Capital City Christian Church | Podcast

We decided to call this series "Blood Stained Pews" because we want CapCity to be a place where the wounded find healing, irrespective of what uniform they might where. So, we are tackling some of the roadblocks that everyone struggles with to prevent healing. Today we are discussing guilt and shame, which probably cripple more Jesus followers than anything else.

Do you struggle with "pride"? It may be the most common and the most dangerous of sins. Let us show you...

Too often, we present the church as a sterile place...all clean and neat. We hide out wounds, and we get uncomfortable when others expose theirs. And, too often wear masks and pretend we are better than we know we really are. We make others wear them too, and wounds that are hidden never heal. And, we know we can not fix ourselves; we've tried. But, God can, God will, restore us, heal us, transform us...if we let him.

I bet you never thought of yourself as a bad guy. But I am guessing that in the past year or so, you chatted with your non-Christian friend that didn’t go well, or you’ve overheard breakroom talk between work colleagues expressing anger over Christian views on a particular issue, or you’ve read or watched a piece in the media taking potshots at biblical ethics. That hurts to find out that we are viewed as the “bad guys.” How? When? -Why did that happen?” In the eyes of much of Western Society, Christians (true Jesus-followers) are the bad guys, and Christianity (Jesus) is the problem. Let us show you.

So, we've spent the last five months laying out the evidence for God, and for Jesus as the Son of God. What if we're right? If that is so then a story has been unfolding since before time and you're part of it. Let us show you...

The evidence is clear...that Jesus is who He claimed to be. And so, they killed Him - brutally. He was clearly dead. Then, they buried Him. All of His followers were completely disillusioned. If Jesus had stayed dead, then He was a liar, or He was a lunatic, and you need to turn your back and walk away from Him. BUT, if Jesus is alive, then there is nothing more important in your life than to bend your knees to Him. If He is alive, then what He said about Himself is true, what He demands is right, and what He promises we should take to the bank. So, today we are going to look at the resurrection of Jesus. This is the final piece in our "God Cancelled" series. This is why we are Christians today. We believe He is alive. That is where the evidence points. Let us show you...

Was there really a Jesus...of history? Did He really claim to be God? Can the stories of the Bible be trusted? Can the testimony of early Jesus' followers be trusted? Bottom line, was He really the most devilish liar ever, the craziest lunatic ever, or God Himself? Because that is what the Bible says.

If you're not going to worship Jesus, if you are not going to accept him as your Savior, Lord, and God, you had better hope He stayed dead. Because if Jesus was right and you're not living your life for Him, with Him, His way, then you're hosed.

We don't care who you are, where you've been, or what you have done; the two biggest decisions you will ever have to make are 1. Does God exist? And 2. Is Jesus, the son of God? These are not "ideas" that you can agree with or not. Christianity is not some idea you can "like" or "not like." Christianity is not about a way of life, a religion, or a set of rules that you can opt for or not. There is either a God, or there's not. And Jesus is either the Son of God, or He's not. The evidence for God is powerful - let us show you.

We've been in our apologetic series since January. We have explored: "Why we believe in God. Does believing in God make more sense than not believing in God?" And we have been looking at "evidence" to support our belief. Francis Collins, one of the leading scientists in our country today, started out as an atheist. But, he began to wonder whether he had chosen his atheism because of reason or because it was the answer he wanted. He was honest enough to dig in and examine the evidence as a scientist. Based on the preponderance of the evidence, he concluded that God does exist, and Jesus really is the Son of God. What would it take for you to believe?

We believe that the hunger you have for happiness, for the perfect job, the perfect paycheck, the perfect marriage, and the perfect friend will never be satisfied by anything other than God. Your desire to be happy is a "fingerprint of God" because it is only satisfiable by God. There is a God...and life works best when we do whatever we can to do life with God, for God, God's way. #whatwebelieve #fingerprintsofGod #theism #atheism #happiness #perfection #perfect #church #churchonline #onlinechurch #capitalcitychristianchurch #capcitylive

What we discuss this morning may offend or even hurt some of you. And, we hate that. But, we are going to try to talk about sex from God's perspective. There are two ways of looking at man: we are just animals, slightly more evolved than other animals in our world, or two, we are special, created in the image of God. We are different. And, if that is so, love is different for us, death is different for us, and sex is different for us. And, our "human sexuality" is a "fingerprint of God."

What happens when we die all depends on whether there really is a God, right? If there is not, your body dies, and it's done. Your heart stops beating, your lungs stop breathing, your brain stops processing, and it's over...if you are no more than any of the other animals populating this earth. BUT, what if you're different because you are human, created in the image of God. What if you're actually a kind of hybrid - there is a physical part of you and a spiritual part of you. When your heart stops, your lungs stop, and your brain stops, the physical part of you is finished, but what about the spiritual part? If there really is a God, that part of you isn't finished yet.

Why are we moved by beauty? Why are we obsessed with it? We search it out, let it captivate us, drive us to try to create it, and want to share it. Why is that? Did you know...that that is part of what it means to have been created in the image of God? We are not like the other animals. God made us in His image. And that makes us different. Our obsession with beauty, we think, can only be explained by that. It's a "fingerprint of God."

If you are an atheist and you believe that love is anything more than some chemical reaction in the machine that is your body, you are living a massive contradiction. If you actually think that you are free to love, or not, well, logically, that flows right out of the truth that God is real, and you were created different from the rest of the animals - because YOU were created in the IMAGE OF GOD, which means that you can choose a God-kind of love. We'll show you... #whatwebelieve #apologetics #choose #theism #atheism #fingerprintsofGod #love #church #churchonline #onlinechurch #capcitylive #capitalcitychristianchurch

"What is the meaning of life? Why are we here?" Listen as Jordan answers these questions and others as he continues our God: Cancelled series.

We believe that compassion is powerful evidence for the existence of God. That it is powerful evidence for the existence of the eternal, transcendent, omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly Holy, perfectly just, yet stunningly loving God we serve - the God revealed to us through Jesus. We'll show you...

Bottom line, without God, how can we justify calling things "evil," "wrong," or "immoral" if there is no God? In truth, these things are simple preferences or opinions without God. Tim Keller put it like this, " The existence of evil is not evidence of God's absence in our universe. No, it's evidence of God's absence in our lives." Resources: "Reflections on the Existence of God" by Richard Simmons https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Existence-God-Richard-Simmons/dp/1939358221/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2FHGISNKNAD8G&keywords=existance+of+god&qid=1643638982&sprefix=existance+of+%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-3 Craig, W.L., "The Moral Argument," drcraigvideos, June 8, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxiAikEk2vU We do not own the rights to this video

Continuing in our God: Cancelled series Doc answers the question, "Why does God allow evil?"

We're not trying to get "sciency" this morning, But, we are going to try to challenge you to use common sense. Some things just require a designer, a craftsman, an architect, or a cook. They just can't make themselves. Well, for anything as intricate and complex as you - as our universe, as our planet - there had to be a designer, a craftsman, an architect, a cook. The idea that all this happened, without the tinkering of God, just doesn't make sense. We'll show you...

Scientists have stepped out in faith since science was created. Hypotheses lead to theories which lead to laws. The scientific method often leads to a point where the educated "guess" how the gaps are filled in. Atheists and theists alike have to adjust based on evidence. Most scholars today have come to the conclusion that the universe had a beginning. The argument made today focuses on that evidence. Cosmologically, anything that begins to exist had a beginning. This universe began to exist at some point. Therefore, the universe had a cause. We believe that God is the cause.

Imagine there is an actual, real God who is engaging with his creation. It's easy to dismiss him, because when you do you have the freedom to just live any way that pleases you. But IF there is a God, we would be foolish to ignore him. IF there were no God, it would be foolish to pretend like he does exist. So if we are fools one way or the other, why doesn't God PROVE himself to us. The point is, he has! He sent Jesus to us. He sent his only son to interact with us, so that we could see what God is supposed to look, sound and act like. Now, what do we do with that? Do we submit to him? Or do we keep foolishly acting as if he never existed?

Join us as we start a new series this week! God: Cancelled. Cancel culture truly has gotten out of hand, and it would appear that God is next on the list. But this isn't a new concept. Society has been systematically trying to eliminate God for a number of years. Those who adhere to this mindset believe that as evolved humans we no longer need the "crutch" of moralistic theism. Christians can rely on a very simple fact: no matter what you choose to believe, it takes a leap of faith. We choose to look at the evidence of God around us and in our lives and we believe. Others look at the world and choose to believe otherwise.

Well, you knew it was inevitable. We are going to talk about resolutions. Do you have any? Are you ready to make some real changes this year? Jon Sutphin talks about "Good Riddance" day in his message this week. What a great concept! Take a day early in the year and say "good riddance" to stuff you need to be gone in your life. And then, don't invite it back in.

Was Christmas a "peaceful" time for you? Jesus was sent to this earth to create peace. This is a brand new culture, one that the world can't even fathom. The church should stand apart from the rest of the world because it follows the teaching and perfect example of the Son of God. Unfortunately, we haven't done a very good job of representing our Lord. We wear his name, but we are far from peaceful. This message, like all messages rooted in God's word, is designed to cause you to change. When you listen to God's word, we hope you are ready to be changed by the Author. Take a look at your relationships. Are you at peace with those around you? If God has truly transformed you, there will be evidence of it.

The angels proclaimed it: Jesus would bring "peace on earth and goodwill toward men." If that was the case, he failed miserably. Look around! There is anger, war, fighting, hate, turmoil and tumult all around. So how does one find peace at Christmas? We have to find peace with God, first. Our sin put us in direct opposition to God's righteousness. God himself set a plan in motion, sending his son to the earth so that his sacrifice would atone for our sins. The declaration for "peace on earth" is affirmation that God's plan can come true in each one of us. We can have peace with God because of what Jesus has done. And with that peace in place, we can then be a proponent for peace in this world.

Is following Christ supposed to be easy or difficult? Those on the outside looking in tend to look at life with God consisting of a long, long list of rules. Don't do this, avoid that, stop that other stuff. It may be surprising to hear that Jesus didn't intend for us to follow a bunch of rules. In fact, he said that if you based your connection with God on whether or not you followed the rules, you'd fail miserably. Instead, we are told that he came to free us. And with that freedom comes a joyful life. Christians should have joy. If we don't, we are doing it wrong.

How can you say you love God and hate your brother? Doesn't make much sense, does it? But we go about doing that in all sorts of ways. We avoid our church family because we just can't forgive them for some slight. But when you compare it to what God has done for us, it seems very petty. God's grace is IMMENSE. And we want our love for others to match that as best we can.

Right in the midst of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday, we have a Sunday worship service. And we wanted to address the most "materialistic week of the year." As we go out and try to buy for this season, we need to pause for a moment and remember what God thinks about all of these things. We are told to put Jesus first. Our priorities get messed up all the time. It is nice to have things, but they shouldn't be our priority.

Jesus is the light of the world. We are told to light our light shine before men, in an imitation of our Savior. If he is light, with no hint of darkness at all, we must learn to live in much the same way. His perfect light shined for the whole universe to see. We cannot look like the world. We cannot wallow in darkness any longer.

Ready for some hard truth? It would be better for you if you never knew Christ, than to know him and walk away from him. Join us as we discuss a pretty sobering subject. We want to be a place where hurting people find healing, they find family and they find a real purpose. Citing a variety of reasons, people become disenchanted and just step away. This frightening prospect leads us to speak about staying faithful to the one who called you.

How can you live your "best" life? It starts with faith. As Christians, we've professed a faith in Jesus Christ. He is the Lord and the Savior of our lives. But it can't stop at just having faith in Him. He has a big part to play in giving us all we need to live. But we have a part, too. In a letter written by Peter (a guy who walked and talked with Jesus), he says we must ADD to our faith. He presents a rather strong argument that faith is where it begins, but it should lead to goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and unabashed love for people. You ready to live YOUR best life?

Is it worth the risk to live life as if there were no God? Pascal's wager presents this question. Are you going to risk your eternity, betting against the reality of God? The stakes are so very high! We know that Jesus walked this earth. We know he lived a sinless life. We know he died on a cross for our sins. And we know that he was raised to life. Our entire lives, our futures, rest on these facts. It is time we start living as if this were undeniable. God offers you inexplicable forgiveness if you can attest to these truths. Are you sure you want to risk it?

Dr. Pattison speaks on succumbing to peer pressure. It's not just for kids, of course. All of us seem to want the approval of others, and crave it too much. This keeps us from following Jesus the way that we should. When we suffer in this life (and we will, don't doubt it), we should be suffering because we decided to go on the path He set out for us, not the one we end up on because we followed someone else. We need to live a life so much like Christ's, that the world takes notice.

There really is some truth in that adage: "All I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten." Share. Play fair. Don't hit. Clean your mess. Say you're sorry. It is a life of taking responsibility for your actions and being a good example to others. Dr. Pattison begins his message in such a fashion, then allows us a look in to the first book that Peter wrote. The theme for the morning centers around 1 Peter 2:21: "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps."

A crucible is "a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new." It's a trial by fire. It's a testing. A purification process. Trials will come. They are inevitable. It's just the nature of life. But God tells us that we should be glad because of them. He is shaping us into being what He wants us to be. And we can have hope beyond our present circumstances.

The last of our Deny Self series. This last month we've looked at denying ourselves through Paul's eyes. He wrote a wonderful, joyous letter to a church in Philippi. It was chock full of hope and good will. He was ecstatic for what God was doing for them and for him. All that positivity poured out of him as he sat shackled to two guards while he was in prison. That's crazy! He didn't have to pursue happiness in a traditional way. God gave him all that he needed and he found in in pursuing Christ.

Paul had every right to boast in the good things he had done. He had quite the resume. However, when he compared it to the glory of knowing God, he said it was all worthless. Do you consider your relationship with Christ to be the best thing in your life? It can be challenging to look at your life and see that you've not really put Jesus first. You may have every desire to do so, but good stuff just gets in the way. You have a job. A family. Hobbies. "Me" time. And all of these things are good, they're just not Jesus. They are worthless compared to the best thing. Compared to Jesus.

Jesus was the greatest hero of all time. He was the only one who truly gave everything to help others. Philippians 2 says that he "emptied" himself. He was completely God, yet decided to empty himself of his "God-ness" so that he can do what he did for us. This seems impossible! Yet our God is in the habit of doing the impossible.

Let's face it: we struggle with self-denial. Our philosophy in this country is to get what's coming to you and hopefully it is more than the next guy. We don't deny ourselves much of anything. But God called us to live a different life. Christ taught us a better way to live. His example is one of true sacrifice and self-denial. What would our lives look like if we really began to think of others before we thought of ourselves?

We finish out our "Re:Connect" series this week. Throughout, we've asked our people to reconnect with God and his mission at this church. We want everyone who commits to this vision to worship, connect, grow and serve. Today, you'll hear from each of the ministers who lead those areas at CapCity: Steve Smith (worship), Vern Huber (connections), Mike Napier (growth) and Jon Sutphin (service). Their passion for God and his people drive them to lead with devoted hearts.

"We are on a mission from God." Our senior minister loves to quote this phrase. It's probably because we forget it so often! We are called to be worshippers. We need to connect with God and his people. When we do that, we will feel the prompting to carry out his mission to the world. We are called to love and serve others. We should look so different from the world that the rest of the world takes notice. That comes across when we radically sacrifice ourselves to help those who are in need.

You were not meant to go it alone. We aren't built to be loners. God created us for connection. And he was always meant to be smack dab in the middle of every relationship. We are told repeatedly to just DO for one another. Love one another, encourage one another, instruct one another, and so on. Here's the thing: we cannot fulfill these commands if we do not have these type of relationships. It is imperative that we seek out those connections, and not just for ourselves.

"Emmanuel." We usually restrict our use of that name around Christmas. The name means: "God with us." When our Father sent Jesus to this earth, he put a plan in motion: a plan to have a relationship with YOU. God has never been content with you knowing that he exists. He wants you to know him and for you to walk together. Re:Connect with him today.

The Church is supposed to be a family. We want to welcome you into our family time, not just when we gather together on Sundays, but every time we interact with another person. It's not enough to attend to church. We need to reach out to those who are in need and bring them into our family time. We don't want you to content to hang out in the foyer. And our intimacy with you shouldn't stop in the living room. We want to give you kitchen privileges!

We wrap up our WYBIGB series today. "When you believe in God, but...you don't trust him." Worry can paralyze us. We get too concerned about what might happen and we forget that God is in control. And we forget how much he really loves us. Don't be a worrier. Be a warrior!

You know what power we have if we have a relationship with Christ? Because of our belief in Him, we are given 24/7 access to the God of the universe. When Jesus walked this earth, he taught us how to pray. And yet, we don't do it, for a variety of reasons.

Finances. Such a touchy subject to bring up in most circumstances. Churches in particular are criticized for bringing up money. But Jesus was concerned about money. He didn't need it. He just knew that people tend to become fascinated with it, even to the point of pursuing it instead of God. Where you spend your money is a great litmus test on what you value. So, are you a giver? If not, what is holding you back. Doc Pattison, our preaching minister, has got a challenge for you, one that comes straight from God. Test and see what God does for you when you give everything to Him.

We've all been guilty of coming up with lines we shouldn't cross, then we cross them anyway. What if identifying the line wasn't really the point? Jesus taught about freedom from sin. He wants us to be from what all of that entails. Our worry, guilt and shame over such things can be debilitating. When Jesus spoke about lust in his sermon on the mount, he started a few phrases with: "You've heard it said..." Society, family, friends, religion, peers all give us a line we shouldn't cross. But Jesus says, "I want you to live free." It doesn't mean we go on sinning freely. It means we kill that desire within us because He has shown us a better way. It is up to you to decide to follow that way, or just keep living like you're living. The question is: how has that worked out for you in the past?

How's your heart? Is it full of joy? Peace? Love and mercy? Most of us can say we have some measure of love within us. We are certainly capable of it. But God calls us to love everybody. Everybody. Sounds impossible! It is, apart from Christ. He has called us to a higher standard. He wants us to not let anger rule over us. All too often, we let our "micro-aggressions" take over. And then, we just seem angry all the time. Also, it was Sunglasses Sunday. Which is kinda weird.