Aspire Church Podcast
Episodes
760 episodes
Essentials | Part 5 - The Bible
According to numerous studies, the single greatest predictor of spiritual transformation is the time a person spends reading their Bible. Still, a recent Lifeway Research study revealed that only 32% of Christians read their Bible daily. Join u...
Essentials | Part 4 - The Breath of God
We instinctively know that there is more to living than drawing in oxygen. What, exactly, is it that animates humans? What motivates us to search for truth and higher meaning? Join us for part four of Essentials as we explore wh...
Essentials | Part 3 - God the Son
Imagine that you have an ant problem in your yard (perhaps you don’t have to imagine this!) You go to the store and buy a product that is designed to fool the ants into thinking that it is delicious ant food when it is, in fact, poison. Now ima...
Essentials | Part 2 - God Who?
A Pew Research study from 2008 revealed that nine out of ten Americans believe in God, but only a small majority believe in God as described in the Bible. How do we know there is a God, and even more importantly, how can we possibly know what H...
Essentials | Part 1 - Straining Gnats
Complexity demands simplicity. When Google launched the world’s most complex web browser, they did so with a simple search bar on a blank screen. When Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, a device more powerful than a supercomputer in the year ...
The Calling on Our Lives
Aspire Church welcomes our friends and special guests, Justin and Kendal Adamson. The Adamsons are NAMB church planters sent out by Aspire Church San Marco to start a new church in Queens, New York. The Adamsons have a heart for sharing the Gos...
The Ascension
Multiple ancient texts tell us that forty days after Jesus was raised from the dead, He ascended into heaven. But what exactly does that mean? If Jesus was victorious over sin, death, and the grave, why wouldn’t He have stayed with His follower...
God’s Amazing Grace Continues
Aspire welcomes our special guest, Bob Bumgarner. Bob currently serves as the Lead Missional Strategist of First Coast Churches (formerly known as Jacksonville Baptist Association). He has served as a Replant Pastor, Executive Pastor, and the C...
Aspire!
The word “aspire” means to seek to attain or accomplish a particular goal. Some people aspire to achieve power; some strive for wealth or fame. The apostle Paul’s greatest aspiration was to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. What is...
Dear Theophilus
Luke wasn’t one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. Nor was he among the larger multitude who witnessed Jesus’ life and ministry. He wasn’t even Jewish. Luke was a gentile and therefore considered an outsider. Yet this outsider came to believe in Jesus ...
Risen | Part 3 - From Complacency
Civil rights leader and Baptist preacher Benjamin Mays said, “The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency; not in our doing too much, but rather in our doing too little; not in our living above our ability, bu...
Risen | Part 2 - From Disappointment
Our greatest disappointments in life happen when our greatest hopes are unfulfilled. The closer we come to accomplishing our goals, the harder it is when we fail. It’s tough to endure a losing season, but losing the championship in overtime is ...
Risen | Part 1 - From Doubt
The foundation for the Christian faith is not a philosophy or set of theological principles. The core of our faith doesn’t reside in a moral code or a series of ancient teachings. Even though Christians have shared convictions, theology, ethics...
The Joy Set Before Him | Part 4 - Choose This Day
The first “Choose Your Own Adventure” book was published in 1979. These books allowed readers to make important decisions for the story’s main character, and based on those decisions, there could be any number of outcomes to the story. As Luke ...
The Joy Set Before Him | Part 3 - Adversaries, Critics, and a Fortunate Convict
We’ve all had to deal with them: those people who enjoy being critical about everything and everyone. People who are never satisfied and are constantly adversarial. You probably already have someone in mind. And while I may not know who that pe...
The Joy Set Before Him | Part 2 - Kill Joy
Perhaps the most surprising and puzzling of the seven deadly sins is the sin of acedia or slothfulness. We rarely hear the first word and often associate the second with slow-moving mammals living in South America’s rainforests. But as Jesus ne...
The Joy Set Before Him | Part 1 - Setting the Table
In the hours leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus endured terrible suffering. He was abandoned by His friends, betrayed by one of His closest associates, falsely accused, and wrongfully convicted. After this, He was stripped, beaten, mocked, na...
Tipping Point | Part 7 - Warning Signs
People love a good conspiracy theory. Rumors of war and destruction have been passed around as long as there have been those willing to listen. People in first-century Jerusalem were certainly no exception. With political tensions rising and Ro...
Tipping Point | Part 6 - Follow the Money
Studies show that money is behind ninety percent of the crimes committed in the United States. Perhaps that is why the first law of detective work is to “follow the money.” For good or for evil, money is one of the strongest motivators known to...
Tipping Point | Part 5 - Setting the Trap
When life approaches a tipping point, the decision-making process can feel overwhelming. Simple choices become more complex as every decision we make has the potential to instigate significant change. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the religious l...
Tipping Point | Part 4 - Flashpoint
William Ernest Henley’s classic poem, Invictus, ends with the declaration, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” Frank Sinatra captures the same conviction in his popular song, “I Did It My Way.” Both texts celebrate human ...
Tipping Point | Part 3 - Parade
Americans are fascinated with royalty, which is ironic since our nation was founded on the idea that “all men are created equal” and that government should be “of the people, by the people, for the people.” But a glance at the tabloids in any c...
Tipping Point | Part 2 - The Great Gambit
As Jesus made His way to Jerusalem, He told an unusual story about a man who journeyed to receive for himself a kingdom. While he was away, he left his servants in charge of his affairs. But the man’s servants didn’t want their master as king, ...
Tipping Point | Part 1 - Out on a Limb
There is a point at which a series of small incidents suddenly breaks through to accomplish a major change. This “Tipping Point,” as it is called, may seem to happen suddenly but always comes about because of a number of seemingly insign...
Aspire For Joy | Part 2 - The Joy of Service Worship
Society tends to associate happiness with getting something. But several studies show that people who invest their time in serving the needs of others tend to be more satisfied, less depressed, and experience greater joy. The Bible made the con...
