City Church Chattanooga Podcast.

The greatest gift ever given is God’s grace to humanity. We enter into the Advent season with the reminder that the greatest gift ever given cannot be earned.

Faith that is tested is faith that is strengthened. We wrap up our Daniel series with the reminder that God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, and He will be with us as we face trials and hardship too.

Even with threats and hardship, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego remained faithful to God and found their identity in Him! We look at Daniel 3 together and are encouraged to entrust our lives fully into God’s hands just as they did.

The mightiest man-made empires are temporary at best and will not last forever! We learn from the story of Daniel that when Christ returns, all earthly kingdoms will be destroyed so we must build our life upon the Rock, Jesus Christ.

As Christians, we have a clear mandate from God to love our enemies and stand for godliness. We kick off our Daniel series with the reminder that this world is not our home.

There is nothing more powerful than a person’s story of redemption! We learn that the early church was an evangelizing church, and we too are called to share our own personal stories of redemption with others as the Lord opens hearts and adds to His church.

This week, we look to the New Testament model of generosity and see we are not to give out of obligation, but proportionately, willingly, and cheerfully. 

When our collective focus is vertical, our horizontal relationships are strengthened. Greg Keylon reminds us of the importance of unity in the church and urges us to be of one heart with one purpose.

If we are not careful, we can make church an activity to attend instead of a place for relationship. This week, we learn from scripture that the early church shared their lives with one another through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and we should strive to do the same.

Seeking the “more of God” is many times connected to the power of the Holy Spirit showing up in your life in a more powerful way. This week, Pastor Shannon teaches us what scripture says about spiritual gifts and how when used properly, they edify the body. 

We continue our series and see from the early church that devotion to prayer was and is essential in the believer’s life. 

You cannot be devoted to Christ and stay committed to the world. Pastor Shannon teaches us that devotion to Christ is an act of worship and should be our highest aim.

We must be marked by prayer! Pastor Shannon wraps up our series in James and reminds us that prayer to the supernatural God should be our first response, not our last resort.

 God is calling us to action. Pastor Shannon reminds us life is short so we must live out our faith through patient endurance and by being generous to others.

Elder, Jonathan Parker, explains the benefits of wisdom found in James 4, emphasizing the generous, gracious nature of the Lord when we approach Him with humility.

 Is wisdom from above or wisdom from below leading your life? We dive further into James 3 and learn that wisdom from above always leads to blessing.

The power of speech is one of the greatest powers God has given us. We continue our series in James 3 and are reminded that the tongue is small but mighty, so we must seek wisdom from above to use it wisely. 

True saving faith must lead us to action. This week, we are challenged to live out our faith, not only in word, but in action.

Elder, Greg Keylon, talks us through the beginning of James 2 and urges us to walk like Jesus by leaning on the side of mercy toward others.

 Pastor Graham shares practical insight from James chapter 1 , encouraging us to slow down, be humble, and spread the Word of God with others.

Yielding to temptation always brings sorrow and destruction. Pastor Shannon teaches us that to overcome temptation, we must walk hand in hand with Jesus and be empowered by His Spirit.

 We begin our study in James with the reminder that God uses trials to help us become more like Jesus.

The world, the flesh, and the devil are continually working against what Jesus has for us! This week, we are reminded to armor up and stand against the enemy’s schemes.

Hell—is it really real? Pastor Shannon explores what the Bible says about hell and the truth that Jesus has provided a pathway for us to be forgiven and spend eternity with Him.

Satan wants to convince us to do things that are not good for us, for others, or for the glory of God. This week, Pastor Shannon charges us to live watchful, spiritual lives so that we are aware of the enemy’s schemes.