What does true unity in the Church actually look like—and where does it come from?

In this message from Ephesians 4:1–6, Pastor Tommy Orlando calls Mercy Hill Church into a deeper, Spirit-led unity for the year ahead. This is not unity built on personality, preference, or policy, but a unity that flows from a life fully yielded to the Holy Spirit.

Scripture reminds us that unity is given by the Spirit—but it must also be guarded. When we grieve, quench, or resist the Holy Spirit, division takes root. But when we walk in humility, gentleness, patience, and love, the Spirit preserves the bond of peace among us.

This sermon challenges us to live worthy of the calling we’ve received, to pursue the presence of the Holy Spirit personally and corporately, and to reflect the heart of Christ in community. As we look ahead, this is an invitation to become a church marked not by division, but by Spirit-formed unity.

Scripture References:
Ephesians 4:1–6
1 Thessalonians 5:19
Acts 7:51

What should we expect when we pray?

In this message, we continue our teaching during Fervent Week of Prayer by confronting a quiet but common form of spiritual complacency: prayer that speaks to God but never listens for Him.

Drawing from multiple passages throughout Scripture—including Acts, James, Jeremiah, and the life of Jesus—this teaching reminds us that prayer was never meant to be a one-way conversation. Again and again, the Bible shows a consistent pattern: when God’s people prayed, God responded—with direction, wisdom, correction, comfort, and clarity.

In this message, we explore:

• Why Scripture presents prayer as a conversation, not a ritual

• How expectation shapes our experience of prayer

• Why apathy often grows when prayer becomes passive or disengaged

• Jesus’ own example of withdrawing to hear the Father’s voice

• How fervent prayer requires intention, focus, and discipline

• Why learning to hear God’s voice begins by actually seeking it

• How prayer is meant to build up not only individuals, but the entire body of Christ

We are also reminded that hearing from God is not reserved for a select few—it is part of the normal Christian life and essential for Spirit-led ministry within the church. When believers engage God personally in prayer, the result is a community strengthened by timely encouragement, direction, and care.

This message leads into a time of corporate prayer, inviting the church to listen, respond, and trust that God is present and active among His people.

If your prayer life has felt distant, routine, or silent, this teaching calls you to re-engage with expectation—believing that God still speaks and desires to lead His people today.

If God is sovereign, does prayer really change anything?In Part 2 of The Prayer of Faith, we continue our teaching during Fervent Week of Prayer by asking a question many believers wrestle with but rarely answer clearly: What does prayer actually do?

Rooted in James 5 and Jesus’ teaching in Luke 18, this message explores why Scripture commands us to “always pray and not lose heart,” and how prayer functions as the God-ordained means through which His will is revealed, His purposes are accomplished, and His people are transformed.

In this message, we explore:Why Jesus taught persistence in prayer as expectation, not enduranceHow prayer genuinely changes circumstances—and why Scripture says it doesWhat to do when prayer doesn’t change the outcome you hoped forHow prayer often reveals God’s explicit will, not just His powerThe difference between God’s permissive will and His determined willWhy prayer never fails, even when circumstances remain unchanged

Through biblical examples from Luke, James, Paul, Elijah, and the prophets, this teaching shows that prayer always brings change—either in what God does or in who we become.If you’ve ever struggled with apathy, confusion, or frustration in prayer, this message offers clarity, hope, and renewed confidence in the power of praying by faith.

What does the Bible actually mean when it talks about faith?

As we begin our new series The Prayer of Faith, this message lays the foundation for understanding effective, biblical prayer as we prepare for our upcoming Fervent Week of Prayer. Drawing from James 5 and Hebrews 11, this sermon challenges common misconceptions about faith and reframes it as confidence not for something—but trust in Someone.

In this message, we explore:

• Why effective prayer is rooted in the prayer of faith

• What Hebrews really means when it says faith is “the assurance of things hoped for”

• Why biblical faith is confidence in the unseen God, not denial of reality

• How faith aligns itself with God’s will, not our demands

• Why true faith ultimately finds rest in God’s sovereignty, not outcomes

This teaching calls us to move our focus away from results and back onto the nature, character, and will of God—where faith becomes effective, prayer becomes grounded, and peace becomes possible.

As we step into a season of prayer together, this message invites us to rediscover faith that is centered on knowing God, trusting Him fully, and resting in His purposes.

What does it mean to truly recognize Jesus?

In this final message of our Advent series Come and Behold Him, we turn to the story of Simeon—a man whose entire life was shaped by waiting on a promise personally given by God. In Luke 2, Simeon is led by the Holy Spirit into the temple at just the right moment, where he takes the infant Jesus into his arms and declares, “My eyes have seen your salvation.”

This message explores how:

• Only the Holy Spirit enables true recognition of Christ

• Jesus is revealed as salvation for all people, Jew and Gentile alike

• Christ both brings peace and exposes the human heart, dividing and revealing what we truly believe

Simeon’s encounter reminds us that the Christmas story is not just something to hear—it is something to behold. Christ comforts, confronts, reveals, and redeems. And when we truly see Him, everything changes.

Scripture: Luke 2:22–35

Waiting ends when salvation is revealed—when the Spirit opens our eyes to behold Christ.

#ComeAndBeholdHim #AdventSeries #Simeon #Luke2 #SalvationHasCome #LightOfTheWorld #ChristmasSermon #JesusChrist #GospelTruth

This sermon was recorded at our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

In Week IV of our Advent series Come and Behold Him, we turn to Matthew 2:1–12 and the story of the wise men—Gentile seekers whose long journey culminated in a simple but profound declaration: “We have come to worship Him.”

Unlike the quiet, personal announcements given to Mary and Joseph, or the public proclamation to the shepherds, the arrival of the Magi reveals that the birth of Jesus is not only the fulfillment of Israel’s hope, but the invitation of the nations. Drawn by a sign in the heavens and centuries-old prophecy, these men traveled great distance and great cost—not to observe the newborn King, but to worship Him.

This sermon explores what true worship really is—not merely words or rituals, but a life rightly ordered before God. From the example of the Magi, we see two essential marks of genuine worship:

• Acknowledging Jesus as King—not only Savior, but Lord

• Offering gifts of sacrifice that reveal His rightful rule in our lives

As Jesus later teaches, the Father is seeking worshipers who worship in Spirit and in truth—worship that flows out of real life, real surrender, and real obedience. The Christmas story challenges us to ask an honest question: Have we truly come to worship Him?

This message invites us to behold Christ not only as the child born in Bethlehem, but as the reigning King worthy of our reverence, submission, and sacrifice.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 2:1–12
🎄 Series: Come and Behold Him

#ComeAndBeholdHim #Advent #ChristmasSermon #Matthew2 #WorshipInSpiritAndTruth #JesusIsKing #TrueWorship #Nativity #WiseMen #ChristianTeaching

This week in our Advent series Come and Behold Him, we turn to the shepherds—the first public witnesses to the birth of Christ—and the angelic announcement that reveals the true purpose of Christmas.

When the heavens opened over the fields of Bethlehem, the angels proclaimed a message that still defines the meaning of Christ’s coming: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.” In this message, we explore why Jesus came—not first for our comfort, but for God’s glory—and how true peace is found only in receiving the Savior He sent.

Through the shepherds’ encounter with the angels, we are reminded that:

• God’s glory is the ultimate purpose of creation and redemption

• The peace Christ brings begins with peace with God

• From that peace flows peace within our souls and with others

• Those who truly behold Christ are compelled to proclaim Him

This sermon invites us to see Christmas as more than a sentimental story—it is the declaration that God has entered history to reclaim His world, receive glory, and bring lasting peace to His people.

Come and behold Him—the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.

This week in our Advent series Come and Behold Him, we turn from Mary’s encounter with the angel to the story of Joseph—a man standing at a crossroads, called to courageously step into God’s redemptive plan.

While Mary’s calling required her to trust God with a circumstance she could not change, Joseph’s calling required him to take action—to obey God in a way that defied cultural expectations, personal logic, and social safety. When the angel told him, “Do not be afraid,” Joseph discovered the truth we also need today: God gives courage to those who step into His purposes.

In this message, we explore:

• How Joseph’s obedience reveals the courage required in genuine Christ-followership

• Why we can boldly take steps of faith when we know something is “conceived by the Holy Spirit”

• How God guides us through His Word and by His Spirit

• Why the counter-cultural path of obedience is often the very place where God brings salvation and blessing

Joseph’s response shows us that courage isn’t the absence of fear—it is obedience rooted in trust. And just as the Holy Spirit conceived God’s redemptive plan in Mary, the Spirit continues to conceive works of grace, mission, and salvation in us today.

Join us as we behold Christ through the eyes of Joseph and learn what it means to follow God with courage this Advent season.

As we begin our Advent series, Come and Behold Him, we step into the four weeks of anticipation and preparation that mark the arrival of Jesus Christ. Advent isn’t just a countdown to Christmas—it is a reenactment of the longing, hope, and expectation that filled the people of God for generations as they waited for the Messiah.

From the earliest pages of Scripture, God promised a Deliverer—the Seed who would crush the serpent (Gen. 3:15), the Offspring who would bless the nations (Gen. 12:3), the Son who would reign on David’s throne forever (2 Sam. 7:12–16). By the time of the first Christmas, the people of Israel were living with a deep yearning for the One who would save, restore, and rule with righteousness.

And then—into that centuries-long anticipation—God reveals the identity of the Promised One to an unexpected person: a young girl named Mary.

In Luke 1:26–38, the angel Gabriel announces that Mary will bear Jesus—the Son of the Most High, the eternal King, the long-awaited Savior. But Mary’s first response isn’t about glory or privilege. It’s the deeply human question: “How can this be…?” She feels the cost. The risk. The consequences.

And yet her answer becomes one of the greatest statements of faith in all Scripture:
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Today’s sermon explores:

• The centuries of anticipation that lead to Jesus
• Why God chose Mary and what her response reveals
• The real-world cost she faced in obedience
• The meaning of yielding to God’s will—before understanding the outcome
• How Advent calls us to the same posture: “I am the servant of the Lord.”

Mary shows us the heart that prepares for the coming of Christ—a yielded, surrendered, servant posture that says:

“Let it be to me according to Your word.”

This Advent, may we learn to behold Him as she did.

Scriptures: Luke 1:26–38; Genesis 3:15; Genesis 12; 2 Samuel 7; Isaiah 9; Romans 12:1–2; Proverbs 3:5–6; 1 John 2:16

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