Church Of The City New York

This Sunday we heard from guest Pastor Ralph Castillo, who admonished us to root God’s power in our hearts through patience, long-suffering, and joy as we continue our series in Colossians with “The Power You Long For.” If we earnestly seek His power, we can praise the Lord in the midst of any trial, because we will be able to see His fruit in our lives; His kingdom, our redemption, and the forgiveness of all our sins.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Summer sermon series on Colossians with "The Good News You Long For." The gospel of Jesus still holds power in our time because it's a message that explains our current reality and condition and transforms our lives, addressing profound questions about the world and ourselves. We as the church are called to build an authentic community of love that bears good fruit and sees the story of Jesus spread throughout the world.  

This Sunday, Pastor Jon kicked off our Summer sermon series called “The Life You Long For”.  Pastor Jon set up the context of the book of Colossians and revealed that Paul wrote it with the purpose of reminding and encouraging the church at Colossae that they need to be faithful to Jesus above all else, because He is the only one who can bring true freedom, maturity, and community.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon closed out our Unexpected Jesus Series by teaching on the unexpected change we can experience when we encounter Jesus. By laying down the pursuit of external righteousness, and instead going to Jesus with a broken spirit and contrite heart, the grace of God can render deep, noticeable change in our hearts and our lives.

This Sunday, Pastor Ashley took an in depth look of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well, and revealed how His example of unexpected inclusion led to intimate revelation of the gospel and widespread revival.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon pointed us to Jesus’ unexpected faithfulness in the face of criticism, cultural pressures, disappointments, and suffering. He reminded us that as Jesus’ disciples we must follow His lead, not losing the nerve to stand apart or hearts that freely love through seasons of hardship.

UNEXPECTED PEACE - This Sunday, Pastor SUZY preached through the story of Jesus calming the storm and ushering in unexpected peace in the midst of fear. She encouraged us to learn from the disciples, and instead look to Jesus with eyes of faith, trusting that He is who He says He is, and that His heat and plan are always good.

UNEXPECTED VISITATION - This past Sunday, guest Pastor Rafael Castillo preached about the power behind the resurrected Jesus’ encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. He taught that, like He did for these disciples, Jesus can defy our expectations, bring revelation, inspire a spirit of hospitality, and set a fresh fire in our hearts.

NO QUID PRO QUO - This Sunday Pastor Dr. Bryan Loritts, called on us to follow the command of Jesus to give up our rights, love our enemies, and be reconciled to each other.

UNEXPECTED EXTRAVAGANCE - This past Sunday, Pastor OLIVIA preached about Mary of Bethany pouring out a year's worth of wages onto Jesus' s feet. Just like King David before her, Mary became undignified before the Lord, washing His feet with her hair and sitting on the floor to listen to Him speak, all because she was able to recognize the presence of God and the beautiful opportunity she had to worship Him.

UNEXPECTED KINGDOM: This past Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson kicked off the Unexpected Jesus series by exploring Jesus as an unexpected king bringing about a new kingdom, and challenged us to reorient ourselves toward the true Gospel.

SIN: FALLING SHORT - This Sunday, as we enter into Holy Week, Pastor Suzy preached on sin as falling short of God's perfection, by reflecting on Jesus's suffering in the garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion. While many of us may want to skip from Palm Sunday straight to the victory of Easter, Holy Week is an invitation for us to look at our sin, recognize everything it cost Jesus to forgive and to redeem us, and enter into his suffering with him.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about lawlessness — an utter disregard for God and his laws. Lawlessness manifests as rebellion and causes devastation, not fulfillment, keeping us from being apostles of love and instead dragging us into the world's toxic, selfish culture.

SIN: ADULTERY - This past Sunday, Pastor Ashley preached on sin as adultery. Adultery can be defined as not only violating a law, but also as breaching our relationship with the God who loves us enough to tolerate no other lovers in our lives. Just like the Israelites, we can fall into the sin of adultery in three ways: 1) distrusting God; 2) not sharing in God's purpose; and 3) forgetting God's faithfulness. Even though we still break His covenant today, God has paved a path of mercy and restoration for us through the life of Jesus and the price He paid on the cross.

SIN: IDOLATRY - This past Sunday, Pastor Olivia preached on how idolatry can creep deep into our hearts without us even knowing something has become an idol until we actually sin. If we are not careful to guard and examine our hearts, our impatience with the Lord can lead us into idolatry, which can then lead to immorality and consequently, independence from God.

SIN AS REBELLION: This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our sin series, defining sin as rebellion against God and as sovereignty of the self. The same lies that Adam and Eve believed in Genesis 3 still haunt us today, but God pursues, covers, and restores us, just as He did for them. It is only through His divine mercy and Jesus's death and resurrection that we can be more than conquerors of sin.    

SIN: AN OVERVIEW - This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy dove into the topic of sin, how it affects us, and why it's so insidious. Identifying sin is the first step in understanding the gravity of Jesus's sacrifice.    

CREATIVE MINORITY: PARTICIPATION - This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about the importance of the way we as Christians participate in our culture. We must show up in hard places with the presence of Jesus Christ and welcome the vulnerable to push against the darkness with light and faith.

This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy challenged us to ponder what we do when our narratives, ethics and practices as Christ-followers come into conflict with the many authorities of the world. She exhorted us to remember that as Christ-followers, our one true allegiance is to God, and when we live as a creative minority and choose to be exiles, we can be light in dark places, in the world but not of it.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about examining our own tangible practices as we continue to develop into the likeness of Jesus. We can continue to form as disciples by developing our practices of abiding in Jesus, discerning where He wants us to move, and interceding on behalf of others privately and publicly.