Hillside Church's Podcast

Colossians 3: 1-4Last week we had a big celebration – Easter. We celebrated that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive in us today. But what does that mean? What kind of an impact does that have on my day-to-day life? This Sunday we’re going to begin a new series in which we take a look at how we can learn to live the life that God is calling us to live.Support the show

One of the lessons some of us have learned as we’ve gone through life is that we should be really careful when we get our hopes up. We shouldn’t let ourselves dream too big because then we’ll be disappointed. We shouldn’t ask for too much because we’ll get hurt when we don’t get it. But today — Easter Sunday — God wants us to know that He wants to do more for us than we could ever ask orimagine. Today He invites us to dare to believe thateverything is going to be just right.Text: Mark 16:1-8Support the show

Matthew 21This question was spoken on the first day of the week as Jesus entered Jerusalem. We try so hard to put Jesus in a box so that we can understand Him easily. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.Support the show

John 18:1-10Whether you've been going to church for your entire life or you just swung by in the last few months, Jesus is asking us a basic question today: What are you looking for? or Who do we want? On the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the garden of Gethsemane He asks the soldiers who came to arrest Him: "Who is it you want?" The soldiers give the right answer, "Jesus," but did they have the right reasons? This Sunday God challenges us to seriously consider this question: "Who is it you want?" or "What is it that you are looking for?" Support the show

Matthew 26: 20-25Many of us try to be good people. We try to be kind and caring, compassionate and giving. We try to tell the truth and keep our promises. We want to believe that there are some things that we would never do - some people might, but not us. This morning we'll look at how Jesus challenges us to recognize that, without Him, we can fail in some really big ways. Support the show

Matthew 26:36-46In the worst moment of your life, to whom do you turn for help? In the greatest crisis, who do you ask for help? Jesus is facing the greatest crisis of his life when he is in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let’s take a look this Sunday at what Jesus does while contemplating the incoming storm.Support the show

Support the show

Matthew 26:6-13This morning is the first Sunday of Lent, a time in the church year that leads us to two of the most important days of the year - Good Friday (when Jesus dies) and Easter (when Jesus rose from the dead). This is often a time where Christians reflect on both our own brokenness and sinfulness AND the amazing love and sacrifice of Jesus. In order to help us do that this year, we're going to look at questions that came up in the week that ended with Jesus going to the cross. This morning we'll start with a questions the disciples ask of a woman: Why this waste?Support the show

Matthew 25:31-46, 28:19-20Many non-Christians and Christians alike are disgruntled today. There are some things that we can;t stand: abuse, racism, human trafficking, crooked politicians, persecution of Christians, generational poverty, friends straying away from God, etc. But God so loved the world, the bible tells us. This Sunday we'll hear Jesus tell us that we must be like God and love. Love the needy, love one another! What does that mean for you? What if your love for Jesus is measured by the love you have for one another, for the needy brother or sister?Support the show

Matthew 28:19-20 and Luke 22:19-20We’re finishing up our series on worship. We’ve looked at what we say to God in worship and we’ve considered how God speaks to us through His Word and the sermon. We finish up with two more ways God speaks to us – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.Support the show

II Timothy 3:16We've been looking at the things we say to God in a worship. We've talked about how we say, "You are awesome" or "Please forgive us" or "We need You" to God. Now we're going to take a look at what God is saying to us during a worship service, and we';; think about how we can listen to His voice better. Support the show

Psalm 119:11We’ve been looking at things we say to God in a worship service. We’ve talked about saying, “We love You”, “We’re sorry”, and “We need You”. This morning we’re going to touch on one more thing we say to God – “We give ourselves to You”. Part of what we do when we get together with God is we make ourselves available to Him – with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength.Support the show

Psalm 102:1-2Most of us like to think that we're pretty independent. We don't like to ask for help - whether it's asking for money or directions. We want to take care of things on our own. But this morning we'll recognize that part of what we do when we get together for worship is we ask God to help us. The good news is that God is very excited and happy to hear our requests.Support the show

Psalm 51One of the important phrases we teach children to say is, “I’m sorry.” We want them to learn to admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. We want them to learn this because we know that this is the way to freedom and healthy relationships. This morning we’ll look at the fact that God wants us to learn that lesson as well. This morning we’ll think about what it means to say “I’m sorry” to God in our worship.Support the show

Psalm 145Some things call for a response. When we see a great football play or a beautiful sunset, when we read a great book or hear an awesome song, it stops us. We enjoy it and need to do something - clap or smile or tell someone about it. We need to praise the thing or person. It's what we do. This morning we're going to recognize that when we see God and what He has done, we need to respond in praise as well.Support the show

Imagine you’ve been praying for someone who doesn’t know Jesus. You’ve tried to live out your Christian faith and you've shown them hospitality. Then it happens. They actually say, “Tell me about your Christian faith. How might I become a Christian?” What would you do ? What would you say? This Sunday we’ll think about how you might be ready to talk about your faith.Text: I Peter 3:15-16Message by Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

We’ve been talking about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who don’t know Him. We’ve talked about praying and about living a life that is weird andwonderful. This morning we talk about another part of sharing the Good News—showing hospitality. One of the ways we connect with people is by spending time with them and just getting to know them. It takes time (and maybe some money), but part of loving people who don’t know Jesus is making some space and a place for them—showing hospitality.Text: I Peter 4:9 & Hebrews 13:2Support the show

When people we love don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior, we have a desire for them to experience God’s amazing grace and peace. But how can we help people come to know Jesus? Last week we said that the first thing we can do is to pray for them, that God would open doors to their hearts. This Sunday we’ll take a look at a second thing we can do: Live a life that would help them to see the joy and peace of knowing Jesus. We can be weird and wonderful.Text: I Peter 2:11-12Message by Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

God is the One who opens people’s hearts and minds to the gospel. He is the One who saves. So prayer is a key and powerful tool for outreach and evangelism! It’s like the spiritual artillery that “softens the ground” before the troops move in. Without prayer we often find ourselves working in our own strength and we accomplish little. But with prayer and God’s help, we accomplish much (John 15:5). This is why the Apostle Paul repeatedly asks those he wrote to to pray for him -- and in Colossians 4:3, to pray for open doors. Prayer is a great place to start if we want to take witnessing and evangelism seriously.Text: Colossians 4:2-6Support the show

Genesis 22 We come to the end of our study of Abraham this morning. We've seen Abraham's ups and downs, but this morning we're going to see the ultimate test of whether Abraham trusts God with all that he has. As we look at Abraham we'll have to ask how deep our trust in God is.Support the show