Midtown Church

The Word of God is full of the message of His grace.  Christ died in our place to purchase our salvation.  It is a free gift which costs us nothing.  Our sins are forgiven and we are made right with God by grace which we appropriate by faith.  But to be a disciple is a commitment which costs us everything.  If we will share in Christ's glory we must be willing to share in his suffering.  Are you willing to pay the price?

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In the Great Commission, Jesus commands his disciples to make disciples.  That  began a process of multiplication that would take the Gospel to " the ends of the earth."  In this message, we will look at the call of Jesus to discipleship as the first disciples experienced it.  We will look at the process by which the Greatest Disciple Maker "made" ordinary people into those He could use to join him in the greatest mission on earth.

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Last week the calamity of the family took the brothers to Egypt. After being released from prison and in their conviction, they confess their guilt and are set free - paid in full, with provisions for the journey.
Fantastic, but what if God calls us to more? What if God wants more for us than simply our freedom? What if God doesn’t want salvation for us on our terms but His? What if God is as interested in our journeys as He is in setting us free? What if God is more dedicated to His call on our life than we are? What if God didn’t only save us from something but for something? 
Here’s the overarching question this message will seek to answer: what can we expect after being set free, paid in full, and given provisions for the journey? 

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To what extent is God willing to go so as to produce repentance and holiness in His people? In this message, we look at the movement of the sons of Israel from living in two decades of sin and deceit to a place of declaring their guilt towards Joseph. What brought them to that place? What moved them there? And what in them is true for us today?

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After an Easter break, we are back to our study of Joseph's life. In this week's passage, Pharaoh has two dreams that none of his higher-ups can interpret. Pharaoh's cupbearer, however, finally remembers Joseph from his time in prison and tells Pharaoh that he's a man who can interpret dreams. Thus begins the resurrection story of Joseph and the fulfillment of his dreams from chapter 37. But his rags to riches story also comes with a question: what if all our dreams came true and if they did, would they come with any danger attached?

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With so much going on today, so much cultural noise, and our pressured lives, it’s all too easy to lose focus. This message seeks to reorient us as to what really matters - Jesus, the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit.

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In this Easter Sunday message we begin by looking at what Paul says is of first importance - that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day. We then finish off our three-part Easter series in Revelation by looking at what Jesus' death and resurrection secures for His people in the new heaven and earth. 

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In this second of a three part Easter series, we see with John into heaven where we hear about a Lion who looks like a Lamb that was slain. As we look we discover four things about the Lamb: The Lamb's worthiness, the Lamb's weakness, the Lamb's way and finally, the worship of the Lamb. 

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On this Palm Sunday we begin a three-part Easter series called, The Lion and the Lamb. In it we will look at three passages from the book of Revelation that not only remind us of what Jesus did for the world two millennia ago, but what it means for our present and our future. In this first message we see what John saw as he wrote of his experience of seeing the glorified Jesus and why he, and we, no longer have to fear. 

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Genesis 41 is the most pivotal chapter in Joseph’s story. Some say that it’s one of the most pivotal chapters in the entire Bible. It’s also one of the most misinterpreted. We will address that more when we look at the second half of the chapter after Easter. But to give you a taste, many see chapter 41 as a rags to riches story; a, good things happen to good people, story; a, hang in there long enough and everything will turn out great, story. And who doesn’t like a story like that?
But what if luck had nothing to do with it? And although we will see the exaltation of Joseph in this chapter, he is still in Egypt, separated from his family, given an Egyptian name, an Egyptian wife whose father is a priest of On - On was the centre of sun worship - and has a couple of sons with her. And so, I wonder about the rags to riches idea. 
In this message we focus most on the things revealed about God in this season of Joseph's life. 

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In Genesis 40 Joseph remains in prison, wrongly accused for sexual assault and sent there by Potiphar. In this message we see several things: 1, how Joseph responded to his trials. 2, how Joseph trusted in God. 3, how he boldly speaks the word God gives him. 4, the failure of man. And 5, how Jesus shows up in the passage.  

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Forgiveness matters. Join in listening to this sermon as John delves into the crucial theme of forgiveness. In this message, he explores common misguided approaches to forgiveness and provides a practical approach rooted in Jesus' teachings and example. This sermon explores how to forgive when we don't want to and helps us grapple with God's unending forgiveness in our daily lives. 

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Most sermons based on Genesis 39 focus on Joseph fleeing, quite literally, the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife. And although there are things to learn from Joseph’s resistance to her seduction, chapter 39 is more about God’s providence and presence in Joseph’s life while in Egypt. In this message we define what the providence of God is and how it shows up over and over in Joseph's life in spite of his slavery and imprisonment. 

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There are some who skip over Genesis 38 when teaching on the life of Joseph. There are actually some who say Genesis 38 is misplaced and should be put somewhere else. But we shouldn't, for two reasons primarily. One, Genesis 37:2 says that “these are the generations of Jacob.” In other words, the chapters that follow are about Jacob’s sons and not just Joseph. And two, Genesis 38 is one of the greatest depictions of the gospel and God’s grace in the entire Bible. So, why would we skip it!?!? In this message we dive deep into the darkness of Judah and see at the end how God's marvellous light overcomes it. 

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We begin a new series this week on the life of Joseph. In this kick off message we are going to look at how Joseph is the favoured son, the hated son, the obedient son, and the betrayed son in spite of his obedience.

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As we come to the end of a long letter like 1 Corinthians, we are sometimes tempted to think that the concluding remarks are sort of ‘filler material.’ Here we find mention of Paul’s travel plans, some personal greetings, and an exhortation or two. Since the travel plans have already taken place, and the people mentioned are unfamiliar to us, we might wonder what practical benefit a passage like this has for the church today. In reality, what Paul writes here has tremendous value in shaping our perspective and our practice.

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Money, and our money personally, is one of those subjects that we would most like kept private. Paul, however, doesn't shy away from it. And in this week's message we consider the subject and learn what we can from Paul's call on the Corinthians to support the saints in Jerusalem. 

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We end our series on the Spiritual Gifts by looking at one of the most disagreed and disputed texts in the New Testament. In it, we will look at Paul's call to women, his call to men, the authority of Paul and the warning to all. 

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As we near the end of this series on the spiritual gifts we ask what should mark the church when it comes together? Although Paul's main concern isn't to give a hard template to follow he does provide some clear guidelines while reminding us of what's most important, the mutual building up of the church. 

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After a Christmas break we come back to the final few weeks of our study of I Corinthians and specifically, the gift of tongues and prophecy. In this message we look at three things: 1, the call to continue growing in spiritual maturity. 2, why tongues, without interpretation, are a sign of judgment for the unbeliever. And 3, why the church should emphasize prophecy when it comes together.

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Resilient Faith: How The Good Shepherd Will Lead You In The Year To Come

Discover how God, who is depicted as a good shepherd and generous host in Psalm 23, intends to lead us into a bright future. Join us as we explore how God consistently guides His people towards a loving life and a resilient faith.

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In this Christmas Eve message we conclude this Advent series by looking at a well-known Christmas text that reveals how God rescues us from darkness and oppression and tumult but doesn't do so by might nor by power but by way of a child. 

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This Sunday we will continue our Advent Series, Christ before Christmas, by looking at a prophecy in the book of Jeremiah. The nation of Judah was in a mess because of terrible national and spiritual leadership. The leaders and the people will face judgement because they have turned from God. But in His grace, God will send a new King who will be called “The LORD our Righteousness.” In His coming, there will be hope for the people of God.

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We begin a three Sunday Advent series today with the prophecy of Micah concerning a shepherd king coming to rescue and restore a faithful remnant and usher in an eternal kingdom. In Matthew's gospel he writes that Micah's prophecy is fulfilled by Christ Jesus. In this message we look specifically at what we learn about the Christ in how He came. 

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In this podcast we take a few minutes to answer some specific questions that have come in regarding the spiritual gifts.

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The gift of prophecy.
In last week's message we looked at the gift of tongues, this week we look at the gift of prophecy. After giving a definition of prophecy we will focus on how, 1, the NT spiritual gift of prophecy does not hold the same weight and authority as the OT prophets. 2, the role of the first generation/century prophet was unique and does not carry on today. And 3, the church should eagerly desire the gift of prophesy. 

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The topic of Prophecy and Tongues excites some and confuses others, and entire denominations have been formed around where people land on this topic. In this message we will examine how Paul describes the gift of tongues and what instruction he provides on their use.

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In last week's passage - I Corinthians 13:1-3 - Paul wrote that nothing we say, nothing we have and nothing we do matters apart from love. Apart from love we are clanging gongs and we gain nothing and are nothing. The obvious question then is, “what is love?” In this week’s passage he answers but he doesn’t answer by defining love but describing it and tells us what love is, what love isn’t and why love is greatest. 

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In this week's passage Paul says some of the most dramatic statements in the entire Bible: without love we are nothing and without love we gain nothing - regardless of what we say, give, know or do. In this message we dive deep to the extent this takes and why the way of love is the higher and more excellent way. 

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A training night on the Spiritual Gifts - Part 02

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A training night on the Spiritual Gifts - Part 01

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This week's passage is essentially a summary of chapter 12. There is nothing new but it's helpful and important because we've seen a lot so far and reminders are a good thing. In this week's message we use our passage to be reminded of six things related to the gifts of the Spirit setting things up for chapter 13 and the more excellent way. 

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In this week's message we respond to the idea that some have that we can do the Christian life separate from the local church. But that can't be the case, Paul writes, because the gifts we've been given in the Spirit have been given for the common good. Additionally, Christians have been baptized by the Spirit into one body, the church - universal and local. What this means practically and how we are to view one another in the church are things this message also considers. 

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In this week's message we finally get to I Corinthians 12 and address Paul's main concern of why the gifts of the Spirit were given to the church. But before we go there we lay some foundation by defining certain things connected to the gifts themselves. We end this message by being reminded of the greatest gift of them all. 

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There are a lot of different ways you could answer the question, what is the Holy Spirit doing in the world, the church and in our lives personally today - what is the work of the Holy Spirit? This message answers by looking at the five metaphors used of the Holy Spirit in the Bible where in them we learn what the Holy Spirit does and is doing. 

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In this message we jump into a topic that, sadly, causes some controversy in the church - the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John the baptist said that Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and Jesus said that's what took place on the day of Pentecost. What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, what are the controversies surrounding it and what are the marks of it? 

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In this message we look at one of the most significant days in the history of the church. On the day known as Pentecost the promised Holy Spirit comes upon those told to wait in Jerusalem. And with His coming three things take place: power is given, Babel is reversed and numbers are added.  

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With this week's message we launch a series within our series on I Corinthians. Over the fall we will be looking at I Corinthians 12-14 and discovering what Paul writes about the gifts of the Spirit and how they are to be worked out in the life of the church. However, before getting to chapter 12 we are spending four weeks on the Holy Spirit specifically and beginning this week by asking, "Who is the Holy Spirit?"

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Ministry is a gift of mercy. This message takes place on the launch Sunday of a new ministry year. This passage is used as a commissioning text for those serving at Midtown this upcoming year. In it we see that all ministry is: one, a gift of mercy, two, calls us to proclaim the whole gospel because of what it brings, and three, must be undergirded with prayer and reliance of the Holy Spirit.

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This message walks through the benediction that ends the letter to the Hebrews. In it we look at the ways God equips believers, the basis for His equipping and the ultimate outcome of His equipping work.

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A benediction is a word of blessing given to encourage God’s people in their spiritual journeys. We bring our summer series on prayer to a close by looking at one of the most beautiful benedictions in the Bible, one as relevant for today as when first given. 

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This week's passage contains the prayer of a woman named Hannah. It's a prayer of worship and thanksgiving spoken in response to God giving her a son she named Samuel. She in turn gave Samuel to God for a life of ministry. Samuel would eventually anoint David, the great king of Israel, who pointed ahead to King and Messiah Jesus. This message explores the many things Hannah knew of God as revealed in her prayer and which enabled her to pray faithfully and turn her son over to God.  

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Several prayers of Moses are recorded for us in the first books of the OT. This one, however, stands out because it comes in the immediate aftermath of the golden calf event. What we see in it is the intercessory and meditative work of Moses for the people of God. But what we see most importantly is the one Moses pointed to, Jesus, the better mediator, the better intercessor, the better Moses. 

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Praying in repentance is not normally the kind of prayer that we gravitate to. Psalm 32 shows us why prayers of repentance are of great benefit to us when we are weighed down by our sin.

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This passage contains what one author writes is "the greatest spirit of submission found in the Bible." That might be a slight overstatement when considering Jesus in the garden but the point is still made. In this passage we are going to see the imminent calamity coming onto Judah and how Habakkuk responds with faith-filled defiance. We consider how this was possible and what we can learn and apply in our own walks with the Lord. 

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This passage contains an event where Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, is told of a coming siege by three enemy and allied kingdoms. In response Jehoshaphat calls the nation to assemble, fast and pray. In this message we will look at the prayer of the king, the answer from God, the response of the nation and the outcome of the event. 

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