The Journey Church Houston Podcast

Who is Jesus—really? In this episode, we continue our study through the Nicene Creed, focusing on the full divinity of the Son. In A.D. 325, the Church gathered at Nicaea to respond to the claim that “there was a time when the Son was not.” The Creed’s answer was precise, biblical, and enduring. We explore what these defining lines mean: God from God Light from Light True God from true God Begotte...

When an NFL team drafts a player, they hand him a new jersey and say, “You’re part of this team now. This is what we wear. This is how we play. This is how we carry ourselves.”  He doesn’t put on the jersey to become part of the team. He puts it on because he already is. In this episode, Pastor Mace Perez walks through Ephesians 4:17–32 and unpacks the Apostle Paul’s message to Christians: God has...

What does it mean to call Jesus the “Son of God”? In this teaching session, we explore one of the most profound claims of historic Christian faith: that Jesus Christ is not only Savior and King, but the eternal Son of God. The earliest Christian confession was simple but revolutionary: “Jesus is Lord.” In the biblical context, this means Jesus shares in the divine name and authority of God. The Cr...

Community is essential for human flourishing — and yet it’s often the hardest thing to sustain. We long for belonging, but unity doesn’t happen automatically. In Ephesians 4:1–16, the Apostle Paul turns from doctrine to daily life. If chapters 1–3 are true — if God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and united us into one new humanity — then how should we live? Paul’s answer: we walk toge...

What comes into your mind when you think about God? In Session 2 of our Nicene Creed: Foundations of the Christian Faith class, Pastor Mace Perez helps us slow down over the opening confession of the Creed: “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” These aren’t abstract theological phrases. They are claims about reality. There is...

What does it mean to be rooted in the love of Christ? In Ephesians 3:14–21, the Apostle Paul prays that the church would have strength to comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love—and to know that love together. This love is not a private spiritual experience or vague sentiment. It is a love that forms a people. In this sermon, Pastor Steven Hiller explores how we act...

What do Christians really mean when we say, “We believe”? And why did the church feel compelled 1,700 years ago to put those beliefs into words? In this first session of our Discipleship Class, Nicene Creed: Foundations of the Christian Faith, Pastor Mace Perez explores the historical setting of the Nicene Creed and why it was written in response to serious misunderstandings about who Jesus is. Fa...

What if hardship isn’t getting in the way of God’s plan but is actually part of it? In Ephesians 3:1–13, Paul writes from prison and insists that his suffering is not a detour but a means by which God is revealing His long-hidden wisdom: that Gentiles are fellow heirs in Christ. In this sermon, Pastor Mace Perez explores the biblical idea of mystery—not as something unknowable, but as something on...

What if the routines of everyday life were doing more than helping us get through the day—what if they were quietly shaping what we love, what we worship, and who we’re becoming? In this Family Discipleship Workshop, Pastor Steven Hiller explores how our household habits function like a kind of liturgy—repeated rhythms that form us over time. From waking up in the morning, to shared meals, to bedt...

Have you ever felt like an outsider—left out, overlooked, or on the margins? In Ephesians 2:11–22, the apostle Paul goes deeper than social discomfort or personal insecurity. He names a far more serious condition: apart from Christ, we were spiritually cut off—without hope and without God in the world. But the gospel announces a dramatic reversal. In this episode, Pastor Mace Perez walks through E...

We are all born into a trap we can’t rescue ourselves from. In Ephesians 2:1–10, the apostle Paul tells us something both sobering and hopeful: we weren’t just struggling or spiritually sick—we were dead in our sin, powerless to save ourselves. That truth helps explain why so many of us feel that life should be better, yet we can’t quite get there on our own. But in mercy, God stepped in. In this...

Do you know about God, or do you truly know Him? In this episode, we explore Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:15–23, where he asks that God would open the eyes of believers’ hearts—not simply to gain more information, but to truly know the hope of His calling, the immeasurable greatness of His power, and the authority of Jesus Christ who reigns over all things. Pastor Steven Hiller shows how real spir...

What if your worth before God isn’t something you achieve but something you receive? In Ephesians 1:3–14, the apostle Paul opens his letter with a sweeping song of praise, reminding us that every spiritual blessing God promises is given in Christ. In this sermon, Pastor Mace Perez explores how believers—both Jew and Gentile—are chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Holy Spir...

What does it really mean to belong? In this opening episode of our new series through Ephesians, Pastor Steven Hiller introduces Paul’s letter as a foundational guide for the Christian life. Written to early believers navigating confusion, opposition, and uncertainty, Ephesians shows us who we are in Christ, the riches of the salvation we’ve received, and the beauty of the community we’ve been uni...

Christmas tells us that Jesus has come, but Psalm 110 helps us see why He came and where the story is going. In this episode, Pastor Mace Perez helps us walk from the manger to the throne, exploring Psalm 110, the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament, to see Jesus revealed as the promised Priest-King. Born in humility, risen in victory, now reigning at the right hand of the Fathe...

What’s wrong with the world, and is there any real hope it will ever be made right? In this Christmas Eve sermon, Pastor Mace Perez reflects on Luke 1:31–33, where the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that her Son will be the Savior, the Son of God, and the everlasting King. At the heart of the Christmas story is a bold claim: Jesus, the Divine Savior-King, has come to save, and He will come again...

The book of Revelation brings us to the end of the Story and the beginning of everything made new. How does the Bible end? Not with escape, but with resolution. Not with uncertainty, but with hope. In this final session of The Grand Story of Scripture, Pastor Steven Hiller walks through the book of Revelation to show how God fulfills His covenant promises, judges evil, restores Israel, and returns...

What do you do when what you believe about God doesn’t seem to match what you’re experiencing? In Psalm 89, the psalmist praises God’s steadfast love, rehearses His covenant promises, and then honestly laments when those promises appear unfulfilled. It’s a prayer shaped by longing—a refusal to let go of God even when life doesn’t make sense. In this Advent sermon, “Love: Waiting for the King of St...

Where do we live in the biblical story right now, and what does that mean for the Church? In Session 12 of The Grand Story of Scripture, we arrive at the Falling Action of the Bible’s plot: the present age of the Church. In this teaching, Pastor Steven Hiller traces how the New Testament Epistles explain Christ’s finished work on the cross, the temporary hardening of Israel, and the surprising, gl...

What does real joy look like when the world still feels unfinished? In this Advent message from Psalm 98, we explore a deeper, sturdier joy, one that doesn’t ignore the groaning of the world, but sings in hope because of who is coming. The Psalm calls God’s people to raise a joyful noise, not only for what God has done, but for what He has promised to do when the King returns. This sermon traces t...

In Acts 1:8, Jesus gives His disciples a mission that will change history: “You will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth.” In this episode of The Grand Story of Scripture, Pastor Mace Perez explores how the risen and ascended King commissions His people to proclaim and embody the good news wherever they go. Acts isn’t merely church history—it’s the next chapter of God’s Kingdom storyline. A...

In this Advent message, we explore Psalm 72—a powerful prayer that gives voice to one of the deepest longings of the human heart: the longing for peace. All of us feel that the world isn’t the way it’s supposed to be—cancer, hunger, war, injustice, natural disasters, and personal suffering. Theologian Cornelius Plantinga described this brokenness as the “vandalism of shalom.” Psalm 72 invites us t...

In a world marked by conflict, anxiety, and constant upheaval, Psalm 2 offers a surprising and stabilizing word of hope. In this Advent message, Pastor Steven Hiller explores the deep longing of God’s people, both ancient Israel anticipating the Messiah and the church today awaiting Christ’s return. Psalm 2 pulls back the curtain on a cosmic drama: nations grasping for power, a God who is never th...

The book of Genesis doesn’t end with resolution. It ends with a coffin. Yet Genesis 50 shows us that this is not the end of God’s story, and it’s not the end of ours. In this week’s sermon, Pastor Steven Hiller unpacks Joseph’s final words, Jacob’s royal burial, and the unshakeable promises of the Abrahamic Covenant. Even in the midst of grief, God is moving history toward resurrection, restoratio...

In this episode, we reach the climax of the biblical story. The long-awaited King arrives, but instead of receiving Him, Israel rejects Him. That rejection sets in motion the events of Holy Week and ultimately becomes the means by which God brings redemption to the world. We trace the major movements of the Gospels: • The Triumphal Entry and renewed rejection • Jesus’ pronouncement of judgment in...