Capital City Christian Church | Podcast

"Good Friday and Easter Sunday are no accident. They’re not folklore to make an ugly moment in history look better. They are not twists on history controlled by those in power. They’re not even the backup plans of God, as if God’s plans were hijacked by man. I mean, can you imagine God watching all of this play out in real time, surprised that man was able to kill Jesus? As if God just sits there for two days, and He’s angry and He’s grieving and all the different emotions because they’ve killed Jesus. They’ve ruined it. And He’s pouty and mopey, and then He realizes, “Oh yeah, I’m God. I can just bring Him back to life.” Do you think that’s what happened? It doesn’t make sense. This was the plan all along — from Genesis 3 to the psalms to the gospels and Jesus’s very own words. It was always Jerusalem. It was always the religious leaders. It was always the cross, and it was always the tomb. Because He came to conquer our sin problem, and He came to conquer the separation that our sin caused. He came to conquer death." Ben Webb, Lead Minister

"You see, sometimes we want to respect Jesus as a “great teacher,” but that’s all. Or, we want to use him as a helper when we need him … when we need him. Sometimes we want a Jesus who will sign on to our agenda. But we resist calling him “Lord,” or “Master.” We want his strength, and his comfort … but resist surrender. We want him to be kind of like this benevolent spiritual force we can tap into when we want … instead of an intensely personal God. But Jesus will not be the Messiah you want. He is the Messiah you need. He’s God, guys. He’s King. And being a Jesus follower means being a Jesus “follower” … He leads. He leads when you get it, and when you don’t. He leads when you agree with him, and when you don’t. He leads when you like it, and when you don’t. Because he is king … the divine–human king. None of this, “It’s my life, who made you the boss of me” nonsense. None of this, “Follow your own path, live your own truth, you choose what’s right for you,” nonsense. He’s … Lord. Do you get that? Psalm 110 is about divine-human messiah, a divine-human king." Stephen "Doc" Pattison, Growth Pastor

"And bottom line, I need the Good Shepherd, and you need the Good Shepherd. • Because, the reality is, we wander off, and sometimes we get flat out lost. • In fact, sometimes the paths we take lead directly into degradation and danger. • And we follow the wrong leaders, sometimes … we follow other sheep! • Or we just blaze our own paths … how is that working out for you? • And we come against barriers we can’t scale, enemies we can’t defeat, dangers we can’t escape … on our own. • And when we fall, which we do, repeatedly, we can’t fix ourselves. We need our souls “restored,” … a lot. Guys, here it is … listen: All of us follow someone, all of us follow something … So choose well!" Stephen "Doc" Pattison, Teaching Pastor

We said it this way in passing last week: Prophecy is a miraculous spiritual gift where people receive revelation from God. God gives them something that they wouldn't know or wouldn't understand other than God miraculously giving it to them. And then the one who receives the message is expected to speak that message. The message is for the community. It’s for God’s people. And when they speak the message, it’s under divine inspiration. Prophecy is an act of truth-telling. And most of the time truth doesn’t feel nice. Usually when God authors a prophecy, it serves as a warning to shape up or he's going to show up. So, most of the time, prophecy reveals truth.

"I want to start with this picture from 2nd Corinthians to lay a foundation of what giving and generosity should look like. Because on top of that foundation, I want to get to one last really big idea for this series. And it may catch you off guard. For all Jesus Followers, giving is a command. But for some Jesus Followers – for some of you in this room – giving is more than a command. For some, giving is an act of giftedness. For some, God has given you the ability to excel in giving. For some Jesus Followers, giving is more than an act of faithfulness or obedience. It’s a giftedness."

So, we may not be able to point at this specific time and place where Jesus said, "It's more blessed to give than to receive." But those words, I think, perfectly sum up Jesus' ethic. Jesus was all about generosity. Giving and being generous aligns us with God's generous nature. It's who God is. It's what God does. Giving and being generous is being like God. Giving and being generous is being like Jesus. And Jesus says that it's better to be a giver than to be a receiver. It's better to be a conduit of blessing to the people around us than to be a consumer of blessings. Do you believe that? It's kind of a hard thing to believe. It's not what our intuition says. It's not what we would assume. Why is it more blessed to give than to receive? Why is giving more blessed?

Bottom line, don’t test God … don’t test God … unless … unless … God says, “Test me.” Which God does … only once in the Bible. It’s wrong to test God, but it’s equally wrong to disobey God if he tells us, explicitly, “Test me.” … Let me show you.

Our heart is connected to wherever we put our treasure. We FEED whatever is most important to us. So, if your heart is in two children while ignoring five other children, that means that your treasure is going to go to those two children, right? If your heart is in your career and not in your family, then your time is going to go to your career. Or maybe your heart is in your stuff — the accumulation of things. If that's where your heart is, then your money's going to go there too. Which means that your money isn’t going to God. Because we subsidize what we love. Where our heart is, where our passion is, where our love is … will be where we put our attention, our time, and our money. The Bible challenges us to put God first. And the Bible challenges us to prove it with our money. It's one thing to say that you've made God the priority in your life — your money will rat you out. Your money will reveal whether or not God is first.

Maybe you would ask: do I have to give money to be a Jesus Follower or to be a part of the church? Again, all good questions. Maybe you want to know why I would care what you give. Well, I don’t know what you give. But that question does get closer to the bigger, more important question. Which is, why does God care what we do with our money? That’s the big question. Why does God even care? What’s the big deal? Of all the things that Jesus tells us to pay attention to … of all the things that God commands us to do — why money? That’s a great question. I think it deserves more than just a quick answer.

A story of hardship is interesting. But a story of hardship that intersects with Jesus and creates transformation has power to it. A story like that has the ability to move someone. YOUR STORY MAY BE THE STIMULUS THAT SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT JESUS.

But when we think about commitment to serving, just remember Jesus who didn't stop after washing the disciples feet that night. He continued to serve all the way to the cross where his body and his blood were broken for you and me. And today his words that Luke records for us ring loud and true to those of us who call ourselves his followers. Take up your cross daily and follow me. And if you can't, you're not worthy of being one of mine. He's calling each of us to a radically different lifestyle than this world calls us to. Not a lifestyle of status, but of service. Not a lifestyle of happiness, but one of blessedness that comes from serving others. You know, Jesus said, you call me teacher and Lord. And you're right, because that's what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I've given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. What do you say?"

"We’re saying food fills our stomachs and it fills our souls. Eating meets a physical need, and eating together can meet a spiritual need. And we’ve said it’s not really about the food itself. It’s about what you intend to do with that opportunity. All of this is about reaching the “ones” in your life. JUST 1 PLUS 5. Sharing a meal will give you opportunities to prove love while also reaching a new depth of relationship with one another. Because eating together has that potential to grow relationship with one another, to create a deeper trust, to create a deeper bond, to create a deeper experience that you can have with one another. And that opens the door to bigger conversations. It opens the door to a deeper spiritual depth. I think sharing a meal makes us real. I think it breaks down barriers. It helps us find common ground. Especially when combined with listening. Last week we talked about the power of listening. We said it this way: “Being heard is so close to being loved that it’s almost indistinguishable.”

“Being heard is so close to being loved that, for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.” This quote comes from a guy named David Augsburger. He was a preacher, writer, and counselor. Do you agree with this quote? Do you feel this? Is there something in this that resonates deeply within you? If you made a short list of the people you like the most, you’ll probably find a common theme that each of them will … listen to you. Doesn’t something awaken within you when someone stops what they’re doing to give you their attention? When you’re having a conversation with someone and they can communicate back to you that they understand you, or that they can relate to you, doesn’t that do something to your heart? Doesn’t it feel like … being loved?

We have some momentum. We’re consistently seeing life change happening in this church. So, I think it's the perfect time to double down. And I'm going to challenge you to participate. I’m not concerned with the 64 different people who baptized someone last year. I'm not worried about the people in the room who have five people they are working on. You're excited about what God has been doing in your life, and you're motivated to share that into the lives of the people that you know and the relationships that you have. Keep going. Keep doing what you’re doing. “Just one” is to encourage the rest of us to get in the game. This is for those who haven’t intentionally identified someone who needs to know Jesus. This is for those who haven’t developed a strategy of how you could bring someone to Jesus. Can you find your one? Maybe you don't recognize the opportunities. Maybe you don't have the courage to step into those opportunities. Maybe you don't think you have the wisdom to know how to lead someone to Jesus. Your invited to be a part of something big. I want you to come and be a part of something big. Maybe you’ve been sitting back and cheering us on this past year. It's great that you're happy about what's happening here in this church. Even better is if you would participate. Come be a part of what we’re doing.

"So, we’re going to challenge our whole church family to go through the Bible this next year using a plan called Core 52. A really sharp Pastor and Bible Prof by the name of Mark Moore -- he is the guy you saw in the video this morning – Anyway, Mark Moore has identified 52 of the most power-packed passages in the Bible … one big idea a week. By the end of 2026 you will have thought through most all of the big ideas of the Bible. It’s really cool! One guy describes the plan like this: “Think of Core52 as your “FastPass” for knowing God’s Word, by-passing the lines of minutia, pushing you to the front of the biggest ideas of the Bible. It is the quickest route to move someone from curiosity to confidence in mastering the core message of Scripture and shaping a Christian worldview.” Guys, you want to know the Bible better because you know the Bible will make you better. You want that … life to the fullest, that rich and satisfying life, where the yoke is easy, and the burden is light, and you find rest for your souls. If you join us, you are going to be getting into the Word, and, we hope, we believe, the Word will be getting into you. God is really good at working on you through his Word." Stephen "Doc" Pattison, Teaching Pastor

I don't know your specific reason for why you need hope. But I do know hope is directly related to living in this broken world. Hope is something that you cling to when you can't have what you are waiting for. So, while you wait, you need some hope. And … you need some resurrection. That’s where hope is found. What's fascinating about Christian hope is that it's not rooted in something in the future. It's rooted in something that has already happened in the past. Our hope is in an event that’s already happened. The resurrection of Jesus is the catalyst. The resurrection changes things here and now. We don't sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" in the same kind of way, because He's here. He showed up. It's already done. And when He left, He left us the Holy Spirit so we wouldn't be alone. God is with us right now.

Here’s the real question: Do you think the sorrow diminished, or extinguished, the joy? Does your pain diminish, or extinguish, your joy? There’s always a boatload of pain in the middle of our Christmas stories. Families that are not at peace. Maybe there is someone who can’t come home, or won’t come home, or someone you lost. Maybe there is pain because you couldn’t give the gifts you wanted, or maybe the gifts you did give were unwanted. For many, the apparent joy of others only intensifies the loneliness and unhappiness they themselves feel. So, does your pain diminish, or extinguish, your joy? Joy is easy in the context of a manger. Joy is easy when our choreography comes true. But what about when our plans are shattered. What about in the context of brokenness? Or what about in the face of evil? Is joy still possible in the context of the slaughter?

Have you ever struggled because you can’t figure out what God is up to? Have you ever felt like you weren’t in the know, that there were secrets being kept from you? Have you ever wished that you could see and know and understand God’s plans? Have you ever felt like you weren’t important enough to be chosen by God? The Christmas story is one of the most ultimate “I know something you don’t know” moments in history. But there is an incredible twist to the story … something that you wouldn’t anticipate … something that might catch you completely off guard. God knows something you don’t know — and that probably is not breaking news. There ought to be a lot of things that God knows that I don’t know or that you don’t know. But the twist, the thing that catches you off guard, is that He wants you to know. There’s something God knows that He desperately wants you to know, and once you know, once you know what God knows that other people don’t know, He wants you to want others to know it.

If peace is something that you are missing, don’t be afraid of the wrong things. Put your fear in the Lord and find his mercy pour out in your life, and it will be peace to your heart. It starts by making peace with God. That is, after all, what this is all about. That’s why Jesus showed up in the first place — not because he simply just wanted to ease our fears, not to simply call us to follow him, not to simply even be with us. Jesus showed up to resolve the chaos that exists in the relationship that we have with God. Sin has damaged our relationship with God, and Jesus shows up to usher in peace. So, it starts with being at peace ourselves with God. But when that happens, it translates out into every edge of our lives. When we can accept our role as God’s servant just like Mary does, where she says, “I am the Lord’s servant,” if we can accept that; and when we choose to live with Immanuel — God with us — because God’s offered it and he’s available and he wants to; if we can be the Lord’s servant and we can let God live with us, then that phrase “do not be afraid” makes a whole lot more sense, and we can live with courage, and peace wins out.

"Paul says, “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in…” Now I just want you to imagine how you would anticipate this verse ending. How do you think it ends? It welled up in … welts … beatings? That would make sense. Maybe it welled up in … gold stars and a thumbs-up from God? Maybe even better. Maybe welled up in … eternal rewards … heaven? Paul says, “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in RICH GENEROSITY.” Rich generosity. God gives them something great — Paul calls it a grace. Then Paul says that their life is hard, but Paul says that they have overflowing joy … and they have extreme poverty. And then Paul says all of those things turn into … rich generosity. Rich generosity." Ben Webb, Lead Minister

You probably know that as people get older, they tend to lose their filters. They just say things that might not have said when they were younger. It just comes out. Sometimes old people think they have earned the right to let loose. But here’s the deal: If, when you look inside, you see you in you, then what comes out in those “unguarded moments” is probably going to be pretty ugly. If, on the other hand, you look inside and you see Christ in you … then I don’t care if you lose your filters, because what comes out is going to be God-honoring. And here it is guys, I can put up with babies who act like babies. But when old guys like me still act like babies, that’s intolerable. I know, I’ll be battling with my “self” till the day I die. And I suspect most all of you will be battling your “self” till the day you die. But I hope we spend most of our time at a level 3 maturity, with occasional forays into level 4, with very, very little time at levels 1 or 2. Do you get that? Life truth #3: Christian maturity is a choice we make, every day till the day we die, not a state we achieve. So where are you? How are you doing?

So, look at the people God picks. Each of them looks weak at some point in their life. Each of them looks unqualified. They aren’t the first choice. Each of them even have a great moment of failure. And yet … each of them have moments of great success — moments when you could potentially call them a … MIGHTY WARRIOR. What is it that makes them a mighty warrior? Is it something that they have within them? Is it something they are able to do on their own? Is it the potential that God sees in them? Or is it something else? Here’s the answer, and then I’ll show it to you. MIGHTY WARRIORS never set out to be hero’s. They only set out to do what God asks them to do … and then God puts them in over their head so the sufficiency comes from him.

God has made peace with you through Jesus. You didn't deserve it. You didn't earn it. But it’s true none-the-less. God made a two-way agreement with you where one side provided all of the collateral. And through it, he created reconciliation between you and God. But it comes with future expectations. If you are at peace with God, then you are to help other people come to peace with God. You are Christ's ambassadors and you carry the ministry of reconciliation. So don't go starting wars. Don't go picking fights. Don't go needling opposition. Jesus followers don't contribute to war — we contribute to peace. Your job is to help people get right with God just like Jesus worked to get people right with God.

So, where does God keep what is most valuable? It’s not in some sort of a safe that is in heaven. It’s not under lock and key. It’s not something that is hidden behind guard. It’s not something that He has security systems for to make sure that no one would come and mess with what’s most valuable to Him. God has placed what is most valuable to him — the truth of the gospel — in those who have accepted that truth. GOD LOVES TO USE THE ORDINARY. GOD LOVES TO GIVE UNCOMMON USE TO WHAT IS COMMON.

"Our perception, our expectation, says MORE JESUS EQUALS MORE RULES AND MORE CONDEMNATION AND LESS FREEDOM. That’s what we believe, so that’s what we expect. The gospel changes and reverses our perspective because the reality is: MORE JESUS EQUALS MORE FREEDOM AND LESS CONDEMNATION. Is it true? Is the gospel about freedom and not rules? Because some people think that the Bible is a really big book of rules. This is just one passage. I could be cherry-picking. I could be pulling one piece out that kind of slipped in somehow to the whole. Is that what’s happening here? Is it true that the gospel brings freedom, not rules?"

Guys, the gospel changes our perspective. Our perspective says avoid trouble at all cost. Our perspective says run from hardship, avoid struggles, pretend they don't happen, dodge negative energy. We see trouble, we see affliction as chaotic or some sort of a random piece of artwork that doesn't make any sense. But the gospel changes our perspective. If we can move a little and see the troubles and the afflictions of this life a little differently, then we begin to see a masterpiece of artwork. Look at God. He was willing to die for us to make all things right. When we see a God whose character is compassion and comfort, suddenly hardship and struggles and troubles and afflictions … don't seem so intimidating. Hardship and struggles and troubles and affliction, they become the things that cause us to experience a really good God. It’s an uncomfortable truth, but you need to hear it. You cannot know a God of comfort without a life of trouble.