The Branch Church

This weekend we’ll cross the finish line of our “By Faith” series and our journey through Hebrews 11. We’ll be in Hebrews 11:32-40. The journey of faith features two kinds of faith experiences. Both will be present in our lives when it comes to walking out our faith. People and churches tend to build belief systems around one or the other, instead of acknowledging both. When we do this with one, t...

This weekend, Chris Seidman is back to help us draw wisdom and inspiration from the story of Rahab.

Ryan Rainey helps us draw wisdom and inspiration from the story of Jericho.

This weekend, Ryan Rainey helps us draw wisdom and inspiration from the crossing of the Red Sea.

Hunter Wheatcraft helps us draw wisdom and inspiration from the life of Enoch.

This weekend, Josh Brake, helps us draw wisdom and inspiration from the faith of Sarah.

Tim Ketchersid helps us draw wisdom and inspiration from the faith of Amram & Jochebed, the parents of Moses.

This weekend our special guest, Mitch Wilburn, helps us draw wisdom and inspiration from the faith of Noah.

Come along as Ryan Rainey helps us draw wisdom and inspiration from the faith of Joseph.

Tim Ketchersid helps us draw wisdom and inspiration from the faith of Abel.

A NEW SERIES BEGINS TODAY! This weekend we kick off a new series that will carry us through a chunk of the summer: “By Faith.” Chris Seidman brings us the first message in a tour through the great “hall of faith,” Hebrews 11. This series isn’t a history lesson. His name is I Am, not I Was. There is wisdom and inspiration to be drawn from the lives of people distinguished by their faith in that gre...

In the last message in our “After-Life” series, we'll ask the question: What do you do when you “hit a wall” in your spiritual journey – even after you’ve walked with the Lord for some time? This theme arises often in Scripture. So what do you do when you’ve hit a wall?

Of all things, it’s like a virus. Today we consider another common theme Jesus and the rest of the New Testament writers often addressed in the lives of those who were already following Him and experiencing the “after-life.” Sometimes you don’t know it’s operational in your life until after you see symptoms of it. Paul acknowledged it as the reason some “wander from the faith” after they’ve had an...

Intermittent Explosive Disorder. That’s what some therapists call it. We read of soldiers being injured or worse by IEDs overseas. Some of us have been taken out by a different kind of IED over here. Someone wise once said, “Speak when you’re angry, and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.” I think a lot of us have been there. Acting in anger can often lead to more regret. Over and over...

We’ve all had “What was I thinking?” moments in our lives. It’s striking how much Scripture speaks to this trap. Jesus spoke to this often, as did the apostle Paul in the rest of the New Testament. Walking in the freedom found in Christ involves addressing the desire for approval/fear of rejection dynamic in our lives. Walking in freedom doesn’t mean we don’t regard what others are thinking or how...

Today we consider what Jesus meant when He talked about God pruning our lives so that we might be more fruitful. He doesn’t stop working on us after we’ve found life in Christ. The idea of pruning shears and “cutting away” things doesn’t leave us with warm, fuzzy feelings. But there’s such a thing as “shear grace.” John 15:1-8

“The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God.” This is powerful revelation found in Galatians 2:20 is very much the essence of the “after-life.” So what does it look like to live by faith in Jesus while occupying these bodies that we have and in the variety of contexts we find ourselves in?

Of the more than 31,000 verses in the Bible, Galatians 2:20 would be one of my candidates for a “life-verse.” It’s dense with powerful revelations for what it means to live “the after-life.” The gospel tells the story of two of the greatest substitutions there have ever been. Christ dying in our place upon the cross, and Christ living in our place within our hearts. This week, we’ll consider the s...

What in the world does it mean that we’ve been “crucified with Christ?” It's all over the New Testament, but most of us probably don’t think about it much. You’re not just “raised with Christ,” you’ve “died with Him.” Really? When did this happen? And what difference does considering myself a “dead man” or “dead woman” make practically in my life today?

The gospels are full of some powerful before/after stories... And in every one of those before/after’s Jesus is the difference. When you read the rest of the New Testament, one of the most common phrases the writers use to talk about the life of a Christian is the phrase “you’ve been raised with Christ.” Raised from what?

The after-life isn’t just about heaven. It’s about the resurrected life HERE and NOW on earth. When Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, is on the scene in someone’s life – get ready for different.

It’s one thing to be spiritually lost or “off-course.” It’s another to realize it. One of the first steps to us being “found” is when we become aware that we are off-course and ask for help. The Spirit of God is often involved in bringing about this awareness. John 15:26-16:11

This weekend we're exploring what Jesus has to say about the “help” that the Spirit of God brings into our lives. John 14:15-27

In week three of “Until Then” we’ll be in John 14:15-31.

In week two of “Until Then,” we’ll be in four verses that are “ants in the pants” of my faith. They can be uncomfortable and challenging, yet they keep it moving. Our journey continues through Jesus’ parting words to His disciples in John 14-16.