New Life Ministries Sermon Podcast

Please join us today in welcoming our guest speaker Mark Henkelman as he guides us through the first part of Romans 12.

Have you ever gone a whole meal and realized at the end that you were so distracted that you didn’t really taste what you were eating? You could have been eating anything, and it would hardly have changed the experience. Even though it may have nourished the same, how much less satisfied were you than if you had slowed down and really savoured and were truly present for your meal. Today let's...

In so many ways, adoption can be one of the most complicated ways of expanding your family. This choice can be frightening and stressful, as bringing in any new addition can be. Regardless of the relationship, one fact does not change. Even when the relationship with the biological children is strained or even broken, an adoptive child is not in replacement of but in addition to. That child is sti...

Have you ever watched a parent at the park addressing poor behavior from their child? Even though that interaction may have only lasted a moment or two, when it was over you had a much more intimate knowledge of how that relationship works, both by their own behavior and by the way their child responded to their correction. How a parent interacts with an errant child tells us a lot more about that...

When we look back, it can be tempting to look at the Jewish community at the time of Jesus and ask why they didn’t respond to him. They had been primed for his arrival for generations. They knew he was coming and yet they missed it. While it can be tempting to think that in their shoes we wouldn’t have done that, and judge them for the failures that they fell victim to, when we look around us now,...

When thinking about salvation, it can be easy to think that some people are destined to be saved, and some people aren't. Throughout the old Testament, the nation's and leaders that stood against God and his people seemed to be destined not to be saved, that they were just bad people that God rejected. At the same time, God's promise to his people Isreal seemed to state that they are,...

How often in life have you fallen out of touch with someone? An acquaintance? A friend? A family member? What about God? As people, unless we actively put in effort to avoid doing so, we have a tendency to forget to touch base, even with those who are most important to us. Our nature pulls us towards what is easiest and takes the least effort. A body at rest stays at rest. This tendency also makes...

Have you ever noticed that it is impossible to follow the law of the Old Testament? The harder we try to cling to the law, the more sinful thoughts will creep in making us sin anyways. It just feels like a losing battle. So if the law can't physically be followed, is it still a good law? Lets join Curtis as he leads us deeper into Romans 7.

Imagine you sold your home, and bought a new home in a new city. Where would you live, work, and spend your time? While your old city and haunts may draw you because of their comfort and familiarity, remaining there makes no sense and does not help you in building your life in your new home. We can view sin and salvation through this same lens. Even though the lies of Satan may say that if you are...

When we think about our origin, what do we think of? Do we think of our family and the baggage that that brings? Do we think more broadly to the proposed origins of human kind from a scientific standpoint? How about biblically, to Adam and Eve, and how their story has shaped humanity? Today, let's talk about a far more important origin, the origin of our salvation. In Romans 5:15 it says “For...

Can a monster become a good person? Can a thief redeem themselves? A racist? How about a murderer? In Romans 4, Paul is speaking on this same question but gets the opposite answer from the rest of the world. The world says "As long as you put out more good than bad, you are a good person". The Bible says that none of us are good and there are no actions on our part that can make us good....

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t trust God to keep his promise to take care of you? Maybe you felt betrayed by God, or even felt like God can’t exist because he doesn’t give you what you pray for.  Or maybe you felt like it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and you did what you wanted even though you knew it was wrong because you also know you are forgiven. It's better to b...

Have you ever excused your sins by telling yourself that someone else did something worse? You know it is wrong to yell at your kids, but you don't spank them like your parents did. You know you shouldn't lie to your spouse, but you go to church every Sunday, unlike your brother. Paul says "You are just as bad and you have no excuse". Just because we can see faults in another, do...

Welcome to a new series on the book of Romans!   When Paul writes his letter to the Christians in Rome, he was writing to address a situation, to help resolve a problem.  What was that problem? As we ponder the type of folks that made up the church in Rome, we realize the type of problem Paul wrote about still exists in the church today. In today’s talk, we see Paul begin to explain his solution:...

When we think of the wrath of God, we tend to think of thunder and lightning, and smiting the wicked. Paul, however, says that it is a lot more subtle and nuanced than that. A generation of people divorcing themselves from their parent's influence. A society based on consumption and keeping up with the Jones’s. A culture where relationships have become so harmful and toxic that people just wan...

Do you have a memory that stings a little? Something you once did that, although you have been forgiven and the event is over, when you bring it to mind it makes you cringe? “I can’t believe I did that.”Jesus forgives us, but at times he also leans into those moments to release us from their grip. Jesus wants us to be wholeheartedly free to love and serve him. In today’s passage, we see Jesus doin...

Once again we return to the theme of Hope. There are many promises in scripture which say God has every intention to make you be like Jesus, so you can share in Jesus’ love, his life, his work, and his glory. All we have to do is follow. Today’s passage, Romans 8, gives us three specific truths that support our hope. We hope you find this text as encouraging as we did. *These podcasts are recordin...

Hardship and suffering are a threat to our assurance that God is good, He loves us and will save us. We all know the experience of one difficult experience piling on top of another. Our mind says ’Now what” while our heart cries “Why are you doing this to me” In today’s talk, Curtis looks at Romans 5. We start by discovering God has surrounded our lives with blessings - expressions of his love. Fr...

"I choose to live this way as an act of worship to my God.” The Bible teaches us to respond to God’s act of mercy by changing how we live. In Romans 12, Paul describes it as renewing our mind - being transformed. In today’s message, we unpack some of those choices and discover how different they are from what we might consider normal. *These podcasts are recordings from our Sunday morning ser...

"I choose to live this way as an act of worship to my God.” The Bible teaches us to respond to God’s act of mercy by changing how we live. In Romans 12, Paul describes it as renewing our mind - being transformed. In today’s message, we unpack some of those choices and discover how different they are from what we might consider normal. *These podcasts are recordings from our Sunday morning ser...

In today’s worship gathering, we took time to remember those close to our hearts who have died over the past year. We let people share their memories and prayed for those still feeling the grief of loss. When it came time for the message, we looked at truths from 2 Corinthians 1 that give us hope. Please join us as we reflect on loss and hardship. *These podcasts are recordings from our Sunday mor...

The word ‘evangelism' brings a lot of different images to mind. Some are good - helping people discover the life available in Jesus. Others, however, are uncomfortable or awkward. In today’s talk, Curtis looks at the root of evangelism and offers some ideas to make it accessible and easy. But he will also look at some valid criticisms against Christians that undermine our efforts. Let’s join o...

Sometimes it can be difficult, to be honest with God. We are hesitant to tell him what we really think - knowing that we will get angry or accusative. Yet, when we start to hide from God, we inevitably start to build a wall. God starts to feel distant and quiet. To move forward as people and as a church, we want open communication with our Lord. This week we learn from Psalm 89 and it’s lament. Go...

As the world around us changes and, in some sense, feels like it is dismantling, it brings up questions on how to proceed. What will work? How do we move forward? At New Life Ministries, we are asking these questions just as you are. In today’s talk, Curtis ponders a couple of ideas about ministry from Isaiah 53.*These podcasts are recordings from our Sunday morning service. As a church, we follow...

It can be hard to understand what God might be doing, as we learn to follow him day by day.  We do, however, know some of his ‘large picture’ goals.  In Psalm 82, we have a picture of God’s concern for rightness and justice - something those in power seem to be getting wrong.  Let’s join Curtis has he ponders an idea: Where do justice and rightness live?