Forward City Church Messages

This week, Spencer walked us through the Christ Poem of Philippians 2:5-11, helping us to see this beautiful theology about Jesus’ coming as not just theology about Jesus, but as a call that Paul gives to the Philippians and us to be made into Christ’s image of humility.  Spencer discusses three characteristics of humility: not clinging to status, willingly becoming a servant, and embracing costly...

This week, Marc shares from Isaiah 9:2, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Marc leads us in asking who we consider Jesus to be in our lives. We also ask the question of whether Jesus is coming into our deep darkness as a light that dawns and brings new life. Jesus is able to restore our lives and give us purpos...

This week, Marc led us in communion, remembering and acknowledging the purpose for Christ's coming as we enter into this Christmas season. Marc also began a new series in Revelation, discussing how God showed up to John in power in his darkest time of need and persecution. Marc reflects with us on God's power to sustain us and uphold us through any persecution and trial in our lives, no...

Marc provided an update on Forward’s plans for a new location and introduced the Opportunity Fund and a season of prayer. We were encouraged to see this opportunity as a call to be God’s people more than a call to a building or location. Spencer continued our study in Nehemiah. Spencer highlighted and taught about the opposition that is coming to those who pursue God’s mission. We are likely to fa...

This week, Marc continued our study in Nehemiah. We focused on chapter 3 and the listing off of every member of the Jerusalem community who were building various sections f the wall. Marc notes that each person builds the part of the wall in front of and beside their home. Marc noted for us that in the building or rebuilding of God's Kingdom, we are all partner's in what God has envision...

This week, Marc began a new series on Nehemiah. Chapter 1 of Nehemiah begins with Nehemiah, a Jewish exile who is an official in Babylon, receiving news of the Jerusalem community. Jerusalem's walls were destroyed and much of the city was in ruin. Marc unpacks for us that Nehemiah's immediate response was prayer and fasting for God to give Nehemiah favour to bring a remedy to this tragic...

This week, Marc leads us into thinking about the transition from a faith that is ours to a faith being laid down for the next generation to pick up. Marc emphasizes that God's grace is most active and enabled through our obedience.  We study the generation of people in the wilderness with Moses, a generation whose parents would not receive the law of God. We are reminded that even  in our  di...

This week, we celebrated communion together, intentionally coming to the Lord together to reaffirm our commitments and remind ourselves of to come back to Jesus.   Marc discussed the story of Samson and the need to cast off burdens in order to run our race with endurance. Marc discussed that we can trust that our Father is faithful to help us up and finish the race when we stumble, fall, and may b...

This week, Marc walks us through what it means to focus on Jesus, who has begun and will finish our faith. Like Jesus, we are to look beyond the trials of the present world into the everlasting joy in Christ.  Marc reminds us that we can have this everlasting joy right now as we rejoice in what God has done, what he will do, but most importantly, what he is doing right now by transforming and bles...

This week, Marc leads us through Hebrews 11 and 12 to speak to the challenges we face in life as believers in a God who is not of this world. Marc emphasizes that God is bigger and better than every miracle he gives and every trial we experience.

This week Marc led us in communion and then shared from Matthew 11:28–30 about how Jesus calls us to himself to lay down our burdens while finding rest and peace in learning his burdens and his ways. Marc discussed how Jesus’ yoke is easy, how his training is not overwhelming, but leads us gently into the way of peace and rest.

This week, Marc walked us through the challenge of living without fear. Marc reminds us that fear is not from God and that we cannot allow fear to control our lives and shape our interactions with the world. In a world that is becoming increasingly more hostile, we need to have courage to be bold for our faith, not giving in or giving up for what our faith calls us to uphold. May we step into this...

This week Marc teaches from Hebrews 12 about our Good Father who disciplines us. Marc clarifies that this discipline is not about spiritual practices, punishment, or consequences. Rather, the discipline is a spiritual condition that comes to form us  into the image of Christ. Through discipline, we will be confronted by God in prayer, in reading Scripture, and through wise and godly friends. Marc...

Marc discusses with us what it means to find our value in how God sets our value. Marc notes that the creators and the buyers of things are the ones who set the value of something. We are then led to see God as both our Creator and the one who Buys us back in redemption with his life. As God's children, God has the only right to label and set our value is God. We are encouraged to embrace thi...

This past week, we had Matt Clever join us and give us a message on Psalm 97. Matt exhorted us to acknowledge, as David does, that the Lord reigns.

This week, we take communion, acknowledging how our iniquity was poured out on Jesus and by the stripes of our iniquity, we are made whole. Spencer then walks us through Psalm 150 discussing how, when, and where we Praise the Lord. Jesus is always worthy of our praise. Jesus has paved the way for us to follow him through the cross and into eternal life. We celebrate that every day is a Glorious Da...

This week, Spencer walks us through Psalm 15 to examine what it means to be identified with Jesus and find ourselves ascending the mountain of God to worship. Spencer discusses our need to examine ourselves as we come to worship and come into God's presence,  to reflect on our positioning and posture towards God.

This week elder Ben Martin leads us in a reflection upon Psalm 51 and David's repentance in the wake of his sin against Uriah, Bathsheba, and ultimately, the Lord himself. We examine the need to humbly acknowledge the depths of our sin in order to experience the depths of God's forgiveness and grace over our lives. Ben Charron also leads us in  reading Psalm 23 to understand the depths o...

Spencer discusses Psalm 88 and Paul leads us in communion. Spencer talks about the reality Psalm 88 seemingly has no resolution, but ends with darkness being the writer's only friend. Spencer talks about how the Psalm empathizes with the human experience where God feels absent while sorrow and darkness seem to fill our lives. But Spencer reminds us that while the writer expresses these emotio...

This week, Spencer speaks to us about Psalm 8, meditation on God's majesty in creation. Spencer then turns the topic to discuss how we are called to be God's majestic presence in the earth by taking up our crosses and following Jesus, becoming the fulfillment of God's image in the earth for the world.

This week, our Elder and Chair of the Board, Tyler Dam, delivers us a message on Proverbs 4:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows form it." Tyler walks us through personal testimony of how he intentionally believes God's word over him. Then, he leads us through intentional ways to orient our life toward hearing God's voice and resting in his promis...

This week, Spencer kicks of our Summer series with Psalm 1. Spencer takes us through the importance of wisdom literature and the need to delight in God's Law. He discusses how we ought to meditate by continually rethinking and reapplying Scripture to our hearts and lives. Ultimately, we are called to delight in God's law, finding true treasure and life in God's word, that we might b...

This week, Spencer walks us through Psalm 46, where we end up finding refuge in our God who cares for us and requires nothing except our loyalty to his promise.

This week, Spencer takes us through the Romans 14 and how Paul helps the Roman church work out their differences in conscience. We are not pass judgment on one another for differing opinions, but to seek unity by pursuing the interests of others.

The beginning of the recording is a prayer from Ben Martin where we meditate on the goodness of Jesus as God who came to us and showed us mercy. This moment of worship reflected Paul's discussion in Romans 11:35-36 that leads us into our living sacrifice: "who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for...