North Avenue Church Podcast

Nehemiah's Holy Ambition | Nehemiah 1:1-4

Nehemiah had a great job working as the cupbearer of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. Why did he give it all up to embrace the difficult task of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls? The answer is the Lord developed in him a holy ambition for God's people, place, and glory. Do you have a holy ambition for your life?

You can watch this message here.

Q&A: Jesus vs. Other Religions [WCA Chapel]

Mark participated in a Q&A chapel at Westminster Christian Academy for middle and high school students on October 17th. It was led by the head of school, Jared Clark, and was about Jesus and the Bible among other world religions, including Islam and Mormonism.

Ezra Leads the People in Repentance | Ezra 9-10

Here is the outline of the sermon:

1. Ezra mourns and prays over the sin amongst the people (9:1-15)
2. The people respond with a plan for repentance (10:1-8)
3. The people carry out their repentance (10:9-44)

You can watch this message here.

This is the Victory that has Overcome the World — Our Faith | 1 John 5:1-5

This message focuses on the power of the new birth to bring about faith that overcomes the world.

We Love Because He First Loved Us | 1 John 4:13-21

In this message we hear about the power of God's love to transform our lives.

Breaking Down a Conversation with Two Mormon (LDS) Missionaries

Here Mark breaks down a conversation he had with two Mormon "missionaries" over nine years ago.

You can watch this video here.

Ezra a Man of God | Ezra 7-8

Here is Greg's outline for the message:

1. Ezra’s godly heritage (7:1-5)
2. Ezra’s devotion to God’s Word (7:6, 10-11)
3. Ezra’s favor with God and man (7:6, 9, 11-28; 8:31)
4. Ezra’s zeal for God’s temple (7:7-8; 8:1-20, 24-36)

5. Ezra’s trust in God’s power and protection (8:21-23)

You can watch this message here.

God is Love | 1 John 4:7-12

The team discusses God's love which is so richly described in this passage.

What Do Mormons ('Latter Day Saints') Believe?

Why is it incorrect to list Mormonism ('Latter Day Saints') within the Christian faith?

You can watch this message here.

Discernment Needed: Test the Spirits | 1 John 4:1-6

The team picks the 1 John series back up after an extended break. Here we are exhorted to have biblical discernment as Christians.

Put on the Whole Armor of God | Ephesians 6:10-20

Greg and Zach Hutzell do a great job walking us through this fantastic passage on spiritual warfare and the armor of God.

How God's Word Creates Obedient Worship Despite Opposition | Ezra 3-6

As we overview four chapters of Ezra, here is the outline:

1. Two Kinds of Opposition: a) Compromise from within (4:1-3); b) Pressure from without (4:4-5, 24; 5:3-4)
2. God Providentially works through Political Leaders (5:5-6:13)
3. God Providentially works through His Word (5:1-2; 6:14-22 Haggai 1-2)

You can watch this message here.

How Suffering Gives Us an Opportunity to Proclaim God's Goodness and Gospel to the Watching World

Picking up from the first eight points of the last message, here we cover two more reasons God prunes us:

(9) To give us new opportunities to proclaim the gospel! [Philippians 1:12-14]

(10) To show the world we have a different kind of hope [1 Peter 3:14-17]

Eight Reasons God Prunes Us Through Suffering | John 15:2

John 15:2 | God's Good and Painful Pruning

• How does God prune us? Through trials, difficulties, discipline, and suffering
• Why does God prune us? Because He loves us and wants us to bear more fruit

John 15:2b, "...every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

• God’s pruning is never meaningless. It is always wise, every bit is necessary, nothing is wasted. It is always and only ever for our good.

What kind of "fruit" does God seek by pruning us?

EIGHT REASONS GOD PRUNES US:

1. To purify our faith like gold [1 Peter 1:3-7]
2. To help us grow in obedience [Hebrews 12:11]
3. To increase our assurance [John 15:8]
4. To make us more humble [2 Corinthians 12:7-10]
5. To give us full, otherwordly joy [John 15:11]
6. To enable us to comfort others [2 Corinthians 1:3-4]
7. To prepare for us an eternal weight of glory [2 Corinthians 4:16-18]
8. To give us deeper fellowship with Jesus [Philippians 3:10-11]

Charlie Kirk's Christ-Centered Memorial Service: Highlights and Reflections

Yesterday, approximately 200,000 people came to the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizon, to celebrate Charlie Kirk's life. Listen in with us to some of the highlights as so many speakers pointed to Jesus Christ and the gospel explicitly. Let's pray that the Lord uses this great for the salvation of many!

You can watch this message here.