Destination Church Spokane Podcast

Is the church still relevant today? Many cultures across the world answer, "No." And yet, God speaks of a multi-faceted wisdom that He has chosen to reveal through the church. How can we discover and be a part of God's intent for the church? Paul's words in Ephesians 3:7-13 point the way.

What was a mystery to previous generations, God is now revealing through Christ. The mystery, as Paul declares it to the Ephesians, is that the Gentiles - the Nations of the world - are now co-inheritors together by grace, with full membership as chosen people of God. What's more, we are also "partakers of promise" with full inclusion in the gospel! We are not merely spectators, but called to partake together, to taste and drink in, all the wonderful blessing of Christ. This great grace is not only for us, but also for us to steward on behalf of one another.

A house is not the same thing as a home, is it? God is doing more than building a functional house; He's also building a home, and He's building us together into the household. Building us on apistolic and prophetic foundations, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone, we are being fitted together as a family on mission that carries God's very presence.

In Ephesians 2 Paul reminds the Ephesians that they were once Gentiles and separate from Christ, but now because of Jesus they have been brought near. Jesus, destroying the barrier of division and hostility, calls the Jews and the Gentiles together to become one new man, one new people with Christ. Do you feel far from God? Without Christ we were separate from God, excluded from citizenship in His kingdom, and without hope. But Jesus is always near! He provides hope and has invited us to be a part of His family: a united people proclaiming peace with one another and living out His purpose. This blessing and invitation is for all of us!

Do you ever feel dead? Or at least not very alive? Like you're stuck in your sin and just can't seem to live like you feel you should? The Bible says that before Christ we were dead in our sins, incapable of life. But in Christ we are now, by grace through faith, made spiritually alive, raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places with Jesus! What a wonderful gift it is to be alive in Christ!

Does God really want to be known? Does He really want you to know Him? The answer from Scripture is a resounding yes! As Matt Deisen from River's Edge Church encourages us in this week's message from the end of Ephesians Chapter 1, we discover that, through the Holy Spirit, we can know Jesus more deeply than the earliest disciples did prior to his death and resurrection. The implications will shape every aspect of our life!

Do you find hope in God's sovereignty? Do you think of yourself as having a significant role in His sovereign plan and purpose? Is there any evidence that we really are a part of His eternal plan? Yes, and the Holy Spirit is given to every believer as a downpayment on everything else that God has promised!

What does it mean for us when Paul writes to the Ephesians that "we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places"? Can it really be true that through Christ, the blessings of heaven are ours today? Yes, and we get to enjoy these blessings because we have been chosen in Christ! Paul goes on to claim that we are also predestined for adoption through Christ. This means that before the very world was made, God chose us - hand-picked us - to be His children. Because of this stunning reality, in Christ, we have now also been redeemed and forgiven, and the riches of God's grace are lavished upon us. The question is, "Are we living as if all of this is true?"

Paul's greeting to the Ephesians is absolutely loaded with wonderful promise and truth. In this introduction to his letter to the church in Ephesus, we discover the power of being commissioned by God, the joy of being called a holy people, and the security of being a people to whom God has extended his unmerited favor, divine enablement, and total reconciliation. And to top it all off, we are included among those who can call God "Father." All of this is ours because of Jesus Christ.

Is the typical church gathering today a good representation of what the Apostle Paul says it should look like "when we come together"? What should our gathering look like? Does it have to be the same for everyone and every church? No, but there are some exciting things that all of us can and should expect! It might not be what you think...

What do you immediately think of when you imagine a church worshiping together? For each of us, media and our own experiences probably shape our thoughts on this topic. In today's podcast, we'll explore a few principles from Colossians 3:16-17 on the content of our worship together. For example, what exactly are psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? Is there a difference? What does it mean to sing with grace in our hearts? Is it more important that we sing true things about God, or that we express our hearts to God in adoration? What if this snapshot of worship is developed in a local church community? The results will reflect the joys of the kingdom of God among us.

Why would Jesus travel into Samaria, a place most Jews tried to avoid? One reason is to bring good news to a woman with a traumatic history of brokenness. His conversation with her opens a window into Jesus' thoughts on what it means to really worship God. Have you ever wondered what Jesus may say regarding the ways we worship, and what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth? Enjoy discovering our Father' heart for worship and for those who worship Him!

Seeing elders established in a local church is an excellent blessing! As we recognize the gift of leadership God has developed in members of the Destination Church family, it's an opportunity to also look at what Jesus and the early apostles taught regarding elders and leadership in general. Radically different than many Western Christians may assume, elders are not domineering CEO-types, but servant leaders who help the church fulfill its calling.

As Paul and Silas were in prison, after being beaten, they start to sing hymns to The Lord. As they sing, an earthquake hits and the chains fall off of all the prisoners and the cell doors open. The jailer wakes up in fear that the prisoners have escaped, but Paul calls out, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer then asks how he can be saved too. This is amazing! When we praise God, He responds. We shouldn't only praise God when we feel like it. We praise Him because He is worthy, even when we don't feel like it, and He is faithful to reveal Himself. 

Those who don't at first believe the gospel are in good company. When Jesus' closest disciples hear the news of his resurrection from the dead... they don't believe it either!  Is God still committed to spreading the good news through these doubters? Yes, and in this conclusion to our series on Mark, we discover that Jesus wants us on board with proclaiming this same good news! His commission to us comes with heaven's power, protection, and partnership, and we can receive this fresh commission from Christ along with the earliest hearers of the gospel.

All of the Gospel of Mark has led to this moment. Jesus had said multiple times that he would die, and that he would rise again. Early Sunday morning several women come to the place where Jesus was buried, wondering who will role away the stone for them so they can prepare Jesus' body more sufficiently for long-term burial.  Not only has the giant stone been moved, but Jesus is not there. What has happened?! If it's really true that Jesus has risen from the dead then this changes absolutely everything, and there is hope for all of us!

As Jesus is on the cross, the sky over the entire region is filled with darkness. Jesus cries out to His father saying, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus is experiencing, for the first time, the weight of sin as well as separation from God. Jesus, who had never known sin, is taking the judgment for the sins of all who will believe, so that we can be free. As Jesus breathes His last breath, he cries, "It is finished!" The curtain of the temple breaks from top to bottom, separating the barrier between God and mankind. The centurion overseeing Jesus' death notices something about how He died, and says, "Surely this man was the Son of God." Jesus' death is confirmed, and He is laid in a tomb with the entrance sealed shut. 

Jesus knows the root of all of our struggles, weather it be comfort, control, power, or approval. He doesn't plan for us to go through these struggles alone. God intended for the church to be like a family, and if we really are a family then we have each other to lean on in the hard times. We have people we can learn from and be influenced by, and we have people that learn from us. Who is God wanting you to learn from? Who is God reaching with your story? 

As Jesus is being led into the palace and out to Golgotha to be crucified, the soldiers and the crowds mock Him. A crown of twisted thorns is placed on His head, purple garments are temporarily placed on His body, He is spit on and beaten, and hung up on the cross. The crowd mocks Jesus' authority as they shout, "Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." In the middle of the torture, Jesus sees the whole plan. Because Jesus loves us, He endured the pain and suffering and He died for us! He suffered and died for the joy set before Him, that we would be saved. 

Early in the morning, Jesus is handed over to Pilate (the Roman leader in the area at the time) and put on trial yet again. Just as the last time, Jesus is accused of many things, but He remains silent except on the matter of if He is the king of the Jews. Following customs, a prisoner picked by the crowd is offered to be released. The crowd is asked if they would like to release a prisoner named Barabbas, or Jesus, king of the Jews. Barabbas is chosen to go free, and Jesus takes his place as the substitute as the crowd shouts, "Crucify him!" Jesus doesn't only take the place of one man, He actually took the place for every sin ever committed. Jesus, the only perfect one, took the place for you and me, so our identity is no longer found in sin but in Him.