Line Upon Line

Using the example of King David's sin and repentance in 2 Samuel 11–12 and Psalm 51, this teaching launches a new series, "Disciplines of a Disciple," arguing that the overarching story of Scripture is salvation and that the call to discipleship is first a call to be saved by God's grace through Jesus.

Using the account of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah in 2 Samuel 11, Pastor Mark teaches a "hold my beer" model of how believers fail when they bypass God's wisdom, and offers a series of diagnostic questions for making godly decisions. He closes by arguing that the world's problems—and our own—are ultimately solved not by force or politics but by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Miles closes his "First Things First" series by arguing that the resurrection of Jesus is the proof point of the Christian story, presenting Gary Habermas's "minimal facts" as historical evidence and urging believers to let the transforming power of the resurrection be seen in a dying world through self-giving love.

Continuing his series introducing the unknown God, Pastor Miles argues that general and special revelation have limits, so God moved to personal revelation by becoming a man in Jesus Christ. Drawing on Acts 17, Hebrews 1, John 1, Philippians 2, and 1 Corinthians 15, he shows that the resurrection of Jesus is the proof and assurance—the proof point and breaking point—of the Christian faith.

Pastor Miles teaches from Acts 17 that God reveals Himself in three ways—general revelation (creation, consciousness, conscience), special revelation (God speaking in language we can understand), and personal revelation in the incarnate Christ—and shows from Paul's address at the Areopagus fourteen things God discloses about Himself, all hinging on the resurrection of Jesus.

Drawing on Paul's address to the Athenians in Acts 17, this teaching explores the "religious impulse" toward transcendence and argues that general revelation—creation, consciousness, and conscience—reveals that God exists, is powerful, intelligent, moral, beautiful, and loving, yet remains insufficient to fully know Him. It introduces the "unknown God" Paul proclaimed as one who is not unknowable,...

Pastor Miles warns that the upheavals of 2020-2021 have exposed the carnal "old man" in believers, fueling political divisions that have crept into and damaged the church. He calls Christians to repent of carnality, refuse to judge one another over non-biblical matters like masks and vaccines, and "strengthen the things that remain" by growing in Christ-likeness.

Wrapping up Esther chapter 10, Pastor Mark traces the supernatural hand of God woven through the book and challenges believers to step into the story God is writing in their lives. Drawing on Job, Hosea, and the marriage covenant, he shows that trials are God's invitation to participate, that God keeps His covenant even when His people do not, and that unity and forgiveness flow from the new coven...

Teaching from Esther 9, where the Jews' enemies are defeated and the feast of Purim is established. The message uses the culmination of Esther to call believers to "get in the game"—to know God's game and rules, follow His shifting strategy, play as professionals, and remember and record what God has done.

Continuing the study of Esther chapter 8, Pastor Miles shows that even after Haman is hanged, his decree against the Jews still stands—illustrating that while God works providentially behind the scenes, He calls His people to take responsibility and participate in His saving work. Just as Jesus did what only He could do on the cross, He sends believers into the world to carry the gospel.

Pastor Miles teaches through Esther 7, where wicked Haman falls on the very gallows he built for Mordecai, showing that God works behind the scenes to accomplish His plan while the devil always overplays his hand. Tying the centuries-long hatred of the Jewish people back to God's promise to Abraham—and ultimately to Jesus—he calls believers to trust God's sovereignty while still stepping into the...

Teaching from Esther 5, Pastor Mark uses Esther and Mordecai's bold faith before King Ahasuerus to explore the power of spiritual heritage, the necessity of meeting spiritual problems with spiritual methods, and the ruin that pride and narcissism—ultimately rooted in the devil—bring. The message closes with a Father's Day call to plant spiritual seeds in children and to choose faith over fear.

A verse-by-verse teaching through Esther 4, where Mordecai challenges Esther to risk her life to save her people with the words "perhaps you've come to your royal position for such a time as this." Pastor Miles applies this to our own lives, urging us to trust God's power, knowledge, and love and to seize the opportunities He places before us.

A teaching from Esther 6 showing that though God is never explicitly named in the book, He is at work behind the scenes—seen vividly in the king's sleepless night that turns Haman's murderous plot against Mordecai into Mordecai's exaltation. The message reminds believers that amid the chaos and confusion of a broken world, God will not be dethroned and is always working at just the right time in j...

Tracing a 1,500-year backstory from Esau and Jacob through Amalek and King Agag, this teaching shows that the "seemingly insignificant little thing" of Haman the Agagite's promotion in Esther 3 is actually the latest manifestation of a cosmic battle between God and the enemy of His people. Though God is never named in Esther, His hand—and that of an unnamed adversary—is at work beneath the surface...

A study of Esther 2 showing how God works behind the scenes to fulfill His covenant with Israel by calling imperfect people in imperfect circumstances to accomplish His perfect will. Esther's favor, Mordecai's obedience, and the call to respond to God's supernatural prompting are unpacked alongside reflections on God's enduring love for Israel.

An introductory study of Esther chapter 1, setting the historical stage of the Persian Empire under Ahasuerus (Xerxes) and examining Queen Vashti's refusal to appear before the king. The teaching wrestles with how believers serve unfaithful masters and balance submission to authority against obedience to God, while trusting that God sovereignly writes each person's part in His larger story.

Using the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, Pastor Miles teaches practical principles for sharing the gospel: seeking out lost people, refusing excuses and distractions, and revealing both the gift of God (living water) and the Giver (Christ himself). The message calls believers, as part of the church's vision of "life in connection," to carry the good news to others wi...

Pastor Miles teaches that the church's mission—life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus—calls believers to share the gospel as a better story than the divisive narratives shaping our culture. Drawing on Paul's missionary strategy, Don Richardson's ministry, and C.S. Lewis, he reframes evangelism as a natural overflow of joy and worship rather than a frightening duty.

Pastor Miles teaches that human beings were created for connection with both God and one another, but sin in Genesis 3 brought division, isolation, and loneliness that no human effort can overcome. Through the blood of Christ (the gospel) and the body of Christ (the church), we are reconciled to God and to each other, and he closes with practical ways to live out that connection.

Pastor Garrett opens a series on Cross Connection's vision—life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus—arguing that humans are born believers created for communion with the triune God, but that sin in Genesis 3 broke that connection, leaving a universal longing for transcendence that only true reconciliation with God can satisfy.

Continuing his "Life in Connection" series, Pastor Miles argues that human beings are born believers who long for connection with God and eternal life, yet are separated from Him by sin and unable to reach Him by their own efforts. The hope of reconciliation rests entirely on God's initiative, foreshadowed in Genesis 3 and fulfilled in Jesus, who came on a mission to seek and save the lost.

Pastor Miles reflects on how a year of COVID disruption has dislodged everyone from their routines, then uses that moment of re-evaluation to return to the basics: the church is a living body with a God-ordained purpose, and Cross Connection Church exists to live life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus—on campus, online, and in homes.

An Easter Sunday meditation on John 20:1-9, exploring how Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John each "saw" the empty tomb differently—from a casual glance to deep theorizing to full comprehension and belief. The teaching presses the listener to move beyond apathetic observation to a personal verdict of faith in the risen Christ.

On Palm Sunday, Pastor Miles examines the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 to highlight the clearly stated purpose for which Jesus came into the world and into Jerusalem: to seek and to save that which was lost. He shows that Jesus sees and calls those who are overlooked and despised, offering salvation and relationship symbolized in communion.