Bridgetown Audio Podcast

From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and yet, for many in the Modern West, the Spirit is a familiar stranger. How do we know the Holy Spirit, not as a force to be captured but as a person to know and be known by?

From "Vision Series 2021."

From "Vision Series 2021." A brief look at the vision and future of Bridgetown Church, and leaning into the idea of first century discipleship that Jesus called us to.

From the series "Preaching The Gospel."

From the series "Preaching The Gospel." Our fifth and final best practice for preaching the gospel is to simply bear witness: to live in a way that begs the question. Most of “evangelism” in the early church was simply people living a radically different and deeply good life, and scores of people being drawn into the beauty of the gospel. Millions found Jesus so compelling they were willing to die for him. Do we?

From the series "Preaching The Gospel." In John, Jesus talks about us accomplishing even greater works than He did. But demonstrating the Kingdom of God is often more ordinary, and every day, than we expect.

From the series "Preaching The Gospel." When our methods are old and do not meet the current cultural context, how do we effectively preach the Gospel in Portland?

From the series "Preaching The Gospel." Hesitation toward evangelism is rooted in the fallacy, “God shows up when I show up,” which couldn’t be further from the truth. In this week’s teaching, we learn how to join the pursuing work of God in the lives of the lost.

From the series "Preaching The Gospel." Jesus “came eating and drinking.” If he had a “method of evangelism,” that was it: eat a meal with people far from God. And all through the New Testament, apprentices of Jesus are commanded to follow his example through the practice of hospitality. Something as radically ordinary and setting a table can create space for people far from God to experience the Father’s warm welcome into his family.

From the series "Preaching The Gospel." The word “gospel” means different things to different people in the American church, and many of them are misunderstandings of the gospel of Jesus. At their worst, these misunderstandings are obstacles to a life of discipleship. In this teaching we compare and contrast the four American gospels with Jesus’ gospel.

From the series "Preaching The Gospel." We kick off our practice of Preaching the Gospel with an honest conversation about why our generation is emotionally triggered by the idea of “evangelism,” as well as the possibility that part of the reason is because we’ve misunderstood what the gospel even is.

From the series "Gospel of Matthew." God’s plan has always been to bless all the peoples of the earth.

From the series "Gospel of Matthew." God’s people spent centuries living under the oppression of empires, waiting for Him to rescue them and set the world straight. Finally, God seems to begin that work. Jesus arrives proclaiming that God’s Kingdom is finally coming through Him and people are convinced. They put their hope in Jesus but then Rome kills Him. Days later, two stories begin to circulate. Some of those in power say that Jesus’ corpse had been stolen, but a woman claims that she saw Jesus back from the dead. Which story will you trust?

From the series "Gospel of Matthew."

From the series "Gospel of Matthew."

From the series "Gospel of Matthew."

From the series "Race & Justice."

From the series "Gospel of Matthew."

Recovering a holy imagination by seeing Pentecost from the final scene of Acts. What does the power of the Holy Spirit mean for a church under house arrest?

As followers of Jesus, we believe that God speaks to each of us today through words of encouragement and prophecy. We want to be people who are equipped to step into prophetic ministry over others, making more space for the Spirit of God to move.

From the series "Gospel of Matthew." How can we learn from the Biblical figures who came before us to navigate our current cultural moment? We must root ourselves in Jesus to avoid a failure of nerve and a failure of heart.

From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus confronts hypocrisy in church leaders and calls his followers to a different way. In a time when deconstruction is the cultural tide we swim in and disillusionment with pastors is widespread and well-earned, there is a lot we can learn from Jesus.

From the series "Gospel of Matthew." In this well-known but little-understood teaching of Jesus, we discover that love is the measure of spiritual maturity. Nothing else. And that Jesus’s definition of love is very different from that of our host culture. Yet again, Jesus’ life and vision is incredibly compelling and offers us a new way to be human.

From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus is confronted by those who seek to trap him. His response is not only genius but offers a new theonomy and way of doing money.

From the series "Gospel of Matthew." As we look at the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem, we learn that moving through our disappointment uproots our limited human perspective and allows us to openhandedly receive the greater good that God is after.

From the series "Future Church." In the life of Jesus, we discover three ways in which He brings His people into the Kingdom of God; mercy, justice, and peace. How can we find the pressure points in Portland to be people of justice?

From the series "Future Church." For Easter, we examine the "gospel" of Jesus for what it is: good news. About something that happened in the past that has changed our present and altered the trajectory of our future forever.

From the series "Future Church." Our culture keeps us in the cycle of exhaustion, burnout and spiritual death. As a church community our desire is to become a culture of rest as a prophetic witness to the promise of rest that Jesus brings to us. In this teaching we explore the practice of Sabbath and how it habituates us towards the rest our souls need.

From the series "Future Church." In Western, urban culture, work for many people is far more than a way to pay rent; it’s a quasi-religion people look to for identity, community, and purpose. Against that backdrop is the biblical theology of work as an expression of love and serve to God and neighbor. In this teaching we explore the vision of work as an act of kavanah through the practice of vocation.

After a season of prayer and fasting, with deep sensitivity to the Spirit, our Elders and Board of Directors have a very important announcement about a transition in the next season of Bridgetown Church. Listen to learn all the details.

From the series "Future Church." Jesus had an uncanny ability to turn enemies into guests and guests into family. He did this through "radically ordinary hospitality," just eating meals around a table. Few practices are more important for the healing of our divided nation than hospitality.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

From the series "Future Church." All around us people are angry. But behind all the vitriol and hate, people are afraid. But Jesus' vision of the church is a community of peace. A community who live from a deep place of quiet calm in God. We cultivate this inner life through the practice of silence and solitude.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

From the series "Future Church." Listen to a Q&R on deconstruction and doubt with A.J. Swoboda and John Mark Comer as we ask how we can question our faith without losing it.

From the series "Future Church." Listen to a lecture from A.J. Swoboda, author of the book After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith without Losing It, as we discuss the reality of deconstruction in the church. Is there a way to walk faithfully through doubt and come out the other side with a deeper love for Jesus, the church, and its tradition? Can we question our faith without losing it?

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

From the series "Future Church." We live in a fascinating moment when culture is becoming both more moral (in particular around human rights) and less moral at the same time. The moral relativism of secularism cannot hold a soul (much less a society) together. In this moment, Jesus' call to holiness is more acute than ever before. While for many, the word "holiness" comes with the baggage of fear and shame, it's actually about joy. In this teaching we explore holiness, a theology of the body, and the practice of fasting as a path to joy in God.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.

A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.