Gateway Franklin Church

Thank you for listening. Take a look at the sermon notes of this message on the church website: https://www.gatewayfranklin.com/sermons To find out more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit us at gatewayfranklin.com or join us online each week at gatewayfranklin.online .

Introduction Pastor Torry Sheppard begins Ever Ancient, Ever New by celebrating the enduring strength and beauty of the Church. Through a humorous story about a pastor describing his “multinational company” on a flight, he reframes how people perceive the Church—not as an outdated or oppressive institution, but as the greatest movement in human history. From hospitals and schools to justice and fa...

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 Can I not do with...

Never short sell an immeasurably more God. Never underestimate the power of a simple prayer offered on behalf of a complex situation. Never dismiss the impact of obedience (disobedience). Never be afraid of the repercussions of telling the truth in love. One of those repercussions is freedom. When in the dark always ask for more of God. You need Him more than answers, advice or direction. Change a...

September 14th, 2025 — Never short sell an immeasurably more God. Never underestimate the power of a simple prayer offered on behalf of a complex situation. Never dismiss the impact of obedience (disobedience). Never be afraid of the repercussions of telling the truth in love. One of those repercussions is freedom. When in the dark always ask for more of God. You need Him more than answers, advice...

Words to Live By Never short sell an immeasurably more God. Never underestimate the power of a simple prayer offered on behalf of a complex situation. Never dismiss the impact of obedience (or disobedience). This week our word is…  Never be afraid of the repercussions of speaking the truth in love; one of those repercussion is freedom. The problem with avoiding conflict is that you actually live l...

Joshua 7, Acts 9, Luke 6 August 31st, 2025 — Never short sell an immeasurably more God. Never underestimate the power of a simple prayer offered on behalf of a complex situation. Never dismiss the impact of obedience (or disobedience). A core problem of disobedience is its near-sightedness. Disobedience sees the tree but misses the forest. Obedience is 20/20 faith in an immeasurable more God.   Jo...

Words to Live By Never short-sell an immeasurable more God.  Never underestimate the power of a simple prayer offered on behalf of a complex situation.  3 Elements of a Child’s Prayer Simple.  Often.  Faith-filled.  A Good barometer of spiritual maturity/understanding is the progression of our prayers from childish to childlike. A Broader Understanding of Prayer The Who of Prayer is God .  The Wha...

Words to Live By: Never Short Sell an Immeasurably More God Ephesians 3:16-21 August 17th, 2025 — We can always trust God’s Word because… God’s Word always produces.  Isaiah 55:10,11 (NIV) As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11  so is my word ...

Home is Not a Place HomeIS NOT A PLACE Home isn’t a WHERE.Home is a WHO. 2 QUESTIONS 1. Why does community matter? 2. How do I move from wanting community to actually living it? WHY DOES COMMUNITY MATTER? 1. We were designed to belong. "It is not good that man should be alone."– Genesis 2:18, NKJV “The promise of social media is to be fully seen and fully liked. But the promise of real f...

Ecclesiastes 3 & 4, Philippians 4, 2 Corinthians 12, Joshua 1 August 3rd, 2025 Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 (NIV) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2  a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3   a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4   a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to...

In the final message of the Three Kings series, Pastor Torry Sheppard closes with the story of Solomon, the king whose reign began with unmatched wisdom and blessing but ended in compromise and sorrow. The sermon, titled “What You Don’t Steward, Sours,” explores the danger of mishandled blessings and the call to use God-given resources, influence, and opportunities for kingdom purposes. When Winni...

Two Overarching 3 Kings Take-Aways  God partners with ordinary people (messy) to accomplish His extraordinary purposes.  Ordinary people are capable of mighty acts when we align our mind, heart and hands with God’s.  Solomon is Different King Physically Background  Skillset Wisdom The Hebrew word for wisdom ( hokma) means information + insight.  The OT concept of wisdom carries a moral, ethical an...

Three good questions to ask in regard to the God of the Bible. “Why does God choose messy people?  “Why does God show us so much of that mess?”  “Why doesn’t people’s mess undermine God’s reputation and derail His purposes?” Three good answers in regard to the God of the Bible. God doesn’t choose messy people, He chooses ordinary people. It just turns out that ordinary people are messy and He alre...

1 Samuel 17:2-51 (NIV) 2  Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.  3  The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. 4  A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span [ over 9 ft tall] .  5  He had a bronz...

“The devil fears a soul in union with God as he fears God Himself” Saint John of the Cross   Three good questions to ask in regard to the God of the Bible. “Why does God choose messy people?  “Why does God show us so much of that mess?”  “Why doesn’t people’s mess undermine God’s reputation and derail His purposes?” Three good answers in regard to the God of the Bible. God doesn’t choose messy peo...

When God Chooses You  (Point 1) Called from the Common and Unexpected  1 Samuel 9:1-3  The Unexpected  1. He's a Benjamite  2. He's a Farmer  The common  1. Miracle in the Mundane  1 Samuel 9:15-17  (Point 2) The Wrestling Heart  1 Samuel 9:18-21  Why Me?  When we ask Why me:  1. God reveals His Perspective  2. God reveals His Perspective  3. Exposes our need for dependence  4. God revea...

Thank you for listening. Take a look at the sermon notes of this message on the church website: https://www.gatewayfranklin.com/sermons To find out more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit us at gatewayfranklin.com or join us online each week at gatewayfranklin.online . Get the handbook, E-Book and Audiobook at HopeInEmptyPlaces.com

Wins fuel wins!  Everyday Evangelists leverage everyday opportunities to engage in spiritual conversations. Over time, conversational wins lead to conversion wins. Your perception of sin will impact your practice of evangelism.  The Big Why of evangelism is the damning impact of sin. The Powerful Who of evangelism is the Holy Spirit. Everyday Evangelism is critical because the life and death conse...

In week 5 of the Talking Jesus series, Pastor Torry Sheppard brings a timely and tender word for those who’ve been faithfully sharing their faith—but are still waiting to see results. This message encourages believers to persevere when the work of evangelism feels slow, discouraging, or seemingly unfruitful—especially when it involves someone they love.  Pastor Torry opens by acknowledging a commo...

In Week 4 of the Talking Jesus series, Pastor Torry encourages believers to recognize the power of their personal story as a tool for evangelism. Titled “Your Story, God’s Glory,” the message aims to demystify evangelism by reminding us that you don’t need a seminary degree or dramatic backstory to share Jesus—just a willingness to be honest about what He’s done in your life.  The message opens wi...

1Peter 3:15, Colossians 4:4-7, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 May 18th, 2025 There is a finite number of people who can talk Jesus to a crowd. There is an infinite number of people who can talk Jesus to a person. The key to being an effective Everyday Evangelist is seeing the person apart from their crowd and believing that God is orchestrating the conversation.   Every Day Evangelism is…  Going public wit...

Chapter 1 Focused Nurturer Chapter 2 Reluctant Leader Chapter 3 Exhausted Fighter Chapter 4 Resurrected Hoper Chapter 5 Generation Advancer Motherhood Chapter 1 Focused Nurturer The keys to thriving in this chapter is to understand that…  1) this is a relatively short chapter in the scope of your whole story  2) you will get better at “mothering” as you go  3) live in the moment more than you long...

John 4, Matthew 9, Colossians 4 Society can only exist without God for so long before a critical mass of people longing for identity and purpose intersect with a critical mass of people who have found identity and purpose in a relationship with Christ. These intersections change the course of history. Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV) 35  Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synago...

Summary of Sermon: The Everyday Evangelist  Series: Talking Jesus – Week 1 | Pastor Torry Sheppard  Introduction Pastor Torry Sheppard launches a new series at Gateway Church titled Talking Jesus , addressing the call for every believer to step into the role of an everyday evangelist. He begins by acknowledging the cultural uncertainty and spiritual fatigue of our time—pandemics, polarization, and...