City Church Tulsa

The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force or optional add-on, but the personal presence of God who invites us into relationship, transformation, and mission.

THE PERSON OF THE SPIRIT The Beauty of the Trinity 8.17.25 The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force or optional add-on, but the personal presence of God who invites us into relationship, transformation, and mission. John 14:15-18 “If you love me (Jesus), keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 15:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my (Jesus) name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. The Spirit is God – Co-equal, co-eternal with the Father and the Son The Spirit is personal – He speaks, teaches, guides, grieves, and loves. The Spirit’s main role – To glorify Jesus and lead us into truth Perichoresis: the mutual indwelling a

ALTARS NOT PLATFORMS Stewards of the Kingdom 8.10.25 We live in a world that craves a platform, but the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to an altar. Clearing By Martha Postlethwaite Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worthy of rescue. Romans 16:3–5 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. 2 Timothy 4:19 Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. The Marks of Kingdom Stewards (from the life of Priscilla and Aquila) Radical hospitality Faithful partnership Quiet influence Sacrificial living Open-handed generosity Kingdom stewardship Kingdom steward

Altars, Not Platforms The Ministry of the Ordinary 8.3.25 God isn't asking you to be famous, he's asking you to be faithful. God isn't calling you to build a platform, he's calling you to surrender. Acts 18:1-3 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Acts 18:18-19 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. Acts 18:24-26 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorou

Summer at City Speaker Panel Andy Esposito Exodus 31:1-3 Now the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and skill, in understanding and intelligence, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. “Your daily work is ultimately an act of worship to the God who called and equipped you to do it—no matter what kind of work it is.” - Tim Keller Act 1:8 8 But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” Brooklyn Cadwallader Matthew 11:28-30 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will giv

Summer at City As the Father Has Sent Me… John 20:21 “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” Philippians 2:5-8 “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” “Kenosis is not a surrender of the divine attributes; kenosis defined as self-giving or self-donation is the premier expression of God’s nature – of God’s love and grace – seen most clearly on the Cross.”… Bradley Jersak Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” We bear the nature of God when

Summer at City A Consuming Fire & An Unshakeable Kingdom Hebrews 12:25-29 25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.” Deut. 4:24 ESV "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Consuming: completely filling one's mind and attention; absorbing. "It's not that we don't want God; it's that we've found a thousand things we want more than God." - Ravenhill God's fire produces missional clarit

Summer at City Communing Prayer July 6, 2025 "If we want to experience the life of Jesus, we must adopt the lifestyle of Jesus" John Mark Comer Practices create the space where transformation can take place. Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Spiritual Practices are a way to access power. Spiritual Practices are a way of sowing to the Spirit. Galatians 6:8 "8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life" Luke 11 "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished , one of his disciples said to him, "Lord teach us to pray..." The disciples didn’t crave technique—they craved the presence of God, like Jesus had. Prayer isn't a means for God to be understood,

BOOK OF JUDGES The Unraveling of a Nation 6.29.25 Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. When people abandon the ways of God and reject His authority, the inevitable result is moral confusion, injustice, and chaos. A society that abandons God’s ways will soon turn its back on people, forgetting that every person is created in His image and worthy of dignity and honor. A society that abandons God’s ways will lose its moral compass, the ability to distinguish between what is right and wrong, and the ability to rightly uphold justice. A society that abandons God’s ways will try to fix spiritual problems with human solutions, resulting in more hypocrisy rather than repentance and transformation. Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Pastoral response to living faithfully in a fractured world: Don’t be surprised by the unraveling around you but stay rooted. People are not the en

BOOK OF JUDGES Strength Without Surrender 6.22.25 Judges 13:1-5 ESV “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” Even a divine calling can be undermined by human pride. Judges 14:1-3 ESV “Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of th

BOOK OF JUDGES Wounded Leaders 6.15.25 Judges 11:1-3 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. 2 And Gilead's wife also bore him sons. And when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him. Judges 11:29-33 Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” 32 So Jephthah crossed over to

Pentecost Sunday 2025 6-8-25 "The work of the Spirit is to impart life, to implant hope, to give liberty, to testify of Christ, to guide us to all truth, to teach us all things, to comfort the believer, and to convict the world of sin.” D.L. Moody Acts 1:4-8 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized withwater, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Acts 2:1-4 2 Suddenly a so

BOOK OF JUDGES Part 2: The Weak Made Strong Judges 6:1-10 (ESV) 1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them… 6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord. 7 When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their l

BOOK OF JUDGES Stuck in the Cycle 5.25.25 Judges 17:6, 21:25 They did what was right in their own eyes…. The book of Judges shows us the consequences of spiritual compromise, the danger of doing what seems right in our own eyes, and the relentless mercy of God. Judges 2:10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Forgetting God rarely starts with rebellion – it starts with distraction, then compromise, then forgetfulness. First generation - Fears God and walks with Him — their faith is personal. Second generation - Inherits the rules but not the relationship — their faith is polite. Third generation - Sees no reason to stay — their faith becomes perverted or abandoned. Judges 2:10-23 10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and

A Farewell Interview with Pastor Jim

A Farewell Interview with Pastor Jim

Thirsty Souls, Empty Wells 4.27.25 John 4:10-15 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 1) Overflowing wells 2) Neutral wells 3) Dry wells Overflowing Wells - Any source, space, or practice that consistently draws us back to the presence, su

EASTER The Death of Death 4.20.25 GOOD FRIDAY is the day of death. HOLY SATURDAY is the day of waiting. EASTER SUNDAY is the day of resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Peter 3:18-19 Christ suffered once for sins…being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison. If the cross has reminded us that God does not bypass suffering, His resurrection reminds us that God does not leave us there. The resurrection is not just a past event – it’s a present and future reality and invitation. 1. We Live Without Fear John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 2. We Suffer With Hope & Purpose 3. We Live Resurrected Lives Now Romans 6:4 “…just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too may live a new life.”

KALEIDOSCOPE OF THE CROSS Palm Sunday: Barabbas or Jesus? 4.13.25 Palm Sunday and the journey to the cross always confronts our assumptions and challenges our unmet expectations. When we worship a version of Jesus that doesn’t exist, unmet expectations can turn our adoration into rejection. Matthew 27:17, 20-21 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. Barabbas represents the violent, force-driven pursuit of power and control. Jesus represents the countercultural way of the kingdom of God, characterized by the cross and sacrificial love. Every single time we try to bring about God’s kingdom through force, or political power, or control, we reveal that we don’t fully understand the cross.

The Center That Holds Talk Notes 4-6-25 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." Colossions 1:1-20 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created:things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making pea