Life is in multiplication.  It has been that way from the beginning, and continues to be God's sanctioned way for organic growth.  How will we live lives of multiplication?

The Gospel makes sense of the fourth commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy," because in it Jesus is proclaimed as Lord of the Sabbath.  He is Lord of Rest -- the one who in His unrest on the cross has done all of the work for us.  In Him, "It is finished," and God looks upon us and says, "It is very good."

Only in Jesus do we find our soul's true rest -- only in Him can we then practice Sabbath.

Does the Gospel of Jesus Christ effect what we purchase and how we live, or do we have no idea how our actions and purchases effect the rest of God's world?

Jeff Wall.

Jeff Wall.

Do we see our life as a Jesus-accepter or a Jesus-follower?  Oftentimes we are okay with using Jesus to get into the Door of Heaven and out of the Flames of Hell, but we forget that He calls us to radically identify with Him.  And this identification comes with both costs and blessings --a high price and a high privilege.  Baptism -- the first and maybe easiest step of obedience -- is a crucial step in owning and living a faith that is not only saving, but transforming as well.

Mike Phay

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in according with the Scriptures..."

The means of the Gospel is God's starting point for everything else.  In order to know and experience the Kingdom of God, we must first know the King and the gracious gift that He has given us as an entry point to His Kingdom.  The King has come and has given us His life for ours: This is the means of the Gospel.

Jeff Wall w/ Mike Phay.

The Church and The Gospel have been attached at the hip for about 2,000 years -- so it would seemingly be important for the Church to know what the Gospel is.  And its questionable whether or not we do.  Is it really Good News?  Has it changed us?  Does it infiltrate every area of our lives?

This is the first in a series entitled "...According to the Gospel," where we will take a fresh look at the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what it means for every aspect of our lives.

Mike Phay.

Sometimes we are blinded by what we see; and what we don't see is what will give us freedom.  To help us do this, Jesus has revealed Himself and His Kingdom through the words and imagery of the Apostle John, in the book of Revelation.  The veil gets pulled back and we can see the world as it really is.  Christ as King will rule, and every Kingdom set up in opposition will ultimately crumble -- including yours.

Dave Wilke.

Listen to Dave's testimony & teaching about God's provision & grace through every circumstance.

Mike Phay & Jeff Wall.

"You received without paying; give without paying."

The words of Jesus lay down the standard for our stewardship: a life of Radical Generosity.  A life lived trusting in God's sovereignty for our provision, and joyfully giving it all away: because we've been blessed in order to be a blessing.

Bill Clem.

Five people experienced Jesus after His resurrection and had their expectations demolished and their deepest hopes met.  They learned to live the resurrection.  Have you?

Jeff Wall & Mike Phay.

What does Jesus weep over -- is it me?

Mike Phay & Jeff Wall.

Our entire lives are oriented around our heart's treasure.  What is your treasure -- your stuff or your Savior?

Jeff Wall.

Part 1 of a Stewardship Series.  God owns everything, and God is sovereign.  We are merely stewards of all the He owns.  The question is: Have I treated it as His, or have I grasped it as mine?

Caesar Kalinowski.

Mike Phay.

An overview of the traditional season of Lent and how we can use it as a tool to reflect on Christ's life and suffering for our sake.

Mike Phay.

An update on our Bible read-through, along with "A Word on Translations."

Jeff Wall.

As God's people, we cannot survive without prayer -- at least, that is, survive and flourish.  The Apostle Paul lived out this reality and displayed it in his letter to the Ephesians, and Jeff helps us understand it in our own lives.

Mike Phay & Jeremy Joseph.

A new way of relating comes when people enter into relationship with the living God -- a way of relating that brings obedience, honor, nurture, and love.  We are to live unsegmented lives, working and living, loving and suffering, relating and rejoicing before the Lord at all times.  What does it look like for you...today?

Mike Phay preaching.

God's overarching purposes for the history of creation is that all things would be brought into submission under His Son, Jesus Christ.  The Church has been placed at the center of the universe to display this reality, and one of the ways in which we are called to do this is in the marriage relationship: wives submitting to husbands, and husbands loving their wives.

Submission.  Far from being a dirty word, when put in it's right context it is a word that communicates protection and dignity.  And when authority is used rightly, it is used after the example of Christ, "who loved us and gave Himself up for us."

Caesar Kalinowski & Mike Phay.

God's Light invades, exposing and transforming dark places.  Not only are we called out of the darkness and into the light, but we are called from being darkness to being light.  This dialogue centers around what it means for us to be light -- living out the job description that Jesus gave us -- in a world that is darkness.

Jeff Vanderstelt.

Mike Phay and Jeff Wall.

Unless you know that you are loved, you will never be able to live a life in the power of the Gospel.  Unless you know your Identity, you will not be able to live it out.

Paul's prayer at the end of Ephesians 3 is a passionate plea that God would give us the necessary strength to understand that we are God's beloved -- but not because of anything that we've done.  Our performance has been rendered moot by grace: We can't do anything to make God love us more; we can't do anything to make God love us less.

Realizing this is freedom: Freedom from the tyranny and bondage of our "selves."  And now we can fight for God's agenda, which begins with unity -- displaying God's true nature as Father-Son-Spirit, and proclaiming by how we live what in the world God is up to.

Combined Soma Communities Christmas Eve Service.  A Celebration of the Son of God becoming a human -- pitching his tent in our neighborhood!

Caesar Kalinowski & Dave Wilke.  Combined Soma Communities service.

A dialogue about the body of Christ.

Caesar Kalinowski.

In a world at war with itself and with God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings peace.  And not just a peaceful cease-fire that will fire back up when our tank of goodwill-fuel has run empty.  But a true peace between God-and-man and man-and-man that can be found nowhere else but in the cross of Christ.

The dividing wall has been broken down.  This is truly Good News!

Jeff Vanderstelt & Dave Wilke.

Power and control.  Two things that we most long for in some way or another.  Join Jeff & Dave as they lead us through an exploration of this important text that teaches us that ultimately, we are not the ones in control.  And because of that, the very power that overcame death in the resurrection of Christ is dwelling inside of us.  How's that for being able to change the world?

Jeff Wall & Mike Phay.

The craziest thing about God's plan for World Domination (Ephesians 1:9-10) is the means that He has decided to use to accomplish His goals: us.  We are the Church, and as such are God's chosen means for distributing His Blessing and displaying His Mystery to the entire world.  What an incredible privilege, and what a weighty responsibility!

Caesar Kalinowski.

Join Caesar on an eye-opening rediscovery of the culture and context of Paul's letter to the Asian city of Ephesus.  In so many ways, this first century culture mirrors our own.  And so, we have much to learn and deep, exciting ways to relate to God as we see how Paul addresses these early believers: "predestined...for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace..." (Ephesians 1:5-6).

Mike Phay speaking.

Being on Mission is being a Worshipper.  So often, we are guilted into being on Mission for God and so we go, doing our 'duty': finding joy in abating our guilt, being able to go home when we're done, and getting a pat on the back and an 'attaboy' from other believers who hear our stories of sacrifice and evangelism.  Lived in this light, Mission becomes about 'me.'  If we happen to be kind hearted and compassionate in the process, it becomes about 'them.'  But it's never about God.

That's too bad, because biblically, Mission is always about God.  Without exception.  The God Who created the universe has been, from the beginning, a Missionary God -- wanting to get His name known so that the universe could know how amazing He is.  That is our Mission.  Love God: Treasure Him above anything else.  Love Others:  Give them the One that you treasure.  In this way, being on Mission is being a Worshipper.

Do you want to be a Missionary?  Then you need to love Jesus for all that He is, and allow that love to be contagious.  That's it: magic formula done.  Fall in love with Jesus.

Mike Phay speaking.

When God wanted to do something on the earth, He chose to do it through people.  He has always wanted -- and has thus created -- a Family for Himself.  A people to call His own, made for His own glory.  And today, in Christ, that is the fundamental Identity of the church.

But how?  Could we be in God's own family when we are His enemies?  Only through His Son has He given us this gracious ability -- this adoption, along with all of its benefits. 

It's an amazing thing to be in the Family of God.  Now -- can we live it?

Jeff Wall speaking.

"The Son of Man did not come to served, but to be served..." As we follow Jesus, we must imitate Him.  This is essential to our Identity as the people of God.

Jeff Wall speaking.

The vision of Pneuma church is to live in Covenant together.  We do this purposefully by holding one another to the following Identities: Family, Learners, Servants and Missionaries.

Join us on this journey as we dig deeper into what it means to be a Learner -- a Disciple of Christ.

Jeff Wall & Mike Phay preaching.

It isn't a stretch to see how Paul's writing to a first century church applies almost directly to our church situations in the 21st century.  As we look at 1 Corinthians we see the overarching themes that act as poles for our lives:  Living between the Cross and the Resurrection; and living in the Power of the Spirit, expressed as Love.  As we live in the tensions between these four overarching forces in our lives, we live the Christ-life as Family, Learners, Missionaries and Servants.  These are the identities that God calls us to live in as we live for Him in the world.

Jeff Wall preaching.

The notion of taking a collection and passing the offering plate around is a sticky one for the modern church.  But as believers, we are called to give because God has so graciously given to us.  Without falling into a quid pro quo deal with God -- where we expect an exact return on our investments -- there does seem to be a biblical "Law of the Harvest."  You reap what you sow in every area of life, but especially as you hand your finances over to God.

Mike Phay preaching.

The resurrection has profound implications for how we live now.  And although Christ's work for us has profound implications on both our past and our future, often we miss the NOW of the Gospel.  Salvation means not only that we get Heaven then, but that we can live that then-life now.

And yet this kind of then-life comes with a price: Jesus says that a seed must die before it can bear fruit.  The road to glory for Jesus was a road through the cross.  This is your Death-Life Now. 

Jeff Wall speaking.

How the reality of Christ's resurrection and the promise of a future resurrection should change our lives today.

Mike Phay speaking.

The issue of "miraculous" spiritual gifts is one of the hottest topics in the church today.  Are they still around?  If not, why not?  If so, then what are they like?  How do you use them?  How do you know when they are real or counterfeit?

This sermon addresses some of these questions in an effort to further Pneuma's conversation and deepen our corporate worship.

Jeff Wall preaching.

Distance, impatience, self -- the easy way.

Love -- the most excellent way.

This chapter exposes our hearts and paints a picture of the life that God would have us to live with each other.  The more difficult, yet most excellent way to live.

Jeff Wall speaking.

As believers, we are said to all be endowed with "spritual gifts."  But what are these gifts?  How are we to use them?  Which one(s) do I have? Are they still around today?

In studying this passage, we will find that what is most important is not that we have gifts, but that we use them to serve and build up the body of Christ -- the Church.

Mike Phay preaching.

In his classic work Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote "Without Christ there is discord between God and man and between man and man...Without Christ we...would not know our brother, nor could we come to him. They way is blocked by our own ego. Christ opened up the way to God and to our brother.  Now Christians can live with one another in peace; they can love and serve one another; they can become one. But they can continue to do so only by way of Jesus Christ. Only in Jesus Christ are we one, only through him are we bound together." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together [San Francisco: Harper & Rowe, 1954], 23-24)

Christ gave us this example of self-giving, sacrificial love when He died for us.  He gave us a meal with which to remember it.  And when we share this meal together, we must come in grace and with grace.  For Christ invites the church to His table -- and we get to be part of that Feast.

Mike Phay preaching.

1 Corinthians 11:2-16 is arguably the most difficult passage in the Bible to interpret.  The issue of "head coverings" in public Christian worship is not one that most modern churches deal with.  Many would look at this passage and dismiss it as an argument of social propriety that is no longer valid today.  Surprisingly, others would hold onto the customs put forth as normative for all churches at all times.

But Paul is making a deeper point about the nature of men and women in the church -- and it is the idea of "headship."  He is adamant that the church be an accurate reflection of the "Already Not Yet" aspect of the Kingdom.  That we -- gathered together corporately -- show forth the newness and the glory of God's Rule.  This means many things -- the deepest and most important of which is the new kind of relationship between men and women in the church.

Jeff Wall preaching.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he used two short sentences to sum up the entirety of the Old Testament Scriptures:  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength," and "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Simple commands, yet impossible commands.

It is also clear that the Gospel gives us freedom:  freedom from slavery to the things that have bound is in the past.  So often, we take our freedoms too far, proclaiming "All things are lawful!" (1 Cor. 10:23)  And yet Paul stops us:  "Not all things are helpful...not all things build up.  Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." (vv. 23-24) Idolatry keeps us from this important reality:  to do all the things for the good of another, and not for ourselves.  We must first see ourselves in light of God:  "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." (v. 26)

True Christian freedom is this:  Freedom to worship, and freedom to love. 

Mike Phay preaching.

Imagine taking your kids to the Grand Canyon and offering them this challenge:  "Hey kids!  The one to do a triple somersault-backflip-handspring closest to the edge without falling in gets to pick where we eat for dinner!"  Good parents would passionately urge their children to stay away from the edge.  You would never let your kids play with the Drano, hoping that they wouldn't drink it would you?

In 1 Corinthians 8-10, the Apostle Paul is teaching his spiritual children about the dangers of "eating food sacrificed to idols."  In 10:16, he urges them: "Flee from idolatry!"  Don't dawdle around and play a little bit with it...flee! 

The warning sounds strong across the centuries.  Even though most of us are not tempted to eat "idol-food" or go to "idol-meals," we are daily tempted with the soul-destroying beckoning of idols that are trying to snatch the affection and allegiance of God's children.  And yet God will not give His glory to another; he will jealously protect it.  And he has shown this throughout His story -- especially in the people of Israel.  And he calls for us now to be people who do not crave evil things, but rather to be men and women like Phinehas (Numbers 25), who are as passionate about His glory, His honor, and His mission as He is. 

Jeff Wall preaching.

Mike Phay preaching.

1 Corinthians 7:17-40.  Futurists say that they can pinpoint future trends in our society and economy based upon a clear view of the present.  Christians can pinpoint the way to live in the present based upon a clear view of the future.

Paul's teaching on singleness and marriage seeks to give us a new perspective on how to live life: not flaunting or seeking to change our circumstances to better our standing with God or others.  Rather, living for Christ in the midst of our circumtances for the sake of God and others.