The Valley Chapel Podcast

Most of us don't refuse to help others follow Jesus — we just tell ourselves we're not ready. We say we don't know enough, haven't been discipled ourselves, or might mess someone up. And some of that might even be true. But in this message, Pastor Ryan explores the difference between confessing our inadequacy to Christ and using it as an excuse to stay passive. Drawing from Jeremiah 1 and 2 Corint...

In this opening message of It Can’t Stop With You, we celebrate Moving Up Sunday by remembering that faith does not get passed on by accident. Looking at Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1–7, we see that the gospel reached us because someone else refused to let it stop with them—and now we are invited to faithfully entrust it to others. Passing on the gospel requires costly obedience, discip...

This week is about stewarding the resources God has entrusted to us. In Genesis 41, Joseph stands before Pharaoh with everything on the line—and instead of claiming credit or chasing opportunity, he points everything back to God and faithfully stewards what’s placed in his hands. Faced with years of abundance and coming famine, Joseph uses God-given wisdom to manage resources in a way that ultimat...

This week’s message explores what it means to steward our relationships as something entrusted to us by God. Using the story of Jonah, we see a man who resisted God not out of disbelief, but because he did not want to engage with people he found difficult or undeserving. The sermon challenges the assumption that we get to decide who we care about, confronts the ways we either “steal” relationships...

This week is about stewarding the TALENT God has entrusted to us. When God calls us to do something, He does not always stay inside the boundaries of what already feels natural to us. In this message from Exodus 4:10–14, we look at Moses’ resistance to God’s call and the way God responds—not by denying Moses’ weakness, but by refusing to let it be the final word. This sermon challenges the common...

This week is about stewarding the TIME God has entrusted to us. What if your life isn’t actually yours to own—but something God has entrusted to you? In this message from Haggai 1:1–15, we explore how it’s possible to live a full life that’s still misaligned with what matters most. The people of Israel weren’t doing nothing—they were doing everything except what God had called them to prioritize....

What does it really mean to “keep in step with the Spirit”? In this Pentecost service, we explore Acts 2 and discover how the Holy Spirit didn’t just come to create a powerful moment—but to form a people who live differently and move with God’s purpose. Through teaching, reflection, and a message for all ages, we’ll see how what once divided humanity is now being brought together through the Spiri...

In our In Step series, we are learning what it means to live lives led by the Holy Spirit rather than by our own control. This week we turn to the sobering story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and confront an uncomfortable truth: the church can only truly be the church when it lives with integrity before God. The Holy Spirit does not lead the version of us we pretend to be—He leads the real us...

In Acts 15, the early church faced its first major crisis: faithful believers deeply disagreed about what it meant to follow Jesus. Instead of dividing, they gathered, listened to testimony, searched the Scriptures, and discerned together until they could say, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” In this message, Pastor Ryan explores how the Jerusalem Council teaches the church today how...

“Obey when it’s uncomfortable.” This sermon explores what faithfulness looks like when the Spirit asks for action without providing the full explanation. The focus should remain on Ananias rather than Saul—an ordinary disciple who listens, hesitates honestly, and obeys despite fear and uncertainty. This week should help people name the reality that obedience often comes one step at a time, and tha...

“Participating in God's mission.” What is the Holy Spirit actually for? In Partnering with God’s Mission, we explore Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples in Acts 1:4–8. Instead of promising control over the future, Jesus promises the power of the Spirit so His followers can participate in what God is already doing in the world. As we launch 24 hours of prayer and commission members of our ch...

“Receive peace in Christ.” In Week 2 of our In Step series, we explore John 20:19–31 and discover a powerful truth: before Jesus sends His disciples in power, He first speaks peace over them. In a world where we often rush to fix, control, or react, Jesus shows us a different way—peace before power. True spiritual power doesn’t come from what we can do, but from being secure in Christ and receivin...

“Stop trying to run your life.” Last Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection. But what does it look like to live under a risen King on Monday morning? In this first week of our new series In Step, we’ll explore what Jesus taught about authority, obedience, and the Holy Spirit—and why peace doesn’t come from being in charge of your life, but from walking in step with the Spirit. If you’ve ever felt...

On Easter morning, Mary stood outside an empty tomb weeping, convinced that hope had been taken from her. “They have taken my Lord,” she said — interpreting absence as defeat. But what if what looks like loss isn’t the end of the story? In this Easter message, we explore how grief can distort what we see, how despair can make hope feel distant, and how everything changes when the risen Jesus speak...

On Palm Sunday, we’ll step into the opening moments of Holy Week and encounter Jesus as He truly is. In John 12:9–19, we meet a crowd filled with curiosity, tension, and hope—people who didn’t come because they had everything figured out, but because they had heard that something real was happening. This message explores why people are drawn to Jesus, why others try to silence that curiosity, and...

As we conclude our Lenten series The Art of Repentance, this service invites us to take the final step of the repentance rhythm: obedience. Rooted in Jesus’ restoration of Peter, we’ll reflect on how repentance doesn’t end with feeling forgiven, but overflows into loving action. Together—across ages and stages—we’ll engage in a guided, prayerful practice to listen for who God may be placing on our...

In this message from the Lenten series The Art of Repentance, we encounter Jesus in the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11) and discover that repentance is not about willpower, shame, or self-improvement. Drawing on Paul’s words in Romans 7–8 and Jesus’ radical posture of grace, this sermon teaches that repentance begins when Jesus moves toward us, removes condemnation, and then in...

What keeps us from moving closer to Jesus when we feel far away? In this message from The Art of Repentance sermon series, we explore the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10) and discover that repentance is not about getting better before coming close—it’s about trusting Jesus enough to move toward Him with our whole selves. This sermon addresses the fear of looking performative, the hesitation many...

What happens when we stop hiding and truly encounter Jesus? In this Lenten message from John 4, we explore the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and discover that this passage isn’t really about confession—it’s about Jesus. As He crosses boundaries, offers living water, and speaks truth without shame, we see how honest confession emerges naturally when people realize they are safe with Him....

The Art of Repentance begins a Lenten journey that reclaims repentance as a life-giving invitation rather than a shame-driven requirement. Drawing from Scripture and the story of Jesus calling Levi, this sermon explores how repentance is not about proving remorse, but about responding to Christ when we notice the gap between who we are and who He is inviting us to become. Together, we’ll begin lea...

This Ash Wednesday service invites us to face our humanity with honesty and hope. Through Scripture, silence, song, and the imposition of ashes, we remember that we are dust—and that we are deeply held by a good and faithful God. This gathering gently names the sadness and fear that can arise when we reflect on mortality, not as something bad or dangerous, but as an invitation to trust more fully...

On Transfiguration Sunday, we conclude our Epiphany series Who Do You Say I Am? by turning to one of the most revealing moments in the Gospels—Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain (Matthew 17:1–9). As Jesus’ glory is unveiled and every other voice fades away, God makes one thing unmistakably clear: “This is my Son… listen to Him.” This message invites us to confront the ways we subtly reshape Je...

It’s possible to believe the right things about Jesus—and still miss what He’s inviting us to do. In this message from Matthew 5:13–20, we explore Jesus’ teaching on salt, light, and the fulfillment of the Law, and discover how faith can look sincere, correct, and well-defended while remaining stuck and ineffective. Jesus challenges us to move beyond certainty and into obedience that actually bles...

What does it really mean to be “blessed”? In this message, we listen carefully to Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12) and discover that Jesus defines blessing very differently than we do. While the world tends to call people blessed based on stability, success, or how well life is working, Jesus names as blessed those who feel small, sorrowful, gentle, longing for justice, merciful, fa...

Many people today say, “I love Jesus, but I don’t do church.” Others carry deep wounds from past church experiences. But in Matthew 16, Jesus makes His intentions unmistakably clear: He builds His Church, He gives it authority, and He never gives up on it. The New Testament shows that spiritual maturity, discernment, and growth happen within the Body—not in isolation. This message invites us to re...