In Ephesians 1, Paul reminds us that our spiritual “checkbook” is overflowing because of what we’ve already received in Christ through the Holy Spirit. But instead of being satisfied, Paul prays that we would keep pressing deeper into God, growing in faith and love. Today, Gene explores how Paul’s prayer challenges us to recognize our heavenly wealth and to pray not only in times of trouble, but especially for those faithfully living on the front lines of faith.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Gene begins a new series from Ephesians with a reminder of what it means to live in light of our spiritual inheritance. Just as Will in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had to learn to live like he belonged in his new family, followers of Jesus often forget the wealth already given to us through the Holy Spirit. In this episode, Gene shows how the Holy Spirit is God’s promise of redemption and why our lives should reflect the identity and future we already have in Christ.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

As we wrap up the story of the paralyzed man in Mark 2, Gene reminds us that once we’ve experienced God’s forgiveness, we’re called to extend it to others. Just as Jesus told the man to carry his mat as a reminder of grace, we too can remember what God has forgiven in us when we’re tempted to hold on to hurt. Forgiveness isn’t easy, but when we recall how deeply we’ve been forgiven, it becomes possible to reconcile, heal relationships, and live in freedom.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Today Gene shares the second step in truly experiencing God’s forgiveness: confessing our sins, not just to God, but to another person. Just as the paralyzed man in Mark 2 heard Jesus say, “Your sins are forgiven,” we often need to hear those words spoken aloud to fully believe them. Through Scripture and story, Gene reminds us that when we confess and receive assurance of God’s grace, we walk in freedom not because of what we’ve done, but because of what Christ has done for us.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Today Gene talks about the first step toward experiencing deep forgiveness: honestly acknowledging our need for it. None of us are as good as we appear, and guilt, regret, and shame can quietly weigh us down. Through Scripture, stories, and grace, Gene reminds us that God invites us out of hiding to receive His mercy and the freedom of true forgiveness.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Yesterday we met the paralyzed man in Mark 2 whose friends lowered him through a roof to see Jesus. Instead of healing his body, Jesus first said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Sometimes what we think we need most isn’t our deepest need. In this episode, Gene reminds us that real freedom comes through forgiveness and grace.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Today, Gene reflects on the paralyzed man in Mark 2 who spent years confined to a mat until four friends carried him to Jesus. For him, that mat represented weakness and limitation — but it also became the place where he experienced healing and hope.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

This is our final episode in our week about dealing with gray areas in Christian living. We've established that love should guide our decisions when the Bible doesn't give clear direction, we've seen Paul's example of voluntary limitation, and we've talked about making introducing people in our lives to Jesus our ultimate priority. 

Today, we’ll discuss how to make these decisions practically, without falling into legalism or insensitivity to others, with six practical guidelines for navigating the gray areas.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Today we’ll focus on the ultimate goal that should drive all of our decision-making: We should be trying to get as close to Jesus as we can. 

Paul said, "I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, that they may be saved." This is the heart attitude that should characterize our approach to gray areas.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Welcome back to a week where we’re dealing with gray areas that surface when we follow Jesus. We've established that love should be our guiding principle when the Bible doesn't give us clear direction, and we've seen how Paul applied this. 

Today, we’ll look at how Paul lived out this principle in his own ministry in a very practical and powerful way. 

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.