Summit Podcasts: BACK40, Sermon Audio, and Leadership Night

In this episode Pastor Mel examines the case of the Wrexham Football Club. This is a soccer team who were perennial losers until Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the organization. The transformation of the Wrexham Football Club presents a case study in good leadership — specifically how to change the culture of an organization. Expect to learn about the power of believing in the vision as w...

Pastor Collin preaches through The Lord's Prayer and focuses on the first part of the opening line: Our Father in Heaven. Collin poses the question, "Who can claim that God is their Father?" Those who do not receive Christ are not sons of God. Sons and daughters of God have access to the Father through the Holy Spirit. Collin reminds us that while God is our Father, He is also our He...

Pastor Collin preaches about idolatry. Idolatry is making anything but God the ultimate thing. Collin explains how addressing sin is less about treating symptoms and more about determining the root cause, and this cause is often idolatry. One pernicious form of idolatry is the seduction of success. Collin tells the story of Naaman being healed in the Jordan River, and explains how this story illus...

In the second week of our series called The Lord's Prayer, Pastor Mel focuses one the second part of the opening line which reads: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. A hallowed name means a holy name - a name which is set apart from profanity. Mel explains the importance of names and reminds us that honoring God as holy doesn't change God - but it changes us. We make God's na...

Mel and Michael discuss the pros and cons of using uncommon words in preaching. Is what you gain in precision of speech worth the tradeoff of some people not understanding? What are the wrong motivations for using Hebrew or Greek words when preaching? Next they talk about the value of seeing God move in mundane ways. Can we miss God altogether if we only expect Him to show up in the miraculous? Th...

In the first message of our series called The Lord's Prayer, Pastor Mel breaks down the opening line of this most famous of prayers: Our Father in Heaven. Preaching through Matthew 6, Mel makes the case that Christ gave us the Lord's Prayer not for mindless recital, but as a template for how we should pray. Understanding God as our Father brings the temptation to filter how we see God through the...

Pastor Kim preaches about our longing to take up residence with God. God desires intimacy with us, which is why we see Him dwelling in the midst of His people throughout scripture. God's desire to dwell among us is most prominently displayed through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Despite our need to be with God, it's possible to live our entire lives missing this connection - continually...

Mel and Michael discuss Christ's instruction to the Ephesian church that they should return to their first love of God by doing the works they did at the beginning. How does this instruction scale to marriage? If love is a choice, can passion follow intentional decisions to work and take action? If you're feeling burned out, do you really need rest or do you instead need purpose? How does...

In the fifth week of our series called Counterfeit Gods, Pastor Mel recounts the most famous story of idolatry in scripture: Israel and the golden calf. Preaching through Exodus 32, Mel explains the revelry among the people as Aaron fashioned the golden calf. When Moses saw the people given over to idolatry he shattered the tablets inscribed with God's law on the ground. Moses made the people...

In the fifth week of our series called Counterfeit Gods, Pastor Mel conducts an interview with our special guests Aaron and Jaimie Smith. Aaron Smith is a former professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Smiths talk about what life was like leading up to the NFL, how they met, and a little about Aaron's upbringing. They discuss the temptation of creating false gods out of s...

Mel and Michael discuss the passing of Pope Francis and what this means for the broader church. What is Mel's perspective on the Catholic Church? Is it a valid expression of faith? Next they talk about the different kinds of interactions which come with Easter services here at Summit Church. As a Christian how should you engage with an eccentric person? How should pastors minister to church-go...

In the fourth message of our series called Counterfeit Gods, Pastor Mel explains the dangers associated with idolizing dreams. This is in reference to ambitions, not dreams you have when you sleep. Preaching through Genesis 22, Mel highlights how the story of Abraham taking Isaac to be sacrificed foreshadows the gospel of Jesus sacrificing Himself on the cross. Abraham had always hoped and dreamed...

Mel and Michael discuss the life-lessons and theological implications of the story of Jesus healing Jairus’s daughter. Jairus was a powerful synagogue official and yet he displayed biblical humility in his interactions with Christ. How should you manage power so that it doesn’t inappropriately alter your perspective of who you are in relation to Jesus? Is Christ’s ability to perform miracles depen...

Pastor Mel gives a teaching on the leadership qualities of Ulysses S. Grant. If you’re a fan of history, you’ll enjoy his survey of key moments in Grant’s life and if you’re trying to improve your leadership this is a great episode for you. After the teaching Mel and Michael have a conversation answering questions like: How do you know when to change yourself in order to better fit an organization...

In the third message of our series called Counterfeit Gods, Pastor Mel details the dangers of idolizing success itself. Part of the key to this message is understanding you don't need to actually be a successful person to be guilty of idolizing success. Anyone who views success or achievement as the ultimate thing holds success as a counterfeit god. Mel preaches through the story of Naaman in...

Mel and Michael begin by discussing whether or not preachers should repeat their sermon illustrations if the illustrations are effective at delivering a point. This part of the conversation gives some insight into Mel's sermon writing process. Does he preach off-the-cuff while depending on a lifetime of study or does he spend more time on weekly preparation? Next they talk about the difference...

In the second message of our series called Counterfeit Gods, Pastor Mel preaches about the dangers of idolizing love. Idolatry is making anything other than God the "ultimate" thing. If we look to love or romantic relationships as the thing that will make us feel whole, then we know we have idolized love. No person or relationship was designed to bear the weight of standing in for God. W...

Mel, Collin, Michael discuss why it's important to foster an organizational culture of leadership and extreme ownership. What are the downsides to this kind of culture? How do you prevent a subordinate from seizing too much control under the auspices of extreme ownership? Next they talk about the biblical instruction to publicly promote good works which glorify God. What is the difference betw...

In the first message of our series called Counterfeit Gods, Pastor Mel gives a detailed teaching on idolatry and why it's so dangerous. As human beings, nearly all of our sin is rooted in some form of idolatry. Idolatry is when we make anything other than God the "ultimate" thing in our lives. Tim Keller said, "We think that idols are bad things, but that is almost never the cas...

In the fourth message of our series called Kingdom Builders, Pastor John Nuzzo teaches what it means for a Christian to be recklessly generous. He begins by explaining how Jesus Himself modeled reckless generosity. It's impossible to be a follower or disciple of Christ without being generous. The humiliation of Christ, His voluntary descent into humanity, His suffering, and His death all exemp...

Mel and Michael discuss what it looks like to invite someone to church. Should you extend repeated invitations if the first attempt fails? How do you invite a person who believes he is too sinful to attend church? The conversation turns to a common misunderstanding of God: that if God loves me He should attend to my every need and desire when I want Him to. How do we balance the selfless love of G...

In the third message of our series called Kingdom Builders, Pastor Mel explains the importance of missions. Jesus Christ is missionary in character and His Church is a missionary society. Mel articulates the support for missionaries as threefold: why we pray, why we give, and why we go. The harvest is great but the workers are few, so we pray to the Lord of the harvest and ask Him to send more wor...

Mel, Collin, and Michael start the conversation with the heavy topic of betrayal. What happens to someone after they've been betrayed? What happens to the betrayer? What motivates a person to betray someone else - especially someone they love? Next they talk about making decisions which consider the future and resisting the temptation to be short-sighted. The conversation finishes with a discu...

In the second message of our series called Kingdom Builders, Pastor Mel explains what the tithe is and why we should be faithful to do it. At Summit Church one of our core values is radical generosity. We believe God is radically generous and we want the world to see that in how we live and how we give. In a most general sense, scripture recognizes two types of giving: tithes and offerings. Tithin...

Mel and Michael talk about how to foster a church culture which minimizes the chances of catastrophic moral failures. How can we encourage people to confess their sins without losing the deterrence associated with facing consequences? Can we even control consequences? How does humility promote strong negotiating positions? The conversation finishes with a survey of King Hezekiah’s pride and what w...