Christ City Church Memphis

Acts 17:1-9 Paul's opponents accuse him in Acts 17 of "turning the world upside down." Their statement is loaded with irony, and Paul would likely agree with them! Paul might suggest that the world is being turned "right side up" through King Jesus. But would people say the same thing about Christians today? Are we turning the world "right side up"? If not, why? What if it's because the message we...

I Corinthians 15:1-11 He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Resurrection tells us the world has changed and we are invited to be a part of it all and help usher in all that is true about God to a world hurting. Something was opened up and unleashed on Easter...something big and life-changing...something true and of first importance.  Listen in as we unpack the “of first importance” of the resurre...

Luke 23:32-43 During his last hours Jesus was not consumed with rage and resentment but was instead found so full of mercy and compassion he could listen to and see the two men next to him who shared his fate-a criminal's death on a cross. One hurled insults, the other asked for mercy. Jesus gave immediately to the one who asked. What kind of man (God) is this who bestows mercy so freely in the mi...

Genesis 1:26-31 In a world looking for beauty to behold, Scripture tells us humans are the best chance at meeting those needs. And though we've seen much beauty come from humanity, we can point to countless ruins where we've not sought to create true and lasting beauty, but something to simply suffice our momentary impulses and lusts.  At Christ City Church, we believe there's a mandate and t...

Esther 3:1-4:17 The story of Esther is timeless and inspiring: an orphan, minority woman who rises to a seat of power only to be faced with the dilemma of risking her meteoric rise and privilege, as she attempts to save her people. We know Ester finds the courage to confront the king and thus the cultural norms, and God uses her to bring change to her world...simply because she was willing to enga...

Galatians 2:11-14 Like the early church, Christ City desires to practice ‘embracing diversity.’ But this practice is never easy. This story in Galatians 2 exposes how hard this practice was for the early Church, and it won’t be easy for us either. In fact, if our embracing diversity is easy, are we really embracing the sort of diversity that honors God and honors others? Listen in as we wrestle wi...

 2 Peter 1:3-9 In most expressions of Christianity belief and faith are highly valued. This is good since both are essential to following Jesus and living in Christian community.  Yet a breakdown can occur when we fail to realize that living this life of faith is not merely an act of will power or change in attitude but requires careful and ongoing cultivation of our spirituality. Listen...

Mark 12:28-34 There’s a stigma in the church that any kind of self-love is wrong. Even if it’s not explicitly said, it’s seemingly inferred when we think of Jesus telling his followers to “denying yourself.”  But a closer look at Jesus’ teachings tells us something different.  Listen in as we explore what it means to love yourself well and seek health, and how that’s the only true path t...

Matthew 9:18-38 When we read and talk about how interactive and insightful Jesus was with people wherever he went, we tend to attribute it to his divinity. But what if it was his humanity that allowed him to see and have compassion for so many people?  What if Jesus was the most present human who ever lived? And if we want to follow after him, what does it mean to seek that kind of awareness...

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Jesus invites us to participate... to engage life with practices that aim our heart at that which will ultimately bring life and flourishing. Jesus doesn't invite us to merely believe in the Living Water, he invites us to drink deeply and quench our thirst. Listen in to this special Ash Wednesday sermon as we reflect on the invitation of Jesus and also look forward to our new...

Acts 16: 16-40 Have you ever been so annoyed with something you decided to do something about it? You see something in your life or the world around you and you decide to act because you just can’t live with how it is any longer. Even if it won’t accomplish much, you simply have to do something or you can’t go on. And yet, those small moments of annoyances have the potential to bring change. The p...

Acts 16:6-15  We're all familiar with dramatic stories of God intervening in people's lives and calling them on a great adventure with him. But for many (or most!) of us, those dramatic stories are unrelatable. We want to live in what God is calling us to, but how do we discern God's call? Listen in as we unpack important lessons from this story of Paul's radical call to change his plans and...

Acts 15:36-16:5 Few of us enjoy conflict but all of us have to deal with it. Whether its called a disagreement, argument or debate all relationships must either engage it or end. What we sometimes forget is that these differences and disputes give us opportunities to either grow in wisdom or flounder in immaturity depending on how we respond. Listen in as we explore one such situation in the book...

Acts 15:22-35 For many of us, the Bible was taught as a book with all the answers to life. We like the idea of being able to turn to specific chapter and verses to get answers to succor us. But what do you do when the Bible doesn't answer the questions you're asking? And what if the Scriptures weren't meant to always give us strait-up answers, but instead a model -- a  container -- into which...

Acts 15:1-21 Scientists tell us that the universe is continuously expanding. That there are potentially billions of galaxies and forever counting. What if this tells us something about who God is? That his kingdom is expanding? Like a mustard seed growing into a tree, or a little bit of yeast that permeates a whole piece of dough, or the microscopic, multiplying cells in our bodies or a risen savi...

Acts 14:8-23 One of the most glaring critiques of modern Christianity is its incessant need to idealize and follow particular voices, to the point of crippling the message Jesus set out to proclaim.  Yet, this isn't left to Christians alone.  The world has always gravitated towards men and women, sun and moon, rain and harvest, psychology and religion to gives us answers to the questions...

Acts 14:1-7 This week we continue to follow Paul and Barnabas as they arrive at Iconium, and this story is full of twists and turns. How do we deal with bitter divisions in the church and world? How do we deal with lack of character in leaders? Paul and Barnabas's time in this ancient city is surprisingly relevant in our day! Join us as we explore these things and more! 

Acts 13:13-52 The story of Jesus is big...like REALLY big. And if it's that big and important and life-changing, why do we attempt to boil it down to a few antidotes, or worse -- a TRACT?! (shudders) Listen in as we unpack this story in Acts and explore what it means to talk about this good news of Jesus (the gospel!) in a way this world can relate to and receive. 

Acts 13:1-12 As we start our new series in Acts, GodSpeak , we find Paul and Barnabas are journeying into an unknown world where people don't have reference points to Paul and Barabas' God. This means they have to start finding creative ways to talk about God and the saving reality of Jesus. Listen in as we unpack their journey to Cyprus and ask what it means to provide straight paths for others t...

1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 Another year is over, and a new one has begun.  As we wrap up 2018 and step into 2019, let’s remember all the ways God has blessed us and consider what it would mean to live with with acceptance and gratitude going into a new year.  It’s a big ask, but one necessary to find serenity and peace within all the complexities of what it means to be the body of Christ an...

Luke 2:1-20 In the familiar Christmas story we see how radically personal the birth of Jesus really is: “For to us a child is born.” This is the gift of Christmas, the gift that has changed the world. But - just like any gift - the gift of Christmas must be received. And in our independence-valuing culture, simply receiving isn’t as easy as it might sound. Listen in to learn how you can experience...

Acts 12:20-24 As we come to the end of our series, we are faced with the reality that nothing -- even powerful tyrants -- can get in the way of the good news Jesus has to offer. Listen in as we talk about this and more, as we conclude our Acts: Margins mini-series.

Acts 12:1-19 Have you ever felt pressed on every side...cornered without hope...a victim of the worst life has to throw at you? If so, you might can relate to Peter in Acts 12. And if so, maybe you can experience a God who is for you and with you in those pressed-down moments, just like Peter did.

Acts 11:15-18 In today's cultural climate a Christian who holds fast to "traditional" morals or faith can often be labeled as narrow minded, unintelligent or worse -all by other Christians! Many of these Christian "traditionalists" are just trying to live by their convictions; believing that truth is plainly revealed in the bible by God and that we must all simply align with it whether it suits us...

Acts 10:1-29 Have you ever thought, "That person is DEFINITELY not a follower of Jesus!"? If so, the Apostle Peter can relate. This is the chapter in Acts where everything changed. Jesus was for Jews...but for others, too? Listen in as we explore Peter and Cornelius' interaction, and learn what it means to call no part of God's creation "unclean."