New City Church

This weekend Pastor Joaquin Pardo concluded our RENEW series with a message about a legacy that lasts. 

2 Peter 1:15

And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.”

Peter’s life shows us that passion for what’s next doesn’t happen overnight; it's formed step by step.

1) Obey the first step. 

When Jesus met Peter, Peter had no zeal. He wasn’t passionate about ministry or the kingdom of God. As a matter of fact it was the complete opposite. Jesus found Peter tired, discouraged and on the verge of giving up. And still Peter obeyed. 

Luke 5:5

..."But at your word I will let down the nets.”

The result was a miraculous catch. You never know what's on the other side of your obedience.

2) Step out in faith. 

There comes a moment in every believer’s life when following Jesus requires more than staying comfortable. There comes a moment when you have to step out in faith. For Peter, the clearest picture of this happens in the middle of a storm. 

Matthew 14: 28

“Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

For a moment, Peter does the impossible: he walks on water. And yes, fear eventually causes him to sink. But Peter still did something the others in the boat never dared to do: he stepped out. 

Legacy doesn’t belong to those who never feel fear. It belongs to those who step out despite it.

3) Fix your focus.

Matthew 16:15

..."but who do you say that I am?" 

When Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds with the confession that defines everything: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This revelation becomes the foundation Jesus builds His church on.

But moments later, Peter struggles when Jesus speaks about suffering. Jesus corrects him with these words: 

Matthew 16:23

...“You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 

A legacy that lasts is built by people who fix their focus not on temporary pain, but on eternal purpose.

4) Don't go back.

After Jesus was betrayed and crucified, Peter was overwhelmed with fear and failure. Peter ran back to what was familiar. Back to the boat. Back to fishing. Back to the life he once knew.

But when Jesus meets Peter on the shore, He makes one thing clear: you don’t need to go backward to survive. Everything you need is with me. What Jesus called Peter to was never about fish or boats; it was always about people.

5) Live filled with The Holy Spirit. 

Peter’s boldness didn’t come from willpower or confidence, it came from the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit fills him in Acts 2, everything changes. The man who once denied Jesus now is no longer driven by fear. He’s living for something beyond himself. 

A legacy that lasts is built by men and women who are filled with the Holy Spirit and live with passion for what God is still going to do!

Get with the program! This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our RENEW series with a message about our PROGRAM FOR GROWTH.

2 Peter 1:5-7

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 

Peter began his letter by reminding us that God’s power has given us everything we need for a godly life. How do we put that power into operation in our lives?

1) The Christian identity is not ACHIEVED, it is RECEIVED.

We are not better or stronger, we have simply received a new identity by grace alone. That means we shift from deciding who we are to discovering who God has purposed us to be in Christ.

2) You are given the POWER, but you choose the PROGRAM.

God has given us power to be like him in our character and behavior, but Peter reminds us that we must MAKE EVERY EFFORT to cooperate with his program for growth. How? By adding each of the qualities he lists above.

3) God is working IN you, now you work it OUT.

If we fail to follow the program, we short-circuit our growth and lose sight of the aim of God’s saving work in our lives. 

Galatians 5:1

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

When we choose to lean into this program, we see the results of God’s power at work, not only to rescue us, but to transform us!

Why did you stop? This weekend Pastor Joaquin Pardo closed the year out with a message reminding us not to quit too early. 

2 Kings 13:18-19

And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.” 

The tragedy of this passage isn’t disobedience, it’s partial obedience. The king striked three times but he stopped too soon. And often, the difference between partial victory and complete breakthrough isn’t that we didn’t try. It’s that we aren't willing to try again.

1) You’re not done yet.

Elisha was on his deathbed. He was weak, tired, and nearing the end, yet God still sends him someone in need of his help. Our usefulness to God has never been tied to our energy, age, weaknesses or specific season, but to our obedience. If you’re still breathing, there is still a purpose for your life. You’re still on assignment!

2) Aim at the target.

Elisha told the king to open the eastern window, the direction of the enemy. Victory requires direction. We don’t overcome what we refuse to face, and we won’t see change if we keep aiming at the wrong things. Prayer and fasting help us face God first, so we can face our fears with clarity and power. Be specific. Be bold. Aim your prayers at what God has put on your heart.

3) Use ALL of your arrows.

Partial obedience is still disobedience.

The king struck the ground three times and stopped. Elisha was angry because he could see something the king ignored — the arrows still left in his hands. God had already supplied more, but the king didn’t use all that was given to him. Partial obedience led to partial victory.

In the same way, God has entrusted each of us with arrows, passions, gifts, resources, opportunities, relationships, and desires meant to be used for His glory.

As we step into the new year, may we be a church that doesn’t stop early, pull back in doubt, or settle for partial breakthrough. Instead, use everything God has given you to pursue all He has promised.

Keep striking. God isn’t done yet.

Showing up is the most important part! This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME series with a message about the Magi.

Matthew 2:1-2

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

The picture that the Bible paints of the birth of Jesus included a cast of unexpected characters. The nativity scene has a meaning that is worth considering.

1) There are no exceptions to God’s exceptional love.

Who belongs here at the birth of the Messiah? God invites the most unlikely characters to celebrate his gift of love and life. 

2) There is no star that isn’t speaking.

The star in the night sky spoke to the Magi in a language they understood. Every good gift that God gives to us is meant to draw our hearts to love and adore the Giver of that gift.

3) There is no seed that won’t one day bear fruit.

500 years before the birth of Christ, Daniel was named the chief of Babylon’s wise men. The Magi could well have been expecting a king because of the seeds Daniel planted centuries earlier.

4) There is no sacrifice that is insignificant.

The gifts that the Magi brought were more than expressions of gratitude. They made it possible for the family to escape Herod’s grasp and later return to Nazareth. 

2 Corinthians 9:11

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

You have been invited to worship in the presence of Jesus! Merry Christmas!

Luke 1:28-29

The angel said to Mary, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 

1) Christmas is an answer to the cry of every human heart.

Mary thought deeply about what the angelic announcement meant. Even though she had questions, she continued to trust God’s plan.

2) Christmas is God’s light breaking in our darkness.

There is a simple but significant shift that takes place when God’s goodness and power become the foundation of our decision-making, priorities, hopes and longings. 

Isaiah 9:2

The people walking in darkness

 have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

 a light has dawned.

Is there any darkness where God’s light won’t reach? Is there any life that his love can’t reach?

3) Christmas is a gift to be received.

At Christmas God drew near to a people who were beaten down, to a family that was in crisis, to a woman who was powerless. If he did that, the Gospel says, would he not come to you or me, or even the people we dislike and dismiss? 

Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?

Are you expecting? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME series with a message about Simeon.

Luke 2:34-35

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.”

Simeon is a picture of hopeful expectation, waiting to see God’s rescue and light for all people. What can we learn from his example?

1) When you are expecting, it shows.

When a woman is expecting, everything about her life and behavior begins to change. The greater the expectation, the more obvious the signs. 

2) When you are expecting, it can get uncomfortable.

Simeon’s prophetic words about Christ are not all easy to swallow. This child’s claim to authority would expose the hearts of many.

3) When you are expecting, something better is coming.

All of the discomfort and pain of waiting gives way to the joy of hope’s fulfillment. 

Romans 8:22

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

The groaning that God’s people experience is not a groaning that leads to death, but that will inevitably give way to life and joy!

What does Christmas mean to you? This weekend Pastor Devin Gough kicked off the Christmas season at New City with a message and every family received a custom Advent Kit!

Luke 1:12-13

When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but what about the Christmas moments that we don’t want to post? The Bible says that Zechariah and Elizabeth were both righteous and disappointed. Their hope to have a child had long since been extinguished.

1) God revives hope in the silence.

God appeared to Zechariah in the ordinary course of his duties. After so many years of silence, hope was still not lost. The prayers that you have retired still remain on God’s desk!

2) God revives hope in the impossible.

Be careful not to measure your hope against your circumstances. What you consider to be a limitation might just be God’s launching pad!

3) God revives hope for something greater.

The angel connects Zechariah’s personal miracle to God’s redemptive plan for the whole world. God is able to bless you in your need, and to make you a blessing!

Do you need God to revive your hope this season? The gift of God in this season is the unexpected, undeserved hope that Jesus still brings to everyone who trusts Him!