National Community Church Audio Podcast

The Holy Spirit will sometimes lead us where we don’t want to go, but He always goes with us! The wilderness is not the enemy. The wilderness is a part of the way, the Jesus way. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Seeking God with greater consistency, greater intentionality, and greater priority is the solution to a thousand problems. You don’t FIND time. You have to MAKE time. How? You’ve got to pitch a tent like Moses. You need a TIME and a PLACE where you get off the grid and get with God. The only ceiling on your intimacy with God and impact on the world is daily spiritual disciplines. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies. It’s counter-cultural but is entirely freeing. Henri Nouwen states, “Loving our enemies is the way of becoming free of our enemies.” To close this series, we are praying for new eyes - to see people the way God sees them and to be more for them than we are against them. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When we hear “turn the other cheek” or “go the second mile”, what we usually translate that to is “just let them win” or “roll over and play dead”. But what Jesus of Nazareth is telling us in this passage is actually quite provocative. He’s not actually telling us to fight back with violence or take a passive stance. Rather, Jesus is offering us a third way of non-violent defiance. Let justice win. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Deep down we all want to be able to trust each other's character and not be tricked, fooled, or played. But it is hard to trust because regularly people do not keep it real. This was an issue with the Pharisees that Jesus addresses in Matthew 5 (as part of the Sermon on the Mount). They had the tendency to make vows with loopholes so they could not be pinned down. Jesus directly challenges them on what it means to have integrity. And it is a message to us all on how to respond and keep our word to one another. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The teachings of Jesus are disorienting. They are disorienting because some of them are difficult to understand and all of them are difficult to apply. Jesus points us to a Creator who designed sexuality to reflect the eternal joys and mysteries of heaven, and he teaches us to walk in relationships with one another in a way that reflects his perfect love. This message tackles the tough teachings of Jesus on adultery, lust, and divorce. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In Matthew 5:21-24, Jesus unpacks the true meaning behind the sixth commandment. The pharisees focused on the act of murder, but Jesus said, the anger in our hearts has the same judgment before God. Have you ever taken time to look under the hood of the anger in your life? Anger is a secondary emotion. When we dig beneath the surface, we find anger is often born out of an unmet need or expectation. And we find that there are other emotions and challenges at play that lead to anger being expressed. What is the underlying hurt in your life? Anger is an iceberg - there’s always so much more underneath the surface. We’ll walk through this scripture and its progression, as it takes us from anger to forgiveness to reconciliation. Some of us need to learn to forgive and let go of those offenses that have actually taken us captive. And some of us need to reach out to those that have been offended by us and move towards reconciled relationship. These are not easy steps. But the Lord can give you wisdom as you reflect and let His Spirit bring revelation to your heart. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Half of spiritual growth is learning. The other half is unlearning. Jesus didn’t do an orientation with his disciples. He did a disorientation. Six times in the Sermon on the Mount He says, “You have heard that it was said, but I tell you.” Jesus was uninstalling Old Testament paradigms and reinstalling New Covenant principles. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We often have plans, goals, and things that we are pursuing. That is not a bad thing. But what happens when the plans we’ve made go left or don’t materialize? How do we respond to that? In the life of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, we see how to move forward when God has a different plan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

During the most wonderful time of the year, as dubbed by the popular Christmas song, many people don’t have the same sentiment. And there are many reasons for that. But the proclamation of Jesus’ birth, was not related to gift giving, holiday cheer, or decorations. It was all about joy found in the ultimate gift of Jesus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.