Before and After | Pastor Brandon Beals | Venture Church

This week, Pastor Brandon continues our Journey Through Ephesians series with one of the most powerful chapters in Scripture — Ephesians 2. Before Christ, we were spiritually dead, slaves to the world, the enemy, and our own flesh. But Paul reminds us that everything changes with two words: “But God.” Through His mercy and grace, we’ve been raised to life, set free, and created for good works that He prepared for us in advance. This message is a reminder that salvation isn’t the end — it’s the beginning. We were dead, but now we are alive in Christ! ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Welcome to Venture Church Online1:00 – Building expansion and generosity update2:30 – Introduction to Ephesians 23:40 – Reading Ephesians 2:1–105:00 – “Before and After” – setting up the message7:00 – Pastor Brandon’s story about shoulder surgery8:30 – Who we were before Jesus10:00 – Spiritually dead and separated from God12:00 – Slaves to the world, the enemy, and the flesh14:40 – The world’s pattern and influence16:00 – The deception of the enemy18:00 – Our struggle with the flesh and temptation22:00 – Deserving of wrath — the weight of sin24:30 – “But God” — the turning point26:00 – Made alive with Christ through grace28:00 – Understanding God’s immeasurable love and mercy30:00 – Salvation as resurrection and new life32:00 – We are God’s handiwork — His masterpiece34:00 – Created for good works prepared in advance36:00 – God’s pursuit of those still in the “before”37:30 – The hope of transformation — “But God”39:00 – Invitation to follow Jesus and prayer of salvation40:30 – Closing announcements and worship night preview