Believers Chapel Podcast

Fully understanding God is impossible. That's why only God can do the impossible.

There are some incredibly hard questions we all have about the existence of God:

"How can God have always existed?"

"How is God able to hear everyone and everything all at once?"

"How does God have the ability to command His perfect will yet still give us free will?"

The fact is, we can only offer pieces of an answer to these questions because God is beyond our finite ability to fathom. But the Bible tells us that we will find God if we search for Him. If we seek God, He will draw us closer to HIm. If you want to begin a relationship with God, or find peace amidst some of life's hardest questions about God, the place to start is by seeking Him. God LOVES IT when we come to Him, even if we're coming to Him with our doubts and struggles. God can take your punches, so seek Him.

Check out the entire message from Dal Whelan as he cracks open our new series "Know God!"

In God's kingdom, you play an integral role that cannot be replaced.

The Apostle Paul uses the analogy of a human body with many parts to explain how God wants all of us to work together in Christ. No part of the body can claim it is more important than any other part, because each body part fulfills a unique function for the whole body. The eye cannot claim superiority to the ear. The hand cannot claim it does not need the foot. Every part participates for the greater good of the holistic body.

Do you know where your purpose is in God's body, which is the Church? Do you know how God has called you to meet the needs of others in the body in a way that only you can? God specifically designed you to make a difference in a way that is unique to His design for you. If you haven't discovered who you are and how God designed you, it's time to explore His plans and purposes for you and pursue them! If you know how God has designed you but you haven't been working together with the body of Christ, what are you waiting for?!

Check out this highly important and powerfully true message from Pastor Rich on the Body of Christ!

How much FOMO do you have? What are you most afraid of missing out on? We all experience FOMO at some point: We don't want to miss out on something spectacular. But have you asked yourself what God is most concerned about you missing out on?

Aside from heaven, the Bible actually tells us what God most wants us to not miss out on: It's the power and influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 tells us that no one has comprehended the deepest things of God, but now God has revealed such things by His Spirit. All of the greatest plans, truths, purposes, and adventures that God has in store for us are revealed in our lives by the Holy Spirit of God.

The Bible also tells us that our bodies are the new temple of the Holy Spirit, and that means our body and soul is sacred ground where the Holy Spirit can dwell, flow, and operate through our lives.

Check out this powerful message from Lead Pastor Rich Ryfun as he wraps up our sermon series "Flourish" by talking about thriving in the Spirit.

There are two common mistakes we can make when trying to change and be obedient with our lives:

(1) We can depend too much on ourselves and forget to trust God for our transformation and growth in holistic health.

(2) We can depend so much on God to transform us that we sit back lazily and pray for God to fix everything while we continue to make horrible decisions regarding our health and spiritual wellbeing.

The truth is that a healthy WILL is the key to a healthy SOUL. That means we CHOOSE things that bring us into complete obedience to God and complete health for our body, soul, and spirit.

David modeled this for us well when he said, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God" (Psalm 42:5).

David exemplified what a healthy will looks like by turning to God with his grief and pain and ending his hope and solutions in the character of God, and we will live with a healthy soul when we can submit our will like David did!

Check out this timely message from Pastor Bethany as she continues our series "Flourish" and dives into what it means to have a healthy soul.

God created humans to be complete, holistic beings. That means that everything in our design was created "good" (Genesis 1-2) and that everything in our design should operate in harmony: Body, soul, and spirit.

So why do we have an epidemic of anxiety, depression, and suicide in our hemisphere today? Could it be that we are not treating our bodies with honor and care, and it's effecting the rest of our being? This month we are knocking down some of the largest barriers to living the healthy and joyous life that God has for us by going to the root of the problem; a toxic lifestyle. As we fast and pray over the next 21 days, we are going to examine what it means to Flourish in body, soul, and spirit, and how we can honor God by caring for and honoring our bodies with daily habits and god-honoring choices.

As followers of Christ, we are called to care for and respect God's good creation, and that starts with our own bodies.

Happy New Year!

Ever wondered what God would tell you if you could just sit Him down and ask Him exactly what He wants you to do with this next year? Well, we're not going to tell you the answer to that, because we don't know. However, God has a powerful vision for this house, and we're excited to share with you everything God has put on Believers Chapel's heart for this ambitious upcoming year. Join us a Pastor Rich reflects on the miracles God accomplished through us over 2022, and how we are stepping into greater things by faith as we step into 2023.

Christ came as the perfect image of God; a beautiful picture of who are were designed to be.

The Bible tells us that we were created in the image of God. God's goodness is imprinted in our DNA. But our sin has made it so we cannot live up to this perfect design. Something within us always ends up distorted, imperfect, or broken. It's as if God created us as a brilliant white canvas on which we have the joy of painting our lives, but we make a mess of our art no matter how much we try to get it right. We can't remove the splotches of mistakes on our canvas.

But this is why Christ came to earth. God is the author. The original, true artist. Only God can create in us a new canvas, and model perfectly for us how to paint our lives with the beauty God intended for us.

Jesus is the perfect image of God, who became human and lived among us, a bunch of broken images and poor reflections of God. Jesus took upon himself all of our brokenness and gave to us all of his obedience and holiness.

Listen to Lead Pastor Rich's entire message on "God With Us as the son of God" as he continues our Christmas sermon series "Immanuel: God With Us!"

God promises to meet your needs when you prioritize Him.

Scripture is full of promises from God for us. But one promise we struggle with all too often is God's promise to meet our needs when we live generously. Do we have the ability to give to God without fear of having enough ourselves? In 2 Corinthians 9, the apostle Paul encourages us to share our resources in spreading God's kingdom and meeting the needs of others. God EXPECTS us to hold a posture of generosity. When we do, God promises to provide for us whatever we need and provide it abundantly. There is no dollar amount or quota in acts of kindness that God expects. Instead, God compels us to constantly meet the needs of others, to give, to serve, to share, and to love generously. Do not worry about having enough, because God promises to care for you in every way you need to be cared for.

Check out this compelling message on generosity from Pastor Rich as he shares how God has provided for us as a church over the years, and how our church has provided for so many others thanks to God's faithfulness.

How we define ourselves carries far more weight than we recognize. Names are important to God and are powerful indicators of who we will become. How we identify ourselves will have major consequences on how our future will turn out.

In Mark 5, Jesus confronts a man living in a graveyard who has lost his name. He is now identified by the demons who possess him and the chains that bind him. But chains cannot solve this man's problems, because you cannot solve spiritual problems with human solutions.

This man was defined by his problems. God does not define us by our sins or struggle. God sees the human He created: A human God wants to be defined by the purpose and love God always intended for him. This man lost his identity and was defined by his issues until he met Jesus. Are you defined by your issues? It's time to take your name back. Check out this message from Pastor Kason on the power of our real identity.

What is the secret to being content?

Can we be okay if my life is not what we want it to be? The apostle Paul tells us he learned the secret to being content no matter what his circumstances are. While in prison, he writes to his church community in Philippi, " I rejoiced greatly for your gift... Not that I am in need... For I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need" (Phil 4:10-11).

Paul learned that we can be content because Jesus is enough.

We do not rely on our wealth, talents, status, or opportunities. Our contentedness is not contingent on our desires being met. If we expect to find contentment by reaching a certain level of accomplishment in society or buying the right things, we will never find it. But when Jesus is the center of our life, contentment comes naturally regardless of life's circumstances. There will always be "if only" moments, and the temptation to want "a little bit more," but nothing in this world is enough. Only Jesus brings contentment.

Check out this thanksgiving message from Pastor Bethany on Philippians chapter 4!