Gulf Coast Community Church Podcast – St. Petersburg

Jesus tells His disciples to forgive even when someone sins against them repeatedly. Their immediate response is understandable: “Increase our faith!”But what if forgiving well doesn’t require some extraordinary kind of faith available only to spiritual giants? What if it requires discipleship—a life in which we are formed over time to obey Jesus?This Sunday as we explore Luke 17:1-10 and Matthew 28:18-20 we’ll look at how baptism, worship, prayer, communion, and the examples of other Christians can cultivate habits of forgiveness and unlearn habits of bitterness, vengeance, and retaliation.We cannot prepare for every conflict or tragedy. But we can be formed into a people prepared to face them as followers of Jesus.Join us in worship and in the journey of becoming a forgiving people.

Many Christians know they are called to forgive, but struggle with questions like: Do I have to forgive someone who isn't sorry? Is forgiveness the same as reconciliation? Why doesn't the relationship automatically heal after I forgive?This Sunday we'll explore one of the most practical—and often misunderstood—aspects of biblical forgiveness. Looking at Ephesians 4:31-32 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, we'll discover that God's forgiveness is both fully extended and yet awaits our response.That pattern becomes the model for our own forgiveness of others. Along the way, we'll distinguish forgiveness from reconciliation and consider what it looks like to extend grace while entrusting judgment to God.If you've ever wrestled with forgiveness, I trust you will find this helpful. Join us in worship Sunday morning at 10:00.

Just two days after the horrific Charleston church shooting (2015), grieving family members stood before their loved ones’ murderer and spoke words of forgiveness. They did not deny their pain. They did not deny his evil. But they offered forgiveness.They gave the world a gift that day.We live in a world that knows how to expose evil and punish evil – but often has no idea what to do after that.What if one of the greatest gifts the Church can offer the world is a model of forgiveness? Not the kind that ignores evil or pretends it never happened, but the kind that is learned at the Cross.Join us this Sunday as we continue our Cultivating Forgiveness series and discover how the Cross teaches us what forgiveness really looks like.

Has the cross changed more than your eternity? Has it changed the way you think about justice... mercy... and forgiveness? Most of us assume forgiveness means overlooking wrongs or pretending everything is okay. But Scripture paints a far richer—and far more demanding—picture. The cross doesn't abolish justice; it transforms it for those who have received God's grace. This Sunday we begin a new series, Cultivating Forgiveness, by exploring a foundational question: What does it mean to forgive as a Christian? Join us as we discover why forgiveness is hard, why it is rooted in grace, and why it is necessary for everyone who has been forgiven. 📍 Gulf Coast Community Church 555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FL gulfcoast.community 🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons here gulfcoast.community/resources 🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple ▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world. Subscribe and share this message. Follow us for more sermons: 🌐 gulfcoast.community 📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

Every kingdom has an economy.The way people spend, save, and share reveals what they believe about the one they serve.Jesus announced the arrival of God's kingdom—not simply to change where people go after they die, but to create a new kind of community whose life together bears witness that He is King.This Sunday we'll explore Malachi 3:7–12 and discover that God's concern has never simply been raising money. His concern is forming a people whose generosity proclaims justice, mercy, and the reign of King Jesus.Join us this Sunday in worship as we finish our Cultivating Generosity series with "Kingdom Economy."

Why do Luke and Acts, which proclaim liberty to the captives, end with Paul in captivity? In Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders, we discover that the Church has been entrusted with something far greater than a message to believe. We have been entrusted with a way of life. We'll explore:The Word: What does it mean to be entrusted to "the word of His grace"?The Way: Why did Jesus say it is more blessed to give than to receive?The Witness: How can a captive Paul reveal the freedom of the Gospel?The broken Christ still exposes our idols, calls us to take up our cross, and invites us into the surprising joy of a Jubilee life. Join us this morning at 10:00 AM as we conclude our Cultivating Generosity: Becoming a Jubilee Community series and consider what it means to follow Jesus on the road to the cross.

Why Did the Gospel Start Riots?It wasn't because the early Christians were looking for trouble. It was because they proclaimed a new King, formed a new kind of community, and lived by a radically different economy. When people began believing that Jesus – not Caesar, not wealth, not status – was Lord, the old world pushed back. This Sunday we'll continue our Cultivating Generosity series in Acts 17–19 as we explore how the Gospel creates a new world that threatens the old. Together we'll ask:What stories about the world are we believing?Has Jesus really become King over every area of our lives?What would it look like for our church to embody such generosity that our city noticed?Join us this morning at 10:00 as we continue discovering what it means to become a Jubilee community.

Paul's journey to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-40) begins with an unexpected vision: "Come over and help us." But who is really crying out for help?A wealthy businesswoman? A trafficked slave girl? A Roman jailer?King Jesus' Jubilee comes to every corner of society—but it doesn't come without cost. As people are set free, others willingly bear suffering so that life might reach them.We live in a world filled with cries for help. Do we have ears to hear them, hearts disturbed enough to care, and faith to follow where the Spirit leads?Join us in worship this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and discover how Christ still forms His people to bring His Jubilee to a hurting world. 📍 Gulf Coast Community Church 555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FL gulfcoast.community 🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons here gulfcoast.community/resources 🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple ▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world. Subscribe and share this message of hope. Follow us for more sermons: 🌐 gulfcoast.community 📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

When we interpret God's faithfulness through our wilderness instead of interpreting our wilderness through God's faithfulness, grumbling becomes inevitable. 📍 Gulf Coast Community Church 555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FL gulfcoast.community 🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons here gulfcoast.community/resources 🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple ▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world. Subscribe and share this message of hope. Follow us for more sermons: 🌐 gulfcoast.community 📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

Not all opposition is a sign that something has gone wrong. Sometimes it is evidence that God's kingdom is advancing. A gospel that doesn’t threaten the status quo is probably not proclaiming the reign of a new King.In Acts 13–14, Paul and Barnabas proclaim Jesus as King, and the result is escalating resistance. They are mocked, expelled, pursued, and even stoned. Yet every attempt to stop the Gospel only carries it farther. The old kingdom resists, but it is no longer the true government of the world.Join us Sunday as we consider why, where Christ is proclaimed, Jubilee is decreed... and where Jubilee is decreed, opposition arises.

Distorted Jubilee | Galatians 5:1What does it mean to truly live in the freedom Christ purchased for us?In Galatians 5:1, Paul declares:"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."Yet many Christians find themselves pulled back into old forms of bondage. Some return to legalism and performance, trying to earn what Jesus has already secured. Others drift back into the patterns of the flesh, finding comfort in old habits, sins, and ways of thinking. Still others allow fear, social pressure, and division to distort the unity Christ created.In this message, Samuel explores how the churches of Galatia faced these same temptations and how Paul's words still challenge us today.📖 In this sermon:• The danger of spiritual recidivism and returning to old bondage • Peter's compromise and the threat of social pressure • Why legalism can never save or justify us • The difference between freedom and self indulgence • Walking by the Spirit instead of the flesh • Christ's work of redemption and true Jubilee freedom • How a Jubilee community reflects the freedom of JesusWhether you struggle with performance, people pleasing, legalism, addiction, fear, or old patterns of sin, this message points us back to the freedom found in Christ alone.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church 555 76th Avenue North St. Petersburg, FL🌐 Visit us online: https://gulfcoast.community🎧 More sermons, devotionals, discussion guides, and resources: https://gulfcoast.community/resources

One kingdom runs on power, control, scarcity, and the praise of men.The other runs on generosity, shared lives, and the Jubilee reign of Jesus.In Acts 11–12, Luke places these two kingdoms side by side. One is represented by Herod's throne. The other by a weak but praying church, a generous community, and a prisoner who walks free.Join us this Sunday in worship as we continue Cultivating Generosity: Becoming a Jubilee Community and explore what happens when the kingdom of Jesus collides with the kingdoms of this world.

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost.In Ezekiel 37:1-14, the prophet is brought into a valley filled with dry bones. Not merely dead bones, but long dead. Scattered. Bleached. Hopeless.And then God asks: “Can these bones live?”This vision is far bigger than many of us realize. And it’s not about individual resurrection. It is about God breathing life back into a dead and scattered people.This Sunday we will explore how Ezekiel’s vision finds its fulfillment in Pentecost – In the rushing mighty wind of Acts 2 – and what that means for the church today.Pentecost is not the end of the story.It is the beginning of new creation.Join us in worship this Sunday as we celebrate the Holy Wind of God that still breathes life into God's people today.

This Sunday we continue our series about Becoming a Jubilee Community with one of the most important turning points in the entire New Testament.It begins with a woman quietly caring for widows in Joppa.It moves to a Roman military officer stationed in Caesarea, the very symbol of enemy occupation.And then the Holy Spirit falls in a way that changes the boundaries of God’s people forever.Along the way we will wrestle with questions like:Who truly belongs among God’s holy people?Can God love our enemies?How does Jesus' kingdom advance?Join us in worship this Sunday as we explore Acts 9:32–11:18 together and see Christ’s mission to restore the kingdom to the ends of the earth enter its ultimate phase!

A violent persecution breaks out in Jerusalem. Saul drags men and women off to prison. The church is scattered.And yet the gospel spreads even further.In Acts 8–9, we will watch Jesus reclaim captives in unexpected places:Samaria, the long-lost northern kingdom,a wounded and excluded Ethiopian eunuch,and finally Saul himself—the captor who becomes captive to Christ.Along the way, we will see a kingdom that moves not by coercion, but by the Spirit… a Savior who joins people in their suffering… and a baptismal family large enough to unite former enemies, outcasts, slaves, and persecutors into one people.Join us this Sunday as we continue our series Cultivating Generosity: Becoming a Jubilee Community and explore how Jesus “takes captivity captive” in order to set people free.

There is a natural resistance in all our hearts to Jesus’ reign. And no matter how glorious a Jubilee community may be, we are tempted by status and power – the very things that once enslaved us.There is a lie we easily believe:that we are better than others,deserve more than others,or have greater rights than others.That lie can fill our hearts—and lead to death.In Acts 5 – 7, we see a lie that distorts, an envy that destroys, a truth that must be held onto, and a price some are called to pay.Join us this Sunday in worship as we continue our pursuit of becoming a Jubilee community.

What happens when everything begins to change?In Acts 3, a man who has never walked suddenly stands, leaps, and praises God. But the story doesn’t stop there.The same power that reshapes the man’s feet, reshapes an entire community—how they live, how they give, and how they see one another.But not everyone welcomes it.Join us as we explore Acts 3–4 and see what it looks like when Jubilee breaks in, is proclaimed, resisted… and finally embodied.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

If you’ve ever read Acts 2 and thought, “That kind of community isn’t realistic,” you’re not alone.But what if we’ve been asking the wrong question?In this message, we explore why Pentecost didn’t just create a moment… it created a Jubilee community where no one was in need, generosity was normal, and people lived like family.This sermon walks through Acts 2:42–47 and shows how the early church understood something we often miss:The mission of Jesus is the restoration of everythingThe restoration of IsraelThe restoration of the templeThe restoration of EdenAnd that mission didn’t end with them. It continues through us.This isn’t just about what to do on Monday morning.It’s about what the gospel calls you to do with the rest of your life.If you’re in St. Petersburg, Florida and looking for a church that’s trying to actually live this out, we’d love to meet you.Join us Sundays at 10am or throughout the week as we gather in smaller communities across St. Pete.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

Before Jesus ascended His heavenly throne, He gathered His disciples and gave them “instructions” (Acts 1:2). These instructions provide vital insight into our mission.A mission that would expand the Jubilee mandate to the ends of the earth.A mission that would set people free.A mission that would change how people live.A mission that includes us.He didn’t just leave. He left us with purpose.Through Luke’s pen (Luke 24:36-53; Acts 1:1-11), we’ll take a fresh look at the Ascension and the instructions Jesus gave in those final moments. We’ll explore how Jesus calls us to be an imperfect but real expression of Christ’s rule in peace and justice in the world.Series: Cultivating Gratitude: Becoming a Jubilee CommunitySpeaker: Jerry CisarScripture: Luke 24:36-53; Acts 1:1-11 If this message encouraged or challenged you, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who might need to hear it.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

They went to the tomb and didn’t understand.They heard the message and didn’t believe.They walked with Jesus and didn’t recognize Him.How is that possible?In Gospel of Luke 24, the first witnesses to the resurrection struggle to see what is right in front of them.This Easter, we’ll explore why—and what it takes for our eyes to be opened.Join us in worship as we celebrate the risen Christ—and discover what it takes to truly see Him from Luke 24:1-32.If this message encouraged or challenged you, consider sharing it with someone who might need to hear it.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

What happens when someone truly sees Jesus?In Luke 19, a man climbs a tree just to catch a glimpse. Moments later, he’s giving away his wealth, restoring what was broken, and living a completely new kind of life.He didn’t just see Jesus—he saw Him rightly. The way we see Jesus shapes the way we live.Is it possible to see Jesus and still miss what brings peace? Is it ever hidden from our eyes?Join us as we celebrate Palm Sunday and explore that well-known ride of Jesus into Jerusalem as well as the stories leading up to it (Luke 18:35–19:44). There we learn how seeing Jesus clearly leads to a life of Jubilee—where generosity, restoration, and peace begin to flow. Series: Cultivating Gratitude: Becoming a Jubilee CommunitySpeaker: Jerry CisarScripture: Luke 18:35 – 19:44If this message encouraged or challenged you, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who might need to hear it.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

What is the biggest barrier to experiencing the life of God’s kingdom?In Luke 18, three groups come to Jesus. Only one receives an unqualified “yes” — the one group the disciples were trying to keep out!Jesus shows us that entering the kingdom isn’t about climbing higher; it’s about receiving. But not just receiving a personal gift from God; receiving those the world overlooks as gifts.That’s what is necessary to enter into a Jubilee community. A community where debts are released, people are restored, and the least are welcomed to the table.We’ll explore what it means to enter the kingdom of God. Not just someday in heaven, but right now. Join us as we continue Cultivating Generosity: Becoming a Jubilee Community and discover the life that is truly life.Series: Cultivating Gratitude: Becoming a Jubilee CommunitySpeaker: Jerry CisarScripture: Luke 16If this message encouraged or challenged you, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who might need to hear it.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

What if the way we handle money, possessions, and generosity reveals more about our hearts than we realize?In this message from Luke 16, we explore two of Jesus’ most challenging parables and the radical invitation behind them. Through the story of the crafty manager and the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus exposes the difference between living in the old economy of scarcity and the new reality of the Kingdom of God.The Kingdom Jesus proclaims is a Jubilee Kingdom. A kingdom where generosity replaces hoarding, open hands replace closed gates, and eternal investments matter more than temporary security.The question is not simply whether we give.The deeper question is which kingdom we actually believe in.This sermon examines:• The crafty wisdom of generosity• The inevitable exposure of wealth• The tragic misery of closed gatesJesus teaches that our relationship to money is never neutral. What we love, trust, and cling to ultimately reveals who or what we serve. The invitation of the Kingdom is to live with radical generosity because the King has already arrived and His Kingdom is present now.Will we cling to the old economy of scarcity, or will we live boldly in the abundance of the Jubilee Kingdom?Join us as we explore how followers of Jesus are called to become a community of radical generosity, open hands, and visible allegiance to the Kingdom of God.Series: Cultivating Gratitude: Becoming a Jubilee CommunitySpeaker: Zach McNabbScripture: Luke 16If this message encouraged or challenged you, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who might need to hear it.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

Something is always forming us.Jesus once warned His disciples, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees.” (Luke 12:1)Yeast is small and hidden, but it spreads until it changes everything.In Luke 11–12, Jesus shows how fear, greed, and self-protection can quietly shape a community. But He is forming something very different: a Jubilee people who trust the Father, care for the vulnerable, and live with open hands.This Sunday we’ll explore Jesus’ warning and His vision for a Spirit-formed community.If something is always forming us, the real question is: what is quietly forming us right now?Series: Cultivating Gratitude: Becoming a Jubilee CommunitySpeaker: Ryan Carver📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

Most of us don’t reject generosity outright. We just want guarantees first.In Luke 9, Jesus sends His disciples out with no provisions and teaches them a powerful lesson: if you don’t believe the Father will feed you, you’ll never feed others freely.Then He says something even more challenging: “Take up your cross and follow Me.”What does that mean for ordinary disciples like us — people who want to be wise, responsible, and faithful?Join us as we continue our series Cultivating Generosity and discover how freedom from fear opens the door to real, cross-shaped generosity.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

When Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple to consecrate Him to the Lord, they run into a man named Simeon. After giving thanks for Jesus, Simeon tells them, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel… 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35 NIV).Our text this Sunday (Luke 4-6 but esp. 4:14-30) is about one community that fell when they encountered Jesus. In fact, they wanted to kill Him. To be sure, His message that day was astonishingly good — and deeply disruptive. They responded poorly.This text is about an event 2,000 years and some 6,500 miles away. Despite the time and distance between it and us, it carries penetrating questions for us. It still begs the question of whether we will fall or rise.

"Everything happens for a reason.""It was meant to be.""Don't tempt fate."Even in a secular age, we speak as if there's more going on than we can see.- We long for life to make sense.- We feel the weight of right and wrong.- We cry out when the world is broken.- We hunger for something beyond ourselves.- We worry that our lives are not entirely our own.- And we ache to know what we do actually matters.Why?In this message we explore six deep instincts that surface - across cultures, across religions, and even among those who claim not to believe at all.Are these longings just evolutionary leftovers? Cultural habits? Psychological coping mechanisms? Or are they clues?In this message we continue "Revealing Christ: Beauty, Goodness, and Truth in a Disenchanted World" - and consider how the gospel speaks to the questions we can't seem to stop asking.

How do we reveal the truth of Jesus in a world of relativism?We live in a world that increasingly doubts whether any truth can really be known.Truth feels fragile.Claims to truth feel suspect.And certainty is often confused with arrogance.So how can Christians make truth claims in such a world?And how can we do so in a way that is actually heard by our neighbors?In our series Revealing Christ: Beauty, Goodness, and Truth for a Disenchanted World, we’ll wrestle with the question: Is Christianity True? We will explore the truth Jesus reveals: how it is meant to be known, and how it is meant to be made known.What did Jesus mean when He said that He was the way, the truth, and the life? Does it speak of abstract philosophy or concrete life?Join us as we consider what it might mean for truth to be revealed, not merely asserted. Series: Revealing Christ: Beauty, Goodness, and Truth for a Disenchanted WorldSpeaker: Jerry Cisar📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

Beauty has a way of drawing us in.A sunrise doesn’t argue. It invites. A storm doesn’t persuade. It overwhelms. Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens speak without words, quietly declaring the glory of God to the whole world.And yet, while many of us still sense beauty in creation, far fewer are convinced that Christianity or the church shares that same beauty.In this sermon, we explore what Scripture means when it speaks of God as glorious, radiant, and even sweet like honey. We reflect on the beauty of God’s character, the surprising beauty revealed in Jesus Christ, and the fragile, imperfect beauty of a church shaped by redemption rather than perfection.If your faith has felt more dry than delightful, or if you have sensed God’s beauty but struggled to put words to it, this message invites you to see again. To listen. And to discover what might be called sublime grace.Title: Is Christianity Beautiful? Main Scripture: Psalm 19:1-14 Series: Revealing Christ: Beauty, Goodness, and Truth for a Disenchanted WorldSpeaker: Jerry Cisar📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

It’s not uncommon to hear: “Jesus was a great moral teacher—but Christianity is the problem.”This Sunday, we’ll look honestly at that charge—but we’ll also ask the deeper questions it raises:Where does our sense of good and evil come from?Why does the moral vision of Jesus still resonate—even in a post-Christian world?And how can we be faithful witnesses of Jesus in a world that often assumes Christianity, or even religion itself, is evil?To explore these questions, we’ll consider why the goodness of Jesus is so difficult to deny, how it has shaped our world more than we often realize, and the call of Scripture to make that goodness visible through our lives (1 Peter 2:9–12).Join us as we revisit a timeless question with fresh eyes: Is Christianity good?

What if your desires are not the problemWhat if meaning is not something you create but something you receiveIn a world chasing fulfillment through achievement relationships and controlJohn’s Gospel announces something radicalLife has come nearJesus is not an ideaNot a principleNot a systemThe Word became fleshThis message explores how Jesus fulfills our deepest longingsHow meaning takes on a faceAnd how life with God becomes visible in a community shaped by grace and truthSeries: Revealing Christ: Beauty, Goodness, and Truth for a Disenchanted WorldSermon: When Meaning Takes Flesh (John 1:1-14, 20-21)Speaker: Ryan Carver📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.Subscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

In a world where faith no longer feels obvious—and belief in God often seems implausible—how do we share the gospel with clarity, humility, and hope?We’ll reflect on 2 Corinthians 4:3–7 and explore what it means to reveal Christ through both our words and our lives in a disenchanted age. Scripture reminds us that God alone gives light—but He chooses to carry that light in ordinary “jars of clay” like us.Together we’ll consider:-why many of our neighbors are searching for meaning-how Christian witness can either veil or reveal the gospel -how gentleness, hope, and faithful presence shape a credible witness todayIf you’ve ever wondered how to live and speak about Jesus in a culture marked by unbelief, this will serve you well.Join us as explore how God still shines His light through imperfect people.Series: Revealing Christ: Beauty, Goodness, and Truth for a Disenchanted World📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources

(Part 1 of "Revealing Christ" Series)We’ll begin with a foundational question: What exactly is Christ’s mission—and where do we fit within it?In the Book of Acts, Christ’s mission is the restoration of God’s kingdom. The disciples seem concerned to know when, but Jesus redirects their attention to how. In fact, Christ empowers His church to be active agents in the restoration of His kingdom.Acts traces that mission from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, and in doing so, it helps us locate ourselves in God’s unfolding story. We are not waiting for the mission to begin. We are living at the ends of the earth—called to faithful witness amid hardship, uncertainty, and hope.This message explains why the entire series is vital. The rest of the series will explore to a world that has become resistant to Christianity.

What does it mean to live a discerning life as a follower of Jesus in a confusing and hostile world?In this sermon, we explore Paul’s call in Ephesians 5 to live wisely, redeem the time, and understand the will of the Lord. As Christians grow in maturity, the life of faith often becomes harder, not easier. Discernment becomes essential for navigating suffering, cultural pressure, personal failure, and the tension between what feels right and what is truly righteous.This message examines how God’s vision for our lives is not the elimination of difficulty, but the redemption of it. We are invited into a lifelong process of spiritual formation where character matters more than comfort, faithfulness matters more than success, and love and holiness walk together.Through Scripture, pastoral reflection, and practical wisdom, this sermon addresses:• Why spiritual growth requires intentionality• How to discern God’s redemptive purpose rather than just circumstantial relief• The difference between worldly wisdom and spiritual wisdom• Why Christians are called to redeem the time in an evil age• How forgiveness, holiness, and love reveal God’s wisdom through the churchThis message is grounded in Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and the broader story of God’s transforming work in His people through Jesus Christ.Whether you are entering a new season, facing unresolved pain, wrestling with failure, or seeking clarity for the future, this sermon invites you to slow down, think deeply, and live intentionally within God’s redemptive purposes.If this message encourages you, consider liking the video, subscribing to the channel, and sharing it with someone who is seeking wisdom and clarity in their walk with Christ.🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.For more sermons and videos, please go to gulfcoast.community/resourcesSubscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

This Sunday we’ll reflect on a surprising truth at the heart of Christmas: God chose small.When God came to confront the power of Caesar, He did not arrive with armies or fanfare. He came as a baby—born in obscurity, laid in a feeding trough, announced to shepherds.In a world that equates size with significance and power with worth, Luke 2:1–20 shows us something radically different: love moves downward before it changes anything.In Love Goes Small, we’ll explore how• Jesus became small for the sake of love• Jesus remained small rather than chasing popularity or power• And how God still works through what the world overlooksIf you’ve ever wondered whether small acts of faithfulness matter—or felt discouraged because your life seems insignificant...this message is for you.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources

Advent does not rush us past the dark.It teaches us how to wait.This Sunday we will open Romans 15:7–13 and reflect on The Father’s Joy as Paul points us to a joy that rises from God’s faithfulness and fills His people with hope.Paul reminds us that God keeps His promises, welcomes us in Christ, and forms a people whose life together becomes a witness to the world. Even as we wait, God is at work shaping us through hope, peace, and joy by the power of the Holy Spirit.If you are carrying questions, weariness, or longing this Advent season, this message is for you.

What will you be found doing when the Lord returns?Peter writes that we want to be “found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight” (3:14 NLT).Will you be found this way?In this week’s Advent message, we’ll explore how our lives can grow in the qualities that lead to that kind of peace and purity. Peter shows us that these things don’t appear suddenly in a crisis—they are cultivated over time.This Sunday we’ll hear from Peter that peaceful lives arise when we live in hope of the coming Day of Righteousness.If you are looking for a church in Saint Petersburg that is rooted in Scripture, focused on Jesus, serious about the kingdom of God, and committed to authentic community, we would love to welcome you. Gulf Coast Community Church is a gospel formed, gospel shaped church pursuing formation, culture, mercy, outreach, and unity throughout St Pete.Whether you are new to faith, returning after hurt, or looking for a church that feels real and grounded, this message is for you.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources

Fog surrounds us - political fog, cultural fog, personal fog - and many are losing their way. But Christian hope is like a lighthouse that guides us into safe harbor.This week begins the Advent season. Advent means waiting. People in history had to await Jesus’ first coming. We now await His return. We will explore Jesus’ parable in Luke 19, a story about a nobleman-soon-to-be-king, fearful servants, bold servants, and the question that still confronts us today:Will we risk living fully for the King we cannot yet see?Join us in worship as we discover how a Christian hope transforms not only our lives, but the world!If you are looking for a church in Saint Petersburg that is rooted in Scripture, focused on Jesus, serious about the kingdom of God, and committed to authentic community, we would love to welcome you. Gulf Coast Community Church is a gospel formed, gospel shaped church pursuing formation, culture, mercy, outreach, and unity throughout St Pete.Whether you are new to faith, returning after hurt, or looking for a church that feels real and grounded, this message is for you.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources

Life feels shaky for all of us at times. Jobs feel uncertain, finances feel tight, relationships get complicated, and the world around us seems unstable. Hebrews 12 tells us the truth behind all of it. God is shaking what cannot last so that what cannot be shaken will remain.In this message from our series Cultivating Gratitude, we look at what it means to trust God when everything else feels unstable. Through Scripture and a personal story of job loss and financial pressure, we learn that the kingdom of God is the only foundation that will still be standing when everything else falls.If you are looking for a church in Saint Petersburg that is rooted in Scripture, focused on Jesus, serious about the kingdom of God, and committed to authentic community, we would love to welcome you. Gulf Coast Community Church is a gospel formed, gospel shaped church pursuing formation, culture, mercy, outreach, and unity throughout St Pete.Whether you are new to faith, returning after hurt, or looking for a church that feels real and grounded, this message is for you.📍 Gulf Coast Community Church555 76th Avenue North Saint Petersburg FLgulfcoast.community🎧 Watch and listen to more sermons heregulfcoast.community/resources🙏 If this message encouraged you, share it with someone who needs stability and hope today.

The joy of healing was, in large part, the joy of restoration to the community. So it is with us. We are a community of lepers made whole, grateful not just for our physical and spiritual health, but for Christ’s ability to bring us together. We must see each other as gifts!

Can you learn to sing in the rain?In this message from Gulf Coast Community Church, we explore how biblical gratitude is not anchored in comfort, but in God’s coming kingdom.Even in injustice, grief, or uncertainty, we give thanks not because life is easy but because Christ is risen.Drawing from Psalms 2 and 145, 1 Corinthians 15, and Colossians 1, this sermon reminds us:“Gratitude is not denial, it’s a declaration that Christ reigns.”Join us as we learn how to cultivate gratitude rooted in a happy future.🕊️ Series: Cultivating Gratitude📖 Texts: Psalm 2, Psalm 145, 1 Corinthians 15, Colossians 1📍 Visit us in St. Pete: Gulf Coast Community Church🌐 www.gulfcoast.community📺 Subscribe on YouTube for weekly messages🎧 Follow the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

🎙️ Sermon Title: Receiving Life as Gift, Not as Entitlement📖 Series: Cultivating Gratitude📚 Key Scriptures: Romans 1:18–23, 1 Corinthians 4:7, Romans 8:32Gratitude isn’t just good manners — it’s a way of seeing the world.This Sunday we begin our new series Cultivating Gratitude, exploring what it means to receive life as gift, not entitlement.From behind barbed wire in an internment camp to the martyr’s stake at Smyrna, we’ll see how the grace of God can form hearts that give thanks in all things.Join us in worship as we learn to see — and live — through the lens of faith that sees and receives everything as gift.📍 Visit us in St. Pete: Gulf Coast Community Church🌐 www.gulfcoast.community📺 Subscribe on YouTube for weekly messages🎧 Follow the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Title: How Can They Believe — Without Experiencing New Creation | 2 Corinthians 5:16–6:2Description:What if freedom was declared over your life—but you didn’t yet know how to live free?This Sunday we'll explore the transforming power of new creation in Christ.Paul says, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.” But how do we live as new people in a world still shaped by the old?In this sermon you’ll discover:+What it means to perceive God’s new creation breaking into your life+How to pursue reconciliation as ambassadors of Christ+A simple rhythm—BLESS—to live as agents of renewal in your neighborhoodFreedom was declared in a moment. Learning to live it takes a lifetime.Let's look at how the gospel doesn’t just inform our lives—it transforms our way of being human.📖 Text: 2 Corinthians 5:16–6:2📍 From Gulf Coast Community Church | St. Petersburg, FL🎙️ Sermon Title: How Can They Believe Without Experiencing New Creation?📍 Text: 2 Corinthians 5:16 - 6:2🗂️ Series: How Can They Believe?Speaker: Ryan CarverFor more sermons and videos, please go to gulfcoast.community/resourcesSubscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

In a world full of noise and opinions, how can people see that the message of Jesus is real?This week’s sermon, “How Can They Believe Unless They See Love?” challenges us to live in a way that makes the gospel visible.💬 “Love is the credential that makes our proclamation of the gospel of Christ credible.”When the church truly loves like Jesus, people start to see what words alone cannot show. Love that serves. Love that sacrifices. Love that unites.Join us as we explore three powerful truths:1️⃣ Love visualizes the gospel2️⃣ Love displays the ways of the cross3️⃣ Love provokes and invitesWhat if our love was so real that it made people stop and see Jesus in us?📍 Text: John 13:34–35🗂️ Series: How Can They Believe?Speaker: Zach McNabbFor more sermons and videos, please go to gulfcoast.community/resourcesSubscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

What makes a church truly healthy? In this powerful message from 1 Peter 5, Pastor Jim Watters shares a gospel-centered blueprint for building a community marked by humility, unity, and hope.💬 “A happy, healthy church is one where no one thinks too highly of themselves — but everyone thinks highly of Christ.”Whether you’re a pastor, leader, or member longing for a deeper sense of spiritual family, this message will help you rediscover what it means to shepherd, serve, and stand firm together in grace

“How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?”Paul’s question in Romans 10:14-15 presses us to ask another: what kind of gospel are people hearing from us?Many today have heard a version of the gospel that’s thin—private, abstract, or reduced to a ticket to heaven. But the Gospel Paul preached was far richer: the announcement that in Jesus Christ, God’s rule has broken back into the world. It’s the good news of a crucified, resurrected, and reigning King who is restoring all things.This Sunday we’ll explore that “really good gospel”—the one that produces not consumers but disciples, not mere belief but the obedience of faith.🎙️ Sermon Title: How Can They Believe?📍 Text: Romans 10:14–15🗂️ Series: How Can They Believe?Speaker: Jerry CisarFor more sermons and videos, please go to gulfcoast.community/resourcesSubscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

🎙️ Sermon Title: How Can They Believe?📍 Text: Romans 10:14–15🗂️ Series: How Can They Believe?Speaker: Jerry Cisar✨ “The church must show the gospel. We cannot remain a silent picture.”In a culture shaped by noise, outrage, and spectacle, how can we faithfully proclaim the gospel? Romans 10 confronts us with a haunting question: “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?”This message explores the power of gospel words — not as a substitute for actions, but as their essential companion.“Evangelism is always show and tell. It's never just tell.”This isn’t a call to preaching on corners — it’s a call to live and gossip the gospel with courage, humility, and clarity.Join us in the first of our series on what it means to share the Gospel.For more sermons and videos, please go to gulfcoast.community/resourcesSubscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

“Love of enemies is not a weakness of personal character but a heroic power of the soul and the initiation of the divine model.” - Franz JagerstatterWe know that the Gospel compels us to seed and promote peace, but how does that model work? Join us as we explore patience, kindness, mercy, and how the slow work of peace inevitably claims victory where conventional power never can.“Love of enemies is not a weakness of personal character but a heroic power of the soul and the initiation of the divine model.” - Franz JagerstatterWe know that the Gospel compels us to seed and promote peace, but how does that model work?Join us as we explore patience, kindness, mercy, and how the slow work of peace inevitably claims victory where conventional power never can.🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@gulfcoastcommunitychurch2443For more sermons and videos, please go to gulfcoast.community/resourcesSubscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

Have you ever wondered if your ordinary, everyday life really makes a difference? Or if the hidden moments of your week and the hardships you face have any lasting impact in God’s story?Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that nothing—not trouble, hardship, or even the grind of daily life—can separate us from God’s love. And Revelation paints a powerful picture of God’s people conquering in a way that looks nothing like the world expects.We’ll continue our series Cultivating Peace: A Witness of Reconciliation in a World of Division with Conquering in the Sight of the Lamb. Romans 8:31–39; Revelation 1:4–6; Revelation 12:10-12.🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.For more sermons and videos, please go to gulfcoast.community/resourcesSubscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch

These days, politics feels like a blood sport. Red vs. blue. Left vs. right. We’re told to choose sides, defend our agenda, and see the “other” as the enemy.But what happens when Jesus refuses to play by those rules?In John 6, the crowds wanted to draft Jesus into their movement, to make Him king by force. He walked away. He would not be their partisan champion. Instead, He revealed a politic of His own—a kingdom not built on violence or power plays, but on peace, truth, and self-giving love.We continue our series Cultivating Peace: A Witness of Reconciliation in a World of Division with The Politics of the Prince of Peace. Hear why Jesus doesn’t fit our categories and how His politic of peace is the only one that lasts forever.GCCC Live Stream - Cultivating Peace: A Witness of Reconciliation in a World of Division (Pt. 11): The Politics of the Prince of PeaceText: Isaiah 9:6-7, 52:7; 53:5; John 6:1-4, 14-15, 49-56, 66Pastor: Jerry Cisar🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple▶️ Watch on YouTube and be challenged to love in a way that makes Jesus visible to the world.For more sermons and videos, please go to gulfcoast.community/resourcesSubscribe and share this message of hope.Follow us for more sermons:🌐 gulfcoast.community📍Instagram & Facebook: @gulfcoastchurch