5:16 Podcast

This week, we will be exploring Genesis 26:1-33 together, Digging Wells According to God.  I originally titled this chapter, "Flashback according to God." A strange title. But in Genesis 26, you really have an interruption in the narrative with a flashback to an earlier time in Isaac's marriage (before the twins) with many parallels to Abraham's life before the birth of Ishmael...

This week, we will be exploring Genesis 25:29-34 together, Foolishness According to God.  Esau and Jacob are very different twins. Esau is hairy. Jacob is smooth. Esau is an outdoorsman. Jacob is an indoorsman. Esau is physically strong. Jacob is mentally strong. Esau is a fool. And Jacob is a heelcatcher who knows how to take advantage of a fool.  Genesis 25:29-34 is a strange passage in many way...

For the next twelve weeks, we will be exploring the life of Jacob in Genesis 25-35.  Jacob's life is quite interesting. He is not much of a "hero" in the traditional sense of the word. He has his faults, failures, struggles, weaknesses, sins, and just plain foolish decisions. There is not much to admire in his life and he doesn't have any great acts of faith that make us want t...

This Sunday, May 18 (9am, 10:45am), is our 516 Vision Sunday.  Every year, on the Sunday closest to May 16, we take time to remind ourselves of our vision as a local church.  We desire to be the community of Christ in order to reach our community for Christ. To be the community of Christ, we focus on God's love for us in Jesus Christ (John 3:16), our love for one another as believers in Jesus...

This week we will be exploring Genesis 24:29-67, Success According to God.  What does it mean to be successful? What is your view of success? Do you feel like you are successful? Success is a tricky word. How you define success depends on what you think the goal or purpose of life is all about. Our world defines success as wealth, fame, and power. God's view of success is much different. In G...

This week we will be exploring Genesis 24:1-28, Guidance According to God.  Genesis 24 is a love story unlike any other love story (unless you can remember someone coming to your hometown on a load of camels with gifts galore and enticing you to travel 500 miles to marry someone that you have never met or even seen before 🙂.  Though it appears as merely a love story, Genesis 24 is the longest cha...

This week Pastor Zach will be teaching through Genesis 23, Grief According to God.  Genesis 23 kicks off the epilogue to the life of Abraham and the transition to the generation of Isaac. This transition begins with the death of the matriarch--Sarah.  Abraham grieves the death of his beautiful bride. Grief and loss are realities in this world that we all have to face sooner or later. Often moments...

Genesis 22 is holy ground. This chapter is the climax of the Abraham story and one of the most powerful and beautiful pictures of the love of God and the sacrifice of His only Son.  Genesis 22 is called the Akedah ("binding") by Jews and it is perhaps the most read portion of Scripture in the Jewish faith. Seven days a week, twelve months a year, the story of the Akedah is read and praye...

This week we will explore Genesis 21:1-34, Faithfulness According to God.  FINALLY! After many, many years and many, many heartaches and doubts, Isaac (aka Laughter) finally arrives! Sarah is overjoyed! She sings in amazement at God's faithfulness! Abraham is overwhelmed. He holds his son in his arms with unfathomable awe. But all is not well.  Isaac's birth brings turmoil into the famil...

This week we will explore Genesis 20:1-18, Providence According to God.  Abraham is growing in his relationship with God. In Genesis 18, we see him welcoming God into his home, showing great humility and worship, interceding for the city of Sodom, and receiving the greatest news that he could receive... that his wife, Sarah, would bear a son in a year's time.  He seems to be the model of fait...

This week we will explore Genesis 19:17 -38, Tragedy According to God.  Lot's story is tragic. He began well. He was blessed. He was loved. He was joined to Abraham in family and friendship. He was enjoying the goodness of God. But the world's lure was too strong.  His eyes were attracted to the wealth, popularity, and carefree lifestyle of Sodom.  Slowly, step by step, he moved closer a...

This week we will explore Genesis 19:1-16, Compromise According to God.  Lot's story is tragic. He began well. He was blessed. He was loved. He was joined to Abraham in family and friendship. He was enjoying the goodness of God. But the world's lure was too strong.  His eyes were attracted to the wealth, popularity, and carefree lifestyle of Sodom.  Slowly, step by step, he moved closer...

This week we will explore Genesis 18:16 -33, Intercession According to God.  In Genesis 18, God not only reveals the miraculous birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah but He also reveals the impending judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham is certainly aware of the sins of Sodom. His nephew, Lot, has been living in Sodom for some time and Abraham has even rescued the people of Sodom from their capti...

This week we will explore Genesis 18:1-15, Laughter According to God.  Have you ever noticed that there are different kinds of laughs?  There is the laugh of joy. The laugh of entertainment. The laugh of mockery. And the laugh of disbelief, usually a quiet laugh, under the breath, accompanied by a slight shaking of the head.  In Genesis 18, God visits Abraham and Sarah. He shows up in human form....

This Sunday, February 23 (9am, 10:45am), we will have a special Sunday with Walt Heyer and Dr. Jennifer Bauwens on the topic of Embracing God's Design.  This week we will explore Genesis 17:1-27, Names According to God.  What is your name? How did you get it? What does it mean? We all have names...and stories behind our names. Sometimes we like them, sometimes we don't. In Genesis 17, Go...

This week we will explore Genesis 16:1-16, Failure According to God.  Have you ever failed? Or perhaps a more important question... Have you ever felt like a failure? Deep down we all want life to work. We want to succeed in our plans. We want to feel secure, to be significant, to fulfill God's purpose for us. But life often doesn't happen that way. Disappointments, discouragement, doubt...

🌍 This Sunday’s featured speaker for The Great Commission 101 is Abram Ebersohn! He will be teaching “How to become a World Christian.” 🌍 Abram is married to his wife, Helen, and is a proud father of three. He currently serves as the Sending Director at The Chapel. He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree at Dallas Theological Seminary and is a graduate of Radius International, a program foc...

This week we will explore Genesis 14:1-24, Courage According to God.  Abram was a man of peace.  In chapter 13, Abram took the initiative to live at peace with Lot. He acted in humility and grace to resolve their conflict.  But in chapter 14, Abram takes up arms and rescues Lot from his captivity to a group of invading kings from the east. Abram was a man of peace prepared for battle. There is muc...

🌍 We are excited to have John LaRavia this Sunday teach on “Where Christ is Not Named: The Remaining Task of World Evangelization” for The Great Commission 101! 🌍 John has been married to his wife, Katie, for nearly 18 years, and they have two children.  In 2009, The Chapel sent them to plant churches in East Asia. They believed college students were the key to seeing gospel movements spread fro...

This week we will explore Genesis 13:1-18, Peacemaking According to God.  Conflict is a reality in all of our lives. As much as we may want peace, we can often find ourselves struggling with tension, frustration, disagreements, disappointments, and arguments with others.  

 This Sunday’s featured speaker for The Great Commission 101 is Shane Folks!  He will be teaching “The Unstoppable Advance: A History of Global Missions.”    Shane Folks earned his PhD in World Religions from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where his doctoral research examined the Islamic view of the Apostle Paul. He also holds an MA in Muslim Studies from Columbia International Univers...

This week we will begin our journey through the life of Abraham with a look at Genesis 12:1-20, Blessing According to God.  Genesis 12 is one of the key chapters in the Bible. In this chapter, God calls Abraham to leave his country and his family and to follow Him. He promises to bless him and to make his name great. And He promises to bring blessing to all the families of the earth through him. A...

 We are excited to have Pastor Steve this Sunday teach on “Unleashing the Gospel:  The Book of Acts” for The Great Commission 101! Steve is a graduate of Southeastern Bible College (BA), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Dallas Theological Seminary (S.T.M.) and Biblical Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry). In 1991, he married Liz and they have four boys: Nate, Noah, Jonah an...