Northwest Christian Church Podcasts

We are absolutely surrounded by facts and knowledge. At the click of a button or the tap of a screen we can access more accumulated knowledge than any culture in the history of the world. Just because we have knowledge, though, does NOT mean we have wisdom! Some might even say we have less wisdom now than ever before. So, how can we find wisdom? Where can we go to be wise? Paul has some advice in...

Have you ever tried to explain Christianity to someone who’s never been to church or who has no idea who Jesus is? It’s a very different experience! When you take a step back from what many Christians consider “normal,” you see that the Cross of Christ is not just different…it’s CRAZY! That God would love us so much that He would die in our place. That’s some powerful and crazy talk!!

Paul’s message to the Corinthian church is clear: unity matters. In a church divided by personalities, preferences, and competing allegiances, Paul calls believers back to what they have in common: their shared identity in Christ. This message challenges us to lay down the labels and loyalties that divide us, embrace fellow believers as family, and let the power of the cross define the church. We’...

As we begin our deep dive into the book of 1 Corinthians, we meet this man by the name of Paul who planted a church that started out great. It grew. Saw lives changed. Made a difference. And then it all started falling apart. So Paul writes a letter to help correct the problems but there’s a surprise right at the beginning. Paul doesn’t start his letter the way any of us would have expected!

Church can be hard sometimes. There’s this old cliché that says, “if you ever find a perfect church, don’t go there or you’ll mess it up!” People are not perfect and ever since the beginning, there have been problems with all the people in church. It almost makes you wonder if it’s worth it! But God’s Word tells us that not only is the church worth it, it’s the body of Christ Himself!

Have you ever eaten at a really, really nice restaurant? One of those 5-star places with multiple waiters who take care of every need even before you know you need it? It’s quite an impressive experience! In verse 5 of Psalm 23, the language David uses is similar to that type of experience. He talks about sitting down at a table with the Lord and in that picture, we see so much about who God is an...

Psalm 23 ends with one of the Bible's greatest declarations of confidence: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Yet those words were written by a man who knew betrayal, suffering, fear, and loss. So where did his confidence come from? This week we'll discover that God's goodness isn't the promise of an easy life, but the assurance that our faithful Shepherd never st...

Have you ever eaten at a really, really nice restaurant? One of those 5-star places with multiple waiters who take care of every need even before you know you need it? It’s quite an impressive experience! In verse 5 of Psalm 23, the language David uses is similar to that type of experience. He talks about sitting down at a table with the Lord and in that picture, we see so much about who God is an...

When most people think of shepherds, they think of something like a Precious Moments figurine. They envision placid, kind, gentle-looking young people dressed in pastel blue, carrying a question mark-shaped walking stick. It’s a very sweet picture, but it’s wildly inaccurate! In the hands of an ancient shepherd, they carried a rod and a staff. Instruments of protection and correction, guidance and...

Have you ever seen the Tom Hanks movie “Cast Away?” it’s a fascinating look at what happens to a person when they are completely, utterly alone. There is a Harvard study that says loneliness is not just unfortunate, it’s actually deadly! It’s as deadly as smoking or alcoholism. So, when we get to Psalm 23:4 the promise that “God is WITH us,” no matter what, is more than just a heartwarming platitu...

Have you ever seen the movie The Princess Bride? There’s this iconic line in that movie where the main character says “Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” None of us want pain in this life, especially if we’re believers. We want everything to be puppy dogs and rainbows but that’s not real life, is it? What if, when those tough things happen, we saw it not as...

We are all called to ministry. We all have gifts and talents and we are to use those gifts and talents to serve others. Some are called to lead others as they minister and are used by God to help shepherd the flock. Every once in a while, God calls some above and beyond. Not just to shepherd, but to earn their living from the work of shepherding the flock of God. Today we ordain Matt McGrew to ful...

I think it’s easy to say that humans are busier now than we’ve ever been. Even with all the modern conveniences that promise to help us have more time, we seem to have less time than ever. Psalm 23 promises us something different. It promises rest and peace and freedom but to find it, we must walk the path laid out for us by Christ and that’s a choice we have to make!

As we continue to unpack Psalm 23, there’s this crazy thing that David says in verse 1. It goes like this – “The Lord is my shepherd, I SHALL NOT WANT.” Really? You shall not want? Everyone wants all the time! Is David just a superhero Christian or is there something else God is trying to teach us in this famous passage?

The term “shepherd” is one we use all the time but, because of our modern, high-tech worldview, we may not always understand all the nuances of what that term means. When David wrote Psalm 23, people understood all the layers of meaning of what a shepherd did. As we dig in more on what this term shepherd means and then we look at Psalm 23:1 where God offers to be that shepherd, well, consider your...

There are some passages of scripture that are really hard to preach on. Sometimes that is because the language and theology are tricky. Sometimes it’s because they are SO familiar, we don’t think there is much we can learn from them. As the saying goes, “familiarity breeds contempt.” Psalm 23 is like that. It is so familiar that we can miss its power. As we begin our new series, hopefully you will...

Paul stands in chains, yet he’s the only free man in the room. Agrippa sits on a throne, yet he trembles under truth. In Acts 26, the light that transformed Paul now confronts a king and exposes the danger of being near the Kingdom, but never entering it. This message will press on the heart, break through hesitation, and call every listener from “almost persuaded” to fully surrendered. This isn’t...

This week we will explore Mark 10:17-27 where we see a man known for his wealth approach Jesus and presents a sincere question, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" The man's posture reveals great respect. He runs and kneels before Jesus, yet his worldview is shaped by works-based righteousness. He sees eternal life as an achievement to earn, not a gift to receive. Here we see a...

The Bible begins and ends in a Garden, in the presence of God, around a tree. This week, we attempt to wrap up our series, “I love to tell The Story,” by looking at the entire narrative arc of the Bible. We will talk about how we strive so hard to return to the joy of the Garden, but there is only one way to get there. Because of a man who died on a tree, we have the ability to get to that perfect...

Roughly 80% of the world believes in “heaven.” The views of heaven vary greatly but many think of heaven as a peaceful, tranquil place that is filled with clouds and white columns and may or may not involve robes and harps. The Bible has a VERY different picture to paint of what heaven looks like and I can’t wait for it to get here!

When you’re young the end seems like forever away. It’s why we don’t invest like we should, eat healthy like we should, plan like we should. We think the end is too far away. In fact, that philosophy doesn’t end when we’re no longer young. Most of us don’t like thinking about it but the Bible talks about the end all the time. And once we really understand the end, it changes everything!

Life can be hard sometimes. We struggle with what to say. We struggle with how to respond when things don’t go according to plan. Sometimes we even struggle with what God is doing in our life. In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul shares some words of encouragement for us all when we find ourselves here.

They say that the sequel is never quite as good as the original. Usually that’s true, but when it comes to God’s story, the sequel (which we are a part of!) is just as good as the original! Today, we begin to see how the Gospel of Jesus spreads as the sequel to the story of God launches on “opening day” of the church.

Jesus didn’t answer the disciples’ questions about timing—He gave them a mission. Between His ascension and return, His people are called to live with urgency, empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are sent as witnesses, not just waiting for the end, but actively proclaiming the risen King. The story of Jesus continues through us as we carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Happy Easter!! What an amazing day this is and in our passage this morning, God speaks to 3 different groups of people. He speaks to people who have doubts and are skeptics. God speaks to people that experience Jesus personally. The text speaks to those whose lives need to be transformed. What does God need to say to you today?