Senior Pastor Sam Weitman continues our series through Ephesians, exploring what it means to live as the family of God. In Ephesians 4:17-32, we learn that generosity isn't just about money—it defines every aspect of how we relate to one another in the body of Christ. Paul calls us to "put off the old self" and "put on the new self," not through willpower alone, but by being renewed by the Holy Spirit. As we fix our eyes on Jesus, who demonstrated ultimate generosity through the cross, we're transformed into a people marked by generosity in our truth-telling, reconciliation, resources, and words. ✨Key Points✨ →Lost people act lost—if you've been found in Christ, it's time to live like it →Taking off the old self and putting on the new is a daily choice →True transformation comes as the Holy Spirit renews our minds →Generosity in relationships looks like: being generous with truth, reconciliation, resources, and words →Jesus is our standard of generosity—He gave everything for us Join us at Countryside Church as we discover how Jesus frees us from greed and insecurity to live generously with one another.
You've been GIFTED—now what? In this message, Equipping Pastor Bryan Intemann walks through Ephesians 4:7-13 to reveal that your unique abilities aren't meant to sit on a shelf. They're TOOLS designed to build up the body of Christ. 🎁 Grace + Gifting Christ gave you gifts out of pure generosity. They're not trophies to display—they're tools to serve. 🎁 Truth in Love Maturity isn't just knowing the right thing. It's becoming like Jesus in word, action, and character. 🎁 Everyone Plays No superstars needed. When each part does its work, the whole body grows and builds itself up. 🎁 Your Part Matters Whether you're in school, retired, married, or single—Christ is present and has a purpose for you. This isn't complicated theology. This is your invitation to get in the game. Because Christ has already given you what you need. The question is: will you use it? 💪✨
What if picking up your cross and following Jesus isn't just about spiritual disciplines, but about the hard work of staying together when it would be easier to walk away? In this powerful message from Ephesians 4, Senior Pastor Sam Weitman unpacks why unity isn't just a nice idea—it's the first and most important value of the family of God. After three chapters celebrating the mystery and majesty of Christ, Paul's instruction might seem underwhelming: "just put up with one another." But what Paul is calling us to is actually revolutionary. KEY HIGHLIGHTS: ✨The Marriage Analogy - Just as a wedding ceremony leads to the work of building a new life together, our salvation in Christ (chapters 1-3) leads to the call of living as a united family (chapters 4-6). ✨Be EAGER for Unity - Paul doesn't say "try not to cause trouble." He commands us to actively, relentlessly, repeatedly fight for unity without stopping. ✨Taking Up Your Cross - What if this means speaking well of those who attack you? Leaning in when it's easier to leave? Going back again and again in love? ✨Jesus Modeled It First - Jesus washed Judas' feet knowing he would betray Him. When we were His enemies with nothing good in us, Christ humbled Himself to death on a cross for us. ✨Love Doesn't Just Endure—It Fights - Love isn't just gritting your teeth and enduring. Love leans in, seeks to make things better, and goes again: when you're disrespected, when you're offended, when you're betrayed—again and again. ✨We're Family - The things that unite us (one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God) are far greater than anything that could divide us. And family doesn't walk out on family. THE BOTTOM LINE: Anyone can tear down. Anyone can walk away. But it takes someone truly dedicated to unity to build up and make things better. In the family of God, unity is of utmost importance—and that means we don't quit on each other. This message will challenge how you think about conflict, disappointment, and the everyday frustrations of church life. Because the gospel doesn't just save us FROM something—it saves us FOR something: a family that fights for one another no matter what.
What happens when you realize Jesus doesn't want to be a guest in your heart—He wants to own it? This week we're diving into what might be the most powerful passage in all of Ephesians (3:14-21), exploring two prayers that could transform everything about how we follow Christ. In this message, Senior Pastor Sam Weitman unpacks: 🤍 Why Jesus isn't interested in renting a room in your heart 💪 The strength required to surrender every part of your life to Christ 🌊 How the love of Christ is more vast than any ocean we could explore 🔥 What it looks like when a church stops settling for the status quo ⛰️ Why we never retire from obedience (shoutout to 85-year-old Caleb) Two prayers for our church: 1. That we'd fall so in love with Jesus that every sacrifice becomes the only reasonable response 2. That we'd be utterly convinced that God can do more than we ask, think, or imagine—and that He wants to use us to do it Let's stop limiting God's power by what we've come to expect. The greatest stories of how God works don't have to be behind us—they can be in front of us.
Ever wonder why 7,530 believers in 100 AD grew into half the Roman Empire by 300 AD—without buildings, printing presses, or Instagram? Meanwhile, we have the biggest churches in history, yet Christianity is declining in America. Pastor Sam Weitman unpacks Ephesians 3:1-13 to reveal the mystery that left the Apostle Paul absolutely floored: God's plan wasn't just to save individuals—it was to reconcile entire nations that had been scattered since the Tower of Babel. In this message, Pastor Sam explains: 🤯The shocking pattern from Genesis to Revelation that Paul couldn't stop thinking about 🤯Why the early church exploded (and what we've forgotten) 🤯The parallel between Acts 2 and the Tower of Babel that will blow your mind 🤯Whether we're repeating the same sin that got languages confused at Babel 🤯Your role in God's plan to "unbreach" the world The hard question: When you stand before the throne with every tongue, tribe, and nation, will you say "It happened despite me" or "I gave everything for this"? This isn't about guilt. It's about recovering the mission that turned the world upside down.
Pastor Sam Weitman delivers a powerful message from Ephesians 2:11-22 that will challenge everything you think you know about unity in our divided world! You'll Discover: ✨Why the early church was MORE divided than your family Thanksgiving dinner ✨The shocking insults flying between Jews and Gentiles, and why "uncircumcised" was the ultimate burn 🔥 ✨How a ballerina-princess tea shop teaches us about family identity ✨Why drinking dishwater runoff is actually profound theology 🏛️ Mind-Blowing Moment: Paul tells a fractured church they're being built into a temple that surpasses one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - but it's made of Democrats, Republicans, former witches, and millionaires worshiping together! 💡 Game-Changing Truth: Unity isn't uniformity - you can disagree on politics, church style, and social issues while still being family. The secret? Remembering you're ALL broken people saved by grace. 🌟 Why This Matters: In a world tearing itself apart, the church has the opportunity to be a "wonder of the modern world" - showing radical unity in diversity that points people to Jesus. Are you ready to see how the gospel transforms hostility into family? This message will revolutionize how you view unity, diversity, and what it truly means to be the church!
You think good people go to heaven? Think again. In this eye-opening message from Ephesians 2:1-10, Senior Pastor Sam Weitman tackles the most dangerous lie that has infiltrated the church since day one. Using a hilarious (and slightly disturbing) story about peanuts, chocolate, and an elderly woman, he exposes why the idea that "good people go to heaven" is spiritual poison that looks appealing but leads to death. Pastor Sam breaks down Paul's diagnosis of our spiritual condition - we were all born spiritually dead, and dead people can't make themselves alive - no matter how moral they become. He explains why sin isn't primarily about bad behavior but about worship - it's not what you do, it's who you worship that determines your eternal destiny. The good news? Jesus steps into the room and makes the dead come alive. Here's what you'll discover: 💀 How being "good" can actually disqualify you from heaven ⚰️ The difference between Jairus' daughter, the young man, and Lazarus 🎁 How salvation works (hint: it's 100% gift, 0% earning) 🔥 How the magnitude of your rescue determines the magnitude of your worship This message shatters religious assumptions and reveals the shocking truth: Heaven isn't for good people - it's for dead people who've been brought back to life by Jesus. If you've ever wondered whether your good deeds matter to God, this sermon will change everything.
You can know all the right facts about God and still completely miss Him. You can memorize Scripture, win theological debates, and understand doctrine perfectly - yet never actually experience the power and presence of God in your life. In this powerful message from Ephesians 1:15-23, Senior Pastor Sam Weitman dives into Paul's prayer for the Ephesian church and reveals a critical distinction that changes everything. He breaks down the Greek language to show the difference between knowing facts about God versus truly experiencing Him. Using the example of Blue Bell ice cream (you'll have to watch to understand), he reveals why Paul prayed that believers wouldn't just understand their identity intellectually, but would feel it deep in their hearts. Here's what you'll learn: 🧠 There's a huge difference between "oida" knowledge (facts) and "ginosko" knowledge (experience) 📖 You can love the Bible but care little for Jesus 🙏 Only two things position us to experience God: pray and obey 🎉 God celebrates when one sinner repents, not when Christians switch churches This message is for anyone whose faith feels more like facts than a living relationship. It's for anyone who wants to move beyond religious knowledge to actually experiencing the transforming power of God.
You’re not defined by your past. You’re not defined by your mistakes. So why do we keep living like we are? Senior Pastor Sam Weitman continues walking us through Ephesians, focusing this week on verses 11-14. He reveals that who we are in Christ is not an identity we earn, but one we've already been given. He even gets a little nerdy to unpack what it means to be “predestined” and why it doesn't really matter if we're "God’s inheritance" or if we "obtain an inheritance." Here's what you can discover: 🌟 The world says your identity is achieved, but the Bible says it's received. 🌟 True security comes from God’s stamp of ownership on your life. 🌟 You can be confident in your identity and in your eternal security. 🌟 The Holy Spirit is a down payment for what's to come. This message is for anyone who feels like their identity is constantly at risk. It’s for anyone who is sick of the insecurity that comes from basing their worth on what they achieve. It’s for anyone who wants to stop living from an anxious, fearful place and start living from a place of peace and security.
Ever feel like you're just not good enough? Like you've messed up too many times and God must be frustrated with you? This message wrecks that lie. As we continue our study through Ephesians chapter 1, Senior Pastor Sam Weitman walks us through verses 7-10 about redemption. To bring this truth to life, he uses one of the most uncomfortable (and beautiful) stories in the Bible - Hosea and his unfaithful wife Gomer from the book of Hosea. It's messy, it's raw, and it perfectly shows us what Christ did to rescue us. Here's what you'll learn: →Your worst mistakes don't define you (seriously, they don't) →Hosea literally went broke to buy back his cheating wife →Jesus paid everything - His blood - to get you off the auction block →We often yawn at the very thing that leaves angels speechless This isn't comfortable Christianity. It's the kind of truth that reminds us we were once standing naked on an auction block - totally exposed, totally guilty - and Jesus looked at us and said "I'll take them." If you've ever wondered whether God could really love someone like you, you're not alone, and you need to hear this.
If you've ever wondered whether someone like you could really be loved unconditionally, you need to hear this. Whether you're a student desperate for friends, a parent defining yourself through your kids' success, or someone spiritually burned out from trying to be "good enough" - this message will shatter the lies you've believed about your worth. Senior Pastor Sam Weitman dives into Ephesians 1:1-6 and the life-changing truth that God chose you in advance with joy - not because you earned it, but because it was His absolute delight to pick you. Know this: ✔️ You don't have to perform to make God happy - He already is! ✔️ God knew your worst moments before you were born and STILL chose you ✔️ Jesus went to the cross for YOU He looked at your mess, your insecurities, your failures - the whole ugly package - and said "I want YOU." Before you did anything right OR wrong.
When life feels uncertain and we're tempted to put our trust in people, achievements, or circumstances, Jesus offers something far better. Senior Pastor Sam Weitman breaks down John 10 to help us discover why Jesus' deep knowledge and unwavering love means we can trust Him completely, even when wolves are at the door.