Advertise on podcast: Cedar Valley Church - Sunday Messages

Following Jesus is a life-long journey taken one step at a time…and we’re here to walk with you! Our mission is to follow Jesus, love people, and invite others to do the same which means we are all about helping each other take our "next step" following Jesus. Here are a few ways we would love to help you take your next step: ⁠Community Groups⁠ - Our groups create great friendships, study scripture, and pray with each other for the long haul. Take your first step into community! ⁠Serve Teams⁠ - Identifying your gifts and using them to serve the community is one of the best parts of following Jesus. ⁠Baptism⁠ - Have you said 'yes' to following Jesus? Baptism is the first step of faith on your journey! ⁠Grow with God⁠ - Bible reading plans, apps, and worship playlists are some our favourite ways to connect with God. Check out these resources to find your connection! Bonus: ⁠Cedar Valley Youth ⁠- if you're in middle school or high school join us on Wednesday nights to have fun, friends, grow, and serve with us! ⁠Give⁠ - Everything we do is funded by generous people like you! Find your next step at ⁠cedarvalley.ca/how-we-grow⁠ If you have any questions or would like to get coffee with a pastor please email us at ⁠[email protected]

Following Jesus is a life-long journey taken one step at a time…and we’re here to walk with you! Our mission is to follow Jesus, love people, and invite others to do the same which means we are all about helping each other take our "next step" following Jesus. Here are a few ways we would love to help you take your next step: ⁠Community Groups⁠ - Our groups create great friendships, study scripture, and pray with each other for the long haul. Take your first step into community! ⁠Serve Teams⁠ - Identifying your gifts and using them to serve the community is one of the best parts of following Jesus. ⁠Baptism⁠ - Have you said 'yes' to following Jesus? Baptism is the first step of faith on your journey! ⁠Grow with God⁠ - Bible reading plans, apps, and worship playlists are some our favourite ways to connect with God. Check out these resources to find your connection! Bonus: ⁠Cedar Valley Youth ⁠- if you're in middle school or high school join us on Wednesday nights to have fun, friends, grow, and serve with us! ⁠Give⁠ - Everything we do is funded by generous people like you! Find your next step at ⁠cedarvalley.ca/how-we-grow⁠ If you have any questions or would like to get coffee with a pastor please email us at ⁠[email protected]

Following Jesus is a life-long journey taken one step at a time…and we’re here to walk with you! Our mission is to follow Jesus, love people, and invite others to do the same which means we are all about helping each other take our "next step" following Jesus. Here are a few ways we would love to help you take your next step: ⁠Community Groups⁠ - Our groups create great friendships, study scripture, and pray with each other for the long haul. Take your first step into community! ⁠Serve Teams⁠ - Identifying your gifts and using them to serve the community is one of the best parts of following Jesus. ⁠Baptism⁠ - Have you said 'yes' to following Jesus? Baptism is the first step of faith on your journey! ⁠Grow with God⁠ - Bible reading plans, apps, and worship playlists are some our favourite ways to connect with God. Check out these resources to find your connection! Bonus: ⁠Cedar Valley Youth ⁠- if you're in middle school or high school join us on Wednesday nights to have fun, friends, grow, and serve with us! ⁠Give⁠ - Everything we do is funded by generous people like you! Find your next step at ⁠cedarvalley.ca/how-we-grow⁠ If you have any questions or would like to get coffee with a pastor please email us at ⁠[email protected]

Following Jesus is a life-long journey taken one step at a time…and we’re here to walk with you! Our mission is to follow Jesus, love people, and invite others to do the same which means we are all about helping each other take our "next step" following Jesus. Here are a few ways we would love to help you take your next step: ⁠Community Groups⁠ - Our groups create great friendships, study scripture, and pray with each other for the long haul. Take your first step into community! ⁠Serve Teams⁠ - Identifying your gifts and using them to serve the community is one of the best parts of following Jesus. ⁠Baptism⁠ - Have you said 'yes' to following Jesus? Baptism is the first step of faith on your journey! ⁠Grow with God⁠ - Bible reading plans, apps, and worship playlists are some our favourite ways to connect with God. Check out these resources to find your connection! Bonus: ⁠Cedar Valley Youth ⁠- if you're in middle school or high school join us on Wednesday nights to have fun, friends, grow, and serve with us! ⁠Give⁠ - Everything we do is funded by generous people like you! Find your next step at ⁠cedarvalley.ca/how-we-grow⁠ If you have any questions or would like to get coffee with a pastor please email us at ⁠[email protected]

Following Jesus is a life-long journey taken one step at a time…and we’re here to walk with you! Our mission is to follow Jesus, love people, and invite others to do the same which means we are all about helping each other take our "next step" following Jesus. Here are a few ways we would love to help you take your next step: ⁠Community Groups⁠ - Our groups create great friendships, study scripture, and pray with each other for the long haul. Take your first step into community! ⁠Serve Teams⁠ - Identifying your gifts and using them to serve the community is one of the best parts of following Jesus. ⁠Baptism⁠ - Have you said 'yes' to following Jesus? Baptism is the first step of faith on your journey! ⁠Grow with God⁠ - Bible reading plans, apps, and worship playlists are some our favourite ways to connect with God. Check out these resources to find your connection! Bonus: ⁠Cedar Valley Youth ⁠- if you're in middle school or high school join us on Wednesday nights to have fun, friends, grow, and serve with us! ⁠Give⁠ - Everything we do is funded by generous people like you! Find your next step at ⁠cedarvalley.ca/how-we-grow⁠ If you have any questions or would like to get coffee with a pastor please email us at ⁠[email protected]

Following Jesus is a life-long journey taken one step at a time…and we’re here to walk with you! Our mission is to follow Jesus, love people, and invite others to do the same which means we are all about helping each other take our "next step" following Jesus. Here are a few ways we would love to help you take your next step: ⁠Community Groups⁠ - Our groups create great friendships, study scripture, and pray with each other for the long haul. Take your first step into community! ⁠Serve Teams⁠ - Identifying your gifts and using them to serve the community is one of the best parts of following Jesus. ⁠Baptism⁠ - Have you said 'yes' to following Jesus? Baptism is the first step of faith on your journey! ⁠Grow with God⁠ - Bible reading plans, apps, and worship playlists are some our favourite ways to connect with God. Check out these resources to find your connection! Bonus: ⁠Cedar Valley Youth ⁠- if you're in middle school or high school join us on Wednesday nights to have fun, friends, grow, and serve with us! ⁠Give⁠ - Everything we do is funded by generous people like you! Find your next step at ⁠cedarvalley.ca/how-we-grow⁠ If you have any questions or would like to get coffee with a pastor please email us at ⁠[email protected]

Following Jesus is a life-long journey taken one step at a time…and we’re here to walk with you! Our mission is to follow Jesus, love people, and invite others to do the same which means we are all about helping each other take our "next step" following Jesus. Here are a few ways we would love to help you take your next step: ⁠Community Groups⁠ - Our groups create great friendships, study scripture, and pray with each other for the long haul. Take your first step into community! ⁠Serve Teams⁠ - Identifying your gifts and using them to serve the community is one of the best parts of following Jesus. ⁠Baptism⁠ - Have you said 'yes' to following Jesus? Baptism is the first step of faith on your journey! ⁠Grow with God⁠ - Bible reading plans, apps, and worship playlists are some our favourite ways to connect with God. Check out these resources to find your connection! Bonus: ⁠Cedar Valley Youth ⁠- if you're in middle school or high school join us on Wednesday nights to have fun, friends, grow, and serve with us! ⁠Give⁠ - Everything we do is funded by generous people like you! Find your next step at ⁠cedarvalley.ca/how-we-grow⁠ If you have any questions or would like to get coffee with a pastor please email us at ⁠[email protected]

Follow us on Facebook (@cedarvalley), Instagram (@cedarvalleymission), and sign up for our email list at cedarvalley.ca Submit prayer requests or sign up for prayer notifications at cedarvalley.ca/pray or email us at [email protected] Support the work and ministry of Cedar Valley Church by getting involved or supporting financially Head to cedarvalley.ca/give for more info

In this message from Acts 1:8, we're reminded that as followers of Jesus, we've been given the most powerful force in the universe—the Holy Spirit—yet we often treat this incredible gift like a mere paperweight or background presence. Just as receiving an unexpectedly powerful drone comes with responsibility, so does receiving the same Spirit that brought humanity to life, empowered Joseph to rise from prisoner to ruler, enabled prophets to foretell Christ's coming, and gave Jesus the power to heal the paralyzed. This final message in the "Learning to Breathe" series challenges us to recognize that the Holy Spirit isn't just about good feelings or comforting vibes, but about receiving real power that comes with radical responsibility to be witnesses for Christ in our communities and beyond. Learn more and get connected to your community at cedarvalley.ca

Follow us on Facebook (@cedarvalley), Instagram (@cedarvalleymission), and sign up for our email list at cedarvalley.ca Submit prayer requests or sign up for prayer notifications at cedarvalley.ca/pray or email us at [email protected] Support the work and ministry of Cedar Valley Church by getting involved or supporting financially. Head to cedarvalley.ca/give for more info

Follow us on Facebook (@cedarvalley), Instagram (@cedarvalleymission), and sign up for our email list at cedarvalley.ca Submit prayer requests or sign up for prayer notifications at cedarvalley.ca/pray or email us at [email protected] Support the work and ministry of Cedar Valley Church by getting involved or supporting financially Head to cedarvalley.ca/give for more info

Follow us on Facebook (@cedarvalley), Instagram (@cedarvalleymission), and sign up for our email list at cedarvalley.ca Submit prayer requests or sign up for prayer notifications at cedarvalley.ca/pray or email us at [email protected] Support the work and ministry of Cedar Valley Church by getting involved or supporting financially Head to cedarvalley.ca/give for more info

Nobody misses animal sacrifice. Two lambs a day, every day — one at dawn, one at dusk — raised by hand and given to fire. Gruesome, costly, and deeply personal. We're relieved that era is behind us. But Romans 12 suggests God hasn't stopped asking for sacrifice. He's just changed the form: "Give your bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice." The message this week flips the Old Testament pattern. Animal sacrifice was a physical act with spiritual outcomes. The living sacrifice God asks for now is the opposite — a spiritual act with physical outcomes. And the most tangible expression of that? Money. Money flows through our lives the way blood flows through a body: without enough, we starve; with plenty, we flourish. Offering it to God is as personal and costly as anything the ancient Israelites brought to the altar. Galatians 6 makes the harvest logic clear: what you plant determines what grows. Living to satisfy yourself produces decay; living to please the Spirit produces eternal life. First Timothy 6 closes the loop — those who use their money to do good aren't just being generous, they're building a foundation for true life, the kind Jesus said he came to bring in full. Bottomline: When we offer our money as a living sacrifice, it heals our hearts, invests in infinity, and provides for the practically and spiritually poor

Paul and Silas had done something good — freed a slave girl from a spirit that was exploiting her — and ended up beaten, chained, and locked in a dungeon. Around midnight, instead of bitterness or despair, they were praying and singing with gratitude. The message this week makes a striking claim: gratitude is not a feeling to wait for — it's a practice to choose. Evil is real, and it shows up in ordinary life: a relationship fracturing, a body failing, a day grinding you down. The question isn't whether hard things happen. It's what you do with them. Paul and Silas didn't wait until things got better to worship. They worshipped first — and the worship changed everything, including the jailer who witnessed it. Philippians 4 promises that prayer with thanksgiving produces a peace that doesn't make logical sense. Second Corinthians 4 reframes suffering entirely — present troubles are light and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory they're producing. Ephesians 5 frames gratefulness not as an emotion but as an act of being filled with the Spirit. The shift the message invites isn't from feeling bad to feeling good — it's from being overwhelmed by evil to being overwhelmed by gratefulness. Bottomline: Gratefulness is the practice of being aware of the air around you and feeling the breeze – it inspires you to breathe the breath of God into your lungs

Kim, who works at Hope Central in downtown Mission serving hot meals and supporting people experiencing poverty and homelessness, brought a challenging and personal message: caring for the poor isn't primarily about programs — it's about relationship. Scripture is consistent on this. Deuteronomy commands open-handed generosity toward the poor, and the early church's radical sharing of life and resources reflects the same heart. But scripture meets reality in messy ways. Kim told the story of Jackie — a woman in poverty with serious mental health struggles and a history of violence — and her own fear and reluctance in caring for her. It's one thing to affirm "love the poor" in principle; it's another to sit with someone who is genuinely hard to love. What changed things for Jackie wasn't a program. It was being invited into a prayer group and finding real acceptance. Kim connected this to research: the "rat park" study, where rats given social connection and enrichment didn't become addicted the way isolated rats did, and Vancouver's Housing First studies, which found that providing stable housing — with no prerequisites — dramatically improved people's lives. The pattern echoes scripture: people don't heal in isolation. They heal in community. The practical invitation is small and doable: learn someone's name. Say hello. Listen with curiosity instead of trying to fix or solve. Community isn't a bureaucratic system — it's personal care, one relationship at a time.