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In the final week of our series on the four Greek words for love, we explore phileo—the love of friendship—and why it’s often the most neglected kind of love in our lives.From Jesus’ anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26), we see that real friendship means having people you can bleed with, wrestle with, and be honest with when life is crushing. We also learn the difference between vulnerability and intimacy, and why not everyone is safe enough for your inner circle.Finally, we’re challenged to fight for our relationships the way Jesus did—through forgiveness, restoration, and gospel-centered friendship.

In Part 3 of the series Is This Really Love?, we explore eros—romance, passion, and desire—through Song of Solomon 8:6–7 and what Scripture says about love’s power.

This message shows eros as a good gift from God, while warning that unsubmitted passion can become a false god that drives decisions, compromises character, and damages relationships. You’ll hear a clear framework for putting love in the right order—agape at the head of the table—so romance serves God’s purposes instead of replacing them.

The sermon ends with a reframed definition of passion: not just what you feel, but what you’re willing to endure—pointing to Jesus’ love that is stronger than death and offering freedom, healing, and a new start.

In week two of Is This Really Love?, Pastor Ryan teaches from Romans 12:9–21 that real love isn’t just spoken—it flows from a changed heart. He unpacks storgē (familial affection) as the “warmth of mutual family love” that should mark the church, especially in a divided world.

This message shows how God’s own tender affection toward us becomes the source for loving others—including those who hurt us—and why community is the training ground for that kind of love.

The sermon closes with an invitation to surrender our cold, guarded hearts to Jesus and receive a new heart empowered to overcome evil with good.

In this message, we open a new February series, Is This Really Love?, by grounding our understanding of love in 1 John 4:7–12.

Scripture reveals that God is the source and definition of love, showing us agape—self-sacrificing, covenantal love—most clearly through the cross of Jesus Christ.

This sermon challenges cultural definitions of love that stop at feelings or words and calls us to measure love by actions and decisions. As we receive God’s love, we are invited into transformation and commanded to love others with the same sacrificial love we have been shown.

In this message from Guest Speaker Daniel Fernandez, we explore the role of the Holy Spirit as God’s companion with us through seasons of change.

Drawing from John 14 and Acts 2, this teaching unpacks how Jesus promised the Spirit not as a concept to fully explain, but as a presence to be experienced. We wrestle honestly with questions, misconceptions, and wounds surrounding the Holy Spirit while inviting fresh openness to how God chooses to move.

Ultimately, this message calls us to receive the Holy Spirit with trust, curiosity, and faith—allowing God to be fully God in our lives.

In week three of our Changes series, we explore Mark 1:35–42 and discover how transformation often begins with place—the environments and rhythms that shape our hearts.

From Jesus waking early to pray in solitude, we learn that real change comes from being with God, not just doing more, and that fruitfulness flows from connection to Him. We also look at the power of the right companions, the kind of people who keep us focused on what matters most and faithful to Jesus’ mission.

Finally, we see a leper’s desperate step of faith—and the powerful reminder that Jesus is always willing to heal, restore, and make us clean when we run to Him.

In Week 2 of our series called CHANGES, we open Luke 4:1–14 and explore the cost of change through Jesus’ time in the wilderness.

Real transformation doesn’t bypass the process—sometimes the Spirit leads us into hard places so our faith can be formed and our lives can be refined. This message challenges us to give up self-dependence and idols, and to pick up deeper dependence on God and a passionate pursuit of His presence.

If you’re in a wilderness season, be encouraged: don’t give up—God is working, and Jesus has already paid the cost so you can be changed.

In Mark 1:1–11, we kick off our new series “Changes” by looking at where real change actually begins—Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God.

This message unpacks the difference between external change and spiritual transformation, showing how God renews us from the inside out.

We’re challenged to prepare the way through repentance and making room for Jesus, stepping into 21 days of prayer and fasting (January 5–25) as a church. As we respond, we’re invited to lay down the failures God has already forgiven and draw near to the Father who calls us loved.

As we wrap up 2025 and look ahead to the new year, this message shares eight keys to starting 2026 strong, rooted in Philippians 3:12–14. Through faith, community, humility, simplicity, and action, we’re invited to let go of the past and press forward into everything God has prepared for us.

This teaching offers practical encouragement to pursue real, lasting change while defining success through an eternal, heaven-focused lens.

Take time with the accompanying reflection guide and step into the new year with clarity, purpose, and hope that the best is yet to come.

Reflection Guide -

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11QmPNALdu_V_j9IbJhBAQuJZk79ovFJA/view?usp=drive_link

Welcome Lunch -

https://bannerseattle.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3310056

Connect With Us! -

https://bannerseattle.churchcenter.com/people/forms/645090

In this Christmas Eve message, Pastor Ryan takes us to an unexpected place—Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1—to show that grace has been woven into God’s story from the very beginning.

By highlighting the brokenness, scandal, and redemption found in Jesus’ family line, we’re reminded that God doesn’t hide messy stories—He redeems them. Ryan shares his own testimony of how God met him in pain and addiction, rewriting the label of “unworthy” with forgiveness and purpose.

The service closes with a powerful testimony about deliverance from depression, anxiety, and self-harm, and an invitation for anyone to encounter the life-changing love of Jesus.