Grantham Church Podcast

The mission of reaching others with the good news of Jesus is accomplished primarily through the unity of believers around the gospel. That’s why Jesus prayed for unity just hours before his death. But if unity is that important, why are there so many denominations? And with all of our differences, is it even possible to partner with other churches to further the gospel? In the first message of ou...

When facing challenges and uncertainties in life, prayer becomes an act of trust in God’s unchanging character and in his good promises, especially when we struggle to believe and don’t have all the answers. Therefore, our hope in prayer is not dependent upon a particular outcome, but rather in the loving God who hears our prayers. In the third message of our series, Pastor David invites us to exp...

As followers of Jesus we have the privilege to approach God with confidence. Understanding His power and embracing our identity as His beloved children empowers us to pray boldly. In the second message of our series, Renée Blanchard reminds us—along with the writer of Hebrews—that instead of allowing fear and doubt to keep us from a close relationship with God, we are invited to draw near to God w...

Often in prayer, we don’t feel as though we’re connecting with God. We desire a meaningful spiritual experience, but come away from prayer feeling empty. The prophet Isaiah was participating in his religious routines when he had a life-changing encounter with God. In the first message of our series, Pastor Melissa helps us consider the importance of approaching God with reverence and humility so t...

Throughout Advent we heard the angels say, "Do not be afraid!” But what about the fears that grip us today? The end of a year is a perfect time to reflect on the past and consider what is ahead of us. What fears did you face in 2024 and how can you give these to God and trust him as your Rock? The Word of God helps us to focus our attention on the God who is with us. In this intergenerational serv...

In this year’s Advent series, we reflected on the words, “Do not be afraid!”—one of the most oft-repeated phrases in the entire Bible. These are the first words from the angels to Zechariah, Mary, and the shepherds in the opening of the Gospel of Luke. And now we need to look back on those encounters and ask God to speak to us amid our own fears. In this Christmas Eve message, Pastor David invites...

Jesus has just been born, and an angel says to the shepherds in the field, “Do not be afraid! I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.” The announcement of Jesus’ birth to shepherds is quite significant when you stop to consider its implications and what it says about God and the part we all play in his plan. In the fourth Sunday of Advent, Pastor David shares how Jesus is a...

Mary was not fully married when the angel came to her and said, “Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God.” He then told her she would conceive and give birth to the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. What does this news to a young peasant girl from a backwater village say about God’s favor and his ways of blessing the humble? In the third Sunday of Advent, Pastor David shares abou...

It seemed like another day in the Temple, until an angel appeared and frightened Zechariah, a Jewish priest. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer.” But it’s likely that Zechariah had moved on from that prayer a long time ago and had given up on it being answered. In the first Sunday of Advent, Pastor David reminds us that God hears our prayers, and he encourages u...

Today we are celebrating God's faithfulness over this past year and expressing our gratitude for the good things he has done.

Amid a constantly progressing world, where change is often seen as progress, God wants to remind us today—through the stories in the Bible from the lives of Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, and even through the story of Bhutanese and Nepali refugees—that He is faithful, even when we don’t see it clearly. He has never changed! In today’s message, Pastor Royal Rai shares his migration story from a refuge...

People have questions and objections to the Third Way. What are some of those? And what does it look like to embody the Third Way in the church, in our everyday lives, and in our relationships? In the final message of our series, Pastor David responds to questions and objections to the Third Way, he invites us to see that it’s about faithfulness to the Lamb—not being “effective” in the eyes of the...

Last week we looked at the approach and posture that Jesus had when dealing with hot-button issues and polarizing debates of his day. What does it look like to embody the Third Way today? How do we apply the Lord’s example to issues and extremes in a divided America? And what do we do about voting? In the fifth message of our series, Pastor David shares what it might look like to respond to divisi...

It’s important to look closely at how Jesus responded to hot-button issues and polarizing debates in his day. We can see several examples in the gospels of how Jesus navigated the extremes. What is the “Third Way” and how did Jesus model it for us? Also, what are the issues and extremes today? Are we “biting the bait” or are we embodying the Third Way? In the fourth message of our series, Pastor D...

We can see in the gospels that Jesus cared deeply about justice. In fact, Jesus furthered an ancient vision of God’s justice for all nations. But this “justice” often looks much different than the way the world defines and imagines it. In the third message of our series, Pastor David helps us see that if we’re going to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly” with God in the Third Way of Jesus, t...

The gospel doesn't fit neatly into our political categories. Jesus is not a cheerleader from any political party. And he didn't fully align himself with any party in his own day. Rather, Jesus intentionally chose a politically diverse group of disciples and said: "Follow me." What does this mean for how we are called to live out our faith and conduct ourselves politically? In the second message of...

The Enlightenment and modern Western society are responsible for forcing heaven and earth apart and driving a wedge between religion and politics.  This construct is a fairly recent invention, and not a view or practice supported by historic Christianity.  According to Jesus and the New Testament, the gospel is political, and it has real-life implications.  In the first message of our series, Past...

Paul ends his letter to the Philippians with a call to contentment, which is intimately connected to our generosity. He says that he has learned “the secret” of how to be content in every situation, and then he shares that secret with them. In the final message of our series, Pastor David concludes our series with a look at Paul’s closing words of encouragement, as he invites us to apply this lett...

Amid trials and suffering, Paul exhorted the Philippian church to stay united, rejoice, and not be anxious. But how? Peace is something we all long for, but something we often struggle to attain. In the seventh message of our series, Pastor Melissa helps us see that it’s when we are devoted to Christ and have a gospel perspective that we will truly experience peace, both within ourselves and in ou...

Paul has no problem telling the Philippian believers to follow his example because he renounced all his privileges and pride of the flesh to adopt the mindset of Christ. In the sixth message of our series, Pastor David invites us to live as “citizens of heaven” on the earth as we run the race and look forward to the return of Christ, who will someday transform this broken world with his resurrecti...

After Paul uses the Christ hymn to call the Philippians to follow the example of our crucified Lord, he then commends two Christians they know: Timothy and Epaphroditus. He uses them as examples of what it looks like when we have the mindset of Christ and put our faith into action. In the fifth message of our series, Pastor David invites us to celebrate the humble servants in a celebrity-obsessed...

According to Paul, if our civic conduct and political life is going to reflect Christ and the gospel, then we must have the same mindset of Jesus as we embody his teachings and practices. In the fourth message of our series, Pastor David invites us to follow the example of our crucified Lord by cultivating a cross-centered attitude that is humble, long-suffering, and willing to trust the way of th...

For Christians, our relationship with Jesus is personal, but it’s not private. We are disciples all the time, everywhere we go, in everything we do. Paul tells the Philippians that their civic conduct and political life should reflect their commitment to Jesus as they navigate a world full of competing allegiances. In the third message of our series, Pastor David invites us to apply our faith to t...

Paul said that his “chains” were “for the sake of Christ” and the progress of the gospel. This ought to challenge the way we understand our own sufferings and cause us to be slow to judge the hardships of others. In the second message of our series, Pastor David invites us to put our sufferings in gospel perspective so that we can live for Christ, bless others, and trust God in all things.

Paul’s affections for Christ and the church in Philippi are apparent from the very beginning of his letter. But for us to understand his affections, we need to recall his journey and his close relationship with the Philippians. In the first message of our series, Pastor David invites us to reflect on the location and context of Paul’s letter, and then encourages us to put our own affections for Ch...