Messages

A message from the series “Upside Down.” Pastor Christian highlights transformative personal growth within the Philippian church, illustrated through the conversions of key figures like Lydia, a demon-possessed girl, and the jailer. Through the stories of Paul and Silas, who exhibited genuine faith during imprisonment, Pastor Christian emphasizes the significance of discipleship, prayer, and community outreach in fostering deep relationships with Jesus and responding to spiritual calls. The message encourages congregation members to take active steps in their faith journey, participate in church programs like Growth Track, groups, and embrace opportunities for service, while underscoring the collective impact of individual transformations on the wider community.

A message from the series “Upside Down.” In the sermon “Handling Hard Things,” Pastor Christian addresses various themes centered around conflict resolution, spiritual growth , and church unity, drawing insights from Acts chapter 15. Throughout the sermon, he highlights the necessity of maturely navigating conflicts, especially within the church, as early Christians grappled with significant questions about salvation and doctrine. Emphasizing the importance of consensus on core beliefs while encouraging “gracious curiosity” on secondary matters, he promotes respectful dialogue over divisive debates. Pastor Christian reflects on the messy nature of ministry, underscoring God’s continued work amid human imperfections. He concludes with a focus on individual and communal spiritual journeys, urging listeners to prioritize relationships and embrace the ongoing growth of their faith.

A message from the series “Upside Down.” Pastor Christian discusses the church’s various care groups on Monday Nights designed to support congregants facing personal challenges. The sermon highlights the challenges Christians face in expressing their faith amidst societal opposition, reflecting on the internal struggles of fear and insecurity. Pastor Christian emphasizes the significance of General Revelation and Common Grace, illustrating how God’s blessings touch everyone and that true faith involves personal transformation through Jesus. He stresses the importance of church involvement and encouraging faith conversations at home, particularly among parents and grandparents, to nurture the spiritual growth of younger generations. The speaker introduces a new family discipleship approach that includes practical resources for fostering dialogue about faith, along with a catechism project aimed at deepening understanding of core faith principles. Additionally, they urge parents to share their faith experiences openly with their children and encourage attendees to reflect on their familial faith journeys as the new year of ministry approaches. Closing with a prayer of gratitude and a call for support during the week of prayer, the speaker expresses hope for future connections within the church community and a safe winter season for all.

A message from the series “The Story of Hope.” Pastor Christian reflects on Jesus’ role as salvation for the broken, urging individuals to acknowledge their need for God during a season often marked by loneliness and grief. He discuss the importance of rituals in spiritual growth, advocate for regular church attendance, and highlight the value of prayer and commitment to one’s faith. Stories, such as the, moment of a widow finding joy amidst loneliness, are shared to emphasize the message of hope and companionship that Jesus offers. Ultimately, the service encourages everyone to embrace faith, actively seek a deeper relationship with God, and consider the transformative power of recognizing their need for a Savior during the Christmas season.

A message from the series “Standalone Messages.” Pastor Garrett Lahey shares a message on drifting away spiritually and returning back to shore. He asks the audience to think of 2024 and reflect on if they have drifted from God and have not realized it. He shares a personal story about drifting form shore on a lake and how hard he worked to return to family and friends at the shore. He shares that all it takes to to begin your way back to God is to start with prayer. Pastor Garrett shares tips as we enter into 2025 on how to get back to God and reinvigorating your spiritual life.

A message from the series “The Story of Hope.” Pastor Christian emphasizes the significance of Advent in the current series “The Story of Hope,” exploring themes of peace, hope, love, and joy through a relationship with Jesus, while also reflecting on the darker aspects of the Christmas narrative, such as the slaughter of infants depicted in Matthew Chapter 2. This sets the stage for a broader discussion on Israel’s past suffering during Babylonian exile and God’s promise of restoration, articulated through the prophecies of Jeremiah that point to a New Covenant established by Jesus. The message highlights the importance of living authentically as followers of Christ and accepting His grace for transformation. Ultimately, the sermon transitions into a reflection on the Last Supper, celebrating Christ’s perfect sacrifice that brings forgiveness and hope, while concluding with an invitation to upcoming Christmas services and a prayer for blessings.

A message from the series “The Story of Hope.” Pastor Christian continues to walk through the book of Matthew, leading to the birth of Jesus. In this week’s sermon, he compares the Old Testament story of Mosses being a rescued baby who would rescue a Nation to Jesus, a rescued baby who would rescue the world. Pastor Christian reminds us of how much God loves us and demonstrates that through the rescuing of both babies. God continues to reach out to broken and rebellious people. This is His heart, that God would save a baby in order to save the world and He would allow His Son to go to the cross because of how much He loves the world.

A message from the series “The Story of Hope.” Pastor Christian continues in our series on “The Story of Hope.” He reminds us of God’s peace even in troubled times and challenge us to be better than King Herod, who only looked to the Bible in times of trouble. Pastor Christian shares that Jesus is ruler but also a shepherd to his people. He concludes the message by asking three challenging questions: 1. Jesus is King but is he your king?; 2. Jesus is Priest but is he your priest?; 3. Jesus died in place of sinners, did he die in your place?

A message from the series “The Story of Hope.” Pastor Christian explores themes of hope and community during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. He humorously addresses the complexities of family gatherings while emphasizing the church’s commitment to serving those in need through initiatives like delivering Thanksgiving meals and organizing Christmas adoptions. Transitioning into a new Christmas series, he discusses the genealogies in the Book of Genesis and their significance in revealing God’s plan, culminating in the hope embodied in Jesus Christ. Pastor Christian highlights the prophetic messages in Isaiah regarding Jesus, underlining God’s constant grace and invitation for trust even in times of doubt. He articulates the importance of the Advent season in recognizing the past, present, and future roles of Jesus, and encourages attendees to embrace hope amidst struggles. He also promotes the upcoming Christmas services at Journey Church International as opportunities for community engagement and outreach, culminating in a call to prayer and seeking hope through faith in Jesus.

A message from the series “Global Impact Sunday.” Cyrus Mad-Bondo joined us this Sunday to remind us of the great commission. He reminded us that the Lord wants us to simultaneously the Gospel with those in our community and all the nations not sequentially. We do not wait until everyone in our community knows Jesus before going to all the nations to share Jesus. He also reminded us that ministry is messy and requires us to give up comfort to reach those for the Gospel. Cyrus challenged all of us to Pray. Give. Go.