Echo Grace Church Podcast

Can God really clean? Can He really remove the stench and stain of a life that seems beyond repair? Today, Pastor Adrian invites us to consider the reality that there's nothing we can do to right the ship of our lives on our own. Only a perfect mediator can make us "Clean".

The story of big sins that have ruined lives is nothing new. Just pick up today's paper, and you'll see this is true. But what about unforgiveness? Why don't we see that issue plastered all over the news? Perhaps we have missed how very toxic unforgiveness is to the human heart, and in "Released", Pastor Adrian takes us through what God reveals about himself through this issue.

Is there a sin so big that God cannot forgive it? Somehow, our shame and guilt tells us that there must be. But, that's not what God's word says. In this episode, Pastor Adrian Schoonmaker shows us how God covers all our sins, and especially our shame, which so often keeps us from walking with God the way we were intended to.

It's one thing to say that you'd die for a friend, or a spouse, or even for your kids. But, could you die for Jesus Christ? What if you were presented with that scenario? In "To the Death...", using the final moments of the life of Stephen, Jarrod helps us see that how we live our life will show up in how it ends.

How's your heart? Unless you choose to be dishonest, that's not really a question you can run from, is it? No matter how we try to hide who or what we are, the heart reveals it all. Today, Jarrod looks at the final moments of the life of Stephen, as seen in Acts 7. What he said revealed the hearts of Jerusalem's high priests, and it cost him his life.

If you take a moment to reflect on this past week, did you have moments where life squeezed you? Were there times in this last week that really tried you? What happened in those moments? What was revealed about you? This week, Jarrod continues a message he started last week, asking us what we're full of. Ultimately, what we're full of is what comes out in life's most trying moments.

If someone were to place you on the witness stand in a courtroom and attempt to prove you guilty of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In this first part of "Bearing the Name", Jarrod invites us to keep three points in mind if we are to become effective bearers of the name "Christian".

Growth for a church always brings new challenges, and as Grace now finds itself having tripled in size in the last two and a half years, those challenges are surfacing. Today, using the account of the disciples from Acts 6:1-7, Jarrod gives a behind the scenes look at how these challenges are being faced.

When it comes to healing for yourself or someone you know, does it feel like God has forgotten the situation? Why does someone else seem to get nothing short of a miracle, when you've been waiting for a long time? As Grace's Pastor Adrian Schoonmaker tells us through his own story, God hasn't forgotten you. In fact, he's right in the middle of the need.

If we are honest, telling the truth has a tendency to make us more enemies than friends. But does that social awkwardness that almost always comes with truth telling cause you to side-step it altogether? Today, we look at the boldness of the apostles, and moreover, what made them effective truth tellers, as Jarrod expounds upon this account from Acts 5:17-42.

Last week, Jarrod talked about persecution, and how this has not really hurt the church, but galvanized its believers and only spread the message of Jesus faster throughout the globe. But is there anything that CAN hurt the church? Is there anything that can really hurt a believer? Find out in this message, "The Greatest Argument Against Christianity".

You believe in Jesus Christ. You know he's your savior, and you see he's also your Lord. You've even seen powerful work in your life to prove he's there. But, what about saying the name of Jesus? Does it give you trouble? What's got to happen for you to SAY the Name of Jesus? In today's podcast, Jarrod challenges us further with the one thing he dares us to pray.

Do you find it easy to say "God", but shy away from the name Jesus? How do you speak the name of Jesus passionately and boldly? With one of the most powerful teachings by Pastor Jarrod to date, and as the first installment of the new series "The Name", Pastor Jarrod challenges us with the message "Silent No More?".

When crisis comes, it's pretty hard to stay focused on the reality that God is already involved in the trouble. In fact, he may be using that very crisis to bring you back to him. Using the excellent example of King Jehoshaphat from the book of 2 Chronicles, Jarrod will help us see not only how to handle the crisis we may be in, but how to pray for help while we're in it.

Is it possible to carry your faith in Christ into your workplace, or is this something that you keep separate? How do you begin to have an authentic faith beyond the church and into your home and workplace? In this episode, guest speaker Dr. David Levy brings us an amazing account of how his faith in Jesus came into his work, changing his life forever.

Is there an area of your life that you're not allowing God to work in? Perhaps you need to make a flip before you make a leap. Dovetailing the recent Leap Year series, this message from Larry Dauer encourages us to take a look at making the flip by allowing Christ to work in areas of our lives that we may not have allowed Him to work in before.

That first Easter morning, surely many felt that their trust in Jesus, that teacher who had claimed to be God, must have been in vain. In "What's Missing?", Pastor Jarrod takes us to the Emmaus Road and the conversation involving two believers just a short while after the crucifixion. There, just a short way from Jerusalem, in their doubts and confusion, a stranger would change their lives forever...

Is there anything that you can do that God cannot forgive you for? Is there any place that you can go where He is not present? By examining the book of Hosea in this Good Friday message, Pastor Jarrod reminds us of God's amazing pursuit of us, which eventually led to his sacrificing his own Son for us.

It's so easy for a fear to become a giant, especially when you focus on it. For the Israelites who were about to take the promised land in Numbers 13, their giants were just that - giants! But God had been faithful to them on the entire journey. Would they turn back now? With the powerful and moving conclusion to the "Leap Year" series, Pastor Jarrod asks us to go "All-Out".

The Bible tells us that the Lord is a jealous God, but he's jealous for good reason. As a loving parent, it's hard to accept when your children do things that will lead to their destruction. This is clearly seen in 1 Kings 18, through the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. In "Leaping... or Limping?", Jarrod leads us through this fascinating account, and we'll see several clear realities ab...

The book of Esther reads like a well-thought out Hollywood script. But, as we all know, fact is better than fiction, and Esther certainly proves this. Using this backdrop, Jarrod gives us a cliff-notes version of this exciting book, pointing us towards a God of love and power that calls us to leap.

Are you the kind of person that sees a challenge as an obstacle, or do you see it as an opportunity. No doubt, as Joshua and the Israelites approached the ancient city of Jericho, they had to make the choice to see that profound challenge as one or the other. In this episode, Jarrod brings us to the reality that we must also make this choice in the day-to-day challenges we face.

Do you ever find it hard to know when God is leading you, much less calling you to leap? How can you know if God is leading? How can you know if you're supposed to leap? In this episode, Jarrod will give us some of the most practical advice yet on what it means to not only follow God, but to leap toward the calling he's given you.

Let's face it. For many church goers, risking for God is showing up on a Sunday to a church, singing some songs, and hearing a preacher preach. But oddly enough, many of these same people are bored out of their mind with Christianity. Think there's a connection? In this episode, Jarrod looks at Noah's uncanny risk and his uncanny faith.

Are you ever bored with your Christian faith? Do you ever read the great stories of faith from the Scriptures and wonder why those things don't happen to you? Well, there's no in-between when it comes to following Christ. Either you're moving towards Him, or you're drifting away. Today, in "Fishbowl Faith", Jarrod challenges us to see beyond our "fishbowl", and take the risks necessary to really e...