Walking in Community

Originally preached on July 14, 2024.

scripture

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

Paul concludes 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1 by teaching that Christian freedom must always be shaped by love for others and the glory of God. While many things may be permissible, not everything is helpful or builds others up, so believers are called to consider how their actions affect fellow Christians and their witness to the world. Scripture, context, and conscience all help guide decisions, but the governing principle is self-giving love that seeks the good of others. Ultimately, everything is to be done for God’s glory, the health of the church community, and in imitation of Christ, who lived not for himself but for others.

Walking in Community (1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

Aaron Halstead

Get in Shape

Originally preached on September 1, 2024.

scripture

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

In 1 Corinthians 12:12–31, Paul teaches that the church is a living body, not a mere organization, formed and directed by the Holy Spirit. Every believer has a God-given place and gift, and no member is inferior or superior to another. God intentionally designs this diversity so the church can function in unity, where each part is necessary and interdependent. Rather than uniformity or competition, the church thrives through Spirit-given variety expressed in mutual care and shared life. This unity is ultimately grounded in love, which ensures that every gift serves the building up of the body for God’s glory.

Get in Shape (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

Aaron Halstead

The More Excellent Way

Originally preached on September 15, 2024.

scripture

1 Corinthians 13

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul teaches that love is greater than every spiritual gift and the necessary foundation for all Christian life and ministry. Without love, even the most impressive acts of service are empty. Love is patient, humble, and self-giving, ultimately reflected in Christ Himself. Gifts are temporary and partial, but love endures forever, shaping the church now and into eternity.

The More Excellent Way (1 Corinthians 13)

Aaron Halstead

Spirit-Led Worship

Originally preached on September 22, 2024.

scripture

1 Corinthians 14:1-12

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

Paul teaches that Spirit-led worship must be driven by love and focused on building up the church rather than personal spiritual experience. Spiritual gifts—especially tongues and prophecy—are meant to be intelligible and edifying so that the whole body is strengthened. While the Spirit may move in powerful ways, the true measure of maturity is whether worship produces understanding, unity, and growth in others, not just private spiritual feelings.

Spirit-Led Worship (1 Corinthians 14:1-12)

Aaron Halstead

Spiritually Mature Worship

Originally preached on October 6, 2024.

scripture

1 Corinthians 14:13-25

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

Paul teaches that Spirit-led worship should be both intelligible and mature, prioritizing understanding, truth, and the building up of the church over private emotional or chaotic experiences. He argues that worship must engage both mind and heart, follow the apostolic pattern, and reflect spiritual maturity rather than childish self-focus. When the church centers on the gospel, worship produces conviction, confession, and ultimately genuine encounter with God that edifies both believers and seekers.

Spiritually Mature Worship (1 Corinthians 14:13-25)

Aaron Halstead

Worship with Purpose

Originally preached on October 13, 2024.

scripture

1 Corinthians 14:26-33

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 14:26–33 that corporate worship must be orderly and focused on building up the church rather than personal expression or chaos. Spiritual gifts are meant to serve others, so tongues and prophecy are to be practiced with limits, clarity, and self-control. Because God is a God of peace, not confusion, worship should reflect His character—controlled, edifying, and purposeful.

Worship with Purpose (1 Corinthians 14:26-33)

Aaron Halstead

Deciphering Silence

Originally preached on October 27, 2024.

scripture

1 Corinthians 14:34-35

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

The sermon argues that 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 addresses a specific case of disorder in Corinthian worship, not a blanket prohibition on women speaking in church. Paul’s concern is orderly, edifying worship in which all believers use their gifts appropriately. The passage is therefore applied as a call for self-control and structure in corporate worship so that the gospel is not obscured.

Deciphering Silence (1 Corinthians 14:34-35)

Aaron Halstead

Humble Worship

Originally preached on November 3, 2024.

scripture

1 Corinthians 14:36–40

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

This sermon teaches that healthy worship is humble worship under the authority of King Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul corrects the Corinthians’ pride by reminding them that worship is not shaped by personal preference or spiritual status, but by submission to Christ’s commands. Therefore, worship should be orderly, edifying, and governed by love for the whole church rather than individual expression.

Humble Worship (1 Corinthians 14:36-40)

Aaron Halstead

A Family Worth Staying For

Originally preached on March 23, 2025.

scripture

1 Corinthians 16:5–12

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

A healthy church is a family worth staying for because it is marked by presence, hospitality, and unity. Paul values staying together and investing real time in one another, not just quick visits. The church should be a place where people are welcomed like family, regardless of status or background, as seen in Timothy’s reception. And it must remain unified around Jesus, not personalities or preferences.

A Family Worth Staying For (1 Corinthians 16:5-12)

Aaron Halstead

What's Your Motivation?

Originally preached on March 3, 2025.

scripture

1 Corinthians 16:13–24

Series

How to Have a Healthy Church

summary

1 Corinthians 16:13–24 closes Paul’s letter by showing that a healthy church is defined by one controlling motivation: love. His final commands to be watchful, firm, strong, and courageous are all summed up in “let all that you do be done in love.” Paul then shows what this looks like in practice—honoring faithful servants, living with genuine unity, practicing wise discipline, extending grace, and remaining rooted in Christ. The church may be marked by doctrine and strength, but it is truly healthy only when everything flows from love for God, one another, and the world.

What's Your Motivation? (1 Corinthians 16:13-24)

Aaron Halstead

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Originally preached on August 31, 2025.

scripture

Psalm 85

summary

Psalm 85 is used as a “state of the church” reflection that moves through four movements: looking back on God’s past faithfulness and grace, digging down into present spiritual and relational barriers shaped by change and loss, moving forward through repentance and a renewed commitment to deeper community and trust in God, and looking ahead to a vision of kingdom life where God’s righteousness, peace, and steadfast love shape a renewed people. The sermon calls the church to lean into its longing for more of God by pursuing unity, forgiveness, and a deeper life together in Christ.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead (Psalm 85)

Aaron Halstead

From Mundane to Mission

Originally preached on October 12, 2025.

scripture

Nehemiah 3:1–32

series

Rebuild

summary

All the preparation for rebuilding the wall had been made. In chapter 3 of Nehemiah, the work begins. Though he is not named in the chapter, it’s a fair assumption that Nehemiah organized and administered all the work that was done in the chapter. Though it’s a pretty mundane and monotonous read, there are some lessons we can draw on in our mission to make disciples.

From Mundane to Mission (Nehemiah 3:1-32)

Aaron Halstead

Restored Together

Originally preached November 23, 2025.

scripture

Nehemiah 7:1–73a

series

Rebuild

summary

Nehemiah 7 is not merely a long list of names. It is the story of a restored people. After the wall is rebuilt, Nehemiah begins the shift from construction to community formation. God is restoring, not just structures, but a people who worship, serve, and live together under His name.

Restored Together (Nehemiah 7:1-73a)

Aaron Halstead

Begin This Year in Prayer

Originally preached January 4, 2026.

scripture

Colossians 1:3–11

summary

Colossians 1:3–11 calls believers to pray with thanksgiving for God’s work in others and to ask that they be filled with spiritual wisdom, strengthened for endurance, and made fruitful in good works. The focus is less on changing circumstances and more on growing in knowledge of God and living a life worthy of the Lord.

Begin This Year in Prayer (Colossians 1:3-11)

Aaron Halstead

Dedicated Together

Originally preached February 8, 2026.

scripture

Nehemiah 11–12

series

Rebuild

summary

After the wall is completed, Jerusalem still lacks people. Leaders live there, but most prefer the towns and villages. One-tenth of the people are chosen to relocate, and some willingly volunteer. This moment reveals that God’s work doesn’t move forward by structures alone—it requires people who are willing to step into less comfortable places for the sake of God’s purposes.

Dedicated Together (Nehemiah 11-12)

Aaron Halstead

The Spirit & the Church

Originally preached May 24, 2026.

scripture

1 Corinthians 12:1–13

series

Summer Sessions

summary

In this Pentecost Sunday message from 1 Corinthians 12:1–13, the church is reminded that the Holy Spirit leads and shapes the people of God by directing them to affirm Christ, serve one another, and live in unity. Paul teaches that spiritual gifts are not about personal status or spectacle, but are gracious empowerments from the Triune God given “for the common good,” so that every believer can participate in the life and ministry of the church. Like a construction site, the Spirit acts like a foreman coordinating diverse people and gifts into one living community, where unity is maintained not through sameness but through shared allegiance to Jesus, sacrificial service, and dependence on the Spirit’s presence and power.

The Spirit & the Church (1 Corinthians 12:1-14)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. In what ways is the Holy Spirit currently leading you to openly affirm Jesus as Lord in your everyday life, relationships, or decisions?

2. What gifts, abilities, or opportunities for service has God given you, and might you use them more intentionally for the “common good” of the church rather than yourself?

3. The sermon describes the church as a messy but Spirit-led construction site. How can you contribute to the unity of the church even when community feels difficult, imperfect, or frustrating?

Why the Son Appeared

Originally preached April 12, 2026.

scripture

1 John 3:1–10

series

Lessons in Community

summary

In 1 John 3, the Apostle John does what the sermon described as his signature move: he hugs you and punches you in the gut at the same time. The hug is enormous: see what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. The gut-punch is equally serious: if you belong to him, it will show in how you actually live, in your relationship with God and your relationships with people. The sermon drew on Luke 9 to put faces on the gut-punch: the disciples arguing about who was greatest, John trying to shut down an outsider, James and John wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village. The heart-postures behind those moments (arrogance, self-righteousness, partiality, offended anger) are the same ones John is pressing on in his letter. And the answer to all of them is the same: the love that Jesus showed, right up to the cross, and extended again in the restoration of Peter and John afterward.

Why the Son Appeared (1 John 3:1-10)

John Athy

for reflection:

1. Which of the heart postures in Luke 9 (arrogance, self-righteousness, partiality, or offended anger) do you most recognize in yourself, and how does it affect your relationships with others?

2. How does the assurance that we are loved and called children of God in 1 John 3 both comfort you and challenge the way you live?

3. In what specific relationship or situation do you need to reflect the sacrificial love and restoring grace of Jesus rather than responding out of pride, rivalry, or resentment?

The Bruised Reed

Originally preached April 26, 2026.

scripture

Isaiah 42:3; James 5:13–16

series

Lessons in Community

summary

Isaiah 42:3 reveals the tender mercy of Christ toward those who are weak, wounded, and wavering. He does not break or extinguish them but meets us in our weakness with mercy, not condemnation. James 5:13–16 then shows how that mercy is meant to be experienced in community through prayer, confession, and shared burdens. Together, these passages call us to reject self-reliance, embrace honest dependence on Christ, and walk with one another through suffering rather than hiding it.

The Bruised Reed (Isaiah 42; James 5)

Derrick Bekius

for reflection:

1. When you are struggling, weak, or discouraged, are you more likely to hide your need or bring it honestly before Christ and others? Why?

2. How does the compassion of Christ in Isaiah 42:3 challenge the way you think God responds to your weakness and failure?

3. What would it look like for you to more intentionally practice the kind of prayer, confession, and burden-bearing described in James 5:13–16 within your church community?

Life Together

Originally preached May 3, 2026.

scripture

Acts 2:42–47

series

Lessons in Community

summary

In this message from the Lessons in Community series, we look at the picture of the early church in Acts 2:42–47 and wrestle with why our churches often fall short of that kind of shared life. Rather than chasing outward results, this sermon shows how the Spirit grows Christlike community indirectly by shaping a people devoted to the same things as the early believers: the word, fellowship, the sacraments, and corporate prayer. As we commit ourselves to these ordinary means of grace together, God forms us into the kind of community we long to become.

Life Together (Acts 2:42-47)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. Which of the early church’s core devotions (God’s word, fellowship, the sacraments, or corporate prayer) do you most naturally prioritize, and which do you tend to neglect? Why?

2. In what ways have you expected Christian community to grow through quick results or ideal circumstances rather than through steady devotion to ordinary practices?

3. What is one practical step you can take this week to more intentionally commit yourself to life togetehr in the church?