In the third sermon of our series, Becoming a Glocal Disciple-Making Church, Piero Gorriti preaches “Gospel Embodiment: Living out Jesus’ Mission Boldly,” based on Luke 4:16–21. Jesus begins His public ministry with a mission manifesto, declaring that the Gospel is not only a message to be believed, but a reality to be embodied in word, deed, and power through the Holy Spirit.

This sermon traces how Jesus’ mission continues through His disciples and now through the Spirit-filled church. As glocal disciple-makers in New York City, we are called to stop waiting for better circumstances, let go of the extra baggage that keeps us distracted, and boldly live out the Gospel in our work, neighborhoods, relationships, and everyday circles of influence.

In the second sermon of our series, Becoming a Glocal Disciple-Making Church, Andrea preaches from 1 Samuel 1:9–18 and reminds us that disciple-making does not begin with activity, gifting, or knowledge, but with intimacy with God. Through Hannah’s story, this message explores how God meets us in our pain, anxiety, and waiting, and how His presence becomes the place where our hearts are healed and transformed. Before we can help others follow Jesus, we must first learn to pour out our own souls before Him.

This sermon also invites us to see that our personal stories are not obstacles to God’s mission, but often the very places where His grace meets us most deeply. As we grow in self-awareness, surrender, and dependence on God’s presence, we are formed into healthy disciples who can disciple others out of authenticity rather than performance. In a city marked by distraction, busyness, and burnout, this message calls us back to the throne of grace, where God continues His lifelong work of sanctifying and shaping us into the image of Christ.

In this opening sermon of our seven-part series, Becoming a Glocal Disciple-Making Church, Piero Gorriti preaches from Luke 14:25–33 and explores Jesus’ sobering call to count the cost of discipleship. In a world that often follows Jesus for comfort, blessing, or personal gain, this message confronts the difference between opportunistic crowds and true disciples. Jesus does not invite casual admiration, but radical surrender. Yet this kind of obedience is not fueled by guilt or moral striving, but by faith in the Gospel.

Connecting Luke 14 with the prodigal love of the Father in Luke 15 and the Spirit of adoption in Romans 8, this sermon shows that radical obedience flows from being secure as sons and daughters of God. As the Father’s extravagant love penetrates the places where we still rely on ourselves for control, validation, and security, we are transformed into disciples who can truly follow Jesus and help others do the same. This message lays the foundation for the journey ahead: Becoming a church that makes disciples among the nations.

This Easter Sunday, Piero Gorriti preaches from John 20:1–31 and invites us to face one of the deepest realities of human life: death. In this message, There is More to Life than Death, we see how the risen Jesus meets Mary in her grief, the disciples in their fear, and Thomas in his doubt. Easter does not deny the reality of sorrow, anxiety, or questions—it reveals that the resurrected Christ enters right into them with his living presence, peace, and hope.

This sermon explores how every person lives by faith, placing trust in someone or something, and asks the deeper question: will what we trust be able to hold us even in the face of death? Through the resurrection of Jesus, we are reminded that death is not the end, fear does not have the final word, and those who trust in Christ can have eternal life in his name. In Jesus, there truly is more to life than death.

In this final sermon of the Diaspora Church: Seeking the Peace of the City series, Piero Gorriti focuses on Jeremiah 29:8–14 and calls us to redefine peace by learning to discern false voices. While the exiles were tempted to believe messages of quick relief and easy escape, God invited them into a deeper hope—one rooted not in favorable circumstances, but in His presence, His promises, and His greater purposes. Through Jeremiah’s words, and with Daniel as a living example, this message shows that true shalom is found not by avoiding hardship, but by seeking God with our whole hearts in the middle of it.

This sermon invites us to examine the “pseudo-peaces” we often chase—comfort, control, approval, success, or immediate answers—and to ask whether they have replaced the peace only God can give. As God’s people, we are called to reject false hopes, anchor ourselves in His future restoration, and live faithfully in the “now and not yet.” In Christ, we find the presence of God now and the sure hope that one day all things will be fully restored.

In the second message of the series, Andrea Gorriti unpacks Jeremiah 29:7 and the deeper meaning of shalom—a peace far greater than the absence of conflict. Rooted in God’s presence, shalom speaks of wholeness, restoration, and completeness. Preaching into the tension of exile, Andrea explores how God calls His people not only to live in the city, but to seek its shalom—even when that city is a source of pain, disruption, or disorientation. Through the lens of Scripture, we are invited to see that true peace is not found in circumstances, control, or comfort, but in the person of God Himself, made fully known through Jesus Christ.

This sermon traces a movement from heart posture to heart transformation, ultimately bridging who we are becoming with what we are called to do. Faced with the pull of assimilation or withdrawal, God offers a third way—the way of His Kingdom—where obedience flows out of trust in Him as a good Father. As we seek the welfare of the city, we begin to experience God’s shalom in our own lives. This message calls us into an honest examination of our hearts: are we pursuing the world’s version of peace, or receiving the peace that only God can give?

In the opening message of the series “Diaspora Church: Seeking the Peace of the City,” Piero Gorriti explores Jeremiah’s letter to the first wave of Jewish exiles in Babylon. What initially appears to be political defeat and forced displacement is reframed through God’s perspective: “I have sent you into exile.” Through this passage, the exile is no longer merely the result of Babylon’s power but part of God’s redemptive purpose. This message invites us to reconsider the narratives we tell ourselves about why we live where we live, asking whether our presence in the city might actually be part of God’s sending.

Jeremiah’s instructions to build houses, plant gardens, and raise families reveal a call to long-term faithful presence rather than resistance or withdrawal. God’s people are called to participate in the life of the city without assimilating to its values. Ultimately, the sermon points to Jesus as the ultimate exile, the One sent by God who perfectly embodied sacrificial love and justice. Because of Him, believers become a people sent into their cities as ambassadors of God’s kingdom, living out the gospel in everyday spaces.

In this final sermon of the Philippians series, Piero Gorriti reflects on Philippians 4:4–13 and the paradox at the heart of the Christian life: believers are called to rejoice even amid uncertainty, anxiety, and hardship. Paul’s closing exhortation shows that joy is not a fleeting emotion but a posture rooted in relationship with Christ. From rejoicing in the Lord, to practicing humility and gentleness toward others, to bringing anxiety before God in prayer, Paul outlines a pattern for a life shaped by the gospel—one where God’s peace guards the believer’s heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

The sermon traces Paul’s movement from outward posture to inner transformation, highlighting how prayer reshapes anxiety, how the mind is formed by Christ-centered virtues, and how disciples learn true contentment regardless of circumstance. Contrary to common misuse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is not about achieving personal goals but about enduring every season—abundance or lack—through Christ’s strength. Drawing from his own story of navigating uncertainty and dependence on God, Piero invites the church to trust that the same Lord who sustains us in suffering also fills us with lasting joy. The Christian life, Paul shows, is a cycle of rejoicing in Christ, being strengthened by Him in adversity, and continuing to live out the gospel with resilient faith.

In this sermon from Philippians 3:1–11, Koob Vang explores Paul’s radical reorientation of what truly matters in life and faith. Warning the church against adding anything to the gospel, Paul confronts the temptation to rely on heritage, religious identity, or personal achievement for righteousness. Even though Paul himself had an impressive religious résumé—heritage, discipline, and zeal—he declares that everything he once considered gain is now loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. 

Koob invites listeners to wrestle with a challenging question: where do we still place confidence in the “flesh”? Through Paul’s testimony, the sermon highlights the freedom found in a righteousness that comes not from human effort but through faith in Christ alone. True joy, Paul teaches, is not dependent on the absence of suffering but is discovered in knowing Christ—sharing in both the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. 

In this week’s message from Philippians 2:1–18, Jingyang invites us into the heart of Paul’s call to Unity Through Humility. Writing to a diverse church navigating pressure and internal tension, Paul points them to the only foundation strong enough to sustain real unity: the self-giving humility of Christ. Instead of rivalry, status, or self-interest, believers are called to share the same love, the same mind, and the same purpose—shaped by Jesus, who emptied Himself and took the form of a servant.