Hill City Church

Have you ever started a project without clear instructions? Maybe you bought something from Ikea or a kid's toy only to find out you need the instructions to know how it goes together. Instructions often bring the clarity we need to our tasks. As we have spent the month of January talking about making disciples, you might have found yourself asking for clear instructions on how to make discipl...

What's the best deal you ever got on something? Did you get a great deal on a TV on Black Friday? How about a steal on concert tickets from a friend?  Whatever it was, you likely weighed the cost of buying it compared to not buying it and ultimately realized that it was worth the cost. This is natural to do when it comes to temporary things, but have we counted the cost of following Jesus? In...

This is a teaching from Hill City's Worship Night in January 2025. In this teaching, Rick outlines a theology and model for using the prophetic in prayer. Listen as we learn what it looks like to walk in the spiritual gift of prophecy. This message was heavily influenced by Bridgetown Church's prayer training on prophecy. Join Hill City every Sunday at 10 am at the Costick Center in Farmin...

Who have been the most influential people in your life? A parent? A teacher? A coach? We all have a face and a name (maybe many) that come to mind when we answer that question. Have you ever wondered why they invested so much into you? Jesus called many to come and apprentice under Him, and then He called those apprentices to "Go and make disciples" (Matthew 28:19). That call wasn't just for the d...

To start 2024, we began to talk about our way of life as a church. We spent the majority of the year walking through different practices from the life of Jesus that help us "bear fruit that last" (John 15:16). Those practices were largely focused on ourselves. As we kick off 2025, we will continue to look at practices from Jesus' life, but the focus will expand from our lives to others' lives as w...

How do you typically start the New Year? Are you a resolution person? Do you spend the New Year in a new place on vacation? Do you like to watch the ball drop? Whatever your traditional New Year looks like, the call for each of us as followers of Jesus is the same. We are called to surrender all of our lives to Jesus for His good and glory. But what does that look like? How do we do that? Listen a...

When most people think about Christmas, what do they think of? Likely, it's presents under the tree, Christmas movies, lights on homes, and gatherings with friends and family. So often, we view these things as the gift of Christmas. What if there is something more to Christmas? The reality is that Christmas was planned for since the creation of the world, and it is the greatest gift that any of us...

One of the traditions we have during Christmas is displaying the different Nativity sets we've collected over the years. There's Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the animals, the shepherds, and the Wise Men. It's fun placing the different characters in the story where we think they go. Have you ever wondered who these people were and where they go in the scene? What about their significance to the story...

What is the greatest thing that has ever happened to you? What did you do when it happened? What about after it happened? Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph, but the details around His birth are amazing and out of the ordinary. Mary was a virgin and yet still found herself pregnant with a child. Jesus' birth is known as the incarnation, and it is the most amazing thing that has ever happened in the...

What was your great, great, grandparents' name? More importantly, do you know their story? What were they like? In our modern context, there has been an exponential increase in the popularity of genetic tests to help us know about our heritage, but in the ancient world, they used genealogies. Listen as we continue our Advent series, Do You See What I See, by looking at the genealogy of Jesus in Ma...

What lets you know it's getting closer to Christmas? The darker days and longer nights? The music on the radio? The colder weather? For me, I know it's getting closer to Christmas when I see the lights. The light on houses and trees let me know that the Christmas season is here. The Israelite people looked for the same thing to let them know that the Messiah had come. They looked for light. Not sm...

It's natural around this time of year to pause and take inventory of everything we are thankful for. We proclaim thanks for our family, friends, experiences, and, hopefully, a Lion's victory. However, this is not a practice that started around a table with a turkey on it in the early days of our country. This is a practice that has deep roots in pages of Scripture. Listen as we prepare for Thanksg...

Last week we discovered the joy that comes through generosity. Lying beneath the joyful practice of generosity is the understanding that we are stewards of everything that God has put in this world. The early church knew and understood this and responded with generosity that was "even beyond their ability" (2 Corinthians 8:3). How can we live this way? Listen as we look at the most concise instruc...

What would you describe as the secret to a happy life? Is it good friends? A nicer car? Maybe more vacation time? In our American worldview, we often live in a way that says more money means more happiness. When we read Jesus’ teachings on money and possessions, they sound crazy to our modern ears. Yet generosity is a pathway to happiness and displays trust in a generous, happy God. Listen as we c...

Have you ever looked around and wondered why you have so much stuff?  Have you ever wondered if you need those collector's mugs, an additional set of China, or that extra piece of unused exercise equipment? Has the thought of cleaning out the garage or hallway closet caused anxiety to rise in you? For many, our problem is not that we lack things, it's that we have too much. Listen as we look at th...

When you think of fasting, have you ever given thought to how it impacts others around you? If you have fasted before, have you ever wondered how the hunger pangs you’re experiencing could actually be the fuel for passionate prayer? We’ve been teaching how fasting impacts our personal relationship with God. Listen as we see how fasting has the potential to meet the most basic needs of people all a...

We live in a foodie world. From social media posts about what we're eating to meal prep plans to websites devoted to the restaurants we must eat at; our world is obsessed with food. Yet throughout Scripture, we see a practice that places our hunger somewhere else. Through the practice of fasting, we deny ourselves food to use our body as a tool in our prayer life. Listen as we start a new study ar...

It’s not a question of if we’ve been hurt by someone we care about, but when the last time was. The reality is, the church is filled with people who've been hurt by others and at times, have hurt others. Listen as we wrap up our series, Family, by looking at how the new family of Jesus can learn to fight clean as we practice the way of Jesus together.  Join Hill City every Sunday at 10 am at the C...

We have spent the last two weeks learning how important our spiritual family is to our formation into the image of Jesus. But is family supposed to play another role in our lives? As you might assume, the answer is a resounding YES! Not only does the family of Jesus help us become like Jesus but it also helps us do what Jesus did. In a world that models family less and less, the family of Jesus ca...

“We Are Family” dominated the music charts in the late 70’s. Sister Sledge had a certified hit on their hands. They sang this line repeatedly, “We are family. I got all my sisters with me. We are family. Get up, everybody, and sing!” But here’s the question… Is family still something worth getting up and singing about? In the eyes of Jesus and the church, the answer is YES! Jesus created a new fam...

Listen as Rick and Adam lay out the pathway for Hill City that will help you along the different stages of your journey to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did. Join Hill City every Sunday at 10 am at the Costick Center in Farmington Hills, MI, or check us out online at www.thisishillcity.com.

Community is everywhere yet rates of loneliness increase every year. Our world is more connected than ever, but that doesn't seem to be enough. Why is that so? Because connection isn't the same thing as community. Jesus understood this and invited His followers into something much deeper and more meaningful than community. He invited them into a family. Listen as we jump back into the prac...

What do you think is needed to be the kind of person who experiences the full expression of joy God offers? As we wrap up our summer series, we look at the closing section of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. We see how Paul challenges the Philippians to bring forth God’s Kingdom into their city. As we do this, we simultaneously see how God is calling us to the same way of life. Join Hill C...

We all face issues in our lives. Some are relational, some are circumstantial, and others are emotional. The question isn't if we'll face issues, but what will we do when those issues arise. Will they steal our joy away or will we lay them before Jesus? Listen to Pastor Aaron Hicks from Rise Church (www.therisechurch.com) as we look at Philippians 4:1-9 and discover what we need to lay dow...

Have you ever had something you thought was so valuable only to find out it was totally worthless? Have you ever had something that previously brought you great joy lose its luster? There are many things in this life that seem praiseworthy, that seem to bring us joy or seem to have great value. There is, however, only one source of true joy that is lasting and will never fade away. Listen as we di...