Line Upon Line

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.

Teaching from Luke 4:16-30, Pastor Garrett shows how sin binds, impoverishes, breaks, blinds, and oppresses us—chains we polish and revere—and how Jesus came to set captives free through confession and forgiveness. He then applies the biblical worldview to today's cancel culture, contrasting the world's resentment-driven judgment with the church's pattern of confession, grace, and forgiveness.

Continuing in Luke 12, this teaching addresses Jesus's warnings against greed and worry, urging believers to store up treasure in heaven rather than insulating themselves from faith with possessions. The central call is to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting that He delights to provide for us and to leave a legacy that lasts beyond this life.

Teaching through Luke 11:37–12:5, Pastor Jason shows that Jesus confronted the Pharisees and law experts for prizing outward appearance, religious busyness, and knowledge over inward cleanliness, justice, love, and humility. The application: God cleans us from the inside out, so we must walk humbly, guard against hypocrisy, help others carry burdens, and study the Word for action rather than mere...

Through Paul's storm-tossed voyage to Rome in Acts 27, Pastor Miles teaches that God plans and directs our path even through inevitable "crashes," and that the storms God leads us into are intended for His purposes—to bring salvation to others.

Continuing in Deuteronomy 9, Pastor Miles teaches that Israel was not given the Promised Land because of their righteousness but because of God's love and faithfulness, warning believers against the snare of self-righteousness. The safeguard against accidental pharisaism is to humbly remember our own failures and rest entirely in God's grace through Christ.

Standing at an anniversary and a national transition point, Pastor Miles teaches from Deuteronomy 7–8 that Israel's experience of God's blessing was entirely dependent on their faith, faithfulness, and obedience—a sobering picture of life before a holy God without mercy that drives us to the better New Covenant and to refuge from God's wrath in Jesus Christ.

Teaching from Deuteronomy 7 addressing the difficult "utterly destroy them" language, arguing that it is biblical hyperbole rather than a divine sanction for genocide, and that God's true purpose was to call Israel to be a holy, separate people chosen out of His love and covenant faithfulness. The same love and faithfulness now compel believers in Christ to love and obey God.

Pastor Miles teaches from Deuteronomy 6 that human beings are deeply forgetful—even of God's greatest works—and warns that prosperity and easier days pose a greater danger to faith than hardship. He urges believers to deliberately build reminders, routines, and teaching habits that keep God and His Word at the center of their lives.

Pastor Miles reflects on his 22-year calling to preach and teach God's Word, then turns to the Shema in Deuteronomy 6, showing that loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength is the greatest commandment because all the others flow from it. He emphasizes that Scripture is taught not for mere knowledge but for life and world transformation through hearing, heeding, and obeying God's Word...

Drawing on the frustration of being stuck in afternoon traffic, Pastor Miles reflects on the cumulative anxiety of nearly a year of cultural chaos and offers two God-impressed words for 2021—"opportunity" and "shine"—rooted in Galatians 6:9-10, Ephesians 5, Isaiah 60, and Jeremiah 29. He argues that wherever there is conflict and chaos, God is getting ready to move, calling His people to do good a...

Drawing on the image of being stuck in afternoon traffic at red light after red light, Pastor Miles names the cumulative anxiety of the past year and offers two words for 2021—opportunity and shine—rooted in the conviction that wherever there is conflict and chaos, God is getting ready to move.

Teaching from Matthew 16:13-19, this message centers on Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" and argues that the same fears, sicknesses, financial struggles, and political frustrations we face today were faced—often more severely—by believers 2,000 years ago. Pastor Miles calls us to recognize Jesus as Messiah and God, to remember that what is bad in our economy is often good in God's econ...