Local Church St. Pete Podcast

All of us battle anxiety and fear. All of us struggle with insecurity and doubt. Especially when we face a crisis like the one we’re facing now. Are you ever tempted to think God has forgotten you? Or wonder if he’s going to intervene and do something about this brokenness? Sunday we’ll explore Exodus 3 and see how God answered the anxieties and fears found in Moses. His answer is as relevant as e...

What happens when we come to the end of our resources when we face circumstances beyond our control? Ever experience fear that feels more like panic? Maybe it was the lack of control over a natural disaster, the humiliation and bondage of evil, the expense of medical care or the finality of death. In Luke chapter 8 Jesus faces all of these fears head-on. What does that have to do with our deepest...

Have you ever thought you heard something but actually missed it? Jesus urges us to take care how we hear. The Kingdom of God comes through true and abiding hearing. Do you have ears to hear?

Imagine forgiveness that can overcome brokenness and shame, everything anyone has ever said to you or done to you, and everything you are tempted to believe about yourself. Join us for a beautiful story of shame lifted and forgiveness received, of faith expressed and love displayed. It’s a story that helps define why Jesus came.

What happens when Jesus comes face to face with remarkable faith, incredible loss, and honest questions? Luke 7 presents all three and in it, we’re given a clear pattern of Jesus meeting people where they are – in places of desperation, pain and doubt. Jesus is still doing it; meeting us where we are.

The Thessalonians were a young church in need of encouragement. How did the good news of Jesus encourage them to keep going? How does this good news of Jesus encourage us today?

Local stories are stories of God's grace at work in the lives of those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete. We want to highlight his activity and celebrate his grace. 

It isn’t a suggestion; Jesus doesn’t simply encourage his followers to love their enemies. It’s a non-negotiable for those who follow him. Love that knows no bounds and has no barriers, that’s the kind of love Jesus modeled and invites us to walk in. How is that possible? Has Jesus gone too far? Are we willing to go that far with him?

Like a patient with a life-threatening condition, desperate for a doctor’s attention, Jesus entered people’s lives in the moment of their greatest need. Jesus entered their isolation, shame, and fear. He didn’t cave into cultural norms or religious practices that kept social outcasts at arm’s length. He stepped into their mess and provided a way out. “Follow me” was his invitation out of the mess...

Tempted, rejected, misunderstood. His hometown, so angry over what he said, wanted to kill him. That’s how Jesus started things out. He wasn't a hometown hero but he was God’s anointed – chosen and sent to intervene, chosen and sent to interfere with this broken world. What did that intervention look like then and what does it look now? 

Like the opening act to a band you always wanted to see, John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. To the surprise of the crowds, John’s message of their need for total life-change struck a deep chord in their hearts and brought out an appropriate question, “What should we do?” . What should we do before coming face to face with Jesus?

What are we doing? What is Local Church St. Pete about? Why are we here? Jesus tells the story of a banquet set and ready where the marginalized and outcasts of this world are welcomed in. Simply put, we’re inviting others to that banquet, to see Jesus for who he is and what he’s accomplished. To our amazement, we’ve found a place at the table and still, there’s room for more.

Local stories are stories of God's grace at work in the lives of those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete. We want to highlight his activity and celebrate his grace. 

Culture is a set of shared values, goals and practices that characterize a group of people. In other words, it is a way of life. Since Jesus’ way of life was marked by prayer eventually his disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. Jesus gave them a prayer to run with that has the ability to shape our lives today, creating a culture of expectation and dependency, rooted in authentic relations...

A new year often brings resolutions and renewed commitments to things we value. Exercise, family, paying off debt and devotion to God are just a few examples. In 2 Kings 22, the Word of God brought clarity and conviction to a young King named Josiah. It produced a resolve that had a ripple effect on everyone around him. It sent Josiah searching, asking and renewing. Behavior modification won’t do,...

Christianity dares to claim God has made himself known in the person of Jesus. Surprising everyone, Jesus stepped into the brokenness of life and took on the stuff we’re made of. The book of Matthew communicates this story with beauty and clarity. Listen to how Matthew highlights that Jesus is the promised King who has arrived to save his people from their sins. 

Why did Jesus come into the world? Who did he come for? The story of Jesus’ birth is one we’re so familiar with we can easily lose sight of the explosive truths it’s all pointing to. Luke 2 presents a surprise announcement to the despised and an anticipated gift for those waiting. But what does a story involving the despised and waiting have to do with Jesus’ birth? Everything. It’s what Christmas...

He did it. God has come through at last! He has answered old promises in ways you would never have guessed. What did God promise? And what do two birth announcements have to do with God answering his promises? In Luke chapter 1, we’re invited into a world where longings and fears look a lot like our own and where promises answered give way to joy and hope. 

Paul said that believers would walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham. I don’t know about you, but when I consider the faith of Abraham, the one God called friend, I can’t imagine that my walk of faith would ever look like his. Surely my ups and downs, victories and defeats demonstrate I don’t have faith like Abraham. I go from trusting God to taking matters into my own hands, but He truste...

You have been terribly wronged by someone. Maybe they said things that cut deep, maybe they did things you’ll never understand. You have done wrong to someone. Said and done things they can’t understand. What if our perceived right to unforgiveness is really a prison cell? We’ll explore a relationship breakdown so intense it could have led to imprisonment or even death. How does the reconciliation...

Ever been behind the scenes of a play? Actors rushing into place, stagehands preparing the next scene, sound and light technicians ensuring all is in place, a flurry of activity we don’t ever think about. As we read the closing comments of Colossians we’re brought behind the scenes, where we’re reminded real people are working together with single-mindedness towards a set goal – the Colossians’ en...

What does the new culture of following Jesus look like up close and personal in the home? How should husbands and wives, parents and children and even slaves and masters relate now? How does Jesus re-shape those relationships? When out in public, whether on campus, at the Saturday Market, at work or wherever, what should conversations with people who have questions about faith and life in Jesus lo...

With grace and clarity, Colossians 3 lays out the new way of life we’re meant to walk in. Like new clothes laid out for us, we’re invited to remove our old, filthy clothes that defined our past (they don’t fit anymore!) and put on what reflects our new identity in Jesus.