New Mercy Community Church Podcasts

The church is not doing what we're supposed to do. | Ephesians 4:1-16

The church is not doing what we're supposed to do. | Ephesians 4:1-16

It is often assumed that spiritual disciplines and soul care grow the Christian *in order* that they may live a faithful life. However, the Christian life is not linear in this way. Growth is not achieved and then the Christian life lived. Rather, growth happens *as* we strive to live and obey. Just as much as growth happens through spiritual disciplines and soul care, growth happens in Christian living. We do not grow and then obey. No, as we obey -- *because* we obey -- we grow. | Romans 12:1-2

Painful experiences from our past often dictate how we think and act today. In this message, we will look at how God enters our most unwanted memories to bring restoration of our souls. | John 21:1-19

Knowing oneself is a key to knowing God. | Jeremiah 1:4-10

We all have our deep wells, in which we hide our hurtful past. Knowing this, Jesus invites us to be freed from our past hurts and offers us to be restored through His living water. | John 4:5-26

Philippians 1:4-6

There is always a synergy in prayer. Prayers are powerful tools that God uses to bring restoration and realignment to our lives. We are all called to prayer as we grow in intimacy with God. | Genesis: 26:17-25

Most of us keep the Sabbath, all the while scheming for the next thing or event that we personally are invested in. We worship God, but merely as something to cross off on our list of things to do, as we look forward to the next item. Therefore, our glorification of multitasking has engulfed the need to slow down and pay attention to the things that matter to God. What does it mean to keep the Sabbath and keep it holy? We won’t really know unless we give undivided attention to our Lord.

Many Christians do not understand the importance of God's word for their lives. Part of the reason is because we fail to grasp the nature of God's word. Biblically, God's words are not merely symbolic representations in the world; the words of God have an independent, concrete reality that is alive and dynamic. This is one of the most profound and mysterious truths about God. The scope and the depth and the unanticipated ways in which God *is* word is remarkably robust and awe inspiring in the Bible. And it is through these rich, living words that we grow. This is why scripture is central to the believer if they want to be sustained, to have power, and to grow in their lives.

1 Peter 5:10-11 | 2017 Church Wide Joint Kick Off Servive

In the Gospel of John, Jesus is described as coming to this world as the light. And this light allows us to see each other as family, even in midst of life's struggles. | John 1:1-14

There are two aspects of Christmas that Christians often miss. First is that while the event itself is remarkable, it is also utterly mundane in its details to outsiders. What this means is that often God may be doing incredible and powerful work, but to us, it will appear ordinary. This reminds the Christian that we cannot gauge the worthwhileness of what we do by how it feels -- we gauge it by what God deems worthwhile. And in the Bible, ordinary things like love and relationships are considered the supreme expressions of his will. The second aspect of Christmas that Christians miss is that Christmas is that it's confrontational. Like Herod, we are all the kings of our lives. God has come to dethrone us. And, like Herod, we often do not want to go down without a fight. A real understanding of Christmas will cut into our hearts and require submission to the True King. | Matthew 2:1-13

As restored people, we are able to go into the presence of God. Jesus made it possible. | Hebrews 9:1-15

We will examine the Advent story through the Gospel of Mark. | Mark 1:1-8

The incarnation (God in the flesh) is not just some breathtaking miracle. God was very deliberate in coming to us in this way. In fact, his reasons for the incarnation set the the tone for the rest of his kingdom. The incarnation embodies the principles of God's kingdom, what the people of this kingdom are to expect, and how they're supposed to live. When we study the incarnation, God reveals to us truths that will transform our lives. | Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38

We are called to love God and love others. Our life's calling is to be missional. Jesus lived out the greatest commandment by leaving his throne to ultimately be clothed in our sin, and die - so that we can be clothed in his blamelessness. We are called to do the same on this side of eternity. | Matthew 22:36-40; John 14:12

Abraham's journey of worship is marked by building altars in different places and in different seasons. In the same way, we're called to worship, build altars, and love God wherever we are. Different seasons allow us to offer new and different songs/offerings because each season is an invitation to know God more. | Genesis 12:1-8; 22:1-12

The church is the culmination of God's redemptive plan in history; however, it sure doesn't look like it. How do we make sense of this? | 1 Corinthians 5:1-2a; 6:4-8; 15:33-34; 2 Corinthians 2:1-4; 7:8-10

Colossians 3:11-17