Church on the Move Podcast

The closer we get to the Lord, the more we will accurately understand justice. Justice is an attribute of God, but it's also something we're called to reflect on. As Christ-followers, we ought to be the most compassionate people because we've had unfathomable compassion shown to us. The promise we can hold onto is Jesus is coming back, and He will deal with evil once and for all.

Pastor Marty Sloan, Lead Pastor of Calvary Church in Naperville, IL, explains a divided heart is a heart torn between two different loves: a love of God and a love of the world. God will not be second in your life. Luckily, our God is faithful even when we're unfaithful, and redeeming us even though we don't deserve it. 

Over and over in the Bible, we're given the command not to fear. But the beginning of all wisdom is to fear the Lord. How do we hold these two things in tension? The fear of the Lord is a fear that puts God at the center. We have a healthy fear of the mountains and the ocean yet often we don't fear the God who made them. If we want to live well in a God-made world it requires the fear of the Lord ...

We often don't get the weight to which our words matter. There are times when we should refrain from speaking and times when we should have difficult conversations. But how do you know when & how to speak? Luckily, Proverbs gives us a roadmap for navigating these nuanced situations with wisdom.

In week three of our Series on Proverbs, Pastor Whit shared insights from Proverbs 1 on what the pathway to maturity looks like. Proverbs tells us that wisdom is available for anyone who wants it, we just have to pursue it, but it may not always look like what we think it will.   In this message, we dissect the tension between submission and agency. As we make space to listen to God and have the c...

We desperately need wisdom, but there are external and internal obstacles. Our culture values speed and busyness, but wisdom requires patience and perspective. Pride and shame also keep us from the wisdom that's available. Luckily, Everything that you need for life and godliness is in Jesus. Proverbs is the voice of Jesus in your life. Will you let Him speak?

Join us for week one of our series on Proverbs: Wisdom for Every Day Life. To know God is to know His ways. Man's ways are informed by personal understanding and experience. But God's way is submission to His Word and His Voice. His ways are where we find true and life-giving wisdom.

Sometimes, life doesn't go as expected. Joseph certainly didn't expect for his life to turn out the way it did. But God never leads you to a dead end. Throughout Scripture, we see that He provides a way for His people over and over again. God never promised a life without trouble, but He can give your pain purpose and work all things for the good of those who love Him.

Forgiveness and reconciliation are two concepts not only central to the story of Joseph but central to the Christian faith.  Forgiveness is about coming to the Lord with the fullness of your feelings and trusting Him with them. It's inner work between you and God. Sometimes, this inner work leads to repentance and reconciliation with others. What God desires above all, is reconciliation with you.

In Genesis 42-44, Joseph tests his brothers. He gives them a chance to enter back into a relationship with him on the basis of trust. We all have to face different tests and trials that form something in us. God never tempts you, but he does allow you to walk through difficult seasons. Tests reveal who you truly are and allow you to change. When you pass a test, you're released into a new level of...

God never speaks and gives a word without giving confirmation. Joseph received confirmation from God time and time again and rose to the challenge of staying diligent no matter how challenging his circumstances got. Spiritual laws give us a pathway to both vindication and success. There are going to be times when you do the right thing but don't get your just reward. Take heart: your breakthrough...

God has a way of bringing us to in-the-meantime seasons – a place where you feel stuck in the middle of where you used to be and where you want to go. In Genesis 39,  this is where Joseph is at. God often does His most significant work in our lives during this time if we let Him. But it can be hard to trust that He's working even when we don't see it. What God has for you is better than what you c...

The story of Joseph is the story of a family and God's faithfulness to them. What does it mean to have God working in and through your family? The reality of family is that you're connected to a people whether you realize it or not, and where you come from shapes you in significant ways. Unless you allow your relationship with God to shape and refine you, all of your outward faith will have very l...

We shouldn't just go back to our lives after Easter. The resurrection changes everything. Erwin McManus said, "Eternal life is not something we get when we die. Eternal life is something Jesus has already given us that can never be taken away." Because of the resurrection, we can have courage over fear and a life of purpose.

In Ephesians 2, Paul explains our condition: we were dead in our sin, buried in shame and brokenness. We have to be willing to face the reality of our condition. A lot of people believe in Jesus but have never actually received the free gift of grace through faith: this is a gift of resurrection. God being rich in mercy has made us alive in Jesus. And when you meet the real Jesus, there's no going...

Fasting is an unreasonable habit to draw us closer to God, and prayer is how we turn our physical hunger into spiritual hunger. When we pray and fast it gives us the opportunity to run after God in a way that we typically don't; it increases our level of dependence. God wants you to pursue Him. Every time God calls His people to seek Him, He promises that they will find Him.

There's tension in the Christian life: the already and the not yet. Our view of the future determines how we live. We're not called to obsess over the future, but to be faithfully obedient in the present. Spiritual disciplines like fasting help us stay obedient in the present, worship God with our best, and prepare for what's next. 

Have you ever made a vow to yourself that you'd never do something only to do that very thing? In Mark 14, we see this happen to Peter. When you live life on autopilot you do things you never thought you would. We need spiritual disciplines to keep us combat complacency and the desires of the flesh. Spiritual disciplines like prayer and fasting help us focus our attention so that we can be alert t...

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus invited the disciples to, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). It's all too easy to live life on autopilot, but what if you're missing something important because you're not fully awake? Whether it's busyness, distraction, discouragement, or selfishness, there's always someth...

  When you're a Christ-follower, you're not just a follower of teachings; you have become a new person. With every miracle, there's a process. You being reborn in Christ was a miralce, but the renewing of your mind is a process that you have the responsibility to see through. Luckily, you have the power to do this living inside you through the Holy Spirit. Focusing and meditating on Scripture is e...

There are two kingdoms: the Church and the world. The tension of being in Christ and also a citizen of the world is a tension God's people have always had to wrestle with.  If you're going to win the war against the world, you're going to have to set some "unreasonable" boundaries.  Saying "no" to the world means saying "yes" to the church. When God calls you out of the kingdom of darkens, He plan...

There's a cost to following Jesus. You have to deny your flesh. But you'll never succeed in your own strength. Living by the Spirit is the only way to win the war against fleshly desires. The Spirit of God gives us power for new life, and if you're a child of God, you have everything you need to be led by the Holy Spirit. Be still, create space, and invite Him in. 

In Ephesian 2, Paul reveals our three enemies: the flesh, the world, and the devil. This week, Pastor Whit details how you can combat Satan: the father of lies. Before you can defeat the devil, you have to understand that he is real, his goal is destruction, and his weapons are lies.  How do you fight lies? You fight them with the truth: the truth that God speaks in His word. 

There is a struggle within you. Paul understood what this felt like: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out" (Romans 7:18). Paul would tell you this war isn't just physical; there is a spiritual battle happening both inside you and around you. And this war of wills can leave you wondering, Have I changed at all? But take heart: this war is winnable. Galatians 5:16 say...

In John 9, Jesus heals the man born blind. Faith gives us new eyes.  By faith, we receive the work of Jesus, see the work of Jesus, and join the work of Jesus. God is always working and moving, and we have to train our eyes to see Him. Our world is intentionally designed to numb us from the awareness of God. So we must be counter-formed through spiritual practices to train our spiritual eyes.  "…w...