Mission Church: Teaching Podcast

No matter who you are and no matter what you did last week or last night, there is a God-given purpose for you. But, contrary to cultural belief, your purpose is for you but it is not about you. The life Jesus lived and modeled was not an inward-focused, inward-facing kind of life. And ours shouldn't be either.

Your perspective is how you see and interpret the world around you. Simply put, it's what you look most intensely at. Just like Moses, we need to look back at the faithfulness of God and then move forward in faith. You get to choose what you "most intensely look at". Will you look at the faithfulness of God or the brokenness of this world?

The definition of perseverance is, "a continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition." Moses persevered. In order for you to move forward, you have to do the same. Pain is transmitted into bitterness or transformed into perseverance. The choice is yours, which will you choose?

We are relational beings made in the image of a relational Creator. That's why we believe that the way forward is in with people. We know, you might be saying, "But people are crazy! I'm better off alone." While that might be true, or maybe the "easy" way, it's not how we were created to live.

When Moses was desperate to know the way forward, we read in Exodus that he went up the mountain to God. Now, there aren't any mountains in Illinois, but that doesn't mean that we can't go up. If we want to go forward, we have to first go higher.

How do you move forward when there is neither a path nor precedent? The good news is that there is a way forward. The bad news is that you have to willingly follow the guide. We are in the middle of a disciple making moment and this message is a challenge to all of us who call ourselves Christians to ask the question: "Am I a disciple?"

Persistence in anything while living in today's instant and on-demand culture should be admired. There's nothing wrong with 'instant' of course, however, it can cloud our perception of so many things that still require, well, time. The final parable in this series applies this thought on persistence to a simple story about an unjust judge, a feisty widow, and a God who loves us and longs to hear our voices.

You have a purpose; to be salt and light to the world around you. We lost you at "salt" and "light" didn't we? Well, it's more of an analogy used by Jesus to help us understand our intended function as humans. But HOW? How do we become what we're meant to be? You've got to be in Christ, in community, and on mission. Tune in as we unpack this crucial parable!

What is love? Sorry, we know that question just dropped Haddaway's 90's tune into your brain, but try to stick with us! Seriously, how do you define love? The answer to this profound question is, not surprisingly, found in a parable Jesus shared about a father whose son had shattered their family bond beyond repair. What else can we say? It's up to you... to press play.

Ownership. When you read that word, what comes to mind? The home you own? Your car? That sweet Pokémon trading card collection you still have? The question we're looking at today is, "What do you do with what you've been GIVEN?" Here's the thing, according to Jesus, EVERYTHING we "own" has been given to us by God. Thankfully we don't have to figure out what to do by ourselves. There's a parable, Jesus uses to shed light on how we are to steward what God has so generously blessed each of us with.

The Parable of the Sower has less to do with dirt and more to do with the condition of our hearts. The master storyteller, Jesus, positions four different types of soil as the competing receptivity levels in our hearts to the Gospel of grace. So, what kind of heart is beating in your chest? Let's dig around in the dirt and find out!

Stories are approachable. They just are. From bedtime favorites to page-turning bestsellers, everyone can get on board with a story. Maybe that's why Jesus chose simple stories (or parables) as his preferred method of teaching? And here's the thing; these simple stories are layered with profound meaning. Meaning that can help unlock a way of living you may have only read about in... well, stories.

Dudes, this ones for you! Tune in as Co-Founding Pastors Jon Peacock and Tommy Bowman, along with Dan Ruta sit down for a candid conversation on how “acting like men” doesn’t necessarily mean you have to order all the bacon when you’re at a restaurant. (Although that’s not a horrible idea!)

We've all heard the cliché, "I'll pray for you." at some point in our lives. (If you haven't, don't worry, it won't be long.) However well-intentioned, we think it's safe to guess the mental response to this simple sentence goes something like this: "No you won't. And if you do, what is that really gonna do for me?" Well, the Book of James comes to a stunning conclusion as we're confronted with two words that most wouldn't associate with prayer: powerful and effective. Now we're talking! Or, uh... praying?

There's a war within us that is raging. The struggle between what we want, how to get it, and where God is leading us. Like a boxer in a ring, we need to learn the correct stance to experience victory in our lives. Oh, and, it's not the left-hook you're expecting.

Sticks and stones. We'd probably all agree that they can bruise. But when it comes to words "never hurting" we're gonna have to disagree. Seriously though, words have so much power! In fact, the writer of the book of James (Whose name is... James.) felt compelled to give three different word-pictures in an effort to help us truly grasp their impact. So, quiet down for just a few minutes, and let's all learn how to speak life into the world around us.

It's time to take a look at one of the most controversial passages in all of the Bible; James 2:14-26. It's the apparent war between faith and good works. Which one wins? Which is more important? What about Romans 5:1? Is the Bible contradicting itself? Let's get some answers; shall we?

James may be a short book however, it's packed with application and intensity for a people who needed guidance in the midst of suffering and setbacks. It's to this group of people the author James writes these shocking words... "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds..." -James 1:2 Wait. What??? Yeah, hold up James. How can you say that? Let's find out as we kick off our time in the book of James!

It's Mother's Day at Mission and we can't wait for you to hear our very own Connections Director, Jackie Glass share her heart on what "One Thing" Jesus has for all of us to focus on. Watch along with the special lady in your life on this very different, and maybe even extra meaningful Mother's Day.

It's hard to deny that there is a lot coming at us in this season of life. Kinda sounds like this, "Do this. Don't do that. Things are looking great! Things are looking bleak... Wait, never-mind!" It's like we're in the wilderness with voices shouting at us from all directions vying for our undivided attention. But what if there was just one voice that God is patiently waiting for us to tune into? The One who knows what we need at all times. The One finds those lost in the wilderness and who whispers to those that are listening.