922 Ministries - The CORE & St. Peter Lutheran

Scroll, stare, compare. It's easy to judge people, and ourselves, by what's on the outside. Even the prophet Samuel nearly picked the wrong king based on looks. In this first message of the series on David, Pastor Mike shares a few embarrassing stories from his own past and shows why God looks at the heart. The bad news is that no one can put makeup on a heart. The good news is that Jesus traded his beauty for our ugliness, so God looks at his people and smiles.

Waiting is hard, especially when everything in you wants to do something. King Saul faced that kind of pressure, and one impatient choice cost him the throne. This first message in a six-week series on the life of David looks at why God sees past the outward appearance to the heart, how to keep trusting God when the clock is ticking, and how Jesus, the true Anointed One, gives a brand-new heart to everyone who has fallen short.

Jesus could have described sharing faith as a program, a pitch, or a project. Instead, he called it fishing. Pastor Mike unpacks Jesus' words to Peter and Andrew — "Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people" — through five simple facts about fishing.

If you've ever felt you don't know anyone outside church, don't have the right answers, or aren't the right kind of person to talk about Jesus, this message is for you. Peter told Jesus, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man." Jesus answered, "Don't be afraid." He still uses ordinary, imperfect people — and heaven rejoices over every single person who comes home.

The message closes with the story of Tony and Amna, whose whole family came to faith through one simple invitation.

Many people stay quiet about faith because they feel unqualified, worry about awkward moments, or assume sharing the gospel is only for the bold and eloquent. Romans 10 points to a different source of power: "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." The Word does the work, and the risen Jesus who sends his people promises to be with them always, to the very end of the age.

Through the true stories of Jonah, the woman at the well, Andrew and his brother Peter, Lois and Eunice, and Stephen, you'll see that God uses all kinds of people in all kinds of ways. The message also features Tony and Amna, whose entire family tree was changed by one simple invitation.

Money is a possession. But can money also possess you?

In this message from the Casual to Committed Christian series, Pastor Jared Oldenburg talks honestly about money: what it promises, what it does to the heart, and why it's so hard to let go. Starting with Paul's simple guidance on giving (regularly, personally, in proportion, and from the heart, not under compulsion), he turns to Jesus' warning in Matthew 6 about treasure that wears out, eyes that go dark, and the impossibility of serving two masters.

From a drawer full of hammers to lost earbuds in the attic insulation, the message shows how easily "a little bit nicer" becomes a moving target. Money makes godlike promises of security, value, and rest. But money doesn't love you back.

The only way to let go is to see something greater: Jesus, who was rich, became poor for our sake so that we could become rich. On the cross he took our hidden greed and shame. Now a bank balance doesn't determine who you are. Christ does, because you are his forgiven, loved child. That frees you to invest in what lasts forever: people.

What would it take for a church to say, "We have enough. Please stop bringing gifts"? It happened once, in Exodus 35, when God's people gave so willingly that Moses had to tell them to stop.

In week four of the Casual to Committed Christian series, Pastor Steve Waldschmidt looks at the four-times-repeated word "willing" in Exodus 35 and asks an honest question: why are we so often less than willing to serve and give? Sometimes it's a casual, consumer attitude. Sometimes it's excuses like "I'm too busy" or "I'm not good at anything." Sometimes it's an old wound from being overloaded or overlooked.

The Israelites who gave so freely were the same people who had just melted their gold into a golden calf. What changed? They heard that God is "compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love," and forgiving. A willing heart can't be commanded; it can only be changed. Jesus was never casual about us. He willingly laid down his life, and his willing heart covers our unwilling ones. That grace turns serving from "I have to" into "I get to."

On a scale from super casual to fully committed, where is your relationship with the Bible right now?
In this message from the Casual to Committed series, Pastor Mike walks through Psalm 19 and shares two reasons King David couldn't be casual about God's Word. 
First, the Bible blesses us. It refreshes the soul, gives joy to the heart, and is sweeter than honey, even if, like ancient honey, it takes some effort to get to. 
Second, the Bible makes us blameless. It works like a mirror that shows us our sin, and then it points us to Jesus, our Rock and our Redeemer, who paid the price to bring us home.

Whether you've never opened a Bible, started and stalled, or read it every day, this message invites you to take one step from casual toward committed.

Everyone loves growth, and no one wants to feel stuck. So why is it so easy to let the Bible gather dust?
In week three of Casual to Committed, Pastor Timothy looks at 2 Peter 1:3–9 and shows that the problem usually isn't a lack of reading plans. It's a lack of gospel motivation. Duty-driven effort says, "I will try harder and grow." The gospel says, "I am a sinner who can't keep it up, God loves me anyway, and God will grow me."
You'll hear three gospel reasons to open your Bible this week:
1. God's divine power has already given you everything you need for a godly life.
2. God's Word is packed with great and precious promises, and God himself stands behind every one.
3. Through his Word, the Holy Spirit shapes you to look more and more like Jesus.

Whether you read the Bible every day or haven't opened one in years, this message is an invitation to stop white-knuckling your faith and start sinking roots into what Jesus has already done for you.

What can you actually get at church that you can't get anywhere else — not in nature, not online, not alone? On the night of his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and gave them something they couldn't manufacture on their own: peace. One disciple, Thomas, missed it — and spent a week in fear because of it. 

This message walks through John 20 to show what's really happening when God's people gather, and why missing it costs more than we think.

What is worship, really? Not a building. Not a routine. Not a style of music. 

In this message we trace the story all the way from the Garden of Eden to the cross of Christ to ask why worship went from joy to fear — and how Jesus tore the curtain and made a way back.

If church has started to feel like an obligation, this one's for you. Worship isn't a have-to. It's a get-to.