MCC Podcast

This Sunday, in our Holiday Field Guide series where we are looking at how to survive the holidays, we will be looking at how to survive disillusionment. This is a significant issue for many of us at MCC and in our culture, especially around the holidays. Sometimes we get so caught up in the lights, gifts, and even the pace of Christmas that we don’t notice that there are others who, quite frankly...

It may be fair to say that most of us have never been lost in the woods….but picture it: you’re lost, you have no supplies - no food, no water, no shelter. What would you do first? Where do you begin? How do you figure out what is safe? Sounds like you need a field guide! A field guide is basically a manual for identifying natural objects, flora, or fauna in nature. It can provide survival tips an...

I think when most people think of generosity, they think of a specific act. Somebody had an unexpected expense. They can’t afford to get it fixed. Somebody hears the news and swoops in to save the day. The bill is paid and life is back to normal because someone wrote a check! Is that generosity? I’d like to think that, yes, that was generous. But does that one act paint the picture of what God say...

The church in Corinth was like other churches in the first century in that they met at night and had a tradition of gathering for a church fellowship supper prior to their worship service. Apparently their pitch-in dinners provided not only an occasion for fellowship but gave the wealthy a chance to share their abundance with the poor. That might have been the best meal some of the slaves and unem...

As we prepare for this weekend, I want to remind you that Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, which he started, about problems that they are experiencing that are causing divisions in the church. One of the divisive issues concerned spiritual gifts. This Sunday, I am going to completely encircle what Eric was talking about last week. He gave the central message when it comes to spiritual gif...

Have you ever noticed that there are just some people who give you their opinion and have no concern about how others feel about it? Or maybe you know someone who is spot on with their beliefs, but how they communicate it isn’t the most kind? Perhaps you know someone who is faithful in volunteering, but they are doing so for the wrong reasons. This week Eric will remind us that our primary motivat...

The roles of men and women are possibly as misunderstood today then any point in history. Instead of searching for what is socially acceptable or agreed upon by the majority, let’s take a look at what God was doing by design. Genesis 1:27 says, “In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” This week Rich will remind us that as Image Bearers, it’s clear that we are to refl...

I’ve made a big deal out of the fact that Corinth was the home of the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. And that had a HUGE influence on the morals of the city. But I’ve also mentioned that it was a port city, so they had access to trade and tourism and became a place where different lines of thought and philosophy flowed through; all kinds of ideas from around the world about different go...

If someone is looking for a church, what should they be looking for? If you have ever moved into a new city and you’re looking for a church, maybe you’ve asked that question. What is that set of criteria? I’m wondering how many of us have even pulled out a piece of paper and written down a set of criteria that you’re looking for. That allows you to not be driven by feelings, but by a well thought...

When you hear the word freedom what do you think about? Soldiers? America? The right to do whatever you please? Freedom is one of those words we love because it largely benefits us. But what happens when our freedom becomes a stumbling block for others? How can we set aside our freedom so that others might grow? This week Eric will help us uncover what it means to set aside our freedom so we can e...

Last week Paul addressed how sex in the Corinthian culture was influencing the church (rather than the church influencing the culture). This week Paul addresses sex inside marriage. What he is talking about in chapter 7 answers one of the questions they have written to him. And it may surprise you, but God actually has a lot to say about the subject of sex. Now it shouldn’t surprise us because God...

I hope you have been enjoying our walk through the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. One of the advantages of sitting in a book like 1 Corinthians is that you get more of a feel for the background of the people and why they are doing what they are doing. We also get to be reminded that what was true for/about them is true for/about us. I had a guy come up to me in Kroger one time an...

This week Paul will talk about judging others. So let me ask 3 questions: Do you like to be judged? Have you ever judged someone? Is it ever appropriate to judge another person? Jesus says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” That’s from Matthew 7 in case you want to look that up because there is more to that teaching. Our culture is constantly saying we shouldn’t judge. But did you know th...

This Sunday Eric will continue our conversation around unity as we dive into 1st Corinthians chapter 3.  As Paul addresses the “who do you follow argument?” happening in Corinth, he reminds the church that he, Apollos, and Cephas all belong to the church.  And that the church belongs to Jesus,  and Jesus belongs to God.  So exo facto all things are God’s.  The leaders of the church, the ministry v...

We have seen in the last 2 weeks that this very young church is in an urban setting and there are a bunch of new disciples of Jesus. The whole Christianity thing had just been invented. With a bunch of new people come a bunch of new opinions and new ideas and perhaps some soapboxes. People could show up and they had their ideas and their opinions and there is some division in the church. What the...

Last week we looked back 100 years to see what life was like here in the U.S. This week we’ll see a few predictions that people made in 1923 that they thought would be true about life today. While some of them are not accurate (at least at the moment), some are hauntingly similar to everything happening in the world right now. What’s true in the world, is true in the church. The more some things c...

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This week we will begin to walk through the letter Paul wrote to the church in the city of Corinth to find out that it’s not just true of the US one hundred years ago, but the church 2000 years ago. We will also see what we can learn from them about how to respond to people and issues in our culture today.

This Sunday I get to conclude our Ekklesia series by jumping straight to the last verse in the book. For the last few weeks we’ve been following how God used Paul. Paul, who helped start at least 10 new churches in his life. Paul, who wrote 13 of the of 27 books in the New Testament. Paul, who influenced people whose names appear on books in the New Testament, people like Mark, Luke, Timothy, Titu...

By now, you should be seeing some obvious characteristics of the early Church. Acts doesn’t paint a rosy picture of first century Christians. We see personality clashes and differences of opinion regarding strategy. The missteps of God’s people trying to be a part of Kingdom building. This week Rich will guide us through chapter 18 where we see the fruit of Christian’s loving God, loving people an...

For this weekend, to get you thinking about what we’ll be seeing that God chose to reveal about Himself through His church then (and His church now), fill in this blank: Outside of the Spirit of God, one of the most powerful tools the early church had was __________. How would you answer that? Miracles? People sharing their faith? Good deeds? There are a lot of ways to fill in that blank. This wee...

This week we see another HUGE moment in Acts. The first 12 chapters focus on the work of the Apostle Peter and the church in Jerusalem. But beginning in chapter 13 that focus shifts to the Apostle Paul and the church in Antioch. So this week we will see what God is saying to us about being a witness for Him.

This Sunday is special as we turn a corner with an event in the life of the early church. What we talked about last week, the conversion of Saul (later known as the Apostle Paul) was a major event for the early church, this week is about to be a bombshell. And if this is your first time reading through Acts, you probably won’t pick up on this. And maybe if you’ve read this book many times, it’s po...

Eric and our intern Leah talk about the gospel.

Eric and Josh talk about sanctification.

This week, we will continue our study of Acts and early church disciple making. This series has been so fascinating to examine and I am really excited to hear what Mike will share with us about Paul!