Grantham Church Podcast

Throughout all four gospels, Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a tower of faith. After Jesus brings healing and freedom into her life, Mary devotes herself to following Jesus—all the way to the cross. The first witness to the resurrection, Mary then boldly proclaims the good news as an "apostle to the apostles." In the ninth message of our series, Emily Bingham invites us to consider how one woman's...

Of all the Old Testament prophets, we know the most about Jeremiah. We know about his upbringing, his calling, the names of his enemies and friends, and his faithfulness to God despite relentless persecution due to his unpopular message. His message was simple, but his life was difficult. And in a lot of ways, his ministry foreshadows that of Messiah Jesus. In the eighth message of our series, Pas...

Samuel told the disobedient King Saul that God wanted a man after his own heart. So, he anointed David to be the new king of Israel. David was a passionate worshipper who loved and trusted God. He was a poet and musician, a mighty warrior, a fearless leader, and a kind and compassionate person. But after some years of success and blessing, David has a moral failure that negatively impacts his fami...

The days of Elijah were dark times. The northern kingdom of Israel had broken God’s covenant and defiled the land with idolatry and injustice for generations. Finally, God holds back the rain and sends Elijah to rebuke King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel. This eventually leads to a showdown on Mt. Carmel. And after a mighty display of God’s power, Elijah runs for his life and hides in a cave fa...

The Biblical book of Esther is the only one where the name of God is not even mentioned. But the story invites us to see how God is working behind the scenes. Esther is a young and yielding woman who happens to become the Queen of Persia. But when the lives of her Jewish people are threatened, she faces a decision to either hide behind her position or claim her identity as one of God's chosen peop...

Rahab may appear to have a small role in the Bible, but her decision to align herself with the LORD, instead of her ungodly culture, landed her in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11. Despite her shady past and occupation, Rahab and her family were spared during the fall of Jericho. In the fourth message of our series, Pastor David invites us to see the world through the eyes of Rahab and the God wh...

Moses is the most important figure in the Old Testament. He leads the exodus, he receives the Law, he establishes the tabernacle, and he guides Israel for 40 years through the wilderness. But long before he did all of that, Moses was a murderer and an outcast. In the third message of our series, Pastor David invites us to reflect on Moses’ life and leadership, and how his faith journey began with...

Jacob is born grasping the heel of his twin brother. And he grows up knowing that he is not the firstborn or favored by his father. So, Jacob lives up to his name and uses deception to get what he wants. It’s not until Jacob is humbled and experiences God for himself that he is changed. In the second message of our series, Pastor David invites us to see how real faith involves humility and wrestli...

God calls Abraham to leave his family and his country for a new land, so he can lead a new life—a life devoted to God and being faithful to his covenant. And it’s through a series of events in his life, which includes a few bad decisions, that Abraham learns how God is good and can be trusted. In the first message of our series, Pastor David invites us to trust that God can guide our life and keep...

Rich Stuebing taught in Zambia for 40 years, and he believes that Matthew 28:18-20—often referred to as the Great Commission—is not just for those who leave the country to serve God on mission. The primary focus of this passage is to "make disciples of all nations" as Jesus said. So, what should discipleship look like for those who obey his command? In today’s sermon, Rich expounds on the words of...

The Ninevites repented of their sins and Jonah is furious! It’s in this last chapter that we learn why Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh in the first place. He knew that God is gracious and compassionate—on a mission of mercy to all nations. In the concluding message of our series, Pastor David helps us see the depth of meaning in the final verses and challenges us to apply the message of the boo...

Jonah is given a second chance. This time he goes to Nineveh, but he clearly isn’t happy about it. Jonah can only manage a once-sentence sermon. But it doesn’t matter, because the God of mercy has gone before him and the people of Nineveh (including the animals!) adopt a posture of humility and repentance. In the third message of our series, Pastor David invites us to let God’s mercy lead the way.

Jonah is thrown overboard and then swallowed up by a great fish. He is in the belly of the beast for three days and three nights. But in keeping with ancient comedy, the fish is for Jonah’s salvation, not his punishment. And it is there in the isolation and darkness that Jonah prays and is given a chance at rebirth. In the second message of our series, Pastor David invites us to trust in God when...

God calls Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach judgment against it because the people there were wicked and headed for destruction. But instead of obeying God, Jonah runs in the opposite direction! And then all kinds of unexpected things happen. In the first message of our series, Pastor David sets the context of the story and invites us to see why running from God is a really bad i...

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9). As disciples we are called to be peacemakers in the way of Jesus. How can we find practical ways to witness to what we believe with those with opposing viewpoints and actions? In Blessed are the Peacemakers: Listen, Learn & Love, Jim Amstutz shares how can we listen, learn, and love to transform pot...

The Good News of Jesus Christ is best told as a story. Scripture unfolds the story of God and his work through Christ, and the narrative of his goodness continues in and through our lives today. God has been good to all of us in one way or another. This week’s message will be told in the form of stories from members of our congregation testifying to their experience of God’s goodness and how they...

It's no secret that the landscape of American religious identity is shifting, and Generation Z is the least religious—and the least Christian—cohort of adults in the nation today. What sense can the church make of these trends? And what hope is there for reaching young people with the good news of the risen Christ? In this message Emily Bingham, Teaching Ministries Pastor and Director of Campus Mi...

We can’t get along in this world without utilizing power. We use power to arrange and order society; to create and build; to get things done and move things forward. But unfortunately, power is often wielded to bring death, not life. On Easter Sunday, in the final message of our series, Pastor David invites us to believe and embody the mystery of God’s power as seen in the cross and resurrection o...

Our longings for justice, love, beauty, and freedom mean absolutely nothing if truth isn’t an objective, knowable reality. Philosophers and theologians have articulated this for millennia, but our post-modern Western world is embracing relativism and nihilism that denies the Logos of God. In the sixth message of our series, Pastor David shares why we must resist the zeitgeist and know the source o...

Our society tells us that freedom is about self-expression, not being tied down, or overtaking oppressive leaders and systems. But true freedom is a matter of the heart and is constantly being threatened by influences from within and without. In the fifth message of our series, Pastor Melissa helps us see how Christ not only frees us from bondage, but also frees us for a greater life of love.

Look up on a starry night. Watch a sunrise. Take in the majesty of a mountain range. Better yet, look into the face of a child. Whether it is natural beauty or the sort that human beings create through music and art, they are all signs pointing us beyond this broken world. In the fourth message of our series, Pastor David shares how beauty invites us to gaze upon the glory of God and leads us home...

For the last two hundred years or more Western culture has been trying to relegate religious belief and practices to the private sphere. And in our secular age of scientism, materialism, and political idolatry, attempts have been made to pave over the spring of spirituality with concrete. In the third message of our series, Pastor David shares why this spring eventually bursts open and reveals a t...

Human beings long to love and be loved. We desire intimacy and authenticity within a multiplicity of relationships. It seems that we were made for each other; that we were created for community. So, why do marriages fail, friendships end, and nations go to war? In the second message of our series, Pastor David shares why this happens and how our refusal to give up on love points to a new creation.

We can feel it in our bones. The world is broken and not as it should be. Most of us want to live in a world that is fair and just. So, why can’t we seem to rid it of evil and injustice? The Gospel of John reveals that not only are our ideas and systems of justice flawed, but we are flawed. In the first message of our series, Pastor David shares how this broken signpost points to our need for salv...

Something is happening at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. What began as an average chapel service on February 8th has turned into an internationally recognized event! According to firsthand accounts, this has all the marks of a mighty move of God. This presents us with an opportunity to reflect on a biblical and historical view of renewal, revival, movements, and awakenings. In today’s mes...