Capital City Christian Church | Podcast

"The Bible describes Jesus as the way to God, the touchstone of all truth, and the means to life as God meant it to be lived. It also describes Jesus as: “full of grace and truth,” 100% grace, and 100% truth. So … because there is a God you don’t get your own truth, and I don’t get my own truth. Do you get that? But he is 100% grace, too. Which means, if you can’t speak God’s truth with grace...

"I know we live in an age where people avoid commitment. We avoid committing to a job, a marriage, a country, a church. So, all around us there are these “floating believers” who hop from church to church … when they choose to go at all. There are a whole lot of Christians who are looking to get fed, but with no real desire to do whatever they can to contribute to the health of their family....

"Where's God calling you to go this morning? Where is he daring you to venture? I know he's challenging each of us. He does it every day. For someone here this morning, it might be the challenge to make him the Lord of your life. To take that first step in obedience to him and bow before him, acknowledge him as your Lord and Savior. For someone here this morning, maybe he's cal...

"Sometimes, it’s hard to see anything other than what you’re facing in your life at this exact moment. Gratitude is all about changing your perspective. Complainers and grumblers focus on themselves. Complainers and grumblers focus on the moment right in front of them. They lose sight of the larger picture. When we come to Jesus, we call it conversion, meaning that we change. Conversion means...

So, if there is anything in you that desires to live a God-honoring life. Or, if you believe that imitating the character of God is the best way to live … that this isn't just about doing hard things to make God happy, but that it actually brings blessing to our lives … that when we do the things God does, when we pursue the character that God has, when we live according to the ways that God...

"Sometimes we can get away with it … letting our anger control us. Sometimes we win … we think. Although at other times it can get you whipped, or arrested, or fired, or divorced, or unfriended. And … and … if you are a Jesus follower, it will put you in a spot with God. Remember those verses we just read. He says, “In your anger, don’t sin.” “Don’t sin by letting your anger control you.” “Ge...

I'm going to tell you, based on the story that Jesus tells, that those who've received grace give grace. I'm going to tell you that people who are graceless look like people who've never actually experienced or received grace. Because the litmus test for the reality of the grace that you've received from God is the extent to which you give grace and offer forgiveness. I kn...

"I think repentance also involves agreeing with God regarding his mercy, his forgiveness, his grace. It involves a leaning in, instead of a leaning away. Listen: when you ask God for forgiveness, do you trust him to forgive you? Do you really? Or, every time you have one of those “flinch moments” do you beg his forgiveness all over again? I think a whole lot of us don’t really trust God. We d...

"But … can you remember a time when there was someone you’d run from, but also someone you’d slow down for, just so they could catch you? Have you ever moved from wanting to escape to wanting to be caught? God chases you. You might think that’s true and have believed it for a long time. Maybe you’ve thought he’s been trying to catch you for some time – and not for nice reasons. There’s a surp...

"There’s some of you in the room who are sick. You are deep in your guilt and your shame. You need help. You have sin that has not been paid for, and the remedy’s sitting right there in front of you. You have the opportunity to be right with your God, to be able to stand before Him. Get well and accept your grace. Stop coming up with excuses. Stop denying, stop deflecting, stop trying to esca...

Listen, guys, if you believe there is a God, and if you believe Jesus is the Son of God, and if you believe he is the way, the truth, and the life … just like he claimed to be … listen: How much would you have to hate your kid, or your grandkid, not to do whatever you can to nudge them towards Jesus? What could possibly be more important to you as a parent? And guys, they won’t listen to your word...

What do we do with our repeated sin after we've already accepted Jesus? We know that we've been called to follow Jesus. We know that we're called to new life. We know that the Holy Spirit is active and that it's helpful in helping shape us and make us into what God wants us to be. But … it doesn't happen with the snap of the fingers. It doesn't happen overnight. Which...

I have some sympathy and compassion for the religious leaders of Jesus’ day because it’s hard to fully understand something while you’re in the moment. Why did the Jews in authority turn against Jesus? What He was doing in the moment didn’t make sense to them. It wasn’t what they expected. When you’re looking forward into the future or even in the moment, there’s a certain level of ambiguity, a la...

"Bottom line, guys, Mary is confused because she doesn’t know the real Jesus. She is looking for the wrong Jesus … a Jesus of her own imagination … her kind of Jesus. She is blind to the real Jesus. And the real Jesus has to come after her, to break through her fog. You see, if Jesus had just sat back and waited for her to get it … You know, some of us are like, “You keep searching and eventu...

God had made this plan to bridge the gap caused by sin. But it was a temporary plan because it was insufficient. There was no single sacrifice that was good enough — it required more and more sacrifices. The temple became a holy butcher shop, and priests were basically glorified, religious butchers. All day long, all they did was offer sacrifices. Blood was constantly flowing in an effort to keep...

You can find these kinds of interactions all throughout the gospels. But, fast forward to John 18 and the scene where Jesus is getting arrested. Jesus asks a very practical question – but I think it may be the questions he’s been asking the whole time he was on earth. It’s a big crescendo type moment. He asks them, “Who is it you want?” Who is it you want? Isn’t that the same question He’s been as...

Jesus said, “REMAIN in me … APART from me you can do nothing.” This statement is for those who are in Jesus, and it’s also for those who have never followed him. If you’ve never made a decision to follow Jesus, you need to get connected. It’s time to make dead things come alive. It’s time to get grafted into the family of God. But this is mainly a strong warning to the church. Jesus said these wor...

"There are 2 great commandments, guys: #2: Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself. Love your families, your neighbors, your friends, your colleagues, even your enemies as much as you love yourself. … That’s hard. But that’s #2. #1 is this: Love God with all your heart … all of it, with all your soul … all of it, with all your mind … all of it. He’s first, guys. Honoring . God . come...

"I think we live in a "truth desert." We live in a world where thoughts like "What's true for you may not be true for me" exist. We live in a world where thoughts like "I'm just living out my truth" — that's a normal thought. Truth — real truth … absolute truth — is becoming more and more scarce. And our world is living off of processed truth, unhe...

Do you want to get well? It wasn’t just a question for the man – but also for the religious folks. Church, we've got to repent. That word repent, it's a big church word. It just means changing your mind into alignment with Jesus. Repentance is basically saying, "Jesus, you’re always right. I want to think like you do so that it will lead me to live like you do." Repentance is a...

"There are different ways of saying “again” in Greek. The one here is kind of odd. If you were to check it out in your Bible you’d probably see a little note next to the word “again.” If you go to the margin it will explain the note. It will tell you that the word “again” can also mean “from above.” “You must be born again.” Or, “You must be born from above.” One words, two definitions. And b...

"This is the big idea. Jesus invited. He didn't force. He didn't power people into following Him. He didn't beg people to believe in Him. He didn't perform people into accepting Him. It’s true that he taught with authority. It’s true that Jesus wowed with His miracles and His signs. And it’s true that there were times when Jesus attracted large crowds. But … for the person...

"So... till death do us part: perseverance, endurance, faithfulness. That’s what I preached 25 years ago. And it was solid stuff, I think. But we need to go deeper. Because it’s missing, I think, maybe the most important part. Because... what if perseverance isn’t measured just by time? What if endurance and faithfulness aren’t measured just by time?" Stephen "Doc" Pattison, Le...

"James says the proud are in competition with God. Have you ever felt like God is against you? Do you ever feel like your marriage isn’t getting any better? Maybe, just maybe, you have an issue. Maybe you need to be broken of your pride. James says the humble are on God’s team. Do you want God to come back into your marriage? Do you want God to bring healing? Invite Him back... with humility....

"If you step into the Bible, you’ll find the word gentle in several places. If you look at the Greek language, something more robust reveals itself. The Greek word for gentleness is pra - ooh - tayce. Historically, this word originally described the space existing between having a hot temper … and having no temper at all. I think this definition gets at something our usual understanding of ge...