Parker Ford Church's Podcast

God – with – us. Today we reflect on the meaning of these three powerful words describing the name given to Jesus at His birth – “Immanuel.” We’ll reflect on the gift of Jesus’ presence with us in the good times, bad times, and everywhere in between. Through worship, selected readings, testimony, and prayer … encounter Jesus, Immanuel this Sunday at PFC!  

Times of chaos inevitably lead to times of confusion. For the Jewish people, anxiously awaiting the Messiah, the years leading up to the birth of Christ were filled with chaos and therefore, also with much confusion. Our days are still filled with chaos and confusion. Jesus says, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt 28:20). God is with us, even in times of chaos and confusion. 

This week we will continue to explore the name Immanuel—“God with Us”—showing that God’s presence is experienced in moments of suffering, as seen in the story of Hagar and Ishmael. Through God’s questions, compassion, and provision for Hagar, we learn that God sees us, knows us, and brings hope even when grief/suffering can blind us to what is already there. 

We don't have to wait for a Christmas miracle to experience the presence of God. Jesus, Immanuel is already here. He is present in the past, in this very moment, and in the years to come. Today we’ll look back at the ancient prophecy from Isaiah and see the difference Immanuel made in the life a teenage girl, Mary and the powerful presence of Immanuel in our lives as well! God is with you … are you with God? 

This Sunday we're taking time to reflect on God's faithfulness through the generations of PFC. The service will include testimonies from the Wenger, Doering, and Elliott families as we wrap up our Building PFC series. We'll be encouraged and challenged by these stories of God's provision and grace.

Today we’ll share some reflections, teaching, and inspiration around our current building expansion project and invite you to participate! Let’s make beautiful physical space for the unique calling and mission God has given to PFC.

In our current series, "Building PFC: Up, In, & Out", we’ve described the first step “out” as prayer and the second step “out” as service. The third step is evangelism - sharing the “good news.” What is the “good news?” What is “evangelism?” Let’s dive in and find out! 

The first step "out" is prayer. The second step is service. Jesus said in Matthew 20:28, "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve...and lay his life down as a ransom." In Philippians 2:7 Paul writes about Christ, "He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant." What does it look like for us to learn to serve others like Christ has first served us? 

This Sunday, we’re stepping “Out” as we move on to the next part of our series by learning to pray for our neighbors—not just the ones we like, but all of them (1 Timothy 2:1). Prayer is a powerful tool in loving our neighbors well. We’ll discover a really helpful app for our phones that will prompt us to pray for our neighbors by name. Get ready to pray and see what God will do!

This week, we are going to talk about a powerful truth that’s foundational to our identity as “A people following Christ IN”. We are called to be a temple. Not just any temple…the temple of the Living God.  And this is our call not only individually, but for our faith family here at PFC corporately, as well as the entire Body of Christ. 

Because of the surpassing grace of Jesus Christ, because He alone is worthy of all glory, because Christ is building His Church from every tribe, tongue, and nation on earth, and because He has torn down the wall of hostility between God and man - we, His people, are called to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” 

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Jesus … Okay, there’s no joke here but a way to get us thinking about this declaration that Jesus makes in John 10, “I am the door.” As we continue our series, we’ll be invited by Jesus to enter and abide with Him. As the door, He provides us with protection, freedom, provision, relationship, and real life. Yet, we often knock and pull on other false doors.

Jesus is the irreducible, irreplaceable foundation on which we build our lives, our families, and our church. This Sunday were going to bypass the granite countertops, spacious living area, and instead follow the home inspector to the basement to check out the concrete walls and floor. What are we building on?

As we launch our Fall sermon series "Building PFC: Up, In, & Out" we are starting with the metaphor of Christ as the chief cornerstone. If we're not building on him, we're building on sand. If Christ is not at the center, then we are worshiping idols. Jesus says, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's". Caesar's face is on our coins. But whose blood courses through the veins of the church?

In Matthew 8 & 9, following the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, there are 11 accounts of miraculous healings. Matthew 8:16-17 says, "He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick, so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: He himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases." These stories include spiritual, emotional, physical, and relational healings. As we wrap up the Upside Down Kingdom series, we enter into these stories of healing and ask Jesus to heal the brokenness in our lives. 

Jesus wraps up his sermon with a simple and powerful parable. Those who hear the words of Jesus and obey them build their lives on a rock that cannot be shaken. Those who hear the words of Jesus and do not seek to walk them out, build their lives on a foundation of sand. What are you building your life on? Who is building with you?

This sermon will explore salvation and the Kingdom. True faith is necessary and will always be transformative. Through faith, our lives will change and we will be known by God.