How do we navigate a broken world? In times of amplified chaos, we tend to feel discouraged and vulnerable to doubt. The culprit is unrealistic expectations. As he prepares his final charge, Paul moves from encouragement to warning, describing the grim nature of the world in which we find ourselves. By recalibrating our expectations, Paul helps us replace our wishful thinking with real hope, which empowers us to endure the "now and not yet".
Nov 08, 2020•39 min•Ep. 466
The world is a confusing place. From propaganda to censorship, the truth is constantly under threat — including inside the church. False teaching is like a landmine; it’s subtle, dangerous, and difficult to remove. With time running out, Paul outlines how to detect and confront false teaching without losing sight of the objective. The goal isn’t to win an argument; it’s to see salvation.
Nov 01, 2020•37 min•Ep. 465
Trials forge our faith. When difficulties arise, Paul encourages us to ground ourselves in the faithfulness of Jesus. Even when we struggle with doubt, Jesus remains faithful to us. That's the secret — it's not about you. The strength to endure comes from the One who has already defeated death.
Oct 25, 2020•36 min•Ep. 464
From the series "2 Timothy: The Good Fight". Facing imminent death, Paul encourages Timothy to join him in suffering for the gospel. Is this the selfish desire of a lonely prisoner? Or is there a deeper meaning to the suffering that leads us into more security and strength than we can even imagine?
Oct 20, 2020•35 min•Ep. 463
From the series "2 Timothy: The Good Fight". As crises mount, one thing becomes clear: we can’t do it alone. Imprisoned and awaiting execution, Paul writes a letter to Timothy about the power of the gospel and the cost of discipleship. If we’re going to live on mission, we need to understand where our power comes from.
Oct 11, 2020•34 min•Ep. 462
What does Sanctus Church believe about discipleship? What does it look like to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus in the middle of a pandemic? In the midst of disruptions, there are always opportunities for growth and impact.
Oct 04, 2020•35 min•Ep. 461
Let’s take a moment to celebrate the past and cast vision for the future. This is a conversation about how we, as fully devoted followers of Jesus, may continue building for the future with hopeful anticipation because we trust that our God is with us and for us. Our strategies may change, but God’s promises for our church and region remain the same.
Sep 27, 2020•47 min•Ep. 460
In times of uncertainty, we tend to use our lack of foresight as an excuse for inaction or disobedience. What if there’s an alternative way forward? God uses seemingly impossible situations to help us see our need for Him. The invitation isn’t to certainty, but to trust.
Sep 20, 2020•35 min•Ep. 459
There’s always a battle before the victory. Just as Moses and Aaron partnered with God to liberate Israel from slavery, we too must follow God and trust that He’ll provide a way forward regardless of who or what we face.
Sep 13, 2020•38 min•Ep. 458
How do we live with faith, courage, and freedom? You are commissioned to live out the gospel in the middle of suffering. This boldness has nothing to do with personality, and everything to do with God.
Aug 30, 2020•35 min•Ep. 456
Is Jesus really our brother? Many of us know Jesus as Saviour, Shepherd, Lord, King—but when's the last time you thought about the Son of God as your sibling? Understanding our relationship to Jesus after we're adopted into the family of God impacts how we see ourselves and our purpose.
Aug 23, 2020•34 min•Ep. 455
Jesus came to set you free from sin and death so that you may experience the fullness of life—both now and forever. Recognizing the significance of this freedom helps us cultivate gratitude that fuels our ability to love freely in the face of any challenge.
Aug 16, 2020•35 min•Ep. 454
We all want to achieve our full potential, but what if the cultural vision for your life can’t get you to where you actually want to go? God offers an alternative path, but following Jesus will cost you the compromise of comfort. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be people of his presence that help bring God’s kingdom into the present. It's a calling that changes how we view ourselves and everything we do in this life.
Aug 09, 2020•39 min•Ep. 453
To know who you are, you must know who you're not. The truth depends on distinctions—and knowing our limitations leads us into a deeper relationship with the only One who is capable of helping us become everything we're meant to be. It's time for us to live what we believe.
Aug 02, 2020•38 min•Ep. 452
How you define yourself matters. Our beliefs influence our behaviour—and the story of Ruth exemplifies how God weaves our decisions and actions into his unfolding plan of redemption. Simply put, God redeemed you for a reason: to reflect the lovingkindness that you first received. So ask yourself: am I ready to impact the world by living as a child of God?
Jul 26, 2020•27 min•Ep. 451
God wants to connect with you on a deeper level—so much so that He calls you His friend. The heart of friendship is to know the heart of the one who befriends you. God wants to transform your heart by revealing his own, but great friendships take time and effort. Learn how investing in this one relationship will transform how you relate to everything and everyone else—including yourself.
Jul 19, 2020•37 min•Ep. 450
What does it mean to be favoured by God? There's a significant difference between the favour we achieve through our own efforts and the favour we receive as a gift from God. One provides an edge, the other develops our character. God's favour is always about the bigger picture—are you ready to trust him during the process?
Jul 12, 2020•39 min•Ep. 449
Where do you find your identity? Many of us root our sense of self and sense of worth in what we own, what we do, and what others say about us—yet the Gospel reveals that our identity is based on what's already been done through Jesus. Who will we trust? God's inviting you to join the family—but this identity must be received, not achieved.
Jul 05, 2020•37 min•Ep. 448
Celebration and rest are essential aspects of one's spiritual life. They produce a divine joy that fuels everything else we are called to do as believers. So how do we celebrate and rest in the midst of pain, suffering, and urgency?
Jun 28, 2020•36 min•Ep. 447
Serve others: easy to say, hard to do—especially when it comes at a personal cost. Jesus calls us to actively will the good of others, including those who we'd rather ignore (or perhaps even harm). This is radical love. This is reconciliation. This is the way through which the Kingdom of God flips our cultural models upside-down and begins to emerge in the here and now. We weren't created and saved to sit on the sidelines. It's time for us to love boldly and find Jesus at the middle of it all....
Jun 21, 2020•42 min•Ep. 446
Are you paying attention to what really matters? Nothing is more valuable than our personal time and attention, and yet we rarely create space to ask ourselves whether our choices are leading us into deeper relationship with God. In a culture obsessed with complexity and accumulation, Jesus calls us to practice simplicity and sacrifice. Why? Because these disciplines, when done as acts of worship, lead us to the One who is able to free us from the tireless cycle of never feeling like we have (or...
Jun 14, 2020•35 min•Ep. 445
Chris Chase and Cheryl Nembhard join Pastor Jon Thompson for an honest conversation about the reality of racism, the hope of reconciliation, and the role of the Gospel in our pursuit of justice.
Jun 07, 2020•58 min•Ep. 444
What is the Bible? How do we engage with this strange and ancient collection of writings today? The Bible reveals the ultimate story of reality—one that weaves our personal stories into a grand narrative that leads to Jesus. As is often the case with Jesus, this is about both the head and the heart.
May 31, 2020•32 min•Ep. 443
Why does God care about what I do with my body? Come learn how our sexuality relates to discipleship—and how Jesus wants to help us discover a whole new way to be human in what he calls "The Kingdom of God". This is a conversation about relationship and trust. Will you accept that Jesus knows what's best for our hearts and bodies?
May 24, 2020•36 min•Ep. 442
Fasting might be the most abused and neglected spiritual practice—yet Jesus expected his followers to fast regularly. When it comes to spiritual disciplines, our motives determine the fruit. Join us as we explore how fasting, when rightly practiced, leads to freedom and transformation.
May 18, 2020•35 min•Ep. 441
How often do you spend time in the quiet alone with God? Solitude and silence were at the heart of Jesus' life and ministry. He often withdrew to the "lonely place" before engaging with the crowds and challenges that lay before him. If we treat Jesus as our model, learning how to minimize the noise and increase our attentiveness to God may be the secret to thriving within the chaos of our modern age.
May 10, 2020•38 min•Ep. 440
Confession is an integral part of our walk with Jesus. It's through the practice of confession that we move out of our hiddenness and into God's inexhaustible grace and mercy. Simply put, confession leads to true freedom—so how do we do it?
May 03, 2020•39 min•Ep. 439
“To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything.” —Timothy Keller How do we talk to God? The disciples asked Jesus this very question; He answered by giving them the Lord’s Prayer. Using this ancient prayer as our framework, join us as we learn how to converse with the Father today.
Apr 26, 2020•38 min•Ep. 438
To become like Jesus, we must spend time with Jesus. We do this through spiritual practices. If spiritual gifts are a guaranteed place of power, spiritual practices are a guaranteed place of transformation. They lead us into the presence of God after we’ve encountered him through Jesus so that he may transform us from the inside out. Speaker: Jon Thompson Series: Spiritual Practices: The Holy Habits of Faith
Apr 19, 2020•36 min•Ep. 437
"Many of us have at times walked the Emmaus road, wondering where God is...when all along He walks beside us." — Randy Alcorn Jesus is risen. He is alive. He defeated death, rescuing us from the consequences of our sin, forging a way for the lost to be found. The resurrection of Jesus is the point at which the history of the world turns. No longer are we destined to travel alone. Jesus meets us on our journey. Through your pain and doubt, wrestling and wandering, he walks beside you—patiently wa...
Apr 12, 2020•33 min•Ep. 436