Glorify and Grow

Every Christian is on God’s team, but are you playing your position? In this episode of the Glorify & Grow podcast, Pastor Thomas Kulp of Horizon Church in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, uses the game of football to bring the predestination series home.

Unlike a solo race, football only works when everyone plays a different role. Pastor Thomas shows how God designed each of us the way He designed a three-hundred-pound lineman or a quick receiver. Some are meant to be evangelists, missionaries, teachers, preachers, or givers. Society wants to make us all the same, but God made us different on purpose, and He had a plan for us before time began (Romans 8:29-30).

He also reminds us that the closer we get to Jesus, the more pressure Satan puts on us, the way a defense goes after the quarterback. When we run the wrong route, God doesn’t cut us from the team. He loves us and asks us to obey the play. And while we still have to fight for every first down, we already know the final score: nothing can separate us from Christ, and the crown of glory is waiting.

In this episode:
 – Why God’s team needs different players in different positions
 – Predestined and designed: how God shaped you for your role
 – Why spiritual pressure increases the closer you get to Jesus
 – Running the wrong route: God’s grace when we disobey
 – The game is already won: no separation, no defeat in Christ

Key verse: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Romans 8:29)

If something spoke to you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. To connect with our community, visit Horizon Church online. Until next time, keep glorifying God and keep growing.

Glorify & Grow is the podcast of Horizon Church, Bosque Farms, New Mexico, hosted by Pastor Thomas Kulp.

What if God’s plan for you started on the very first page of the Bible? In this follow-up to our predestination episode, Pastor Thomas Kulp of Horizon Church in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, shares the “oh my gosh” moment that changed how he reads Romans 8:29-30.

Pastor Thomas takes us from Romans back to Genesis 1:26-27, where God says, “Let us make man in our image.” His conclusion is that predestination is about more than who goes to heaven or hell. Before time began, God planned for you to be conformed to the image of Christ. Sin broke that image, the Old Testament shows a people who lost it, and the cross bridges the gap and begins restoring it. Going to heaven is true, he says, but it’s the milk version of the gospel. God’s plan is bigger than that.

Along the way he reminds us that God is sovereign, that our identity is in Christ alone, and that hard seasons are meant to be viewed through the lens of future glory. He also gives an honest picture of what it looks like to put God first when life gets heavy.

In this episode:
 – God’s sovereignty and the stages of Romans 8:29-30, from foreknowledge to glorification
 – The Genesis 1:26-27 connection: made in God’s image from the beginning
 – Why predestination is about becoming like Christ, not just heaven or hell
 – How the cross bridges the gap and restores God’s original plan
 – Why your identity is in Christ alone

Key verse: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Romans 8:29)

If this sermon spoke to you, you can partner with us in what God is doing through Horizon Church here: https://horizonchurch.church/give

Glorify & Grow is the podcast of Horizon Church, Bosque Farms, New Mexico, hosted by Pastor Thomas Kulp.

Predestination may be one of the most misunderstood words in the Bible — and in this episode of the Glorify & Grow podcast, Pastor Thomas Kulp of Horizon Church in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, shares why he spent more time in prayer over this message than almost any other he can remember.

Opening with the personal story of a daughter who walked away from church after a hard sermon on predestination, Pastor Thomas turns to Romans 8:29–30 and the five weighty words Paul packs into it: foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. He challenges a view he himself held for decades — that predestination is simply God deciding in advance who goes to heaven and who goes to hell — and the quiet danger of that view: labeling people “in” or “out” instead of loving them.

What if, he asks, predestination means something richer? What if you were predestined to become like Christ — and what if the “calling” in these verses isn’t reserved for pastors and missionaries, but is the God-given purpose on every single believer? Along the way he reflects on why our finite minds struggle to grasp a God with no beginning and no end, and how God’s plan spans from eternity past to eternity future. The message lands on a simple, familiar call: trust and obey.

In this episode:
 – Why a sermon on predestination can wound — and why it must be handled with care
 – The five big words of Romans 8:29–30
 – Rethinking predestination: destined for heaven, or destined to be like Christ?
 – Why “calling” belongs to every believer, not just ministers
 – God’s plan from eternity past to eternity future

Key verse: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Romans 8:29)

If something spoke to you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. To connect with our community, visit Horizon Church online. Until next time — keep glorifying God and keep growing.

Glorify & Grow is the podcast of Horizon Church, Bosque Farms, New Mexico, hosted by Pastor Thomas Kulp.

Why does following Jesus sometimes feel harder, not easier? In this episode of the Glorify & Grow podcast, Pastor Thomas Kulp of Horizon Church (Bosque Farms, NM) walks through Romans 8 and the promise of future glory — the hope that carries us through every struggle.

Drawing on everything from the pain of childbirth to five dogs who always know when dinner's coming, Pastor Thomas asks a convicting question: what if you lived every single day anticipating the glory God has promised? He takes on the "prosperity gospel," the real meaning of contentment, and why James tells us to "consider it pure joy."

It all lands on a childhood classic with a twist — the Little Engine That Could. Because the problem was never "I think I can." The truth is: I know He can.

In this episode:
 • Why all of creation is "groaning" toward future glory (Romans 8)
 • The difference between prosperity gospel and the gospel of future hope
 • Learning real contentment — a lesson from the streets of Chicago
 • "Consider it pure joy" — how struggle builds character and hope
 • Trading "I think I can" for "I know He can"

If something spoke to you, share it — you never know who needs to hear it. Connect with our community at Horizon Church online.

#GlorifyAndGrow #HorizonChurch #Romans8 #FutureGlory #Faith #BosqueFarms

If you've ever wondered why God lets His people wander through hard seasons, this episode is for you. In this message of the Glorify & Grow podcast, Pastor Thomas Kulp of Horizon Church in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, brings the suffering-and-glory series to its conclusion — fixing our eyes on the future glory that makes present pain bearable.

Pastor Thomas draws a line from the Israelites' forty years in the desert to our own seasons of wandering: God had a promised land in view the whole time, and He makes the same promise to us. In one of the message's most striking moments, he reframes the story of Moses — who did receive God's promise, just not the earthly land he expected — as a picture of the eternal inheritance waiting for every believer. It's why Romans 8 matters so much, running from "no condemnation" all the way to "no separation."

The heart of this episode is deeply personal. Pastor Thomas shares the story of his wife's cancer diagnosis — his fear of losing her, and how, fifteen years cancer-free, he can look back and see that God used even that to save his marriage, draw them closer, and reveal the reality of future glory. Our pain and suffering are temporary. Creation itself groans for renewal. And like a rosebush pruned back in winter, what looks like loss is preparing us for greater beauty to come.

In this episode:
 – The Israelites' forty years — and our own seasons of wandering
 – Moses and the promised land we actually inherit
 – Romans 8: from no condemnation to no separation
 – A personal testimony of cancer, fear, and future glory
 – Why all suffering is temporary and creation groans for renewal

Key verse: "The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)

If something spoke to you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. To connect with our community, visit Horizon Church online. Until next time — keep glorifying God and keep growing.

Glorify & Grow is the podcast of Horizon Church, Bosque Farms, New Mexico, hosted by Pastor Thomas Kulp.

Look back over your life — has it all been a bed of roses? In this episode of the Glorify & Grow podcast, Pastor Thomas Kulp of Horizon Church in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, sits with two words that shape every believer's story: suffering and glory.

Anchored in Romans 8:18 — "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" — Pastor Thomas reframes hardship as the very thing God uses to transform us. Like a caterpillar wiggling and bound inside the cocoon before it emerges as a butterfly, and like the pain of childbirth that gives way to new life, our struggles aren't proof that God has left us. They're the process. He never leaves us and never forsakes us — even in the mess.

With his trademark honesty and humor (including an unforgettable home-remodel story that did not go as planned), Pastor Thomas names where most of us actually live: between pain and promise. He challenges the empty comfort of prosperity teaching, reminds us that leaning on our own strength only makes the walk harder, and points to a different mindset entirely — seeing every hardship as training that makes us stronger, held in the shadow of God's future glory.

This is part one of a two-part message — the teaching continues in next week's episode.

In this episode:
 – Suffering and glory: the two words that frame the Christian life
 – Romans 8:18 and the glory waiting to be revealed
 – The caterpillar, the cocoon, and childbirth — why the process hurts
 – Living "between pain and promise" in a world that disappoints
 – Why leaning on your own strength makes the walk harder

Key verse: "The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)

If something spoke to you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. To connect with our community, visit Horizon Church online. Until next time — keep glorifying God and keep growing.

Glorify & Grow is the podcast of Horizon Church, Bosque Farms, New Mexico, hosted by Pastor Thomas Kulp.

Where are you really putting your hope? In this episode of Glorify & Grow, Pastor Thomas Kulp opens Romans 8:18-27 and asks a question every Christian needs to face: are we trusting God's promises, or a piece of paper?

From bank statements and 401(k) balances to faded receipts and a cashless society, Pastor Thomas shows how easily we put our faith in things that can't last. He also shares a personal story about his marriage. It changed when he stopped trying to please his wife first and started trying to please God in everything, and his wife noticed.

In this episode:

• What Romans 8 teaches about present suffering and future glory
• Why earthly security can't carry the weight of real hope
• How Ephesians 5 changed the way he loves his wife
• Seeking first the kingdom and storing up treasures in heaven

Life is full of ups and downs, but that isn't your final destination. God's Word never changes. It's time to count more on His promise than the bank's promise.

Glorify & Grow is the podcast of Horizon Church in Bosque Farms, New Mexico. If this episode encouraged you, share it with someone who needs hope today.

What the law could never do, God did by sending His Son. In this episode of the Glorify & Grow podcast, Pastor Thomas Kulp of Horizon Church in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, brings the Romans 8 journey to its heart: Christianity doesn't begin with what we can do for God, but with recognizing what He has already done for us.

Pastor Thomas reminds us that Jesus didn't simply cancel the sentence — He entered the courtroom, took our offenses on Himself, and paid the price in full. The result is a truth we can walk in with confidence: there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But he presses further — this isn't just comfort for the day we die. It's meant to change how we live right now.

From there the message turns practical with Romans 8:5–8 and the contrast between two mindsets: a life set on the flesh (self-centered, sinful, short-thinking) versus a life set on the Spirit. What does setting your mind on the Spirit actually look like? Pastor Thomas offers the questions a Spirit-led believer learns to ask: Does this please God? Will it reflect Jesus to others? How can I love and serve people better? Will this bear spiritual fruit? He closes with a candid story about the weight of influence — and a reminder that the goal is simple: glorify God by growing others in Christ.

In this episode:
 – What the law could never do — and how Christ fulfilled it
 – Why "no condemnation" should change your daily walk, not just your eternity
 – The flesh mindset vs. the Spirit mindset (Romans 8:5–8)
 – Practical questions a Spirit-led believer learns to ask
 – How our choices point others toward Christ — or away from Him

Key verse: "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." (Romans 8:5)

If something spoke to you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. To connect with our community, visit Horizon Church online. Until next time — keep glorifying God and keep growing.

Glorify & Grow is the podcast of Horizon Church, Bosque Farms, New Mexico, hosted by Pastor Thomas Kulp.

If there's "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," why does life still come with consequences? In this episode of the Glorify & Grow podcast, Pastor Thomas Kulp of Horizon Church in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, continues in Romans 8 and draws the line most of us blur — the difference between condemnation and consequences. 

Romans 8:1 is God's answer to the desperate cry at the end of Romans 7. The verdict has already been declared: not "eventually no condemnation," not "less condemnation if you perform well enough" — no condemnation. But Pastor Thomas is clear that freedom from the guilty verdict doesn't erase the consequences of our choices. Those consequences aren't proof we're rejected; they're how God shapes and matures us. Like touching a hot stove once, or bonking three-quarters through a marathon, the mark teaches us — and it's a mark God ultimately washes away. 

From there he unpacks a sign of real spiritual maturity: welcoming discipline instead of resenting it. Mature believers stop asking "Why, God?" and start asking "What are You teaching me?" — because the Lord disciplines the ones He loves (Hebrews 12:6). The message closes in on the purpose of the law itself: holy and good, it reveals God's standard and exposes our sin — but it could never forgive our sins or change our hearts. 

In this episode:
 – Condemnation vs. consequences — and why the verdict is already settled
 – Why consequences are God's tool to shape and mature us
 – The mark of a mature believer: welcoming correction (Hebrews 12:6)
 – Counting trials as joy that builds Christian character
 – What the law can and cannot do (Romans 8:2–4) 

Key verse: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) 

If something spoke to you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. To connect with our community, visit Horizon Church online. Until next time — keep glorifying God and keep growing. 

Glorify & Grow is the podcast of Horizon Church, Bosque Farms, New Mexico, hosted by Pastor Thomas Kulp.

"There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." It may be one of the most freeing sentences in all of Scripture — but what does it actually mean for how you live? In this episode of the Glorify & Grow podcast, Pastor Thomas Kulp of Horizon Church in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, builds toward Romans 8:1 and unpacks the freedom it promises.

Pastor Thomas is careful to clear up a common misunderstanding: no condemnation doesn't mean you can do whatever you want and coast into heaven. There's no condemnation — but there can still be consequences, and God uses trials to shape us. Drawing on the Apostle Paul's own story — a zealous Pharisee who persecuted the church until a road-to-Damascus encounter changed everything — he shows what a transformed life looks like and why we can trust Paul's words as God-breathed, not opinion.

The heart of the message is a picture you won't forget: standing before God's throne as Jesus hands Him a pair of glasses and says, "Look at that one through My glasses — he's in Me." Our freedom from condemnation doesn't rest in our ability to overcome sin, but in Christ's saving work. We're made new. The old life no longer defines us.

In this episode:
 – Why "no condemnation" is not a license to sin
 – Paul's transformation and why we can trust his testimony
 – Why God's Word never changes — and we're the ones called to change
 – The "therefore" of Romans 8 as the culmination of justification by faith
 – Seen through Christ: how God looks at those who are in Jesus

Key verse: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

If something spoke to you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. To connect with our community, visit Horizon Church online. Until next time — keep glorifying God and keep growing.

Glorify & Grow is the podcast of Horizon Church, Bosque Farms, New Mexico, hosted by Pastor Thomas Kulp.