Reynolda Church Audio Podcast

Ministry vs. Magic

God not only has called you to do wonderful, holy things in His name—He is ready and willing to empower you to do it all by His Spirit.

When Jesus Stands Up for You

Though we sing, “Stand up, stand up, for Jesus, Ye Soldiers of the Cross,” the Gospel isn’t about your power to stand up for Jesus – it is about Jesus’ power to stand up for you. It is about the power that is released in your life when you see Jesus standing for you.

Worthy of the Name

Your acceptance before God is not - and never has been - dependent on your worthiness. This may be the best news in all of Scripture.

The Most Powerful Prayer Nobody Prays

Anyone can be brave because boldness comes from the Holy Spirit—and anyone can be filled with the Spirit.

For Everyone, Everywhere

Because of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is available for everyone, everywhere.

Always Gathering and Scattering

There is a reason we long for a mission.  We have been created in the image of a God who accomplished His mission to reconcile the world to Himself through His Son, Jesus.  And now that same God, our Creator, has given us a mission.  We are on a gospel mission TOGETHER!

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

Learn how the infilling of the Holy Spirit can dissolve racial barriers and make us one. In the midst of his sermon on Acts 2, Reynolda Church lead pastor, Alan Wright is joined by his friend of 23 years, Bishop J.C. Hash, pastor, St. Peter’s World Outreach Center for a heartfelt, healing conversation about systemic racism in America. The conversation and the sermon prove that, in the Spirit, there is no black or white.

Jesus Ministry, the Sequel

The deeds, teaching, miracles and ministry of Jesus did not end when Jesus left the earth—His ministry continues through you!

Seeing Redemption in the Ruins

Are you ready for some good news?  When we see the ruin of our circumstances, Jesus sees something else.  He sees the opportunity for redemption.

Divine Double Take

The Greek word describing how Peter looked at the beggar means to rivet your eyes – look intensely – do a double take. Surely Peter had “seen” the man many times but he didn’t “see” him until this day.

Fishing in the Deep with Jesus

Jesus always knows where the fish are! It’s such good news, because we simultaneously know He is for us. He died and rose again on our behalf. We are His disciples and He is our Lord and Savior. He’s leading and helping us know in whom we should invest our lives. Let’s follow Him to where the fish are! 

His Eye in the Storm

When we see life’s storms through the eyes of Jesus, they don’t seem so scary. We can learn to have His Eye in the Storm.

Seeing the Infinite Value of People

Are you ready for some good news? Human beings are the most valuable treasure on earth – and that includes you!

Jesus Defeats My Doubt

Instead of asking what we should do at the start of each day, we can ask and wait expectantly for what God is going to do.

EASTER SUNDAY: How Jesus Heals Our Disappointment

Disappointment is inevitable. Despair is optional. We may face disappointments. But we never face them alone when we call on Jesus. There’s no one like Him. He gives us the victory!

Gratitude in the Gray [You'll See, Part 13]

Are you ready for some good news?  There’s always something to be thankful for.  It’s a simple truth, but it also provides a giant opportunity to appreciate and meditate upon on the gospel. 

You'll See 12 - Here's Mud in Your Eye

The coronavirus may be a devastating, global pandemic, but our God is so redemptive that He is going to bring good out of it to many people and glory to His name!

You'll See 11 - The Mind of Christ

In our current climate we are all too aware of how little we understand. But as those who are in Christ we have His mind.  It makes all the difference!

You'll See 10 - Safe Under the Shadow of His Wings

Corona may mean king, but Jesus is the true King of Kings.  We’ll crown Him with many crowns in this season, which can so easily seem out of control.  We’ll continue to worship Him.  We’ll care for others.  He’s on His throne, and it is a throne of grace.  

You'll See 9 - I Was Blind and Now I See

Saul of Tarsus’ story is one of being blind and seeing, literally AND spiritually. Before he could see as Jesus sees, Saul’s eyes were closed by the glory of God. Sometimes, the only way to see something rightly is to have your old way of seeing shut down.

You'll See 8 - Seeing the Victory that Jesus Sees

To see the victory that Jesus sees is to know that Satan is more defeated than most think and Christians have more authority than most have ever conceived.

You'll See 7 - Seeing Other for Who They Can Be

It’s taken me years to admit, I’m usually wrong when I try to guess who will be responsive to the Gospel and who will not. I’ve seen people fall in love with Jesus and be gloriously transformed who I would have guessed would never even be interested in Christ. Anyone can change! Anyone can be saved!

You'll See 6 - You'll See Resurrection Power

He’s known as doubting Thomas but the story is about how he came to believe in the resurrected Lord. I’d like to explore how Jesus invited to see the wounds as Jesus saw them – how did Jesus reveal the wounds? Why didn’t Thomas see the wounds in the first place?

You'll See 5 - Condemned No More

After Jesus deals with the woman’s accusers He invites her to look around – where are they? To see with Jesus’ eyes includes seeing our accusers in a new way – an invitation to discover the impotence of accusation against those whom Jesus has forgiven.  Jesus wants us to see our forgiveness and liberty in the same way that He sees it.

You'll See 4 - How to Have Compassion for Sinners

Because we live in an era of deception, moral relativism, and endorsement of sin, it’s easy for evangelical Christians to live with inward consternation, frustration and disgust at the ways of the world. Simply put, it’s tempting to curse the crowds. But when Jesus saw the crowds of confused people, He saw them as without a shepherd. From the view of Jesus, people are like sheep who, without a shepherd, will wander aimlessly, find no green pastures and be ruthlessly attacked by predators. Wh...

You'll See 3 - You’ll See the Forgiveness of Christ in a Greater Way

The narrative of this passage pivots on the issue of vision. The question of the text becomes plain: who sees the situation accurately. The host Pharisee believes that he sees the sinful woman more accurately than Jesus and, therefore, the Pharisee believes that he sees Jesus for who He is – an imposter. Ironically, the despised “sinner” at Jesus’ feet is the one who sees Christ correctly. When Jesus asks, “Do you see this woman?”

You'll See 2 - You'll See Scripture in a Greater Way.

In a remarkable, post-resurrection conversation with Jesus, two Christ-followers walked the road to Emmaus with the Messiah but did not initially recognize the Lord. Mysteriously, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” It was a vision problem. The disciples rehearsed the events of the Lord’s ministry, passion and death and said, “we had hoped that he was the one….” In order to reveal Himself to the disciples, Jesus revealed how all the scriptures were about Christ, Himself. When they f...

Blessing Sunday - You'll See

As explained in above overview, the 2020 New Year’s Blessing seeks to release God’s grace for a Christlike view of ourselves, others and the world. Instead of starting the new year with moralistic attempts to be a better Christian, the New Year’s blessing invites us to take the focus off ourselves and, turning full attention to Christ, let Jesus give us His perspective. The great promise of the 2020 blessing is rooted in the assurance Jesus gave Nathanael: “You’ll see greater things….” The b...

You'll See 1 - You'll See

Viewing treasure through your own limited knowledge and experience can’t compare to seeing it through the eyes of an aficionado. If you want to see sites more meaningfully, it’s best to borrow an expert’s eyes.

A Baby Changes Everything 5 - Simeon's Transformation

When you are concerned that God hasn’t heard your prayer or isn’t going to keep His promise, simply remember the stories of a baby that changed everything.

A Baby Changes Everything 4 - The Magi's Transformation

The magi, learned scholars from east, began their journey because of scientific observation – they saw an anomaly in the sky. Was it a planetary conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter or perhaps a nova? We will never know. But the magi discerned the unusual astronomical sight through their studies of the skies. No one else seemed to notice – only a student of the stars would have seen it. Perhaps the magi had studied the Hebrew scriptures enough to know of Balaam’s prophecy of the rising star out...

A Baby Changes Everything 2 - Mary's Transformation

From one view, the big story of the Bible pivots on the question: “Will God’s people know themselves blessed?” The serpent tempted the first man and woman to believe God had withheld blessing from them; the snake convinced Adam and Eve that they needed to do something to make themselves more blessed. Sinful human beings have doubted their blessedness ever since. When people feel unblessed, they feel unqualified and afraid. The shame and fear lead to manifold temptations and problems. But, if...

A Baby Changes Everything 1 - A Baby Changes Everything

As the whole world turns its attention to this most wonderful time of the year, we have a chance to tell the world, maybe again or for the first time, that a baby changes everything! 

No Worries 9 - How Gratitude Conquers Worry

Thanksgiving and worry don’t mix. In this, the conclusion of the “No Worries” series, we look forward to Thanksgiving Day with a powerful call to give God thanks in every circumstance instead of being anxious. Though imprisoned and uncertain of his future, Paul models and teaches a wondrous mystery: there is a peace that passes all understanding. The invitation to gratitude is good news because it means we have a choice – we can choose to give God thanks. To rejoice always isn’t to rejoice i...

Answers for an Anxious World 3 - No More Worries Moses!

As the missions emphasis concludes, it’s fitting to be filled with assurances that our mission is God-appointed, God-empowered, and God- led. We don’t control the outcome, but we needn’t worry about its ultimate success. Our God delivers captives!

Answers for an Anxious World 2 - Burying Your Worries Instead of Your Talents

At first reading, the Master’s assessment of the third servant seems harsh: “wicked and slothful.” Why such a grave rebuke for such a seemingly mild offense? Partly the parable highlights the seriousness of a life of worry. If we bury God’s gifts out of worry, we squander the talents God has given us. But, I think more importantly, the parable says much about misreading who the Master is. It’s a story of the wrong kind of fear of God. As we continue our mission emphasis, this message turns o...

Answers for an Anxious World 1 - Blessing an Anxious World

As we turn our attention toward our mission to love the world, we begin with a proverb that highlights the remarkable power of our words. It’s an anxiety-ridden culture. Studies reveal that children now begin experiencing generalized anxiety around age 6. The world pressures and withholds blessing until others have proven themselves worthy of affirmation. But the Gospel runs on an entirely different fuel source – grace to the undeserving. The message explores the power of blessing, the “go...

No Worries 8 - Better Than You Expect

When you consistently expect that things will go poorly it breeds worry. What if you could set your mind on peace and expect God’s victory?

No Worries 7 - Sleeping Like a Baby

Little kids are creatures of the moment. This message highlights t Jesus’ invitation to become as a child in order to explore kingdom keys to worry-free living. While the message will explore a variety of childlike qualities (trust, laughter, mindfulness), I will especially expose the power of humility. It is in the letting go of the illusion of control that we can let go of worry.

No Worries 6 - No Shame, No Worry

We return to one of our core church values in this message that traces anxiety to its original root. The only information we have about a relationship in paradise is that they were unashamed. As soon as sin appeared, shame surfaced. The central emotion of shame is fear. Adam and Eve’s shame gave birth to sudden anxiety – what if I am rejected? Adam and Eve began to isolate themselves from God and one another and there, in their loneliness, anxiety grew. The answer to angst is the healing of ...

No Worries 5 - Another in the Fire

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s response to King Nebuchadnezzar provides one of the Bible’s best models for facing adversity: My God can, My God will, but even if the answer doesn’t come the way I envision it, I will worship My God still. Daniel’s friends weren’t worried about the fire not just because they believed God would spare them but also because they believed it better to die in worship of God than to live in idolatry. The answer to worry isn’t to adopt an unrealistic view of life ...

No Worries 4 - It's the King's Battle

Life IS hard. It’s hard! For some here today, it may feel crushing. There are good reasons to worry about the battles you face - in fact, you probably should. UNLESS, it really isn’t your battle at all. What if your battle belongs to the Lord?

No Worries 3 - How Love Wins Over Worry

This message explores the depths of God’s love and the proof of His love to us in Christ with the aim of replacing worshipers’ worry with the security God wants every child of God to know.

No Worries 2 - Do You See What I See?

Though the Syrian army surrounded Elisha in Dothan, the prophet wasn’t worried. His servant understandably was! Elisha didn’t seek to cure the servant’s worry with an exhortation: “Don’t worry, trust God more.” Instead, Elisha prayed that the servant could see God’s power and glory all around. Our attempts to stamp out worry by just trying harder to think positively fall short for at least two reasons: 1) Life often presents real problems (the Syrian army was real); 2) even the most mature o...

No Worries 1 - The Sanctified Imagination

You can live a worry-free life.  This does not equate to a problem free existence.  Nevertheless, we can live without worries related to our problems.  This means more courage, energy and clarity about how to address our challenges.  This is not to say we flee from all responsibility or work.  Instead, it means for all of those negative ‘what if’s’ to end and a new set of godly, hopeful ‘what-if’s’ take over our imagination.  Here is an invitation to see life with God’s eyes. 

Peacemakers 6 - The Prince of Peace

Peacemakers 5 - Peace Bought by Fire

Jesus did not come to earth the first time to bring justice but rather to bear it. He came not with a sword in his hands but with nails through his hands. Christian teaching for centuries has been this: Jesus died on the cross in our place, taking the punishment our sins deserve, so that someday he can return to earth to end evil without destroying us all.

Peacemakers 4 - The Peace of the War

This message recapitulates a message I preached years ago (and found its original seed in a sermon I heard Roy Putnam, preacher of my youth, preach). Focusing on the peculiar phrase, “the peace of the war,” this message puts to rest any notion that defines peace as the “absence of conflict.”

Peacemakers 3 - The Most Beautiful Kiss

This message stirs the imagination with its prophetic picture of the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. In God’s design, righteousness (tsedequah) and peace (shalom) to not stand in opposition to one another but are eternally married.          

Peacemakers 2 - Playing Your Part in Harmony