What are the areas in your life that you need to be unashamed of the Gospel in? How do you respond when people don't respond well to you? Join Pastor Shannon Butler in Acts 14:1-18 and the book of Romans to study Paul and Barnabas and the power of the Gospel. We are always desperately searching for meaning and purpose, but the Gospel will always be and will only be the provision we need for the thing that we're most desperate for. Support the show...
Jul 27, 2024•32 min
When the Gentiles were told about the message of Jesus, they worshiped and rejoiced. To the Jews, the message of Jesus was a threat to their kingdom. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in Acts 13:13-52 to examine how the greatest threat to our sanctification is that we push Jesus out when we feel that the kingdom we've built with our lives is threatened. Support the show
Jul 15, 2024•41 min
Why do followers of Christ obey God? Why do we practice spiritual disciplines? The Gospel, lived out, is attractive and intriguing enough for onlookers to want to know why those sharing it are different. Join Pastor Shannon Butler in Acts 13:1-13 to examine the never-failing mission of God and our opportunity to carry it out. Support the show
Jul 08, 2024•40 min
Many followers of Christ have lots of questions about the Holy Spirit, such as how the Holy Spirit speaks or His purpose. At His core, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, comforts us, guides us, gives us spiritual gifts and a desire to obey God, and enables us to pray and to understand God's word. Join Dylan Nielander in Acts 13:1-4 to study the Holy Spirit and how the church interacts with Him. Support the show...
Jul 01, 2024•39 min
Last week, we established that we want to partner with God as He moves. But how do we achieve that partnership? Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in Acts 12 to study how partnering with God begins with praying to God. What are you praying for? Are you praying prayers so bold that you may not even believe it when your prayer is answered? We hope that as you consider these questions, you will be encouraged to pursue intimacy with God through prayer. Support the show...
Jun 23, 2024•39 min
Evangelism is the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness. How did the early church share the good news of Jesus after He left Earth? How should we think about evangelism in our culture today? Join Dylan Nielander as he opens Acts 11:19-30 and teaches on evangelism and encouragement. Support the show
Jun 17, 2024•37 min
Throughout the Old Testament, Scripture tells a story of one God for one people - God's chosen people, the Jews. So when He encountered a Gentile one day, it wrecked the Jewish theology. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he teaches through Acts 10:1-11:18 and the first encounter of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles. How can we practice showing God's love to those who don't look like us? Support the show...
Jun 10, 2024•41 min
To begin our new series Church History, its imperative that we know w hat is church? What did Jesus teach us about how the "church" should operate before He left Earth? Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he teaches on Matthew 16:13-18 and the fascinating truth about how Jesus never used the word "church" as a building but an "ekklesia." Support the show
Jun 03, 2024•41 min
How do we think about grace and truth in terms of ourselves? We need to never forget our need for forgiveness. Join Dylan Nielander in John 1:14-18, the Book of 1 John, and Luke 18:11-14 to study God's faithfulness to forgive and what that means for us in our walks with the Lord. Support the show
May 27, 2024•31 min
Eternal life in Christ Jesus is the free gift of God. Period. And yet, so often we try to earn our salvation, as if it's at all possible for us to do that on our own. But with God, all things are possible. What is God prompting you to let go of? What does He want you to release control of? Join Pastor Shannon Butler in our study of Mark 10:17-28 to examine the story of Jesus‘ confrontation with a rich man and how to practically apply the principles of these verses to our lives. Support the show...
May 20, 2024•33 min
How do we serve our enemies? How do we serve those in sin without affirming their sin? In every context and situation, our thoughts should not be about ourselves but about how we can serve those in our vicinity. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in Mark 10:32-45 to study the servant-hearted Spirit that is in Jesus and is now in us, enabling us to lead well. Support the show
May 07, 2024•41 min
This is the last Sunday at DCC before the current semester ends, so we want to encourage you with a summary sermon! In a life transition, it is so easy to wish you could go back to the “good days” but God has called you to the here and now. Your season of spiritual struggle is just as formative as your season of spiritual success! Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in Matthew 14:13-33– which is the story of Peter having doubts while walking on water with Jesus– to learn how we can apply Peter’s experience...
Apr 29, 2024•47 min
Looking at almost every religion, they have rules. Generally, they're a means to an end, such as "if you ___ then you may ___." But Jesus just wants us to be His children. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in John 8:1-11 to examine why we can't obey and the decision Jesus made to pay the price for our disobedience. Support the show
Apr 22, 2024•41 min
In thinking of the woman who poured her jar of alabaster on Jesus' feet, we think of the event as an extravagant form of worship. But what led her, a prostitute with great sin (leading to greater forgiveness), to do this for Jesus? Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in Luke 7:36-50 to examine this story from Jesus' perfect perspective of grace and truth, especially in the presence of the self-righteous Pharisees. This week, we want to ask you: who is the person in the room that you mentally belittle becau...
Apr 15, 2024•40 min
In tough situations, we tend to favor either giving grace to others or giving truth to others. However, it's important that we balance both because they are equally important. Jesus, who is full of both grace AND truth, provides a blueprint for how to live. If we're going to look like Jesus, we need the Gospel to fully penetrate our hearts. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in Luke 6:43-44 and John 1:14-17 to study why grace and truth should be the overflow of our hearts. Support the show...
Apr 08, 2024•42 min
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Apr 03, 2024•41 min
If you don't have a God that's big enough for your questions, then you don't have a God. Jesus didn't have to roll the stone away to leave the tomb, but He did as an invitation to investigate. Faith is more than critical thinking, but it is not less than it! Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in both John 20:1-17 and the book of Acts to examine the Resurrection story. Support the show
Apr 01, 2024•40 min
At the end of our By Faith series, we want to challenge you to run the race that is set before you with endurance. However, it's completely inefficient to run a marathon with a weight on your shoulders. You either take the weight off, or you stop running. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as we dive into Hebrews 11:37-12:2 to reflect on what it is that hold you back from running the race that God has called you to. Support the show...
Mar 25, 2024•42 min
The Bible teaches that God provides time and time again, but times do change. However, God provides in different ways for different times. Join Dylan Nielander in our study of 1 Kings 17:1-8; 1 Kings 16:28; and John 10:27-28 to examine how the Lord our Shepherd leads his sheep, and what that means for us in our faith walks. Support the show
Mar 18, 2024•38 min
How can Christians speak with spiritual authority into culture? Join our guest Pastor Derrick Hayes from Engage Church as he unpacks the backstory of Moses and how it affected his spiritual authority. We are continuing through Old Testament character studies from Hebrews 11 and this week in Hebrews 11:24-26 (NLT). Support the show
Mar 11, 2024•40 min
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Mar 05, 2024•37 min
So often, we wait to BECOME “that” person, when we should always BE “that” person. And you know who “that” person you're thinking of is. David and Goliath is a popular Bible story that is often portrayed as a testament of God making the impossible possible. But what if we thought about it as an encouragement to be faithful to God in the here and now? Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in 1 Samuel 17:1-51 to dive into how David wouldn’t have been able to defeat Goliath had he not been faithful in his time ...
Mar 04, 2024•44 min
When our image of ourselves is different than what God has in store for us, there is a tension that we feel that almost always reveals an idol. That idol could be the sport you play, the club you're in, or in both Gideon's context and in many of our contexts, our comfort. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in our study of Judges 6-7:2 to examine the way that God used Gideon's context and calling to reveal the idols in his life. What is your idol that's keeping you from your calling? Support the show...
Feb 26, 2024•43 min
Sometimes we have to make decisions that make no sense to the world, but we know that it's what God has called us to. Moses is no stranger to this. When he left the comfort of living in Pharoah's palace that he grew up in, he was commissioned by God to be a shepherd for 40 years. Sounding crazy already? It gets crazier. We all know Moses as the man who parted the Red Sea, but it all started with him leaning into God's calling. Join Pastor William Colle in both Exodus 5:22-23; 7:1-6 and Hebrews 1...
Feb 19, 2024•40 min
When we read stories in Scripture about people God used, we can put them on a pedestal or think of them as magical storybook characters. But if we think of them as unattainable it actually leaves us discouraged. Join us as Pastor Ben demystifies these characters, to instead be attainable role models of not perfect faith but resilient faith. This will change the way we read the Bible to instead be encouraged by our incredible God! God only has broken people to choose from. So, of course God wants...
Feb 13, 2024•40 min
The story of Jacob and Esau fulfills the prophecy of “the older will serve the younger” because in his hungry desperation, Esau sold his inheritance to Jacob, his younger brother, for a bowl of lentils. He had a temporary appetite that needed to be satiated immediately, and we can definitely relate to this idea in that we constantly are going to temporary satisfaction found on our phones or in our relationships instead of going to God. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in Genesis 25:20-34 and Hebrews 12:...
Feb 05, 2024•45 min
Do you BELIEVE God, or do you just believe in Him? The Bible tells us that God is worthy of our trust because nothing is out of His control. He has planned everything intentionally for His glory, and has kept every single promise. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as we dive into Genesis 12:2-3; 15:1-20, and Jeremiah 34:18 to examine the history of the covenant God made with Abraham and Sarah and what that means for us today. Support the show...
Jan 29, 2024•42 min
Any relationship has its ebbs and flows, typically based on the assumptions that we bring to the table. We all have assumptions in every relationship, and we tend to assume we’re right. In the book of Genesis, both Cain and Abel made a sacrifice to God, but Abel’s sacrifice had more reverence to God so He preferred it. Cain was angered by this because he had an assumption that if he did good, God owed him. This situation is not much different from the conflict that we experience while serving Go...
Jan 23, 2024•43 min
Lots of believers talk about faith but often don't really know what it means to have faith. Scripture tells us that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance in what we do not see. But what Scripture also tells us is that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. We might not have much faith, but we can use inductive reasoning to come to a spiritual conclusion. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in both Hebrews 10:32-39 and Hebrews 11:1-7 as we dive into how we ought to walk in fait...
Jan 17, 2024•45 min
As we enter into the new year, it’s important that we are all on the same page about the mission and vision of Downtown Community Church. We all have an internal tension growing in this life because we know what’s to come in the next life, but we don’t want to waste the opportunity God has given us to live by faith, not by sight! Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as we dive into 2 Corinthians 5:1-15 to examine how we need to rely on Christ’s love to compel us to live differently in the lives God has plac...
Jan 08, 2024•44 min
