City Beautiful Church | New York City

Jesi Lusk takes us inside the story of two differing perspectives on God's faithfulness. As the Israelites stand on the cusp of entering into the land God promised them, will they remain resolute in their faith that God is who He says He is...or not? More than an ancient story, this week's episode is a reminder that who we believe God is changes everything. Follow along: Numbers 13-14 Re...

Jessica Rivera takes us inside the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the book of Daniel, chapter 3.  What does it look like to faithfully follow God, to love Him with our whole life...even when everything in our culture and society commands us otherwise? Can God have a purpose for our trials? Is He faithful no matter what? Dive in and se how these three brave men responded. Follow along:...

Throughout the year at City Beautiful, we will do updates on our church finances, as well as remind ourselves about how God builds our understanding of generosity.  We give sacrificially because Jesus teaches us to seek first His Kingdom.  We give with a worshipful heart because God is our everlasting provider.  Simply put: we get in order to give. (Editor's note: exact church financial data...

It's the conclusion of our study of this ancient letter.  Peter can close with any topic He wants to...and he chooses the gentle, powerful way that God has designed His care for us.  God's care outlasts all of our trials and sufferings. And make no mistake: we all participate in God's care for one another.  By now, that shouldn't surprise us... Follow along: 1 Peter 5 Connect w...

The God who gives us "new birth into a living hope and into an eternal inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade"...is the exact same God who promises that you and I will suffer.  How can this be? And why are trials and suffering such foundational aspects of godly living as described in 1 Peter (and the rest of the Bible)?  To answer these questions of suffering, we have to let Go...

The Bible teaches how to live while teaching us who we are. This is so crucial, because so much of living God's Kingdom ("living like God is in charge") looks so strange and "off" to the cultures of the world.  It's like living upside-down, and godly living will often seem to "lower" us as it exalts Jesus. But we are secure in Him, which means no circumstanc...

It's understandable if we think that God's incredible work of mercy to us (through Jesus' death and resurrection) is a grand, individual gift.  But we'd be wrong if we stop there.  God's design for those who follow Jesus is much bigger than "a saved individual."  God is building something that shows His glory to all of creation... Resources: Follow along: 1 Peter...

The minute we think following Jesus is about a bunch of religious rule-keeping, He reminds us so clearly that...it's not .  But our lives will look like they have been redeemed.  Why?   Sincere love.  From God to us.  From us to others.  Godly living without godly loving is empty.  Jesus calls us to more. Resources: Follow along: 1 Peter 1:13-25 Connect with City Beautiful Church! citybeautif...

Part 2 of our series through the New Testament letter of 1 Peter...and before we dive into the heart of the letter's message, we get a further glimpse of three crucial foundations for the Jesus-follower.  All of them are initiated by God (for us), and understanding each has huge implications for living a godly life in a broken world. Resources: Follow along: 1 Peter 1:3-9 Connect with City Be...

In this episode, we become letter-readers.  The majority of the New Testament consists of someone writing a letter to someone else, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  If we're serious about knowing what the Bible says about godliness and following Jesus...we need to learn to read a letter well.  What makes a letter? Only a few simple components.  The letter of 1 Peter has them all......

In this episode, we celebrate two things. Firstly: some amazing testimonies of what God has done in the seasons of our church (and the past church families that have since merged into one, now).  Secondly, we celebrate the origin of the name of our church...and remind ourselves that we are a faith-filled people...calling out God's destiny for our city and the world. Editor's note: This e...

Jesus describes His relationship to us as that of a shepherd to His sheep.  But for us in a modern society today, we need to unpack that more to understand it fully--and when we do, we will see that God is always loving and intentional in how He describes us. Resources: Follow along: Psalm 23 Connect with City Beautiful Church! citybeautiful.nyc

Jesus made it very clear that His ministry is miraculous (He overcomes all brokenness), scandalous (He offends our desire to make ourselves righteous) and  for all of us (no one is disqualified from Him).  So what kind of life does Jesus offer to the one who will recognize Him for who He is?  Jesus answers that question using a comparison between Himself and the religious leaders of the day...and...

Lots of people talk about Jesus...but what does His ministry actually look like? If we can't answer that question, we can't follow Him closely.  Thankfully, Jesus doesn't leave it unanswered: He's completely clear about who He is and how He ministers.  In this 2-part sermon, we'll observe Jesus minister to someone in need, argue with those religious leders who don't t...

Have you ever found yourself at that place where you know that God is (and has been) good...but you need to trust Him for even more of His goodness?  What do we make of those times? When God has been good, but we ask Him to be good to us again, are we...in the wrong? Or has God designed His goodness in other way? In our church family, we have found ourselves at this point with God. Two amazing chu...

God is never dull, never boring. He is sovereign, and He has plans.   He makes those plans known to us in the form of His promises...which serve as an invitation to us.  It's as if God is saying, "I have a preferred future for you.  Will you join me?"  Jesi Lusk takes us inside the unstoppable promises of God and illuminates our clear choice: will we agree with Him or not? Resources...

In today's episode, David Phelps takes us on journey through a story of Jesus that can unnerve us...we see Jesus passionately (even  violently ) defending the house of God, the Temple in Jerusalem.  What's going on here?  What is Jesus demonstrating?  Are we missing something?  And most importantly, is Jesus reseting something for the people who were watching Him (and for  us )? Resource...

Can the God of the universe truly be all-powerful and fully compassionate? The Bible shows us that he is .  Next up in our series, "For the Bible Tells Me So," we visit the story of Hannah-- a woman crying out in desperation to see God move...not just in power, but in gentleness and goodness.  When God meets Hannah in her need, are His plans put off or delayed?  No.  It was His plan all...

In our series, "For the Bible Tells Me So," we're exploring what the Bible reveals about the God of the universe-- the One True God.  In this episode, we see that God is not only powerful, He's compassionate.  Not only our capable provider, but our merciful Savior: Jesus.  He's way more than just a mighty miracle-worker...He  invites  us to know Him and to have full relati...

Because God is holy and perfect, fully without blemish or brokenness...He doesn't tolerate sin and evil.  That's why He introduces Himself in the Bible as Deliverer. Some deliverance is immediate, while other deliverance is coming in eternity. But one thing is certain: God has a blueprint for how He delivers the people whose faith is in Him.  In this episode, we see that blueprint take g...

God introduces Himself to people all throughout the Bible. In today's episode, we see God introduce Himself as a deliverer ... to a man named Moses.  But God doesn't stop at declaring His power to deliver us from evil and sin...He commands us to  participate . Moses asks God a question that all of us would-- and God answers clearly. Resources: Follow along: Exodus 3 Connect with City Bea...

Sin is more than "wrong things we do..." It's a condition that we're in.  It's all due to our rejection of God's glory, righteousness and love.  In this episode, we see how sin started and how it permeates every one of our lives. The good news? The moment sin existed, so did God's plan for salvation.  Even better news?  No one   is disqualified from receiving it....

Part 1 of our series,  For the Bible Tells Me So , kicks off with a reminder that we're all believing something...whether we admit it or not.  But how do we arrive at those beliefs? And if we're considering the Bible...where do we go from there? More resources: Voddie Baucham, "Why I Choose to Believe the Bible" Making Sense of God  by Timothy Keller The Reason for God  by Timo...

**Special Guests: Craig & Taryn Herbert from Citadel Church (Kew Gardens | Queens)** Happy 4th Birthday, City Beautiful Church! We're clear that we belong to Jesus and our lives are now lived to follow Him...so now what? Every single thing changes...and we will look quite different from the rest of the world, the rest of our culture.  We're filled with His indescribable joy and our i...

In the last episode of our study of Daniel, we see something as clearly as we ever have: God has a train of thought.  So why does the book of Daniel take such a shift-- from narrative story in chapters 1-6 to prophecy in chapters 7-12? The answer makes more sense than you may realize... Connect with City Beautiful Church! citybeautiful.nyc