When we say, "I'm following Jesus," where exactly are you following Him? Heaven? Many feel they follow Jesus with good behaviors because they hope for a good life today and a subsequently good eternal life. As we all know, our good behavior cannot earn or purchase this everlasting life. Still, we feel that wrong or immoral behaviors can jeopardize the immediate and potential eternal reward of following Jesus. Is this work-for-reward arrangement in the Scriptures? In no place do we hear Jesus or ...
Dec 02, 2024•58 min
As an immigrant to the United States, I’m moved by the founding fathers' dedication to creating a “more perfect union” and the foresight they had to lay the foundation of a “nation under God.” The revolution's leaders were families who worked the principles that sustained their lives into a government for future generations. Just as they prayed for God’s great wisdom, we as a nation now need His intervention in our land. In this message, I’ll share how you can bring the influence of God’s Kingdo...
Nov 27, 2024•49 min
Oct 11, 2024•46 min
Almost without fail, a few end-time predictors hope to ride the waves of false fervor and doomsday drama each Fall. Blindness to God’s greater work of redemption and ignorance of the Bible’s story leaves much room for rampant and useless anxiety. What is the Bible's story? It is a history of God’s desire for a people. His purpose has continued since the dawn of creation and continues to this age. He calls His followers to live with His passion for redemption. It’s easy to wander into the weeds o...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Oct 07, 2024•49 min
Oct 06, 2024•1 hr 4 min
A struggle was mounting for your affection and devotion long before you realized it. There's a tension in every soul between God's Spirit and one's human nature. As the Holy Spirit offers fulfillment in following Jesus, turning from the undercurrent of momentary pleasures is difficult. Even as a Christian, you may feel the taunting of wealth, popularity, security, and other allurements that aggressively pull for your affection and attention. How can you push against the waters of this age and su...
Sep 02, 2024•48 min
Repentance is a simple practice. A change happens when you turn from broken thinking, attitudes, and behavior. Reaching beyond an emotional response, when you identify and change your mind about the wrong beliefs and behaviors you've held, you will experience a spiritual shift. The scriptures define this moment as not "giving place to the enemy." The practice of repentance, though often overlooked, is a key to gaining victory in your life over the assaults of the enemy against your home, finance...
Aug 31, 2024•1 hr 7 min
You may be familiar with missions and the need to support missionaries worldwide. Too often, we can minimize the work of global evangelism to a monthly financial commitment. However, missions stand to be the most vital part of Christ's calling to His Church. From supporting local ministries to international missionaries, we must grow stronger with the task before us. In this podcast, Pastor Stephen shares how we must regularly return to Jesus's compassion for the lost and be moved to work and li...
Aug 30, 2024•57 min
When we discuss the challenges of raising children in this current cultural climate, we can agree on this- I t seems harder now than in previous generations to raise our kids as healthy, godly, and successful parts of our family and community. We feel the fight against forces that we cannot clearly define . Yet they are there influencing our children. In this podcast, Pastor Stephen shares on fundamental truths that can aid you in your journey as a parent or grandparent to raising the generation...
Aug 29, 2024•51 min
It’s a hidden practice in the Christian faith that empowers believers. The practice of sacrifice is often neglected at a time when indulgence, self-promotion, and a need for perpetual praise are celebrated. Amidst these strong undercurrents, Jesus calls us to this simple yet powerful practice of sacrifice. As you lay down your life, those valuable things or areas by which you feel validated, you will see the character of Jesus forming in you. As you become like Him, you will find your souls retu...
Aug 09, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Every soul longs for a realm void of conflict, suffering, and fear. This desire spans beyond a collective yearning to escape pain; it is a deep-seated hope to live in God’s unmitigated presence. Though some have had life-altering glimpses of God’s realm, which transform their lives, how can you develop a practice of regularly encountering God face-to-face? Is there a proven pathway you can follow? Yes, there is. From the Old Testament patterns of worship to truths given to us by the first-centur...
Jul 22, 2024•58 min
The greatest bondage you can fall into begins when you modify and see God‘s word through the lens of your pain and broken experiences. When you feel vulnerable in moments of turmoil, the enemy, as an angel of light, will offer you permission to live contrary to God’s life-giving truth. The enemy will always offer false freedom from God’s law to bring you deeper into shame and despair. But there is a better pathway to healing, and it begins with humility and the rejection of deceptions that aim t...
Jul 15, 2024•1 hr 14 min
We all fight the battle. When sickness plagues our homes, we are shaken by fear, uncertainty, and financial stress. But what if there's a better way of fighting disease and sustaining health? We know Jesus, above all other activities, healed the sick. What truths can we hold and practice to experience a life of healing and wholeness as He promised? In this message, Pastor Stephen teaches “The Practice of Healing” and unfolds how to exercise the free gift of healing in your own life.
Jul 14, 2024•1 hr 12 min
When hope rises and falls with every triumph and difficulty, it’s not uncommon to find your soul fatigued, even in times of success. However, there are life-giving practices through which you can strengthen your soul. In this message, discover how you can enjoy and extend God’s favor through your life.
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Everyone knows they have a longing for connection. This desire cannot be satisfied by any other but God, our Father. Jesus introduced a unity with God as Father which is often ignored because of the deficiency of good fathers. However, even in our brokenness, we know that only the Father of all creation can satisfy and bring purpose to a life. In this message, join with Pastor Stephen as he unfolds the Father heart of God that you can experience.
Jun 05, 2024•51 min
Too often, we can find ourselves fatigued in our pursuit of following Jesus. Weariness can become a norm whether our struggle is with temptations, being Christ-like under challenging circumstances, or even cultivating healthy relationships. Yet, Jesus offers us the power to be His witnesses. In this message, Pastor Stephen teaches about the gift of the Holy Spirit and how you can receive Him and live with His power in you.
May 20, 2024•1 hr 20 min
It is no coincidence that a mother’s birthing of a child is termed a time of “delivery” because moms nurture, develop, and lead as agents in the deliverance of many from the oppression of the enemy through their influence and maternal strength. In this Mother’s Day message, Pastor Stephen gives a glimpse into the Biblical narrative of how three mothers impacted a nation's soul and humanity. We can take the revelations they exercised and make them a life-giving discipline in our lives.
May 14, 2024•46 min
Continuing his series on grace, Pastor Stephen shares how God’s grace gives us the gift of righteousness. Leaving behind the religious traps of earning God’s favor, discover how you can easily apply the goodness of God’s righteousness in your day.
May 07, 2024•1 hr 1 min
We hear often about God’s grace. However, with the frequent use of the word, it’s easy to miss the full meaning and impact of it. In this podcast, Pastor Stephen teaches on how you can receive and experience the richness of God’s grace, and how you can change your view of yourself, God, and others because of grace.
May 06, 2024•59 min
Following Jesus involves difficult decisions. One of the hardest is choosing not to return to the man or woman you once were. The false hope of living as you desire and finding fulfillment will always sell you out to the slavery of shame, fear, and disappointment. In this message, Pastor Stephen shares how Jesus' resurrection gives believers the power to never return to a broken life.
Apr 08, 2024•51 min
When Jesus came to his disciples on that first Resurrection Sunday, He gave them a pathway out of the trauma they had just experienced in watching His death. He offered to them the same hope and power we are given today to deal with wickedness done against us. He gave them the power to forgive. In this message, Pastor Stephen teaches how Jesus' death and resurrection can empower you to forgive those who have hurt you.
Apr 08, 2024•47 min
In the compelling rush of daily living, you may find yourself thirsty and needing nourishment. As water is vital to our physical stamina, Jesus offers His living water for our soul's strength. Even if you've been following Jesus for years, the lost discipline of daily drinking in encounters with the Holy Spirit is needed. On this Palm Sunday, Pastor Stephen unfolds Jesus' call to all who thirst for life and strength.
Mar 24, 2024•47 min
In this podcast, Pastor Stephen Samuel teaches how we are wired with thinking and behavioral presets. We have a default setting of behaviors that shape who we are. This dynamic of possessing a default emotional home or behavior is the Biblical idea of “abiding.” Who or what we abide in the most makes us the person we are. To this reality, Jesus offers us a "Way" of abiding with Him. He promises lasting peace and true life fulfillment if we choose to abide with Him.
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 6 min
How can you effectively transfer the lifestyle of following Jesus to your children and the generation that will follow them? I’ve heard that the methods of faith may change, but the message does not. I’m realizing that neither the method nor the message has changed. Jesus‘ disciple-making lifestyle remains the only conduit by which we can transfer the richness of the faith. In this message, Pastor Stephen teaches the critical and often unrealized meaning of what it means to follow Jesus.
Mar 11, 2024•59 min
We’ve heard the stories of God answering prayer in spectacular ways. But we often struggle to prioritize a discipline of prayer. Prayer time can frequently fall secondary to other pressing demands. What if there was a way to efficiently work prayer into your schedule and see the perpetual work of God’s response to your prayers? Join Pastor Stephen in this message as he continues with part two of “The Prayer of Faith.”
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Prayer is a discipline that we all need to practice. However, it's easy to neglect it during the busyness of our week. In this message, Pastor Stephen shares about the levels of prayer we can engage in and simple truths that will inspire you to prioritize prayer.
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Hitting the walls of stress, turmoil, and relational tensions while hoping to discover your eternal purpose? Maybe you’ve resorted to merely avoiding difficulties by hiding under an overloaded schedule. But deep down, you know that you're born for more. You hope for fulfillment and a life of purpose and meaning. The journey out of your current situation into a life of significance is the same story of every Biblical hero. So, how do you find the pathway Jesus has for you to become the man or wom...
Feb 05, 2024•42 min
In times of turmoil, sickness, loss, or devastation, powerful lies can be forged in our souls. Lies that fault God for our pain leave us with little faith in what He has said concerning our lives. But there is a way to escape from the pit of despair. Jesus, in His great love for us, invites us to listen and believe in His healing power. This Sunday, we’ll be teaching how your faith can open the healing and delivering power of Jesus in your life.
Jan 31, 2024•1 hr 1 min
The phrase “first love” is easy to define in the context of romantic love, but there is a deeper eternal longing that every man, woman, and child has to be loved by the God who made them. When we return to this innate desire to make God the first love of our life, this is the beginning of the fulfillment that every soul is searching to find.
Jan 31, 2024•56 min
