New City Church | Teachings

Most people expect religion to take things away. Rules, restrictions, limitations. But the first miracle Jesus ever performed was extending a party and he saved the best wine for last.

In this message, we look at what Jesus meant when he said "I am the door" and what kind of life he's actually inviting you into.

Turns out, it's better than you thought.

What are you actually hungry for? Not physically — but the deeper kind of hunger that food, success, and distraction never quite seem to fill.

In John 6, Jesus makes a strange and provocative claim: I am the bread of life. It's a statement that confused and offended people in his own day. But underneath the strange imagery is a simple and profound idea — that Jesus offers something that actually lasts.

This week, guest speaker Steve Dragswolf walks us through what Jesus meant, what we tend to overlook in our everyday lives, and what it looks like to stay close to someone even when you don't have all the answers.

Easter evening reveals disciples wrestling with extraordinary claims about Jesus rising from the dead. The space between belief and doubt is often filled with pain, yet even in our struggles, we cannot escape the sense that life should have meaning. When Jesus appeared to his fearful disciples, he spoke peace three times - not just a greeting, but a declaration that everything broken will be made new. Thomas represents how belief develops through honest questioning rather than blind acceptance. After examining the evidence - from the fine-tuning of the universe to eyewitness testimony - Thomas declared Jesus as Lord and God. Our purpose is to join Jesus in making sad things untrue, carrying the message of peace and forgiveness to a broken world.

Peter's journey from bold faith to cowardly denial to restored mission mirrors our own spiritual struggles. His story reveals that real faith is grittier than we think - it requires restraint rather than force, and understanding Jesus' true mission rather than our own expectations. We deny Jesus in three ways: avoiding public association with him, rejecting his clear teachings, and misunderstanding his cosmic kingdom mission. After failure, Jesus demonstrates a three-phase restoration process: naming our sin, experiencing godly grief that leads to repentance, and receiving a renewed mission. Peter's transformation from saying 'depart from me' to swimming toward Jesus shows both sides of the gospel - we are more lost than we dare dream and more loved than we could hope.

Week 5 | Everything Sad Untrue

When soldiers came to arrest Jesus, He didn't run or fight — He simply said "I am," and they fell to the ground. Jesus isn't the safe, manageable figure we've imagined. He's the holy God, and He came to do something far bigger than make your life a little better.

In John 18, Jesus faces betrayal and a rigged trial — and walks straight into all of it. Not with a sword, but with sacrifice. Because deep down, every human heart isn't asking for power or control. It's asking for a love that lays down its life for another.

Give us Jesus. He's the one turning every sad thing untrue.

The meaning of life is found in knowing God, glorifying Him, and living from a loving relationship with Him rather than trying to create your own sense of worth. Jesus accomplished the work of reconciliation through the cross, giving you an unshakable identity rooted in His love, not your performance or failures. From that secure foundation, you are sent into the world to live with truth, love, and purpose without withdrawing or blending in. A life shaped by unity and love becomes a witness that reveals who Jesus is to the world.

Following Jesus does not mean life will be easy, but it does mean we are never alone in the struggle. Jesus tells His followers to expect trouble, yet promises the help of the Holy Spirit, who convicts, guides, and points us back to the truth of Christ. Even in a world marked by sin, sorrow, and spiritual opposition, believers can take heart because Jesus has already overcome the world. The victory is His, and through Him, that victory is ours too.

Week 2

“Everything Sad Untrue” is a series about why life feels broken and how Jesus is putting it back together. Each week looks at moments from John’s Gospel where Jesus faces evil, suffering, and death head‑on, shows a different way to live—humble, honest, and surrendered—and offers real help through the Holy Spirit so that, slowly but surely, the sad things in our lives don’t get the final word.

Week 1

“Everything Sad Untrue” is a series about why life feels broken and how Jesus is putting it back together. Each week looks at moments from John’s Gospel where Jesus faces evil, suffering, and death head‑on, shows a different way to live—humble, honest, and surrendered—and offers real help through the Holy Spirit so that, slowly but surely, the sad things in our lives don’t get the final word.

For the Love | Week 3

For the Love is a three-week journey through three “one-page” New Testament books—2 John, Philemon, and Jude—exploring how God’s truth and love shape our lives, relationships, and witness in the world.