New Life Irvine

We live in an age of radical individualism. We curate our own feeds and build our own platforms. It’s easy to imagine that spiritual growth is a private project — just me, my Bible, and God.But Scripture tells a very different story. It tells us that we were created from community and for community. It tells us that we were redeemed into a body, a family, or a temple made of living stones. In other words, you don’t just grow near other believers. You grow with them and grow because of them. This Sunday we’ll explore the second pillar of a flourishing faith: Belong.

Who are you becoming? Whether you recognize it or not, you are becoming someone. The question is who that someone looks like. Our culture with its idols, values, and scripts, is constantly shaping us and forming us every day. If we do nothing, we will be "conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2). What amplifies our deformation is the fact that our hearts are idol factories and bow down to the false gods of this world. Psalm 115 teaches us that we become what we behold--whether for good or for evil. If you give your affections to lifeless idols, then you will become less human. If you give your affections to the one true living God, you will become more alive. Join us this Sunday as we see the power of beholding and learn how to turn our gaze towards the only One who will make us who we were meant to be.

A life with God requires actively engaging in four callings: beholding, belonging, becoming, and blessing. These four callings are the pillars of a flourishing faith. Over the next several weeks we will examine how we can be engaged in each, starting this Sunday with the call to behold.

We all know the moment—when patience is gone, strength is spent, and we want to give up. We push, we persevere, and we pray… until one day we realize we have nothing left to give.This Sunday, we close out our series by looking at Nehemiah's breaking point. Frustrated by the continued disobedience of God's people, he snaps and takes matters into his own hands (literally). Far from being a failure of faith, reaching our limit can become the place where God meets us most clearly. When our resources run dry, His grace does not. This sermon will give hope to the overwhelmed and the frustrated by reminding us that reaching your limit may not be the end—but the beginning of a deeper trust and renewed relationship with the Lord.

In a world that prizes speed, busyness, and constant achievement, the idea of stopping can feel impossible—if not irresponsible. Yet God calls us to a radically different rhythm: a rhythm of Sabbath rest.This Sunday we will explore the various factors that led to Israel's resistance to the Sabbath much to the detriment of their own souls. Together, we’ll discover practical ways to reclaim rest in a world of hurry and consider how we can thrive when so many are struggling to survive.

Spiritual decline rarely happens overnight. More often, it comes quietly—through small compromises, neglected responsibilities, and misplaced priorities. In Nehemiah 13, we discover that the people who once wept over God’s Word and pledged wholehearted obedience have returned to their old ways.Join us this Sunday as we see how easy it is to drift from the Lord and how small compromises often lead to damaging results. The good news is that the same God who exposes us also restores us.

If you made any new year's resolutions, was one of them to sing more in 2026? Singing is an incredibly frequent command in the scripture, yet it is such an ordinary part of christianity it can easily be overlooked. In Nehemiah chapter 12 we will look at why singing is so important to our walk with God that it's one of the most commanded practices in the scriptures.

As the dawn of new year approaches, many of us are thinking about goals and resolutions. How can I live a more faithful and fruitful life in the year to come? The people of Israel ask the very same question as they attempt to make a new start with a reset of their agricultural calendar. In Nehemiah 10, Israel makes a solemn covenant with the Lord, pledging to come back to God with reordered loves and reordered lives. Join us this Sunday as we see the importance of putting first things first.

Most of the world missed the moment when the Messiah arrived. There were no trumpets in the temple courts. No crowds celebrating him. And yet, there was one woman who saw exactly what God was doing. Anna—an elderly widow who spent decades waiting on the Lord. Her example exemplifies what it means to wait during this Advent season. Join us this Sunday, as we consider how God often does His greatest work in us while we wait on Him.

Isaiah 49 gives us one of the Bible’s most sweeping visions of God's plan of redemption: the salvation of the entire world . Through His Servant, He will gather the scattered, liberate the prisoner, and strengthen the weary. At the same time, as grand as our salvation is, Isaiah 49 also leaves room for lament. It gives us permission to grieve and confess our confusion. Join us this Sunday as we behold the glory of the long-awaited king and see how Christ's arrival intersects with the brokenness of life.

This Sunday we continue our Advent series, examining the prophecies of Isaiah as we prepare our hearts to welcome the true King—a King unlike any this world has ever seen, a King that this world and our hearts desperately need. We will learn how Jesus' kingship reshapes our identity, reorders our loves, and reorients our hope.

This Advent season, we will survey various passages from the book of Isaiah as we prepare our hearts to welcome the true King—a King unlike any this world has ever seen, a King that this world and our hearts desperately need. We will learn how Jesus' kingship reshapes our identity, reorders our loves, and reorients our hope. This coming Sunday, we take a look at one of Isaiah's most well-known passages, made famous by Handel's Messiah: "For unto us a child is given."

Giving thanks does not come naturally to us. Giving complaints does. When life doesn't go the way we want, we're left frustrated, jilted, and disappointed. How then can we move from giving complaints to giving thanks? Join us this Sunday as we celebrate Thanksgiving by studying an alternative way to live. Jesus shows us how to move away from joy-sucking entitlement and towards the life-giving power of gratitude.

How do we face the failures of our past and the challenges of the future? In Nehemiah 9 we see the path we're called to follow is one of confession. A deep connection with the Lord will always involve a deep confession. It's an easily misunderstood spiritual practice, but one that if we engage in properly can lead us into greater joy.

Last Sunday, Nehemiah 8:1-12 taught us that the ultimate reason why walls were rebuilt was so that worship would be restored. Walls were necessary. Worship was the goal. We saw the people of Jerusalem rediscover God's Word, repent of their sins, and rejoice in the Gospel. This Sunday, Nehemiah 8:13-18 reveals one additional step they take in their journey from ruins to revival: the step of obedience. We hope you join us this Sunday to discover how obedience to God completes our joy.

After months of sweat, struggle, and opposition, the walls of Jerusalem finally stand tall again. The gates are hung, the guards are stationed, and for the first time in decades, God’s people feel safe. But Nehemiah knows the wall isn’t the end goal—it’s just the beginning.This Sunday, we'll explore how God moves His people from walls to worship--from mere survival to spiritual revival. Join us as we see how the Spirit of God can turn our lives upside down.

We live in an age where lies are weaponized, emotions overrule facts, and our algorithms shape us more than Scripture. From “alternative facts” to echo chambers, from conspiracy theories to rage-bait headlines, our world is saturated with misinformation. But this isn’t new. Nehemiah faced his own “post-truth” world. In Nehemiah 6, he is bombarded with lies, threats, and gossip. Their goal? To derail God's work. Yet Nehemiah stood firm—discerning truth from lies, courage from fear, and God’s voice amid the noise. This week, we’ll explore how Nehemiah’s wisdom and perseverance speak directly to our modern crisis of discernment. We'll learn how we can remain wise in a world full of noise.

Our lives are filled with more and more information, but less and less wisdom. More data, less clarity. More opinions, less truth. More speaking, less listening. The average church member spends around 20-25 hours a week consuming media, news, and opinion pieces, significantly more than a generation before. We are bombarded with information while we are driving, while we are jogging, wherever we can find access the internet and our phones. Compare this to the amount of time we spend reading God's Word and it's easy to see how we can be discipled by our algorithms rather than our church. Though Nehemiah lived thousands of years ago, he too was bombarded with partial truths and outright lies. Yet, he did not waver or succumb to these lies but stood firm on God's Word. Join us this Sunday as we study Nehemiah 6:1-14 and learn to discern wisdom in the age of clickbait.

This Sunday we examine Nehemiah 5. Here we see Nehemiah confronting injustice, choosing generosity, rebuilding trust. It's a story on how the fear of the Lord turns power into service.

Fear is powerful. It can paralyze our decisions, cloud our vision, and steal our joy. In Nehemiah 4, God's people face ridicule and the threat of attacks from enemies who do not want them to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Yet while fear closes in, they do not give in. Through prayer, careful preparation, and courageous action, they move forward. This Sunday, we’ll explore what it means to have faith that rises when fear closes in.