City Church OTR Messages

This week, we began part 3 of our Revelation series, The Throne Room. Chris’s teaching was all about the throne at the center of heaven. The paradox of the throne is that the more we realize we are not at the center of everything, the more stress and fear begin to fall away. There is a strange relief in insignificance—because we’re not holding the universe together, and we were never meant to.

This week, guest speaker Clay Harrington from Vineyard Cincinnati concluded the 64 Series by teaching on the coming of the Holy Spirit and Pentecost. Pentecost marked the establishment of the Church—the moment the Holy Spirit was released from heaven to dwell with God’s people. Through the Spirit, we’re empowered with authority and equipped to be ambassadors for Christ.

This week, Dave Workman preached on "the in-between times"—the seasons of waiting where God's timing feels mysterious but is filled with purpose. The disciples found themselves in one of these in-between times, waiting between Jesus’s resurrection and Pentecost. In every period of waiting, we are invited to trust God in the process, believing that He is leading us into a greater depth on the other side.

This Easter, Chris shared that the resurrection is for everyone. We looked at the story of Peter—how he blew it in a big way, denying Jesus when it mattered most. And still, after rising from the dead, Jesus calls Peter out by name—not to shame him, but to restore him. If the resurrection can bring hope to someone like Peter, then it can bring hope to anyone.

This week, Chris spoke on the first Palm Sunday when Jesus was hailed King….but not the kind of King that He really was. We took a fresh, contextual look at Palm Sunday and answered the question, “How did they hail Him king one day and want to crucify Him the next?”

Beginning our new series 64, Chris taught on the story of Lazarus, focusing on how his resurrection wasn't just another one of Jesus' incredible miracles—it was the pivotal moment that triggered Jesus' crucifixion. This miracle foreshadowed the kind of faith required and the hope that is now available to all believers. It points to the resurrection power of Jesus, not just in a physical sense but also in the spiritual transformation He offers to everyone.

This week, as we wrapped up part two of our Revelation Series, The Letters, Chris read a letter to City Church OTR. Our church may not be one of the seven in Revelation, but God is writing a pretty unique story over us. We want to be amazed again at all God has brought us through and dream about what He might be doing in the future.

This week, Kristen taught from the letter Jesus wrote to the church in Laodicea. Jesus wants us to have effective faith full of passion, purpose and zeal. His challenge to the Laodiceans was that they compromised and diminished their faith while being self-reliant. They are spiritually sick and the only remedy for that is Jesus himself. He’s waiting for us to let Him into every aspect of our lives.

This week, Chris taught from Jesus' letter to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation, one of the two letters where Jesus offered no correction. Jesus commended their faithfulness, saying, "See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut." This "open door" symbolizes opportunities for service and spreading the Gospel. This challenges us to recognize and take action on the opportunities God provides in our own neighborhood, becoming living invitations of Jesus's love to our neighbors.

This week, Evan Doyle unpacked Jesus' letter to the city of Sardis in Revelation 3. Sardis had a reputation for being alive, but in reality, they were dead. Jesus calls them to wake up because His work in them isn’t finished. The same is true for us—it's easy to build a reputation while slowly letting small compromises creep in, dulling what was once pure. But Jesus invites us to walk closely with Him, to be renewed, and to live with a reputation that reflects true life in Him.