Catch The Fire Church Raleigh

We had a powerful Sunday morning with Jordan Verner of Riverhouse Church in Boise, Idaho! God is looking for hearts fully devoted to Him—hearts molded by the Holy Spirit to resemble Jesus. There is no scarcity of God’s anointing or calling, only a need for yielded hearts ready to receive His blessing to bring hope to a broken world. We are encouraged in this to live with purity, justice, and humil...

This week, Duncan Smith invited us to step into greater power, greater grace, and greater goodness through reliance on God. Hebrews 1:14-2:4 reminds us of the vastness of our salvation and the importance of anchoring ourselves in Christ and His Word to avoid drifting into worldly currents. We’re called to press into deeper intimacy with the Spirit, walk boldly in the power of signs and wonders, an...

This week, we concluded our Advent series with the candle of Love. As we prepared for Christmas, we reflected on the profound truth that Jesus is Immanuel—God with us. From Isaiah’s prophecy to its fulfillment in Jesus’ birth, we see the depth of God’s love, a love that moves Him to dwell among us, redeem us, and invite us into relationship with Him. This love is not just a feeling but a transform...

This week, Jess Ninaber continued our Advent series by lighting the candle of Joy. Joy is both in the waiting and in the fulfillment, as we see in Isaiah 35—a promise of restoration fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. Unlike fleeting happiness, biblical joy is deep and steady, anchored in God’s faithfulness and His presence with us in every season. As we wait expectantly for Jesus' return, we are in...

This week, Aaron continues our Advent series by lighting the candle of Peace. In a season often marked by chaos and busyness, we pause to reflect on the deeper, biblical meaning of peace—Shalom—a wholeness and restoration that only Jesus can bring. As the Prince of Peace, Jesus offers us more than a state of relaxation He offers us a transformative completeness that stills our hearts and settles u...

This week, Jess Ninaber kicked off our Advent series! During this Advent season, we begin by lighting the candle of Hope, remembering that Jesus is the light that breaks through the darkness. In a world full of uncertainty, we are called to fix our eyes on the unchanging character of God, trusting that His promises will never expire. Though we may be in seasons of waiting, we hold onto the hope th...

In today’s fast-paced, noisy world, what does it look like to unplug from distractions and fully submit to Jesus? This week’s message from James 4 + 5 calls us to “submit to God, resist the devil, and draw near to Him.” Through vivid illustrations, including the necessity of “manure moments” for growth, we learn how humility and surrender bring us closer to Christ.

This week, we explored James 3 with a compelling message on “The Untamed Tongue.” James uses vivid imagery to show us the immense power of our words, comparing the tongue to a small rudder steering a massive ship or a spark igniting a forest fire. This passage challenges us to consider how our speech reflects the condition of our hearts. Are we blessing God while cursing others made in His image?...

This week, we continued our journey through the book of James with a powerful message on “Faith that Shows.” In James 2, we confront the sin of partiality, learning how favoritism and judgment are contrary to the love of Christ. James challenges us to not just believe in God but to live a faith that is evident through our actions. True faith, as James teaches, is not merely professed—it’s practice...

This week Jess Ninaber kicked off our new sermon series, Fervent Faith, which focuses on the book of James. Diving into James 1, we discover how we are called to respond in the face of trials, temptations, and wealth. James offers timeless wisdom about the challenges that test our faith, urging us to stand firm, seek God’s wisdom, and remain steadfast under pressure. Let's remember to keep our eye...

Jess Ninaber wrapped up our series on the parables with a message titled "The Fruitful Heart," based on the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-23. The condition of our hearts impacts our ability to receive God's Word. Through these verses we explore the types of soil that our heart can be likened to- hardened, shallow, thorny, and fertile. Only the heart that is open and receptive can bear lasti...

This week, we explored the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant from Matthew 18:21-35. Through this parable, we were reminded of the vastness of God’s mercy, the requirement of forgiveness and the unholy matrimony with duplicity. We see in this story a king who forgave an astronomical debt, but the forgiven servant who fails to extend that same grace to others. As believers, we are called to not onl...

This week Justin Rife unpacked the Parable of the Prodigal Son, revealing a powerful picture of reconciliation and community. Both sons-one who squandered his inheritance and the other who tried to earn the father’s love-were declared beloved sons by the father. God’s heart is for reconciliation and unity, and as believers that should be reflected in our own lives. We are called to be a Christ-cen...

In this week's message, Jonathan Schunker kicked off our new series on Parables with a powerful word from Luke 12:13-34. He unpacked the anatomy of greed, showing how it disguises itself as wisdom and causes us to focus on ourselves instead of seeking God's guidance. Greed traps us in a cycle of anxiety and fear, living in the future rather than the present. But there’s a way out: when we recogniz...

Jess Ninaber preached this week on The Refining Fire of God, emphasizing the importance of repentance in maintaining the fire of God within us. God is a consuming fire, refining us until He sees His reflection in us. Holiness is not a legalistic checklist but a transformative process of surrendering to God's goodness and mercy. As we present ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), we invite...

This week, Aaron preached from a place of vulnerability and passion urging us as the Temple of God to tend to the Altar Fire of our hearts. Jesus is calling out to His bride, inviting them to return to their first love as His beloved. This message was a significant r, challenging us to rekindle our love for Christ and live as living sacrifices, continually offering ourselves in worship, prayer, an...

Jess Ninaber closed out our Ephesians sermon series with an unforgettable message on the armor of God. Our true battle is not against one another but against the spiritual forces of darkness that oppose God's plan. Drawing on Isaiah 59, Paul calls us to stand firm against those powers by putting on the armor of God. As we engage in prayer and intercession, we are fighting not only for ourselves bu...

This week, Aaron Ninaber continued our Ephesians series with a powerful message on the new creation reality we can live by because of Christ! In Ephesians 5 + 6, Paul calls us to a higher standard of living that reflects the light and love of Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to step out of old ways and into a new kingdom reality, marked by unity, love, and godly relationships. Paul ch...

Duncan Smith continued in our Ephesians sermon series this week, diving into Ephesians 4 and exploring the five-fold ministry (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher) as Christ's gifts to His body. These roles are designed to equip the saints, ensuring the healthy building up of the church under the Lordship of Jesus. The ultimate goal is to bring the body of Christ into unity, maturity...

This week, Jess Ninaber continued our sermon series on Ephesians with a powerful message on grace! In Ephesians 2, Paul tells us that it is by grace that we have been saved. Salvation and grace are given freely to us, but as believers, we respond with our trust and total surrender which leads us to living lives worthy of that gift. Because we’ve been saved, we are now fellow citizens and members o...

Aaron Ninaber kicked off our new sermon series this week on Ephesians! Throughout the book of Ephesians, Paul reveals God's plan to bring all things together in Christ- this unity is for everyone in the body of Christ. As members of God's family, our identity is secure- we’ve been adopted as His children, each with a specific purpose. Let us not to compare ourselves with others, but embrace o...

We were so blessed to hear from Trevor Bien this past Sunday. He shared on the significance of the Lord's Prayer and its timeless relevance for us today. Prayer is more than a ritual- it is a daily practice that reorients our priorities and strengthens our relationship with God. The Lord's Prayer is presented as a model that encapsulates five key principles: recognizing God's holiness, seeking His...

This past week, Jess Ninaber shared a powerful message on "Dwelling Place." An altar symbolizes God's presence with us and we must be willing to create a space for Him, like the tabernacle and the temple. The Holy Spirit's presence is God's greatest gift, allowing us to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with Christ. The invitation is for us to move from visitation moments with God to habit...

Duncan Smith brought a timely word this week centered around the wisdom of winning souls, inspired by Proverbs 11:30. We are called to devote our lives to spreading the gospel and living an exciting, purpose-filled life as described in Matthew 28:18-20. Our effectiveness as witnesses for Christ comes not from wise and persuasive words, but from relying on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit....

This week we had the privilege of receiving the word from Max Thomas. Max and his family live overseas and are doing significant work in the Middle East among refugees. Max reminded us of the nearness of God and how God is a God that comes into our mess and our sin, He's not far, He's near.