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Episode Summary   In “Fighting for Each Other,” Pastor Matt Shetler explores Paul’s call in Ephesians 6 to recognize the real battle behind our struggles and to stop treating people as the enemy. This message invites the church to stand in Christ’s victory, put on the armor of God, and fight for one another through faithful, persistent prayer. Key Takeaways   - Our real struggle is not against people, but against spiritual forces that work through lies, division, and discouragement.   - We don’t fight for victory; we fight from the victory Jesus has already won.   - God’s armor equips us to stand firm in truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God.   - Prayer is not a last resort—it is one of the primary ways we fight for one another.   - Community matters in spiritual battle; we are meant to hold up faith together, not stand alone. Key Moments   - [04:59] Following God means entering a real battle, not just learning ideas or strategies   - [12:02] Paul reframes the conflict: people are not the true enemy   - [23:34] What it means to receive God’s strength and “stand” in the middle of resistance   - [28:34] Why the enemy fights hard even though Jesus has already won   - [40:22] A practical call to wrestle in prayer for others and for the church Scripture References   - Ephesians 6:10-20   - John 10:10   - Ephesians 6:10-12   - Ephesians 6:11   - Ephesians 6:13-14   - Ephesians 6:14-16   - Ephesians 6:17   - Ephesians 6:18   - Ephesians 2:6   - Revelation 12:12   - Colossians 2:15   - Colossians 4:12   - James 5:16   - Ephesians 1:18-20   - Ephesians 6:19-20 Reflection Question   Who in your life do you need to stop fighting against and start fighting for through prayer this week? Connect With Us   If this message encouraged you, subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes, and share it with a friend or someone you’re praying for this week. We’d also love for you to pass this message along to others in your church community who need encouragement to stand firm together.

Episode Summary   This message explores Ephesians 5 through the lens of Jesus’ self-giving love, showing that mutual submission is not about control but about serving one another for the other’s good. Marriage is part of the picture, but the deeper point is Christ’s love for the church—and how that love frees us to help others flourish. Key Takeaways   - We are loved by Christ first, and from that place we learn to love and serve others.   - Mutual submission means freely giving way for another person’s good, not enforcing power or control.   - In relationships, the real question is not “Who’s in charge?” but “How can I help you flourish?”   - Jesus alone is Savior, so we are not meant to rescue or complete one another.   - Wherever we hold power—in marriage, friendship, work, or family—we’re called to use it sacrificially. Key Moments   - [04:21] Paul’s pattern: we are loved first, then called to give   - [08:19] Reading Ephesians 5:21–33 and introducing the tension in the passage   - [10:01] What “submit to one another” really means—and what it does not mean   - [19:10] How Paul subverts the Roman household code with mutual submission and self-giving love   - [39:38] A practical challenge: ask whether those closest to you are flourishing because of you or in spite of you Scripture References   - Ephesians 5:21-33   - Romans 12:10   - Ephesians 5:2   - Ephesians 5:21   - Ephesians 5:22   - Ephesians 5:23   - Ephesians 5:25   - Ephesians 5:26-27   - Ephesians 5:30   - Ephesians 5:32   - Ephesians 6:1-9   - Mark 10:45   - Psalm 130:4   - Genesis 2:18   Reflection Question   Who is one person in your life right now that God may be inviting you to serve more intentionally so they can flourish? Connect With Us   If this episode encouraged you, subscribe and share it with a friend or someone in your small group. You can also pass this message along to someone who would be helped by a deeper picture of Christ’s love in everyday relationships.

Episode Summary   This message explores what it means to live wisely in a world where our days are spiritually contested. Rooted in Ephesians 5, it calls the church to resist isolation, make room for the Holy Spirit, and rediscover gathered worship as a vital way God forms, strengthens, and speaks to His people. Key Takeaways   - Biblical wisdom begins by orienting your life around God, not around your own instincts.   - God’s will is often revealed first in the kind of people we are becoming, especially in how we love and relate to others.   - Isolation doesn’t form us well; we need community to be known, encouraged, and strengthened.   - Being filled with the Spirit is not just personal—it’s something God does among His people together.   - Worship is both a response to God’s goodness and a way we encourage one another to stay faithful. Key Moments   - [05:05] Ephesians 5:15–20 frames the call to live wisely and make the most of every opportunity   - [08:16] Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord and a life oriented around God   - [18:57] God’s general will is seen in relationships marked by unity, love, compassion, and forgiveness   - [26:39] “Be filled with the Spirit” is a communal invitation, not only a private experience   - [38:17] A practical challenge to make gathered worship the default in the coming season Scripture References   - Ephesians 5:15-20   - Proverbs 9:10   - Psalm 111:10   - Matthew 7:24-27   - Proverbs 12:15   - Proverbs 18:1   - Ephesians 5:16   - Ephesians 5:17   - Ephesians 2:1-2   - Ephesians 4:2   - Ephesians 4:32   - Ephesians 5:2   - Ephesians 5:18   - Ephesians 3:19   - Psalm 95:1   - Ephesians 5:18-20   Reflection Question   Where might God be inviting you to stop pulling back and instead step more fully into worship, community, and dependence on the Holy Spirit? Connect With Us   If this episode encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and pass it along to someone who may need the reminder that we truly need one another. We’d love for you to keep journeying with us in worship and community.

Episode Summary   This message from Ephesians 5 calls the church to live as dearly loved children who walk in love, light, and holiness. By looking at Jesus’ victory over temptation, listeners are invited to resist shortcuts, repent honestly, and remember who they are in God. Key Takeaways   - You can’t walk in love until you first receive that you are deeply loved by God.   - Temptation often comes through shortcuts, self-reliance, and twisting truth to meet your own desires.   - Holiness is not about perfection, but about humility, repentance, and being correctable before God.   - What we do with our bodies, desires, and words matters because we are called to live as children of light.   - Repentance and faith are not one-time moments; they are a daily way of life that leads to freedom. Key Moments   - [03:36] Ephesians 5:1-2 sets the tone: live a life of love as dearly loved children   - [08:29] Jesus enters the wilderness after His baptism, showing how identity precedes testing   - [16:18] Paul’s warning against sexual immorality, impurity, greed, and careless speech   - [22:26] “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” — a call to live differently   - [34:49] A pastoral invitation to repentance, healing, and turning from self-directed living Scripture References   - Ephesians 5   - Ephesians 5:1-2   - Ephesians 5:3-5   - Ephesians 5:4   - Ephesians 5:8-13   - Ephesians 5:14   - Luke 3:21   - Luke 4:1-2   - Luke 4:3   - Luke 4:5-7   - Luke 4:9-11   - Revelation 11:15   - Matthew 6:13 Reflection Question   Where are you most tempted to take a shortcut instead of trusting God and walking in the light? Connect With Us   If this message encouraged you, subscribe to the podcast, share this episode with a friend or ministry teammate, and pass it along to someone who needs the reminder that they are loved by God and called to live in His light.

Episode Summary  This message from Ephesians 4, week 2 of the One Another series, shows why truth and love can never be separated. Love without truth hides, and truth without love hurts, but together they help us love like Jesus. Listeners are invited to examine the motives behind their words, name the fear and pride that pull them toward hiding or hurting, and find the security to speak honestly in the God who showed both perfectly at the cross. Key Takeaways Love without truth hides, truth without love hurts, and together we begin to love like Jesus.Even small falsehoods, like white lies, exaggerations, and word inflation, create cracks in the foundation of relationships and communities.Avoiding a hard conversation can look like love, but often it protects our own comfort rather than the other person.The question behind every hard word is why we are saying it: are we trying to build the other person up?Fear and pride drive us to hide or to hurt, and the cross answers both by showing us the truth of our need and the love that meets it.Scripture References Ephesians 4:14-15Ephesians 4:22-24Ephesians 4:25Ephesians 4:29Ephesians 4:30Ephesians 4:31-32John 10:18Genesis 3Reflection Question  When a relationship gets hard, which do you set aside, truth or love, and where might you be doing that right now? Connect With Us  If this message encouraged you, subscribe to the podcast, share this episode with a friend, and pass it along to someone who may need encouragement in a difficult relationship.

Episode Summary   This message from Ephesians 4 calls the church to “make every effort” to protect the unity Jesus has already given. Through humility, gentleness, and patience, listeners are invited to bear with one another in love and to notice where distance, division, or drift may be forming in their relationships. Key Takeaways   - Unity in the church is not something we create from scratch, but something we are called to protect.   - Humility means seeing ourselves honestly in light of God’s love, grace, and truth.   - Gentleness is strength under control, using influence and power to serve rather than overpower others.   - Patience grows when we remember how patient God has been with us.   - Division often happens gradually, so reconciliation begins by asking who we may be drifting from. Key Moments   - [08:57] The hinge of Ephesians: moving from what God has done to how believers are called to live   - [17:32] Humility, gentleness, and patience as the practical shape of bearing with one another in love   - [27:25] Humility rooted in the example of Jesus and the call to put aside pride   - [34:35] Jesus tears down the dividing wall of hostility and creates one new humanity   - [40:26] A closing challenge: who have you drifted from? Scripture References   - Ephesians 4:1-6   - Ephesians 2:14-16   - Ephesians 4:2   - Ephesians 4:3   - 2 Peter 3:9   - Philippians 2 Reflection Question   Who have you slowly drifted from, and what would it look like to make every effort toward peace and unity this week? Connect With Us   If this message encouraged you, subscribe to the podcast, share this episode with a friend, and pass it along to someone who may need encouragement in a difficult relationship.

What do you talk about most: money, health, your kids, your career? Ron Hitchcock takes us to Jeremiah 9:23-24, where God says the thing worth boasting in is knowing him. Ron shows how our culture's versions of wisdom, riches, and strength (education, career, and health) can quietly become our focus, and why desperate people do desperate things. His answer is practical: bring the question "God, who are you in this?" into your work, your marriage, your parenting, even your hobbies, and let it grow into love for the people around you. He closes with Philippians 4 and an honest word about anxiety.

We all wrestle with the question of what's next — whether it's college, marriage, kids, a career change, or just the next season of life. This week we land in Acts 24–28, following Paul through two years of unjust imprisonment, an appeal to Caesar, a hurricane at sea, and a shipwreck — and the book of Acts ends without ever telling us how his story wraps up. From Paul's example, we look at four things that carried him through the uncertainty: keeping Jesus as his center, knowing his calling, being compelled by love rather than obligation or fear, and never walking the journey alone. Then we turn the question back on us. Wherever you land today, you're probably in one of three places: a long obedience in the same direction, a quiet drift you haven't named yet, or a life where Jesus has never really been at the center. Wherever you are — your next chapter isn't written yet, and you don't have to write it alone.

Episode Summary   Paul’s testimony in Acts 22 shows how a real encounter with the risen Jesus can completely redirect a life—from resistance and blindness to baptism, healing, and purpose. This message invites listeners to see that the same Jesus still reveals himself, speaks to his people, and leads them through suffering with courage and hope. Key Takeaways   - Your story of meeting Jesus can be one of your strongest testimonies.   - Jesus meets people personally, but he often restores and commissions them through the church.   - Baptism marks a decisive response to Jesus—new life, forgiveness, and a new identity in him.   - The resurrection gives believers courage to endure pain, opposition, and uncertainty.   - Guarding your heart matters if you want to stay attentive to God’s voice and calling. Key Moments   - [02:40] Paul’s baptism and cleansing lead into his calling to go where his testimony will be needed   - [08:35] Paul begins with his life before Jesus, explaining why his opposition once made sense to him   - [12:32] The Damascus road encounter shifts everything as Paul meets the risen Jesus   - [18:21] Ananias brings healing, restoration, and a prophetic calling over Paul’s life   - [28:06] Jesus meets Paul again in prison with courage and direction for the road ahead Scripture References   - Acts 22:1-23   - Acts 22:3   - Acts 22:6   - Acts 22:7-10   - Acts 22:12-15   - Acts 22:14-15   - Acts 22:16   - Acts 22:17-21   - Acts 23:6   - Acts 23:11   - John 14:15-19   - John 10:2-5   - Acts 9   - Galatians 2   - Galatians 3   - Proverbs 4:23-27 Reflection Question   Where might Jesus be inviting you not just to believe truths about him, but to respond personally to his voice with trust, surrender, and obedience? Connect With Us   If this episode encouraged you, subscribe and share it with a friend or ministry leader who could use this reminder. Stay connected with Lakewood Vineyard and share this message with someone who needs hope, courage, and a fresh sense of calling.

Episode Summary   In this message from Acts 17, we’re reminded that people have always searched for something to fill the space only God can fill. Through Paul’s words in Athens, this sermon points us away from idols and toward the God who is not unknown—God has made Himself known in Jesus. Key Takeaways   - Idols aren’t just statues; they can be anything we treat as ultimate or believe will finally make us whole.   - The true God is not needy or controlled by human effort—He is the One who gives life, breath, and everything else.   - God is not far away; He wants to be sought, found, and known.   - We do not have to guess what God is like, because God has revealed Himself in Jesus.   - Repentance means turning around—from false sources of life and back toward the God who truly saves. Key Moments   - [01:18] Introduction to Paul and how meeting Jesus completely changed his life   - [05:29] Paul arrives in Athens and is grieved by a city full of idols   - [08:34] The altar “to an unknown god” becomes the starting point for Paul’s message   - [15:42] Paul contrasts false gods that demand things with the true God who gives generously   - [21:49] The call to turn from sin and respond to the God who has made Himself known in Jesus Scripture References   - Acts 17   - Acts 17:16   - Acts 17:22-23   - Acts 17:24   - Acts 17:25   - Acts 17:27   - Acts 17:30 Reflection Question   What might be taking God’s place in your heart right now, and what would it look like to turn back toward Jesus today? Connect With Us   If this message encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and pass it along to someone who needs the reminder that God is not far away and has made Himself known in Jesus.

Episode Summary   In this message from Acts 16, we’re reminded that following God’s lead doesn’t always look like open doors and easy outcomes. Sometimes obedience includes closed doors, redirection, suffering, and unexpected opportunities—and on the other side of our yes, God may be reaching people we never could have imagined. Key Takeaways   - God’s “no” or “not yet” is not failure; it may be his guidance.   - Discernment is meant to happen in community, not just in isolation.   - Obedience does not guarantee comfort, but God still works powerfully through it.   - When you say yes to Jesus, the outcome is not all on your shoulders.   - On the other side of your yes may be a person, family, or place God wants to transform. Key Moments   - [00:32] Paul’s journey begins with Timothy and the first closed door as the Spirit redirects the mission   - [01:44] Lydia hears the gospel, and the Lord opens her heart in Philippi   - [02:34] Paul frees a slave girl, leading to backlash, beating, and imprisonment   - [03:14] Paul and Silas pray and sing in prison before the earthquake changes everything   - [03:41] The jailer asks how to be saved, and his household responds in faith   - [20:59] A key insight on communal discernment: “we concluded” God was leading them   - [30:19] The sermon turns to suffering, worship, and trusting God in painful obedience   - [40:57] Final invitation: what is God asking you to say yes to? Scripture References   - Acts 16   - Acts 16:1-34   - Acts 16:1-5   - Acts 16:6-10   - Acts 16:6   - Acts 16:7-9   - Acts 16:8-9   - Acts 16:9-10   - Acts 16:10   - Acts 16:11-12   - Acts 16:13-15   - Acts 16:16-18   - Acts 16:18   - Acts 16:19-24   - Acts 16:25-26   - Acts 16:27-28   - Acts 16:30-31   - Acts 16:31-34   - Matthew 11:28-30 Reflection Question   Where might God be asking for your yes today, even if the path feels unclear, costly, or different from what you expected? Connect With Us   If this episode encouraged you, subscribe and share it with a friend who may need courage for their next yes. We’d love for you to stay connected with Lakewood Vineyard and join us for a future message.

Episode Summary   In this message from Acts 15, Matt explores the difference between grace and the exhausting pressure to prove ourselves before God. Through the early church’s debate over law, belonging, and salvation, the sermon reminds us that Jesus has already done what we could never do—and that freedom changes how we see ourselves and others. Key Takeaways   - Salvation is received by grace through faith, not by keeping a religious scorecard.  - Jesus removes the pressure to prove you belong to God because the verdict is already settled in him.   - Legalism doesn’t just burden us—it can also make it harder for others to come to Jesus.   - Real freedom is not doing whatever we want, but leaving behind what destroys us and walking into the life Jesus gives.   - When we know we are accepted by God, we become freer to love others without comparison or judgment. Key Moments   - [02:44] Acts 15 frames the central question: what makes someone right with God?   - [09:20] The conflict in Antioch begins as some insist Gentiles must follow Jewish law to be saved.   - [22:59] Peter rejects placing a yoke on others that even God’s people could not bear.   - [25:14] Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11 contrasts burdensome religion with his easy yoke.   - [29:29] The heart of the message: the verdict is already in—acceptance comes through Jesus.   Scripture References   - Acts 15   - Acts 15:1-11   - Acts 15:10-11   - Acts 15:19-31   - Ephesians 2:8-9   - Matthew 23:4   - Matthew 11:28-30   Reflection Question   What scorecard are you using to measure whether you’re okay with God, and how is Jesus inviting you to lay it down? Connect With Us   If this episode encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and pass it along to someone who needs the reminder that in Jesus, there is nothing left to prove.

Episode Summary   In this message from Acts 13, we see how the church at Antioch listened together, fasted, and responded when the Holy Spirit called Barnabas and Saul to be sent out. This sermon invites us to consider how God speaks, how community helps confirm calling, and how making room for God can shape our next faithful step. Key Takeaways   - Fasting helps create intentional space to pay attention to God and listen for his voice.   - Calling is often discerned in community, not just in isolation.   - God may confirm calling through desire, gifting, and the encouragement of others.   - Faithful obedience can be costly, but God uses it for mission and encouragement.   - God has purpose for every believer, even when the next step feels unclear. Key Moments   - [03:58] Acts 13:1–3 introduces the church at Antioch and the sending of Barnabas and Saul   - [10:48] Fasting is highlighted as a regular part of the church’s worship, prayer, and discernment   - [17:11] The church confirms a calling God had already placed on Paul and Barnabas   - [21:55] A practical turn: what this story means for personal calling and the role of community   - [28:52] Invitation to trust Jesus and respond to God’s call through prayer Scripture References   - Acts 13   - Acts 13:1-3   - Acts 13:2   - Acts 13:3   - Acts 1:8   - Acts 2   - Acts 9   - Acts 13-14   - Matthew 14:28-31 Reflection Question   Where might God be inviting you to make more room for his voice and take one faithful next step in response? Connect With Us   If this message encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and pass it along to someone who may need clarity or encouragement in their calling. We’d also love for you to stay connected with your church community and keep leaning into prayer, discernment, and mission together.

From our Acts series

Acts 10