Trinity Missionary Church Podcast

"Joy To The World" is one of many familiar Christmas carols that is sung this time of year. But, have you ever stopped to think about what the words are saying? "Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king!" What does it really mean to have joy? Is joy a feeling? Is joy conditional? What if I don't feel joyful? Jesus said, "These things I have told you, that MY joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11). Jesus wants us to have a life full of joy that transcends a feeling, but we need to guard against things that will steal our joy. This week, we discuss "joy-stealers" like anxiety, resentment and confusion. Pastor Steve said, "Our joy is in Jesus, not activity." Join us this week as we learn how to find our joy in Jesus.

In former President Obama's first year in office he said, "The message of Christmas is both timeless and universal." This is a very true statement. As much as our culture tries to say, Christmas is not about how "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer," how "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause," or how "Rudolph- The Red Nosed Reindeer" saved Christmas. Christmas is "All About The Cross," and how (as the song says) "Jesus came to be born once, so that we can be born again." Jesus is God in flesh, and we celebrate His birth this season. Jesus came to give us life and to give it to us in abundance (John 10:10). But, that does not mean we will never suffer through difficult times. Sometimes we can be fooled into believing that our lives were easier before we met Jesus. According to Philippians 1:6, God loves us enough to never quit on us. We need to remember that our Emmanuel (God with us) came into this world to live with us, suffer with us and eventually, die for us. Join us this week as we discuss this ama

The Christmas season is upon us once again, and for some it is "the most wonderful time of the year." For others, Christmas is a painful reminder of times past and better days. If Christmas was simply about a Baby in a manger, it is a great story. But, when you understand that Christmas is as much about the Cross as it is the Manger, the story becomes AMAZING! God planned from the beginning that He would suffer on the cross and die for mankind. When He overcame the power of death through His resurrection, Jesus gave Hope to us all. Join us this week as we begin our journey to the manger and the cross!

Our world is full of symbols. The Christmas tree, the turkey, the American flag, the Statue of Liberty and the Viet-Nam War Memorial in Washington D.C. are just a few examples of symbols that cause us to pause and think. Having just celebrated Thanksgiving as a country, we take a moment to partake in the Lord's Table also known as Communion, to remember what God has done for us. The bread and juice remind us of Jesus' body that was broken for us and blood that was shed for our sin. Today, we can celebrate that Jesus died and rose again to bring us victory once for all. Join us this week as we take a moment to remember!

Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." How are you doing in the "rejoicing department?" Our willingness to "rejoice and be glad" seems to depend on our day, or our mood or circumstance. When David penned this Psalm, he did not say our rejoicing should be conditional. In our main text for today's message, the Apostle Paul writes, "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). There is so much more to being grateful than simply not complaining! If God's will for our lives includes being thankful in all circumstances, than we must train ourselves to give thanks first in everything. No matter how dark the circumstance looks, we can still give thanks. The Bible is full of examples where people gave thanks even in the midst of dire situations. Paul and Silas had a midnight worship service, and an earthquake was the result of their praise. Because every pris

When the heart is mentioned in the Bible, it is often accompanied by a call to action. For example, Scripture says, "guard your heart," "take heart," "be humble in heart," and the list continues. Jesus never shied away from addressing the heart, and was willing to challenge His listeners about the condition of their hearts. Obviously, we are not talking about the physical heart, but Jesus wants to deal with our hearts and our motivations. The question is, "Do we REALLY want Jesus to take a closer look at our heart?" Or, would we rather simply "work for God" and never be challenged to look inside and make changes where necessary? Jesus specifically addressed the heart in Luke 14 when he told a group of Pharisees a parable about a party. Through this story, Jesus challenged his listeners to look at how they view others as well as themselves. He also encouraged the audience to ask, "What motivates my actions? Why do I do what I do?" These same questions are still pertinent today. Will you allow yourse

This week's message focused on one main theme: The Gospel Changes Everything. As you ponder this truth, there are many observations that come from such a powerful statement. The Gospel connects us to the unfathomable glory of Christ. The Gospel is not about being good, but about right standing with God through the blood of Jesus. The Gospel turns cowards into martyrs. The Gospel truly Changes Everything- or at least SHOULD change everything! In 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, the Apostle Paul challenges us to "stand in the Gospel," and, "to hold firmly to the Word" that was taught. With powerful words like, "Challenge" and "Hold Firmly," Paul is urging us to keep the Gospel at the forefront of everything we do. The Gospel changes how I "do life." It changes how I "do marriage, family, parenting, finances and business." It changes how I treat my neighbors and my enemies. The Gospel should even change my worldview, my view of the government, my heart for missions, and even how I view terrorism/terrorists. If

It is harvest time in northern Michigan, and the evidence is all around. The local markets as well as the big box retail stores are selling apples, squash, pumpkins and gourds in abundance. With such a bountiful harvest, it gives us the chance to review from where the "fruit" comes. We judge a plant by the quality of its fruit- is it the right color, shape, texture, taste, etc. But, how many times do we examine the root that provided the fruit? We must remember, "the fruit comes from the root, not the other way around!" If we have bad fruit, we cannot just deal with the fruit. We must examine the root to remedy the problem. In our study this week, we spend some time in Hebrews 12:14-17 talking about the "bitter root" that can cause trouble. Join us as we "stop rearranging the fruit and deal with the root" in our lives.

In Deuteronomy 29:29, Moses writes, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of the law." We struggle with "secret things" don't we? Our society promotes the idea that we have the right to know how and why things happen. We want an answer to the question "If God is so good, why does He allow suffering?" This is an age-old question, that fits into the category of "secret things that belong to God." We live in a fallen world where death, suffering, pain and struggles are a reality. What if instead of seeing ourselves as victims of evil and pain, we saw suffering as a tool that God uses to glorify His Name? Ultimately, God has always been (and still is) in control. Join us as we dive into the topic of God's goodness vs. suffering and evil.

Second Corinthians 5:7 says, "for we walk by faith, not by sight." That sounds great in theory, but what do you do when you can't see the way? How do we navigate life when we feel like we are fumbling around in the dark searching for answers? To understand better living by faith and not by sight, we look to the story of Jesus and the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, which is found in Luke 18:35-43. Most of Bartimaeus' life was spent in physical darkness. His only method of survival was to beg at the city gate every day, and rely on the kindness and pity of others. As Jesus passed by, Bartimaeus acted contrary to the crowd and cried out for help from, "Jesus- Son of David." Much to the crowd's surprise, Jesus actually stopped to interact with the beggar. When asked what Jesus could do for him, Bartimaeus replied boldly, "I want to see." You have to admire Bartimaeus' faith. When all he knew was physical darkness, he combatted it with faith. What do we do when faced with darkness and "dark times?" Jesus ca

Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi (literally: "Golden Repair") is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold or sliver lacquer. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. In fact, the piece is considered more beautiful BECAUSE of the breakage. We are all "cracked pots" living in a broken world, and this would be discouraging if we did not have a Creator Who is a master at repairing brokenness. The Apostle Peter, one who knew a little about being broken, described the amazing restoration process in 1 Peter 5:10. Not only does God restore His people, but He then highlights our repairs to bless and restore others. We serve an Amazing God! Join us, your fellow "cracked pots," as we embrace our brokenness!

In Ephesians 3:20-21, the Apostle Paul writes, "Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." This has been our "life verse" and rally cry at Trinity Missionary Church for many years. This morning, we take time to pause and "Imagine the Possibilities" of what God will do in our local church and in the Church world-wide. God wants to move, will you allow Him to move you?

The title to this Podcast says it all: "What Motivates You?" Or said another way, "Why do you do what you do?" All too often, we live every day and simply go through the motions. We sleep, wake-up, go to work/school, come home and do it all again the next day. In this Podcast, we examine the life of the Apostle Paul from the book of Acts. Acts chapters 15, 16, 17, 18 chronicle several of Paul's missionary journeys where he traveled the Middle East and Europe telling everyone about Jesus Christ. His primary motive was to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ through sharing the message that Jesus changes lives. The question to ask yourself is, "Is there anything in my life I do where my primary purpose is to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ?" This question should be our focus in everything we do. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:17, "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." As you go throughout your day, strive to do E

Grace. Likely you are familiar with this word, but have you really taken the time to ponder its meaning? According to the prophet Isaiah, grace can be described this way: "Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’" (Isaiah 58:9) The prophet continues by proclaiming that if we stop pointing fingers at others in anger, feed the hungry and pay attention to the needs of the afflicted, then God will make our light rise in the darkness (Isaiah 58:10). In other words, God has extended grace to us; therefore, we are to extend grace to others. We can do all of the right things with all the wrong motives and cause pain and heartache. Amazing grace is BOTH vertical AND horizontal. The two greatest commandments, according to Jesus, leads us to have a Passion for God and Passion for People. Join us as we discuss God's amazing grace!

Bathophobia is an intense fear of depths or deep things (like open water). Living in a community that is located on the shores of Lake Michigan, I am overwhelmed with the vastness of the Great Lakes. For the past several weeks, our nation has been engrossed in the news coverage of two category 4 hurricanes that have hit the mainland of the United States in both Florida and Texas. It is safe to say we have witnessed the power of open water! Even with the unpredictability and uncertainty of "open water" God calls us to the depths. In the main text for this morning's message, Ezekiel 47:1-9, we read about the journey where God beckoned the prophet Ezekiel to walk through water that started as a trickle and ended up in deep water "that could not be passed through." Today, you may be asking the question, "Should I take the plunge?" You may feel called to the "deep water" where things are completely out of your control. Most of us love the shallow water because we feel as though we are in control. God is b

It is very likely that you are familiar with Psalm 23. Probably one of King David's most well known Psalms, he comforts readers with passages like "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." King David wrote about green pastures and still waters, protection while in the "valley of the shadow of death" and not needing to fear because of his Shepherd. But, have you ever noticed the phrase, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."? Have you ever thought about why the Shepherd would prepare a meal that we eat with our enemies sitting at the table right next to or across from us? Today, Pastor Steve takes this beautiful passage, and helps us understand "who's invited to our table," or maybe better said, "who we invite to our table." In a world full of voices ready to tell you what they think of you, and try to define who you are, we must learn to listen to the Voice of our Shepherd. Only His Voice matters!

Here is question to challenge your thoughts on evangelism- Whose responsibility is it to tell others how much God really loves them? We know the "right" answer is that everybody is responsible to share the love of God. But, do we REALLY believe that? The prophet Isaiah, had the incredible opportunity to stand in the Presence of the Almighty God as the LORD asked, "Who will go for us? Whom shall We send?" We read this account in Isaiah 6:1-8, and the prophet's response is, "Here I am LORD, send me." It is a bold response, and one filled with hope as Isaiah accepts the responsibility to share the love of God with a rebellious and fallen people. We, too, live in a fallen and rebellious world that desperately needs to hear about the love of God that led to Jesus' death and resurrection to give us victory over sin and death. The same questions still ring loud and true today, "Who will go for us, and whom shall We send?" I pray our response is as bold as Isaiah's- "Here I am, LORD, send me."

The saying goes, "If you are bored with your faith, there is a good chance God is bored with your faith as well." Take a moment to read that statement again . . . Oftentimes, we take our faith for granted. It is very easy for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and have given Him control of their lives know it is easy to hit the "auto-pilot" button and fall into a routine in our faith. When is the last time you longed for God's presence? When did you last fall on your face in the presence of the Almighty God? As we work through Exodus chapters 27, 28, 29 and 30 in this message, you will see a heavy emphasis on the presence of God, and how the priests revered and respected the presence of the Almighty. God was meticulous in His instructions for His people (specifically the priests) that gave specific instructions for the altar, the Ark of the Covenant, their priestly garments and their conduct in His presence. God wanted the priests of the Old and New Testaments to be

We begin this week with a question: Do miracles tell us about the character and nature of God? The answer is a resounding, "YES!" All throughout Israel's history we hear about various miracles God performed on their behalf. He parted the Red Sea. He brought about His judgment on Egypt and her gods and showcased real power through the plagues. We read of water brought from a rock, manna and quail from heaven and battles won without lifting a weapon. Israel's history is really "His Story" and how God makes and keeps His promise to His people. You may say, "That may be true for Israel's history, but what about God's promises today?" What do you do when God gives you a promise, but takes his time in brining it to fruition? Join us this week as we learn about God's promises through the familiar passage in Exodus 14 where Israel crosses the Red Sea.

"God is the God of the broken." Aren't you glad this statement is true today? Maybe you want to believe this statement, but you simply cannot because of life and circumstances. There is no denying that we live in a broken world. Wars, famine, homelessness, crime, human trafficking, disease and hatred are just a few of the struggles that seem to dominate our world today. We can do two things with brokenness. #1- We can ignore the brokenness and pretend it does not affect us today (we say, "It's not my problem!"). #2- We can fix our brokenness with the help of a loving God Who wants to restore our lives. King David was a man who understood brokenness, and how it changed the lives of his family, his kingdom and his own life. The man who was once honored as a fierce warrior after God's own heart, committed some grievous sins that caused him (and others) to lose so much. But, through David's brokenness (maybe even BECAUSE of his brokenness), God restored King David and continued to work through his life.