Verve City Church: Weekly Messages

Many of us have experienced a sense of tiredness - of “languishing” - this past year. Maybe you’ve found yourself saying, “I can’t even…” when you think about facing one more challenge, one more disappointment, or one more monotonous day. Take heart! You’re not alone, and this week’s message encouraged us to consider how we can model our response based on how Jesus himself lived.

We all face expectations, and we may even feel like we’re managing the needs of our families, workplaces, and friends pretty well. But what does it look like to find a renewed purpose and vulnerability as we respond to Jesus’ invitation to live differently?

Many parents have been led to believe that creating a godly home environment will guarantee their kids grow up to be faithful followers of Jesus. But, while training up our children in the way of Jesus is undoubtedly a worthy goal, the Scriptures never guarantee our faithfulness will result in a particular outcome.

When it comes time to make a major decision, many of us experience a heightened interest in discovering God’s will. “If God has a blueprint for my life, how am I supposed to determine what that is?” we may wonder. Join us tomorrow to see what Scripture teaches about God’s plan & purpose for your life.

Well-meaning friends, and even pop-culture, sometimes offer comfort in tough times with the old adage, “Everything happens for a reason”... but have you ever thought about how that saying comes up short when measured against Scripture and what we know of the goodness of God? What would it look like to challenge that notion, and perhaps replace it with a fresh understanding?

Does faith fix everything? Check out this message in our series, Bad Religion, as we tackle this misconception and look to see what the scriptures show us instead.⁠⁠

“What is the nature of the world?” -- a great question humans have grappled with for centuries. God’s answer, through Jesus’ resurrection, gives us great hope that our best days may have, in fact, just begun!

Following Jesus changes what our heart wants. Pastor Josh workshopped three common struggles this week - anger, worry, and lust - as practical reminders that Jesus invites us not to a life of rule-following, but to a life of transformation. 

Associate Students Pastor Greg Morton took us back to the Old Testament this week to see how from the very beginning of His relationship with the Israelite people, God’s plan was to share his love with everyone. The bottom line for our lives as modern day Jesus followers? “How we love and include others is a direct representation of how we worship God.”

What new thing is God doing in your life? The Apostle Peter serves as an example of how sometimes we wrestle with reclaiming the old, while embracing the new. IHC’s 30th Anniversary gave us an opportunity to look back on God’s faithfulness, and to celebrate the ways He’s inviting us forward as a faith community.

Despite some of the ways pop culture or even religious traditions have encouraged us to understand it, the book of Revelation was written to encourage persecuted Christians that regardless of what the scoreboard might currently say, God will win in the end. This message of hope is for us, too - that God will renew, restore, and reconcile all things.

The latest New Year, New Testament message from 1 Peter reminded us that our present suffering pales in comparison to the “wonderful joy” we have ahead of us. Pastor Tim Celek’s message provided some much-needed encouragement for whatever challenges you’re facing - or about to face - this week.

“Faith is not certainty, and faith does not speak the language of definitives.” But the author of Hebrews reminds us of a long history of those who have gone before us as examples of faithfulness. Their stories remind us that when we fix our eyes on Jesus, we can run the race set before us with renewed courage and strength!

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking something like, “At least I’m not as bad as * those * people!” you might be on a slippery slope toward becoming an “Accidental Pharisee.” What are some common pitfalls, and how can we be mindful to avoid them?!⁠⁠

If you're reading along with our New Year, New Testament challenge, you've probably had some questions along the way! Hear from Pastor Josh as he unpacks a few biggies we've encountered: "What is predestination?" "Does God save or condemn arbitrarily?" "Can I lose my salvation?"

Take a moment to hear this week’s encouraging reminder that we find purpose, forgiveness, and humility when we find life by following Jesus!

This week’s New Testament readings gave us a great opportunity to talk about the importance of understanding context - the specific time, place, or situation of a particular section of scripture - when we consider how the Bible applies to our lives.

If you’ve chosen to follow after Jesus, Heaven and Earth collide no matter where you go! Whether you're scrolling through Instagram, going to the gym, or grabbing some take out, you’re showing up with the presence of God!⁠⠀

T his week’s message led us to a special time of celebrating Communion together and remembering that our lives can change forever if we allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives.

New Year, New Testament | Part 1 | Josh Crain “Why should you read the Bible?” If you want to understand God, you’ve got to understand Jesus, and Jesus himself points us to the authority of scripture as an important way to understand the freeing grace God has for each of us.

January 3 | Josh Crain Worship is our whole being assigning ultimate worth. 

As we turn the page on 2020, continue to lean into God's timeless truths going into 2021. Learn more about our ministries and church here: --> inlandhills.com <--

This week’s “Christmas at the Movies” features the 1946 Oscar-nominated classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Join us to look back in time for a Jesus-centered reminder that our lives matter to others!⁠⠀

More than just pranks to stop the bad guys, a look at Home Alone led us to explore Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness in Matthew 18.