Central Church Podcast

It's hard to be in this together if we aren't actually together. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, speaks to the people of Corinth about how we are to be united as a body of Christ

Life can be complicated. We can trivialize everything or exaggerate everything, and it can create an extreme lack of clarity and can drift us far away from the basics. Just like life, do we complicate the gospel? Is heaven only for a specific denomination or group of people? Jon Opgenorth, president of Words of Hope, recenters us into recognizing that the gospel might not be as complicated as we think it is

A simple act or word of encouragement can go a long way. As Christians, how can we come alongside and encourage those who are experiencing some degree of pain and suffering? Even more, how can we find unity with those who think and believe differently than us?

With each new year, we are given a fresh opportunity to lean into the Lord and His ministry. We have all been given a race to run. As a church, what race are we running, and how are we running it?

When this life on earth ends, what happens next? Do we enter into an eternal sleep, or is there something more? We conclude our worship series, Clarity, on this topic, reading from 1 Corinthians 15

Today we highlight the missions we support worldwide and welcome one of our missionaries from Nicaragua, Adrianna Herrera, to hear about her missionary work and a message she has prepared: "Answer the Call."

In John 12, Jesus begins His triumphal ride into Jerusalem, riding on the back of a donkey, just as the Scriptures said He would. Palm Sunday reminds us of the cheerful welcome into the city that Jesus had, while days later, there would be great lamenting over his life and eventual death.

In the final chapter of John, we see Jesus with His disciples, and it's here that He reinstates Peter through the question, "do you love me?" What are we devoted to, and how do we show that devotion? Pastor Jon concludes the series on the book of John through the lens of devotion.

In the final hours of Jesus' life, He lifts His eyes to heaven and prays to the Father for three specific things: Himself, His disciples, and those who would come to believe in Him.

Through John 16, Jesus uses the word "will" several times, signifying that there multiple guarantees that He makes us. Guarantees that we will experience hardship, that we will mourn, but that we will also receive a joy from Him, and that He will give us a joy that will be complete. Jac Munson teaches from John 16 and, while we see the promise of hardship, we also see the fulfilled promise that we will have joy because Jesus has overcome this world.

Jesus uses this imagery of a vine as the source of life and sustainability for the branches that stem from it. Just as it's true for the plant, it's also true of us; He is the vine, we are the branches, and for us to experience true life that is offered, we must remain in Him. Pastor Jon teaches from John 15 on the importance of being attached to Jesus, the great vine.

On this Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate Christ's victory over death and the life that He has been resurrected to. Pastor Jon reads from John 20, the account of the disciples going to the empty tomb to find the stone rolled away, seeing with their own eyes the risen Lord.

Emily Orr, a congregation member here at Central, gives an in-depth look at the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, sharing different historical artifacts that and perspectives about what the last night of Jesus' life looked like.

Jesus promises that, when He is going to leave to go back to the Father, that He is going to remain with us through the giving of His Holy Spirit. This Spirit will be our helper, our advocate, and our encourager in times of trouble and great need. Because He has given us the Spirit, we can trust Him to take care of our every need

On the final night of His life, Jesus gathers with His disciples in the upper room for the Passover meal. As they argue who among them is the greatest, Jesus gets up from His seat and begins washing their feet, an act of humility so profound, it shows them how the greatest is to live. Jesus didn't come to be served but to serve, and we are to live by following that great example.

John 11 presents two remarkable events of Jesus' ministry: He claims to be the resurrection and the life, and He goes and resurrects Lazarus from the dead. In this passage, we see a different perspective of Jesus' love, one that's furious and stern, yet compassionate.

In John 10, Jesus gives us this image of a shepherd and the role it has over its sheep. The shepherd watches over the sheep, cares for the sheep, and the sheep intimately know this shepherd. Jesus declares Himself to be the Good Shepherd as He loves us, cares for us, and protects us.

In John 9, we see the miracle of the blind man receiving sight from Jesus. When he's pressed about who healed him and if Jesus was a sinner, the man replied, "what I do know is that I was blind but now I see." Why was this man healed, but so many people that we see suffer aren't? Pastor Jon Nelson explores that question through the lens of Jesus' grace and compassion.

Just after the Feast of Booths, Jesus finds Himself teaching in the temple courts, telling the listeners that He is the light of the world, and that by following Him, no one would walk in darkness, but they would have the light of life. Jesus boldly claims Himself to be the 'I Am' when talking to the religious leaders, which asks two questions of us: what does it look like to follow Jesus, and why should we follow Him?

During the Feast of Booths, Jesus stands up in the midst of the celebration and declares that He is the source of living water. This passage asks three very unique questions: who do the people say that Jesus is, who does Jesus say that He is, and who do we say that He is?

In this passage, we see three key moments in Jesus' ministry: feeding the five thousand, walking on water, and Jesus's claim to be the bread of life. To the wandering Israelites, bread was the symbol of God's presence and provision; that He gives us each day our daily bread. Jesus' claim here ensures us that He alone is the source of satisfaction, that everything that we need, we can find in Him alone.

In John 5, we see Jesus interact with this invalid man at the Pool of Bethesda. The man expected the pool to heal him, even after waiting for nearly 40 years. Jesus, to this man, was a complete stranger, but he was also the source of healing this man had spent his entire life looking for. In this life, how do we expect our lives to go, and what do we expect from God?

Pastor Jon Nelson continues our series reading from John 4, when Jesus famously meets the woman at the well.

In John 3, Jesus meets with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who comes seeking Jesus by night, discovers that Jesus is so much more than just a teacher; He is the Savior that has come into the world. Jac Munson walks us through the words of Jesus in John 3, seeing that Jesus is so much more than just a good teacher; He is the Savior of the world, and He is the complete fulfillment and demonstration of God's great love.

Terry Harris continues our series on the book of John, reading from John 2.

Pastor Jon kicks off a new series on the book of John, reading from John 1.

The birth of the baby Jesus has brought many things into this world. In the season of advent, we specifically think about the peace, hope, joy, and love that His birth has ushered in. His birth has given us joy, and this joy is not a circumstantial joy, but an internal assurance. No matter the struggle or difficulty at hand, Christ has given us joy.

In the season of advent, we think of the birth of Jesus and how it has brought peace on earth. Jesus, later on in the book of John, tells His disciples that He is going to leave His peace with them and that He's going to give it to them. What is this peace that Jesus gives, and how can we find it?

What is God's will for us? It's exactly what Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and always give thanks. This message of Thanksgiving reminds us that, as we live each and every day, that we are to be thankful for what God has given us.

The words that we share are powerful, and Peter's address of who Christ is in the book of Acts is one of the most powerful speeches that has ever been given in all of history. Pastor Jon looks into these words of Peter in Acts and discusses how they show us-that Jesus is the Messiah-the resurrection validates Jesus-the importance of repentance and forgiveness-the gift of the Holy Spirit-the birth of the church

In the story of Mary and Martha, it can be easy to divide it into two examples: what to do and what not to do. However, Jesus doesn't condemn Martha for doing the wrong thing. He simply acknowledges that Mary has chosen the better thing: sitting at His feet. For us today, how can we practice the act of Mary here by sitting at Jesus' feet?

To most, Jonah is all about him getting swallowed by a big fish, but the theme of his book is so much more. In these 4 chapters, Jonah offers three deep principles to our humanity: our deepest issue, our deepest frustration, and our deepest hope. Ultimately, Jonah's life would be a precursor to the Messiah that would come and would be in the grave three days and three nights, who would be the greatest source of hope to all of humanity.

When Jerusalem was overtaken and exiled into Babylon, Daniel was among those taken captive. Babylon was polytheistic and overrun with idol worship, yet Daniel remained true to the one true God. He shows us how to engage in our cultures, finding the balance of assimilation vs. separation, because we are to serve the one true King, Jesus.

Because we serve a big and powerful God, we can easily find Him in big and grand moments. But what if He also presents Himself in the small and ordinary? When the prophet Elijah encounters the living God on the mountain, God doesn't present Himself in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in the still, quiet whisper. Pastor Jon recognizes that there are many big moments that we tend to look into for God, but that we are to also be aware of the gentle, lowly moments as well.

David was a mighty king, but he also battled with sin, and many times it influenced his faithfulness. Yet, despite his record of what he had done, God still redeemed him to fulfill the promise of the everlasting kingdom that would come through his house. Even today, we face the same battle with sin because of Adam, but we also face forgiveness and glory because of Jesus.

When we think of courage in the Bible, Joshua is one of the first characters that comes to mind. After his mentor Moses died before reaching the Promised Land, Joshua is raised up and takes God's people into the place they had been longing for. Because of that incredible quest, Joshua is a man full of courage who shows his faithful allegiance to the one true God. Pastor Jon encourages us that, with Joshua's life in mind, that we are to be courageous in our world today by remaining firm in faith, loving others well, and forgiving others in true courage.

Moses, the accredited author of the first 5 books of the Bible, leads the nation of Israel out of the land of Egypt in search of the Promised Land, where they would be free of oppression and released from slavery. However, for God's people, the story doesn't end there. What seemed to be the ultimate deliverance to them was just a foreshadowing of the ultimate salvation that would come through the true Messiah of Israel—Jesus. Jac Munson recounts the life of Moses, drawing parallels and connections to how Moses' life points us to the life that was to come in Jesus Christ.

Joseph the Patriarch is well-known for his technicolor coat that he gets from his father, which then gets him wrongfully accused from Potiphar's wife. However, Joseph's story runs much deeper than the monumental stories we've learned about his life, but that his entire story—and life—point us to Jesus. Jac Munson parallels the life of Joseph to Jesus, showing us how Joseph's story of redemption points us to the greatest story of redemption of all.

All throughout the Scriptures, we meet and read of individuals who have set an example in faith. Some of them lived righteously while others lived disobediently. In this series, Faith Influencers, we're reading 12 stories of those who set great and not-so-great examples of faith. Pastor Jon kicks off this series talking about Adam and Eve and their interaction with God in the garden of Eden, and how we don't have to live in a state of shame.

At Central, there are two sacraments that we take part in: baptism and communion. How do we as a church approach these sacraments? Pastor Jon provides insight on Central's belief on both baptism and communion

In Genesis 2, we see the first mention of 'death' in the Bible. But what does it mean? Is it the material life we know passing away, or is it so much more? Jac Munson expounds on this concept of death by talking about the word 'nephesh,' a Hebrew term that encapsulates the entire essence of life, and how Jesus will one day restore us to a complete nephesh because of His resurrection.

The Heidelberg Catechism is a document of teachings that focuses on theological principles that we get from Scripture, and is a series of questions and answers that focus on the faith. In the first question and answer, it asks us, "What is your only comfort in life and in death?" Pastor Jon opens up this new series by answering that question, reminding us that our only hope in anything we experience, both in life and in death, is in Jesus Christ.

In Acts 8, there is a moment when Philip has a monumental encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch, and this encounter changes his life. The eunuch believes and is immediately baptized. As we continue to follow Jesus today, what is our approach to evangelizing in our culture to those around us? Pastor Jon looks at this account and challenges us to have the boldness of Philip by loving Jesus and sharing His good news with those around us.

As Paul concludes this letter to the church, he gives them a strong warning to withdraw from living idle lives and to avoid the brothers who were walking in idleness. In his final prompt, he tells them to "not grow weary in doing good," knowing that the example that they were to set was to follow the example that Paul set while he was with them.