Flood Church - Audio Podcast

Why Can't We Be Friends? - Matthew (The Party Animal)Jesus was no stranger to parties - but he also never compromised who he was or whose he was in those spaces. Instead, Jesus found a way to connect with the partiers and call them back to their true selves.This Sunday we continue our series, Why Can’t We Be Friends? Difficult People Worth Fighting For, by looking at Jesus’ encounter with a party animal who needed a new scene.

Why Can't We Be Friends? - Peter (The Annoying Friend)Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus encountering and engaging with all kinds of difficult people, and loving each of them perfectly. This Sunday, we start a brand new series called Why Can’t We Be Friends? Difficult People Worth Fighting For, that will look at some of the pivotal relationships in Jesus’ life, and what we can learn from Jesus about how to love one another, even if (or when) it is difficult.

Ex: To Be Continued...This Sunday our journey through the story of the Exodus comes to an end. Just as the last chapter of Exodus does not conclude the epic adventure narrative of God’s miraculous deliverance of the Israelites in the desert, so too our journey continues into this next season as a church. The question is, what do we need to carry with us as we continue this next season together? 

Ex: Show Me Your GloryAs we approach the end of the Exodus story, it’s clear that Moses and God have reached a new dynamic in their relationship. After forty years of talking with God, learning to obey and seeing His provision over and over again, Moses has come to see that God’s presence is all he truly needs and wants. When given the choice to enter the Promised Land without God, Moses dismisses it out of hand. If you’re not going, he says, then neither am I. This exchange leads to one of the more majestic moments in Scripture, when God permits Moses to catch a glimpse of His glory. God gives us glimpses of His glory, too - but if we’re not looking for it, it can be easy to miss. 

Ex: Discovering Your CallingThe question of our vocation can become daunting, and we begin to fear we might make the “wrong” decision. Thankfully, God shows us another way. God doesn’t want our vocation, or calling, to be a burden - He intends it to be a blessing, both to ourselves and those around us. Not only that, but He will show us how to live out that calling as we follow Him.This Sunday we look to an unassuming character in Exodus to understand what it truly means to discern God’s calling, in our summer series Ex: A Deliverance Deferred.

Ex: Home is Where...When the Israelites finally arrived at Mount Sinai, they probably thought that after such a long and difficult journey, things were finally going to settle down and they could learn a new normal. However as we know, this is not to be. Instead, they will spend the rest of the Pentateuch (all the way through Deuteronomy) bickering, disobeying God’s and Moses’ commands, and generally being ornery, obstinate, and grumbly.Like the Israelites, too often our lives are marked by conflict - miscommunications and misunderstandings that lead to us either being hurt, or hurting others.  In a world made up of different backgrounds, cultures, upbringings, and communication styles, we want to learn ways to celebrate the things that make us unique in environments where everyone can feel valued, respected, known, and understood.

Ex: More Than WordsA powerful image of miraculous rescue is exactly what God wants to remind the Israelites, as they finally arrive at Mt. Sinai and prepare to receive His covenant. But can the Israelites surrender to God’s call to obedience and worship? Find out as we continue our series on Exodus calledEx: A Deliverance Deferred.

Ex: Leading LeadersMoses has all the makings of an incredible leader, but finds himself in dire need of help from an outside perspective to rise to the occasion. This Sunday we look at how biblical humility creates space for others to lead through our series, Ex: A Deliverance Deferred. 

Ex: Revisionist HistoryAfter their miraculous deliverance through the Red Sea, the Israelites find themselves in a desert - but it’s not an island, and no one’s having a good time. They’re thirsty, hungry, and they’re beginning to believe that things in Egypt weren’t so bad. To their credit, things certainly don’t look good. However, they’re forgetting one very important thing: God is still with them, and has promised them not only freedom from slavery, but a land of abundance where they will be free to serve and worship God.

Ex: Home FreeIn the story of the Exodus, just when it looks like the Israelites have finally been delivered out of slavery by God’s mighty and miraculous works, mediated through his servant Moses - Pharaoh goes back his word. Instead of letting God’s people go free, he decides to pursue them into the desert to subdue and re-enslave them. This will prove to be a perilous choice.This Sunday we hear from Andy Kelly in North County as he explores what it means to trust in God when all seems lost.

Ex: Pass Over‘Why is this night different from all other nights?’This question initiates one of the most significant elements of the Passover, reading the story of the Exodus from Egypt. You see, remembering what God has done, and passing those memories down through the generations, is one of the central pillars of the Jewish faith. It is how we recognize that the God of the Exodus - of miraculous deliverance, divine justice, and abounding mercy, is the same God who is alive and active today.This Sunday we look at the account of God’s justice and mercy through the first Passover in our series, Ex: A Deliverance Deferred.

Ex: King of HeartsSometimes when we read Exodus in our context, as a privileged and free people, we can start to feel like it’s all scripted, pre-planned, and choreographed. The truth is, victory was anything but a foregone conclusion. God gave Moses the task of obtaining freedom for the Israelites from Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth at the time. Chances of success were slim to none. He had no army, no reputation, no standing whatsoever to approach Pharaoh with this request. He did, however, have something that the Pharaoh had never heard of and didn’t know to fear - he had the Lord. And Pharaoh is about to learn just how powerful that advantage is.

Ex: Called OutWhen Moses asks God precisely who is sending him to free the Israelites, God does not respond with a list of descriptors or accomplishments. God says simply, “I am who I am” (or “I will be who I will be,” depending on the translation). God does not need to prove anything to Moses, or the Israelites, for that matter. God is God, God will be God, and that is enough.This Sunday we continue our series through Exodus called Ex: A Deliverance Deferred and look at the long-awaited meeting between Moses and the I Am.

Ex: The FugitiveSubjugation and suffering is the backdrop against which Moses’s early life plays out, as he witnesses firsthand the cruelty of slavery and takes it upon himself to exact vengeance. His choice will lead to a series of events that will shape his life and ultimately, his destiny.This Sunday we continue our new series on the story of the Exodus called Ex: A Deliverance Deferred.

Ex: True FreedomThe story of God’s people is full of inadvertent expatriates, from Abraham to Joseph to Jesus. The story of the Exodus, however, recounts how God brought an entire nation from a doomed future into a new land for a new purpose.This Sunday we begin a brand new series on the story of the Exodus called Ex: A Deliverance Deferred.

Gold School: Stay GoldAny builder will tell you that solid foundation is the key to a solid structure; at the very end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says the same about our lives. The bedrock upon which we build our lives will determine how stable we are, especially in the storms that will inevitably come.This Sunday we conclude our series Gold School: The Golden Rule in Our Tarnished World by looking at Jesus’ final words to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount.

Gold School: All That Glitters...Discerning truth is an increasingly fraught exercise for us as followers of Jesus in the world today. In fact, Jesus assures us that not only is there objective truth, but also that we can recognize it - if we only know what to look for.This Sunday we take a deep and discerning look at true versus false.

Gold School: Golden GateJesus didn’t pull any punches when it came to sharing honestly with his followers the challenges of living a life in the Kingdom of God. He taught of the wide and narrow roads because he wanted his disciples to know that while his path is narrow and difficult, there is no view more beautiful or breath-taking. 

Gold School: Fool's GoldWhile we don’t mean to, we can sometimes treat God like a magical wish-granter, too. Just rub the lamp, just make the wish, just pray the prayer and *poof!* it’s yours. It’s a painful and disorienting experience, then, when we don’t get what we asked for. We believe God is the giver of good gifts, we know God hears our prayers and is not ambivalent toward us — so what gives?Holding our deepest desires before God is a vulnerable experience, and one that needs the compassionate and wise guidance of Jesus. This Sunday we learn what it means to ask God for what we truly desire.

Gold School: Pigs and PearlsIt’s quite possible for a person to possess massive amounts of knowledge, and lack the wisdom of when, how, and with whom they should share it.  Jesus knew this, and sought to cultivate disciples who led lives that demonstrated both wisdom and discerning. Indeed, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”(Proverbs 9:10)This Sunday we learn how to employ discerning wisdom in our relationships.