New Story Church

The church of Laodicea is full of highly capable people who are confident that they can succeed in life without help from anyone... even Jesus. Their success has blinded them to their true spiritual condition. Their lives have drifted away from Jesus - He's not even invited to their church services anymore - and no one seems to have noticed. In this letter, Jesus forces them (& us) to fac...

"Never judge a book by its cover" is a modern-day saying, but over 2,000 years ago, the apostle John said essentially the same thing. The small, run-down, persecuted ancient church of Philadelphia was filled with Nike Christians (really!) who were faithful pillars in their community. Despite external appearances, this tiny and faithful church had the keys to God's kingdom, while oth...

In ancient Sardis, history has a way of repeating itself. They seem stuck in a cycle of getting comfortable... too comfortable. Eventually, they get so distracted and so busy that they forget to guard against their enemies and their city falls. In Revelation 3, it sounds like history is about to repeat itself again. Except this time, it's not the city of Sardis that's about to fall. It&a...

If the church at Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) was full of fundamentalists who loved God's Word but hated people, this church would be just the opposite. They were super loving, affirming, and active in the community. Really, really nice people. But they also tolerated some things that seemed to directly contradict the Word of God... and Jesus wants to talk to them (& us) about this.  newsto...

If you had to choose: "Renounce Jesus or die." Would you die for Jesus? In that moment, many of us would choose to die.... or, at least, we hope we would. But what if the test you face is less about dying for Jesus and more about living a life of dying to your own desires… for the sake of Jesus? In His letter to Pergamum, Jesus warns them (and us) against thinking that if Satan isn'...

In His letter to the church at Smyrna, Jesus writes: “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.” He writes this as the Roman government is getting ready to hunt them down & kill some of them. It’s a bit jarring. In this message, we'll explore how Jesus gave these early Christians courage, peace, and even joy in the face of unthinkable suffering... and how He wants to do this for u...

At the end of the first century, the churches faced immense cultural pressure to conform to the world's values and ways. Some churches held firm to the teachings and way of Jesus... and were hated, rejected, & persecuted. Other churches compromised with the world... and lost their reason for existing. So, Jesus wrote them (& us) letters to help us overcome the world without becoming l...

What happens when a modern, iPhone-using, Starbucks-drinking, Netflix-watching, well-educated American picks up the Bible & finds that the Apostle Paul believes this world is controlled by the Devil? Do you laugh, do you hide in fear, or do you start to pray? That's the question we'll consider as we close out this study of Paul's letter to the ancient Ephesians.  newstorychurch....

Wouldn't it be amazing if God were not mad at me? Wouldn't it be life-changing if his acceptance for me was not contingent on my making the grade; my living up to a behavioral standard empowered by my sincerity, my perseverance, my full-hearted fervency, and my sold-out determination? How would it change my life if God told me that he loves me as much as he loves Jesus? What if grace was...

Why doesn't the Apostle Paul openly denounce the institution of slavery?  Only when we've grappled with this question of justice can we begin to appreciate why Paul seems to think that spiritual slavery is an even more pressing issue. newstorychurch.life

The parent-child relationship is central to life. It forms you from birth. And, if you happen to have kids, you form them in ways that you cannot imagine. (Maybe you dare not imagine.) In this message, we talk about how Jesus  redeems these most basic, most human of relationships that we might experience "the life that is truly life."  newstorychurch.life

In marriage, women & men behave, think, feel, are… different. We shouldn't overstate this, or attempt to overly define roles based on these differences. But differences there are. How we relate to one another in these differences can be a matter of great pleasure or horrific pain. In our message today, we'll explore how Jesus's changes marriage and redeems it... so that you can...

As part of our New Story Missions focus, we welcome Mike Harder to share with us.  Could there be more to life than chasing personal achievement or rising to the top of your career? Could there be more than simply accumulating personal power, money or accolades? Could God give you a mission worth your life? In the book of Acts, Luke says yes. God not only calls us to a life with greater purpose an...

"If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live," MLK. Before he is executed, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy to give him (and us) some perspective on the mission that we find ourselves caught up in. It is hard and costly. To be part of it means that you will suffer. It might cost you your life. And... it's worth it. It's so very worth it.

For the Apostle John, the vast, epic story of Easter cannot be separated from that which is most personal. Every resurrection story he tells is (almost awkwardly) intimate. We find Jesus meeting Mary in her shame, Thomas in his doubts, and Peter in his denial. When we probe John and ask, "Why? Why do you want us to see Easter in such deeply personal terms?" Rather than answer directly, J...

In Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul tells us that God's will for your life is this: "Don't get drunk." But that's only half the story. Understanding why Paul might be so concerned about our behavior... and why he would compare getting drunk with being filled with the Spirit, that's what makes this passage beautiful. Paul isn't just giving you some new rules to follo...

Why you do what you do matters. The life promised by Jesus isn't just a matter of obeying some rules. It's becoming a whole new person. It's the start of new desires and... repulsions. This week, the Apostle Paul guides us through five practical (& pressing) issues in order to help us see how the love of God transforms our motivations and our lives.

If discipleship is following Jesus, that means we must know who He is (His identity) and what He came to accomplish (his mission).  We will examine Mark 8:27 - 9:13 – the account where a few of His disciples catch a glimpse of His glory and tease out a few implications for us. https://newstorychurch.life

How can I truly believe in Jesus... and still live like I don't really believe in Him? How can I know that He calls me a saint... and still feel like such a sinner? If you've ever asked these questions, you're in good company. This message is for you. Before the Apostle Paul instructs us on how to live as a saint (a beloved child of God), he pauses to make sure that we appreciate th...

What unites us in Christ doesn’t destroy your individuality or personhood. Each one of us is uniquely gifted by Christ. In this message, we'll discuss how knowing and embracing our different spiritual gifts is essential to becoming who we are called to be.

When we ask the Apostle Paul to help us find a life worth living, he starts by pointing us towards all the people we find annoying. You know. "Those people." The ones who seem to ruin everything, make your life difficult, and hold you back. The Apostle seems to think that "those people" are not a barrier to the life you are called to live, but they are the surest way to the lif...

Do you ever feel forgotten, like God may have left you behind? Today we will examine two gifts that God has for each one of us to help us during any difficult season of life. Guest speaker: Carl Green. Executive Vice President, Global Training Network. www.gtn.org https://newstorychurch.life

Throughout the Scriptures, we find this uncanny link between eating together and God drawing people into relationship. In this message, we'll pull on this thread, looking at food through the lense of Scripture, history, culture, and neuroscience. In each of these, we get the idea that God is somehow using our tables & our menus to call us into relationship, heal what is broken, and form u...