Central Church Podcast

Sometimes, the most important step you can take is the first one. In Jesus' teaching here, we see some instruction on the desires that our hearts can have. Do you want something? You might have to ask, seek, or knock. But if you do, it will be given, you will find, and the door will be opened. And in all things, we reflect on the golden rule that we see in Matthew 7:12: do unto others as you would...

Judgment. It's something we deal with on a daily basis, both in small and large ways. How quickly do we form judgments against others? Do we become so fixated on the sins of others that we become so oblivious to our own? Before we point out the speck in someone else's eye, we must first remove the plank in ours

There are many things in this life that cause us to worry. Small things, big things, we can easily find something to be concerned about, and Jesus knows that. In this portion of the sermon on the mount, he doesn't just tell us to not worry, but he reminds us that our heavenly Father provides our every need and will continue to provide for us because of His great love

Our hearts are true reflections of the places and things that we choose to invest in. Sports, shopping, charity, binging, what we spend a lot of our time doing can communicate where we put our "treasure." Is your true treasure found here in the things of this earth? Or is it in heaven?

Ever wonder why we celebrate Easter when we do? Curious about the biblical view of fasting and what it really means and if it's something that we're supposed to practice? Marvin Knoot breaks down lent, fasting from a pharisaical standpoint, and the vernal equinox

Don't be like the hypocrites. Don't pray for show. Don't do it to appear more holy to the eyes that might be watching you. Don't say many words. Instead, go into a private place and pray the prayer that Jesus instructs us to in this passage

Do good to others. It's a pretty simple command. Jesus, however, takes it one step further in Matthew 6:1-4. He commands us to do good, but he challenges us to not boast about our acts of service; rather, that our left hand would not know what our right hand is doing.

Play to get even, right? If someone hurts us, we have the green flag to get even; or so we think. In Jesus' teaching in this portion of the sermon on the mount, he didn't just instruct us to turn the other cheek, but to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us

Relationships can be hard, especially when the responsibilities and stresses in life play a major role. To cope, we can often turn to many things to help fill the void, and letting our mind wander outside of the covenant relationship we've made with our spouse/significant other can lead to some really poor decisions, which Jesus narrows down to not just an action, but even a thought. How can we st...

It doesn't take much for some people to push us close to the edge, and we can easily get angry at them for the things they do, which can lead to attitudes of judgment and habits of unforgiveness. Jesus instructs us to always be forgiving of other people, no matter what they've done, because if you don't forgive others, your heavenly Father won't forgive you

Laws are meant to be followed, right? We see many laws instituted throughout the Old Testament, and they were highly regarded as the best way to live a life that honored God. So when Jesus tells us that he didn't come to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law, what does that mean? How does that change our hearts? Is our life really just a pursuit of never doing anything wrong, or is our life a pu...

You might have heard it said before, "you are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world." But what does that mean? Why, when Jesus is giving his sermon on the mount, is he instructing Christians to be like salt and light? His desire here is that His followers would be passionate about illuminating the goodness of God, or "salty do-gooders"

Sometimes we hear things that can have a strong impact on the way we approach our daily lives. With Jesus' famous sermon on the mount, his words weren't just meant to challenge us; they were meant to shape the way we live in body, heart, mind, and soul.

Jesus wasn't just a baby that was meant to be adored. He was a Savior that was meant to be revered. In 2022, how can we reflect on our reverence for God and show Him that we're not just partially committed, but that we're all in?

The people of Jerusalem were anxiously waiting for the coming of this Messiah, who would bring them their redemption! He had finally come, but was it exactly what they were expecting?

God could've shouted His love for us from heaven, but He showed it to us on earth. We rejoice over the birth of baby Jesus and the joy that he has brought into the world!

Mary and Joseph weren't the only ones who found out that they were going to be parents of a baby who would grow up and play an important in the Kingdom of God. Jesus was the true Son of God, but how was everyone to know? Only if someone told them.

Mary knew that she was going to have a baby. Mary knew that he was the Son of God. But did she know the beginning of what he would do for all of mankind? Did she know just how desperately we needed him, and how he was going to save us all?

Joseph was faced with a challenging situation: his wife-to-be was about to become a mother of a child who wasn't his. But Joseph chose faithfulness and stayed with her as they prepared to become the earthly parents for Emmanuel: God with us.

In a world that was longing for a sliver of hope, it was finally on its way. A baby would soon be born, and he would make all things new. He would become our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace

A day is coming where there will be no pain and sorrow, and everything will be made new. Although this life is plagued with hardship, struggle, and suffering, we will one day embrace a new life that is made complete in the presence of the Lord. The Apostle Paul said it best: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will soon be revealed to us."

Everything has its beginning, and everything has its end. When we reach the end of our earthly life, are we going to be cast away, or will we be welcomed at the wedding feast, celebrating the goodness of God for eternity?

Heaven. We all long for it. We even try to describe in our own words what it will be like. But do we truly understand what heaven is going to be like?

Words of affirmation. Words of correction. Words of motivation. The church affirms the hope that we have in Jesus Christ, the ways in which we can better live for Him, and motivates us to serve Him wholeheartedly!

All alone on the island of Patmos, the apostle John received these wild, yet vivid, visions of the return of God, who was and is and is to come. In preparation for His return, John urges the readers to be ready for that glorious day. Are you ready?