Beyond the Message

In this special episode of Beyond the Message - Before the Message. Jake and Sam talk about Good Friday and Easter 2025.

How would you defend the authenticity of your faith? Paul goes about this in a unique way—perhaps counterintuitively. Paul boasts in his suffering for Christ in a way that highlights the worthwhile sacrifice. The main point of this message is that genuine conversion is displayed in counter-cultural living. In this episode, we unpack that more at a practical level. Highlights from the message:The w...

In this episode of Beyond the Message, Sam Anderson and Jordan Howell discuss further application from the message on 2 Corinthians 11:1-15. Following up from Jordan's sermon, we explore how we guard against false teaching by practicing covenant devotion to Christ and careful discernment in a world full of deception. Highlights from the message:Practice covenant devotion to Christ. Practice carefu...

What does it look like to live a life free from approval? It's something many of us struggle with, and for some, it can become a real problem. But here's the good news: God already approves of you if you're in Christ. That changes everything, freeing us up to live with confidence, integrity, and without constantly comparing ourselves to others. When we know we're approved by God, we're more likely...

In this episode, we continue our discussion on 2 Corinthians 10:1-6. In yesterday’s message, we explored how Paul's actions were driven by the life of Christ and how we can apply this to our lives. We also examined the dangers of spiritual strongholds and how to fight spiritual battles with biblical truth. Remember, spiritual warfare is powered by God and fought with the weapons of God! Highlights...

In this message, Garrett explored 2 Corinthians 8-9, emphasizing that godly generosity starts with giving ourselves first to the Lord. He reminded us that true wealth is found in Christ, not in earthly possessions, and challenged us to reflect on whether our lives—particularly our stewardship of money—reflect our confession of faith. On the cross, Jesus gave his all for us, withholding nothing. As...

In this text, we looked at three motivations for generosity: to expand the gospel by displaying the power of God in us, to express the gospel by authenticating the profession of God from us, and to experience the gospel through the provision of God to us. Glorify God and you will experience God. Highlights from the message:Giving is a submission that comes from a confession. Giving is the proving...

In this text, we saw that generous Christian giving should not be an exaction, nor done sparingly, reluctantly, or under compulsion. Instead our giving should be a willing, generous, thoughtful, cheerful, confident decision! Highlights from the message:How we give should honor God. Don't let sinful emotions undermine godly commands. Give intentional, gospel-minded thought to your giving decisions....

How does integrity shape the credibility of our faith? In 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 Paul goes to great lengths to prove his integrity to the Corinthian church. But, why was this so important to him? Because he understood that his integrity wasn’t just about his reputation—it was about defending the credibility of the gospel itself and helping the Corinthian church do so as well. Highlights from the me...

Does God care about us being rich and acting like it? The answer is yes, but definitely not in a worldly way. In 2 Corinthians 8:8-15, Paul encourages believers to attain spiritual wealth through Christ's salvation and to demonstrate this by generously giving to God's people. This giving should be complete, proportional, and selfless, reflecting a life transformed by God's grace. Highlights from t...

Did you know there is a type of giving that dishonors God? Giving should not be dependent on wealth, circumstances, or comfort. Christian giving is a voluntary, sacrificial, joyful, overflow of God's grace, despite circumstances, testifying to a changed heart. The call for followers of Christ is to excel in giving out of an overflow of God’s ultimate act of grace to us. Our giving is a big deal. S...

People who are willing to cause and receive godly grief find deep joy. There are two kinds of grief, godly grief and worldly grief. Why you feel bad matters - the right kind of grief is key to deeper joy. Godly grief is good because of God's mercy.

Our holiness is key to our effectiveness for God and our intimacy with God. Holiness is something we should care about, and if we better understood why, we would have a greater passion for it. Christ died to remove the offense of sin and break the practical power of sin over us. The motivation for holiness is promises -- good news drives good behavior. 

Depend on the grace of God in your devotion to the mission of God. We are called to spiritually invest in the lives of others - like soldiers who are laser-focused, athletes who compete with integrity, and farmers who work hard. This mission of God is too important for you not to participate, but too large for you to accomplish on your own. So, we need to be strengthened by the grace that is in Ch...

The rhythm of weekly worship encourages us and others with the realities of Christ - his past work and future hope. We were created to worship and we all worship something. Our foundation and motivation for worship is that Christ has invited us into right relationship with God the Prize. Recommended Resources: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life God the Prize Worship: The Reason We Were C...

Did you know we can approach prayer with improper motivations, mindsets, and methods? The right motivation for prayer is one in which we pray to be heard by God, not seen by others. The correct mindset in prayer is one in which we pray intentionally to enjoy God, not mechanically to appease God. And the proper method for prayer is when we pray God-centered prayers, not self-centered prayers. Highl...

Are you a Bible Person? Followers of Jesus are Bible people. Someone is a Bible person if they love their Bible, read it daily, memorize scripture, align their life with God’s Word, and others know that the Bible guides and directs their life. Highlights from the message: Reading the Bible at least four times a week is proven to result in a dramatic change of behavior and missional engagement. Pra...

The good news of Jesus Christ is song-producing news! The good news of Jesus Christ is cause for celebration, especially singing. Understanding the good news of Christmas results in song-producing JOY! Highlights from the message: If someone looked at your response to the good news of Jesus, would it appear that you get it? A life lived in continual response to the good news of Jesus is one where...

Praising God starts with trusting God. God has graciously given us a Savior while we were spiritually hungry. Worship of God reflects his holiness and our wretched state apart from his saving power. Public praise of God in the extraordinary moments of life overflows from people who privately praise God in the ordinary moments of life.

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Grace is real and God is worth it. Paul gives a call to follow Christ wholeheartedly. The call to follow Jesus is a call to embrace hardship, engage in ministry, and live for eternity.

The call to be a Christian is to be an ambassador for Christ. We find ourselves in the world and sent to the world. We desire to recapture the heart and passion to spread the good news of Jesus. This is more than a call to evangelism, this is a call to personal repentance: take the grace of God seriously, be an ambassador for Christ. Highlights from the message: Why Evangelize? The Stakes are high...

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 | Part 1: The Work of Reconciliation. We can enjoy God forever through God's atoning, transforming, and transferring work of reconciliation through Christ. Jake and Sam follow up on this sermon and discuss how salvation is primarily about reconciliation and worship. Salvation is a work of God from beginning to end. The atonement of Christ includes both the removal of sin and...

2 Corinthians 5:16-17. See others in the world differently because of how God sees you in Christ. Michael and Sam follow up on this sermon and discuss how being in Christ changes how we see people. We need to believe and live out the fact that everyone who currently is not in Christ is a potential new creation in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:11-15. To run the race, dwell on God’s holiness and grace. Jake and Sam follow up on this sermon and discuss how being impacted by both the holiness of God and the grace of God produces a life rightly devoted to God. In a world steeped in selfishness, the way out is worship.

Sam and Jake dive into yesterday's message on 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, exploring how faith shapes our courage. They highlight that faith goes beyond agreeing with a set of beliefs; it’s a powerful force that transforms how we feel, what we prioritize and the ambitions we pursue. This conversation also offers insight into the Holy Spirit, the judgment seat of Christ, and the eternal hope we hold as be...