Rise City Church Podcast

Most of us recognize and understand the evil in this world, but do we truly understand the enormous power of the Cross? The cross is everywhere, and it seems so simple — it's how Jesus died, but what happened when he was hung there? The cross is packed with enormous power that makes us no longer dead in sin, but alive in Christ. So how do you battle spiritually for your life? How do you engage against the evil that you come against constantly? Join us as Pastor Nolan walks us through Colossians 2 to show us that we are not made to fight the battle, but to stand on the finished work of Christ. This is Christus Victor in Week 01 of What's the Point of the Cross?

When you think of your relationship with God do you feel like you are pouring out your all for Him? Are there areas of your life that you’ve kept to yourself? In this last week in the series Worthy, Pastor Nolan leads us through Luke 7, a story of a woman that defied culture and religiosity to give Jesus everything she had - her safety, her dignity, her money… her everything. Join us as we are compelled to ask, what can we give to the God who outpoured all He had for us?

Work. Just hearing that word do you cringe? Do you hate the thought of hustling for 40 hours a week, and long for the weekend? Do you live with the mindset that you work to live instead of live to work? What if that was flipped on its head? What if you woke up each morning hungry for the day ahead? This week, Pastor Jason walks us through a Theology of Work. He shows us that God gave us work not as a curse, but as a blessing. Through the Gospel, Jesus has redeemed work. Join us as we walk through this transformative message.

Does it sometimes feel like God is far away? Do you feel like He is out of reach? The truth is that God is not absent. His presence is fully here — with you, right now. God is not constrained by time or space. So why don't we feel Him? In Week 05 of Worthy, Pastor Jason walks us through a theology of Presence. We see that it's not about God’s lack of presence... it's about our awareness of His presence, fully with us at all times, in all situations. Join us as we become more aware of Him — in our work, our worship, and our prayer.

What is worship? Is it something we do only on Sundays? Worship is not about being a weekend warrior for Christ, but a daily way of walking. Listen in as Pastor Nolan calls us to walk out our worship by redeeming the time and walking in God's will. But how do we do that? Only by the constant filling of the Holy Spirit as outlined in Ephesians 5. More importantly, why do we walk this way? Because only God is Worthy of our worship.

Have you gotten numb or apathetic toward God and the Gospel? What is it that moves people to praise and celebrate Him? In this week’s installment to Worthy, our worship series, we see that truth leads to worship or theology leads to doxology. What is a doxology? This concept has the power to change our lives. Listen to this week’s teaching from Pastor Nolan, and see why we should be moved by and towards Jesus.

We are all worshippers. Maybe it's the worship of wealth or status or maybe your body or yourself, but no matter the focus, we all worship... because God created us to worship. He created us to be people that turn our eyes, lift our hands, and bow down in worship. But the only worship that is life-giving, glory-bearing, and is truly good is to God alone because only He is Worthy! This week Pastor Jason opens up the Word and walks us through three postures of worship. We are called to move from spectators to participators in this sermon, Posture. Join us as we see that God created us for worship and speaks that over our lives all throughout scripture.

Are you a worshipper? Whether you know it or not you are worshipping something or somebody - every day, every moment, every minute - with your whole life. We are all worshipping. So what happens when you encounter God's glory? Can you explain it? Can you define it? Not really... but you can experience it. When you experience the weight of God's glory it immediately elicits worship to Him. But, when we sin we defame God's glory, and break the relationship that allows us to experience Him. So, how do we stand in God's glory despite our sin? Through the grace of Jesus. His love washes us clean, so we can experience the Glory of God. Join us as we start a new series, Worthy, and Scott opens us up to this week, Glory.

In this last week of Never Too Far Gone, we look at the life of Peter. He's probably one of the last people you think of as being too far gone, but he made decisions that he believed, dismissed him from his calling and his relationship with Jesus. He denied Jesus not once, not twice, but three times. But Jesus, in His grace, calls Peter to Come to the Shore. Join us as Pastor Jason opens John 21, as we see Jesus not only offer redemption, but he restores Peter and recommissions him. This isn't a story just about Peter, this is a story about us. Listen to the life of Peter.

Who would you consider too far gone for God? A friend, coworker, neighbor, family member, you? This week we meet a man who epitomizes being too far gone: Saul. Saul was a persecutor of the church until he had a powerful encounter with Jesus. In this teaching, Pastor Nolan walks us through what happens when God grabs Saul’s life, and what can happen when Jesus shows up in our lives as well. What could God do in and through you? Listen in to learn more!

Have you ever run from God? This week we find not a prophetic hero but a prophet on the run from God’s call on his life. Maybe you’ve been there? God is calling you to forgive, to step out of your comfort zone, or to step into an adventure for Him. But like Jonah, too many of us run the other way. This week exploring the life of Jonah, Scott shows us why turning away from our own will, sin, and temptations is not just necessary but deeply worth the cost. God invites into so much more: Himself. Listen to the full message to find out more!

Have you ever felt like your soul was stained? When have you had blood on your hands? We’ve all felt guilt sink our souls. In this week’s message, we meet a man named David whose life fell apart after one bad decision. There was a big gap between his public reputation and his private character. Have you been there? What can be done? In this passage, we find hope. God wants to meet you in the darkest place and draw you into new life. Listen in as Pastor Nolan explores the life of David in this week’s teaching Blood On Your Hands.

Have you ever felt like your failures were following you? Like you’ve lost your calling? This week we step into a story like that. Moses, the “biblical hero” was first a failure of biblical proportions. Moses’ failures drove him into hiding but the God of redemption called him out of the desert. Through Moses' journey from collapse to calling, pastor Jason casts a vision for you too to experience forgiveness, come out of hiding, and step into your calling today.

Why should anyone follow Jesus? Maybe you’ve wondered if there’s a God. Maybe you’ve been on the fence. Maybe you need a refreshing reminder of His power and worth. In this teaching, Pastor Nolan explores 3 reasons for following Jesus. With so many loud voices demanding our allegiance today, we need to see why Jesus’ love cuts through the chaos, infuses life with meaning, fills us with a new power, and serves as the ONLY foundation for our lives.

As the world looks darker, many people are feeling either uncertain or increasingly trusting in political answers. But in this week’s teaching, we dive into what’s called an apocalyptic vision from the book of Daniel— a vision that pulls back the curtain of this reality and exposes what’s going on spiritually. We see teaching on the evil that lies behind not only the antichrist (yes, we just said that) but every anti-God world leader throughout history. In the midst of all that, we see that in our dark situation, there is still one singular hope: Jesus, his cross, and message. This idea has the power to radically change our city and our lives. Listen in to learn more!

Perhaps one of the most famous stories from the Bible is the story of Daniel in the lions' den. We all know how it ends — Daniel lasts through the night and is saved. But, do you know the story of Daniel as a young man who devoted himself to God? Do you know about the relentless courage he had with previous kings? Daniel was constantly challenged by the culture around him. For decades he lived in a place that wasn't his home, weren't his people, and didn't honor his God. One day, that challenge crosses the line, and Daniel has to make a choice — does he bend to the culture and mandates of the government or does he stand courageously in the face of opposition. Join us, as Pastor Jason leads us through the story of Daniel to see what righteous courage looks like and how it can be contagious even in the hardest circumstances.

The pressure and influence of culture invades your space. You can't help but read, hear, and see the culture around you. Sometimes you think of culture as a good thing, but what if God is calling you to a different narrative? What if God is asking you to be influenced by His Kingdom versus the world's culture? In Daniel 5, we read about two people. One is influenced by the culture — marked by pride, a thirst for power, greed, and lust. The other is an image-bearer of the Kingdom. Do you find yourself plagued by fear, insecurity, loneliness, and confusion? These are inward marks of culture-influence. But God has a better story in mind for you, a story that reveals His Kingdom. Join us as we learn from Nolan how Daniel navigates the harsh culture around him, and how we are called to live today.

The book of Daniel tells the story of a few young Hebrews that were exiled to Babylon, but right in the middle, we get a sneak peek into a conversation between God and King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. We see a man so filled with pride that he can't acknowledge the glory of God. The king gives us a picture of what it looks like to fail. Through this moment we get a glimpse of how our own pride and arrogance can lead to our failure, but God in His grace gives us warning signs, wisdom, and boundaries to help us walk in His will. But should you ignore them you may find yourself on the road to failure. Open up Daniel 4 with us as Pastor Jason walks us through what pride looks like and gives us practical wisdom to avoid failure and bring glory to God. Join us for Week 05 of You Were Made For These Times.

When Jesus died his disciples thought that all hope was lost. They were counting on him to be their conqueror over the challenges that they were currently facing. Easter Sunday is the hope that we all need. It takes our placement and assumed progress and tells us that it's all temporary, but the Good News that is Jesus Christ is the true hope that we need. Join us, as Jason takes us through the resurrection story in Luke 24 for this Easter Sunday.

Our culture has all sorts of ideas about how we should live and what we should believe, but a life rooted in Christ calls us to live differently. What do we do in the face of opposition? How do we stand our ground when it means losing what we care for? Conformity to Christ means contrast to the world. Nolan opens up Daniel 3 to show us how three men had to take a stand against culture. They risked their lives in a way that compels us to live differently today. Join us as we read through the fiery furnace, and walk out on the other side with tools to share your faith and stand in the face of conformity.