The Bridge Church Sermons

There are times in your life where we would say pain is in our life. Other times, it feels like pain is more than that—that pain defines our life. Naomi was a case of the latter, to the point that she described herself as "empty". When faced with all kinds of hardship and hopelessness, in times where our lives seem empty and defined by our pain, what do we do? Where do we find strength? Purpose? Hope? The story of Naomi shows us that the call of the follower of Jesus is not to look away from hardship, but to look at it fully…and keep looking at it until, by God’s grace, the brokenness we saw at first becomes absorbed into something more complex… more counterintuitive… or even more beautiful than what we saw at first glance.Support the show

A man humbles himself to bus tables for widows and ends up changing the world. How?Stephen was a man we know very little about, except for the end of his life. Confronted with death, he spoke truth and grace. From his story we see, as the Holy Spirit moves, we are filled with courage and compassion to communicate our convictions; allowing for grace, power, wisdom, and faith to grow in our lives. To hear Stephen’s story, listen here:Support the show

Who are your heroes? It's unlikely that anyone would name someone like Rahab—an unmarried woman living in enemy territory, working as a prostitute to simply survive on her own. Yet it's Rahab whose desperation was so deep that when push came to shove, she committed treason to follow God—giving her a place forever as a model of faith (Hebrews 11). It might just be that desperation for God is vital to the Christian faith, so much so that desperation made Rahab an unlikely hero. As we listen to her story, where are we in our desperation for God? Listen to "How Desperation Made a Hero"  Support the show

A few months back, as the war in Ukraine began, we got connected through some Bridge Missions partners to a pastor and evangelist named Karen and his family, who are incredible examples of what it looks like to live on mission. The work he and his team has been doing in Ukraine and Europe over the last few years, but especially since the war began, is powerful and deeply moving. Pastor Ian had a chance to sit down with him and talk about what life as mission looks like.This is something we’re calling a “Crucial Conversation”, and we have an opportunity to engage together. As you dive in, ask yourself this: "How can what I hear change the way I live?"Support the show

When is the last time you've been fearful? Doubtful? Have you ever felt "half-in" with your faith, or maybe questioned where God was in the middle of a battle? Gideon's story, in a nutshell, is this: 300 men defeat an army of 135 thousand, led by a man who begins the story by hiding in a hole—fearful and doubtful.God's plan rarely will make sense on paper, but He gives us an identity that produce in us a peace and surety of a victory that only God's presence can do. We never see ourselves the way God does. Maybe today, you need a reminder of what He says. Support the show

Jesus often surprised people with His teachings."Lose your life to save it.""The first will be last.""Pray for your enemies."But maybe the most shocking assertion Jesus ever made was John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."Yes, it's an exclusive claim... but also the most inclusive invitation. Rich or poor, old or young, man or woman, any political persuasion, any background, any nation, any context—the invitation is for all.Listen to "Is Jesus the Only Way?"Support the show

Suffering is inevitable. It's in Scripture time and time again—people crying out to God in lament and anger, praying for pain and grief to be taken away, even wishing for death.But where our world has a way of brushing over suffering with bumper sticker phrases about strength and purpose for pain, God gives us so much more. He doesn't ask us to hide our suffering and mask it with joy—no, even he has suffered, like us, and he's with us in our pain too.We don't share this as a way to promise "things will get better," nor to say we have an answer for why you're going through what you're going through.We share this because we know suffering will come, and there's a hope in the midst of it all.Support the show

Let’s call it like it is—miracles are one of the hardest things to comprehend. Some of us aren’t even sure… do they really exist? Were they things of the early church but not things of today?To know if miracles are real begins with understanding what miracles are in the first place.  And all miracles point to something much greater than our own desires and happiness—they point to the greatest miracle of all, the cross and the empty tomb.Without that queen miracle, all the miracles and prayers and faith mean nothing. So instead of chasing miracles, we chase Jesus.And when we chase Jesus, we see it all a whole new way.Support the show

Have you ever wondered what the relationship between science and faith looks like? You aren’t alone in asking these questions. Join us in "Curious" as we continue to dive into the hard questions and seek to understand the relationship between faith & science. Science can define the how; only faith can define the why. Science is a gift from God when it is not treated as God.Support the show

Can we trust the Bible? For centuries, the Bible has transcended all economic, ethnic and geographical boundaries to bring transformation. But it has also led to questions. Confusion. Sometimes doubt or anger, even. To know if the Bible can be trusted, we have to look at what—or better yet, Who—it all points to. It truly has the power to bring us to Jesus, and He can be trusted. What's the best way to find out if it's real? Live it out. Support the show