922 Ministries - The CORE & St. Peter Lutheran

What does it actually mean that grace is amazing? Most people have heard the word their whole lives — but according to Ephesians 2, you can't feel the weight of it until you're honest about what it's covering.In week 3 of our summer series through Ephesians, Pastor Mike unpacks one of the most important passages in the Bible — Ephesians 2:1-10 — starting with what Paul says we actually deserve, and ending with what God gives anyway. Along the way, he traces the story of John Newton, the slave trader turned pastor who wrote "Amazing Grace" because he knew exactly how wide the gap was between who he was and what he received.Whether you grew up in church or you're not sure what you believe, this message asks a simple question: when someone asks if you're going to heaven, what does your answer start with?

If you tracked every prayer you've said in the last year — what would show up most? Health, money, relationships, safety? There's nothing wrong with praying for those things. But what if that's only the beginning?In week 2 of our Ephesians summer series, we look at one of the most unusual things about the Apostle Paul: what he didn't pray for. Paul was sitting in a prison cell for five years — accused of a crime he didn't commit — writing to people he loved in a city full of hostility. And instead of praying for his freedom, his safety, or their safety… he prayed something far more interesting.In this message:*Why most people's prayers are stuck at Level 1 (and what the four levels actually are) *What Paul prayed that matters so much more than health, money, or safety *The homework that will change the way you pray — starting this week *The story of Joni Eareckson Tada, who spent 50 years in a wheelchair and discovered the prayer that changed everything

What does the Bible actually say about gender, sexuality, and same-sex marriage? In week three of our five-week series "God. LGBTQ. You.", Pastor Mike opens Scripture from Genesis to Romans to answer one of the most personal and consequential questions of our day: Is God affirming?This isn't a theological position to debate or a lifestyle to label — it's about people. Your friend. Your son. Your sister. The person sitting next to you in the pew. Maybe you. With roughly 1 in 4 Americans under 30 identifying as LGBTQ, this conversation matters in every home, every relationship, and every church.In this message, Pastor Mike walks carefully through every key biblical passage on the subject — including the original Hebrew and Greek — and addresses the hard questions head-on:* Genesis 1 & 2 — God's original design for gender and marriage* Genesis 19 — The story of Sodom and what it does (and doesn't) say* Leviticus 18:22 — How to read Old Testament law as a New Testament believer (yes, including the bacon)* 1 Corinthians 6 & 1 Timothy 1 — What the apostle Paul wrote, and what the Greek word "arsenokoitai" actually means* Romans 1 — A faithful reading of Paul's most direct passageHe also wades into the questions you may already be asking. Why would Jesus say this? What about Christian hypocrisy that picks and chooses convenient sins? Why doesn't God change my desires when I ask Him to? And the question that holds it all together — can we be saved?Whether this message is brand new to you, brings comfort, or challenges what you've always believed, lean in. Take notes. Keep listening. There are two more weeks in this series, and every part of the plot matters.If this is your first time joining us, please go back and watch Parts 1 and 2 first. The whole series fits together as one cohesive biblical and pastoral conversation.

In a culture where the temperature on faith and sexuality is often "turned up to 1000 degrees," Pastor Mike continues the five-week series, "God, LGBTQ, and You," by focusing on the second greatest commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.Building on last week’s message about loving God most, this sermon explores what it means to truly love our neighbors in the midst of a polarizing cultural divide. Drawing from Matthew 22, Pastor Mike challenges the "conditional view of love" that often plagues both religious and secular communities. The big idea is simple but transformative: followers of Christ are called to love all our neighbors a lot—not just some of them, and not just a little.Through the examples of the woman at the well, the self-righteous Pharisees, and the tax collector Zacchaeus, we see a Jesus who was "so approachable and loving" that it confused the people around Him. He didn't lead with a ledger of mistakes; He led with countercultural love. Most importantly, the sermon highlights the heart of the Gospel: God demonstrated His love for us by dying for us "while we were still sinners"—not after we had everything figured out.

This series aims to move beyond social media snippets and explore Christianity and sexuality with biblical depth, empathy, and "dripping compassion".The Question Before the Questions Before diving into the complex "what abouts" regarding pronouns, policies, or specific Bible passages, this sermon poses one fundamental question: "Do you love God the most?". Drawing from Matthew 22, Pastor Mike highlights Jesus’ teaching that the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This means placing God’s Word above personal desires, cultural trends, and even church traditions.The sermon outlines two primary reasons why we must prioritize God’s perspective in the conversation on sexuality:1. God always speaks the truth: Unlike human experiences or cultural shifts that can be mistaken, God's Word is always right, true, and faithful.2. God always acts in love: God is the definition of love, demonstrated most clearly through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, who took on the "muck and mire" of our sin so we could be washed pure.Pastor Mike shares the stories of individuals like Beckett Cook, St. Augustine, and Rachel (a lesbian student at Yale), all of whom discovered that finding God was "bigger and better" than their sexual passions. Their lives testify that when we are persuaded by God's character of truth and moved by His gospel of love, we are finally ready to navigate the nitty-gritty questions of identity and orientation.What to Expect in This Series: This sermon is a commitment to a holistic, five-week journey. In the coming weeks, the church will tackle:* Imitating the God of love in our hospitality and mercy.* Imitating the God of truth regarding specific passages in Genesis, Leviticus, and the New Testament.* Practical questions regarding same-sex attraction, gender identity, and how the church should respond to the LGBTQ community today.Join us as we commit to being here for the "whole thing," starting not with ourselves, but with God.

Why do millions of people—from the devoutly committed to the deeply skeptical—show up for Easter Sunday? In this message, we explore how Easter is much like Super Bowl Sunday: a massive cultural moment where people gather for vastly different reasons.Whether you are here out of curiosity, kindness to a loved one, or a deep commitment to your faith, there is a seat for you at this table. This sermon dives into the historical reality and life-changing power of the resurrection, proving that no matter who you are or what your story is, Easter is for you.In this message, we explore three unique paths to the empty tomb:* For the Curious: Are you searching for something solid in a world that feels uncertain? We look at the "lack of love" problem we all face and how Jesus came not with a list of commandments, but with a sacrifice of unconditional love to fix what we couldn't fix ourselves.* For the Unsure: Do you feel like the resurrection sounds like "nonsense"? We "pull a Peter" and investigate the evidence. From debunking the "wrong tomb" and "swoon" theories to examining why the apostles were willing to die for this message, we see that belief in Jesus doesn't require you to turn off your brain.* For the Experienced: If you’ve celebrated 50 Easters, what is left to learn? We look at how even Jesus’ closest friends forgot the promise of Easter. We rediscover how the resurrection provides daily freedom from guilt, hope in the face of grief, and the power to face life’s hardest challenges."He is risen indeed!" Death is not the period at the end of our story; because of Jesus, it is only a comma.

In this Good Friday message, we journey through the final 20 hours of Jesus’ life—from the agony of Gethsemane to the finality of the tomb. While we often focus on what Jesus did, this sermon explores the profound significance of what Jesus refused to do.Jesus was not a victim. He was a King setting aside His authority and refusing to use His power so that the mission of our salvation could be completed.In this message, we explore:* The Refusal to Run: In the Garden of Gethsemane, despite being "overwhelmed to the point of death," Jesus refused to walk away from the cup of God’s wrath.* The Refusal to be Rescued: Jesus could have called upon 12 legions of angels—over 72,000—to wipe out His enemies in a moment, but He chose to stay for our sake.* The Refusal to be Silent: When the High Priest asked if He was the Messiah, Jesus boldly declared "I AM," accepting a guilty verdict of blasphemy so that a guilty verdict would never be pronounced over you.* The Great Exchange: Like Barabbas, we are the ones who deserve the chains, yet Jesus refused to set Himself free so that we could walk free.* The Refusal to Save Himself: Even as He was mocked on the cross, Jesus refused to come down. He knew that if He saved Himself, He could not save us."It is finished.". When Jesus spoke those final words, He wasn't giving up; He was declaring that the debt of our sin was paid in full. Your debt, your shame, and your past have been absorbed by the one who loved you too much to let you go.