August Gate Church

Jesus teaches His disciples then and now to live a life of prayer; but our definition of prayer is often less than what He intended. He invites us into relationship, teaches us dependence and perseverance, and shows His Fatherhood toward us. This type of a "prayer-life" transforms our relationship with God and transforms our relationship people around us as we experience and live out the gospel.

Judgment is a word well acquainted with Christianity in the minds of culture. The same Jesus that tell us not to judge commands us to exercise church discipline. Listen in as we explore Matthew 7 as well as other places in the gospels and epistles where the subject of "judging" is addressed so that we can understand Jesus' teaching and walk in His commands.

Through practical illustration Jesus teaches us that we can trust our Heavenly Father with our needs. As we trust Him, and anxiety diminishes, we can see that He has called us to a deep purpose: the Gospel mission.

Jesus calls his followers to no longer pursue the things the world calls treasure because worldly treasures were never meant to satisfy us. Instead, He calls us to change our perspective on work, purpose, and life to that of seeking what He calls treasure.

Fasting is a Gospel discipline that has been lost, misrepresented or misunderstood in our time and culture. Jesus teaches how to fast and how not to fast and we explore the transformation that comes from a God-ward fast.

Prayer isn't about us changing God, it is about God changing us; it isn't about us moving God, but God moving us; it isn't about God hearing us, but us hearing, knowing, and submitting to God.

In Matthew 6:1-4 Jesus explains to us the Gospel discipline of giving. We find that the why of giving is just as important as the what. Through our obedience in the area of giving we find that we can be transformed, freed, and reminded of the Gospel.

The main purpose of Christian marriage is to show the world the covenant between Christ and his Church. Divorce is the enemy of this and Jesus shows how religion makes marriage about us instead of Him.

Listen in as we learn how Jesus uses the subject of lust and adultery to teach His disciples the power, subtlety and seriousness of sin as well as the the standards God has for human sexuality.

The Gospel doesn't just align our lives with a list of do's and don't's, but calls us to view all of life according to God's perspective and act in view of the grace he has shown us, the change he has in-acted in us, and the authority he has over us. It is with this in mind that we view what Jesus says about anger and it is also how we will view the remainder of the Sermon on the Mount.

Before getting into some of the specifics in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus sets out to show us, His audience, that we can easily fall into two errors. Some take His teaching on grace as a license to sin. Others take it as a legalistic guide to life. But Jesus shows us the true essence of the the Law: God's standard of righteousness that He perfectly fulfilled and calls us to live as we surrender to the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus explains the influence and impact His disciples should have on the world by comparing them to salt and light. Christians are called out of, sent into, and rubbed into the world for their mission and God's glory.

August Gate celebrated our first Easter this year. Listen in as we dive into 1 Corinthians 15 to hear what the Gospel is and what it should be in the lives of Christians.

Jesus ends the His foundational statements of what it means to live with Him as King by showing us what happens as His kingdom is in friction with the kingdom of this world. Though we may not ever face the persecution that others will, this subject should cause us to examine our faith.

Nearing the end of the foundations of Matthew 5 we see that Christ calls His followers to be peacemakers. As we dig into Scrpture we see that we often have a definition of peach and peacemaking that doesn't stem from Scripture. So what does it say, who are we to be? Check it out.

The message of Repaint Jesus stirs hearts and challenges the audience to be Jesus' hands and feet. Eric uses the story of The Good Samaritan to unmask the importance of painting Jesus correctly to our family, church family, community and the world. The audience is left with a direct challenge to live their lives in a way that draws people to Christ not pushes people from Him. To “Repaint Jesus” to the world.

Jesus continues with teaching Gospel foundations in Matthew 5:7 by teaching that those who live under the gracious rule of King Jesus are called to live lives marked by mercy. But what is mercy? Why should we show mercy? How do we show mercy?

This week we tackle the third and fourth foundational statements of what it means to live under the gracious rule of King Jesus. Do any of us really understand what it means to be meek? How can we live lives marked by meekness in a world that is not? Listen in as we see how Jesus walks us through the foundational transformation of the Gospel as we begin and grow as His disciples.

The life of a disciple involves living the way Christ instructs. But Jesus helps us avoid our tendency to fall into legalism by showing us that the foundations of the Christian life are heart change. The first two are understanding our spiritual bankruptcy and grieving over our sin.

Jesus shows us a key to discipleship: abiding in His word. By abiding we will know the truth. This truth sets us free from sin. This freedom brings us sonship and security.