Aspire Church Podcast

At the start of His ministry, Jesus didn’t deliver a lecture, creed, or doctrinal checklist. He extended an invitation: “Come and see. Follow Me.” In this opening message of The Jesus Road, we explore what Jesus meant when He said He was “the Way.” Before we understand everything about Jesus, we are called to walk with Him—to shape our lives around His way of living. This sermon encourages both se...

Who—or what—are you becoming? The Apostle John reminds us that we are children of God, being shaped into His likeness by what we focus our hearts and minds on. Just as a mirror reflects whatever stands before it, our lives mirror whatever captures our attention. This message encourages us to pause at the end of one year and the start of another, asking “Am I reflecting Christ or something else?” A...

In a world weary of corrupt leaders and broken systems, Isaiah promised a righteous King—a ruler whose love would make all things right. From the stump of Israel’s failure, God would raise a new branch to bring justice for the poor, peace to creation, and reconciliation for all people. This final message of Unto Us: The Gospel According to Isaiah reminds us that the love of Christmas is not sentim...

In a world where fear often drowns out gladness, Isaiah promised a sign: “Immanuel — God with us.” Joseph faced scandal, Mary faced uncertainty, yet both discovered that joy is not found in circumstances but in God’s presence. Part three of For Unto Us reminds us that the joy of Christmas is the assurance that God has not abandoned us — He has come near, and He is still with us.

In a world torn by conflict, Isaiah shares a stunning vision of swords turned into plowshares and nations streaming to the mountain of God. That vision became reality in Bethlehem when the Prince of Peace arrived to dwell among us. Peace is not the absence of conflict, nor the naïve optimism of pacifism. True peace is the presence of Christ — God’s peace made real. Join us for part 2 of For Unto U...

Long before Bethlehem, Isaiah saw Christmas coming. In a world of gloom and darkness, he promised a great light. That hope didn’t arrive through armies or politics but through a child—a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Part one of Unto Us: The Gospel According to Isaiah reminds us that Jesus is our only hope —the light in our darkness, the child in the mang...

In a world that often silences truth and mocks faith, Isaiah shows us what it means to follow God into the darkness. Built through years of listening and obedience, the prophet learns to trust the Lord when the journey becomes painful. His words point ahead to Jesus, the ultimate Servant who set His face like flint and carried the light of God’s love through the shadow of the cross. Join us for th...

In a world ruled by fear and fueled by endless headlines, God’s people are called to live differently. When the kings of the earth trembled, Isaiah heard a counter-cultural command: “Do not fear what they fear. The Lord Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy.” In this message, Pastor Gary Webber shows how faith in the face of fear becomes a declaration of hope in a despairing world—and how...

When Isaiah entered the temple, it was just another day of worship—until he saw the Lord. In that moment, God's holiness revealed his sin, cleansed his lips, and forever changed his life. In this message, Pastor Gary Webber shows how God uses worship to reveal His glory, redeem our guilt, and empower us for His mission. God still calls imperfect people to proclaim His perfect message. When gr...

Isaiah’s ministry began in a nation that looked devout but was spiritually diseased. The people performed acts of worship while ignoring justice, truth, and compassion. In this opening message from the Here I Am series, Pastor Gary Webber reminds us that before God can use us to change the world around us, He must first cleanse the world within us. Only when the “enemy within” is exposed and forgi...

In Luke 14:12-24 , Jesus tells a story about a banquet where the invitations go to the most unlikely guests. God’s Kingdom is like that table - overflowing with grace and open to all. A Bridge to the Table calls us to extend that same invitation: to make room for one more, welcome the outsider, and reflect heaven’s hospitality here on earth. Love fills the table when we pray boldly, give generousl...

What kind of legacy will we leave behind? In Luke 18:15–17 , Jesus turns the world’s values upside down by welcoming children and declaring that the Kingdom belongs to them. A Bridge to the Future reminds us that the church is always one generation away from becoming a museum. Our calling is to see the next generation, invest in them today, and learn from their childlike faith. Legacy is not just...

God’s heart has always been for the nations. From Abraham’s promise to Isaiah’s vision of a house of prayer for all peoples to John’s glimpse of a multitude before the throne, Scripture reveals a global mission. But like Israel, the church today can lose the plot when we forget who the Gospel is for. Join us for part 2 of Bridges, where we see that love crosses borders—racial, cultural, and person...

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus shows us that real love is more than sentiment—it crosses the street. In this opening message of our Bridges series, we’ll explore what it means to love our city by seeing the needs around us, showing mercy to those the world overlooks, and sharing ourselves in ways that build lasting bridges. Aspire Church is called to be more than a place of worship; w...

Before we begin our new Bridges series, we pause with a prayer that never fails: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). In a world tired of empty words and unanswered longings, Jesus gives us a model prayer that is always heard and always answered — not because it bends God to our will, but because it bends us to His. This message sets the stage fo...

In the final message of our Grasping for God series, we reach the last chapter of Jacob’s story — not his deathbed confession of failure, but his clearest act of faith. With failing eyesight, Jacob blesses the sons of Joseph and, in a surprising move, crosses his hands to give the greater blessing to the younger son. What looked like a mistake was actually a vision: for the first time, Jacob truly...

We are honored to welcome Dr. Mark Wilbanks back to the pulpit at Aspire Church San Marco. Dr. Wilbanks faithfully served as our pastor from 1985 to 2002. During his 17 years of leadership, Aspire experienced a season of remarkable growth, good health, and significant expansion of our facilities and property. His tenure left a lasting spiritual and structural legacy that continues to benefit our c...

After a lifetime of grasping — for birthrights, blessings, and love — Jacob is finally left alone. On the eve of facing his greatest fear, he encounters his greatest opponent: God Himself. In this climactic moment, Jacob realizes that the fight was never with Esau, but with the God he’s resisted his whole life. In Part 5 of Grasping for God, we’ll see how real encounters with God are always person...

We were made for love—but we often grasp for it in all the wrong ways. Jacob thought Rachel’s beauty would heal his loneliness. Leah thought bearing children would earn her husband’s affection. Both were left unsatisfied. In Part 4 of Grasping for God, we’ll see that the love we truly long for can’t be found in romance, success, or family approval—it can only be found in the God who sees, hears, a...

Jacob is on the run—alone, afraid, and far from everything familiar. But in a forgotten place, with only a stone for a pillow, he has an encounter that changes everything. In Part three of Grasping for God, we see that God doesn’t wait for us to climb up to Him—He brings heaven down to us. Jacob’s dream of a stairway reveals a deeper truth: heaven is not accessed by striving, but opened by grace....

We all long to be blessed — to be seen, named, and affirmed. But like Jacob, we often grasp for that blessing in all the wrong ways — by pretending, performing, and hiding who we truly are. In Part 2 of Grasping for God, we will examine Genesis 27 to understand the power of blessing, the problem of seeking it apart from God, and the promise of a blessing freely given through Jesus — the true First...

Legacy matters—but it’s not enough. Every generation must decide: Will we repeat the sins of our past, rely on the religion we inherited, or find a living faith of our own? In the opening message of our new series Grasping for God, we focus on the often-overlooked story of Isaac to examine how faith is handed down, reclaimed, and renewed—through trust in the God who offers living water.

Mike Domke is the Team Leader for Church Planting with the IMB for Kyiv, Ukraine. Mile and his family have served with the IMB since 2008. Before that, he served on the staff at San Jose Baptist Church from 1992 to 2008. Mike married JuliAn Swartz in 1988. They have three children: Michael, a Senior at William Carey University; Andrea, a freshman starting at William Carey University in the fall; a...

Today, we are pleased to welcome Cecil Seagle as our guest preacher. Cecil was married to Peggie Hames Seagle for 63 years. Together, they served Jesus’ Church as pastor and wife for over 20 years. Cecil led the Florida Baptist Convention’s mission division for 25 years. He also served as the Executive Director for the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana for six years before retiring to Florid...