The Local Church Podcast

DateOctober 5, 2025SynopsisIn this sermon, the first of our Scary Stories sermon series, we confront the haunting narrative that "might makes right" and discover a profound alternative: God's power is made perfect in weakness. Through the ancient prophet Habakkuk's honest laments and patient waiting, we learn that true strength isn't found in domination or self-reliance, but in admitting our need for God. When we embrace our human limitations instead of denying, distracting, or deflecting from them, we tap into a divine power that transforms both us and the world around us.ReferencesScripture: Habbakuk 1:1–4; 2:1–4About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

DateSeptember 28, 2025SynopsisIn this sermon, we reimagine salvation not as a fear-driven, one-and-done transaction but as God’s healing and wholeness breaking into real life—personal and communal, present and active. We move from private assurance to public restoration, learning to “work out” salvation together through justice, mercy, and everyday mending. Where the world feels frayed, we become agents of repair, embodying Jesus’ pattern of healing, belonging, and restitution—here and now. Scripture: Luke 18:42; Mark 5:34; Luke 19:8–9; Philippians 2:12–13.About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

DateSeptember 21, 2025SynopsisIn this sermon from the "Baggage Claim" series, we confront one of Christianity's heaviest burdens: the doctrine of hell and divine punishment. Brian Recker reveals how fear-based theology creates devastating spiritual baggage in our relationships with God, ourselves, and others. Through fresh historical and biblical insights, he reframes Jesus's teachings about Gehenna not as threats of eternal torment, but as urgent calls to build loving communities in the present. Drawing from Matthew 7:12, Luke 19:10, and 1 John 4:18, Recker invites us to exchange our fear-laden baggage for the transformative truth of our belovedness.Pre-Order Hell Bent by Brian ReckerAbout The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

DateSeptember 14, 2025SynopsisIn this sermon, we confront the heavy religious baggage many of us carry around prayer and discover a liberating alternative. Through Jesus's radical teaching of the Lord's Prayer, we explore a transformative framework—Attend, Align, Act—that moves us from empty ritual to revolutionary practice. Instead of treating prayer like a spiritual vending machine, we're invited into a dynamic rhythm that awakens us to God's presence, reshapes our desires, and unleashes us as agents of healing in a broken world. This isn't just about changing how we pray. It’s about reimagining how we live.ReferencesScripture: Matthew 5:5–15About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

DateSeptember 7, 2025SynopsisIn this sermon, we unpack the loaded word "evangelism" and discover a fresh perspective that moves beyond pressure-filled conversion tactics to something more life-giving. Pastor Brent challenges us to reimagine evangelism not as a two-seater transaction but as a communal journey where there's always room for one more – complete with our questions, doubts, and full humanity. Through the lens of Philip's invitation to Nathanael to "come and see," we explore how authentic relationship and radical welcome can transform both ourselves and our world.ReferencesScripture: Matthew 28:16–20, John 1:43–51About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

DateAugust 31, 2025SynopsisIn this sermon, we explore God's radical, relentless love through the beloved children's show Bluey. Diving deep into the episode "Sleepytime," we unpack how cultural narratives of an angry, punitive God have caused profound harm, while scripture actually reveals a tender, compassionate Divine Parent who never gives up on us. Through beautiful imagery of a mother's cosmic love and ancient words from Hosea, we discover that God's essence isn't wrath or disappointment, but an unwavering love that transforms how we see ourselves and how we build community. Scripture: Hosea 11:1-9, 1 John 4:7-12About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

DateAugust 24, 2025SynopsisIn this sermon, we explore how handwritten letters—from a principal's encouraging notes to students to the Apostle Paul's letters to early Christians—remind us of our true identity and purpose. Through Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we discover a profound truth: we are God's accomplishment (poiēma), masterpieces created not by our own achievements but through divine grace. This identity frees us to participate in God's work of mending what's broken in our world, one faithful act at a time. Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10.About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

DateAugust 17, 2025SynopsisIn this service, we witnessed The Local Church officially becoming a United Methodist congregation through a powerful chartering ceremony. Bishop Connie Shelton illuminated how God's creative work continues through local communities, reminding us that we are all "co-creators" with the Divine in bringing healing and wholeness to our neighborhoods. The service celebrated both the formal constitution and the confirmation of seven young people, embodying the church's core message that everyone belongs and is beloved. From Genesis 1:1-5 to Ezekiel 17:22-24, scripture grounded this celebration of new beginnings and inclusive community.About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

DateAugust 10, 2025SynopsisIn this sermon, we wrestle with that universal ache of unfinished business—from summer bucket lists to life's deeper longings. Drawing from personal experience and the ancient wisdom of Hebrews 11, we discover something liberating: faith isn't about checking off every box, but about trusting God in the midst of our incompleteness. Through the story of Abraham and Sarah, we learn that the divine often shows up not in our achievements, but in life's ordinary, unpolished moments—transforming our "undone" into holy ground where grace and humanity meet. (Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16)About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.

Rajeev Tiwari, Director of Student Ministries at The Local Church, preaches a sermon on what sabbath is and how we can enter into it.