Hillside Community Church

Ever catch yourself thinking, “I’ll be grateful when...”?

When my marriage gets better. When the finances settle. When my kid gets back on track. But life rarely becomes permanently uncomplicated.

In the final week of Nehemiah and the 7 Cs, Pastor Aaron McRae looks at the celebration that marked Jerusalem’s rebuilt walls, and the surprisingly unfinished ending that follows. The big idea: celebrate God’s goodness to cultivate a grateful heart, even when the story isn’t finished.

Four takeaways:

• Celebration gives God the credit for what He has done
• Celebration is something we prepare for, not just something we feel
• Biblical celebration is a sacrificial response to God’s goodness
• Keep celebrating, even when the story isn’t finished

Christian celebration isn’t denial. It’s choosing to remember God’s goodness while trusting Him with what’s still unresolved, because in Jesus, God has already given us every reason for hope.

This week, ask yourself: What’s one thing I can thank God for today, even if the bigger story isn’t resolved yet?

Scripture: Nehemiah 12:27–44; 13:6 · Colossians 3:16 · Ephesians 5:19–20 · Romans 12:1 · Hebrews 13:15–16 · Hebrews 12:2 · Philippians 4:4

Resources Mentioned

• H.G.M. Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah (Word Biblical Commentary)
• Abraham Joshua Heschel, Who Is Man?
• J.G. McConville, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Daily Study Bible)
• Colleen Chao, In the Hands of a Fiercely Tender God

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Ever read the Bible and walked away feeling worse?

In Nehemiah 8, God’s people gather to hear His Word read aloud from sunrise to noon. As they listen, they realize how far they’ve drifted, and they start to weep. But Nehemiah stops them: “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

In Week 6 of Nehemiah and the 7 Cs, Pastor Aaron McRae explores what it means to be Christ-centered. The big idea: a right understanding of God, followed by a right response, centers us in Jesus Christ.

Three ways to live it out:
--Let God transform your life through His Word
--Let God’s grace be greater than your guilt
--Let God’s joy overflow into the lives of others

Jesus is the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth, and He wants His joy to be complete in you. This week, ask yourself: Where am I letting guilt speak louder than grace?

Scripture: Nehemiah 7:73–8:12 · Matthew 26:26–27 · John 1:1, 14 · John 15:10–12 · Colossians 2:2 · Psalm 111:10 · Matthew 22:37

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Most of us don’t struggle to know what matters. We struggle to choose it. You want to be a present parent, but your phone keeps winning. You want to grow spiritually, but prayer is the first thing to go when life gets busy.

In Week 5 of Nehemiah and the 7 Cs, Pastor Aaron McRae names the conflict zone: the space between our commitments and our choices, where things usually go wrong. After the wall goes up in 52 days, Nehemiah turns from bricks to people. He puts faithful people who fear God in charge of the city and leads Israel to recommit with specific choices about marriage, rest, and money.

Jesus says it plainly: seek first the kingdom. Because if we have 12 priorities, we have no priorities.

Real commitment is when our choices line up with our confession to Jesus.

📖 Nehemiah 6:15–16; 7:1–5 · Proverbs 1:7 · Matthew 22:36–40 · Matthew 6:33 · Matthew 16:24

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#Nehemiah #Commitment #FollowingJesus #Discipleship #ChristianLiving #Sermon #Faith #HillsideChurch

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What if the community around you is missing something, and it's you?

Most of us know we're supposed to belong somewhere. But after enough letdowns, it's easier to build a wall, trust only yourself, and keep people at a safe distance. You can show up for years and never actually be known.

In Week 3 of Nehemiah & the 7 C's, Pastor Jayden Zwerner looks at Nehemiah 4. The people rebuilding Jerusalem are exhausted, surrounded, and ready to quit, until Nehemiah repositions them to carry the weight together. From Genesis to 1 Corinthians, Scripture is clear that God never designed us to do life alone. He has uniquely gifted each of us for one another. That means we're not just invited into community. We're needed in it.

Take one courageous step toward God's people: risk being loved, and risk loving someone else.

Scripture: Nehemiah 4:6–20 | Genesis 2:18 | 1 Corinthians 12:12–18 | Proverbs 27:17 | Romans 12:15 | Galatians 6:2 | Ephesians 3:14–21

Resources Mentioned: Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (InterVarsity Press)

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We’re glad you’re here.

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.
 
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Ever wanted deeper community but couldn't figure out why it wasn't happening?

You can build a church without building a community. You can have the walls, the chairs, and the programs and still feel alone in the room.

In Week 3 of Nehemiah and the 7 Cs, Pastor Aaron McRae shows how God rebuilt more than Jerusalem's wall. He rebuilt His people. The big idea: community is a work God does first IN us before He does it THROUGH us.

God builds that community in us through three things:

• A shared identity: we know WHO we are
• Shared rhythms: we learn HOW to be together
• Selfless sacrifice: we choose WHOSE interests come first

Some of us don't have a community problem. We have a calendar problem.

This week, ask yourself: Have I built room in my life for real Christian community to happen?

Scripture: Nehemiah 2:17–18; 3:1–5; 4:6; 9:38; 10:28–29 · John 17:20–21 · Ephesians 4:3–6 · Acts 2:42–47 · John 15:12–13 · Philippians 2:1–7

Resources Mentioned

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (quote adapted)
• Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian (idea adapted)
• Robin Dunbar, research on social circles
• John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.
 
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Afraid of the conversation you need to have? The decision you can't avoid? The step you know God is asking you to take?

Most of us picture courage as loud and heroic. Biblical courage is usually quieter. It's telling the truth when it costs you. It's loving someone when you don't feel like it. It's refusing to compromise when everyone around you does.

In Nehemiah 2, a cupbearer who is "very much afraid" steps into a moment far bigger than himself. What carries him isn't confidence in his own ability. It's knowing "the gracious hand of my God" is on him.

In Week 2 of Nehemiah and the 7 Cs, Pastor Aaron McRae shows how courage helps us:
--see what God is doing,
--step up when He opens a door, and
--stand when opposition comes.

Courage isn't about who you are. It's about who God is.

📖 Scripture: Nehemiah 2:1–20 · Ephesians 6:13 · Matthew 5:43–45 · Romans 12:14 · Ephesians 3:12 · Hebrews 4:16 · Ephesians 6:19 · Philippians 1:20 · John 16:33

📚 Resources Mentioned
-Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae
-Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

#Courage #FaithOverFear #Nehemiah #BibleStudy #ChristianLiving #Sermon #HillsideChurch #7Cs

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.
 
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You can feel heartbroken by the news and still never do anything about it.

Catastrophizing. Doomscrolling. Compassion fatigue. Comfort-zone syndrome. We have a dozen ways to feel deeply about suffering in the world — and still keep it at arm's length. This week kicks off a new series through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, and it starts in an unexpected place: not with a plan, but with a broken heart.

Nehemiah had comfort, access, and success. He also had a choice: stay safe, or let someone else's pain interrupt his life. Before he ever picked up a hammer to rebuild a wall, he wept, fasted, and prayed.

In this message, we talk about:

• Why proximity changes compassion from a feeling into an action
• The four foundations of biblical compassion — starting with turning to God, not trying to fix, avoid, or numb what hurts
• Why the greatest test of compassion isn't when we're hurting, but when we're comfortable and someone else is

Kicking off a 7-week series on the character God is shaping in us — starting with Compassion.

Scripture referenced: Nehemiah 1:1–11 · Matthew 9:36 · Isaiah 49:15 · 1 John 1:9

#Nehemiah #Compassion #SermonSeries

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.
 
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What if the goal isn't a different season — it's deeper roots?

Everybody is trusting something to hold their life together: control, approval, success, another person, themselves. It works fine until the heat comes — a diagnosis, a closed door, a kid who won't choose right, a prayer that isn't answered on your timeline. Suddenly you find out what your roots were really in.

In Jeremiah 17:5–8, God gives a picture of two lives: one like a shrub in the desert, one like a tree planted by a stream. Both face the same drought. Only one stays green. The difference was never the weather — it's the source.

In this message, we talk about:

• Why pressure exposes what you're actually trusting, not what you say you're trusting
• Why God is often more interested in your roots than your branches
• What it means that "the greatest threat isn't the drought — it's disconnecting from the Source during the drought"
• Why "stuck" doesn't mean "forgotten," and how sanctification can be happening even when your circumstances aren't changing
• How Jesus' invitation in John 7:37 — "if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink" — changes what it means to grow, mature, and produce fruit

If you're in a season that isn't changing yet, this one's for you.

Scripture referenced: Jeremiah 17:5–8 · John 7:37–39 · Matthew 26:38–39 · Exodus 30:23 · Ezekiel's temple vision (Ezekiel 47)

#Jeremiah17 #StayConnected #FaithInTheDrought #SermonSeries

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.
 
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What if the hardest season of your life isn't a sign God has abandoned you — but proof you're right in the middle of His story?

In Exodus, God's people are rescued from slavery in Egypt... only to land in a wilderness with no food, no water, and no map. It's easy to judge them for grumbling. It's harder to admit we'd do the same. This week, Sean Murphy walks through the pattern that shapes the entire Bible — and our own lives: Out of bondage, Through the wilderness, Into promise. It's the story of Israel, and it's the story Jesus fulfills completely — facing down sin and death so we could be free, not just from something, but for something.

You'll walk away asking: Where am I still stuck in a cycle I keep choosing over God? Do I trust God's provision one day at a time, or do I just complain when it's hard? Am I quick to forget who actually provided the good things I have?

Scripture referenced: Ephesians 2:4-5, Exodus 3:7-8, Exodus 6:7, Exodus 14:10-16, Exodus 16:2-3, Deuteronomy 8:10-18, Judges 21:25, John 3:16, Matthew 4:4, Luke 23:40-43, John 8:31-36, Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:5

Resources mentioned: The Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg & Robert Guelich; Bible Project

#Exodus #Freedom #Wilderness #FaithJourney #Discipleship #HillsideChurch #GodsStory #Redemption

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Stay connected with us throughout the week:
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/c/HillsideCommunityChurch
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/hillsidechurches/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/hillsidechurches
Website | https://hillsidechurches.com

We’re glad you’re here.

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.
 
Stay Connected With Hillside Community Church.
Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/c/HillsideCommunityChurch
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/hillsidechurches/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/hillsidechurches
Website | https://hillsidechurches.com

What if the plateau you're feeling isn't failure — it's just one stage of a much longer road?

In the final week of our "What We Believe" series, Pastor Aaron McRae maps out the real stages of a life of faith — from first discovering God, to the busyness of serving, to a harder inward season many people never talk about, and finally into a life marked less by striving and more by love. Drawing on Jesus' words in John 15 and research showing most Christians plateau far short of real transformation, Aaron makes the case that getting stuck isn't the end of the story — it might just mean you're due for a turn you didn't expect.

This teaching:

• Why "being active at church" and spiritual transformation aren't the same thing
• What "the Wall" is, and why it's often a sign of growth, not failure
• One honest question to ask about where you actually are on this journey

Scripture: John 15:1–17

#HillsideChurch #AaronMcRae #WhatWeBelieve #ChristianLifeSeries #SpiritualGrowth #John15 #FaithJourney #Discipleship #CriticalJourney #SpiritualFormation #StuckInFaith #ChristianMaturity

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.
 
Stay Connected With Hillside Community Church.
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