Mercy Commons Podcast

James: The War Within You

May 30, 2021 16:30 - 37.2 MB

Everyone has a war internally. It is our fanatical pursuit of “what I want and believe I deserve” that amplifies the war in our souls. Only God gives the grace and the ability to fight the battle. When we surrender to Him we resist the devil and the devil will flee. Imagine the freedom of no anxiety, competition, fights and quarrels. Imagine a stable and joyful soul, a deep satisfaction and certainty that your Father is good and powerful regardless of the craziness of the world. That is God’...

James: Controlling the Tongue

May 23, 2021 16:30 - 26.1 MB

James says that we all stumble in what we say, and that no human being can tame the tongue. Why is that? Because a tongue issue is really a heart issue. It is from the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks. We cannot fix our hearts, but God can create in us a new heart. From the overflow of this new heart, the mouth will speak new things. The exceedingly great resurrection power of God is in us, He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.

James: Show No Partiality

May 16, 2021 16:30 - 37.2 MB

"My BROTHERS and SISTERS, show NO PARTIALITY as YOU HOLD the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of GLORY. " Where do we go wrong? We allow cultural pressure to dictate our actions. We all have blind spots. We treat people as an IT rather than a THOU. Remember John 15:7-12, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples."

James: Faith Without Works

May 09, 2021 16:30 - 39.6 MB

James warns against DEAD faith, DEMONIC faith and calls us to a DEMONSTRATIVE faith. Claiming belief in Jesus Christ without affection and submission is demonic. Your faith is alive, spiritual, and active when it is exercised on behalf of others. www.mercycommons.church

Citizens of Heaven

May 02, 2021 16:30 - 41.5 MB

Don’t place too much of your identity on the things of this world. Ephesians 2:6-7 (ESV) “made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

James: A Life of Impact

April 25, 2021 16:30 - 36.4 MB

How do we have a life of impact during our time on earth? It starts with the Father – as we sit in His presence and spend time with Him we will understand more and more who He is and who we are in Him. A life of impact is also shaped by the character of God, it is fixated on the Perfect Law [Jesus Christ] and is not satisfied with empty religion!

James: Wisdom in Trials and Temptations

April 18, 2021 16:30 - 35.6 MB

Our joy rests on the willing sufferings of Christ. Jesus has rescued us from the foulest form of suffering, that we could be cast away from and separated from God, that we would have no way to atone for our sin, that we have no way of being healed of the abuse and shame we suffered. It was His joy to endure the cross, pain, suffering trial and shame so that He can bring us everlasting joy in the midst of temporal suffering and pain.

The Lukewarm Church – Brad Sarian

April 11, 2021 16:30 - 39.3 MB

Brad Sarian leads Restored LA in Northridge and inspired us and equipped us to fulfill our evangelical mandate: to love Jesus and make Him known.

Resurrection Sunday | Empty?

April 04, 2021 16:30 - 38.7 MB

The word “empty” is a complicated word. It is not associated with positive things. In that moment, when Jesus’ followers found the empty tomb – it was not good news, it was confusing, mystifying even frightening. Jesus appeared in His resurrected body to His followers and taught by word and tactile touch, that He was King over the natural and spiritual world they did not understand immediately but were beginning to. Today we celebrate the historical fact of an empty tomb, we celebrate that w...

The Story of Caleb

March 28, 2021 16:30 - 32.5 MB

Mercy Commons is part of a global network of churches called Advance, a movement of churches partnering together to advance the gospel by planting and strengthening churches. PJ Smyth (together in team) leads Advance and we had the privilege of having him come and teach at Mercy Commons and strengthen us as we desire to make much of Jesus.

On This Rock: The Hidden Way

March 21, 2021 16:30 - 37.4 MB

The Church that Jesus is building is a beacon of the Good News. That there is Someone who can free you completely from the bondage self and sin, from the idols of autonomy, from the oppression of self centred and selfish living and invite you into a story full of risk, adventure joy and meaning.

On This Rock: Way of the Prevailing Church, The Cross

March 14, 2021 15:30 - 40.2 MB

What does it mean to take up your cross like Jesus asked us to do? We are not aimlessly carrying a heavy weight – we are following Jesus. We are modeling His way of life. Taking up yourself Jesus’ character and mission.

On This Rock: Foundation of the Prevailing Church

March 07, 2021 17:30 - 40 MB

God has called His Church to play offense not defense. As we spread the hope and message of the Gospel, the Church will spread to the ends of the earth. Remember: The gates of death won't hold us back or hold us in, Our offense will look different than the world's, and The Church is not dependent on human religious performance. The Church is not dependent on human religious performance because Jesus is going to build HIS Church. Our focus is to prevail IN HIM [Jesus], by abiding in Him and a...

Mercy & Justice: What Is In Your Hand?

February 28, 2021 17:00 - 41.8 MB

In Jonah, God challenged the idea that you can’t be MERCIFUL if you are JUST. What love looks like to our enemy. Loving our neighbor is a way that we DEMONSTRATE and PARTICIPATE IN the mercies of God.

The Rebel and the Worm

February 21, 2021 17:30 - 34.6 MB

Jonah, the rebel prophet, built a shelter from the hot sun while selfishly waiting for God to destroy Nineveh. Like him, we too, build shelters from the pain rather than engage God. How do we avoid the Jonah trap? Look inward, upward, outward.

Jonah's Epic Meltdown

February 14, 2021 17:30 - 34.8 MB

The problem: “How to not allow the most significant accomplishments of your life’s work to amount to a devastating emotional and spiritual breakdown.” When Christian believers care more for their own interests, their own groups security and comfort or their own cause more than for the good and salvation of others, they are sinning like Jonah. “There is no such thing as…not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we have is what we choose to worship.” - Wallace

The Rebel's Epic Meltdown

February 14, 2021 17:30 - 34.8 MB

The problem: “How to not allow the most significant accomplishments of your life’s work to amount to a devastating emotional and spiritual breakdown.” When Christian believers care more for their own interests, their own groups security and comfort or their own cause more than for the good and salvation of others, they are sinning like Jonah. “There is no such thing as…not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we have is what we choose to worship.” - Wallace

The Rebel City's Revival (Almost)

February 07, 2021 17:30 - 32.7 MB

Did Nineveh experience true revival? How does our call as disciples change the city we are in? Sometimes God will use disasters as instruments of mercy. Sometimes he will use negative events to grab our attention. In a world that seeks to medicate our pain, numb it, ignore it, we can miss the message of God. Pain humbles us and opens the door to repentance.

Rebel City Revival (Almost)

February 07, 2021 17:30 - 32.7 MB

Did Nineveh experience true revival? How does our call as disciples change the city we are in? Sometimes God will use disasters as instruments of mercy. Sometimes he will use negative events to grab our attention. In a world that seeks to medicate our pain, numb it, ignore it, we can miss the message of God. Pain humbles us and opens the door to repentance.

The Rebel Preacher

January 31, 2021 17:30 - 35.2 MB

Just like Jonah we have all heard God’s voice to arise, go, and share the Gospel with our neighbors and even our enemies. We must remember we carry a scent and our message carries a scent. The message: no one is innocent, we are all active rebels; we are spiritually impotent; only God can save; no one is beyond God’s grace – even our “Ninevites.” The scent of this message should not be disguised.

The Rebel Repents?

January 24, 2021 17:30 - 38.7 MB

Repentance is more than remorse. Repentance begins with embracing reality. However, sin distorts our view. So God brings us to the end of ourselves. Our opinion of our abilities can delay our repentance. Repentance is a lifelong journey home. Remember, Someone greater than Jonah is here! Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer! www.mercycommons.church

The Rebel and the Storm

January 17, 2021 17:30 - 37 MB

“Sin hardens the conscience, locks you in the prison of your own defensiveness and rationalizations and eats you up slowly from the inside.” ~ Keller

God's Gracious, Persistent and Powerful Pursuit of Rebels – Rebel Hunter, a study in Jonah: Part 1

January 10, 2021 17:30 - 38.5 MB

“Each Christian will so consider his neighbor, so consider himself a debtor to his neighbors, because of the image of God in them, that each Christian will exercise kindness toward them and set no other limit than the end of his resources.” ~ Jon Calvin

The Rebel and the Call

January 10, 2021 17:30 - 38.5 MB

“Each Christian will so consider his neighbor, so consider himself a debtor to his neighbors, because of the image of God in them, that each Christian will exercise kindness toward them and set no other limit than the end of his resources.” ~ Jon Calvin

Commission Over Resolution

January 03, 2021 17:30 - 26 MB

The temptation, is to put our hope in a new year because it represents a change. That the calendar change will magically make this year better than the last. And my desire is that we don’t see another 2020, but that is not where I put my hope. So what can we do to make 2021 a different year. A more successful year? What can we do to develop the endurance needed to break through the habits and hangups and not have a repeat of the year before? I believe the change is a shift in our focus fro...

Advent 2020 | Prince of Peace

December 20, 2020 17:30 - 31.2 MB

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. C.S.Lewis www.mercycommons.church

Advent 2020 | Everlasting Father

December 13, 2020 17:30 - 33.9 MB

The Son sacrifices, the Father adopts, the Spirit seals. What are the implications of adoption? We have security, intimacy, and family. www.mercycommons.church

Advent 2020 | Mighty God

December 06, 2020 17:30 - 20.3 MB

The Government of the Mighty God brings about three things to establish peace: (1) to destroy what needs to be destroyed, (2) to establish what needs to be established, and (3) to judge what needs to be set right. www.mercycommons.church

Advent 2020 | Wonderful Counselor

November 30, 2020 01:00 - 35.9 MB

The Problem: Darkness, confusion and distress fall upon those whom do not believe in & follow the path lit by the counsel of Jesus. When you submit to worldly counsel: It causes us to become distressed, anxious fatalists, and causes us to roam through the land. In contrast, what do the words of our Wonderful Counselor teach us? Isaiah 9:2-7 and Isaiah 8:20-22. www.mercycommons.church

Colossians | Held Together in Partnership

November 23, 2020 01:00 - 29.9 MB

How are we held together as partners and friends on mission? By recognizing and honoring tenacious loyalty. By being resolute and restoring. By challenging and encouraging each other to love and good deeds.

Colossians | Held Together in Prayer

November 16, 2020 01:00 - 35.7 MB

How do we partner with the One who holds all things together? Pray. Walk. Talk. Have a prayer life that is marked by steadfast devotion and vigilant gratitude. Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yield.

Colossians | Held Together in Freedom

November 09, 2020 01:00 - 28.1 MB

As followers of Jesus, motivated by the love of Jesus, we must do what Jesus does and partner with God in confronting the systems which oppress people and deny their core personhood.

Colossians | Held Together in Honor

November 02, 2020 01:00 - 34.8 MB

The world and media sources encourage contemptuous attitudes towards each other. God to stand for truth and to stand united with our brothers and sisters in Christ. How can we dismantle contempt? Through creating a culture of honor. By bearing with and forgiving one another. And by learning from one another.

Colossians | Obedience, Relationships, Submission, Training Your Children: A Panel Discussion

October 26, 2020 00:00 - 38.4 MB

As we continue in Colossians chapter 3, we ask trusted members of our community questions regarding obedience, submission, relationships, and discipling children.

Colossians | A Vision for Your Life

October 19, 2020 00:00 - 34 MB

What is God's vision for your life and how does your view of Jesus affect your future? In Colossians 3:1-11, Paul encourages us to look up to Jesus, look in to our idol-loving hearts, and look out to love our neighbors.

Colossians | Don't Get Disqualified

October 12, 2020 00:00 - 30.5 MB

This week we are looking at Colossians 2:18-23. "Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism [taking delight in false humility] and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God." What does it look like to be qualified? Enjoy our bodies not be ruled by them, be truthfully lo...

Colossians | From Narrative to Substance

October 05, 2020 00:00 - 68.4 MB

We are made in the image of God, in the image of this Word made flesh. The book of Revelation tells us that the saints overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony – holding fast to the story of who Jesus is –and what He has done for us, a story of absolute substance.

Colossians | Protection from Empty Philosophy

September 27, 2020 16:30 - 52.5 MB

The whole point of delusions is that you don’t know that you are being conned. Am I in danger of being deluded? Yes, if you are depleted, exhausted, isolated, or separated. In the second chapter of Colossians, we learn how to protect ourselves from delusion and how to say strong together as a body of believers with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Colossians | The Treasure of ‘Christ in You’

September 20, 2020 16:30 - 43.1 MB

The treasure of the Gospel – “Christ in you.” And know that because Christ is in us, we can live for his kingdom, instead of our comfort. We can grow into maturity, instead of following our own path. We can be empowered by his strength, instead of relying on our own power.

Colossians | Holding Heaven and Earth Together

September 13, 2020 16:30 - 67.1 MB

Colossians 1:15-23 is one of the most beautiful, poetic, powerful and empowering portraits of our Savior. It is all about the preeminence of Jesus Christ. He is before all things and in Him ALL THINGS hold together. This week we focus on God’s sovereignty over the spiritual realm. Spiritual warfare is real and happening all around us. How can we respond?

Colossians | Held Together in Redemption

September 06, 2020 16:30 - 51.6 MB

When we speak of held together in Him, we mean that not only is God is the source of all things, but that He is active in and through us to restore the world to His original design.

Reboot: Part 2

August 30, 2020 16:30 - 51.6 MB

How do we reboot our lives? Through reengaging with God’s Word, His presence and His people.

Reboot: Part 1

August 23, 2020 16:30 - 40.2 MB

How do we reboot our lives? Through reengaging with God’s Word, His presence and His people.

Ruth: God in the Shadows | How to See in the Dark

August 16, 2020 16:30 - 43.8 MB

In these dark times, seek out the Lord's presence where you know you can find him. Cling to one another until dawn breaks. And KNOW this – no one covered by the blood of Jesus Christ can be disqualified from the kingdom of God. If He can use me He can use you to do great things for our good and His Glory.

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