It's Encounter Sunday, a day when we take a pause from our normal routine to hear from everyday people who - like the woman at the well - have been transformed by an encounter with Jesus. Stories feature Jacob Clark and Carole Harding.

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People respond to the gospel in different ways. Some are at first resistant (Apostle Paul). Others feel they have no need of a Savior and can earn their way to God through religious practice (the Pharisees). How then do we go about leading people like Paul and the Pharisees to Jesus?

Join Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees and BTS host Will Herron as they discuss ways in which we can be part of people's journey toward relationship with Jesus.

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Rivals compete for our allegiance every day. McDonalds and Burger King. JIF and Skippy. Sometimes we swap brands. Acts calls it conversion. In chapter 16 we see the stories of four conversions. All had different stories. But what ultimately led them to move from secularism or some form of polytheism or Judaism to Jesus? And as His followers, what is our role in that process?

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Acts 16:1–15

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If we are doing life with others, conflict is inevitable. At some point we'll have a disagreement on what is best/right. So how do we go about navigating these kinds of conflict? What does the Bible have to say about resolving relational tension?

Join Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees and BTS host Will Herron as they seek answers to these questions in the disagreement of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15.

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Description: In Acts 15, Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark along. Paul adamantly did not. Who was right? Who was wrong? The Bible doesn’t clearly tell us. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe there is something better than winning and being right.

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Acts15:36–41

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Whether you look at more recent or ancient history, the church has never been a stranger to disagreement.

Acts 15 gives us insight into one such disagreement that could have derailed the early church and prevented countless people from coming to faith.

Join Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees and BTS Host Will Herron as they discover how this passage can help us navigate disagreements as well as avoid roadblocks we may create for others coming to faith.

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First century Jews who believed in Jesus did not consider themselves to be converts to something new. Jesus was their Jewish Messiah, and they were teaching that you cannot be a Christian without first becoming a Jew. As they understood it, it was Jesus and obeying the Jewish laws. But, in fact, it was something altogether different.

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Acts15:1–35

Host Will Herron and financial coach, speaker, and writer Travis Shelton (Meaning Over Money/travisshelton.com) unpack the first principle to stewarding finances well: The way we view money changes everything about how we handle it.

For many followers of Jesus, the idea of spiritual warfare raises questions or perhaps even skepticism. Yet when we look to the Bible, particularly Jesus ministry, we can't deny the presence of a supernatural enemy in the world. So how do we go about identifying and resisting his work in our lives?

Join Ridge Leadership and Ministry Director, Julie Wiemann, and BTS Host Will Herron as they explore some practical ways to engage and win the spiritual battles in our lives.

Song referenced in podcast: Not Today

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The enemy may be invisible, but he’s not fictional. As believers we are not immune from his assaults. But we are given access to the power of God. In fact, we’re promised we are fully equipped for the fight.

Message by Julie Wiemann

Scripture referenced: Ephesians 6:10–18

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