Verve City Church: Weekly Messages
224 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 9 ratingsExploring the teachings of Jesus? Trying to determine whether God even exists? Or perhaps you’re a committed Jesus-follower looking for practical, relevant perspectives on Christ’s teachings and the Bible? Whatever your thoughts on church, whatever your beliefs about God, these weekly messages are for you.
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Episodes
When Life Gives You Lemons | Expect Extra
July 17, 2023 18:00 - 41 minutes - 28.9 MBThis week: When life gives us lemons, is "making lemonade" really the best solution? How can faith help us respond in a better way? The Bible is filled with amazing examples of how God loves being extra – more loving, more powerful, more merciful than we could possibly imagine. Here are five helpful tips for how you can respond when you face unexpected or unwanted circumstances in life. Series overview: Any of us who have walked through a difficult season know that “When life gives you lemo...
When Life Gives You Lemons | Grumble or Grow
July 10, 2023 21:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MBThis week: Mindset matters. When circumstances aren’t in our favor, we can still control our outlook and take responsibility for our actions/reactions. Do we grumble about the conditions we face, or do we see obstacles as an opportunity to grow in our faith or our relationship with God? Guest speaker David Crain considers the Bible story of three men who defied expectations and took a courageous stand, choosing to worship God even when it appeared that choice might cost them everything. Ser...
Frientimacy | When Angels Descend
July 02, 2023 15:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MBThis week: A few weeks ago (June 18) we spent time talking about the idea of blessing: we will typically bless people to the extent that we feel blessed in our inner being. In this online-only message, Josh further explores the story of Jacob, discusses the four reasons we often don’t feel blessed, and reminds us that God is often present where we least expect to find Him. Series overview: Since 1938, Harvard Medical School has been conducting a long-term study of 724 men aimed at answering...
Frientimacy | Why Are We So Lonely?
June 26, 2023 17:00 - 43 minutes - 30 MBThis week: Jesus said in Mark 10 that anyone who gives up a house or their family for his sake would receive 100 times more houses and family members. And not in some distant future: he said we would receive that now. The key to discerning what Jesus intended by this saying seems to be understanding the kind of community he was inviting us into. Series overview: Since 1938, Harvard Medical School has been conducting a long-term study of 724 men aimed at answering the question: "What makes...
Frientimacy | Blessing and Cursing
June 20, 2023 19:00 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MBThis week: You were young and impressionable and still figuring your life out. And someone said an unkind thing to you. And it was years ago, and it was really no big deal, and you’ve totally moved on. Except that you kind of haven’t. Because all these years later: you still remember the thing they said. We have the power to curse people in ways they will remember forever. How do we choose instead to live a life of blessing? Series overview: Since 1938, Harvard Medical School has been condu...
Frientimacy | Jesus and Grindstones
June 12, 2023 16:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBThis week: The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over the course of their life time. That’s 90,000 hours of labor, projects, meetings, TPS reports, KPI reports, strategy sessions, and hard conversations. So how does a follower of Jesus think about their relationships at work and their relationship to work? If we’re not thoughtful, our relationship to work can overcrowd our lives and leave us very little room for the friendships we so desperately need. Series overview: Since 193...
Frientimacy | How to Have Friends
June 05, 2023 18:00 - 38 minutes - 26.6 MBThis week: Great Britain recently appointed a “Loneliness Minister.” The U.S. Surgeon General released a warning in May of 2023 that loneliness poses risks as deadly as smoking. It feels like we’re more connected and more isolated than we’ve ever been before. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way. Series overview: Since 1938, Harvard Medical School has been conducting a long-term study of 724 men aimed at answering the question: "What makes a good life?" They tracked how people lived, ...
MasterClass | The. End.
May 30, 2023 15:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MBThis week: Where and how you start the story determine the kind of story you are telling. But they don’t determine how that story will conclude. What did Jesus say about the end of our lives and the end of the world? Where is all of this leading and how do we determine our purpose in the midst of it? Series overview: One of the most unchallenged beliefs in Western culture is that life is about finding happiness. There is an ancient alternative to living for happiness, however: to live for ...
MasterClass | The Church
May 23, 2023 04:00 - 48 minutes - 33.5 MBThis week: Why does the Christian church exist? What is its purpose? Why belong to one? Wouldn’t it be easier and less mess to simply invest in a more individualistic faith? It turns out that Jesus had a bold, beautiful plan for the church that we’re invited to execute. Series Overview: One of the most unchallenged beliefs in Western culture is that life is about finding happiness. There is an ancient alternative to living for happiness, however: to live for meaning. To “live for meaning”...
Mother's Day | Jesus Didn't Have Kids
May 15, 2023 15:00 - 48 minutes - 33.5 MBThe Bible is not a guide to parenting. While it contains principles for raising children, it never attempts to give step-by-step instructions for how we should pour into the next generation. There is, however, much to be learned about parenting from the examples of Jesus and countless other Christian leaders who have spent their lives raising up future generations.
MasterClass | Grace
May 08, 2023 17:00 - 48 minutes - 33 MBThis Week: Understanding the grace of Jesus requires us to acknowledge our faults and our sin. As Donald Miller once wrote, “Grace only sticks to our imperfections.” Thankfully, those imperfections are not the end of our story. Series Overview: One of the most unchallenged beliefs in Western culture is that life is about finding happiness. There is an ancient alternative to living for happiness, however: to live for meaning. To “live for meaning” means not that you try to get something out ...
MasterClass | God At War
May 01, 2023 16:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBThis Week: Is it crazy to believe in angels, demons, or some kind of “devil” figure? What did Jesus seem to believe about the existence of a spiritual realm? And even if any of those things are real, what implications does that have for us? Series Overview: One of the most unchallenged beliefs in Western culture is that life is about finding happiness. There is an ancient alternative to living for happiness, however: to live for meaning. To “live for meaning” means not that you try to get s...
MasterClass | Sin
April 24, 2023 21:00 - 49 minutes - 33.8 MBThis Week: While the word has lost most of its weight and is often said with a wink and a smile, “sin” points to a deeper darkness that we are all familiar with if we’re honest: our human propensity to make a mess of things and our inclination to make good things into ultimate things. View the discussion guide and recommended resources. Series Overview: One of the most unchallenged beliefs in Western culture is that life is about finding happiness. There is an ancient alternative to living...
MasterClass | Origin Story
April 17, 2023 19:00 - 43 minutes - 30 MBThis week: Where and how you start the story determines the kind of story you are telling. So what kind of story are you living? Why are you here and what is your purpose? The origin story of the universe that Jesus believed is so different from our common understanding that it almost seems divine. Series Overview: One of the most unchallenged beliefs in Western culture is that life is about finding happiness. There is an ancient alternative to living for happiness, however: to live for mea...
Easter at The Verve - 2023
April 13, 2023 11:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBYou probably know that Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead. Yet that’s not the way the world works: dead things stay dead. But what if death doesn’t have the final word? What if that reality could change the way we live?
Best. Sermon. Ever. | My Anxious Thoughts
April 05, 2023 19:00 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBThis week: Anxiety lies to us. It's a schoolyard bully taking advantage of our vulnerabilities. It can feel like an unstoppable force. But in the greatest sermon ever, Jesus taught us to confront the lies of anxiety with the truth of God's goodness. Series overview: You can’t understand how good Michael Jordan was if you’ve never watched a video of him playing. You can’t comprehend the commanding stage presence of Taylor Swift if you’ve never sat in the crowd. You can’t appreciate the world...
Best. Sermon. Ever. | How to Pray
March 31, 2023 16:00 - 44 minutes - 30.8 MBThis week: Christians all over the world are taught that prayer is important. Even people who don’t consider themselves to be affiliated with a particular religious tradition sometimes find themselves praying in the midst of heartache. Does prayer “work?” And if it does, what does it accomplish? And if it accomplishes anything, how do we actually pray? Series overview: You can’t understand how good Michael Jordan was if you’ve never watched a video of him playing. You can’t comprehend the c...
It's Time
March 19, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 45.8 MBOur church has always existed to help people find life by following Jesus, and that remains our mission today. We believe God goes where God is wanted, and we deeply and prayerfully desire to be a vibrant, passionate faith community in which more people will find their lives transformed by Jesus in the years ahead. In this special message, Lead Pastor Josh Crain shares vision for the next five years, along with a couple of exiting changes on the horizon.
Best. Sermon. Ever. | The Art of Self Management
March 13, 2023 23:00 - 38 minutes - 26.6 MBThis week: Making snap judgments is human nature, right? Judgments keep us safe and help us organize our world into all sorts of helpful categories... But what's the difference between judging critically and judging harshly? How can we avoid letting our moral standards become a trap of hypocrisy? Jesus modeled how we can find fulfillment by living with humility and gentleness. Series overview: You can’t understand how good Michael Jordan was if you’ve never watched a video of him playing. Y...
Best. Sermon. Ever. | You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry
March 06, 2023 17:00 - 48 minutes - 33.7 MBThis week: When someone hurts us, our impulse is to get them back. We want to get even because even feels fair. But it doesn’t end up feeling good. In fact, it doesn’t end at all. We get sucked into a never-ending cycle of retaliation. Jesus did His best to give grace to those who treated Him the worst. What made Him think this counter-intuitive strategy would make a difference? And why did He insist His followers do the same? Series overview: It’s impossible to understand how good Michael ...
Best. Sermon. Ever. | Who Has The Good Life?
March 01, 2023 16:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBThis week: In the beatitudes, Jesus taught that the people who are often at the bottom of society are actually blessed beyond their wildest imaginations. The world has struggled to believe him ever since. How might grasping the beginning theme of his sermon on the mount change the way we see God, ourselves, and the world around us? Series overview: You can’t understand how good Michael Jordan was if you’ve never watched a video of him playing. You can’t comprehend the commanding stage prese...
Best. Sermon. Ever. | The Genius of Jesus
February 21, 2023 23:00 - 41 minutes - 28.8 MBThis week: Genius violates the status quo; it challenges deeply held beliefs and values. Genius is original; it sees the world from a perspective that didn’t exist before. Genius is transformative; it leaves its mark and divides the world into “before” and “after.” Genius is transformative, but it’s not typically transferable. Jesus was a genius. But perhaps the defining, world-shaking characteristic of his genius is that it’s contagious. Series overview: You can’t understand how good Micha...
Counter Counter Culture | How Christians Can Shape Culture
February 13, 2023 18:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBThis week: How Christians Can Shape Culture We can condemn culture, we can critique culture, we can copy culture, and we can consume culture. But none of that changes it. The only way to shape culture is to create culture. Jesus did it. The early church did. We can do it, too. Series overview: Are you interested in learning more about the kind of life Jesus invited us into? Do the teachings of Jesus feel like they get drowned out or confused by all the groups, influencers, politicians, and ...
Counter Counter Culture | How to Make Peace in an Anger Culture
February 08, 2023 14:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBThis week: How to Make Peace in an Anger Culture We see it in airplanes, at ballgames, in social media feeds, and on political talkshows: people are angry. Increasingly, our culture is fed a steady diet of fear and outrage and we feel justified when we lash out at others. Jesus called his followers to be peacemakers. How can we shape the culture more than the culture shapes us? Series overview: Are you interested in learning more about the kind of life Jesus invited us into? Do the teaching...
Counter Counter Culture | How Nationalism Warps Faith
January 30, 2023 17:00 - 50 minutes - 34.6 MBThis week: How Nationalism Warps Faith Almost every nation that has ever existed believed God, or the gods, was on their side. Powerful kings, queens, dictators, and politicians have consistently shown a knack for tapping into religious fervor in order to further a political agenda. How has nationalistic fervor warped the faith of Christians who came before us? And how can we keep it from happening again? Series overview: Are you interested in learning more about the kind of life Jesus inv...
Counter Counter Culture | How to Lose a Culture War
January 24, 2023 17:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBThis week: How to Lose a Culture War In 1991 James Davison Hunter wrote a book and titled it with a phrase for what he saw playing out in America’s fights over abortion, gay rights, and religion in public schools: “Culture Wars.” In 2014, CNN published an article by Rachel Held Evans entitled “How Evangelicals Won a War and Lost a Generation.” What does thinking Jesusly help us discern about the way Christians have engaged with American culture over the last 100 years? And how should Christi...
Counter Counter Culture | How To Think Jesusly
January 18, 2023 19:00 - 52 minutes - 36.4 MBThis week: How to Think Jesusly The earliest Christians encouraged followers of Jesus to take every thought captive to Christ, to put on the mind of Jesus, and to have the same mindset of Christ. Which begs the question: how did Jesus think? What was unique about his thought patterns and worldview that might shape our own? Series overview: Are you interested in learning more about the kind of life Jesus invited us into? Do the teachings of Jesus feel like they get drowned out or confused by...
Counter Counter Culture | How Culture Shapes Us
January 10, 2023 16:00 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MBThis week: How Culture Shapes Us Christians say they want to live more like Jesus. Even non-Christians say that want Christians to live more like Jesus. So why don’t they? It’s time to explore two of the most challenging barriers to living the life Jesus has invited us into: the culture in which we live and the culture in which Jesus lived. Series overview: Are you interested in learning more about the kind of life Jesus invited us into? Do the teachings of Jesus feel like they get drowned...
Moments that Change Us
January 02, 2023 16:00 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MBStudent Pastor Greg Morton offers thoughts on how our intentional moments with God and in connection with our faith community can shape us in the New Year ahead.
Reconstructing Christmas | Here Comes Santa Claus
December 19, 2022 20:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBWeek 3 - For many of us, Santa Claus embodied the magic of Christmas when we were children: a selfless, timeless being who rewarded good behavior with lavish gifts. But where did our modern-day understanding of Jolly Old St. Nick come from? And how is he perceived around the world? And what does any of that have to do with Jesus? Series overview - Ever wondered why some of our cherished Christmas traditions are so…cherished? It’s kind of weird that we put ornament-adorned trees in our hom...
Reconstructing Christmas | You Would Even Say It Glows
December 12, 2022 17:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBWeek 2- Bright whites, multicolored bulbs, incandescent string lights, icicle LEDs… Christmas lights strung from our rooftops are a sure sign of the season. One of the most famous fictional characters of Christmas even has a light-up nose that saves Santa! What if we could see all these lights as more than seasonal whimsy and, instead, a reminder of a beautiful truth that dazzles beyond anything we could create? Series overview - Ever wondered why some of our cherished Christmas tradition...
Reconstructing Christmas | O Christmas Tree
December 05, 2022 18:00 - 33 minutes - 22.9 MBEach Christmas season millions of Americans place trees in their homes — draped in lights, engulfed in ornaments, a bundle of beautifully wrapped gifts gathered beneath the branches. It’s a beloved tradition with a complicated origin. What if a guided tour of the Christmas story meant you’d never look at a Christmas tree the same way again? Series overview: Ever wondered why some of our cherished Christmas traditions are so…cherished? It’s kind of weird that we put ornament-adorned trees i...
Ted Talks | Be 1 of 11
November 30, 2022 00:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBWeek 5 - "Be 1 of 11" Jesus founded the Church and invited each of us to play a role in it. But what is the church? What is its’ purpose? And what role, if any, are we invited to play in it? Series overview: The hit television show Ted Lasso took the world by storm because of its positivity, humor, and the charm of its lead character. A number of internet articles even compared Ted to Jesus: the guy is just full of love. And yet for all of his folksy charm, perhaps lovable Ted Lasso just sc...
Ted Talks | Be You
November 21, 2022 16:00 - 40 minutes - 27.6 MBWeek 4 - "Be You" We can expend so much energy trying to be other people that we never become the best version of ourselves. How do we become satisfied with the life we’re living and stop spending so much time pining for the lives of others? Series overview: The hit television show Ted Lasso took the world by storm because of its positivity, humor, and the charm of its lead character. A number of internet articles even compared Ted to Jesus: the guy is just full of love. And yet for all of ...
Ted Talks | Be Curious Not Judgmental
November 14, 2022 22:00 - 48 minutes - 33.4 MBWeek 3 - "Be Curious Not Judgmental" Most of us grew up hearing the adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” And yet we make snap judgments about people we encounter every day. Jesus - and Ted Lasso - had a knack for connecting with people by asking questions. What attitudes and practices can we develop to encourage health and new understanding in our relationships? Series overview: The hit television show Ted Lasso took the world by storm because of its positivity, humor, and the charm of...
Ted Talks | Be a Goldfish
November 07, 2022 17:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBWeek 2 - "Be a Goldfish" How do we move on from a painful past? It’s a common misconception that goldfish only have a 10-second memory. While the science doesn’t back it up, goldfish are often used as a metaphor: we’ll be happier if we don’t dwell on the bad experiences of our past. How does Jesus teach us to find the strength to learn from our previous pain and forgive those who have wronged us? Series overview: The hit television show Ted Lasso took the world by storm because of its posit...
Ted Talks | Be Lieve
October 31, 2022 16:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBWeek 1 - Be Lieve The story of Jesus invites us to step into a particular set of beliefs: about Jesus, about God, about the world, and about ourselves. But is this particular set of beliefs…believable? How does “belief” even work? And what might cause us to re-examine everything we thought we believed? Series overview: The hit television show Ted Lasso took the world by storm because of its positivity, humor, and the charm of its lead character. A number of internet articles even compared ...
Share Hope | The "I" in Team
October 24, 2022 17:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBOkay, real talk: if the Church is to be a force for good in the world, what is your role? What is Jesus inviting you to do with your time, your talent, and your treasure? And how do we hold on to HOPE when we find ourselves surrounded by the cynicism of a troubled world around us?
Share Hope | Living On Mission
October 17, 2022 16:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBWhile the New Testament spends a great deal of time telling the stories of early Christian missionaries, another major theme emerges: many of the first Christians understood the Gospel as something that is also very local. What if the Gospel is more powerful than we imagine, and more pertinent than we know? What would happen if we began to see our lives as a platform for the Gospel? This message feature guest speaker, Pastor Mike Obadja.
Share Hope | The Gospel Helps
October 10, 2022 15:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBIn the first half of the 20th century, Christianity in America was embattled by a controversy that seemed to pit two of the church’s goals against one another: battling for souls versus battling for society. For the last one hundred years, churches have fought over whether it is more important to emphasize “Gospel proclamation” or “Gospel demonstration.” The fact that many churches outside of the United States have seemed to see no contradiction between saving souls and serving society did l...
Bad Relationship Advice | Happy Happy Marriage
October 03, 2022 14:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBWe enter into our marriages with hopes, dreams, and desires that then become our spouse’s expectations. When we are blind to this reality, trying to make sense of our disappointment can brutalize a relationship and end in criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling, and contempt. Armed with knowledge of this dynamic and the example of Jesus, how can we revive and renew our marriages, friendships, and relationships?
Bad Relationship Advice | Divorce and Remarriage
September 25, 2022 18:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBJesus taught that “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” And the church has been arguing about what he meant almost since he said it. For people walking through divorce, the counsel they receive from their Christian friends can sometimes be painful and feel judgmental. For Christians struggling through a challenging or toxic marriage, Jesus’ command can feel stifling. How can putting Jesus’ words i...
Bad Relationship Advice | Sexual Formation in a Hookup Culture
September 18, 2022 18:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBOur culture plays a significant role in how we think about sex and dating. But what did Jesus teach about sexuality as it relates to our discipleship and how do his teachings affirm or push back against our cultural understanding? How can Christians honor God and others with their bodies while living in a hookup culture?
Bad Relationship Advice | Outbid
September 11, 2022 17:00 - 34 minutes - 23.8 MBWhat’s one of the biggest differences between good relationships and strained relationships? Bidding. We are bidding for each other’s attention in large and small ways all the time. How we respond to the bids of others will largely determine the quality of the relationships that we have.
At the Movies | The Impossible
August 28, 2022 20:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBThis week’s feature is THE IMPOSSIBLE! Starring Tom Holland, Naomi Watts, and Ewan McGregor, this film about a family attempting to reunite following a devastating tsunami has much to teach us about God’s relentless love.
At the Movies | Field of Dreams
August 21, 2022 17:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBIf you've ever experienced regret, then this week's message will HIT HOME! Field of Dreams is a movie about baseball, and family, and dreams coming true... but above all, it's a movie about wishing we could have a "do over" and how we can experience freedom from our past mistakes.
At the Movies | Jurassic Park
August 14, 2022 16:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBJurassic Park is about a lot of things: dinosaurs, evolution, technology, survival. But at it's core, Jurassic Park is a film how our desire for control can sometimes lead to our ruin or to the ruin of others. This week we explore the power Jesus demonstrated for us when he willingly gave up control in order that we might be rescued. Next week At the Movies: Field Of Dreams! Plan a visit here: http://inlandhills.com/planavisit
Vision Sunday 2022
August 07, 2022 15:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBEach year we revisit the vision of Inland Hills Church and what it looks like to connect people to Jesus in a post-Christian culture. How can we as a faith community meet our friends, families, and neighbors in the places they are while living out the vision God has for our lives?
Voices | The Significance of You-th
August 01, 2022 05:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBPresent experiences can lead to future transformation. This is a message both about youth and about you. The next generation is wrestling with many questions, but are these questions so different than the ones we are asking ourselves?
Voices | Concurrent Living
July 25, 2022 05:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBOur human desire for “greatness” can lead us to do some pretty crazy things! What’s Jesus’ idea of greatness, and how can we follow His teaching and example of loving God and loving others? A personal journey through foster care offers one lens for understanding how we can put “both/and” loving into practice.