Rise City Church Sermon Podcast

Who Is Your One? | Nate Pursley

Crowds can make it easy to assume the work is already being done. Someone else will invite. Someone else will reach out. Someone else will carry the burden. But in Mark 2, four friends refuse to leave their hurting friend outside the house where Jesus is teaching. When they cannot get through the door, they go through the roof. Their faith does not stop at good intentions—it moves, lifts, tears, and makes a way.

This week, as we set the table for Easter, we are reminded that people are still searching for light in a dark world, and Jesus is still the One who changes everything. Join us as we discover our responsibility and privilege in bringing people to Him—because when someone gets to the feet of Jesus, forgiveness, healing, and new life are never far behind.

The Path to Financial Peace | Overflow

What if the reason you feel stuck financially isn’t because you don’t make enough—but because no one ever taught you how to think about money? There's a tension most people live with: income goes up, but so does stress.  We’ve been sold the lie that a higher standard of living leads to a better life, yet many are discovering the opposite—more income, more pressure, more anxiety.  If money is a magnifier, then it’s not fixing anything—it’s revealing everything. And until that changes, nothing changes.

But what if there’s a different way to live? God's word sermon lays out a clear framework for financial peace—not through getting more, but through creating margin.  With practical wisdom on giving, investing, debt, and long-term thinking, you’ll see how small, faithful decisions today can reshape your future for decades to come. Because this isn’t just about money—it’s about freedom, legacy, and learning to steward what God has entrusted to you in a way that leads to His Glory and our joy.

Overflow of Generosity | Overflow

There is a quiet battle happening in every heart. Jesus described it clearly: no one can serve two masters. Something will always sit on the throne of our lives—our security, our savings, our comfort, or our King. The question every disciple must answer is simple but searching: who truly reigns in our hearts?

Jesus teaches that our lives are not built around ownership but stewardship—faithfully managing what belongs to God. When we recognize that everything we have is from Him and for Him, generosity becomes more than a financial decision; it becomes a declaration of trust. Join us as we discover how honoring God with what He has entrusted to us moves us from holding tightly to living open-handed—and into the life of overflow God desires for His people.

God Fills What You Bring | Overflow

Many of us live with a quiet fear: What if I don’t have enough? Enough money. Enough strength. Enough time. Enough faith. In 2 Kings 4, a desperate widow feels that same fear when creditors come to take her sons as payment for a debt she cannot pay. But what she sees as “nothing but a small jar of oil” becomes the starting point of God’s miraculous provision.

God often works through what feels small, ordinary, and insufficient—because His power is revealed through surrendered lives. The God we serve is not a God of scarcity but a God of overflow. Join us as we explore how God fills what we place in His hands—and how even the smallest offering can become the beginning of something extraordinary.

We Boast in Jesus | 12 Years of Rise

Twelve years in, it would be easy to start believing our own press. We’re growing. We’re hungry. We’re bringing friends. There’s momentum, influence, reach. But Paul confronts that instinct in 1 Corinthians: “Not many of you were wise… influential… of noble birth.” God chose the foolish. God chose the weak. God chose the lowly—so that no one may boast before Him.The reason anything is happening in this church is not because we are great—it’s because God is good. Not because we hustle—it’s because He moves first.

This city does not need our abilities and strategies—it needs a crucified and risen Savior lifted high. So we resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We are a people formed by grace, fueled by the Spirit, and sent for the glory of the King. We boast in the Lord—and together we shine His name over our city. We boast in Jesus.

The Power of Forgiveness | Alex Lessler

We all know what’s wrong with the world. Or at least we think we do. It’s the system. The culture. The other side. But Scripture turns the mirror toward us. The fracture in our relationships doesn’t begin “out there” — it begins in the old self, the part of us that protects pride, feeds resentment, and quietly keeps score. Until Jesus deals with the corruption in our own hearts, healing stays out of reach. The cross doesn’t just diagnose evil; it defeats it. And forgiveness is how resurrection power starts repairing what sin has broken.

In Colossians 3:5–14, Paul calls us to put off the old self and put on the new — to clothe ourselves with compassion, humility, patience, and above all, love. “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Because we are already chosen and dearly loved, we can release the wound and refuse to let it define our future. Christ’s forgiveness is stronger than our offense. And when we forgive, healing becomes possible — in our hearts, in our homes, and in our church.

A Life of Faithfulness | The Discipleship Pathway

We live in a world that celebrates visibility, scale, and success—yet Jesus tells a story in Matthew 25 that reframes what actually matters. The Master doesn’t commend influence or outcomes; He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Each servant receives a different entrustment, but the call is the same: steward what you’ve been given. Faithfulness means resisting comparison, surrendering entitlement at the cross, and trusting that what God places in your hands today is neither random nor small.

Faithfulness also unfolds over time. There are seasons of waiting that shape our trust, moments when doubt whispers and fear urges us to play it safe. But the gospel anchors us: the same Christ who entrusted you with your assignment has proven His character at the cross. So we refuse to bury what He’s given. We offer it back—our time, gifts, influence, resources—and trust Him to multiply it for His purposes. And in the end, the reward is not status but relationship: sharing in the joy of the Master, right here and ultimately forever.

Discover & Develop Your Purpose | The Discipleship Pathway

Most people assume purpose is something you must invent or achieve, but Scripture tells a different story. God didn’t just save you from something—He saved you for something. In a world contested by good and evil, every life is shaping the future of something larger than itself. Grace pulls us out of death, but it also places us into God’s unfolding plan to heal what’s broken.

Ephesians declares that we are God’s workmanship—His work of art—formed by grace and shaped through surrender. Like a master sculptor, God chips away through trials, obedience, and service, revealing the image of Christ within us. Good works don’t earn heaven; they bring heaven to earth. As we commit to gathering regularly, joining the team, and stewarding what we’ve been given, we begin walking in the purpose God prepared long before we ever knew His name.

Life Shaping Friendships | The Discipleship Pathway

We long to be known—but we fear what might happen if we actually are. Yet from the earliest days of the church, God’s people devoted themselves to shared life: shared meals, shared prayers, shared needs. Even Paul—the tireless missionary—needed friends, family, and community to remain faithful.

True community is where masks come off and grace moves in. It’s where someone notices when you’re not okay, celebrates your wins, and walks with you through your struggles. Jesus created space to be fully known among His closest followers—and then carried our isolation to the cross so we could belong fully to God and His people. When we step into gospel-centered community, we don’t just find connection—we find formation, healing, and hope.

Find Your People | The Discipleship Pathway

Everyone needs their people. Scripture is filled with them—Adam had his partner, David his mighty men, Esther her mentor, Paul his companions, and even Jesus surrounded Himself with friends when facing the cross. Isolation makes us vulnerable, but community makes us resilient. Like a herd protecting its own, the church becomes the place where faith is guarded, sharpened, and sustained. The enemy isolates; Jesus gathers.

Jesus steps into this fractured world and forms a people. He calls disciples into shared life, sends them two by two, and builds His church as a gathered body. Faith flourishes in community because community reflects the very nature of God Himself. Jesus calls us to something better: a church where burdens are shared, hope is reinforced, and discipleship is lived side-by-side.