Capital City Christian Church | Podcast

"Sometimes we have to move past our childish ideas, or they will mess us up. In fact, that’s why some people don’t like God. They have these childish ideas about God, and because their ideas about God are messed up, they don’t like … their imaginary God. I heard one guy say one time: “If I believed about God what you believe about God, I wouldn’t like him either.” But what if your ideas about God are wrong?" Reference: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

"What if we really believed that all people are loved by God? What if we really saw all people as made in the image of God? All people?" #believe #whatwebelieve Reference: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

In this video, Stephen "Doc" Pattison, a well-known church leader and pastor, shares his insights about the church. If you're a churchgoer or don't have much exposure to the church, this video is a great opportunity to learn about the church. Doc shares his thoughts on the church and its role in today's society. "But “church” is about way more than just worship, isn’t it? Here at CapCity, we talk about more than just worshipping together. We talk about connecting, growing, and serving together … because going it alone just doesn’t cut it. Alone … we’re kind of wussy, we’re kind of weak. Together … we are a whole lot smarter, bolder, a whole lot stronger, and a lot gooder (… that’s a word … now). It’s kind of like … we drag each other to heaven, right?" Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

"Guys, this stuff is not optional for a Jesus follower. You were created in the image of God. To be fully human, you need to be like him. You’ll never be a “god,” but you can be “godly” for the very best life possible. For the very best life possible for you and to give those following in your footsteps the best chance you can give them." Reference: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

"Bottom line … if this is the Word of God, if this really is the story of the Word of God, God revealing himself to us culminating in Jesus … the craziest thing in the world would be to sit in on a shelf and ignore it. Why do so many reject it? Because, bottom line, they want to be the boss. But guys, we’re Jesus followers …, and when God talks, we listen. All of us want to live a life that matters. All of us want the strength necessary when times get tough. All of us want the best life possible … for now and for forever. Well, guys, digging in this is part of how we get there." References: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015. "Thunder." The Chosen, Season 2, Episode 1, Angel Studios, April 4, 2021.

"What if there was a great story, a story that is so good that it would change your life? What if there was a story with you as one of the main characters? A story of conflict and resolution? I believe there is a great story that you will find only gets better the more you hear it, especially when you find yourself in the story. It’s the story God tells..." #believe #whatwebelieve Reference: Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

Here it is: The Bible says that God made us in his image. So we twist it around and figure that means God must be something like us. We’re like, “If we are God’s selfies, doesn’t that mean God is kind of like us, on steroids maybe?” Well … No! Heck no! That would make him a pretty puny God, wouldn’t it? And the real God is not … puny! Frazee, Randy. "Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus." Zondervan, 2015.

"Bottom line, our ideas about God are all over the map. And … I don’t know if you’ll buy this … yet … Listen, guys, if you believe in some kind of make-believe God, if it’s not the real thing, it’s not going to help you. It’s just going to mess you up. And people believe the weirdest things about God." #capcity #capitalcitychristianchurch #unfiltered #raw #real #authentic #God #whoisGod Reference: Frazee, Randy. Believe: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus. Zondervan, 2015. Like, Comment and Subscribe to receive notifications for new content from Capital City Christian Church: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Bw...

"I love the line from The Chosen that we started with. “Get used to different.” Jesus’ disciples had the same expectations that everyone else had. They thought the Messiah would be this great leader, a spiritually intelligent man who would be a conquering king and lead the Jews out of their oppression. But he was different. He broke expectations all the time and rarely fit in anyone’s mold. And even better, he embraced it. Most leaders of rebellions and wanna-be messiahs would hide in the mountains until they felt like they had enough momentum and power to stand a chance. Not Jesus. Jesus lived right next to regular people. He interacted with anyone interested in giving their time to him. He frequented the places of worship and the places of commerce. He existed out in the open. So when we think about being followers of Jesus, it requires us to get used to different. We have to embrace it." Reference: "Invitations." The Chosen, created by Dallas Jenkins, Season 1, Episode 7, Loaves and Fishes Productions, 2017. Being the Bad Guys: How to Live for Jesus in a World That Says You Shouldn't. McAlpine, Stephen. The Good Book Company, February 1, 2021.

We’re in this series we’re calling “Being the Bad Guys.” Because … we used to be the good guys, right? Christians were pretty much respected, and our values were pretty much accepted … we were the good guys. But our culture is shifting. And more and more often, we are not the answer; we’re the problem. What we believe is … mocked; what we value is rejected. Some of those out there think that trying to do life with God, for God, God’s way, can hold you back. Now, there is a pretty easy way for us bad guys to be considered good guys again. All we have to do is … compromise. Just … go along, right? Or maybe, hunker down, keep your head down, and don’t stand out. The problem is, if you’re trying to be one of their good guys, you will have a problem with Him. And, bottom line, what God thinks of you is way more important than what they think of you … right? Right?? Anyway, here goes. A story of some “people of God” who tried the strategy of compromise; hunkering down, keeping their heads down, not standing out … like we’re tempted to do, sometimes.

Okay, here’s kind of the big idea … the big idea I’ll be unpacking this morning. Here it is: “If God is your Father, you must be my brother.” Or, if you’re a girl, “If God is your Father, you must be my sister.” How cool is that! Or, if you want to be a little more redneck: “If God is your daddy, you must be kin!” Look around, guys … It works for most everybody in this room. Everybody eventually, I hope. We’re kind of a weird family, but we are family. Do you buy that?

Next message in our Being the Bad Guy Series.

Even though Jesus knew it’d be tough, he gave us a job to do. He says, “You guys … you Jesus followers … you are the salt of the earth.” And then he says, “You guys … you Jesus followers … are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5.13, 14) You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world. And when the world accepts us, that’s pretty easy. When it doesn’t … well, then we have some options. Four options, I think, and only one of them … is God-honoring.

Bottom line, our world is different … dramatically different. (white hat off) And in this world it is not clear that I am one of the good guys. In fact, in this world the majority would probably see me as one of the bad guys, as part of the problem, not the solution. (Black hat on) So … this is my hat now. And, if you guys are anything like me, you are probably bad guys now, too. Looks like we need some hats, right? In the eyes of many in our world, guys like me … old, white, middle-class, educated, Christian … Well, some of them would classify me as sexist, and racist, and privileged (which is a bad thing), and insensitive, and intolerant (which is one of the worst sins possible, right?) Now guys, I hope they are wrong. I don’t want to be any of those things. But by their definitions I am all that, I guess. I hope by God’s definitions I’m not. Because, bottom line, it doesn’t matter what people think of me. It doesn’t even matter what I think of me. What really matters is what God thinks of me, right? If God thinks I’m a bad guy, I have issues. If he thinks I’m doing okay and you don’t, well … I think you have issues, right?

There's been many divisions and many conflicts throughout history that have torn and ripped and pulled apart the church, and yet the church still stands. We are evidence of it right now in this moment. In fact, if you look globally, the church continues to grow and expand significantly, and right now it is growing incredibly fast in South America and Africa. It may not feel like the church is exploding forward in America…but The church continues to grow no matter what Satan does. I've always seen this verse as evidence that the church cannot be beaten. And that’s true. But it’s bigger than that. We are on the attack. The church presses forward. The church is pushing into hell to redeem and to save those who are captured by Satan himself and that the truth of the gospel, the rock that this is built on, the truth of who Jesus is, has the power to break people free who find themselves living in a very literal hell. People who don’t even know that they are lost.

The church is a family designed by God to value, and love, and welcome "newbies." To welcome anyone else who is wounded...like us. Anybody who needs some of the grace God has lavished on us. God has stitched together this weird, motley crew of diverse people. And, you don't have to be like us to be one of us. You don't even have to like us to be one of us. You just have to want to follow the one we're following. That's it. You're in. You're one of us...this "Band of Brothers."

Have you ever doubted the existence of God? Maybe, the goodness of God? Or, perhaps, the power of God? We have spent the last five months laying out the case for God because it is easy to doubt God. Sometimes our reasons are weak..."I don't want a God." But, sometimes, people have solid reasons to doubt God. The question is...are they going to lean into God, or will they walk away?

Hypochondria, hyperchondria, and apachondria - they are bad enough when it comes to physical sickness. They are infinitely worse when it comes to spiritual sickness. Because we are hybrids, right? There is a physical side to us and a spiritual side. And, as we all know, the physical side can get sick...and die. Our spiritual side can too. And, that is infinitely worse. Let us show you.

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?