Pastor Bryan invites us to hear the words of Jesus in Revelation 2, “You have left your first love.” Does God want us to do things for him? Of course. Does he want us to work hard and sacrifice for him? Of course. Does he want us to engage in ministry and to serve others? Of course. But we must never let what we do get in the way of our “first love”—Jesus Christ himself. Never, never, never confuse being busy for Jesus with the first love of Jesus.
Apr 25, 2021•38 min
This weekend, Pastor J.D. will be welcoming Rebecca McLaughlin for a Q&A session during weekend services. She is the author of Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion. She'll be helping us dive into some of these hard questions starting at our Thursday evening services. Some of the topics that will be discussed include conversations about gender and sexuality, which may not be appropriate for children.
Apr 18, 2021•42 min
As we begin our walk through the book of Daniel, Pastor J.D. calls us to see our lives as beacons of hope in a world of despair. Yes, the world we live in, like Daniel’s, is often very dark and hostile. But God doesn’t call us to escape this world. He calls us to transform it. The book is about how to shine, how to thrive, in a very dark and hostile world. You see, unlike most of the other books in the Hebrew Bible, the book is set not in Israel, but in the heart of an enemy, pagan Empire where ...
Apr 11, 2021•43 min
As we finish our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. walks us down the path to Jesus’ tomb. We’ve all walked that lonely path in one form or another over the past 12 months, wondering where life is headed. The bad news? It’s headed to the grave. The good news? It doesn’t have to stay there. Because of the resurrection, the path to true life doesn’t end at the grave. It begins there.
Apr 04, 2021•48 min
Pastor Jonathan continues our In Step series from the Brier Creek Campus.
Mar 28, 2021•40 min
Everyone has a view of Jesus. Whether you're new to God or if you've been a Christian for sixty years. Everyone has a view of Jesus and we have a value of the cross. Capital Hills Campus Pastor John Muller dives into Luke 23.
Mar 28, 2021•37 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor Daniel takes us to a small hill outside Jerusalem to see the very center of the Christian faith—Jesus dying on a cross. Through this passage, we’ll see that it’s not enough to simply know that Jesus died; we need to know why he died—and how easy it is to miss him.
Mar 28, 2021•39 min
Pastor Dustin continues our In Step series from the Blue Ridge Campus.
Mar 28, 2021•37 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. takes us along the road to the cross, where we will meet a handful of different people—each of whom has a different response to Jesus’ sacrifice. Luke doesn’t just record their stories because these people were there; he records their stories because in them, we see ourselves. Their stories are our stories. They prompt the question, “How will you respond to Jesus?”
Mar 21, 2021•47 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor Ricky preaches about the ways that God shows up in the storms of our lives. The storms are real. But so are God’s promises. If we want to have faith in the storm, we need to keep the resume of God’s promises near at hand.
Mar 14, 2021•36 min
Pastor Curtis continues our In Step series from our Brier Creek Campus location.
Mar 13, 2021•41 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. preaches about the most famous parable Jesus ever told—the story of the Prodigal Son. There’s a reason this parable is so popular: In it we see the biography of all of human history, the story of every single one of us. And we see a picture of God’s extravagant love that is more astounding and more surprising than anything we had ever dared to hope.
Mar 07, 2021•47 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. asks us to count the cost of truly following Jesus. When Jesus called his first disciples, he warned them that it was going to cost them everything. The path of discipleship hasn’t changed. Are we willing to count the cost, laying aside what we value most for what he offers us?
Feb 28, 2021•48 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor Raudel calls us to stand in awe before God’s perfect, otherworldly, mind-blowing holiness. If we saw God for who he truly was—in all his holiness—we would either die of fear or die of pleasure. Thankfully, in Christ, we can meet the gaze of this holy God, not in condemnation, but in overwhelming compassion.
Feb 21, 2021•41 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. invites us to view Jesus the way his original disciples did: with overwhelming awe at his radical love. Because when we see the radical love of Jesus for us, we will respond with radical surrender to him. Our lives—and the world—will never be the same.
Feb 14, 2021•41 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, guest pastor Clayton King walks us down the Emmaus road of Luke 24, showing us a picture of God’s grace that pursues us, often in unseen ways. God’s grace opens our eyes to see the resurrected Jesus and opens our hearts to the astounding love of God.
Feb 07, 2021•44 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor Curtis teaches about a wee little man we all know—Zacchaeus. What changed Zacchaeus? Not biblical principles. Not personal devotion. Not religious duties and deeds. No, what changed Zacchaeus is what changes us—a glimpse of God in the flesh.
Jan 31, 2021•41 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. teaches about a defining feature of those who follow Jesus: They care for the vulnerable, the weak, the helpless, and the forgotten. Followers of Jesus care for the vulnerable and the helpless because, before God, we are vulnerable and helpless, too.
Jan 24, 2021•41 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. talks about the cosmic struggle between God and Satan, a struggle that bears on our lives every day. We’ll see that apart from God’s power, even the best attempts to change are ultimately doomed to fail. But with God’s power, not only can we survive, but we can actually plunder the Enemy.
Jan 17, 2021•46 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor Bryan answers a question we all wrestle with: “How do we scratch the soul’s itch to be free?” The freest people on earth have one thing in common: They’ve all received an unmerited, performance-free, astounding gift of grace.
Jan 10, 2021•34 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. teaches about a paralytic man and his friends, all of whom were desperate to get close to Jesus. But as we’ll see in this story, as eager as they were to get to Jesus, Jesus was even more eager to extend forgiveness to them. And to us.
Jan 03, 2021•33 min
As we enter the new year, Pastor Jason invites us to consider the treasure we have in the gospel. In difficult and uncertain times, the light of the gospel shines even brighter. But what should overwhelm our souls is that God chooses to house this precious gospel in us.
Dec 27, 2020•19 min
As we celebrate Christmas 2020, Pastor J.D. shows us that one of the most familiar nativity stories in the Bible contains a radical, beautiful truth: Jesus came for the poor, the messy, the forgotten, and the guilty.
Dec 20, 2020•39 min
This Christmas season, Pastor Curtis invites us to see God through the eyes of Mary. Mary lived in the middle of a confusing, worrisome situation—and yet she left singing. If we saw God the way Mary did, we would sing, too. And because of Christmas, we can.
Dec 13, 2020•37 min
As we enter the Christmas season, Pastor J.D. tells the story of Anna and Simeon, two of the first people to meet Jesus. Unlike so many others who missed Jesus, Anna and Simeon were able to recognize the unexpected majesty of the newborn King. Their story raises the question for us: Will we see Jesus this Christmas?
Dec 06, 2020•39 min
In this sermon on James 1:2–6, Pastor Daniel preaches about the believer’s hope in the midst of trials. Suffering in this life is real, but when we see our suffering with the lenses God gives us, we realize that God provides for us in our trials—not only with a purpose, but with his very presence.
Nov 29, 2020•26 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the book of Luke, Pastor J.D. teaches about the scandal of grace. Grace offends most people, particularly religious people. We are hard-wired to think that our worth is a result of what we do. Do good things, get good outcomes. Do bad things, get bad outcomes. Grace throws this whole system aside. And thank God it does, because without the scandal of grace, none of us would have any hope.
Nov 22, 2020•41 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the book of Luke, Pastor J.D. teaches what it means to “live ready” for Jesus’ return. Are we awake to the task Jesus left for his church, or are we asleep at the wheel? Are we confident Jesus will return soon, or do we live without urgency? As followers of Jesus, we should live in such a way that only makes sense if we believe Jesus could be back at any moment.
Nov 15, 2020•37 min
As we continue our “In Step” series through the book of Luke, Pastor J.D. preaches about a sickness that most of us have, but few of us realize—the sickness of greed. Part of what makes greed so deadly is our inherent blindness to it. Jesus simply assumes that greed is a problem for all of us! But he also offers us a radical, gospel-shaped antidote.
Nov 08, 2020•42 min
As we begin our “In Step” series through the book of Luke, Pastor J.D. dives into one of Jesus’ most recognized parables. It’s a story about two men who built identical houses—with tragically different results. The only difference? Their foundation. In these times of uncertainty, as our very lives seem shaken, it’s a perfect time to make sure our lives are built on a foundation that will endure.
Nov 01, 2020•40 min
