Verve City Church: Weekly Messages

Some things are too important not to pass on.In this special Mother’s Day message from Verve City Church, Josh Crain and Audrey Eisenberg explore one of the biggest questions every parent, mentor, friend, and follower of Jesus eventually faces: How do you pass your faith on to the next generation without forcing it, faking it, or losing heart?Through the story of Joshua and the Israelites, this message explores the power of remembering, the peril of forgetting, and the gift of living a faith that others can actually see and follow.Passing on faith isn’t just passing on information... It’s passing on a story, a way of life, an example of what matters most. So whether you’re raising kids, influencing students, mentoring others, or simply trying to live a meaningful life, this message is an invitation to consider: What story are you choosing to live?📍 Verve City Church exists to help people find life by following Jesus.If this message encouraged you, consider subscribing, sharing it with a friend, or joining us in person in Chino, CA.

Most of us have had moments of clarity. We notice the pattern, name the issue, and genuinely want life to look different. But insight alone rarely changes anyone. Real transformation happens when what we’ve awakened to becomes something we intentionally build into the rhythms of everyday life. Change is not usually dramatic, but architectural. It is formed through the repeated practices, relationships, and environments that quietly shape who we are becoming over time. Because the life you want tomorrow is hidden inside the rhythms you choose today.

One of the most confusing things about faith is this: you follow Jesus… and life is still hard. The struggles don’t disappear. The questions don’t go away. And sometimes that can make you wonder if you’re doing something wrong. This week, we’re going to talk honestly about why faith doesn’t remove struggle, and why it was never meant to. Because following Jesus doesn’t mean life gets easier. It means you don’t have to face it alone, and your pain doesn’t have to be pointless.

Life gets heavy when you’re carrying what was never meant to rest on your shoulders. In a world of pressure, noise, ambition, anxiety, and endless voices competing for your trust, it’s easy to end up living on the edge of your seat: always bracing, always striving, always trying to hold it all together. But what if the exhaustion you feel isn’t because life is too hard, but because the wrong voice is leading you? In this message, we’ll explore Jesus’ powerful claim to be the Good Shepherd, and discover that peace, trust, and rest begin when we stop outsourcing our souls to fear, success, outrage, or self-reliance and let the right voice lead us. Because the quality of your life is directly connected to who — or what — is shepherding it.

Most of us want to change something. We want more peace, more discipline, more presence, more consistency. But no matter how strong the intention, we often find ourselves drifting back into the same reactions, habits, and patterns. Why? Because real change is harder than behavior management. Much of our lives are being shaped beneath the surface by distraction, autopilot, and thought patterns we barely notice. But before Jesus changes what we do, he often wakes us up to what is already forming us. Because the first step toward a different life is learning to see what’s been leading you all along.

Ever wish you could rewind? Before the mistake. Before that big loss. Before life got complicated.Easter says you can’t go back. But you can start again. Jesus’ resurrection isn’t about restoring your old life. It’s about offering you a new one.If you’re ready for something better than a do-over, join us for Easter at Verve City Church.Real people. Real hope. A fresh start.

Luke’s Jesus forgives those who are killing him. He promises paradise to a criminal. He entrusts his spirit to the Father.Where Mark gives us anguish and Matthew gives us apocalypse, Luke gives us mercy.This week, we’ll see that the cross is about both what was done to Jesus and what Jesus does for others. Luke reveals a God whose final word over enemies is mercy, whose final word over outsiders is belonging, and whose final breath is trust.

Matthew records the same cry as Mark but shapes its meaning differently.The earth shakes. Rocks split. The temple veil tears. Tombs open.Matthew wants us to see what Mark made us feel. The cross is not merely personal agony; it's cosmic upheaval. It's a turning point in the story of the world.This week, we’ll ask: What if the cross was the moment everything changed? What if what looked like defeat was actually the hinge of history?Matthew shows us a God who transforms suffering. The cry that sounded like abandonment becomes the earthquake that begins new creation. 

 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”If you were inventing a religion, this is not the line you would end with.Mark gives us a Jesus who does not float above suffering. He does not deliver a polished speech. He does not offer explanation. He screams a Psalm into the darkness.This week, we’ll explore the rawest of the Gospels. Mark shows us that faith is not pretending everything is fine. It's clinging to God when you cannot feel God. The cross becomes the place where lament is not weakness, but worship.For those who have felt abandoned, disappointed, or disillusioned, Mark insists: your cry does not disqualify you. 

Have you ever noticed that some Christians seem to be pretty obsessed with the end of the world?Last week, the United States launched an attack on Iran. Throughout the past week, many American pastors stepped into pulpits explaining what this war might mean for “the end times.” Words like rapture, millennium, and apocalypse started flying around.And here’s what’s fascinating: the system of Bible interpretation behind all of that talk is less than 200 years old. For nearly 1,800 years of Christian history, nobody read the Bible this way.So this week at Verve City Church, we’re doing a special message called “Apocalypse Not Now.” We talk about what “rapture theology” is, where it came from, the problems it creates, and why the misunderstanding of Scripture behind it can actually distract us from loving like Jesus.Whether you grew up hearing about the rapture or you’ve always wondered why some Christians talk so much about the end of the world, this conversation might change the way you read the Bible.Because what you believe about the end of the world shapes how you live in the world today.

In 2024, Cal Newport of Georgetown University proposed that we have entered into a period of American life he dubs "The Great Exhaustion." Many of us feel incredibly tired, and not just physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Existentially. In Leviticus, God builds rest and reset into reality itself. Not as a rule, but as resistance. Not as religion, but as rebellion against a world that never stops demanding. This week: Sabbath, exile, new beginnings. And why “enough” might be the most radical word in your vocabulary.

Once you get behind, it's really hard to catch up. Debt doesn't magically clear. Power doesn't usually volunteer to shrink. Systems drift in the direction of protecting whoever is already winning. We all know this. So here's the surprising part: buried in one of the strangest sections of the Bible is a vision for interrupting that drift. Like a reset button built into the fabric of a society. It's bold. It's practical. And... it didn't actually work. So what went wrong? And why did Jesus later say he was bringing that vision back in a completely different way? If you're open to the possibility that following Jesus might offer more than private inspiration, this week is worth your attention.

In the first week of our new series, Blood, Guts, and Fire, we begin a journey into one of the most mysterious books in Scripture: Leviticus. Raw and intense, Leviticus confronts us with blood and sacrifice and rituals that feel foreign to our modern sensibilities. But what if God was teaching his people that nothing in this world is disposable — not our bodies, not our relationships, not even the ordinary moments we rush past? In a world that moves fast and rarely slows down to notice what is holy, this ancient book may have something urgent and freeing to say. Join us as we step into Blood, Guts, and Fire and rediscover the beauty and weight of a life that belongs to Jesus.

Relationships are messy because we’re messy. The Psalms show the pain of relational conflict and the beauty of restored connection. By understanding ourselves and others, we can build healthier, grace-filled relationships.

If Part 1 is naming anxiety, Part 2 is developing practices to move toward peace. Scripture gives us rhythms, habits, and reframing techniques that retrain our anxious minds. 

Anxiety is the body’s alarm system, but many of us live with the alarm blaring. The Psalms normalize anxious feelings and Jesus reframes the way we relate to our worries. 

Control is often fear dressed up as strategy. We manipulate, micromanage, and grasp for outcomes because we’re anxious about uncertainty. The Psalms bring us back to trust, surrender, and honest self-reflection.

Restlessness comes from living without a clear sense of purpose, direction, or meaning. The Psalms give voice to our internal disorientation and point us toward practices that lead to groundedness and joy. 

Loneliness isn’t a modern problem; it’s a human one. Even in our hyperconnected world, people feel unseen, unknown, and isolated. The Psalms name this ache and point us toward friendship, belonging, and spiritual community. 

Joy doesn’t deny the darkness; it defies it. In this week's message, we explore the overlooked Christmas stories of Simeon and Anna to discover a kind of joy that exists alongside grief, waiting, and uncertainty — a joy anchored in Jesus rather than present circumstances. What if joy isn’t about pretending everything is fine, but choosing hope when it’s not?

What if the joy you’re craving this Christmas isn’t something new, but a re-discovery of something true? Some of the earliest followers of Jesus discovered joy by remembering the stories of God’s faithfulness that anchored them when life felt overwhelming. This week’s message is for anyone who finds themselves quietly wondering whether joy can actually break into their messy, complicated life this Christmas. 

Being a Christian means more than accepting Jesus into our lives. It’s a commitment to follow him, spend time with him, learn from him, and become like him. In the final week of this series, we're exploring how to live like a disciple of Jesus – learning how to obey everything he commands. 

The power of grace cannot be overstated. Through the New Covenant, we each receive a new heart, a new spirit, and an eternal and abundant life. All we have to do is have faith, which is expressed by following Jesus. This week, we’ll dig into what it means to receive grace now and forever. 

Many of us experience a gap between who we are and who we want to be. "What's wrong with me?" we might wonder as we struggle. We might even expect a relationship with Jesus to be full of questions like that, pointing out our flaws in sharp contrast to His high standards. But rather than burdening us with questions of shame, Jesus asks questions like: "What's wounded with you?" "What's out of alignment with you?" "What's keeping you from the life you were meant to live?" And, His teachings and example provide answers and solutions to free us from the quagmire we're in. 

This special message, Ring the Bells, calls our church to stay centered on Jesus, even when faith is being distorted for political or cultural power. This message isn’t about taking sides; it’s about reminding people what it means to actually follow Christ. We’re naming the danger of a counterfeit gospel that uses Christian language to justify harm, control, or nationalism, and we’re calling people back to Jesus’ way of humility, mercy, and love. Speaking up may feel risky, but we believe faithfulness to Jesus sometimes requires courage that’s grounded in grace.This message borrows its title and emotional heartbeat from the song “Ring the Bells” by Johnnyswim. Listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/gANVqIxyj_oLearn more about Verve City Church at vervecity.church

When you give through the church, you become part of every story it tells. And (bonus!) generosity changes you – for the better. This week, Josh reminds us that generosity isn’t about guilt, but about joyfully investing in something eternal.

Have you ever considered that the way God wants to use you may be greater than you've imagined? This week, we look at Jesus' pattern of multiplication to discover how personal devotion and obedience to Him naturally lead us to joyfully expand His kingdom. 

This week, we're talking service. Serving is not a side activity for super-Christians; it’s a core expression of discipleship. Jesus redefined greatness as service, not status.“Greatness in the Kingdom isn’t about the power in your fist; it’s about the towel in your hand.”

Jesus invites ordinary people into an extraordinary mission to embody his work in the world. Our new series challenges the church to dream bigger, serve sacrificially, and embrace the greater things God has in store for them and their city.Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He left us with that mission, and the world is full of stories waiting to be transformed by hope. Every invitation matters. Every conversation counts.

Let's talk about the practice almost no one wants to do: memorizing Scripture. It sounds old-fashioned, like rotary phones and casseroles with Jell-O. But here’s the thing—when the bottom drops out, what comes to mind isn’t your favorite podcast quote. It’s something your soul remembers. A line of truth you tucked away long ago. The words we carry shape who we become. So we’re going to take this practice out of the dustbin of history and hold it up to the light. Not to show off but to stay grounded. Anchored. Loved. 

Spoiler: the Bible is not a book. It’s a whole bunch of them, bound together by duct tape and divine mystery. It’s poetry and protest songs, ancient emails and cosmic dreams, and if you read it like it’s all one thing, you’ll miss what makes it beautiful. This week, we learn to study the Bible like it’s a weird, beloved collection of stories and songs and not a vending machine of inspirational quotes. It’s messier than we thought but way more human. And, therefore, even more divine.

The Bible isn’t fast food. It’s slow bread. In a world of scrolling and skimming, we’ve forgotten how to pause with a single verse, sit in silence, and let it speak to us. This week, we’ll rediscover the ancient practice of meditating on Scripture, not as an escape from life but as a way of soaking in truth that transforms us. You don’t need a seminary degree to hear from God. You just need time, attention, and a willingness to listen. 

Many of us were taught that the Bible is something we have to defend against critics, culture, or even our own doubts. But what if we’re missing the point? In this opening message, we’ll explore why the Bible doesn’t need our protection — it needs our attention. Rather than smoothing over contradictions or anxiously proving its reliability, we’re invited to approach Scripture with humility and joy. This week, we’ll learn to stop defending the Bible and start delighting in it.

Yogi Bera famously quipped, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” There’s something about facing big choices that simultaneously piques our curiosity, while reminding us that we long for security and control. What can we learn from Paul’s dramatic encounter with the Lord on the Road to Damascus about what it looks like to choose Christ? 

What's next when your picture of God doesn’t match your experience? In the midst of processing their own disappointment and confusion two travelers encountered Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. Their story reminds us that our journey of faith isn’t about having it all figured out; it’s about walking with Jesus until our eyes are opened to something deeper, fuller, and more alive.

Some roads you never choose: pain, loss, betrayal. But you still find yourself walking them. Jesus did too. We’re talking about how His journey to the cross meets us in our worst moments and gives us something better than just survival; it gives us a way forward.

Buckle up for a summer series through four powerful stories in Scripture! From compassion on the Road to Jericho, to resilience on the Road to Calvary, discovery on the Road to Emmaus, and transformation on the Road to Damascus, these journeys remind us what it means to follow Jesus. Each week, we’ll journey through core elements of discipleship: spending time with Jesus, learning from Him, and becoming more like Him.For the first week of our series, we'll dive into a story that shows that knowing the right thing and doing the right thing are two different things. The story of the ambushed traveler rescued by a good Samaritan on the Road to Jericho reminds us that love is inconvenient, and offers a great road map for how the way of Jesus is radically counter-cultural. 

Josiah stepped into a world already on fire. The temple was in ruins, the Scriptures were forgotten, and the people had traded purpose for idols. He could’ve coasted. He could’ve inherited the throne, played it safe, and passed the blame. But something inside him broke when he heard the words of the forgotten Scriptures. Josiah shows us what it looks like when someone refuses to be shaped by the past and decides to rewrite the future. He was young, bold, and unshakable. Perhaps the most radical thing he did was believe that change was still possible. 

In the midst of global turmoil, what does it mean to follow the way of Jesus? It's not enough to just love peace – we’re called to make it by committing our allegiance to a kingdom that transcends every border. As headlines fill with conflict, polarization, and competing narratives, our primary identity is not national or political, it’s spiritual. If you’ve ever felt the tension between faith and patriotism, peace and power, this message is for you. Don’t fit in. Fit out. Be the misfit who heals the world. 

Solomon is like that restaurant every TikTok influencer is raving about in LA. The reviews are glowing, the videos look incredible, the hype is off the charts. But then you go, and the food is overpriced, the service is slow, and you leave wondering what everyone else was so excited about. That’s what reading Solomon’s life feels like. You’re told he’s the wisest man who ever lived, but most of what he does feels more tragic than transcendent. He builds empires, writes poetry, marries hundreds of women, and somehow loses himself in the process. Perhaps the real wisdom in his story is found not in what he did right, but in what he got wrong. If we’re paying attention, we won’t just admire his insight, we’ll learn from his collapse.

David refuses to leave our cultural imagination, not because he was perfect but because he was profoundly human. He was a warrior and a poet, a king and a failure, a man after God’s own heart who sometimes broke God’s heart. His story lives in us. When we root for the underdog, we’re channeling David facing Goliath. When power shifts hands, we see the shadows of Saul and the rise of a shepherd king. And when we fall, when our desires outpace our integrity, we remember what David did to Bathsheba and her husband. We see our triumphs in him, and our darkest moments. Maybe that’s why we keep coming back to his story. Because somehow, in understanding David, we begin to understand ourselves. 

We’re told to follow our hearts, chase our dreams, and write our own story. Self-empowerment is the language of our age. But at what point does that stop being inspiring and start feeling isolating or exhausting? This week, we’re exploring the messages behind hustle culture and radical independence — and why trusting someone wiser than ourselves might not be weakness after all.

In today’s culture, there are all kinds of ways to talk about Jesus: as a life coach, a path to success, a political symbol, or a way to guarantee life after death. But when the focus shifts from Jesus himself to what we can get through him, something subtle but significant changes. This week, we’ll look at four popular versions of Christianity in America and ask a simple but important question: are these still rooted in the way of Jesus? Or have we started to follow something else entirely? 

We live in a time when spirituality, wellness, and self-optimization are increasingly intertwined. Mindfulness, breath work, energy, alignment — these practices and ideas offer people a sense of peace and wholeness. But how do they fit with Jesus? Do they complement his way, conflict with it, or do something else entirely? This week is an invitation to explore how ancient practices and modern wellness trends intersect with Christian spirituality. 

Karma has quietly become one of the most accepted spiritual ideas in the West, even among people who’ve never studied Eastern religions. It’s simple, intuitive, and feels just. But is that what the world is really like? This week, we’ll explore what karma actually teaches, where it resonates with the way of Jesus, and where the two paths begin to diverge.

For many, the idea of God just doesn’t add up. Whether for logical, emotional, or experiential reasons, atheism has become a default setting, especially in the modern West. But what does a world without God actually ask us to believe? And what are the strengths and limitations of that view? This week is an open exploration of the worldview that says, “There’s no one out there… and that’s okay.”

In a global culture where pluralism is often a given, it’s easy to assume that all religions are basically saying the same thing. But is that actually true? This week, we’ll explore the core stories and claims behind some of the world’s major religions — and a few of the stranger ones, too — to see what they have in common, where they differ, and why those differences might matter more than we think. 

Easter brings fun memories of egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, and baskets of goodies. But beneath it all - is Easter true? Is the story of a man conquering death and offering us freedom worth believing? Listen to our discussion about why we choose to follow Jesus. 

We read in the New Testament that God is love, and then we read other stories in the Old Testament about God bringing punishment and death and plagues. So, how do we reconcile what seems almost to be a dual personality? Does God act like Jesus dying for his executioners, or is God more like the deity who allowed an angel of death to kill the firstborn children of Egypt? The answer to that question becomes more evident when you understand that God is like a Zippo Lighter.

During the Watergate scandal of the early 1970s, Senator Howard Baker posed the question during a hearing, "What did the President know, and when did he know it?" We intuitively understand that the specific knowledge people have and the amount of time they have it can either exonerate or implicate them. What does God know, and when does he know it? It's often said that God is "all-knowing," but what is the actual content of that knowledge? Do our choices matter, or is the future set in stone? Does prayer change things, or is everything destined to play out in a predetermined way? It turns out God is like Dr. Strange.