Northwest Christian Church Podcasts

We are all called to ministry. We all have gifts and talents and we are to use those gifts and talents to serve others. Some are called to lead others as they minister and are used by God to help shepherd the flock. Every once in a while, God calls some above and beyond. Not just to shepherd, but to earn their living from the work of shepherding the flock of God. Today we ordain Matt McGrew to ful...

I think it’s easy to say that humans are busier now than we’ve ever been. Even with all the modern conveniences that promise to help us have more time, we seem to have less time than ever. Psalm 23 promises us something different. It promises rest and peace and freedom but to find it, we must walk the path laid out for us by Christ and that’s a choice we have to make!

As we continue to unpack Psalm 23, there’s this crazy thing that David says in verse 1. It goes like this – “The Lord is my shepherd, I SHALL NOT WANT.” Really? You shall not want? Everyone wants all the time! Is David just a superhero Christian or is there something else God is trying to teach us in this famous passage?

The term “shepherd” is one we use all the time but, because of our modern, high-tech worldview, we may not always understand all the nuances of what that term means. When David wrote Psalm 23, people understood all the layers of meaning of what a shepherd did. As we dig in more on what this term shepherd means and then we look at Psalm 23:1 where God offers to be that shepherd, well, consider your...

There are some passages of scripture that are really hard to preach on. Sometimes that is because the language and theology are tricky. Sometimes it’s because they are SO familiar, we don’t think there is much we can learn from them. As the saying goes, “familiarity breeds contempt.” Psalm 23 is like that. It is so familiar that we can miss its power. As we begin our new series, hopefully you will...

Paul stands in chains, yet he’s the only free man in the room. Agrippa sits on a throne, yet he trembles under truth. In Acts 26, the light that transformed Paul now confronts a king and exposes the danger of being near the Kingdom, but never entering it. This message will press on the heart, break through hesitation, and call every listener from “almost persuaded” to fully surrendered. This isn’t...

This week we will explore Mark 10:17-27 where we see a man known for his wealth approach Jesus and presents a sincere question, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" The man's posture reveals great respect. He runs and kneels before Jesus, yet his worldview is shaped by works-based righteousness. He sees eternal life as an achievement to earn, not a gift to receive. Here we see a...

The Bible begins and ends in a Garden, in the presence of God, around a tree. This week, we attempt to wrap up our series, “I love to tell The Story,” by looking at the entire narrative arc of the Bible. We will talk about how we strive so hard to return to the joy of the Garden, but there is only one way to get there. Because of a man who died on a tree, we have the ability to get to that perfect...

Roughly 80% of the world believes in “heaven.” The views of heaven vary greatly but many think of heaven as a peaceful, tranquil place that is filled with clouds and white columns and may or may not involve robes and harps. The Bible has a VERY different picture to paint of what heaven looks like and I can’t wait for it to get here!

When you’re young the end seems like forever away. It’s why we don’t invest like we should, eat healthy like we should, plan like we should. We think the end is too far away. In fact, that philosophy doesn’t end when we’re no longer young. Most of us don’t like thinking about it but the Bible talks about the end all the time. And once we really understand the end, it changes everything!

Life can be hard sometimes. We struggle with what to say. We struggle with how to respond when things don’t go according to plan. Sometimes we even struggle with what God is doing in our life. In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul shares some words of encouragement for us all when we find ourselves here.

They say that the sequel is never quite as good as the original. Usually that’s true, but when it comes to God’s story, the sequel (which we are a part of!) is just as good as the original! Today, we begin to see how the Gospel of Jesus spreads as the sequel to the story of God launches on “opening day” of the church.

Jesus didn’t answer the disciples’ questions about timing—He gave them a mission. Between His ascension and return, His people are called to live with urgency, empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are sent as witnesses, not just waiting for the end, but actively proclaiming the risen King. The story of Jesus continues through us as we carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Happy Easter!! What an amazing day this is and in our passage this morning, God speaks to 3 different groups of people. He speaks to people who have doubts and are skeptics. God speaks to people that experience Jesus personally. The text speaks to those whose lives need to be transformed. What does God need to say to you today?

For 400 years the world had been waiting for the arrival of the King. Everyone knew that things were broken and needed to get fixed. The problem was, during that wait, many people took it upon themselves to fix things. Instead of waiting for God’s solution, they came up with their own solutions. At least until the real King showed up and changed everything!

Sometimes life is hard, and we go through seasons that the Bible and others call “The Wilderness.” These seasons of wilderness can be long, they can be tiring, they can be painful. Sometimes it can feel like there is no end in sight and there is no point to the pain, BUT what we see in the Bible is that these seasons of exile or wilderness are seasons of purification and preparation and even, if w...

Have you ever heard the term “tipping point?” It’s the idea that, at some point, you cross a line or overfill the cup or whatever analogy you want to use, and it opens the flood gates. Today, in our series, we see the People of Israel get to a tipping point and then the judgment comes. What does that mean for us? What about for our country? What can we learn from this?

There’s an old cliché that says those who don’t remember their history are doomed to repeat it. One of the reasons there is so much history in the bible is because God wants us to learn from the mistakes of the past. Even as we look at the life of one of Israel’s kings there are lessons we can learn that apply to us today.

Why do you do the things you do? Most people like to think that they’re unique and special and individuals who march to the beat of their own drum. The reality is, however, almost all of us are people pleasers…at least on some level. We chase the things that others have and want to fit in and be like everyone else. Sociologists call that the “herd mentality.” We all have it but God has called us t...

What’s one habit you wish you could break? Habits are tough, aren’t they? As they say, humans are creatures of habit and once a pattern is established, it can be very difficult to change that pattern. If the habit is small, like brushing your teeth the same way every time, no big deal. What if, however, the habit is big? Or bad? The Bible reveals to us a pattern of behavior that many of us fall in...

Almost everyone, regardless of background, has heard of the 10 Commandments. We’ve posted them in classrooms, fought over them, made movies about them. They’re famous, but what are they really, and why did God give them to us? Are they just an old, outdated moral code put in place to try and control behavior or might there be something more there that God wants us to see and understand?

Exodus 5–19 reveals God’s unfolding plan to redeem a people, confront spiritual and earthly powers, and establish His Kingdom on earth. Chapter 6 stands as the theological anchor, where God reveals His covenant identity and promises to act decisively on behalf of His people. Moses emerges as a profound foreshadowing of the Messiah—deliverer, mediator, prophet, shepherd, covenant‑bearer, and Kingdo...

There’s a lot of stories in the Bible that don’t really seem to connect to one another, isn’t there? In Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abram that makes sense but then there are a whole bunch of episodes that don’t seem to advance the story line…at all! What are we to do with that? Why are those stories in there? Maybe there’s a bigger point God is trying to make through these stories that r...

What is a covenant? How do you define that word? Most of us think of a contract when we hear the word covenant, which isn't a bad definition but it doesn't go quite far enough in explaining what a covenant is, at least not in Biblical terms of covenant. In Scripture, a covenant was more like an unbreakable vow and covenants, unlike contracts, were affirmed in some pretty weird ways. In Genesis 15,...

Most of us have heard of the story of Adam and Eve. Most of us know the gist of the story too. Nakedness, apples, trees, talking snakes! But what if there’s more going on in this story than just this? What if this story is really about a rebellion and a lesson that raises an important question…what voices are you listening to in your life right now?