This past weekend, twenty-six congregation members entered a new chapter in their faith walk. Onechurch's first Baptism Sunday marked our second week at Nippon Kan Theatre. The story God is writing in Seattle is visible.

Before stepping into baptisms, Pastor Filmore kicked off a new series of messages based on The Book of John. The Apostle John, one of the twelve disciples and credited for writing this book, gives us his account of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John was one of Jesus' closest friends and through his writing he communicates his purpose very clearly: for people to find life in Jesus' name.

At some points, you may feel comforted while at others challenged.

Starting with the first eighteen verses in the first chapter of John, Pastor Filmore elaborates that we cannot afford to misunderstand who God is. We cannot afford to misunderstand what God is like either. There is the danger of placing our identity in others or in what we do rather than who God is and what that says to our lives.

What's the first thing that crosses your mind when you think about God? How has that shaped your life?

We can't make assumptions about God if don't take the time to investigate who He is.

In this message, we are encouraged to seek to know God through the person of Jesus. We are walked through the relationship that can be built by getting to know God's son. Fully God and fully human, scripture explains to us that Jesus is God's message to us. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. There is a God who you can know, not just know about.

You can never tell Jesus, "You don't get it." He wants to build intimacy with you.

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Produced by Aa Hernandez & Onechurch Productions

Onechurch spent this past weekend in celebration. Sunday, September 29th, 2024 marked a major milestone for our church: Grand Opening!

As the first message from our new venue, Nippon Kan Theatre, Pastor Filmore Bouldes shares a word of grace, hope, and reconciliation.

We often tend to think that our value before God is predicated on how well we behave or what we know. Our minds are filled with our merits and accomplishments. Many of us like to live as if God grades our lives on a curve. Not only that, but we set other people as our standard in the midst of having these thought patterns. In the process, heaven becomes an image where good people abide and we forget that we are saved by the grace of God.

Speaking from the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Luke 15:1-7, and Mark 2:17, Pastor Filmore reminded us of Jesus counteracting cultural perspectives of self-righteousness and good merits. During his ministry, Jesus was disliked for hanging around those disapproved by religious leaders. But why did He do this? Because He sought the lost. He pursues them. Heaven is not where good people go because Jesus doesn't search for good people - He searches for those who need healing. We don't serve a God who meets us halfway but searches for us intensely.

The intensity of a search is predicated on the value of what is being searched.

Onechurch is here to show the city of Seattle that there is a God who loves. This church started to join the pursuit God was already on. We are pulled to God not by our words, efforts, or accomplishments but by grace. In this message, we are called to stop trusting our own perceived goodness and fully trust Jesus as the guide to our lives. God has a bigger picture for our lives and our city. God doesn't love from a distance.

Get excited. Jesus is calling us to join the celebration in heaven.

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God's new mission in your life brings changes, but people are being prepared to walk with you. This week, Pastor Filmore dives into Acts 9, where we find the life-changing direction of a man named Paul. Formally called Saul, this man turned out to be one of the most important apostles in Christianity, credited for writing the majority of the New Testament. That said, this same person used to kill the followers of the Savior who he ended up dedicating his life towards. This message lays out Paul's story of change. Paul was persecuting believers of Christ in Jerusalem and when the remaining followers fled to Damascus, he began his six-day journey, traveling 150 miles in the same direction. On the sixth day of his journey, as Paul was closely approaching Damascus, Jesus suddenly appeared and there was a holy encounter. Along the way, God also speaks to a man named Ananias in a dream, asking him to meet Paul (previously named Saul). Though afraid, he obeys, and the first words he speaks to him is, "Brother Saul."

The story of Paul is no coincidence. This message is not only a testament to the power and suddenness of God, but also the beauty of the church. Saul, his Jewish name, was changed to Paul because now he wanted to relate easily to those God called him towards. Paul changed his name because God changed his mission. Along the way, Ananias met him in obedience to God's calling. We are encouraged to not be fearful of grace, but rather embrace it. Wherever you are in your journey, grace abounds. There is more grace in Jesus than there is sin in you. It is an active grace, not passive. God is always pursuing and calling us towards community with one another. Even if you're not where you want to be in life, God is still working.

We are an instrument and the hands that hold us change the outcome.

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Don't live in that fear forever. This past Sunday, Pastor Filmore reminded us of the empowerment we hold amid fear, reading from Acts 1:4-8. After being crucified and resurrected, Jesus appeared to his disciples who were found in fear and doubt. But before leaving, Jesus counteracted that fear and doubt. He promised His disciples they would receive the Holy Spirit and, through the Holy Spirit, receive power.

Do you remember the first time you felt fear? The first time consciously feeling afraid?

We may have fears we still carry with us from our past, ones we hold in the present, or those that arrive in the future. We all face fear. That said, this weekend we were reminded that in the same way Jesus empowered His disciples, He empowers us today. God's divine ability for our lives is the power we need. The early church reflected what God is still calling us towards today. Jesus called his disciples to be witnesses, which holds responsibility in itself, but He didn't leave them alone.

Have you recently felt fear amidst something new? God never calls us to do something without giving us the power to complete it. Where our abilities, gifts, and efforts falter, the Holy Spirit gives us divine ability beyond our own. We are encouraged in this message to be a church in pursuit of the Holy Spirit rather than staying passive.

There is a new vision for your life.

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Many people want to witness a miracle, but fewer want to work for it.

In this episode, Pastor Filmore shares the story of Lazarus, covering John 11:38-44. We find Jesus, powerful as He is, choosing to involve others in this miracle. From Martha rolling the grave's stone aside, to others unwrapping the once-dead Lazarus' graveclothes, this miracle required work. Jesus didn't need others to perform this miracle, but Lazarus' full freedom didn't happen until people got involved.

We need both Jesus and the church.

This message encourages us to look beyond ourselves and notice the church surrounding us. Pastor Filmore asks us to embark on God's vision for our church. We are not only connected to Jesus but also to His body. God is moving within Seattle, and the truth is, we're being asked to be part of it. The miracles we want our neighbors to experience need our involvement; the miracles we want to experience ourselves will need others. God wants to use His people to transform each other.

Revival takes intention & doing more than watching from the sidelines. We are called to be part of the miracle.

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Holding anger makes a bed for the devil, but forgiveness leads to his eviction.

This past Sunday, Pastor Filmore broke down Ephesians 4:25-32. Written by Paul, we find a letter addressing and calling the church of Ephesus towards unity. Specifically, we find Paul calling out one emotion that has led to broken unity: anger.

To grow close to God means growing close to one another, but we see how one emotion can break havoc in our relationships. One emotion can give "a foothold to the devil." That doesn't have to be the route our church chooses though; it can be controlled. We are human. Anger is inevitable - like any other emotion, our bodies are communicating something to us when we feel it. Avoiding anger is impossible, but harboring anger is optionable. Much more, through scripture we are told to be cautious about our words and actions when holding this emotion. It is not a sin to be angry, but it is easy to sin when we are. Pastor Filmore explains how it is counter-productive as Christians to resist the devil yet still hold anger.

This emotion can leave a bed made in our house, so how do we make sure the Devil is fully out?

Forgiveness. Forgiveness is Eviction.

This one word is not easy at all. We all have complex pasts and stories, and Pastor Filmore acknowledges that in this message. But we are also encouraged that our hearts are homes for the Holy Spirit and unity. Healing is possible, but we have to be specific about our pain. General forgiveness will not heal specific pain, so we need to be specific even with our forgiveness. Forgiveness isn't easy, but we have the power to forgive just as Christ forgave us.

It is time to heal.

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Don't trade what you want most for what you want now. Don't take the stew. Brother to Jacob and descendant of Abraham, Esau gave up all the promises tied to his birthright within a short amount of time. Bag fumbled.

This past Sunday, Pastor Filmore walked us through Genesis 25 where we find firstborn Esau hungry and tired from being out all day. Looking for something to quickly satisfy him, he ultimately sells his birthright to his younger brother Jacob. And what did that sale include?

A meal of stew. Have you ever traded something long-term for something you wanted in the moment? Is there something right now that comes to mind? The term stew was explained as cravings that inhibit what God has for us. Cravings and sin connected to powerful appetites, that if not ruled, could rule us. Esau changed his entire future by this trade, but this past weekend Onechurch was challenged to take a different route.

Don't accept, trade, much less eat the stew. We don't have to sell our birthright for a temporary meal. Because have you ever had a well-cooked meal? When you experience something great and truly delightful, stew no longer has much depth.

This message ultimately reminds us of the promise we have with Jesus. Being born again into the family of God, no matter our family background, gives us a birthright. We were created for more than stew and temporary pursuits. Saying "no" isn't the end of the story. Our power is found in who receives our "yes."

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The grace of God meets you where you are, but it doesn't keep you where you are.

This past Sunday, Pastor Filmore taught from the Old Testament story of Elijah, found in 1 Kings 19. We find a prophet who, even amidst holding great faithfulness, is afraid. A man who has confronted hundreds of people yet is still brought to fear by one person. A fear and spiritual low so severe that it takes him to the wilderness where he asks God to take his life. The same man who asked for rain from God is now asking for his life to end.

Have you ever been so faithful in one chapter of your life and then so fearful in another? What can you expect from God when you are at your lowest? Within your lows have you asked yourself, "When Is God With Us?" Join us in this encouraging message as we walk through understanding God's presence in our lives. Within scripture, we learn about God not only being a provider but also a listener, wanting us to express our honest emotions. God speaks and gives us new perspective when we are vulnerable. Just as we read in the life of Elijah, God's grace doesn't meet us where we ought to be, but rather it meets us where we are. When is God with us? - Always.

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Faith hears the rain before it sees the cloud. On Sunday, Pastor Filmore concluded our "Monday to Sunday: Living with Everyday Faith" sermon series covering the book of James, walking us through practical faith and using James' writing to influence lived-out every day faith. In this message, covering James chapter five, we are encouraged to build faith like the Old Testament Prophet Elijah. When we see drought, God sees a very different picture. When we see needs within our own lives, our families, and our city, prayer has power to bring rain. Pastor Filmore lays out three attributes that impacted Elijah's prayers and can change our own lives.

In this declarative message, we are challenged yet also encouraged of the hope brought when we make God's voice the loudest voice around us. Though we may sometimes see Old Testament heroes like Elijah as extraordinary, we are beautifully reminded that he was human just like us. You don't have to be more human than you are right now. Faith comes by hearing, and through prayer we can prepare ourselves to listen to the clouds bringing the rain to end the drought. It is time to pray.

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The existence of faith in our lives doesn't equate to faith changing our lives.

Sunday marked week seven of our "Monday to Sunday: Living with Everyday Faith" sermon series, covering the book of James.

As we continue, we study chapter four where James addresses communities experiencing spiritual compromise: having a foundation of faith but living and planning for a future as if God didn't exist. Communities where there was the belief in the authority of scripture, the Holy Trinity, and a divine future, but their alignment with God wasn't matching it.

In this episode, Pastor Filmore speaks to us about The Christian Atheist: someone who declares faith in God but lives as if God didn't exist.

Culture often creates a habit of control, planning, and personal agendas, but we are encouraged as Christians to humble our perspective through humility, gratitude, and allowing God to ultimately guide our path. We all know what we have been through in life, and the Gospel shares light onto a beautiful future. Hitting rock bottom like the prodigal son isn't necessary to change the trajectory of our lives. A short sentence of a question can lead us to be greatly challenged: will you trust God?

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Produced by Aa Hernandez & Onechurch Productions