The church in Corinth has a problem with valuing status gained over being like Christ. In short, you could say they have an issue with confusing celebrity with holiness. Instead, Paul reminds them, the gospel is predicated on a form of anti-celebrity: the cross. When the modern American church reads this passage, it has to grapple with its own celebrity problems, and in this sermon Pastor Joel asks what it would be like if we valued a focus on the cross—cruciformity—over celebrity.

As we continue in 1 Corinthians, we see that the Corinthians want Paul's message to come with more "wisdom and power." Paul knows that the Corinthians want a message that fits in better with the world's idea of wisdom and power: success, wealth, and the good life. Instead, Paul explains how the gospel of Jesus comes with true wisdom and power by subverting everything we think of as success, and he calls the Corinthians to live as set-apart people rather than trying to fit in.

In this series, we want to draw together themes from our last three series on the Spirit of God, Sin, and Grace. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church is the product of a deep frustration at a church that has become far too much like the city they resided in, rather than becoming like God. How does Paul respond?

Not by getting angry at them, not by canceling them, and not by shaming them. Instead, he encourages them to become who they already are: God’s holy people. Therein lies the key to their issues. As we start a summer series in 1 Corinthians, we will come back to this idea over and over: are we making holiness our deepest identity? Join us!

During some tragic events in Israel’s story, in the midst of disaster, God allows a group of leftovers, or a remnant, to survive. These are people who, by God’s grace, ensure God’s people press on. In the present, we see in many ways a fading of the church and Christianity, but if God acts according to grace then there is a remnant that survives. If you’re still here, you’re part of the remnant.

In this sermon Pastor Joel explains how we can embrace this grace by adopting a “remnant mindset” and thrive throughout a season for the church that could otherwise destroy it.

Moses is one of the most important figures in all of Scripture, and he is seen as a great liberator and titanic personality in history. Yet, when we really look at his story, we don’t see someone who succeeded in an incredible effort by his own will, but through God’s grace. We find someone who initially tried to do it his own way, but who had to learn to turn his discontent with the world into a holy discontent from being transformed by God’s grace. In this sermon, Pastor Joel unpacks Moses’s story and where see God act according to his pattern of grace.

We love to learn about the patterns of successful people, seeing what they do that leads to their success. In this new series, we want to answer this question: What is the pattern that makes God who he is, and that he operates in to accomplish his goals? 

There could be many ways we answer this question, and the way we answer it is a projection of who we think God is. But when we really look at Scripture, there is one clear pattern: God operates according to grace. In this sermon, Pastor Joel looks at the story of Abraham to get a clear sense for this pattern, and learn what kind of response God asks of us in return: trust. 

Why does it matter if we believe in the resurrection or not? This Easter, Pastor Julie talks about why it matters that we worship a living, resurrected God, specifically how it gives us purpose, power, and a personal relationship with Jesus. As the angels say in Luke 24:5-6: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"Why does it matter if we believe in the resurrection or not? This Easter, Pastor Julie talks about why it matters that we worship a living, resurrected God, specifically how it gives us purpose, power, and a personal relationship with Jesus. As the angels say in Luke 24:5-6: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"

Taking a deep look at sin in the world and in ourselves, as we’ve been doing in this series, is tough. It’s uncomfortable. It makes us grapple with parts of ourselves we don’t like, something we don’t often do. 

In this sermon, Pastor Joel talks about some biblical wisdom around how we deal with uncomfortable looks at ourselves, including not just our sin but our other weaknesses as well. Incredibly, as we write our “anti bio”, the list of our weaknesses and shortcomings, we find God’s presence meets us in deep and profound ways as we come to learn what it means that his grace is sufficient for us.