how great He is. The Apostle John's glimpse at the glory of God should move us to worship God and value being with Him.
Sep 8th 2019 - Staying In Step With The SpiritJustin ChristopherGalatians 5:16-26. Jesus promised that he'd send the Spirit so that we could see and know Him even after we could see him no longer. Now that we have his Spirit, we can see him and walk in step with him as we are made more like him.
Sep 2nd 2019 - It DependsJake BoxJohn 15:4,5,8. We are invited to live life with God. However, pride gets in our way. When we realize how dependent we are on God, we will be moved to spend time with Him.
Aug 26th 2019 - Choosing What's BetterJake BoxLuke 10:38-42. God invites us to be with him, but we're often too busy to meet with him. Our busyness is often driven by our fear that we can't do enough or be enough. That fear, if humbly embraced, can lead us to Jesus to find that he is enough and he is who we want and need.
Aug 19th 2019 - Endurance Inspired By HopeJustin ChristopherI Thessalonians 1:2,3. Biblical hope is confident assurance in God and His promises. The hope of eternal life, regeneration, and being with God forever is a catalyst to give us perseverance and purpose in this life.
Aug 12th 2019 - Labor Prompted By LoveI Thessalonians 1:2,3 and 4:9,10. What kind of love moves us to sacrificially serve others without expecting anything back? It's Agape love - a love we learn to give to others after experiencing God's Agape love toward us.
Aug 4th 2019 - FaithJake BoxI Thessalonians 1:2,3. What does God use to produce change in our lives? Too often Christians use shame, guilt, and obligation as motivators which do not produce real life change. What does produce real life change is faith, love, and hope. Today: Faith.
Jul 28th 2019 - What Do You Want?Justin ChristopherPsalm 73. There are seasons in life when the circumstances force us to take a look at our motives in following Jesus. If we seek God in those seasons, He can purify our motives so that we want God more than anything else on earth.
Jul 22nd 2019 - HappinessMatt TolanderPsalm 1. One of the greatest ironies of human existence is that the search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. The Bible teaches that real happiness is possible, but only if it is sought in the right way.
Jul 14th 2019 - Are You Gonna Go My Way?Jake BoxPsalm 25. God promises that he has good works for us to do and he promises to guide us in them. When considering God's guidance, the question is not "How does God guide us?" Rather, the question is "Who does God guide?" He guides those who fear him.
Jul 8th 2019 - UnfollowJustin ChristopherJohn 6:25-69. Many of the people who were following Jesus ultimately decided to unfollow him. We will be tempted to do the same, especially in seasons of transition, trouble, and temptation. Peter, however, gives us one powerful reason to keep following Jesus.
Jul 1st 2019 - Follow The LeaderJake BoxMark 10:32-45. Jesus was the best leader in history, but not in the top-down way leaders function in the world. He led by becoming a servant and giving his life as a ransom. He takes his disciples aside and teaches them that this is the way he wants them to lead as well.
Jun 24th 2019 - What I Want To WantJosh ChevalierMatthew 26:6-16. Jesus's disciples were consumers before they became true followers. This is evident in how they respond to things Jesus did that were outside the scope of their expectations of a Messiah. Ultimately they hit a fork in the road and had to decide to be a follower instead of a consumer.
Jun 16th 2019 - The Fine PrintJake BoxMark 8:27-38. To this point in the book of Mark, people were trying to figure out who Jesus was. After two years of following Jesus, Peter is the first to rightly call him Messiah. Then Jesus explains what he must do for them, as Messiah, and what it will cost his disciples to follow him.
Jun 10th 2019 - What Christians WearJustin ChristopherJohn 13:34,35. On the last night that Jesus was with his followers before he was arrested, he gave them a new command. It was similar to commands he had given before, but was new because of the qualifier and promise attached to the command.
Jun 3rd 2019 - Have No FearJake BoxMatthew 10:16-31. Where did Jesus want to take those who would follow him? Become a better person? Go to heaven? Live a pain-free life? Not at all. He promised to take them to a place of growing confidence in the character of God that would result in a fearless life.
May 26th 2019 - Your Next Step of FaithJustin ChristopherLuke 5:1-11. When Jesus called Peter to follow him, it was not the first time Jesus has spoken with him. Peter took baby steps of faith before he was ready to leave everything to follow Jesus. We, too, need to simply take the next step of faith that God is calling us to do.
May 20th 2019 - Everyone Is InvitedJake BoxMatthew 9:9-13. What is necessary in order to follow Jesus? Is it belief? Is it obedience? Is it theological agreement? Who Jesus invites to follow Him reveals the answer…and it’s refreshing.
May 13th 2019 - The Disbelieving BrotherJake BoxJames 1:1. Jesus's brother, James, was not a believer in Jesus before his death, but after his resurrection he called him his Lord and worshiped him. What produced such a change in James, and what does it mean for us today?
May 6th 2019 - The DisciplesJustin ChristopherJohn 20 and 21. John records the first three times Jesus appears to his disciples after his resurrection. What do Peter, John, and Thomas claim to have seen? Why should we consider their eyewitness testimony credible? If true, what does it mean for us today?
Apr 28th 2019 - The WomenJake BoxMatthew 28:1-10. Mary and Mary were the first two people to witness Jesus as risen from the dead. What did they claim to see? Is there reason to believe them? If so, what does it mean for us today?
Apr 21st 2019 - Easter SundayJake BoxI Corinthians 15. There are many objective reasons to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. If Jesus really did rise from the dead, what does it mean for us today? How should we respond?
Apr 15th 2019 - The Joy of ContentmentJake BoxPhilippians 4:10-23. What is the secret to finding contentment no matter our circumstances or financial situation? It's in trusting that your life is in Christ's care. When you have this kind of trust you're free to use your finances for good purposes.
Apr 8th 2019 - Pathways to PeaceJustin ChristopherPhilippians 4:1-9. We all want peace. We want peace in our relationships instead of conflict. We want peace of mind instead of anxiety. In this part of the letter, the apostle Paul gives the Philippians three pathways to promised peace.
Mar 31st 2019 - Citizens of HeavenJake BoxPhilippians 3:17-21. We all need to follow great examples who can help us learn to follow Jesus and set our minds on heavenly things. If we don’t, we’ll end up following our culture and the examples of others who think only about earthly things which lead to destruction.
Mar 25th 2019 - Pressing ForwardJustin ChristopherPhilippians 3:10-14. Paul's life-long goal was to know Jesus and become more like him. While he admitted it was unattainable, he would press on toward that goal knowing it would one day be attained when he would meet Jesus face to face.
Mar 18th 2019 - What Do You Want?Jake BoxPhilippians 3:1-11. We're prone to value other things above Jesus. We don't see the value in Jesus, largely because we don't truly believe that he is our only means of salvation. When we think we're saved by Jesus plus our religious acts, we will value Jesus less than he is worth.
Mar 11th 2019 - Becoming the GOATJustin ChristopherPhilippians 2:19-30. Paul points to the Philippians to two people who serve as excellent examples of how to live selflessly. The example of two men (Timothy and Epaphroditus) is meant to inspire us to live selflessly and know that to become the greatest we must become the least.
Mar 4th 2019 - A Workout LessonJake BoxPhilippians 2:12-18. We're called to "work out our salvation," but we can only "work out" what God has already "worked in" us. We received salvation by faith, and we grow in Christ (sanctification) by the same faith.
Feb 24th 2019 - The Mind of GodJake BoxPhilippians 2:5-11. If the Bible is a mountain range, this passage is one of the highest peaks. It describes how the loving and humble God, displayed in Jesus (equally God and man), humbled himself to death on a cross.
Feb 18th 2019 - The Me Monster RemedyJakPhilippians 2:1-4. Imagine a world where everyone considers others needs above their own. It's hard to imagine because we're always fighting the "me monster" that wants others to value us. The remedy for the "me monster" is found in believing that Jesus values us so much that he would die for us.
Feb 11th 2019 - Living in a Manner Worthy of the GospelJustin ChristopherPhilippians 1:27-30. Paul's first command to the church he loved so much was to "live up to what they say they believe." It's an important first command because hypocrisy keeps people from following Jesus, but living up to what we say we believe moves people to want to follow Jesus with us.
Feb 4th 2019 - Jail - Proof of JoyJake BoxPhilippians 1:12-26. How do we find stable joy that is not attached to our circumstances? It comes from anchoring our hopes to Jesus who is stable. It comes from living for Christ more than for comfort, success, security, relationships, religion, or anything else.
Jan 21st 2019 - Unusual JoyJake BoxPhilippians 1:1-11. Paul was filled with joy because of his partnership in the gospel with the Philippians. Gospel partnership brought meaning to his life. So what exactly is gospel partnership? Who gets to be a gospel partner, and how are they qualified to do so?
Jan 14th 2019 - Philippians: Unexpected OriginsJosh ChevalierActs 16:12-40. The Philippians church had a strange and beautiful beginning. The church started with the conversion of several families from radically different backgrounds. It's a story only God could write.
Jan 7th 2019 - Virtuous Resolutions part 2Justin ChristopherThis time of year it's common to set goals to become a better person. What if this year we resolved to become more virtuous? In many of Paul's letters to the churches he would list a set of virtues, encouraging the body of Christ to practice these virtues as a means to grow in love for one another. In this two-week series, we'll examine twelve of these virtues and learn how to grow in our capacity to love each other well.
Dec 30th 2018 - Virtuous ResolutionsJustin ChristopherThis time of year it's common to set goals to become a better person. What if this year we resolved to become more virtuous? In many of Paul's letters to the churches he would list a set of virtues, encouraging the body of Christ to practice these virtues as a means to grow in love for one another. In this two-week series, we'll examine twelve of these virtues and learn how to grow in our capacity to love each other well.
Dec 23rd 2018 - Love AllJake BoxThe good news proclaimed by the angels was for "all people." When the expert in the law asked, "who is my neighbor," Jesus told him a story about "all people."
Dec 17th 2018 - Giving GiftsJustin ChristopherNormally at Christmas we exchange gifts with friends and family members. What instead we focused on giving gifts? Meaning, giving to those in need who are not able to give anything back to us.
Dec 10th 2018 - Giving PresenceJake BoxWhen we think of Christmas, we usually think of presents. We often thoughtlessly purchase presents for people without really thinking about what people really want and need. What if this year we focused more on giving our "presence" to people than giving "presents" to people?
Dec 3rd 2018 - Worship FullyJake BoxWhat will you worship this Christmas season? Jesus said you can't worship God and money. Christmas is a story of God coming to the poor and marginalized, the type of people God has always loved. What if we determined this season to care for the poor and marginalized instead of getting caught up in the consumerism of the season?
Nov 26th 2018 - As ChildrenJake BoxMatthew 6:7-13. Jesus taught that there is a right an wrong way to pray, but it is not in what you pray or how you pray. It is in why you think God will answer your prayers. Do you think God will answer your prayers because of what you do for Him or because of who you are to Him?
Nov 12th 2018 - Prayer: Partnership With GodJustin ChristopherOur prayers really are effectual. Though mysterious, prayer is one of the primary ways we partner with God in what He is doing in the world.
Nov 5th 2018 - Go With UsJake BoxExodus 33. When we come to God in prayer, we often come seeking His presents more that His presence. But being with God is better than getting things from God.
Oct 29th 2018 - God On DisplayJake BoxDaniel 6. Daniel gives an incredibly practical example on how to remain faithful to God while loving and respecting those who are opposed to him, which results in God's character being displayed.
Oct 22nd 2018 - Pride and FaithfulnessJake BoxDaniel 5. God goes to great lengths to show a prideful king that He is the Sovereign King in control of the whole world. We, like that king, should surrender our lives to God rather than pridefully trying to control our own lives.
Oct 15th 2018 - The Patient Pursuit of GodJustin ChristopherDaniel 4. God patiently pursues Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan, polytheist, murderous, king. He does the same with us today by giving us faithful witnesses, divine experiences, and humbling circumstances.
Oct 1st 2018 - Grace and TruthJustin ChristopherDaniel 2. Is it possible in our culture to speak the truth to those who disagree with us and still maintain loving and respectful relationships with them? It is, and Daniel shows us how to do it.
Sep 23rd 2018 - Faithfullness In ExileJake BoxDaniel 1. What does it look like to remain faithful to God and his ways while also engaging our culture in a loving way? As we begin our series in the book of Daniel we will see there are two things we must live in light of.
Sep 17th 2018 - God's Heart for the NationsMark ProegerThere are several misconceptions that most Christians have around the topic of God's heart for the nations and His call to missions. Guest speaker, Mark Proeger, brings light and truth to three of the most common misconceptions.
Sep 11th 2018 - Compelled to LoveJake BoxII Corinthians 5:14-21. God has loved and served us. When we respond to Him in faith, we become his beloved children. He then invites us to join Him in the family business of reconciling people to Himself.
Sep 11th 2018 - A Loving FamilyJake BoxI John 4:7-21. We are a part of the family of God because we have been loved and served by God. If we are living in line with who we are, what is the the number one thing that should result? And what does that look like?
Aug 26th 2018 - A Loved FamilyJake BoxMidtown Church is a family loved and served by God and compelled to love and serve Austin with God. But, why is that who we are?
Aug 19th 2018 - Happy OthersJake BoxIt is common to believe that in order to be happy you need to focus on yourself. However, observation, experience, modern research, and God’s Word all say a key to happiness is serving others. Why is that?
Aug 12th 2018 - You Can't Buy ItJake BoxIt’s often said that money can’t make you happy. However, we all know that is not entirely true. There is a strong connection between money and happiness, but the connection isn’t what we would expect.
Aug 6th 2018 - Rhythms of HappinessJustin ChristopherThere are several rhythms that lead to happiness in life. God has "baked them into the cake" of humanity. These rhythms help us fight against the most common "happiness hindrances."
Jul 23rd 2018 - Being WithJosh ChevalierHappiness is found in being with those who love us deeply. And no greater happiness is discovered than the happiness that comes from BEING WITH God, because He loves us deeply.
Jul 15th 2018 - The SourceJake BoxWhat makes you happy? Contrary to what every advertisement you see tries to tell you, happiness is more about a who than a what. But why?
Jul 8th 2018 - Digest ItJake BoxWe deceive ourselves when we read God's word but don't obey it. We're prone to this deception because it is difficult to obey the word. However, we're enabled and compelled to obey the "word in text" when we consider the sacrifice of the "word in flesh.â€
Jul 2nd 2018 - Chew ItJustin ChristopherGrowing believers feed their souls with solid food, not milk. Solid food requires chewing - studying and meditating on the word of God.
Jun 25th 2018 - Taste ItJake BoxWe have a soul. How do we take care of it? According to Jesus, God’s Word is to our spiritual wellness what food is to our physical wellness. We nourish our soul by feeding on God’s Word everyday.
Jun 18th 2018 - Sent With GodJake BoxWhen you think about what God is doing, what comes to mind? As we bring our series in Acts to a close we are reminded that God is on mission to seek and save that which is lost and he invites us to join Him on His mission.
Jun 14th 2018 - Sent by True PowerJake BoxWhat can give us hope even when those in power horrifically misuse their power? What will result if we have that hope?
Jun 3rd 2018 - Evidence Of GraceJustin ChristopherWhat evidence of God's grace does Barnabas find when visiting the new church in Antioch? He finds that people have believed the gospel, have been changed by the gospel, and are committed to their new spiritual family.
May 27th 2018 - Sent To EveryoneJake BoxAs the gospel goes to the household of Cornelius, Peter realizes that no one is unloved or unacceptable to God.
May 21st 2018 - Changed By LoveJake BoxWhat can change a person like Saul from being a persecutor of Jesus to a follower of Jesus? Only the steadfast pursuing love of Jesus.
May 14th 2018 - To AllJosh ChevalierIn this interaction between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, we glean insights into how to effectively connect with others, and share the good news of Jesus in light of their story.
May 7th 2018 - Joy in the CityJake BoxThe church is scattered after the stoning of Stephen, and normal Christians bring the good news to Judea and Samaria. As a result, there was great joy in the city.
Apr 30th 2018 - The Turning PointJustin ChristopherThe stoning of Stephen was a turning point in the book of Acts. It became clear that Jesus's followers were beginning a new religion different from Judaism - a religion for all people, even the Gentiles.
Apr 22nd 2018 - Following Jesus to a Dinner PartyJake BoxJesus invites Levi, a tax collector, to follow him. This shows that everyone (even a tax collector) is invited to follow Jesus. What results from this invitation? Levi invites his friends to a dinner party because that's what people following Jesus do.
Apr 16th 2018 - A Picnic by the SeaJustin ChristopherAfter a busy time of ministry and after hearing of John the Baptist's murder, Jesus and his disciples just want to get away from people. However, they are greeted by more than 5000 people on the shores of Bethsaida. How did they find the strength to minister to these people even while they were emotionally spent?
Apr 9th 2018 - Giving Grace at DinnerJake BoxIn Luke 7:36-50 Jesus uses the events of a shocking dinner to show us how we will respond to Him when we grasp who he is and how he has come to relate to us.
Apr 1st 2018 - Resurrection and RestorationJake BoxPeter, Jesus's friend and disciple, felt that his denying Jesus forever broke his relationship with him. Jesus, however, restores his relationship with Peter by offering him a meal at the very place where he first called Peter to follow him.
Mar 25th 2018 - The Most Meaningful MealJake BoxJesus did something radical at the Last Supper with his closest friends. He redefined the meaning of the Passover meal by claiming that his body was the the bread that would be broken (the bread of affliction) and that his blood would bring salvation (the blood of the lamb).
Mar 18th 2018 - Making Use of TimeJustin ChristopherTime is something God has given us to steward. How do we steward it well? By obeying the three commands in Ephesians 5:15-17 - to assess our time, to determine our priorities, and to make plans to do God's will.
Mar 11th 2018 - Time To Rest?Jake BoxBusyness is the enemy of intimacy. That's why God created the Sabbath and why He invites us to rest. Rest is a priority of God. The purpose of rest is to reflect and remember that God is our ultimate rest.
Mar 4th 2018 - Missions SundayChris MerrellThe Old and New Testaments contain one common theme: God loves all people. Psalm 67 and Matthew 28 contain the same Great Commission message: God loves all people so He sends us to all people.
Feb 25th 2018 - God's Promise for the RighteousJustin ChristopherWhat does God promise for those who respond in faith to Malachi's message, to those who continue to wait in faith for the Messiah and His reign? God will be just, and He will redeem His people.
Jan 28th 2018 - Preparing for God’s PowerRob HarrellActs 1:1-11. Listen to our honored guest speaker as he shares with us how we can prepare to experience God’s power by understanding truth, waiting on God’s presence, gathering together, and knowing God personally.
Dec 31st 2017 - First Things FirstJustin ChristopherHaggai 1:1-15. After beginning the work of rebuilding the temple, the Israelites faced opposition which led them to discontinue their work. After 16 years of building their own houses instead of the temple, God sends Haggai to challenge the people to continue their work building the temple. Like the Israelites, we too can lose sight of God and allow other things to become first in our lives. We need the reminder of Haggai to put first things first.
Dec 17th 2017 - Spread the WordJake BoxLuke 2:8-20. After the shepherds met Jesus they “spread the word concerning what had been told to them about this child.†Why did they react that way? And what will enable us to respond likewise? The answer to both questions is found in what had been told to them about Jesus.
Dec 10th 2017 - Moved to GiveJustin ChristopherMatthew 2:1-12. The Magi receive revelation by way of a guiding star that a King has been born. They make the long journey to Bethlehem to worship Jesus. In response to the gift that God has given the world in Jesus, they worship Jesus with extravagant giving of their own.
Dec 3rd 2017 - Treasuring the TruthJake BoxLuke 2:19, Matthew 1:22-23. After giving birth to Jesus we are told that Mary responded by treasuring and pondering all that Jesus’ birth meant. As we reflect on Jesus’ birth this Christmas season let us respond in the same way.
Nov 26th 2017 - Sing to the KingJustin ChristopherLuke 2:8-16. The angel that appears to the shepherds reveals the Baby Jesus to be their long-awaited Savior and Messiah. At the announcement of this good news the host of angels sing, as should we.
Nov 19th 2017 - A Priestly MovementJake BoxActs 6:1-7. As a church grows more time and attention must be given to care for the people in the church. But focusing on serving the church can cause the church to lose her focus on serving the city. Is it possible to serve the church family while also working together as a church family to serve our city? Yes, if the church is full of priests.
Nov 12th 2017 - An Unstoppable MovementJake BoxActs 5:12-42. In order to saturate a city with the gospel it will require strong convictions and supernatural courage.
Nov 5th 2017 - Gospel Motivated OnenessJustin ChristopherActs 4:32-5:11. In this passage Luke gives us his second summary report that describes the oneness in the church demonstrated by meeting each others’ needs. Luke gives us two contrasting examples in Barnabas and Ananias and Sapphira to show the difference between gospel-motivated worship and worship for selfish ambition.
Oct 15th 2017 - The Courageous OnesJosh ChevalierActs 4:1-22. What does it look like to live a courageous life? In Acts 4:1-22, we observe the courage of Peter and John and discover the attributes of those who choose to live a courageous life.
Oct 8th 2017 - A Beautiful MovementJake BoxActs 3. How should Jesus’ followers respond in the face of all the suffering in our world? In Acts 3 we are given a beautiful picture of what God has done, is doing and will do to alleviate suffering.
Oct 1st 2017 - The Church: Described and PrescribedJustin ChristopherAct 2:42-47. What was the first church like? What did they do? What were the results? Act 2:42-47 is one of the most beautiful descriptions of what the first church was like. This wonderful description of the first church gives us clarity on the type of activities we should still be seeing in the church of our day.
Sep 24th 2017 - As the Spirit MovesJake BoxActs 2:1-41. The Church was born when the Spirit of God descended. In Acts 2, we learn a lot about the work of the Holy Spirit and how He empowers the movement of God.
Sep 17th 2017 - Missional RhythmJustin ChristopherActs 1:12-26. What did Jesus’s followers do during the 10 days between Jesus’s ascension and their being baptized with the Holy Spirit? They did what Jesus told them to do – they waited. But this was not passive waiting. It was the Biblical kind of waiting, the kind that reminded them of their great need for God’s power to accomplish His mission.
Sep 10th 2017 - The Means of a MovementJake BoxActs 1:1-11. In Acts 1:8 Jesus’ followers are told that we will be His witnesses starting where we are and moving out to the ends of the earth. That’s a big calling! What will enable us to do that?
Aug 20th 2017 - Seek God’s Kingdom Not Your OwnJake BoxLuke 12:13-34. One core belief in our culture is that your money is your money to be first used to serve you. Jesus turns that upside down when he teaches that your money is really God’s money and you are to use it first to serve his kingdom. In Luke 12 he confronts the main thing that keeps us from seeking first his kingdom and shows us how that can change.
Aug 6th 2017 - Die To LiveJake BoxJohn 12:1-8, 23-27. In God’s kingdom things are turned upside down. For example, Jesus said, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.†But what does losing your life for Christ look like? And what results if we do it?
Jul 30th 2017 - I Will Remember YouJake BoxPsalm 103. What is the one thing we must do in order to live in light of all the life changing, joy bringing, benefits of the gospel? If only I could remember.
Jul 23rd 2017 - Why Do The Nations Rage?Justin ChristopherPsalm 2. Why is there so much chaos in the world? Who is really in control of every ruler and every nation? Psalm 2 answers these questions in an amazing way. It is a Messianic Psalm that prophetically answers these timeless questions. Jesus is King.
Jul 16th 2017 - Midtown Moving MeetingInformational meetingInformational meeting about the upcoming location change for Midtown Austin Church. While no new location has been chosen this meeting and the follow-on Q and A address some of the questions and concerns posed by the partners.
Jul 16th 2017 - Every Breath You TakeJake BoxPsalm 139. God is all powerful, all knowing, and all present. These truths about God can overwhelm and unsettle us. However, in the light of the gospel, they bring unparalleled joy and comfort.
Jul 9th 2017 - Number Our DaysJustin ChristopherPsalm 90. This is the oldest Psalm, written by Moses. As Moses meditates on the incredible fact that God is eternal and outside of time, he is reminded that his time on earth is incredibly short. These truths cause Moses to pray four simple prayers, including “teach us to number our days"
Jul 2nd 2017 - Rest in Times of TroubleJake BoxPsalm 62. Life is often difficult. We all long to find rest in the midst of trouble, but where should we look for it and how do we get it? In Psalm 62 we are told where not to look for rest, where to look and how to find it.
Jun 25th 2017 - Joyful SecurityJustin ChristopherPsalm 16. How can we find joy in the midst of uncertainty and insecurity? Psalm 16 begins with a plea for security. From this place of fear, David calms his heart by remembering five wonderful truths. After meditating on these truths, David emerges joyful and unshaken with renewed faith in God’s promise of eternal security.
Jun 11th 2017 - Don't Worry Be Happy?Jake BoxPsalm 27. How do you deal with the worry and fear in your life? Psalm 27 points us to the one thing that can truly calm our fears. It also has much to say about how to make that one thing our one thing.
Jun 4th 2017 - Parenting: Church, I Am Your FatherBrad "Big Red" LawsVarious Scripture. Whether you're raising children of your own or leading a discipleship these are some great principles to keep in mind: 1) A healthy marriage is the best environment to raise kids. 2) Begin with the end in mind. 3) Understand the need of your children. 4) Intentionally invest in a relationship with your children in creative, memorable, and effective ways. 5) Let God be your father and their father.
May 28th 2017 - Parenting: A Biblical PerspectiveJake BoxPsalm 78:5-7. Deuteronomy 6. What is the foundational purpose of parenting? What is the pattern that God gives parents to help them fulfill that purpose? In this message, Jake takes us through Psalm 78 and Deuteronomy 6 to find God's answers for these important questions.
May 21st 2017 - Marriage: How to Grow in Selfless LoveJustin ChristopherPhilippians 2:3,4; 3:17; I John 4:7-9. Justin talks today about how marriage continuously changes and shapes you as the years pass, and gives suggestions on how to remain connected to community during conflict.
May 14th 2017 - Marriage: A Biblical PerspectiveJake BoxGenesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:21. Today's message looks at how God designed marriage to be: 1) A covenant and NOT a consumer relationship 2) A whole life giving relationship 3) The penultimate relationship, NOT the ultimate relationship.
May 7th 2017 - Singleness and FriendshipJustin ChristopherVarious verses. One of the most difficult things singles experience is loneliness. This message parses out the value of friendship, the characteristics of a friendship, and how to be a good friend.
Apr 30th 2017 - Singleness: A Biblical PerspectiveJake Box1 Corinthians 7:6-9; 32-35. Singleness is hard but ultimately not forever. Singleness is good because of 1) Jesus. 2) It is a gift from God. 3) It has advantages to being married. This messages explores all three of those reasons more in depth.
Apr 23rd 2017 - Re-creationJustin ChristopherVarious verses. The final in this four part series discusses Christ's triumphant return and why we can have hope in the promise of Christ's return.
Apr 16th 2017 - RestorationJake BoxIsaiah 52:13-53:12. This week we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with a beautiful message of hope, love, and sacrifice.
Apr 2nd 2017 - CreationJake BoxGenesis 1-2:3. Everything came from God who is eternal, creative, powerful, orderly, and loving. We were made to reflect and to represent God and in us we have great value and great purpose to Him.
Mar 26th 2017 - The Gospel And The RefugeeJake BoxThough it has received plenty of attention in the news lately, the world's refugee crisis is anything but new. The Bible is full of stories of refugees and offers clear cut truths about them and how we are called to respond to their plight.
Mar 19th 2017 - The Gospel And The InsiderJustin Christopher1 Corinthians 8:1-3, 1:10-17, Matthew 18:21-35. One of the greatest tools that Satan uses is division. Whether it's personal beliefs held between individuals within the church, or the beliefs of different churches, it's important to recognize that at the end of the day we are called to worship, love, and forgive just as Christ did.
Mar 12th 2017 - The Gospel And The OutsiderJustin ChristopherThere are many groups of people that we as believers are called to love. Our world has many people of many faiths and backgrounds. As Christians, we ought to love all who are outside the church...not just those who are "like us".
Mar 5th 2017 - The Gospel And The OrphanJake BoxGalatians 4:3-7; Romans 8:14-17. There are many groups of people that we as believers are called to love. One of those groups are the Orphans. Jake Box shares personal experience with adopting his son, Enoch, as well as draws out of scripture that are we all orphans crying our to our Abba Father.
Feb 26th 2017 - The Gospel And Racial ReconciliationTori MayoGenesis 4; Ephesians 2, and Rev. 7. We all have witnessed and/or experienced racial division and disunity within our nation. Tori addresses the issue of unifying the races while recognizing that there is beauty in the difference of our cultures.
Feb 19th 2017 - Joy and GenerosityJustin ChristopherHabakkuk 3:17-19(Also referenced: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, Luke 21:1-4). The call to give is written everywhere in the Bible. Whether it's the giving of our time, talent, or treasures, we are to do it with a cheerful heart despite the perceived hardship giving could bring. By the end of this book Habakkuk realizes the delight he can have in trusting God's goodness regardless of what he sees around him.
Feb 12th 2017 - How to Sing in SorrowJake BoxHabakkuk 3(Also referenced: Luke 9:31). The definition of contentment as described in this series has been: an internal sense of well being not based on circumstances but based on confidence in God's loving leadership of my life. Contentment is a choice and by remembering God's faithfulness in the past, you will find faith and even contentment in the most sorrowful of times present day.
Jan 29th 2017 - Go Back to Go BeyondGuest speaker Ben SchenckGuest speaker and new Hill Country Bible pastor Ben Schenck joins Midtown this week to discuss what it means when we think God is holding us back and what we have to look forward to in His promise of good grace.
Jan 22nd 2017 - Where is the Rest?Jake BoxHabakkuk 2:4-20. Why doesn't faith lead to peace in troubling times? What does it mean to question God's character? Habakkuk wrestled with and experienced these same questions through an inexplicably difficult time in his life and managed to endure.
Jan 15th 2017 - Waiting is the Hardest PartJustin ChristopherHabakkuk 2:1-5. Waiting on God is normal and it requires us to be active. Two easy ways to wait are: 1) Look ahead to God's promise and 2) Look back to the cross.
Jan 8th 2017 - What's Going On?Jake BoxIs there a way to experience contentment that is not anchored to our ever changing circumstances? When life gets hard or disappointing is contentment really an option? The small book of Habakkuk answers those hard questions in a powerful way. Â In this new six week series we learn together how we can experience contentment in troubling times.
Jan 1st 2017 - Cultivating a Life of PrayerJustin ChristopherLuke 4:42, 5:15-16, 6:12, 11:1,4. Psalm 5:1-3, 51:1-2, 63:1. Reasons FOR praying: 1) Prayer gets us closer to God. 2) In prayer God changes us. 3) In prayer we participate with God's work. Reasons we DON'T pray: 1) We've sinned and we think God doesn't welcome us. 2) Not trusting God for anything bigger than what we think we can accomplish ourselves. 3) We're not hungry for God as we are satisfied with lesser things.
Dec 18th 2016 - Who the Light has come forJustin ChristopherLuke 2:8-38 (Also referenced: John 3:16-17, 4:9-10, Matthew 5:14-16). Jesus came to server everyone: religious and non-religious, educated and uneducated, young and old, married and unmarried, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, you and me. How does God come to us? He speaks to us, he gives sign, and He makes His presence known when we seek Him.
Dec 11th 2016 - Why We Need The LightJake BoxIsaiah 9:2, 5-7(Also referenced: Isaiah 8:21-22, 53:5; John 1:9). Christ brings the light to our lives. The light gives life, reveals truth, and brings joy to our lives. We respond to the light by living it in a humble and strong way.
Dec 4th 2016 - Jesus, Our Life and LightJustin ChristopherJohn 1:1-5. Who is Jesus? He is with God, is God, has been with God from the beginning, and is the Creator of everything. He came to give life and give light to all of mankind.
Nov 27th 2016 - Looking Back and Moving ForwardJake Box1 Thessalonians 5:23-28. In the last message of the A Moving Faith series, the subject of sanctification is examined and how it works for our good and God's glory.
Nov 20th 2016 - Practicing the Presence of GodJustin Christopher1 Thessalonians 5:16-21(Also referenced: John 6:7-8; Philippians 4:4-7; James 1:2-4; Colossians 3:16; Habakkuk 3:17-19). This section of Thessalonians examines eight explicit commands given on how to experience God throughout your daily walk.
Nov 6th 2016 - A Moving DayJake Box1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, John 3:16-18. Be prepared for the day of the Lord's return! Although we don't when He is coming back we know who is coming and who we are because of what He did when he first came to save us. So arm yourself today with faith, love, and hope of salvation.
Oct 30th 2016 - Moving On UpJake Box1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:20. Death was not part of God's original plan for humanity and came about only as a result of sin entering the world. Christ, having conquered death through His resurrection, is our hope for life.
Oct 16th 2016 - Avoiding Sexual Immorality (2/2)Jake Box1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 5:27-30. While last week's message covered why not to pursue sexual immorality this week we take a look at why we should pursue sexual morality and how it can add be a blessing in our lives when practiced correctly.
Oct 9th 2016 - Avoiding Sexual Immorality (1/2)Justin Christopher1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. Sexual immorality is one of the most prevalent sins in society today. The Bible speaks clearly though to what it is, how it effects us and those around us, and how to avoid it.
Sep 25th 2016 - A Loving MessageJake Box1 Thessalonians 2:13-16. God 's word lays out a clear path for where's our faith should be moving us to and provides a clear depiction of what it should look like as we move ourselves towards a closer relationship with Him.
Sep 18th 2016 - A Moving ExampleJake Box1 Thessalonians 2:1-12. When God gets a hold of your life He moves you to grow in Christ likeness and to go with Him on His mission to fill the Earth with His glory. Â In setting up the church in Thessalonica Paul gives a great example for a faith that is missional(with bold initiative), is pure in motive(with the purest motive being love), and moves us to love like mothers and fathers.
Sep 11th 2016 - Signs of LifeChristianity was never meant to be a stagnant faith. Discussed today are three great ways to assess where we are in our spiritual life: 1) Responding to God's word. 2) Growing in Christ's likeness (Galatians 5:22). 3) Influencing others to follow Christ using the Word, the Spirit, and other people.
Sep 4th 2016 - Gospel MovementJake Box1 Thessalonians 1:1-3, 8-9; Acts 17:1-10. People respond strongly to hearing the Gospel. The Apostle Paul's mission trips in his lifetime demonstrate the same strong reactions that people give today to hearing the Gospel.
Aug 28th 2016 - Gospel SaturationJake BoxNehemiah 1-2; Habakuk 2:14; John 7:38. Vision is a clear picture of what could be fueled by a conviction that it should be. God's vision for the Earth is Gospel saturation personally, locally, and globally. In this message you'll hear the three and five year plan of the church and how our mission aligns with God's vision for the Earth.
Aug 21st 2016 - The Platinum RuleJake BoxMost everyone has heard of the Golden Rule which is to treat others the way you want to be treated. This week we upgrade that rule and focus on what the Bible says about treating others the way Jesus treated them.
Aug 14th 2016 - MoneyJustin ChristopherMoney is mentioned in over 2300 verses in the Bible and Jesus preaches on money in more than 15% of his recorded teachings. Money is morally neutral but is one of the greatest indicators of where our hearts are. The Bible offers an abundance of guidance on the topic of money and how we as Christians need to interact with it.
Aug 7th 2016 - GenerosityJake BoxGenerosity comes in many forms. Â Giving of your time, talent, and treasure is something we're all called to do as Christians. Â When we sow generously, we reap generously. Â We may not reap the way we expect to but the Lord is faithful to those who give.
Jul 31st 2016 - EternityJake BoxThe Bible is love story that starts with a divorce and ends with a wedding. This week Jake walks us through a look at the difficult book of Revelation and the prophecy of the end times that ultimately leads to Christianity's union with the Lord.  Revelation can be looked at in four distinct sections: 1. Letters to the Seven Churches(Ch. 2-3; a warning and a promise) 2. Tribulation (Ch. 4-19) 3. Millennial Kingdom (Ch. 20 part 1) 4.  Great White Thrown Judgement.
Jul 24th 2016 - MissionsJake Box A 30,000ft look at the gospel spreading missions of the disciples.
Jul 10th 2016 - The GospelsJake BoxA 30,000ft look at the first four books of the New Testament. Â Tips on how to study the Gospels: 1) Each Gospel account stands alone. 2) Each Gospel was written from the view point of its author with a specific audience in mind. Â The Gospel's Big Picture Significance comes in two ways: 1) The entire Old Testament pointed to Jesus. 2) Jesus lived, died, and rose again to save us and renew the world.
Jul 3rd 2016 - The Silent PeriodJake BoxApproximately 400 years passed between the end of the final book of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Â What happened during that time period and what can we learn from it?
Jun 12th 2016 - Poetical BooksPoetical BooksJob, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon.  Jamie Trussell.  A 30,000ft view of the books of the poetical books of the bible.
May 29th 2016 - Joshua and JudgesJoshua and JudgesJoshua, Judges. Â Jake Box. Â A 30,000ft view of the books of Joshua and Judges leading into Ruth.
May 22nd 2016 - ExodusExodusExodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. Â Justin Christopher. Â A 30,000 foot look at the Israelites journey from enslavement and captivity in ancient Egypt through the desert and into the promised land.
May 15th 2016 - GenesisJamie TrussellGenesis 1-12, 15. Â A look at Genesis from a 30,000ft view outlining creation, the fall of man, the first proclamation of the coming of Christ, the lineage of Seth, story of Noah, and Abraham.
May 1st 2016 - The Truth That Sets Us FreeJake BoxJohn 8:31-32, 36. What is the truth that sets us free? Jesus Christ is that truth and we get to know him by: 1) Spending time with Him. 2) Spending time with others that know Him. 3) Seeking His presence when reviewing our day. 4) Depending on Him. Â How does knowing the truth set us free? It sets us free by: 1) Freeing us from the penalty of sin(Romans 3:22-24). 2) Freeing us from the power of sin(Titus 2:11-12, Romans 12:2). 3) Eventually setting us free from the presence of sin(1 John 3:2). Â When confronting sin in your life the following are some helpful questions to walk through: 1) What is it I am doing? 2) What am I believing? 3)What is the truth? 4) What do I believe? 5) What will I do?
Apr 17th 2016 - God is Gracious (1)Jamie TrussellRomans 3: 19-26. Â Earning someone's love can be exhausting. Â Likewise, the actions and characteristics we require of others to give them our love differ from person to person. Â God's love is unique in that it is impossible for us to earn by our own actions and has in turn been given freely and perfectly to each of us if we only believe. Â Referenced verses: Galatians 3:23-24, Zachariah 3.
Apr 10th 2016 - God is GoodJake BoxJohn 10:11-15. When tragedy, pain, and suffering occur how can we know that God is still good? Â This week's message provides insight into how our God is still an infinitely good God. Â Because God is good, he suffered. Â Because God is good, we do not suffer in vain. Â And finally, because God is good, I don't have to look elsewhere. Â Referenced verses: John 8:31-32, James 1:16-17, Psalms 119:68.
Apr 3rd 2016 - God is GreatJake BoxMark 4:35-5:43. Â In the first message of this five part series the question is asked: Do you really believe God is great? Â In many examples throughout the Bible God is seen as all powerful(omnipotent), all knowing(omniscient) and in control(sovereign). Â His power is shown over the natural world, the supernatural world, life and death, and sickness and health. Â How then can we better understand this and adopt this to our way of knowing and seeing Him in our lives? Â Referenced verses: John 8:31-32, Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28.
Mar 27th 2016 - Why An Empty Tomb?Jake BoxThe Book of John. Â This Easter Sunday message focuses on Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus and their role throughout Christ's life and death.
Mar 13th 2016 - Humility, God's Care and The DevilJamie Trussell1 Peter 5:6-13. The end of Peter's letter exhorts us to humble ourselves, giving to Him our worries and anxieties because He so deeply cares for and desires for us to be in close relation with Him.  Referenced verses: Isaiah 41, 46; Romans 4, 6.
Mar 6th 2016 - Honoring the Chief ShepherdJake Box1 Peter 5:1-5.  Church Elders play a pertinent role in the life of the church.  They are called to: 1) Shepherd the flock among them. 2) Exercise oversight. 3) Be examples to the flock.  This message and passage also relate how the church is to relate to the Elders and to each other. Referenced verses: Heb 13:17, John 10: 11, 18. Midtown Church also extends a warm congratulations to Shelby Sementelli on her baptism.
Feb 28th 2016 - Suffering from being a ChristianJamie Trussell1 Peter 4:12-19. Peter addresses the suffering that we can expect in life simply by proclaiming to follow Christ. Referenced scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-7, Romans 8, Luke 9, Ezekiel 9, Malachi 3.
Feb 21st 2016 - Living SaneJake BoxLove one another. Show hospitality to one another. Serve one another. This passage explores these three tenets that Peter calls us to live by. Â In the wake of the passing of one of Midtown's core partners, Sue Gibson Wright, we remember a life richly lived where these principles were exemplified.
Feb 14th 2016 - Loving Without Hypocrisy1 Peter 4:7-11. First Peter is a New Testament letter that exhorts us to stand firm in the true grace of God. Â This letter helps Christians see how God's transformative grace practically plays out as they seek to live faithful and loving lives regardless of their cultural surroundings.
Dec 13th 2015 - For and FromJamie TrussellContinuing in a series titled With: Evaluating the way we relate to God and based on the passage by Luke 15:11-31. Presented by Jamie Trussell on December 13, 2015.
Dec 6th 2015 - With - 2Jake BoxSecond in a series titled With: Evaluating the way we relate to God..
Oct 25th 2015 - Jesus: Friend of SinnersJustin ChristopherPart of the Love Where You Live series, Justin Christopher presented Jesus: Friend of Sinners on October 25, 2015. It is based on the passage from Matthew 9:9-13.
Oct 18th 2015 - Value Your NeighborJake BoxPart of the Love Where You Live series, Jake Box presented Value Your Neighbor on October 18, 2015. It is based on the passage from Jonah 4.
Oct 11th 2015 - Love Your NeighborJamie TrussellPart of the Love Where You Live series, Jamie Trussell presented Love Your Neighbor on October 11, 2015. It is based on the passage from Luke 10:25-29
Sep 27th 2015 - Together as PriestsJamie TrussellContinuing the Standing in Grace series, Jamie Trussell presented Together as Priests on September 27, 2015. It is based on the passage from 1 Peter 2:4-10.
Sep 20th 2015 - Hunger to LoveJake BoxJake Box presented Hunger to Love on September 20, 2015. No recording is available.
Aug 30th 2015 - Ongoing Resurrection RealityJamie TrussellJamie Trussell presented Ongoing Resurrection Reality on August 30, 2015. It is based on the passage from 1 Peter 1:1-5
Aug 23rd 2015 - The Joy of a New ChapterJake BoxCelebrating the combination of Hill Country Bible Church Central and Midtown Church Austin, The Joy of a New Chapter was presented by Jake Box on August 23rd, 2015. Based on John 2:1-11
Aug 16th 2015 - Becoming OneJake BoxFrom the series John: That You May Believe. Becoming One is based on John 17:20-23 and was presented by Jake Box on August 16, 2015.
Aug 9th 2015 - Growth in ChristJake BoxFrom the series John: That You May Believe. Growth in Christ is based on John 15:1-11 and was presented by Jake Box on August 9, 2015.
Aug 2nd 2015 - The Great LifeJake BoxFrom the series John: That You May Believe. The Great Life is based on John 13 and was presented by Jake Box on August 2, 2015.
Jul 26th 2015 - The Wisdom of JesusJake BoxFrom the series John: That You May Believe. The Wisdom of Jesus is based on John 8:1-11 was presented by Jake Box on July 26, 2015
Jul 19th 2015 - Wisdom: How to Live ItJake BoxThird in the series Wisdom in Life, Wisdom: How to Live It is based on Proverbs 4:5-9, 14-27 and was presented by Jake Box on July 19, 2015
Jul 12th 2015 - Wisdom: How to Get ItJake BoxSecond in the series Wisdom in Life, Wisdom: How to Get It is based on Proverbs 3:1-12 and was presented by Jake Box on July 12, 2015
Jul 5th 2015 - Wisdom: What Is It?Jake BoxFirst in the series Wisdom in Life, Wisdom: What Is It? is based on Proverbs 1:1-9, 32-33 and was presented by Jake Box on July 5, 2015
Jun 21st 2015 - The Gift of the Holy SpiritAdam BrunsonFrom the series John: That You May Believe. The Gift of the Holy Spirit,based on John 7, was presented by Adam Brunson on June 21, 2015.
Jun 14th 2015 - Bread of LifeJustin ChristopherFrom the series John: That You May Believe. Bread of Life, based on John 7:25-71, was presented by Justin Christopher on June 14, 2015
Jun 7th 2015 - Lord of the StormJake BoxFrom the series John: That You May Believe. Lord of the Storm based on John 6:16-21 was presented by Jake Box on June 7, 2015
May 31st 2015 - Agreeing with Jesus about the BibleAdam BrunsonIn the series on John - That You May Believe. Adam Brunson presented Agreeing with Jesus about the Bible on May 31, 2015. Based on John 5:31-47.
May 24th 2015 - A Life Changing MissionJake BoxSeventh in a series titled Life Changing. A Life-Changing Mission based on Matthew 4:18-20, 28:16-20 was presented by Jake Box on May 24, 2015.
May 17th 2015 - A Change of Identity - Part 3Jake BoxSixth in a series titled Life Changing. A Change of Identity – Part 3  based on John 20:21-22 and Acts 1:8 was presented by Jake Box on May 17, 2015
May 10th 2015 - A Change of Identity - Part 2Jake BoxFifth in a series titled Life Changing. A Change of Identity – Part 2 based on Philippians 2:1-11 was presented by Jake Box on May 10, 2015
May 3rd 2015 - A Change of Identity - Part 1Jake BoxFourth in a series titled Life Changing.  A Change of Identity - Part 1 based on Matthew 28:16-20 was presented by Jake Box on May 3, 2015
Apr 26th 2015 - The Backwards ProcessJake BoxThird in a series titled Life Changing. The Backwards Process was presented by Jake Box on April 26, 2015.
Apr 19th 2015 - A Life-Changing PurposeJake BoxSecond in a series titled Life Changing. A Life-Changing Purpose was presented by Jake Box on April 19, 2015
Mar 29th 2015 - Ruth 4Jake BoxFourth in a series titled The Power of Loyal Love based on the book of Ruth. Ruth 4 was presented by Jake Box on March 29, 2015
Mar 22nd 2015 - Ruth 3Justin ChristopherThird in a series titled The Power of Loyal Love based on the book of Ruth. Ruth 3 was presented by Justin Christopher on March 22, 2015
Mar 15th 2015 - Ruth 2Justin ChristopherSecond in a series titled The Power of Loyal Love based on the book of Ruth. Favor and Notice was presented by Justin Christopher on March 15, 2015
Mar 8th 2015 - Ruth 1Jake BoxFirst in a series titled The Power of Loyal Love based on the book of Ruth. Providence and Promises was presented by Jake Box on March 8, 2015
Mar 1st 2015 - Pivotal CircumstancesAdam BrunsonSixth in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Pivotal Circumstances was presented by Adam Brunson on March 1, 2015
Feb 22nd 2015 - Personal MinistryJake BoxFifth in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Personal Ministry was presented by Jake Box on February 22, 2015.
Feb 15th 2015 - Providential RelationshipsJake BoxFourth in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Providential Relationships was presented by Jake Box on February 15, 2015
Feb 8th 2015 - Private DisciplinesJake BoxThird in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Private Disciplines was presented by Jake Box on February 8, 2015
Feb 1st 2015 - Practical Biblical TeachingJake BoxSecond message in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Jake Box presented Practical Biblical Teaching based on Matthew 7:24-29 on February 1, 2015 at Midtown Church Austin.
Jan 18th 2015 - What God Wants to Grow in UsJake BoxFirst message in the series titled Grow: The Nature of Discipleship, Jake Box presented What God Wants to Grow in Us on January 18, 2015 at Midtown Church Austin
