Aspire Church Podcast

God is at work among us, and we see only a small part of what He is doing. As we gather for Aspire’s Annual Members’ Meeting, we’ll celebrate His faithfulness and return to the mission Jesus gave His Church: to make disciples of all nations. Through Matthew 28:16–20 and stories from our church family, we’ll consider how each of us can participate in that mission — in San Marco, throughout Jacksonv...

You can’t stand firm in a battle you don’t know you’re fighting. In Ephesians 2, Paul identifies three enemies working together against us: the world around us, the flesh within us, and the devil against us. Their influence is so powerful that Paul does not describe us as spiritually weak but spiritually dead. Yet the most important words in the passage are “But God.” Because of his great love and...

After Jacob dies, Joseph’s brothers fear that his forgiveness was only temporary and that revenge has merely been postponed. But Joseph refuses to perpetuate his family’s destructive patterns. In the conclusion of But God, we will discover that God’s providence enables us to tell the truth about the past without being defined by it, to break destructive cycles in the present, and to trust God with...

When Joseph’s brothers arrive in Egypt, circumstances recreate the defining test of their past: another favored son is in danger, and they can protect themselves by abandoning him. Years earlier, Judah proposed selling Joseph into slavery. Now he offers to become a slave in Benjamin’s place. What changed? In Part 5 of But God…, we’ll trace Judah’s journey from self-preservation to self-sacrifice a...

After thirteen years of slavery, false accusation, imprisonment, and waiting, Joseph’s circumstances change almost instantly. But promotion does not mean that his testing has ended. In Part 4 of But God... we will discover that success is faithfulness rather than status, that changed circumstances do not automatically heal old wounds, and that success tests what suffering has forged within us.

Joseph spends years faithfully serving while his circumstances remain unchanged. Forgotten by the cupbearer and confined in prison, he cannot see that God is preparing him for the opportunity ahead. Join us for part three of But God…, where we will see that Joseph’s waiting was not wasted and that God uses obscurity, disappointment, and delay to shape him into someone capable of carrying the calli...

Joseph was young, unmarried, far from home, and repeatedly pursued by a powerful woman. His culture, circumstances, and even his family history gave him reasons to compromise — but Joseph chose differently. He trusted that the God who created his sexuality knew how it was meant to flourish. In Part 2 of But God…, we’ll discover why sexual integrity means more than avoiding immorality, how God’s de...

Joseph receives a dream from God, but his journey toward that dream begins with betrayal, slavery, and seemingly accidental circumstances. Although God seems absent from Genesis 37, He is quietly directing the story. Join us for part one of But God, where we will learn that when we cannot see what God is doing, we can trust that He is still at work.

The Rich Young Ruler was young, but youth did not guarantee that he would respond to Jesus later. His decisive moment came when Jesus said, “Come, follow me.” Join us for the conclusion of Rich! as we consider how to give God not only our money and abilities, but our attention, availability, relationships, service, and days.

Jesus told a story about a successful man whose land produced an abundant harvest. His business had done so well that he decided to build larger barns, store everything for himself, retire early, and enjoy the good life. But his plans ended suddenly when his life was required of him. The tragedy of the Rich Fool was not merely that he died unexpectedly. It was that he spent his life accumulating p...

The Rich Young Ruler was not only wealthy; he was a ruler. He possessed leadership ability, influence, responsibility, and opportunity. Yet none of those gifts were fully surrendered to Jesus. Join us for part two of Rich! as we discover that God does not measure us by what He entrusted to someone else, but by what we do with what He has entrusted to us.

A young ruler came to Jesus asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. By every visible measure, he was successful. He was moral, influential, financially secure, and still young enough to believe his best years were ahead of him. But Jesus saw the one thing standing between the man and the life he desired. When Jesus invited him to release his possessions and follow, the man walked away...

Some songs can only be sung by people who remember what it felt like to weep. Psalm 126 looks back on a season when God restored His people’s fortunes and filled their mouths with laughter. But it also looks forward with longing, asking God to do it again. This is the song of people who have tasted restoration but still carry tears. Join us for the final track of Summer Psalms Mixtape Vol. 5, wher...

The road ahead can be beautiful, but it can also be dangerous. Psalm 121 was a song for pilgrims making their way toward Jerusalem, lifting their eyes to the hills and asking where their help would come from. The answer was not found in the hills themselves, but in the Maker of heaven and earth. Join us for Track 3 of Summer Psalms Mixtape Vol. 5, where we will learn that God does not promise a tr...

Every heart is thirsty for something. We chase satisfaction through success, comfort, approval, pleasure, and control, only to find that none of them can satisfy the soul’s deepest thirst. Psalm 63 was written in the wilderness, yet David’s greatest longing was not for water, safety, or escape. His soul thirsted for God. Join us for Track 2 of Summer Psalms Mixtape Vol. 5, where we will discover t...

There are seasons when prayer feels less like a song and more like a cry for help. “How long, O Lord?” is the sound of a weary soul that still believes God is there, even when He feels absent. Psalm 13 teaches us that biblical faith does not deny sorrow, suppress lament, or rush too quickly to easy answers. Instead, it brings the ache directly to God. Join us for Track 1 of Summer Psalms Mixtape V...

When Peter was invited to share a meal with a Roman officer named Cornelius, he faced a cultural barrier he had never crossed before. Through that experience, God showed him that the gospel was not limited to one group of people—the invitation to the table was for everyone. The early church realized that God’s family was much bigger than they imagined. This week, we wrap up the series by exploring...

At a dinner hosted by a Pharisee, Jesus noticed that everyone was competing for the best seats at the table. In response, He taught that God’s kingdom operates differently — those who elevate themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be lifted up. At Jesus’ table, status and pride are replaced by humility and service. This week, we learn how the table becomes a place where o...

The earliest followers of Jesus dedicated themselves not only to teaching and prayer but also to sharing meals together. Day after day, they gathered in homes, breaking bread and celebrating God’s goodness with glad and generous hearts. Their relationships were deep, authentic, and life-giving. This week, we rediscover how shared meals helped shape the first Christian community and how they can st...

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is often seen at a table—eating with tax collectors, sinners, and people others avoided. When Levi hosted a dinner for Jesus, it became a powerful picture of grace: the kingdom of God welcoming those who knew they needed mercy. Jesus used meals to bring people together, break down barriers, and invite people into a new life. This week, we see how following Jesus means...

In the tabernacle, God told Israel to build a special table and place bread on it as a sign of His presence among them. Centuries later, Jesus fed thousands and called Himself the Bread of Life — the One who truly satisfies the hunger of the human soul. God’s invitation has always been the same: come to the table and experience His presence. This week, we learn how every meal can become a reminder...

On the night God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, He didn’t tell His people to pack their bags first — He told them to prepare a meal. The Passover table became the place where God’s people remembered His saving work and passed the story of redemption on to the next generation. In the same way, followers of Jesus gather around the table to remember that we too have been rescued — freed not...

Life doesn’t unfold the way we expect. At some point, the life we envisioned gives way to the life we're actually living. In that moment, many people assume something has gone wrong —but what if that moment is actually an invitation? In the final message of Home Work, we explore the story of Peter in John 21 and discover that spiritual growth happens in stages. The first half of life focuses...

Everyone gets hurt — but not everyone heals. Bitterness imprisons families for generations, while forgiveness opens the door to freedom, peace, and restoration. In this powerful message from Matthew 18, we discover that forgiveness is not ignoring what happened or pretending it didn’t hurt — it is releasing a debt because Christ has released ours. Forgiven people become forgiving people.

Our daily habits shape who we become — not only as individuals, but as families. The traditions and routines of a family can shape our children and future generations for years to come. The routines we practice — whether it’s watching college football every Saturday or sharing meals around the dinner table — often become the patterns our children naturally adopt. That’s why God gave Israel such in...