The Bridge Church Sermons

Here's a sobering truth: we can't get wise all on our own. As capable and self-reliant we'd like to think we are, wisdom is simply not something we can source all by ourselves. But here's where the challenge lies: Where, then, do we source our wisdom?  Finding the source requires journeying to the center of wisdom—more specifically, biblical wisdom. And the good news is, God doesn't keep the source a secret. So let's take the journey. Listen here: Support the show

Voices compete, and we live among the noise. And it's not just others speaking over each other—our own minds can be filled with noise that make the voice of God inaudible. If we're going to live in the way of wisdom, we have to know how to hear it, how to listen to the right voices and sources, and how to quiet all the distractions vying to pull us away. How do we tune the competing voices out and tune in to the voice of God? Listen to "Heeding Wisdom's Call" here: Support the show

Strife... drama... conflict... Whatever you want to call it, it's present all around us. And whether we feel right in the middle of it or not, we're witnesses to it in our culture every single day. So, if you think this message isn't for you... think again. The reality of life is that we'll find ourselves in the middle of conflict more than we want to, and Christ-followers are called to come at conflict with one goal: to preserve unity. The way of wisdom tackles conflict with a weapon unlike any other, and it changes everything. Listen to "Preserving Unity in Conflict" here: Support the show

Scroll right past this if you're good at people criticizing you. It's not our natural response to welcome people telling us that we're not perfect—especially when the feedback isn't packaged in a pretty way. But we also have all been guilty of not packaging it pretty too. Long story short, feedback and criticism is not easy. But there is a way to walk in wisdom through it, whether we're on the giving or receiving end. How do we do it? Support the show

What wins in the face of division? What's the play we should call when it feels like it's an "us vs. them" game? In a culture that amplifies the loudest voices and the hottest takes, what if a win is gained by gentleness? A few weeks back, Pastor Ian got to sit down with Scott Sauls, an incredibly gifted pastor and author who is passionate about a concept he calls "a gentle answer." In this Crucial Conversation together, they address how Christians can faithfully engage in some of the difficult conversations that can easily feel divisive, knowing that Jesus shows us how to embrace those different from us in more ways than one. As you listen, challenge yourself to think of a way you can embrace someone that might be a "them" in your mind. The way of Jesus was gentleness, and his mightiest act was done even for those who crucified him. How can that change the way we interact and engage with our world? Support the show

There are times in your life where we would say pain is in our life. Other times, it feels like pain is more than that—that pain defines our life. Naomi was a case of the latter, to the point that she described herself as "empty". When faced with all kinds of hardship and hopelessness, in times where our lives seem empty and defined by our pain, what do we do? Where do we find strength? Purpose? Hope? The story of Naomi shows us that the call of the follower of Jesus is not to look away from hardship, but to look at it fully…and keep looking at it until, by God’s grace, the brokenness we saw at first becomes absorbed into something more complex… more counterintuitive… or even more beautiful than what we saw at first glance.Support the show

A man humbles himself to bus tables for widows and ends up changing the world. How?Stephen was a man we know very little about, except for the end of his life. Confronted with death, he spoke truth and grace. From his story we see, as the Holy Spirit moves, we are filled with courage and compassion to communicate our convictions; allowing for grace, power, wisdom, and faith to grow in our lives. To hear Stephen’s story, listen here:Support the show

Who are your heroes? It's unlikely that anyone would name someone like Rahab—an unmarried woman living in enemy territory, working as a prostitute to simply survive on her own. Yet it's Rahab whose desperation was so deep that when push came to shove, she committed treason to follow God—giving her a place forever as a model of faith (Hebrews 11). It might just be that desperation for God is vital to the Christian faith, so much so that desperation made Rahab an unlikely hero. As we listen to her story, where are we in our desperation for God? Listen to "How Desperation Made a Hero"  Support the show

A few months back, as the war in Ukraine began, we got connected through some Bridge Missions partners to a pastor and evangelist named Karen and his family, who are incredible examples of what it looks like to live on mission. The work he and his team has been doing in Ukraine and Europe over the last few years, but especially since the war began, is powerful and deeply moving. Pastor Ian had a chance to sit down with him and talk about what life as mission looks like.This is something we’re calling a “Crucial Conversation”, and we have an opportunity to engage together. As you dive in, ask yourself this: "How can what I hear change the way I live?"Support the show

When is the last time you've been fearful? Doubtful? Have you ever felt "half-in" with your faith, or maybe questioned where God was in the middle of a battle? Gideon's story, in a nutshell, is this: 300 men defeat an army of 135 thousand, led by a man who begins the story by hiding in a hole—fearful and doubtful.God's plan rarely will make sense on paper, but He gives us an identity that produce in us a peace and surety of a victory that only God's presence can do. We never see ourselves the way God does. Maybe today, you need a reminder of what He says. Support the show