Downtown Community Church

Would you rather be followed out of fear or out of love? Is this how you follow God or want to follow Him? To follow the Lord out of fear is drastically different from following Him because we love Him so deeply. In fear, we act safely to avoid repercussions. In love, we act willingly. We act as servants to the Lord because we know the sacrifices Jesus made on our behalf. To be so in love with God that we only live to serve Him. So, how do we move forward from where we are? We are all in different walks of life, and that is okay. But how do we learn to love Jesus? Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he reads through Ephesians 2:1-10 and analyzes what this passage means for us.Support the show

Are we just fans of God, or do we truly know Him? This line can be blurry in our daily lives, but Paul's prayer in the book of Ephesians is for us to truly know Him deeply. When we know the Lord better, we have access to Him and His power. Through Him we can do all things, and this gift alone, to be able to know God truly, is one we are not deserving of. Yet, it is given anyway. This is something to celebrate! Join Pastor Shannon Butler as he reads through Ephesians 1:15-23 and analyzes what Paul is saying about the Power of Christ that we have access to.Support the show

We are sinners, but God made us holy. Why? The simple reason is that He loves us! He has given us His Spirit while on earth so that we may know Him more. We do not deserve this inheritance, but he gives it anyway. The Lord has promised to come back, and this is His way of making sure we know this promise will be kept. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he starts our new series on Ephesians! In Ephesians 1:1-14, Pastor Ben Kaempfer guides us on how deeply this passage can affect us and why it is good news.Support the show

It's clear James didn't simply view prayer as an important practice in the life of someone who follows Jesus, rather, he viewed it as absolutely vital. Prayer has purpose and changes things. Join Pastor Shannon Butler as he leads us through this last section of our series through the Book of James.Support the show

It is so easy to get caught up in the comforts of this world. How do we get out of this zone when we don't need to worry about what is next? We aren't suffering. But is all we have and all we do, all for the glory of God? Instead of our mindset being 'I have to', when we love Jesus with our entire being, that changes this mindset to 'I get to'. From 'how much must I?' to 'how much can I?' Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he explains James 5 and the substance this passage holds regarding earthly wealth and the Bible.Support the show

It is sometimes difficult to trust the Lord and the plans He has for us. When we know what we want, why can't we have that? Typically, the things we want are not what the Lord has in store for us. He knows our greatest desires and wants us to be happy and knows how to us get there. That why we trust Jesus. His plans for us are far greater than we could ever imagine. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he teaches on James 4:11-17 and explains what this passage means.Support the show

Leaving is hard. Change is hard. Even doing what you are called to do by Jesus is hard. So, how do we handle that well? When change is imminent and unavoidable, how can we face it head on and trust that everything will be okay? It really is easier than it seems, we trust the Lord. All He wants for us is good, he has so much in store for us that we can not begin to comprehend His plans. Sure, it is hard, but to follow Jesus does not come without sacrifice. So, in the midst of change, we trust God. When we are called to go and make disciples of all nations, we must go. Jesus has our backs and since it is in His will, all things are good. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he helps us learn how to send and separate well through Acts 20.Support the show

How can we have hope in times of mourning? This year, Easter feels heavy. We may feel desperate, lost, or even angry. We live in a broken world, and to grieve is normal and good, but we must grieve with hope. Hope that our Lord is going to take our pain away. This Easter is still a joyous celebration of the Risen King. He will take our pain away. He will wipe away every tear from every eye. He is Risen! The Easter story of our Lord is one of hope! Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he retells the story of the Risen King.Support the show

In a world where we can get instant satisfaction with a click of a button it is hard to be servant-hearted. We often look to God and want him to serve us when we are meant to serve Him. For Him to build our kingdom instead of us building His. The story of Palm Sunday is a celebration of Jesus entering Jerusalem. So why were the people of Jerusalem so quick to turn on Jesus? Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he walks us through this story of celebration in Mark Chapter 11.Support the show

We wrapped up our series in Jonah by looking at Jonah's heart posture in chapter 4, seeing that he was really more concerned about his own kingdom than about God's kingdom. On Palm Sunday, we saw the crowd with a similar heart posture, and when we look inward, we see that we often have the same problem. But through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been invited into the Kingdom that will last forever so we can lay ours down.Support the show

In a world of temptations it is difficult to know what the Lord desires for us. We are being constantly pulled in every direction with each pull being from desire and passion. Within all of us however, we have a decision. We can feed the godly self or feed our flesh and give into the world. Tune into what Pastor William Colle offers about the beginning of James chapter 4 as he tells us the reality of what following Jesus looks like.Support the show

When life challenges you it gives you the opportunity to seek wisdom. A word that is so robust in its meaning that it is almost overwhelming. So, what does the Bible say about wisdom? It is a popular topic in the Word but how do we go about seeking it out? Through Jesus! What Jesus tells and shows you is the wisest council you will ever need. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in the study of James 3:13-18 as he guides us on the wisdom we seek out in the Bible and through our peers.Support the show

In Jonah 3, we see the Ninevites turn from their evil ways and repent, but what led them to that point? What leads us to repent from our evil ways? Only God's love, shown through His grace and His mercy and sometimes even His wrath, can truly change a heart and turn a life around.Support the show

“Faith without deeds is dead.” This is a sobering phrase that we all can struggle with especially in our walks with Jesus. When we face life together with Jesus it is so hard to obey what the Lord wants us to do. What we can constantly take comfort in is that He is trustworthy and will use us to perform miracles. To be faithful is to love Jesus with all our hearts that our faithful deeds, or obedience, flows through us as we walk this life hand in hand with Jesus. Join our guest pastor, Pastor John Parker from Summit Church in Orlando, FL, as he talks on James 2:20-26 and help us further our understanding of God’s word.Support the show

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead," (James 2:17). This verse directly addresses a key message communicated by James throughout his book, but it's one that can be so easily misunderstood. If followers of Jesus are saved by faith alone, what do our works have to do with it all? Join Nate Schaidt in our ongoing study through the Book of James as we learn about the relationship between our faith and the things we do.Support the show

Favoritism. What is it really? We know that it is showing one person more attention than the others but how does that relate to Christians? It is a secret and constant battle that everyone struggles with. In our day to day life we show people favoritism. But why is that the topic of this sermon? Because it is a sin, a complex but real sin that every single one of us battles with. Join Pastor William Colle in our continuing study of James on chapter 2 verses 1-13 and walks us through what scripture says about favoritism.Support the show

It is so easy to be angry. We get in traffic jams, angry, stub our toe, angry. There are so  many things tat make us mad and cause us to make poor choices in this world. How can we be slow to anger and hold our tongues when there is so much malice in the world, and potentially in us? The short answer, we listen. Join us in our study of James 1:19-27, as Pastor Shannon Butler walks us through each verse and offers insight on what James is teaching us about being quick to listen.Support the show

We all struggle in life. From anxiety to grief, we all experience a multitude of trials. It is easy for these trials to consume our lives too. To let them coerce us into temptation time and time again. Trials are a part of life, but God uses them to deepen our faith! Without trials, life would not be as sweet! When we live a life with Jesus, He will guide us through these obstacles and into a richer life with Him. Kicking off our new series James, tune into how Pastor William Colle guides us in the study of James 1:1-18 explaining what trials can bring us. Support the show

Jump back into Jonah with us as we study chapter 2 where we see what Jonah does in his rock bottom moment and ask ourselves what WE do in a similar place. Will we cling to worthless idols or choose to accept that grace that God freely gives us?Support the show

It is so hard to be silent nowadays. To just sit still and be quiet seems almost impossible in the busy and fast moving world we live in. But that is exactly satan wants, to make us too busy for the Lord. When we sit and be with Jesus and Jesus alone is when we can deepen our relationship with Him. The Lord will talk to you in some way! Whether it is a verse or a name or just one word, the Lord is there with you. Join Pastor Shannon Butler as he explains the importance of silence and solitude as a spiritual rhythm and steps on how we put this into practice.Support the show