James says faith without works is dead, which seems pretty harsh at first. But in James 2:14-26, James makes it clear that faith and works are inseparable. You cannot have one without the other, and neither is authentic on its own. Works flow from our faith, and our faith fuels our work. Tune in as Nathan unpacks this reality and why it matter for us as followers of Jesus.
Partiality is a topic that most likely not a lot of us talk about in our everyday conversations either because we simply don’t know what it is or we don’t see what can from it. The unfortunate reality of having an attitude of personal favoritism dismantles the deep unity that God desires for us, at the expense of someone’s own shallow benefit. This Sunday we’re getting into the first thirteen verses of chapter two in James and looking at what God’s word says about partiality, why it’s a problem,...
The Bible tells us that we should not only be "hearers" of God's word, but "doers" of his word. That it's simply not enough for someone to hear a message or listen to a truth articulated, but to be changed by it and charged to do it. But what do our lives start to look like when we find ourselves to be more like "hearers" than "doers"? What beliefs or notions move us into being more of a "hearer" and less of a "doer"? Today Ben walks through James 1:19-27 and helps us better understand how the G...
“How do I resist the temptation in my life?” Generally, when faced with trials, we are often tempted to take the easy and painless way out instead of making the hard right decision. So how do we resist that urge? Where does temptation come from? Where does it lead? These are the questions Asher helps us answer in James 1:12-18.
Often, the things we take pride in are all things that are typically going to fade away in the end. So, what would look like to take pride in something eternal, that will never perish or fade away? How different would you live your life if you rejoiced and hoped in things eternal? That’s what James 1:9-11 answers. Tune in as Nathan unpacks these three verses and invites us to put what James teaches into practice.
"How do I know that I'm making the right decision?" This a question that plagues our lives as we live day to day as we try to create clarity and certainty for our futures. In James 1:5-8, Ben answers and unpacks the questions of what wisdom is (and is not) and looks at what wisdom lived out in our lives can be.
As we begin the book of James we see immediately a life changing perspective, that shapes how we are to see and approach the hard things in our life. Join us as we study and apply the “what and how” of new lenses to see trials through and ultimately we see the “WHO” behind the hope we have.
We believe that we are broken, imperfect people in desperate need of a Savior. And we also believe we have a perfect God who steps into our stories and shows up in real ways and who loves us despite our brokenness and imperfections. But that’s not the end of the story… He also invites us into new life, something better than our brokenness. We believe that we are broken people who have been changed and made new by the gospel and are continually being changed by the love, truth, and forgiveness of...
What do we boast in? Because what we boast in or about shows what we ultimately put our trust in. What does it mean to boast in Christ? We can rest confidently in what Christ has done because it changes everything about how we live. As we wrap up the book of Galatians, Paul reminds us that Christ is the only thing worth boasting in. The challenge of these final verse is that we would rest confidently in what Christ has done and how that has changed everything about how we live.
What is Spirit-filled community? More over, what does it mean to be a part of Spirit-filled community? The reality is that the flesh always wanting to preserve itself by elevating its needs over the needs of others. However, the Spirit is always interested in the needs of others before its own. Sowing to the Spirit can be difficult, but there is a promise that you'll of reaping a harvest of good if you don't give up. Asher expounds and explains Galatians 6:1-10 and shows us what this can look li...
The idea of 'thanksgiving' is a consistent theme throughout both the Old and New Testament. That 'thanksgiving' is the acknowledging of what is right about God in praise and giving thanks to Him. When we look at our own lives and recognized our innate brokenness we begin to see how truly good God is in all He does. Then thankfulness and gratitude become our only right responses in praising Him.
What does it mean when the Bible says, "Walk by the Spirit"? This is something that sounds good and we can all nod our heads at, but what does this actually look like? The fact of the matter is that we either walk in the flesh or by the Spirit, and our lives usually show which is one true for ourselves. Nathan makes sense of Galatians 5:16-26 and details how this truth plays out in our everyday lives.
The Christian life is about a relationship with Jesus. A relationship that should change everything about our lives because of how Jesus loves us. Zach breaks down Galatians 5:2-15 and practically shows us what it looks like to be changed by having a rich and genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
As we continue through Galatians, we see the sweet truth that God has made Himself known to us so that we may no longer be bound by the burdens that enslave us everyday. Rather, we get to experience the fullness of freedom found in Christ Jesus through the power of His Spirit.
In Galatians 3:26-4:7, Paul shows us that those who are “in Christ” are adopted by the Father. And this adoption is something that we are challenged to walk confidently in, rather than revert back to our old lives of slavery to the world. We are also shown how unity with our father should produce unity with our siblings (other believers). We hope your are challenged and encouraged by this unbelievable grace and truth we are called to live out.
Why did God create a strict, rules-driven law after making a promise to rescue His people? Was it God going back on His covenant promise and suggesting we have to hold up our end of the deal with Him to be redeemed? Continuing in Galatians Chapter 3, Nathan helps us make sense of how God's promise to Abraham and the purpose of the Law tie together and show us that Christ is the primary recipient of God’s promise and the ultimate fulfillment of the law, and through faith in Christ we also become ...
In Galatians 3:1-14, Paul continues to call the church to return to faith in Christ alone. 2000 years later the challenge to stay focused on Christ and Christ alone is still a headline issue for the church. We can take comfort in the reality that through Christ we have been sent a helper, the Holy Spirit, who is an evidence of our justification by faith and an advocate to submit our hearts to the only king worthy of our lives. Listen in as Ben unpacks this reality and what it can look like playe...
There's life in a relationship with the God that has been made accessible to us through faith in Jesus Christ. A reality because of the Gospel that should change our lives. So, what does it mean to actually live out the gospel, or to live in faith? Tune in as Nathan unpacks Galatians 2:11-21 to help answer the the question of how we live in light of the good news that Jesus died in our place and then walked out of the grave.
We are all hardwired with the desire to be approved of by others. So often we look to the wrong sources for that approval. We look to things that are temporary and fleeting and it leaves us empty. Or perhaps we have the right focus on where our approval must ultimately come from but we just don’t know how to get it. Queue in as we dive into Paul’s exhortation and reminder of where our confidence comes from and how free and full God’s approval is, when we are in Christ.
In Galatians 1:6-9, we get a glimpse of an issue that the church in Galatia had that begs the question: What is the Gospel? The truth is, it's a Historical and Theological reality that changes everything about our lives. Because of who Jesus Christ is and what he's done we may have life and life abundantly. We'd love for you to find out more about our ministry at: www.christchapelcollege.org
Grace and Peace- although it seems to be a common first century greeting, these two words are what, like the Galatians, we need but have an inability to produce in our might. With our identities found in the Gospel, we can have grace and peace in all times and in any circumstances. Listen to Ben as he unpacks Galatians 1:1-5 and how it impacts who we are. We'd love for you to find out more about our ministry at: www.christchapelcollege.org...
Throughout Jesus' ministry, he was calling people to something better . He was calling them to follow Him. What does it take to follow Jesus every day? It's all about abiding . What's that and how do I do it? Find out as Nathan unpacks John 15:1-11. As we head into summer break or life after graduation, this is the one challenge we want to leave you with in hopes that you allow God to continue to do what He started in your spiritual life this year! Find out more about our ministry and summer pro...
Jesus did some pretty bold things within the cultural context of His earthly ministry. One of those bold things was to hang out with sinners like crooked government officials – the tax collectors. And He didn't just hang around them because He liked their company; Jesus was calling them to something better . He was calling them to follow Him. What does it mean to follow Jesus? Who is He calling, and to what end? If you've ever struggled with God's calling to "follow," you'll want to join us for ...
It's not just once a year that we need to be reminded of what really happened on the cross; it's a weekly, daily miracle of mercy. And what did Jesus actually pay for in His death, burial and resurrection? It wasn't to hand us a list of rules to help us modify our behavior. It wasn't to teach us to pray to Him for transactional graces. And it wasn't even to build a church of happy people to belong to. It was for something far more simple and meaningful to each of us: It was to do something radic...
We can all agree now that anxiety exists, it's real, it's rooted primarily in feelings, and we don't want to be ruled by it. But now what? What do we do? Join Ben as he wraps up this mini series on anxiety and encourages us toward some practical steps in facing feelings with truth, and what that can look like in our lives today. Missed parts 1 or 2? Scroll down to find them in the feed! We're here for you, and we'd love for you to find out more about our ministry at: www.christchapelcollege.org...
Anxiety is pervasive. We believe everyone struggles with it, but we don't believe there's a quick fix. Last week we talked about three areas that anxiety can grow in (brokenness in the world around us, in our bodies and minds, and in our relationship with the Lord). Today we're zooming in on that category of brokenness in our relationship with the Lord. There are narratives that play in our head that fuel this sin in our lives. Join in on this piece of the conversation as we continue to unpack o...
Anxiety is something that affects just about everyone. Whether it’s paralyzing fear, or nervousness and stress that you just can’t seem to shake at times, the Bible has a lot to say about it. Join us the next three weeks for a special series where we dig deep into the origins of anxiety and the freedoms we can find from it. We'd love for you to find out more about our ministry at: www.christchapelcollege.org
We all get stuck in various places along life's journey. Let's clear up some misunderstandings about faith and grace when we feel stuck in a valley ... or even stuck on a righteous mountain. Maybe the way grace plays out in the lives of people around you seems unfair. Or what if you're trapped feeling damaged, and fall into numbness? Or you choose shame because you feel you've gone too far for grace to be applied. But God reveals His actual standards to us in His Word, that we are all dead in ou...
If people saw me at my worst, would they still accept me? Everyone struggles. We are all walking through something — doing things we don't want to, yet struggling to somehow live our best lives in front of others. The good news is that our darkness isn't too much for grace of the God who made the universe to forgive! How? Join Robert as he unpacks one of the most powerful stories of redemption in John 8:2-11. We'd love for you to find out more about our ministry at: www.christchapelcollege.org...
We all come from some kind of brokenness or a broken story, and we are all looking for someone to lead us out of those stories and into a better future. So the question is, who will lead you? God's desire is to lead us into a life of peace and wholeness; a life of truth, love and forgiveness. Are you following Jesus? If you're following Jesus, are you drifting? Join Nathan as he wraps up our study of the book of Hebrews and leaves us with a final encouragement. We'd love for you to find out more...
