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 and interweaving of the Father, Son, and Spirit in perfect love, where each person fully shares in the life of the others without losing their own distinct personhood

The Spirit’s role is not to draw attention to Himself but to open our eyes to the beauty of the Son and draw us into the love of the Father.

Getting to Know the Person of the Spirit in Our Lives:

The Spirit opens our eyes to the beauty of Christ.

The Spirit reshapes what we love.

The Spirit draws us into the Father’s delight in the Son

Galatians 4:6-7

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son (Jesus) into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

The Trinity is too wonderfully strange to be invented.

The Trinity matches the deepest longings of the human heart.

The Trinity has a beauty that transcends comprehension.

If someone were making up a god, they might invent a tyrant, a hero, or a distant judge, but never this: three co-equal persons, eternally delighting in one another and pouring out love and glory on the other. The beauty of the Trinity is so far beyond human imagination that it feels less like human invention and more like divine revelation.

Romans 8:35, 37-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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 stewardship is living in full submission to King Jesus, faithfully managing everything He has entrusted to us so that His purposes are fulfilled through our lives.

Being good stewards in the kingdom of God:

Jesus is the King.

The King establishes how His people live.

We can choose to accept or reject His rule.

To follow His way is to live in His kingdom.

To reject His way is to live outside His kingdom.

As stewards, we carry His rule (kingdom) into every sphere of life.

Why did Jesus talk about money and stewardship so much?

Because money reveals the heart

Matthew 6:21

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Because the love of money is a major stronghold

1 Timothy 6:6-10

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Basics of Kingdom Stewardship:

Everything belongs to God.

I’m a temporary manager of what He’s entrusted to me.

One day, I will give an account.

Extravagant Generosity: when you become so overcome by grace and undeserved love, you lavishly reorient your life around giving and Kingdom impact

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 thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

God’s kingdom moves forward when ordinary, everyday people surrender what they have to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 4:13

When they (the Jewish rulers, elders, & teachers of the law) saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Philippians 3:7-11

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:10-11 (New Revised American Dream Version)

I want to know Christ – yes, but not so much that it interrupts my current life or plans. I want to participate in the sufferings of Christ, but I would like those sufferings to be limited to things I can fully manage and comprehend. And yes, I would like to become like Christ in his death, but I would prefer to experience resurrection without crucifixion if possible.

Perhaps the greatest deception of our generation is the belief that we can experience deep purpose and lasting joy without sacrifice and dying to ourselves first.

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 give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Three gifts that come from carrying our weights when yoked with Jesus:

1. The weights drive us to stay yoked.

Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

2. We can bless the world by carrying heavier weights.

2 Corinthians 12:10

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

3. We learn the care our Companion has for us.

Philippians 3:10-11

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

Taylor Smithson

1 Samuel 16:11-13 ESV

11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Psalm 27:14 ESV

Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!

Waiting is transformative.

It can build up character and can teach you to be patient.

Or

It can harden your heart and make you bitter.How will you wait on what is next from God?

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 we choose not to grasp for power and control but instead choose to empty ourselves and live in obedience and in surrender to God.

“God’s command was not about putting us in our place but, rather, lifting us to the image of the divine. He yields power to us by giving us the dignity of choice. Then by consenting to lay that power down, we become like Him!” Jersak adds, “What if kenosis – self-emptying power, self-giving love and radical servant-hood – expresses the very nature of God!”… Bradley Jersak

That’s how he is sending us – in obedience and full surrender. “Self-emptying power, self-giving love and radical servant-hood.”

Exodus 34:6-7

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin”

Jesus is among us as a servant, not lording it over others, leading by example, humble, as a child, as the younger, as the last, as the least, using no force, no selfish ambition, making for himself no reputation, he was human so we too can be authentically human, obedient, even to death on the cross, experiencing resurrection. This is the nature of Jesus and as the Father has sent Jesus, He is sending us. (Gayle Erwin, The Jesus Style)

John 20:22

“‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

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 clarity

“yet there is a spiritual force which may well be described as a shaking. It is only when the tree of the nation has a thorough shaking, that at last the prime, ripe fruit will drop down into the great Master's lap. He shakes by Providence, by the movement of the human conscience. He shakes by the impulses of his Holy Spirit; he shakes the human spirit, and as a result persons out of all the nations are brought to himself. Stones that he would have, come at last out of the quarry, and he builds them up into a temple.” -Spurgeon

Haggai 2:6-7 NIV

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty"

Chemdah: the desire/desired of all nations 2:7b

Revelation 5:9 NIV

"And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation."

Titus 2:13-14 KJV

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous for good works"

God's fire emphasizes eternal stability v28a.

Questions:

Are you building your life on the unshakable Kingdom?

Does the way I'm living my life in this moment make sense in light of eternity with Jesus?

God's fire propels us towards intimacy v28b

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, but a place to know Him and be known by Him.

“Prayer invites you to learn to listen to God before speaking, to ask like a child in your old age, to scream your questions in an angry tirade, to undress yourself in vulnerable confession, and to be loved - completely and totally loved, in spite of everything.”

Tyler Staton

True communion with God redefines our relationship—not as a transactional partnership, but as a sacred fellowship rooted in love and intimacy.

Body

Breath

Mind

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 enemy they are the mission.

Let’s say the truth but let’s say it like Jesus.

Embody the gospel before you argue for it.

Jesus people will always care for the vulnerable.

We must ask: Where does my life reflect the culture more than the kingdom of God?

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 the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.

Gifting is not the same as godliness.

A divine gifting can be undermined by selfish ambitions!

Isolation becomes the soil where compromise grows.

Judges 16:20 ESV

“And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.”

What you refuse to surrender will eventually rule over you.