Weekly Messages - Community Church of Greensburg | Batesville
292 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 days ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsCommunity Church is creating a place where everybody - regardless of where they are on the faith journey - can take their next step in their relationship with Jesus. Our messages are relevant and applicable wherever you are in life. Join Lead Pastor Seth Bartal and Campus Pastors John Vadeboncoeur and Dan Pratt as they invite us into a vibrant life of faith.
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Episodes
All The Wrong Places
April 23, 2023 10:00 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBOne of the universal pursuits of humanity is happiness. We all want to be happy, and everywhere we turn, someone or something is offering happiness to us by buying a product, taking a dream vacation, or finding the love of our life. So why is it that, in a world with so many options for happiness, few people have discovered the secret? Why are all of our attempts at being happy and finding happiness like a vapor - eluding us as we try to grab onto them? And is it even possible to find lastin...
Invitational
April 16, 2023 10:00 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBEverywhere we turn, we find someone or something inviting us to follow. Whether it’s a product that promises happiness, an influencer who promises popularity, or a movement that promises justice - there’s always something or someone promising to fulfill something missing within us. But are all of these new options able to deliver on what they promise? Or is it possible there’s an old invitation that’s waiting to give us the very things we seek?
Everywhere I Go
April 09, 2023 10:00 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MB“Wherever I go, there I am.” That’s not a particularly profound statement when you first hear it, but when we spend time considering its implications, we begin to understand the significant role we play in our own lives. If I’m the one who is always present, then it means I was there for my worst decisions, my regrettable mistakes, and my relational challenges. What if my biggest problem isn’t someone else? What if my biggest problem is me? How do I save me from myself? Surprisingly, the acc...
Twelve Feet
April 02, 2023 10:00 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBIf I were to ask you "What do you think of God?", more than likely your response would reflect on how your life is going. If life is good, then God is good. If life is not going well, then neither is your relationship with God. This week we will look at how to separate the events of life from our relationship with God. The two thieves on the cross will help us see how we need to look beyond current circumstances and that God loves us in spite of our situation. Then we will know how to live a...
Worth the Cost
March 26, 2023 10:00 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBIsn't it true that so often in our life we resist certain things even though we know it could make our lives better? Usually they are things like eating healthier and getting more exercise, but it also can be true when it comes to God and keeping Him at the center of our lives. As we look towards celebrating Easter in a few weeks, we are looking at some characters in the Easter story who also resisted God at some point in their lives. As we will learn, saying yes to Jesus and surrendering wh...
How to See the Best in Others
March 19, 2023 10:00 - 37 minutes - 34 MBHave you ever been mislabeled? Maybe someone made a snap judgement about you, and it was categorically wrong? Or maybe you’ve been trying to overcome a label that was true in your past but isn’t true in your present? Regardless, even though labels can be helpful, improperly applied labels have the power to devalue us and create strain in our relationships. And ironically, even though we’ve been mislabeled in our past, we’re awfully good at mislabeling others. So how do we overcome wrong labe...
How to Reduce Conflict
March 19, 2023 10:00 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MBIn every relationship we have expectations and desires for the other person - some are expressed but many are not. It’s when our expectations and desires are unmet that relational conflict comes into play because we’re experiencing a gap between what we expect and what they delivered. Gaps are inevitable in our relationships, but what we fill the gap with has the power to ignite conflict or bring about relational closeness.
How to Make My Relationships Stronger
March 05, 2023 10:00 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MBAs much as we are all relational beings, it’s ironic that we all tend to struggle, at times, with our relationships. More often than not, our temptation in the midst of relationship challenges is to point a finger of blame at the other person for causing the tensions we’re experiencing; we react rather than responding appropriately. But what if there were some attitudes we could embrace that would open the door to stronger, healthier relationships? How might God show up and move us in a diff...
Hope for Tomorrow
February 26, 2023 10:00 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBThere are many things we look forward to in life such as vacations, Christmas, family weddings, etc. When the Israelites would travel to a city for a special celebration they would sing songs of ascent. They used these songs to look forward to celebrations in the midst of a life that was extremely difficult; it was their way of persevering through difficult times. How do you persevere through tough times? How do you use your daily walk with God to look forward to your future?
From Heart to Mouth
February 19, 2023 10:00 - 37 minutes - 34 MB"God is good!!" That seems to be a phrase we use often on Sundays at church and a central theme of most of the worship songs we sing while at church. Scripture encourages us to sing loudly with joy and thankfulness. But within a day or two, sometimes within just a few hours, our hearts and minds can move from singing praises to God to a place of being critical and complaining. It can be so easy to shift our focus to things that distract us from the direction God wants us to move in, which is...
Honest to God
February 12, 2023 10:00 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBLife is hard. While there are many joys we experience, the journey of life is also fraught with disappointments, hardships, and hurts. Those feelings can leave us wondering where God is and why he doesn’t do something different. If weren’t careful, they can also lead us to the point where we question His goodness or even His presence. But what if that doesn’t need to be the case? What if there’s an opportunity to be honest with God about these things in a way that draws us nearer to Him? Per...
GROWING
February 05, 2023 10:00 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBThere are people we meet in life who have seemingly unshakeable faith. Regardless of what happens to them in life, they have a calm confidence in a God who is FOR them that allows them to face any storm that comes their way. It’s their confidence in God that drives their ability to stay connected to Him, and it’s that sort of faith that astonished Jesus during his time on earth. Thankfully, such amazing faith isn’t as outside of our grasp as we sometimes think; it’s available to those who st...
INVITING
January 29, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBInvitations have the power to change our lives. Whether it was an invitation to sit at someone’s lunch table, the invitation to go out on a date, or the invitation to try something new - receiving and responding to invitations can change the trajectory of our lives. Seeing how powerful they are, it’s not surprising that invitations are also a part of our faith journey. Every person who is following Jesus today received an invitation at some point, and that one invitation was life-changing. F...
GIVING
January 22, 2023 10:00 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBWe love being around generous people because we know there’s nothing they have that they’re withholding from us. We could ask anything of them, and they would give it to us in a heartbeat. The irony is, as much as we love generous people and are grateful for their generosity, many of us find it difficult to be generous personally. Rather than being quick to give of what we have, we come up with reasons why we may need it or why we don’t need to give it. So how do we bridge the gap between wh...
SERVING
January 15, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBWhen we think of church, we tend to think of a building that holds weekly services. Whereas that’s one thing that happens within a church, there’s so much more. In fact, the church isn’t a building - it’s a gathering. And when we understand what the purpose of the gathering, we begin to understand what our role is so we can be a part of contributing to what God is up to in our world.
LIVING
January 08, 2023 10:00 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBNo matter how hard we try, we all have gaps between what we want others to perceive about us and who we truly are. Whether it’s with your spouse, a friend, your parents, or your boss, there are times when people see our gaps, and we suddenly become aware of a terrible fear we all have: rejection. The fear of rejection is so powerful, it fuels our damaging behavior of hiding our gaps from others. The good news is, God knew of our tendency, and He painted a picture of how to overcome both our ...
2023 Leadership Round Table
January 01, 2023 10:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBYou've got questions, and we've got answers. Join us for a Leadership Round Table where Seth, John, Paul, and Rachel answer questions that were previously submitted.
Peace on Earth
December 24, 2022 10:00 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBChristmas is a season of chaos. From parties to programs, from family to friends, this season seems to comes like a storm, wreaking havoc on our sanity and then disappearing in the blink of an eye. And ironically, in this season of chaos, the message of the Christmas Story is “peace on earth.” Peace on earth seems like a fairytale ending, not altogether different from, “and they lived happily ever after.” But what if the problem of peace on earth isn’t a problem with Jesus? What if our lack ...
Do You See What I See?
December 18, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MB“God and sinners reconciled.” It’s a famous line to a beloved Christmas carol, and it’s one of the things we recognize and celebrate during this season. But did you ever consider how our restored relationship with God leaves us with a responsibility to restore our relationships with the people around us? It’s when we are not simply receivers of God’s grace but givers of it that we join in with the incredible gift we celebrate during this season.
Don't Do The Math
December 11, 2022 10:00 - 41 minutes - 37.8 MBIt’s unsettling when someone whom we believe is undeserving gets the same thing we got… except we deserved it. We earned it. We were responsible when they weren’t, but they got the benefit anyway. How is that fair? It’s unsettling… at least until we take an honest reflection of ourselves and our own shortcomings and realize that it is, perhaps, more fair than we originally thought.
Undeservable
December 04, 2022 10:00 - 41 minutes - 37.8 MBWhy wouldn’t everyone want to believe in Christmas? The gift of Christmas - the birth of Jesus - at its core brings us the solution for just about all the problems we experience in life. When Jesus is understood for who he truly is, it’s hard to imagine why anyone wouldn’t want Christmas and Christianity to be true.
World Gone Bad
November 27, 2022 10:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBHave you ever wrestled with wanting to make the right decision on how to live but you end up doing what is wrong? In this parable we will look at how Jesus is telling us the importance of living a Godly life while evil is all around us. We will look at how to have hope in our temptation and how to honor God with our life.
Random
November 20, 2022 10:00 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MBHave you ever wondered why life can seem so random? Some people are born to wealth; others are born to poverty. Some have good health; others are plauged with health issues their entire lives. Why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people? How do we come to terms with the seeming randomness of life and make sense of it in a way that helps us to step forward regardless of what cards we’re dealt.
Not Thankful
November 13, 2022 10:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBWhen it comes to our thoughts about other people, there’s always someone we’re glad we’re not. Maybe it’s a parent or a sibling; maybe it’s an enemy or a politician. But did you know, your gratitude for NOT being like someone you don’t like actually has the power to make you like that someone you don’t like? Our pride has the power to lead to our downfall, which is why Jesus invited us into a different way.
Foundational
November 06, 2022 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBWhen it comes to storms in life, the issue isn’t “if” but “when?”; they’re inevitable. Storms will come whether we’re properly prepared for them or not. So how do we make sure we’re ready when they do come? How can we live our lives in such a way that the inevitable storms of life don’t wreck us?
Haunted House
October 30, 2022 10:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBDuring the Halloween season, we can be tempted to talk more about the perceived concerns with this holiday than the real holiday that follows the day after on November 1st: All Saints Day. But being a Saint isn't about what we usually associate with that word and title. Actually, "Saint" is more than just a title, it is a job description for those of that have put our faith in Jesus. Today, we will look to the Apostle Paul for help understanding those saintly responsibilities and just wha...
I'd Rather Have Jesus
October 23, 2022 10:00 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBHave you ever wondered what matters to God? Our new campus Pastor Paul shares how God has worked in his life to reveal what is most important as we walk out our faith.
United We Stand
October 16, 2022 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBPolitical division is killing America. Whether it’s coming from the left or the right, the efforts to vilify the other side are simply leading to the destruction of our country. How do we rise above? How do we find unity in the midst of our diversity? And more importantly, how can the mission of the church remain central when the people of the church struggle to find common ground?
Systemic
October 09, 2022 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBThe problems in America are systemic. Whether approaching things from the political left or right, we can all agree the system is broken. Unfortunately, most of our solutions to our broken systems are simply bandages we use to try to hold things together. What if the solution to our systemic problems isn’t something that will come from the left or the right but something that comes from within?
The Souls of America
October 02, 2022 10:00 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBThe only thing Americans seem to be united on these days is the belief that America is broken. And that’s where the division begins. Not only are we divided, but we vilify the other side for not seeing things our way… the right way. With such division, how do we find common ground to move forward? How do Christians, who don’t always see eye to eye politically, keep from losing sight of what matters most: the souls of America?
For King or Country?
September 25, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MBFor the first time in a long time, nearly all Americans are united around one thing: our country is broken. Rather than thriving, America is simply surviving. Mass shootings, abandoned children, government corruption, dirty politics, racism, sexism, classism. The list goes on and on. All sides want to fix what’s broken, but only one way forward has a proven track record of success. Maybe we should try leveraging that to help fix America.
Something for Everyone
September 18, 2022 10:00 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBMovies about Superheroes are pretty predictable. No matter what happens during the rest of the film, the last 20 minutes are always the same: the hero saves the day. For all of us that are ordinary and average, that makes being a hero inaccessible. How do we save the day? How can we be a hero? Today we will look at one of the most impactful stories and lessons that Jesus gave during His time of ministry 2,000 years ago. A story that redefines what it means to be a hero and makes doing ...
Unlikely Hero
September 11, 2022 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBSuperheroes are all the rage in movies and television right now. And even though we might daydream about being a hero ourselves, the reality is that most of us feel anything but heroic. We feel average and ordinary. But what if God was calling each of us to be a hero someway and somehow in the world around us? Even in our ordinary, God can do something extraordinary through us just like He did through Moses. Sometimes it just requires us to get out of our own way.
Abundant
September 04, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBEverywhere we turn, we are marketed to: buy this, wear that, travel here… and you’ll be happy, fulfilled, and living life to the full. The problem is most of us have bought that thing, worn the clothes, and made the trip only to discover that our happiness was temporary. What we thought would fulfill us only left us wanting. What if there’s more to life than the acquisition of stuff? And if there is more to life, how do we find it?
The Talk
August 28, 2022 10:00 - 45 minutes - 42 MBWhen it comes to sexuality in our culture, there are few limits to what is encouraged and what is acceptable… until someone falls off the edge. When the young teenager gets pregnant or the illicit affair comes to light, the public shaming begins. Culture baits us to the edge of sex, and then criticizes us when we fall off. But maybe there’s a different way to look at sexuality and to understand God’s design for this gift he gave to humanity.
Time Out
August 21, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 39 MB“There’s always time for one more thing” is the mantra of our culture. One more activity, one more travel sport, one more volunteer slot. As a result of always adding “one more” thing, many of us find ourselves worn out and stressed out - unable to get off the hamster wheel of busyness. But what if the busy lives we lead actually keep us from giving our attention to what matters most? What if there’s any opportunity to create some boundaries that can protect us from over-activity?
Let's Be Friends
August 14, 2022 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MBEverybody needs a friend at some point, and because we tend to be acceptance magnets, we’re not always discerning about who we allow into our circle of friendships. We know the power of peer pressure in our teenage years, but what if that power still applies as we move into adulthood? How might that change the way we look at friendships?
Danger Zone
August 07, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBThe edge of a cliff is an exciting place to be... until you fall off. It’s when you fall off that you realize there was wisdom in keeping a safe distance. We live with edges all around us - with our morality, our relationships, our money, our ethics. And though it may not be as exciting to step away from the edges of these things, it can save us a lot of heartache.
Solo Expedition
July 31, 2022 10:00 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBThe wilderness is always a challenge, but being alone in the wilderness is an even bigger challenge. It’s when we’re alone and have no one to help us that we find ourselves facing discouragement. Sometimes we even begin to question God’s goodness and His presence. How we choose to respond in those moments can have a profound impact on faith moving forward on the other side of our wilderness experience.
Get Me Out!
July 24, 2022 10:00 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBWhen we’re in the wilderness - particularly when we’ve been there a long time - we begin searching for ways out. The problem is, the most expedient paths out tend to be the ones that require us to set aside something of value. It’s in those moments that we have an opportunity to discover what is most important to us.
A New Point of View
July 17, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MBOne of the tensions we face every day is the decision to do what we want to do or what God wants us to do. This is particularly challenging when God doesn’t give us the direction we want. Rather than asking and asking for a different answer, what if there’s an opportunity to see things from a different point of view?
End of Your Rope
July 10, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBA famous philosopher once said, “Know thyself.” A whole lot of heartache in our world probably could be avoided if we would spend more time “knowing thyself” and less time “being thyself.” In the wilderness, we have the opportunity to come face to face with who we really are so we can step into who God wants us to be.
Resilient
July 03, 2022 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MBIt's easy to think of faith in the context of, “What’s happening now and what I’m feeling now determine what I believe for now.” When life goes the way I want and I feel good, then God is good. But if life takes a different turn, my attitude toward God changes. So what would you do if God were to you to do what doesn’t make sense? What about if God were to ask you to do something that is difficult or even uncomfortable? It’s how we respond in those moments that we discover a lot about ...
Rachel's Story
June 26, 2022 10:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBWorship Director, Rachel Huffman, shares about her recent health issues and how God has shown His faithfulness to her and her family throughout this challenging season.
The Posture of Reconciliation
June 19, 2022 10:00 - 38 minutes - 35 MBSometimes, relational reconciliation isn't possible because true reconciliation takes two. However, just as, when we were far from God, He never gave up on us, we are called to keep the door open for reconciliation no matter how long it takes. Because even though we can't make decisions for others, we can try to live a "no regrets" lifestyle.
Pie in the Eye
June 12, 2022 10:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBWhen it comes to relationships in our life that are broken and in need of repair, we are full of excuses as to why we shouldn’t have to make the first move or how we’re not really the one to blame. But Jesus wants to cut through our excuses and challenges us to take a good, hard look in the mirror. One of the best places to start when reassembling relationships is with ourselves and owning up to our piece.
Back to You
June 05, 2022 10:00 - 40 minutes - 37 MBRelationships don't come with a trouble-shooting guide. But one of the ways Christ-followers are called to be different is that, in the God's economy, people aren't disposable. Ever. And that means repairing a relationship means someone has to initiate, regardless of who is to blame.
Instructions Not Included
May 29, 2022 10:00 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBLet’s be honest: relationships can be hard! Whether it is with a friend, a family member, or a co-worker, we all have dealt with broken or strained relationships in our lives at one time or another. And while starting relationships can be easy, we often struggle with how to even start the process of reconciling the broken relationships we may have. Reconciliation just isn’t something that comes naturally to us. This week we look at reasons why fixing broken relationships can be so hard a...
Have Faith
May 22, 2022 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBWhen things in life don’t go as we expect, people sometimes respond with statements like, “just believe” or “just have faith” or “just trust.” While those sound nice, they’re also a little vague and unhelpful. Believe what? Have faith in what? Trust what? How do any of those solve the current situation? It’s almost like we’re told to have faith in faith, and if we do that, we can move mountains. But what does that even mean, and how do we have a faith that is capable of making a differe...
Don't Judge
May 15, 2022 10:00 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MBDon't judge. We’ve all heard, and we’ve all been on the receiving end of an unfair judgment. Ironically, most of us have also been on the judging end. You would think having been judged we’d be slow to judge, but that’s not usually the case. Are we supposed to “judge not?” Or is it possible Jesus’ instructions on judging were intended to communicate something different?