Teen Challenge of Southern California

God did not transform alumni just so they could have a better life. He transformed them to become kingdom servants, kingdom warriors, and living signs of His power. At the Spiritual Emphasis Alumni Luncheon, Ron Brown spoke from Psalm 71 and reminded alumni that they are “miraculous signs” to many. Their lives tell the world that God still heals broken hearts, sets captives free, delivers the oppr...

After powerful worship, preaching, and altar moments, the question becomes simple: how do we walk this out tomorrow? Mike Conway preached from Colossians 3 and gave students a practical word for coming down the mountain and returning home with clarity. Victory is not sustained by hype, human effort, or trying harder. It is sustained by a clear vision of Christ, seated at the right hand of God, and...

A transformed life is one of the clearest displays of victory in Jesus. Jonathan Skiles preached from 1 John 1 and reminded students that the Christian life is not built on theory alone. It is built on what we have seen, heard, received, and experienced through the power of Jesus Christ. Our testimony becomes evidence that the gospel is still the power of God unto salvation. Jonathan connected 1 C...

The communion table reminds us that our salvation is not based on our good works, but on the finished work of Jesus Christ. Walter Colace opened this message by leading students in the Lord’s Supper, calling them to remember that they were purchased with the blood of Jesus and given immeasurable value before God. Communion is not just a ritual. It is a reminder that Christ’s body was given, His bl...

Romans 8 opens with one of the most powerful declarations in Scripture: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Gary Wilkerson preached a message about freedom from condemnation, freedom from self-effort, and freedom from the exhausting cycle of feeling “in and out” with God. Many believers wrestle with the thought that they are in the Spirit when they are doing...

The victory God gives us does not mean we will never face a battle. It means we do not face the battle alone. John Burns preached from Exodus 17, where Israel fought the Amalekites while Moses stood on the hill with the staff of God in his hands. As long as Moses’ hands were lifted, Israel was winning. When his hands grew tired, Aaron and Hur came alongside him and held them up until the victory w...

Victory begins when we stop turning back to the past and start walking forward in the truth of who God says we are. Elizabeth Goodban shared her testimony of addiction, lost identity, motherhood, brokenness, and the restoring power of Jesus. Growing up around church and hearing about Teen Challenge, she knew about God, but had to learn what it meant to truly follow Him. Through her story, she remi...

Victory is not just a moment we reach. It is a way of life we walk out daily in Jesus. Kevin Nickerson preached from Matthew 14 and the story of Peter walking on the water, reminding students that victory in Christ means overcoming, prevailing, and continuing forward even when the storm is still raging. The world often defines victory as winning a game, reaching a goal, or arriving at a destinatio...

Who you believe Jesus is will shape the rest of your life. Jamal Alexander preached from Matthew 16 and 1 Corinthians 15:57–58, calling students to move beyond borrowed faith, religious language, or simply knowing about Jesus. When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered with the revelation that changes everything: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jamal sha...

Joy is not the absence of difficulty. It is the strength God gives us to keep walking with Him through the journey, the obstacles, and the process of becoming mature in Christ. In this message from James 1:1–4, Joshua Canales teaches on “The Joy of a Life in Christ” and reminds us that God is not wasting the season we are in. The believers James wrote to were scattered, tested, and facing trials o...

Victory in Jesus is not only about beginning the race. It is about finishing the race with faithfulness, obedience, and love for Christ. Rich Guerra shares the powerful story of his grandfather, whose encounter with Jesus in a revival tent changed the direction of his family for generations. One decision to surrender to Christ became a legacy of faith that reached his children, grandchildren, and...

Victory in Jesus is not a temporary fix. It is an eternal victory secured by the finished work of Christ. In this powerful message, Ron Brown preaches from Revelation 15 and Colossians 2, reminding students that the battle has already been won by Jesus. Because of the cross and the empty tomb, sin, death, bondage, and the accusations of the enemy have been defeated forever. Ron calls us to live in...

Gary Wilkerson’s first message at Spiritual Emphasis began with a powerful call to worship, inviting the room to slow down, praise Jesus with real words, and behold the beauty of the Savior. Drawing from the hymn “Fairest Lord Jesus” and the writings of Samuel Rutherford, Gary reminded us that Jesus is more beautiful, more glorious, and more sufficient than anything creation can offer. Preaching f...

In this Spiritual Emphasis message, Micah Hale preaches a powerful word titled “The Vows of the King,” showing how the love of Jesus brings true victory, healing, and transformation. Through the story of Hosea and Gomer, Micah reminds us that God does not wait for us to become worthy before He comes for us. At our lowest point, Jesus was already speaking His love over us. He came to find us, bring...

In this Spiritual Emphasis message, Ryan Lawrence teaches from Ecclesiastes 3 and reminds us that God is sovereign over every season of life. There is a time to be born, a time to die, a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance. Some seasons are filled with joy, while others are marked by pain, confusion, waiting, and surrender. Ryan shares his own testimony of addiction...

n this Spiritual Emphasis message, Daniel Bentley preaches a powerful word, calling us to fix our eyes on Jesus in a world filled with distraction. In a culture trained to scroll, glance, and move on, Daniel reminds us that the invitation of Scripture is to slow down and truly behold the Lord. Drawing from the writings of John, Daniel walks through three powerful pictures of Jesus. First, we behol...

In this powerful message from Spiritual Emphasis, Alex Delgado preaches from Jonah 1–2 and reminds us that what feels like rock bottom may actually be the mercy of God at work. Jonah thought he was drowning, but God had prepared a fish, not to destroy him, but to deliver him. Through his own testimony of addiction, fear, brokenness, and restoration, Alex challenges students to believe that their c...

In this opening message from Spiritual Emphasis, Evan Wickham teaches from Ephesians 3:14–21 and unpacks the heart of true victory in Jesus: union with Christ. Paul’s prayer reminds us that we are not called to overcome shame, fear, addiction, or failure by willpower alone, but by being strengthened through the Holy Spirit and rooted in the love of God. Evan shows how shame can become a prison, th...

The opening message of Spiritual Emphasis began with one question from Psalm 24: Who is this King of Glory? Ron Brown called students to prepare their hearts for God to do defining things in their lives. Through Psalm 24 and Isaiah 6, he reminded us that when we truly see the Lord, our eyes are opened to the truth. We recognize our need, we see our own condition, and we discover that Jesus is the...

In this deeply personal and faith-filled message from Day 3 of Fire in Our Bones, Gary Wilkerson weaves together testimony, mission, and exhortation to remind the church that prayer and compassion remain central to the heart of God. Sharing powerful stories of healing in his own family and testimonies of rescue among widows and orphans through World Challenge, Gary points the church back to a simp...

In this encouraging closing message from Fire in Our Bones, Ron Brown reminds pastors, leaders, and servants of God that the call of ministry is not to manufacture results, but to remain faithful in the work God has assigned. Drawing from Acts 10 and Ephesians 2, he points to Jesus as the model of Spirit-anointed ministry, one who “went about doing good and healing all who were under the power of...

In this urgent and Spirit-filled message from Fire in Our Bones, Ron Brown calls the church to awaken to the season we are living in and reclaim the prophetic mantle God has entrusted to His people. Drawing from Ephesians 5 and Joshua 1, he reminds us that the church is not called merely to survive dark times, but to speak, live, and minister with a Spirit-led clarity that reveals the heart and wi...

In this powerful and freeing message from Fire in Our Bones, Daniel Bentley opens Romans 6 to remind believers that too many Christians are still fighting like prisoners in a war Jesus has already won. Through the cross and resurrection, sin’s authority has been broken, the old self has been crucified, and a new life has already begun for every believer in Christ. As Daniel declares, “The war is o...

In this urgent and sobering message from Fire in Our Bones, Gary Wilkerson delivers a prophetic warning to the church about the spiritual condition of the culture and the danger of mistaking outward improvement for true transformation. Preaching from Matthew 12 and Romans 1, he warns that temporary moral cleanup, political shifts, or cultural corrections are not the same as revival. If a generatio...

In this rich and practical panel conversation from Fire in Our Bones, Jonathan Skiles, Alberto Bello, James Force, Gary Wilkerson, and Ron Brown reflect on the church’s calling to minister faithfully across generations. Together, they speak with honesty about the challenges facing the church today—division, consumer Christianity, fear of releasing younger leaders, and the tension of leading in a r...