Welcome to the weekly podcast from Central Church of the Nazarene in Lenexa, KS. For more information about Central Church go to centralchurchonline.com
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Prov. 10:19; James 1:19, 1 Kings 19:9-15 Jesus listens to the one everyone else ignores. When we listen with care we embody the life of Jesus and create an open door for a conversation that has the potential to transform the speaker and the hearer. Are we being careful to listen to those everyone else has ignored?…
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Luke 6:12-19 Jesus sets an example of prayer for his people. One cannot engage in the mission of God without being connected to the Life of God. Our effectiveness in ministry is dependent upon our connection to God in prayer.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Genesis 12:1-3 Abraham was called by God and given a promise that through the blessing of his descendants, "all people will be blessed." He was blessed to be a blessing, and this captures who the church is called to be as well. The blessing of salvation isn't for our personal enjoyment. Rather, what God has done for us he wants to do through us!…
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We believe God has a mission to redeem the world and he calls his church to join him in this work. Our annual “Faith Promise” weekend celebrates this shared mission! Hear from the national director of the Church of the Nazarene in Cuba, Rev. Leonel Lopez, as he speaks of God's faithfulness and our role as God's people.…
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Jeremiah 17:5-8 A life of faithfulness isn't created overnight. It's nurtured over time like a tree by a stream with roots that go deep. Even in seasons of drought, a life with roots that run deep will always bear fruit.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Psalm 37:1-7 There is a “cycle of victorious living” that sustains us in every season of life. The psalmist's admonition to “trust, delight, commit, and rest” is a life-giving rhythm, no matter what life throws at us.
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Proverbs 8:32-36 The world may appear to be haphazardly spinning out of control, especially in the face of big changes. However, God's wisdom was present at creation and is programmed into the "operating system" of life. Living a life of greed or in selfish pursuit of power doesn't result in eternal gain, even if it produces temporary success. Wisd…
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Proverbs 3:5-6 It's one thing to say you trust God, but do your actions reflect a life that is fully dependent upon God and his provision? Following Jesus is a matter of trust. Will we trust our way or God's way in life's biggest changes? Always trust the one who has been there before.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 The human experience is filled with sorrows and joys. Without faith, one can only hope that the high moments outnumber the low ones. Sometimes, however, life doesn't make sense and joy is difficult to find. Faith in God enables us to trust in a plan, even when we can't see the finish line. When times are changing, God is not. Hi…
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Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus is famous for being "short," a detail that reflects humanity being stunted by greed and worldly pursuits. As it turns out, these are exactly the people Jesus wants to have dinner with and to whom the mission of the church should be aimed. Anytime the Church makes its table bigger we love people into a better story.…
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John 4:4-26 Everything about Jesus’ encounter with the Woman at the well could be described as “wrong time and wrong place.” The hospitality of Jesus, however, takes everything that's wrong and makes it right. If your story is filled with wrong time/wrong place moments, it’s always the right time to have a life-giving conversation with Jesus.…
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Luke 7:36-50 Jesus will break bread with anyone and everyone, which earns him the title, "friend of sinners." This is on full display as a "sinful woman" offers her worship in the middle of dinner. The journey from sinner to saint is dependent on our willingness to join with Jesus and also be known as a "friend of sinners."…
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Luke 24:28-35
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John 2:1-11 In the first of his "miraculous signs," Jesus turns water into wine and announces that God has "saved the best for last." When we are out of resources and don't know where to turn, there is "new wine" available to us. God keeps the party going, and never stops giving his best for us.
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Luke 14:7-14By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Hear from this week's guest speaker, Dr. Larry Bollinger, as he gives insight into God's call for the body of Christ to be a "kingdom of priests."By Dr. Larry Bollinger
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2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Life has its shares of ups and downs. The Apostle Paul reminds us to not get too high on the good times as that could result in spiritual pride. God transforms our weaknesses into opportunities to give Him glory. Our successes and our perseverance in trials are all because "he is strong."…
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Ruth 4:13-22 Naomi’s joy underscores the heart of biblical faith: when God writes your final chapter, your story always ends well. Although Ruth and Boaz are the main characters in this story, we can hardly relate to characters so amazing. We are Naomi, and God invites us to see his beauty and goodness no matter what!…
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Ruth 4:1-12 Boaz is willing to do what no one else will do. He is in love with Ruth, and love has a cost. It’s a cost that Boaz is willing to pay, because no price is too high. Like God's love for us, it’s a lavish display of costly grace. We are not worthy of this gift, but no price is too high for our God!…
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Ruth 3 Faith is an active trust in the One who is “threshing out” the bad and preserving the good in our lives. Just as the wind blows, separating the wheat from the chaff, the wind of the Spirit blows in our life preserving the good and discarding the bad.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Ruth 2 Ruth went looking for grain, but she found so much more. She found grace. Grace opens the door to more than mercy but to covenant relationship. God’s ultimate plan of salvation doesn't end with the forgiveness of your sins, but extends to the complete transformation of your life. In this journey towards transformation, we find grace in the g…
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Ruth 1 In our suffering, God is present, sovereign, and purposeful. In Naomi’s limited view of her life it appeared that God was actively working against her. However, the story points toward the hope of another harvest just on the horizon, and we often experience this hope through someone we would least expect.…
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Romans 8:31-38 God went all in and it will always be enough! We may be discouraged as we face trials of many kinds, but nothing can overcome what God has already done for us. The challenge is to live as conquerors and not as victims.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Ephesians 4:1-6 A divided world needs a united Church. This is only possible through the healing and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. This Pentecost, we ask the Spirit to reconcile, heal, and make us one in Him.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Romans 8:18-30 Our worries about the future often begin with a "what if..." question. There is so much about the future we don't know, but God’s Word declares that we are never alone in our struggle. God is WITH us and the Holy Spirit intercedes FOR us even when we don't know what to pray. The Gospel invites us to ask, "What if God is working all t…
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Romans 8:1-11 Following Jesus is simple, but it doesn't happen by accident. We live in this tension of obeying the desires of the flesh or surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit. We are invited by grace to simply cooperate with God in our salvation by "setting our mind" on the things of the Spirit.…
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Romans 6:15-23 What does it mean to be human? Sin creates the illusion that we can be our best selves by focusing on ourselves. The Gospel, however, is that grace transforms our heart so that the desire to sin is overwhelmed by a desire to love God and others. It's an invitation to be "awl" in.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Romans 6:1-14 Coming to faith in Christ means we embrace an entirely new understanding of death and life. The cross and resurrection demonstrate God’s miraculous power to bring life out of the experience of death. God wants to do the same for us as we die to sin and are raised with Christ to live holy lives. We are wanted by our Creator, both dead …
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Romans 5:12-19 Life under the lordship of Jesus is a new way of living like you’ve never experienced before. The grace of God mediated to us through the obedience of Jesus has infinitely more potential for good than our tendency to sin and rebel we inherited from the Fall.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Romans 5:1-11 The heart of our Easter faith is simple: God is “all in” for humanity. We’ve been forgiven and reconciled to God, something that would not be possible without Jesus going “all in” for us. In response to this grace, are we “all in” with God?By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Matthew 28:1-10 The first witnesses of the resurrection were women who left the tomb, “afraid yet filled with joy.” The resurrection of Jesus is the beginning of all things being made new. There is no fear it does not confront and overwhelm with joy that only Jesus can give.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Ephesians 4:7-14 On Palm Sunday we celebrate the mission of Jesus. Like the colt Jesus uses to ride into Jerusalem, we were made for this mission. Everyone is uniquely gifted to join with God, and “the Lord needs” your story, gifts, and talents. We are people committed to a purposeful mission.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Ephesians 5:1-2 As we continue talking through core values in our church, Rev. Bethany Acre talks about the characteristics of Christ-like living and the impact of saying "yes" to God on every step of the journey.By Rev. Bethany Acre
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Ephesians 3:14-21 Because God is overflowing with abundant generosity to us, we are called to be abundantly generous to others. God uses the generosity of his people to power the Church to accomplish “immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine.”By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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Ephesians 2:11-22 The Church is filled with diverse individuals who are made one in Christ. When believers walk in loving fellowship with God and each other, an unbelieving world sees what their hearts long for. Ephesians 2:11-22 envisions a life-giving community that God can use to heal the hurts and divides of the world.…
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Ephesians 1:3-14 We were created to worship. Paul begins the book of Ephesians with a doxology that tells the story of salvation. This good news invites us to respond with our whole life to who God is and what he has done.
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Ephesians 2:8-10 We were not created to live random and haphazard lives. We were made for a good and beautiful purpose, made known to us when we receive the grace of God and live on mission in response to what God has done for us. This is what we were made for, and there is no better way to live!By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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James 1:12-18 There’s a big difference in knowing in our heads the right thing to do and actually doing it with our actions. Temptation works the same way: even when we know something is wrong, all too often fail to resist it. Everyone will face temptation, but fortunately, God provides a way out.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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James 5:13-18 Prayer is keeping company with God. Learning to pray is like learning anything else: it won’t happen overnight. Pick a time. Pick a place. Ask Jesus to teach you how to pray.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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James 3:1-10 Pastor David shares about the weight of our words and how we can express our love for God through intentional encouragement.By Rev. David Goodwin
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James 2:1-13 Jesus embodied radical hospitality and called his followers to do the same. James calls us to resist playing favorites with people who can advance our place in life and give VIP treatment to the vulnerable.By Rev. Mark Snodgrass
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James 1:22-27; 2:14-26 Faith without action is dead. The world needs more than talk about what we believe. Those far from God need to see it lived out with tangible action.
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James 1:1-12 James is the New Testament’s book of wisdom. The journey to wisdom begins by recognizing life has inevitable trials and pressures. God provides the gift of his grace, strength, and presence so that we can grow in spiritual maturity, even in the midst of the trials.
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Guest preacher, Dr. Frank Moore, shares a prayer for the New Year in which we remember what God has done and forget what might have been.By Special Guest: Dr. Frank Moore
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Luke 1:57-80 Zechariah's mouth is opened when he obediently names his child John, who would grow up to prepare the way for Jesus, the prince of peace. He sings about this peace that is on the way. For those looking for peace in the midst of life's chaos, we are invited to join with Zechariah in a song of peace.…
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Christmas Eve Night Service: REAL Good News
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Luke 2:1-20 The birth of Jesus isn’t a myth. It REALLY happened at a real time and in a real place. Because of the presence of Jesus in our lives, we have real hope for the real problems we face. This message of the Christmas angels is REAL good news!
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Luke 1:39-56 The baby in Elizabeth's womb leaped for joy when he heard Mary's voice. More than a new gift under the tree, our joy comes from being close to Jesus. We see God's vision for the world in Mary's song. This is the kind of world Jesus is going to bring about, and this should be the source of our joy. If this doesn't cause us to leap for j…
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2 Peter 3:8-16 We don't like to wait, but Advent reminds us that our waiting is not without purpose. God is patient, wanting everyone to come to repentance. God’s love waits for as long as it takes and never gives up. For the believer, we do not wait passively but in partnership with God to see others experience this love as we have.…
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Isaiah 64:1-9 In Advent, we are reminded of the Israelites in captivity, asking God to intervene as he did in the past and rescue them from their oppressors. Similarly, in our brokeness, we cry out for God to break in and fix it all. Advent teaches us that He is present in our wounds, using them as opportunities for His healing light to break throu…
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Mark 6:7-13 Becoming like Jesus means we shift from following the crowd to leading like Christ. Just as the disciples were sent to heal the sick and to cast out demons, the call to follow becomes the call to lead in the very circles in which we once followed. Our careers become a calling and we, who were sheep, become shepherds.…
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