Aspire Church Podcast

Jesus assembled a politically diverse group of followers to serve as His first disciples. Not only did He call Matthew -- a Roman tax collector and sympathizer -- but He also called Simon the Zealot -- a hard core Jewish nationalist and revolutionary. These two men had about as much in common as Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump! How was it possible that two people with starkly different ideas both fo...

“Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world!” Did you ever sing that song in church? If you did, and if the church you grew up in was like most churches in America, you probably didn’t see as diverse a group of people in your church as was described in that song. It has been said that the most segregated hour in America is on Sunda...

When Jesus set about to accomplish His Father’s mission, He could have done it in any number of ways, but He chose to do His work through ordinary people. Men and women who were flawed and weak and often ignorant. He sent His disciples out two by two, and later told them to “go into all the world.” This small band of brothers grew and grew and within one generation, the mighty Roman Empire was bei...

Does God want us to retreat from the world and spend all of our time seeking Him in prayer and solitude, or has He called us to go into the world as ambassadors of His coming kingdom? The answer is, “Yes!” For many believers, and most churches, the choice between practicing a prayerful, contemplative faith is always held in contrast and opposition to practicing an active faith. But Jesus not only...

Before leaving His disciples, Jesus gave them one commandment to obey and a great mission to accomplish. His Great Commandment was to love God and love others. His Great Commission was to go into all the world to make disciples. These verses are among His most often repeated words. At Southside, we believe a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will build a great chur...

Maybe you grew up in an environment where the answers to all of your hard questions began with the words, “The Bible says . . ." Those answers probably satisfied many of your questions, but perhaps there were other times when you still wondered. It is no surprise that a core value for this and many other churches is a commitment to the reliability and authority of the Bible. Unfortunately tha...

While not many people have experienced being exiled from their country and carried into captivity, most of us have had to leave places we didn’t want to leave to go to places we didn’t want to go. Circumstances may have forced you to change jobs, relocate, change schools, and leave people you love to be with people you don’t even like! How should we respond to being exiled? Is it possible that God...

God told Jeremiah to record His words on a scroll and deliver them to the king, but the king cut up and burned the scroll and then went after Jeremiah and his scribe for treason. While we may not take scissors to the pages of the Bible today, we often cut out the parts we don’t like by ignoring them. We may not engage in book burnings, but our refusal to acknowledge God’s Word is no less dangerous...

Jeremiah was part of a religious revival in the nation of Judah.  People were feeling good about their country and their public displays of religious commitment.  While Jeremiah was growing increasingly suspicious of this movement, another preacher was embracing the moment and riding the tide of popular public opinion. Join us for part five of Jeremiah: A Prophet for the City where we will discove...

Jeremiah loved illustrations. As he passed by the potter’s house, he recognized that God, like the potter, had shaped and could reshape His creation into something new. Join us for part four of Jeremiah: A Prophet for the Ci ty where we will celebrate the new creation God is making in men and women who have made a public profession of their faith in Jesus Christ through baptism.

We don’t like the word “sin.” We prefer the word “mistake.” But a mistake, by definition, is not intentional, whereas a sin implies a more sinister intention. Sin isn’t just about behavior, it is primarily about the condition of our heart. Join us for part three of Jeremiah: A Prophet for the City , where we will explore the true nature of sin and the only cure for an incurably deceitful heart. 

History is full of examples of decay and reform; revolution and counter-revolution. From politics and the economy to morality and religion, humans are in a continual battle for the right to define what is right. Is there an objective standard beyond human control or definition?  If so, who gets to determine what it is? Join us for part two of Jeremiah: A Prophet for the City , where we explore how...

Before Jeremiah was born, God chose him for a purpose.  This isn’t only true for Jeremiah, but for every person who has ever lived.  To be created in God’s image is to be created for a purpose. Paul said, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which He has prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:10).  Join us for part one of Jeremiah: A Prophet for the City a...

The Christian faith is based entirely on a single event in history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But what if no one had ever known about that event? What if the circumstances of Jesus’ burial had been different? What if His body hadn’t been laid in a tomb, but rather tossed in the city dump like so many other executed criminals? If there had been no tomb, no one could have known that a tomb w...

Before Jesus performed one of His most well-known miracles -- the feeding of 5,000 -- He required a small act of faith -- a little thing -- from the crowd. Jesus may be calling us to “sit down” in our marriage, parenting, job, congregation, etc., before He does a mighty act.

As Jesus watched people bring forward their offerings in the temple, He pointed out a shocking contrast. While many people made a show of their extravagant gifts and offerings, it was a quiet and unassuming poor widow who made the biggest offering of all. Join us for part four of The Little Things where we  discover the truth about the little money we have.

Listen along as we're led in music by Eddie Lockamy, Katelyn McClain, Justin Johns, Sara Hetzel, and Gwen Hernandez.

The life and rule of King David are recorded in the Old Testament. He is seen as a hero of great faith who overcame many obstacles during his reign. However, David’s face is clearly seen in a scene before his coronation. As he fought Goliath, God used his weakness so others will see and trust in His strength. Join us for the third message in The Little Things to understand how a foolish boy was ab...

When we look back on the life of Moses, we think of some of the most amazing events recorded in the Bible. We see him bravely leading the Israelites out of captivity, parting the Red Sea, walking down the mountain with the ten commandments. God used Moses to accomplish some BIG things, but it all started with Moses obeying one little command to lay down his walking stick. No big deal, right? Join...

Leaven is used throughout the Bible as an example of a little thing that makes a big change. Jesus warned His followers against the “leaven of the pharisees,” but also compared the Kingdom of God to leaven worked into dough. From both a positive and a negative perspective, Jesus wants us to know that little things matter. Join us for the first message in “ The Little Things ” as we learn the secre...

In the final message in the Pause series, Pastor Gary Webber explores the meaning of the 30 minutes of silence John witnessed in Revelation and how that short pause reminds us that God is patiently waiting for us.

The strength of our faith is not determined by how we respond to the victories and successes in life. Faith can only be made stronger through trials and hardships. To have an enduring, resilient faith means having a faith that is tested. What is true for individuals is also true for any church. An enduring church is a church that has been tested. Join us for a message exploring how God is using CO...

Have you ever heard someone say, “God said to me...” and wondered how they could be so confident that it was God speaking to them? Have you ever wondered what God’s voice sounds like? Would you know it if you heard it? Throughout the Scriptures, we frequently read about people hearing God’s voice. While it is different every time, there are certain patterns we can see. Join us for a message from 1...

To “sit at the feet” of a rabbi was to assume a posture of submission to that particular rabbi’s teachings. While Jesus had many disciples, it is interesting that we don’t read about them sitting at His feet. There is one notable exception, however. There is one of Jesus' disciples who is found repeatedly at the feet of Jesus. No, it’s not Peter, James, or John. In fact, it isn’t any of the t...