English Worship Jogja Podcast

In this week's Back to the Basics series, we explored the biblical practice of fasting and what it means for followers of Jesus today. While many people associate fasting with religious obligation, self-discipline, or earning God's favor, Scripture presents it as something entirely different. Fasting is not a way to manipulate God or prove our spirituality—it is a grace-filled invitation...

In today’s message, we will be looking at the spiritual discipline of simplicity. When you look at the early church in Acts 2:42-47, verse 44-45 talks about them meeting together in one place sharing everything together, selling their possessions and helping anyone who is in need.  Simplicity is the reorientation or changing our perspective from a life that is so noisy and cluttered, to a life cen...

In this message from the “Back to the Basics” series, we explore why Scripture is an essential part of following Jesus and how God’s Word shapes us into His disciples. Through the story of a younger brother who wanted to become like his older brother, we discover that we become like those we spend time with. The early church in Acts devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, which was deeply ro...

In this message from the "Back to the Basics" series, we explore the biblical practice of generosity and how it flows from the character of God Himself. Through personal stories of God's provision and Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6, we discover that God is a generous Father who provides more than enough for His children. Because God is generous, we do not need to hoard our resour...

Let’s head Back to the Basics by exploring the practice of Sabbath and asking what the life of a follower of Jesus should look like. For many of us, we struggle to rest and instead we believe everything depends on our effort and control. Looking at Scripture, we see that Sabbath began at creation when God rested on the seventh day, and later became a command for His people. The biblical idea of Sa...

What does partnership with the Holy Spirit look like? The Spirit helps the disciples fulfill the command of Jesus Acts 2:37-41 NLT 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins....

Read :  Acts 1:4-11 Jesus promised that believers would receive Dunamis —the same Greek word from which we get “dynamite”—to empower them as witnesses. Just as dynamite transforms a landscape by clearing away obstructions, the Holy Spirit reshapes our environment—changing hard hearts, broken families, and divided communities. Being a witness is simply reporting what you have seen and experienced....

The promise, the presence, the power, and the partnership of the Holy Spirit If you love Jesus, you are going to LOVE the Holy Spirit!  Genesis 1:1-2 NIV “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”  The Holy Spirit is the power and presence of God with...

Ascension day is a celebration that is so significant in our faith, Jesus ascends up to heaven to sit on the throne. It was Jesus’ coronation and our commission to be His witnesses wherever we go. That we will share the hope found in Him until he returns.  What does it mean to live with that hope in our lives?  We need to have an active hope. Like the disciples in the story that we are going to be...

Read:   Joel 2:28-29 22:33-34, John 14:15-17; 26, Acts 1:8; 2:16-18 One main misconception that a lot of people do not notice is that the Holy Spirit has been with us from the beginning of time. The Holy Spirit did not just show up in the New Testament after Jesus ascended into heaven. In fact, not only the Holy Spirit was in the Old Testament, but the promises of the Holy Spirit is for everyone....

A Shepherd After God's Own Heart 1 Peter 5:2-5 NLT Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory...

Read:   Luke 22:33-34, Luke 22:54-62, and John 21:3-17 The sermon explores “the morning after” failure through Peter’s story—we first see his bold confidence that he will never deny Christ, but Jesus knows the reality. Despite all of his promises, Peter denies Jesus three times and is left in deep shame, weeping bitterly when he realizes what he has done. A few days later, he returns to his old li...

Read:   John 20:19-23 Following the crucifixion, the disciples were hiding behind locked doors, consumed by fear, shame, and confusion. They felt like failures for abandoning Jesus and were uncertain about their future. Jesus appeared in their midst and spoke four words that changed everything: "Peace be with you" . These words were not just a greeting but a life-changing declaration of...

Read:   John 20:1-2; 11-18 We are starting a new series called “Good News” talking about the different interactions Jesus had after his resurrection. Everyone loves to hear good news, especially when that news is something that they did not expect.  The very first interaction Jesus had after His resurrection was with this woman named Mary Magdalene was a good news that she did not expect at all. S...

Read:   Luke 24:13-34 We conclude our journey through Luke by encountering two ordinary followers of Jesus. They are leaving Jerusalem, traveling the road to Emmaus, when all of the sudden a stranger joins them on their journey. There is something familiar about this man, and when he begins to talk to them about the Scripture, it is as though their hearts burn within their chests.  But it is only...

Do you ever get scared of what is going to happen on the third act of a story? When something happens to the main character that you did not want to happen. I would often skip that part and go to the ending immediately. On our Road to Easter, we have to go through first through the Road to Calvary. To understand the power of Easter, we need to understand the goodness of Good Friday.  Because while...

Read:  Luke 22:1-46 On the road to Gethsemane, we meet three individuals who teach us a few things about God and about ourselves.  We first meet Judas. He had walked with Jesus, he had seen the miracles, he had heard the teachings, but he preferred the certainty of money and influence over intimacy with Jesus. We learn that… 1. Proximity does not equal intimacy: Just because we have grown up aroun...

Read:  Luke 19:45-48 The Road to Easter is not just something Jesus walked, it’s a road He invites us to walk.   As Jesus enters Jerusalem… crowds are cheering… expectations are high… they are ready to crown Him king!  But instead of going to the palace… He goes to the Temple.  The center of worship.  The place where people are supposed to meet with God. And what does He find?  Compromise and corr...

Read:   Luke 18:31-34, Luke 19:37-44 Last Sunday we started our new Easter series by traveling with Jesus on “The Road to Jerusalem”, which follows the book of Luke and asks what we discover about Jesus and ourselves on the journey to the resurrection. The sermon highlighted how people respond differently to Jesus along the way. First, the disciples represent those who cannot see. Even though Jesu...

Read:  Philippians 1:6; Philippians 4:4-9 Over the past few months, we have anchored on the promise Paul writes to the church of Philippi. That God will continue to do the good work that He started in our lives and see it be completed until the day Jesus returns.  The nature of our community is transitory with people flowing in and flowing out. This is not just with our community, but it is also w...

Read:   Philippians 1:6; Philippians 3:1-14 In our community we have a saying: We are a river, not a lake.  The nature of our community is transitory with people flowing in and flowing out. The same can be true in life; people come and people go. A natural response to this fact would be to isolate, to pull away from community, and to get lost in the nostalgia of what God did in the past. While thi...

Read:   Philippians 1:6; Romans 16:1-16 At the end of Romans, Paul lists more than 30 names. It feels like movie credits — ordinary people who helped build the early church. No celebrities. No superstars. Just faithful people who showed up. The big truth: God uses people for His purposes. God begins, continues, and finishes His good work in us (Philippians 1:6). But how does He do it? Through rela...

Read:  Philippians 1:3-11; 1 Kings 19:1-9; Matthew 4:1-12 Paul is writing to a group of believers that has seen persecution and transitions, but his prayer is not that their burdens would be taken away or that they would get through another day. No, he prays that they will keep growing. It’s easy to stop doing that when our lives are consumed with the stress of today and the worry of tomorrow, and...

God’s Got This! Even when we don’t. Philippians 1:6 NLT And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. God is the one who is continuing the work. He is the one who is carrying it forward until it is finished. This work is not sustained by me or my capabilities. My strength will come and go, my...

When we step up and step in, God shows up and shows off! Philippians 1:6 NLT And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. God is not finished yet.  What God starts, He continues, and He will finish.  Seasons may change, leaders may change, but God’s work does not stop.  Pain, loss, and waiti...