The Summit Church

It's one thing to be on the receiving end of gossip or criticism by a coworker or acquaintance, but to be hurt by someone close to us? That's an entirely different kind of pain. And this is precisely why church hurt can cut so deep, because it comes from a completely unexpected place. In this week's message from Psalm 55, Pastor Bryan explores what a godly response to this kind of hurt looks like....

Of all the things required of those who follow Jesus, confession of sin is probably one of the hardest. True confession requires humility and courage—but what enables you to do it is a desperation for the power and presence of God in your life. In this week’s message from Nehemiah 9, Pastor J.D. takes us through the prayer of the Levites, highlighting four crucial elements of confession. Yes, it’s...

This weekend, Pastor Spence Shelton from Mercy Church (Charlotte) shares a message from Jonah 4.

Depending on which generation you're a part of, the word "revival" may conjure up thoughts of planned, week-long events at church featuring fiery sermons and calls for repentance. But as we'll learn, revival isn't something you can simply put on a calendar. In this week's message from Nehemiah 8, Pastor J.D. takes us through five elements of true revival, some of which we can do and others of whic...

Easter is a cause for incredible celebration for many reasons, of course. But one of them is that even as astounding as Jesus' miracles of healing were, ultimately, they were signs that pointed to something greater still. They were mere shadows, and Jesus' resurrection, his resounding victory over sin and death, is the substance. In this weekend's message from John 5, Pastor Bryan shows us the hea...

It's hardly surprising that Nehemiah faced opposition in rebuilding the wall. But what is particularly unsettling is that the most dangerous opposition came not from outside but from inside. In this week's message from Nehemiah 5, Pastor J.D. shows us how compromise on the inside is a far bigger threat to the work of God than critics on the outside. So how can we guard against such a grave threat?...

Every work of God in the world, whether big or small, faces opposition. If we're going to fulfill what God has called us to, persistence may be the most important skill that we can master. In this week's message from Nehemiah 4 and 6, Pastor J.D. not only shows us the different kinds of opposition that Nehemiah faced, but how he responded. A proper response always starts with remembering how God h...

The book of Nehemiah leads us to think a lot about the idea of a calling on our lives. We may think we're too broken or messy to be used by God, but the truth is, broken people are exactly who God longs to use to build his kingdom. In this week's message from Nehemiah 2 and 3, Pastor J.D. explains how everybody has a job to do and a role to play in the restoration that God is bringing. The questio...

In this weekend’s message, Pastor Joby Martin from The Church of Eleven22 walks us through part of 1 Corinthians 16, cautioning us to be watchful.

We've all wondered it: Does God have a special assignment for me, and if so, how do I know if I'm actually accomplishing it? The Bible doesn't record Nehemiah ever receiving a prophetic dream or vision from God, and yet, he has a divinely placed burden that moves him to act. In this week's message from Nehemiah 2, Pastor J.D. shows us how to narrow down what God might be calling us to do for his k...

Time and again, we've seen that God moves through ordinary acts of obedience; we simply have to join him in the work he's already doing. In this week’s message from Acts 8, Pastor John takes us through the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. What set Philip apart as someone used by God? He wasn't an apostle, after all. He wasn't flashy or even particularly impressive. But he was a faithful s...

The Bible is full of stories of God using ordinary people to do amazing things by putting his vision into them, and the book of Nehemiah is no exception. In this week's message from Nehemiah 1, Pastor J.D. gives us helpful principles for discerning God's call on our own lives. The truth is, Nehemiah wasn't someone of particular privilege or position; he had simply heard from God and was burdened t...

Ambition tends to get a bad rap, particularly in Christian circles. Sometimes, that's for good reason. But sometimes, it's simply because we're missing the point: Scripture doesn't call us to kill ambition but to aim it properly. In this week's message from Romans 15, Pastor Curtis shows us how the gospel shapes ambition and ultimately redeems it. When we are secure in our identity in Christ, we w...

You might expect Paul's final instructions to the Corinthian church to be full of eloquent, stirring rhetoric, designed to hype them up as they faced survival in a world hostile to Christ. But what we find in reading his final charge to this congregation is strikingly different. In this week's message from 2 Corinthians 12 and 13, Pastor J.D. shows us how Paul's focus was on calling the church bac...

In Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph,” a video game character named Vanellope has a frustrating glitch, making her flicker and disappear. It’s a source of shame for the entire movie … until she learns that this “glitch” actually provides her with a power she could never have imagined. Her glitch was actually a feature. In this week’s message from 2 Corinthians 11–12, Pastor J.D. shows us a similar “glitch”...

There are many spiritual battles that we will face in our lives, whether related to our own growth, parenting our children, or seeing someone come to Christ. The problem is that we often try to fight these battles out of our own strength, rather than relying on the power that God supplies. In this week's message from 2 Corinthians 10, Pastor J.D. shows us the importance of being properly equipped...

It can be tricky to distinguish a real diamond from a fake one, and it requires intentional examination to do so. In much the same way, we don't always know if someone's faith is real just by looking at them from the outside. In this week's message from 2 Corinthians 6–7, Pastor J.D. provides us with some diagnostic questions to ask ourselves in order to determine if our own faith is authentic. If...

In this week's message from 2 Corinthians 3, Pastor Curtis helps us take a closer look at what it means that we are being transformed “from one degree of glory to another.” As we begin a new year, we should be encouraged to press in and seek God, knowing that as we do, he is slowly but surely transforming us.

One of the most intriguing elements of the Christmas story is that of the wise men, who see a mysterious star and set out on a journey that ultimately leads them to worship Jesus. In this week’s message from Matthew 2, Pastor J.D. gives us a snapshot of various responses to the birth of Jesus, all of which are still seen in different degrees today. Just as God used a sign to lead the wise men to t...

What drives your life? Whether money, or our children, or the approval of others, we all have something that drives us, even controls us. In this week's message from 2 Corinthians 5, Pastor Bryan helps us see how allowing the love of Christ to control us changes everything. Living out the identity that Jesus gives us as believers means a new outlook on everything—ourselves, others, and even life a...

The gospel is so beautiful and valuable, yet God chooses to place this great treasure in “jars of clay.” It's almost incomprehensible, really, but it's how God works. All throughout the Bible, we see examples of how he uses weak, broken vessels for his glory. In this week's message from 2 Corinthians 4, Pastor J.D. shows us how even when we experience suffering, God often uses it for his good purp...

When we think about reading Luke 2, our thoughts naturally turn to the story of Jesus’ birth. But what follows is the account of a man named Simeon, a man who marveled at the sight of Jesus because he knew that at last, salvation had come. In this week’s message, Pastor John takes us through Simeon’s story, showing us what we all should marvel at: the wonder of Jesus.

We've all heard the voice of that inner critic, telling us that we're not enough, that we need to constantly prove ourselves. It's exhausting to try to live up to the pressure we place on ourselves, to try to carry a weight that the gospel has already lifted. In this week's message from 2 Corinthians 2 and 3, Pastor Curtis explains how to let go of these weights and submit to the transformation th...

When we evaluate why many people aren't generous, it's probably not because they're selfish. More likely, they're battling either fear or pride (or maybe both). In this week's message from 2 Corinthians 9, Pastor J.D. shows us how these things can prevent us from being generous, as well as the remedy. By trusting and obeying God as it relates to our finances, we will experience the joy that result...

Let’s face it: It’s hard to talk about money. But what if we reoriented our perspective on it? In fact, what if we reoriented our entire lives in response to the grace that God has shown us? In this week’s message from 2 Corinthians 8, Pastor J.D. explains the Apostle Paul’s reasons for wanting the Corinthian church to be generous, as well as some obstacles that often sabotage good intentions. We...