Church on the Move West Podcast

During His ministry, Jesus crossed cultural and social barriers to chase after people. In John 4 when He encountered the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus compassionately confronted the reality of her life, and He does the same for us. Jesus' grace accepts us as we are; however, He won't leave us where we are.

There is more than one way to encounter Jesus. Many dropped everything they were doing to follow him, yet some remained curious but skeptical. One of these was Nicodemus the Pharisee, who, in John 3:2, went to speak with Jesus. While he didn't immediately let go of his beliefs, Nicodemus was intrigued by the Rabbi's teaching. Only after the death of Jesus on the cross can we see the impact of Nico...

In week one of Encountering Jesus, Pastor Seth Swindall illustrates how the lives of believers will naturally point toward Jesus. In John 1:43, when Nathanael met Jesus, he was invited to "come and see" what the father had for him. Similarly, we need to ask, Jesus, what do you want for me and from me?

Pastor Ryne Isaac kicks off the year with three things that will be useful in faithfully following Jesus throughout 2023. We are fully equipped if we keep Jesus in front of us, listen to the spirit inside us, and connect with the family of God around us.  

The idea that God is love is not only fundamental to understanding what Christmas means for you, but understanding the very nature of God and of yourself. Love comes from God; it didn't orginate with mankind and it won't end with mankind. God's love is eternal and transcendent. This is why your need for love cannot be filled with earthly things. Luckily, you were made by a God who is eteranl and e...

Joy is a a feeling of great pleasure and happiness, and Christmas can be filled with the promise of joy and cheer. But when our joy comes from external things, it's fleeting. The true source of joy is knowing God is working in your life and that He is good. Joy is not a season, or a moment, or a movie; Joy for the Christ-follower is a person, and His name is Jesus.

As we approach Christmas, we're making space to truly experience God. Christmas means the forever promise of peace with God, peace with others, and peace within. This peace comes through the sacrifice of Jesus, who absorbed the debt of our wrongdoing. Because of His forgiveness, we are called to respond to others with humility and forgiveness, living in the promise of peace.

Hope is a positive expectation of the future. People need hope. In fact, it's necessary for human flourishing. But Christian hope is different. Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." All other hope is shakeable and abstract, but Christian hope is specific, certain, and communal, rooted in the promises of God.

In Mathew 28:18-20, Jesus tells us to "go and make disciples," but what does discipleship even entail? This week, Pastor Seth Swindall sits down with Pastors Brian Jobe and Angela Ekstrum to explore this idea. It's not just a simple journey with a single finish line. Discipleship is constantly moving towards God, growing closer to others, and facing ourselves along the way.

We were created to live in the presence of God. It's where we belong, yet holy encounters are often unexpected. Even Moses questioned God's direction for his life in Exodus 3:1-14 at the burning bush. Through worship, we can also encounter God in our daily lives, and like Moses leading a nation into freedom, obedience always leads to life change.

In the final week of What The Bible Says About Money, Pastor Seth Swindall talks about living with the awareness to be used by God. When we understand how compassionate God has been to us, we cannot help but serve others. In Titus 2 and 3, Paul explains that you must be zealous, ready, and devoted to good works. In our need, God moved to show us undeserved grace; therefore, we should be compassion...

Our campus Pastor, Seth Swindall shares that generosity is a response to God's love in this week's message. Understanding how we should model The Lord's generosity is an important part of our lives because, as believers, we are known by and defined by what comes out of us. God provides. We steward. We honor God. We become generous because He is generous.

How do you, a Christ-follower, walk out the Biblical concept of honor when it comes to your finances? Let's talk about it. We live in a culture of dishonor—you see it in the cynicism and sarcasm that tears down everything without limit. You see it in how we talk to and about each other. We've grown up in this culture of dishonor, so the Biblical idea of honor might not come naturally to you. But h...

Good stewards are urgently faithful to the interests of their master, but what even is stewardship? Matthew 25:14-30 gives us an incredible picture of what it means to be a good steward. Pastor Blake Zimmerman unpacks what we as servants need to understand about the importance of talents, being co-rulers of creation, and how being a steward means we must put our trust in God  and  that God will pu...

Money is a heart issue. There's not an area of our life that's not impacted by our experience and attitude about money. It's vying for a place in our hearts because it carries with it a hope of security, peace, and satisfaction. Our Heavenly Father sees where we're at, and He wants to supply our needs. Whether you're in a time of need or a time of abundance, are you willing to trust Him? Join us f...

In Ephesians 6, Paul reminds the church that we will face opposition. There is an enemy, and we have to be ready to fight. In order to do this, we have to answer three key questions: who do we fight?, Where are we fighting?, and How do we fight? We must allow ourselves to be shaped by the scriptures and advance the Kingdom of God wherever we go because that's how we truly bring light to the darkne...

When the Gospel story affects every part of our lives, we find a more beautiful way to live and interact with one another. No matter what kind of relationships you're in, the principles Paul talks about in Ephesians 5 are universal for everyone who is in Christ. Our in-Christ relationships are characterized by our submission, sacrifice, and surrender to one another. This submission is not subordin...

In week 5 of our Ephesians series, Pastor Seth Swindall takes us through Ephesians 4.  We learn how God builds the church by building people and connecting them to each other. It takes work and intentionality to be unified in the body of Christ but we are called to do this work in order to function as a body.  

We assume that if God wants something, it will happen without our cooperation, but we have to do our part. It is the manner of God to work through people. In a mysterious work, God has elevated the Church to His own right hand through Christ. It is His desire to anoint our abilities and fill us with His might. We partner with Him so that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In Ephesians 2:11 -22, Pauls talks about Jews and Gentiles being reconciled to each other. There was a deep cultural divide between these two people groups that only Christ could heal, but what does this mean for us today? Sin doesn't just affect our relationships with God: it affects our relationship with others and with ourselves. But through Christ, God has reconciled us to Himself, and He has...

In Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul paints a vivid picture of who we were before Christ and who we are after Christ. We were spiritually dead, enslaved to the desires of the body and mind, and condemned to God's wrath. But this is good news. Why? Because a diagnosis is the first step in treatment, and we have a cure that goes all the way to the root of the problem. In our darkness, Jesus found us and delive...

There is a tension in the life of a Christ follower, and that is the tension of being a citizen in two kingdoms: an earthly kingdom and a heavenly one. This can be difficult to navigate, because both of these kingdoms have different cultures, or way of doing things. This week, we take look at Ephesians 1. In Ephesians, Paul's prayer for us is that the eyes of our hearts would be open to who we are...

You're listening to Church On the Move West with Pastor Seth Swindall.  Pastor Seth dives into what it looks like to be truly desperate for God.  When easy times are around and things feel like they are going well we so often loose the desperation that we have for God that we have in harder times.  This can often lead us to get lazy and even let our guard down which can even make us unprepared for...

You're listening to Church on the Move West message podcast.  Psalm 119 is 176 verses of praise for the Word of God. It reminds us of the beauty and wisdom of God's Word in written form, and it reminds us that we must strive to be people of the Book. The primary way God has chosen to reveal Himself is through His Word, so we better be reading it! Join us for the final week of our series "Summer in...

You're listening to part 9 of our Summer in the Psalms teaching series.  Pastor Seth Swindall teaches on Psalm 27. Which voice do you allow to be the determining factor in your life?  When opposition comes against us God wants us to put our trust in him fully to show us his power.  He is always faithful to come through for us when we put our faith in Him.