Open to the Spirit: Community Discernment

In this final message of the Open to the Spirit series, we’re invited as a community into a “guided invitation”—a gentle, hopeful call to open ourselves more deeply to the Spirit’s presence, power, and person. With heartfelt thanks for all who have been using their gifts—serving, teaching, encouraging, creating, and leading—the message names the beauty of what God is already doing among us. At the same time, it honestly acknowledges the fears many of us carry: fear of change, of losing control, or of what others might think. Rather than pushing past these struggles, we’re invited to bring them into the light—trusting that the Spirit leads us not through shame, but through love. Whether you’re eager to leap forward or still feeling hesitant, this is a call to walk together—slowly, patiently, and bravely—as we become the kind of Spirit-led community we long to be. Recorded June 22, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Gift Tensions // Ephesians 4:1-16

As we begin to close our discernment on being Open to the Spirit, this sermon encourages us to embrace the Spirit’s guidance and power by trusting God in our hesitations, supporting one another’s gifts, and growing together in love. Using Ephesians 4 and the image of a fishing reel, it highlights the tension between human effort and divine strength as necessary for spiritual maturity and unity. Recorded June 15, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts - Leadership // Ephesians 4:1-16

In this teaching, we explore the fivefold ministry gifts described in Ephesians 4—Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher—often referred to as APEST - which are given to the church to equip believers and build up the body of Christ. We look at the unique function and heart of each gift, how they worked together in the early church, and how they might be expressed in our communities today. Re-recorded June 9, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts - Power // 1 Corinthians 12

This week’s sermon explores the Power Gifts—a category of spiritual gifts meant to tangibly demonstrate that God is real, active, and present. Rooted in 1 Corinthians 12, the message invites listeners to consider how we might be open to God’s “supernatural” work in our lives and church, despite modern skepticism. Apologies - the first minute of the recording was cut out. Recorded June 1, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts - Love // 1 Corinthians 12:1-2, 4-12

As we continue exploring how to remain open to the Spirit, we turn our focus to one of the major themes of the Holy Spirit’s work in the Bible: spiritual gifts. This week, we’re looking specifically at the gifts that fall under the “love” category, with the hope of learning about them, celebrating them, and encouraging their use within our community.
Recorded on May 18, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Goals and Guidelines of the Spirit's Work

This week, we wrap up the introduction to our Open to the Spirit series by exploring a crucial question: How can we tell when the Holy Spirit is at work—in us and in our church? The teaching unpacks four key markers of the Spirit’s activity: love, hope and faith, the building up of community, and a Spirit-led unity. These goals and guidelines help us stay grounded as we learn to live more open to God’s presence and power. Recorded May 11, 2025.