Before Jesus, humanity wasn’t just struggling—it was spiritually dead in transgressions, swept along by the world, the flesh, and the devil. In this message from Ephesians 2:1–10, Pastor Ben unpacks our desperate condition, the stunning “but God” of the gospel, and what it means to be saved by grace through faith.

The sermon traces how God moves people from wrath to mercy, from death to life, and into a calling to walk in the good works He prepared in advance.

Continuing our Ephesians series, Pastor Patrick teaches Paul’s powerful prayer in Ephesians 1:15–23, a one-sentence plea that God would open the eyes of our hearts. In a world overflowing with content but starving for true spiritual depth, Paul doesn’t pray for better circumstances—he prays for revelation. He asks God to give His people wisdom, unveiling, and illumination so they can know Him, not just know about Him.Paul prays that we would grasp three life-shaping truths: the hope we’ve been called into, the worth God places on His people—His “glorious inheritance”—and the power available to believers, the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him over every authority. This message invites us out of thin faith and into relational knowing, hope-filled identity, Spirit-given power, and life together as Christ’s body.

In a moment when division in America is measurable—even by tools like the Vanderbilt Unity Index—Scripture reveals a very different story: God is moving history toward deep, lasting unity in Christ. Kicking off our Ephesians series, Pastor Ben walks through Ephesians 1:3–14, Paul’s “cathedral of praise,” to show how God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing, chosen and adopted us, redeemed us by Jesus’ blood, and sealed us with the Holy Spirit.

We discover that God’s ultimate plan is “to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ”—and that learning to look up, choose praise, and count our blessings is how we live into that reality now, even in a fractured world.

At our first-ever Church in the District gathering, Pastor Ben teaches from Luke 15:11–32, sharing the story of the prodigal son alongside the redemption arc of Jean Valjean. In a culture where many feel far from God—stuck in shame, burnout, or self-reliance—Jesus reveals a Father who runs toward His kids with compassion, not condemnation.

Whether you relate to the younger son who hit rock bottom or the older brother who stayed close but drifted in heart, this message invites everyone in Ankeny to come home, receive grace, and join the celebration of God’s relentless love.

In this concluding message following our Vision Series, Pastor Patrick casts a compelling picture of what it would look like for our city to reflect the heartbeat of Jesus—Ankeny as it is in heaven. Through the lens of agritainment, fruitfulness, and Eugene Peterson’s “long obedience in the same direction,” he shows how easy it is for churches and Christians to appear vibrant while quietly producing less spiritual fruit. Meanwhile, beneath Ankeny’s success lies a deeper story of anxiety, loneliness, hidden ache, and longing for restoration.

Drawing from Matthew 4–5, the Great Commission, and the explosive discipleship movement of Acts, this message calls us to reclaim Jesus’ model of disciple making: being with Him, becoming like Him, and doing what He did for the sake of others. If hundreds of thousands came to faith through generations of ordinary disciples practicing the way of Jesus, what might happen here? What would change if the people of Presence Church took seriously Jesus’ call to apprenticeship—prayer, Scripture, community, mission—and lived as a quiet, steady, Spirit-formed counterculture of love? This is a vision for families restored, burdens lifted, loneliness healed, justice embodied, and everyday people living awake to God’s presence. This is a call to imagine—and pursue—Ankeny as it is in heaven.

As we continue our Vision Series, Pastor Ben teaches what it means for the church to be a presence in our city—to live as Jesus’ ambassadors, carrying His light into the darkest places. From Matthew 4–5, we see Jesus establish His ministry in strategic Capernaum, bringing light to a weary world and calling His followers to do the same. We are named salt of the earth and light of the world—people whose lives preserve, heal, illuminate, and draw others toward the Father.

This message calls us to live ready for Christ’s return by living faithfully today: practicing radical forgiveness, scattering gospel seeds with courage, and doing “ridiculous amounts of good” for the sake of our neighbors. To be a presence in our city is not about retreating, but stepping into our workplaces, families, and communities with the conviction that God is making His appeal through us. We are Christ’s ambassadors—sent to bless, serve, and shine.

In week two of our Vision Series, Pastor Ben teaches on our second priority as a church: Become Like Jesus Together. Drawing from Romans 8 and Romans 12, he explains that God’s will for every believer is not just forgiveness but transformation—being conformed into the image of Christ by the Spirit’s power. This is what the church has called spiritual formation: learning to resist the patterns of this world and be renewed in our minds, hearts, and habits.

Rather than trying harder on our own, we learn to remain in Jesus (John 15), practice His teachings, and walk in community that spurs us on toward love and good deeds. This message invites us to move beyond pretending and behavior management and step into God’s promise—and our partnership—to actually become people of love, joy, peace, and self-control together.

As we begin our Vision Series, Pastor Ben teaches on our first priority as a church: Seek God’s Presence. Using the image of tuning an old radio, he shows how God is always near, yet often unheard because of the noise in our lives. From the stories of 1 & 2 Chronicles to Paul’s words in Acts 17 and Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1, we learn that seeking God’s “face” means relational closeness, spiritual attentiveness, and allowing the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our hearts.

This message invites us into a simple posture: stop, look, and listen. Before we become like Jesus together or seek the good of our city, we first become people who slow down, tune our lives to Jesus, and give Him our undivided face time.

Launch Sunday marks the beginning of Presence Church, and Pastor Ben opens with Acts 17 and Paul’s announcement in Athens that the God who created the world “is not far from any one of us.”

Through the true story of six Tongan boys stranded on a remote island, we confront what it means to be genuinely lost—building a decent life on our own terms while remaining far from the God who gives us life, breath, and purpose. In a culture shaped by pleasure, self-sufficiency, and spirituality on our own terms, this message invites us to rethink the “gods” we trust for direction and to recover the biblical call to repent: a change of mind that leads to a change in direction.

As we begin this new church, we’re reminded that the way home is not found through effort, achievement, or even religion, but through Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If you’ve felt distant from God or quietly drifting, this message is an invitation to turn toward the God who has been pursuing you all along.