Community Christian Church Podcast

If you follow Jesus, you have a spiritual gift. It’s from The Holy Spirit, and it’s meant to be used! At some point in your life, maybe you’ve taken a spiritual gifts assessment, or maybe you've had someone say, “hey, you’re really gifted at ABC,” and you’ve become aware of your gifts. But stepping into your giftedness means much more than simply knowing you’re good at something. To fully liv...

In our culture, it’s easy to equate doing whatever we want with freedom. If nobody is the boss of us, and we can make whatever choices we want, we’ll be perfectly satisfied, right? You might think so, but the reality is this: living selfishly is never going to make us whole and healthy. It might be satisfying in the moment, but it never is, long-term. We’re not wired to be truly happy when we just...

What is the Holy Spirit? Even for people who have spent their whole lives in church, the idea of the Holy Spirit can feel confusing and mysterious — what role does the Spirit play in our lives? With this message, we’re launching our new series, which is all about The Holy Spirit, and this message is all about the incredible truth that God wants to communicate with us all the time! God is never dis...

What does it mean to be like Jesus? We all have our (relatively short) lives to learn to be like him, and it’s never too late to begin. Jesus wants us to be deeply formed people… to grow in wisdom, love, and understanding. He also wants us to share that with others, and help them experience it, too! When we commit to becoming like him, we’ll find ourselves in an ongoing cycle…find our own way, exp...

Many people scoff at the idea of looking to the church for wisdom about sexuality. For some, they’ve been hurt by insensitive or painful experiences in their childhoods. And for others, the teaching simply seems unrealistic in today’s world, and they’ve decided to throw it all out. But at Community, we believe God’s word about sexuality transcends all the unhealthy, harmful, and confusing messages...

You might know that Jesus picked 12 people — called his apostles — to follow him, learn from him, and spread his good news. What you might not know is that they were an unlikely bunch! Jesus could’ve included anyone he wanted, but he intentionally called an unlikely and diverse group. Some members likely wouldn’t have associated with one another, or would’ve held prejudiced opinions toward others....

Do you know yourself? Most of us would instinctively say that we do, but in reality, many of us lack self-awareness. Whether subconsciously or not, we often don’t like to do the hard inner work of seeing ourselves as we really are, because we don’t want to bring up past trauma or we’re afraid of what we might find — or how we might have to change. If this is you — and it’s many of us! — here’s som...

To be deeply formed into the image of Christ, we must slow down to enter a place of solitude and stillness before God. ____ Teaching Pastor Tammy Melchien begins our series: Becoming Like Jesus ____ #WeAreTheChurch #BeTheChurch #BecomingLikeJesus

What changed when Jesus came? You found hope! __ Lead Pastor Dave Ferguson continues our series: The World Turned Upside Down

No matter who you are, everyone on earth shares this in common: we all need connection. We need to connect to God, the people in our lives, and the world around us. When Jesus walked the earth with his disciples, he said one thing: “Follow me,” and that’s the very same invitation he extends to you today! A life of deep connection — to God, to our friends and family, to our world — is waiting. Will...

Loneliness: it’s something all of us experience it. You can be surrounded by friends and family and still feel deeply isolated and alone. You can be in a loving marriage and still feel lonely. You could have lots of great friends and still feel it. Nobody is immune to experiencing it. And because we all experience it, we all know how hard it is. When Jesus came to earth, he didn’t come to save us,...

This might not be a fun exercise, but can you think of a time you were at your lowest? Maybe you’d been through a terrible breakup, you were fired from a job, or you felt disapproval from your family and friends. You may have felt messy, unimpressive, and unloveable. Maybe you’re even in that place right now. No matter where you are now, we’ll all have times in life where we feel like we’re just n...

Have you ever lost something important? A child’s favorite teddy bear, a wedding ring, an important document? When you lose something like that, you immediately drop everything — finding that lost item becomes your priority! You turn your world upside down to find that precious item. And that’s how Jesus feels about us, his beloved treasures who he loves beyond measure. When we’re lost, he wants u...

What do you believe about heaven and hell? Some of us were taught that they’re physical places, completely separate from our lives on earth, and our goal in life is to “get into” heaven or “stay out” of hell. Some of us are so uncomfortable with the idea of hell that we just ignore it, or stop believing in its reality. The truth is, we know heaven and hell are real — Jesus talked about them. But,...

When you think of the Kingdom of God, what comes to mind? Maybe you think of Heaven — the afterlife — where everything is perfect. And while that’s true, it’s not the whole truth. The Kingdom of God is also right now! If you follow Jesus, you’re called to bring the Kingdom — bring hope, restoration, and love — to the world around you right here, right now. We know that Jesus will someday come back...

What does it mean to be part of a church family? It isn’t about getting dressed up in your Sunday best and going to the service each week. Nor is it about joining groups, going to church events, and volunteering. It’s also not about checking a bunch of obligations off a to-do list. It’s about being a part of God’s Kingdom community here on earth. It’s about recognizing that we are so much better w...

Have you ever heard a Christian talk about the Holy Spirit, and say something like, “the Spirit told me ABC” or “I felt the Spirit leading me to do XYZ”? What was your reaction? Maybe you wished you could feel that kind of guidance so clearly in your life. Maybe you were confused — who exactly is this “spirit” and how do you hear from them? Maybe you were triggered by past trauma — maybe you’ve ha...

As followers of Christ, we believe that Jesus is King. He’s not like an earthly king who can be coronated and dethroned, and who rules over subjects. He’s an entirely different type of king — the King of Kings. He sits on the highest throne, loves his Kingdom beyond comprehension, and cannot ever lose significance or power. And the amazing thing is — this King wants to be friends with YOU! He want...

At Community, every single thing we do has the same goal: to help people find their way back to God. Once a year, we set aside a weekend during which we give away every penny given by YOU, and we call it Celebration Generosity. This year, all the funds raised are going to ministries that support young people in the Philippines, alleviating poverty for kids worldwide, church planting all over the w...

In the Old Testament, we read the story of the Israelites: people God led out of captivity to experience his blessings, as his people. When we read that story, we might find ourselves wondering, “What does this mean for me, as a person, in our modern era? Does God’s relationship with Israel have anything to do with me?” It may seem confusing or unclear, but the reality is that the story of the Isr...

When you think about sin, what comes to mind? Maybe you’ve been taught that it’s all about following a set of rules — avoiding sin by doing everything “right.” What it really is, though, is separation from God. It’s when we doubt that what God has for us is best. It’s anything that pulls us away from God’s vision for us, personally, and for the world as a whole. In short — sin might be different t...

How do you picture God? Throughout history, in an attempt to make sense of God, people have misrepresented God as many caricatures: a “Cosmic Cop” whose rules must be obeyed, a “Jolly Grandpa” who just wants us to do whatever we desire, or a transactional “Genie-in-a-Bottle” who exists only to grant our wishes. All of these archetypes are incorrect, and if we allow our understanding of God to be d...

Whether you’ve read your Bible cover to cover many times, or rarely read it, every Christ follower needs to think critically about how they read it. The Bible isn't just a book — it’s the living word, that we’re meant to interact with. Beyond simply reading the words, we need to seek to understand exactly what they mean, reflect on them, and then respond to them. For more about what this mean...

Have you ever asked yourself “what am I supposed to do with my life?” Maybe you thought you’d have it all figured out by now. Or maybe you thought you’d be fulfilled by the right job, the right relationship, or the right goals — but those things didn’t bring the deep-seated sense of purpose you desired. If you find yourself wondering what your purpose is, this message is for you! You’ll learn how...

We all struggle with anxiety. Whether you deal with everyday anxiety (the stress of changes, hard circumstances, or a too-busy life) or clinical anxiety (and you need therapy and/or medication to manage), none of us are getting through life without anxiety. With God, there is help and hope. God doesn’t promise to take your anxiety away, but he does promise to give you a never-ending supply of peac...