03/21/21 | When the crowds accused the apostles of "turning the world upside down," what was meant as an accusation really turned out to be a compliment (Acts 17:6). Reading from the Apostle Paul’s summary of his own ministry, Pastor Jeff points out 7 traits that Paul writes that led to this “compliment” while they were in Thessalonica. The last three are:

5) A Sacrificial Heart (1 Thess. 2:8-9)

6) A Clean Life (v. 10)

7) An Urgent Appeal (v. 11-12)

03/14/21 | When the crowds accused the apostles of "turning the world upside down," what was meant as an accusation really turned out to be a compliment (Acts 17:6). Reading from the Apostle Paul’s summary of his own ministry, Pastor Jeff points out 7 traits that Paul writes that led to this “compliment” while they were in Thessalonica. The first four are:

1) Faithful despite opposition (1 Thess. 2:1-2)

2) A Trustworthy Message (v. 3-4)

3) A Clear Conscience (v. 5-7)

4) A Gentle Spirit (v. 7)

Who does God want me to "see beyond" for, how should I praying for them, and how do I identify a God-given burden for something? Pastor Matt asks these questions to Pastor Jamal & Pastor Todd based on Pastor Jeff's Sunday sermon. Each of them share their own burden for people in each of their unique roles, what makes it tough when you're following God's call, and why it's worth it to press on. As Pastor Jeff shared, "May we never lose sight that God's heartbeat is always for souls."

When the crowds accused the apostles of "turning the world upside down," what was meant as an accusation really turned out to be a compliment (Acts 17:6). Reading from Matthew 9, Pastor Jeff shows how first God shakes us up, then he uses us to shake our world! Pastor Jeff encourages us to see people how Jesus did; to see beyond society's labels, misconceptions or our pre-conceived notions and to have true compassion for others. "May we never lose sight that God's heartbeat is always for souls."

What kind of zeal should we have for the Lord, and how should that translate into our politics and into our actions? Pastor Matt, Pastor Jamal, and Pastor Todd discuss this thought while unpacking more of Pastor Jamal's sermon on King Josiah. We also ask: "Is there a difference between confession and repentance?", "Are we currently living in a theocracy?", and we briefly discuss Jesus' roles as prophet, priest, and king.

Bonus: at the end of the episode, we about our theories for the WandaVision finale.

02/28/21 | All throughout The Book of Kings, people’s hearts were far from God. Yet even though people were divided, God still chose to move among them. In Week 5, Pastor Jamal shows how King Josiah modeled a rekindled heart by:

1) Repenting

2) Renewing

3) Removing

4) Reinstituting

Pastor Jamal then goes on to show how ultimately, these were not effective enough to change people's hearts; it is only by the power of Jesus that our hearts can be truly transformed and rekindled towards God. When we allow ourselves to "die daily", we are able to repent, renew, remove, and reinstitute as Josiah modeled for us and Jesus empowers us to do.

As we get the opportunity to dive a little deeper than the sermon typically allows, Pastor Matt, Pastor Jamal & Pastor Todd read King Hezekiah's response to being miraculously healed in Isaiah 38, an event reference in Pastor Jeff's sermon. We also further unpack Manasseh's legacy, and discuss the idea of a "godly heritage", the pressures of parenting, and how God can redeem anything we feel shame over.

02/21/21 | All throughout The Book of Kings, people’s hearts were far from God. Yet even though people were divided, God still chose to move among them. In Week 4, Pastor Jeff unpacks the story of King Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33). Although his father Hezekiah knew God, Mannaseh:

1) Parted ways from the faith of his father

2) Polluted the temple of the Lord

3) Played the people of God

4) Paid no attention

5) Put off his surrender to the Lord

Thankfully, it's never too late to come to the Lord. In the last years of his life, Mannaseh repented and was forgiven by God. Yet Pastor Jeff admonishes us not to sit by idly, and instead encourages us to make the most of every opportunity that God places in front of us.

Happy President's Day! Pastor Matt & Pastor Todd dive deeper into some context of The Book of Kings, further develop what Pastor Jeff said about idolizing religious experiences, talk about our response to the reports about Ravi Zacharias, and discuss how to understand political prophets and prophecies.

02/14/21 | All throughout The Book of Kings, people’s hearts were far from God. Yet even though people were divided, God still chose to move among them. In Week 3, Pastor Jeff unpacks the story of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-19). Although his father did evil in the eyes of the Lord, Hezekiah changed the legacy of his father and modeled a godly life. From his life, we see:

1) Turnaround

2) Held Fast

3) Trust

Pastor Jeff reminds us not to make idols out of religious experiences, to place our faith in The Lord alone, and warns of how no long lasting good comes from a rebellious spirit.