NMC Audio Podcast

Oftentimes, we look at Jesus and ask or even wish that He fulfill our personal agenda. Jesus is not as interested in our agenda for Him, as he is in His agenda for us.

When the early church faced a wave of new believers who didn’t grow up with the same traditions, a big question emerged. In Acts 15, the leaders gathered to decide whether new believers had to follow all the old religious requirements. After prayer and discussion, they reached a powerful conclusion: don’t make it difficult for those who are turning to God. The heart of the gospel is simple—salvation is found in Jesus. It’s not earned through rituals, traditions, or human expectations. As we reach people who don’t yet know Christ, our calling is to point them clearly to Him, not burden them with extra barriers.

Left to itself, a fire tends to burn out. Throughout the Bible, believers are urged to keep their spiritual fervor red hot, like Paul encouraged Timothy to "fan into flame" his spiritual passion. Life and all its challenges take a toll on a warm heart. More than just giving us a challenge, the Word gives us a clear path to a heart that’s hot for Jesus.---Dave Engbrecht served as NMC’s Senior Pastor for over 40 years. His messages have been heard around the world through NMC livestream and his travels to visit ministry partners in India, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, Pakistan, Jamaica, Kenya, Russia, Romania, and Armenia. Dave’s vision is to make fully committed disciples through healthy local churches led by gifted leaders. He serves on the board of several missions organizations and is a keynote speaker at numerous retreats, leadership training events, conferences, and camps. Dave and his wife Christy are the parents of two married children and five grandchildren.

Following Jesus is more than a private belief—it’s a bold, active faith. In Mark 2, four friends refuse to let obstacles keep their paralyzed friend from encountering Jesus. When the crowd blocks the door, they climb the roof, tear it open, and lower him to Jesus. Their faith wasn’t passive. It was persistent, courageous, and sacrificial. This message explores what it means to be the kind of follower who does whatever it takes to clear the way for others to meet Jesus, trusting that once we bring people to His feet, He will do what only He can do.---Kory Lantz is the Executive Director of Transformation Ministries—a South Bend nonprofit that helps under-resourced youth to encounter Jesus, engage others with the gospel, and thrive together. Kory and his wife Ali launched Transformation in 2009 and have watched the Lord expand their ministry since then to become a pillar in the community. Known for his visionary leadership and deep relational connection with others, Kory is most passionate about making disciples in his first ministry: his family. Father to four children (and often a few teenage boys who live with them), he thrives helping his kids know that following Jesus is the greatest adventure of your life.

Prophetic words have the power to call forth our true identity, gifts, and calling. Through the apostle Paul’s encouragement of Timothy, we see how spoken, God-inspired words can strengthen faith, awaken purpose, and help us stand firm in challenging seasons. We as the Church are called to intentionally speak life-giving, identity-shaping words that help others stand strong in who God has called them to be.---Jerrell Jobe serves as the Discipleship Pastor at Engedi Church in Holland, MI and as an adjunct professor for Bethel University. His nearly 30 years of full-time ministry have focused on spiritual formation, teaching, and leadership. With a deep passion for connecting people to the biblical text through immersive travel, Jerrell has led over 100 trips across more than 25 countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Greece, and Rome. He and his wife Charissa have three young adult children.

Could one step of obedience set off a chain reaction? Everyday faithfulness is the first domino God wants to tip, and fulfill His call in Matthew 9 and the promise of Acts 1:8. This message challenges every follower of Jesus to see your life, not as random moments, but as intentional moves in God’s unstoppable mission.---John Vermilya is the Lead Pastor of The Tabernacle, a multi-site church in northern Michigan, and an itinerant speaker with FORGE (Denver, CO). John grew up on the mission field in Haiti, played 4 years of professional soccer, spent a decade in sports ministry with Missionary Athletes International, and has coached for over 34 years. He challenges audiences to resist spiritual apathy, stagnancy, and religiosity and instead, to get in the game by following Jesus with full abandon. With a passion for Scripture, storytelling, and humor, his messages reflect on his own Christian walk as a husband, father of five, and grandfather of two.

In Acts 10, we encounter two men in different places but in the same posture of heart: Peter and Cornelius. One is a Jewish apostle, the other a Roman centurion. Both are united by a simple, powerful act: They make themselves available to God through prayer. It's in those moments of yielded prayer that heaven interrupts earth. Visions are given. Boundaries are broken. Hearts are changed. Through prayer, God transforms not only their understanding, but the trajectory of the Church.

Saul of Tarsus knew the Scriptures better than most of us ever will. He was disciplined, devoted, and certain he was right. Yet, he was still blind. Acts 9 shows us what happens when certainty collides with the living Christ. It's the story of how knowing about God becomes truly knowing Him.

What good can grace do? When God's grace showed up in Acts 4, it didn't just make people feel better—it actually changed things. Relationships shifted. Priorities flipped. A whole community got rewired from the inside out. We're exploring what happens when grace gets to work in real life, and why it might do more than you think.

The religious leaders were stunned by the boldness of Peter and John. They weren’t impressed by credentials or training. They only recognized one thing: these men had been with Jesus. What a beautiful invitation from the Lord—to simply be with Him. Our power, courage, and clarity don’t come from striving harder, but from abiding closer. When we spend time in His presence, His life transforms ours, and the world can’t help but notice.

What do you think about God right now? Your thoughts matter more than you may realize. For years, Christians have been accused of "checking their brains at the door," but what if Jesus actually invites us to engage our minds more fully, not less? What if truly getting our "head in the clouds" with Christ transforms how we live on earth? Discover why your thought life is essential to human flourishing.

Jesus offers a clear warning and a loving invitation when it comes to money. He cautions us to guard our hearts against greed and reminds us that life isn't measured by what we accumulate. He also challenges us to consider who—or what—we truly serve because we can't serve both God and money. He invites us to get curious about our relationship with finances: What drives our decisions? Where do we place our security? As we examine our habits, fears, and hopes around money, we can discover what true financial flourishing looks and feels like. 

God didn't create us as souls trapped in bodies, but as embodied persons, fearfully and wonderfully made. God designed us not just to survive, but to flourish—body and soul together. From the beginning, He formed us with intention, calling our physical lives "very good" Though sin has fractured our experience of health, strength, and wholeness, God’s desire for our physical flourishing has never changed.

John 10 offers us a striking and comforting image: Jesus is the way into abundant life—our safety, our belonging, our access to God. As the Good Shepherd, He's not distant or harsh, but attentive and self-giving, one who knows His sheep by name and lays down His life for them. This isn't a voice of control or fear, but of love and trust. Yet, Jesus also names the challenge we face: many other voices clamoring for our attention. Voices promising security, success, identity, or happiness—often loudly, often urgently.

Jesus shared a simple, but not always easy, principle of how to flourish in our relationships. This one instruction has the power to revolutionize every interaction in your life. Let’s unpack its depth and the challenge it presents. Let’s consider how this truth has the power to reshape our interactions. Let’s imagine how it could change in our world if we lived it out. 

What does it truly mean to say, “God is love”? Let’s explore the depth of God’s agape love—a love that's unconditional, sacrificial, and self-giving. God’s love isn't merely an emotion but an action, most clearly revealed through the gift of His Son. As recipients of such overwhelming grace, we're called to imitate God’s love by laying aside selfishness, extending forgiveness, and demonstrating Christlike love to one another. When we love as He has loved us, we can change the world.

When we pause to consider the birth of Jesus, it can leave us wondering. Why would God choose to enter the world in such an unexpected way? Why would He humble Himself to become one of us? This week, we celebrate a moment both wondrous and mysterious: the incarnation of God, an event that changed the world more than 2,000 years ago.

In the scandalous genealogy of Jesus, Rahab—a Canaanite prostitute from a city of chaos—hangs a scarlet cord and trusts God’s promise. Her story reveals a jealous God whose fierce, passionate love invades the darkest places, redeems unlikely people, and zealously pursues us on His terms, in His time.

Look closely at the life of Abraham and the unshakable covenant God made with him and his descendants. Through Abraham’s journey of faith, obedience, and trust, we see a God who is consistently faithful, relentlessly gracious, and unwaveringly good. We're invited to remember that the same God who kept His promises to Abraham is the God who keeps His promises to us today.

Be reminded of Jesus’ beautiful invitation: He calls us first to be with Him before He sends us out with Him. Just as He gathered His disciples—ordinary people welcomed into His presence—He welcomes us into a relationship marked by closeness, learning, and transformation. And from that place of being with Jesus, we're empowered and sent to share His love, His hope, and His good news. May we rest in His calling, walk in His presence, and go where He leads.