Ashworth Church - West Des Moines

Who do you say Jesus is? This week, guest speaker Mike Harder invites us to consider the question Jesus asked his disciples—and still asks us today. Drawing from John 17 and Colossians 1:15–20, Mike explores Jesus as the visible image of the invisible God, the one who holds all creation together and brings reconciliation through the cross. As we continue exploring the Nicene Creed, this message re...

It’s easy to remake God in our own image. Pastor Brent walks through the opening line of the Nicene Creed to ask who God actually says he is — Center, Control, Creative, and Care.

In a culture full of competing claims about what “real” Christianity looks like, we’re going back to the ancient words the whole church has confessed for 1,700 years. This week: unpacking the first three words of the Nicene Creed — We. Believe. In. — and why the shape of that phrase might matter as much as anything that follows it.

For six weeks, Jesus has invited us to come — to rest, to belong, to be fed, to receive his Spirit, to step out in faith. In this final message of the Invited series, that word changes. Jesus’ last words to his disciples aren’t “come,” but “go and make disciples.” We explore what it really means to make a disciple (hint: it’s not a class or a program), and how every invitation we’ve received is me...

Sometimes we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be, and it’s still hard. Pastor Brent looks at Peter’s request to walk on water and asks what invitations we’re willing to ask for in our own storms.

We’d rather figure it out ourselves than ask for help — even from God. Pastor Brent explores Jesus’ invitation to receive the Holy Spirit, and what we tend to reach for instead.

What does Jesus actually offer when he says “come”? In this message, we trace two invitations from John’s Gospel: Jesus standing at the Festival of Tabernacles declaring himself the source of living water, and Jesus meeting his disciples on a beach after the resurrection with breakfast already cooking. Together they show a Jesus who cares not just about the state of your soul, but the whole of you...

When the disciples tried to keep children away from Jesus, he became indignant and welcomed them with open arms. In a culture where children possessed little status or power, Jesus used them to reveal something essential about God’s kingdom: those whom the world considers unimportant are deeply important to God. Continuing the Invitations of Jesus series, this sermon examines what it means to rece...

Jesus invites everyone who is weary and burdened to come to Him and find rest. In this message from Matthew 11:25–30, we discover how exchanging the weight of performance and self-reliance for Jesus’ gentle, grace-filled way allows us to live more freely and lightly.

Jesus’s first invitation wasn’t to believe something — it was to follow him. Pastor Amy opens our new series Invited with the call of four fishermen, and what that same invitation means for us today.

The book of Joshua ends where the whole story began. At Shechem — the very spot where Abraham first built an altar in the Promised Land — an aging Joshua gathers Israel and retells their story, not as a list of their accomplishments but as a long record of God’s faithfulness: I took, I sent, I brought, I gave. Only after remembering does he put the question to them: choose this day whom you will s...

Guest speaker Rev. Augustine Mathur of Vishwa Vani Ministries in India encourages us through the example of John the Baptist—a life marked by clear calling, holiness, courageous truth, humility, and a wholehearted commitment to preparing others for Jesus. Drawing from Vishwa Vani’s 40-year ministry among unreached villages in India, this message reminds us that God can use faithful prayer, everyda...

In this message from our series The Other Side, Pastor Brent explores Joshua 8-9 and Israel’s rhythm of renewal after failure, what it means to discern the Lord’s voice in our decisions, and how — even through deception — God keeps turning outsiders into insiders.

After an incredible victory at Jericho, Israel suffers an unexpected and humiliating defeat at a small city named Ai. Why were they defeated? The sin and corruption of one individual affected their entire community. Listen as Pastor Brent dives into Joshua 7 in our continuation of The Other Side series.

The Bible is full of stories that can’t be easily explained. However, it’s okay to be uncomfortable. If we ever think we fully understand God, it isn’t the true God we’re understanding. Listen as Pastor Brent dives into an uncomfortable story from the book of Joshua: the battle of Jericho.

Listen as Pastor Stephen Wonbenyakeh, guest speaker, shares about the mission of Serve Africa and God’s heart for the most vulnerable of people.

The next chapter of our journey through the book of Joshua brings us to a memorial of stones. God wanted His people to remember what (and who!) brought them to this point in their journey. When we remember what God has done, we gain confidence for what God will do.

There are moments in life when we’ve prayed, weighed the options, and sought wisdom — and still have to make a decision without knowing how it all turns out. In Joshua 3, the Israelites find themselves at the Jordan River at flood stage. God doesn’t part the water first. He asks them to step in. In this message, we look at what it means to follow a God who goes before us into unknown territory, ho...

Moses is dead. The river is waiting. And Joshua has been here before. In the opening message of The Other Side, we sit with Joshua at the threshold and discover that the call to be strong and courageous isn’t a command to muster up more courage — it’s an invitation to let God’s presence become more real than the fear.

We conclude our series with another story — yours. You have a story to share, and it’s one of the best ways you can tell others about Jesus.

We conclude our series with another story — yours. You have a story to share, and it’s one of the best ways you can tell others about Jesus. Listen to this special message and spontaneous testimony from our Modern Service.

God’s faithfulness is found over the long haul. With more years and experience often comes more perspective of God’s goodness. Listen as Pastor Amy expounds upon another testimony from our community, focusing on the faith and hope that comes from the difficulties of life.

“There’s no amount of being lost that is not findable for God.” Do we believe that statement when we’re in the midst of some of the most dark moments of life? Listen to this powerful message from Pastor Brent about God’s grace in the most impossible of situations.

How can we be people who receive God’s grace rather than trying to earn it — people who understand that God cares more about who we are than what we produce? Listen as Pastor Brent shares about our misguided desire to perform and earn God’s favor through the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke.

What if it’s in the waiting that the greatest transformation can occur — where we can experience God in ways we might not otherwise? In a culture focused on efficiency and entitlement, waiting can sometimes feel impossible. But, waiting is a part of the story of God. From the story of Abram and Sarah in Genesis to our own waiting for Christ’s return, we find that God is just as present in the wait...