Saint John Community Church

Saint John Community Church

By St John Community Church, Prospect, KYReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
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Saint John Community Church episodes

  • Sent
    Pastor Tom Grieb continues our series "Majoring in the Minors."
    Stories make up the fabric of our lives. We all have stories to tell, including the prophet Jonah. He told the story of resisting the call of the Lord and how that worked out for him. Jonah resisted so much that he attempted to run away to the furthermost point of the known world. While on board a ship bound for Tarshish, Jonah was thrown overboard in the midst of a violent storm and landed in the belly of a big fish. While in there Jonah did a lot of soul searching and quite a bit of praying. The Lord heard those prayers and directed the fish to spew Jonah out on the shore. It was then that Jonah rather half-heartedly made his way to Nineveh to challenge them to repent. The Ninevites did just that, to Jonah’s great disdain.
    The story offered in the Book of Jonah is one that should challenge us all about the call we receive from God and how we respond to that call. The Book of Jonah should challenge us about our faithfulness when the Lord does call. It should challenge us to examine our own hearts when it comes to reaching out to those we may not ordinarily associate with.
    25 min
  • Power
    Pastor Tom Grieb continues our series "Majoring in the Minors."
    The Prophet Joel writes against the backdrop of an invasion of locusts. Those locusts, unlike the cicadas that have recently visited us, caused massive destruction. They essentially wiped out all the crops and left everyone without food. That calamity presented Joel with the opportunity to have people consider God’s judgement. In the mix of that he called the people to repentance.
    Joel was also quick to assert that God would pour out his Spirit. God’s Spirit would see the people through and bring them to the other side. In the end Joel asserted that “all who called upon the name of the Lord would be saved.”
    25 min
  • Obedience
    Pastor Ashlee Adkins continues our series "Majoring in the Minors."
    We are entering the third week of our summer series as we continue looking into the minor prophets. This week we are digging into a very familiar passage from Micah. Perhaps our Scripture for this week is one of your favorites; it maybe even be your life verse. From chapter 6: “Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly.” The prophets sure know how to cut to the chase and get into the heart of the matter.
    I’m excited to explore this passage with you. I’ve been challenged from learning more about the state of things when Micah delivered this requirement of God to all of Israel and I know you will be challenged as well. In usual prophet fashion, Micah delivers a requirement that isn’t only what it seems.
    25 min
  • Justice
    Pastor Tom Grieb continues our series "Majoring in the Minors."
    The prophets have a way of holding a mirror in front of us, forcing us to take a good look at ourselves. The Prophet Amos was no exception. Amos is one of those Minor Prophets who engages us in a major way. Amos causes us to consider our dealings with the poor. He puts us on notice about the injustices we promote, sometimes unwittingly. Amos challenges us about the self-righteousness that has a way of creeping into our lives when we figure we have it all together when we really don’t. That sort of posture always puts us to looking down on others.
    The Prophet Amos speaks a very clear word that’s not always easy to hear. Amos, like the other of the prophets we will be studying this summer, causes us not only to think, but to look deep within. In the end, we are challenged to respond.
    32 min
  • Mercy
    Pastor Tom Grieb begins our new series "Majoring in the Minors."
    I am excited about our next sermon series. We will be studying the so-called Minor Prophets. There is nothing minor about the Minor Prophets. They speak with authority and are just as relevant today as the day they first spoke. The summer lends itself very well to a corporate Bible study and our study of the twelve Minor Prophets will be no exception, particularly given the times in which we live.
    This Sunday we will be studying from the Book of Hosea. Hosea has been called a “Prophet of Love.” Hosea challenges us to reflect upon God’s love, despite our failings. In God’s love, those who otherwise would be considered “nobodies” are “somebodies” in God’s sight.
    The Hebrew word, HESED, is used liberally in the Book of Hosea. It is best translated “lovingkindness” or “mercy.” God’s lovingkindness and mercy extended our way enables us to interact with others in the same way. Lovingkindness and mercy become a way of life, even when our religiosity gets in the way.
    27 min
  • Hope for Eternity
    Pastor Tom Grieb concludes our series "Emerging.
    Nobody said it would be easy. We know from experience that life can be hard. We know that circumstances can get to us. They can weigh us down to no end if we let them. Thankfully, though, the Holy Spirit walks alongside us to strengthen us in the mix of whatever we might be facing. And as if that is not enough, we always have the hope and promise of eternal life.
    Paul knew full well of God’s help during a time of suffering. Paul suffered in all sorts of ways but remained above that with the help and strength of the Holy Spirit. His hope in eternal life also helped. About such things Paul writes in Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Paul was rightly convinced that God was Lord of both this life and the next, and in that was buoyed regardless of what the world threw at him.
    28 min
  • Love Poured Out
    Pastor Tom Grieb continues our series, "Emerging."
    It’s all too easy to get parched when it comes to our spiritual lives. Considering all we have faced over the past year or so, it has been awfully easy to slip into a dry spell when it comes to our relationship with God. God stands ready to offer refreshment to our weary souls. God provides just what we need to be refreshed in every way.
    Paul writes in Romans 5:5 about the love of God being “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” The image of the Spirit being “poured” into our lives speaks to the very refreshment needed to satisfy a parched and weary soul.
    The Holy Spirit was given to God’s people at Pentecost following Christ’s ascension. The gift of the Holy Spirit gave birth to the church. The Holy Spirit empowered the church to no end. The Spirit was the very love of God poured out to God’s people. The Holy Spirit is still available today. The Spirit is still moving. God wants to fill us to the overflowing, particularly those who find themselves spiritually dry.
    32 min
  • Strength Renewed
    Pastor Tom Grieb continues our series "Emerging."
    The prophet Isaiah spoke a hopeful word to a wearied people who found themselves exiled in a faraway land.  The fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. at the hands of the Babylonians saw the Southern Kingdom of Judah carted off in exile to the homeland of their captors.  It was a horrible time indeed.  The people of God were shattered to the core.  They wondered how any of this could have happened.  They even wondered if God had abandoned them. 
    Enter the prophet Isaiah and his encouraging word, “Comfort, comfort, my people, says your God.”  The prophet goes on to talk about a highway that would be formed in the desert, hastening their return to normalcy.  Above all things, Isaiah talked about strength for those who were tired and weary.  Soon God’s people would be heading home, “soaring on wings like eagles, running and not growing weary, walking and not becoming faint.”
    As God’s people emerged from their exile, he empowered them in every way.  God stands to do the same for you and me in the mix of the very things we face.  Even as we emerge from a season of pandemic, God stands to lead us to a brighter day.
    30 min
  • Rest for Your Soul

    Pastor Ashlee Adkins continues our series "Emerging."

    These days, when someone mentions rest, a common response is, “Rest? What is that?” Most of us struggle to find the time to rest and when we do, it seems a struggle to actually enjoy it. Forty percent of American workers feel overworked. Half of all workers feel they have too much work to finish in a typical week. Two-thirds report not having enough time to spend with their spouse, and three-fourths report not having enough time with their children. Even seniors, who could be thought of as teachers of rest, actually feel flattened by all the tasks they need and want to do in a day’s time.

    So, what is this rest I speak of? How do we find time for it? And when/if we do, how do we actually allow ourselves to enjoy it? I’ll give you a hint  – it’s all about Jesus.

    23 min
  • Help is on the Way

    Pastor Tom Grieb continues our series, "Emerging."

    God is consistently calling us to look up and, in looking up, to draw near to him.  God’s help is always at the ready.  His every desire is to keep us strong and steady as he watches over our lives.  It comes to us to draw near to him with faith, taking one step of faith at a time. 

    Whatever valley you might find yourself in, God’s beckons you to look to him.  He will not let you down. 

    “I lift my eyes to the mountains,” writes the Psalmist in Psalm 121, “where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

    19 min

About Saint John Community Church

From the publisher's feed

Preaching and Teaching Audio from Saint John Community Church in Prospect, KY.