Northeast Christian Podcast

Great Joy | Suffering for Joy

Tyler challenges us to reconsider where true joy is found. Scripture teaches that true joy is not discovered by chasing comfort, but by living for God’s purpose. When joy is rooted in pleasure, it eventually disappoints and enslaves; when it is rooted in God’s mission, it sustains and fulfills, even through hardship. Living for Jesus is not a trade where obedience eliminates pain; it is a path where pain and purpose coexist, and where the sacrifices you never planned for become the doorway to the joy you were created for.

Great joy is the reward of living for God’s purposes, but suffering is often the cost. As Tyler reminds us, “Don’t live for the trivial. Live for the eternal.” When our lives are anchored in the eternal, joy no longer depends on circumstances, and even suffering becomes purposeful rather than wasted.

Great Joy | Finding Joy

While our culture rushes to Christmas searching for joy, hope, and meaning, real joy is only found in Jesus. This weekend, Tyler continued our Great Joy series by focusing on spiritual curiosity. Drawing from Matthew 2:1–13, he used the Magi as a model for curious people and highlighted three lessons:

→ The Purpose of Curiosity
→ The Insufficiency of Curiosity
→ The Joy of Curiosity

Spiritual curiosity is meant to guide us toward Jesus, not keep us wandering. Curiosity may get us close to truth, but only God’s Word can lead us all the way–and true joy comes not from merely knowing about Jesus, but from worshiping Him.

Tyler urged the spiritually curious to take a committed step of faith, specifically through baptism, and reminded us that worship is a God-given “medicine” proven to strengthen mental, emotional, and physical health. Whether you’re a new, wandering, or longtime believer, come to Jesus, receive His joy, and worship freely.

Great Joy | Creating Joy Everyday

This week, Terrence began our new series leading into Christmas called Great Joy. His message, drawn from Psalm 98, explores the nature of joy, emphasizing that great joy begins with gratitude to God. He reminds us that joy is not a denial of hardship, but a spiritual practice cultivated through worship, remembrance, daily gratitude, and hope.

To live in great joy means to live in constant awareness of God’s presence and promises. It’s not about pretending pain doesn’t exist, but about interpreting pain through the lens of God’s unchanging goodness. Gratitude transforms grief into growth, anxiety into adoration, and waiting into worship.

When gratitude anchors a believer’s heart, it reshapes perspective, strengthens faith, and reorients life toward God’s sovereignty. Ultimately, joy is not circumstantial—it’s covenantal. It flows from God’s eternal faithfulness and culminates in the promise of His righteous judgment and eternal reign.

Terrence invited us to a practical gratitude exercise, reflecting on God’s faithfulness in the past, His presence in the present, and His promises for the future, anchoring our joy in a God who is able and will not fail.

Bible Series – Micah

This weekend, Tyler continued the Bible Study series by teaching through the book of Micah, a prophet who confronts Israel’s long history of idolatry and injustice while also pointing forward to the hope of Christmas. One of the central passages he addressed was Micah 6:8, a verse many people view as inspirational—yet in its original context, it is actually a rebuke.

Micah 6:8 reveals God’s standard for His people:

• Act Justly — live with integrity, righteousness, and fairness toward others.
• Love Mercy — show compassion and steadfast love, especially toward the vulnerable.
• Walk Humbly with God — reject pride, and live in dependence on God rather than self.

However, Tyler emphasized that Micah 6:8 ultimately exposes our inability to meet this standard on our own. Like Israel, we repeatedly fall short—no matter how disciplined, sincere, or well-intentioned we may be. This is why Micah points us beyond human effort to the coming King, the one born in Bethlehem, whose strength is divine and whose leadership is perfect.

No matter how hard we try, our efforts alone can’t reach God’s summit. We need a Savior who not only shows the way but becomes the way—lifting us, forgiving us, and leading us into the life Micah describes.

Bible Series – Haggai

This weekend, Tyler led us in a Bible Study Weekend focusing on the book of Haggai and its timeless relevance for rebuilding our spiritual lives.

Haggai, a post-exilic prophet, was tasked with motivating the Jewish people to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem after returning from Babylonian exile. The people had begun the work but became stagnant due to opposition and fear. Haggai’s message addressed this spiritual stagnation, calling the people to:

1. Restore the presence of God – Recognize that God’s presence is central to life, not just religious ritual.
2. Renew your hope in the future – Trust God’s promises even when the work seems small or slow.
3. Rededicate yourself to holiness – Align hearts with God’s law, ensuring that actions are not corrupted by sin.
4. God will reverse the curse – Obedience and faithfulness allow God to reverse the curse and restore His people.

Tyler highlighted that Haggai’s short, direct mission demonstrates a practical formula to reverse spiritual stagnation, applicable to modern struggles like sin, addiction, depression, or complacency.

This timeless message finds its fulfillment in Jesus, who keeps God’s promises, brings His presence into our lives, and frees us from the power of sin.

Will you invite God to restore your heart, renew hope, and transform your life?

2 Corinthians

This weekend, we welcomed Heather Gorman from Abilene Christian University’s Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry, who led us in a deep dive into 2 Corinthians and Paul’s powerful message about the ministry of reconciliation.

We saw that 2 Corinthians was written amid tension, grief, and misunderstanding between Paul and the believers he loved. Yet, instead of abandoning them, Paul calls the church—and every follower of Jesus—into God’s ongoing work of setting things right in the world.

Paul reminds us that all Christians are ministers, entrusted with God’s reconciling mission: restoring right relationships with God, with one another, and with creation. This ministry often involves both suffering and comfort, hardship and hope, but it is sustained by God’s Spirit and the strength of community. Paul’s call to generosity, unity, and care for the poor reflects that reconciliation is not just spiritual—it’s tangible, lived out through compassion, justice, and openhanded love.

Ultimately, 2 Corinthians invites us to join God in His redemptive work—to be people who heal, restore, and bring peace wherever brokenness remains.

The Next Ten – What's Next

This Sunday, Terrence answered the question, “Now what?” What happens after the mountaintop moment? What does the church and each believer do next? His answer was simple yet powerful: “We stay true to God every step of the way.”

Rooted in Proverbs 4:20–27, Terrence challenges us to embrace God’s Word, guard our hearts diligently, and make faithfulness our first priority. Spiritual growth, he reminds us, doesn’t come from external success or emotional moments, but from attentiveness to Scripture, intentional holiness, and daily obedience. As a church, we’re called to ensure that our Godly ambition never outruns our Godly dependence—grounding every effort in love for Christ and submission to His Word.

Ultimately, the call is clear: do the next faithful thing. Live a life marked by integrity, repentance, and steadfast devotion.

The Next Ten – Sparking a Move of God

Sunday marked The Next Ten Commitment Weekend, and we’re in awe of the way God is moving. Together, we answered a call to sacrificial generosity, to bold prayer, to missional unity, and to spiritual readiness.

Drawing from the Book of Acts, Tyler challenged us to embrace four spiritual principles:

1. Community-minded self-sacrificial generosity
2. Earth-Shaking World-Waking Prayer
3. Boundary-Crossing Missional Hunger
4. A Spectacular Move of the Spirit of God

This is the heartbeat of The Next Ten — a decade that won’t be defined by what we built, but by who was changed.

Northeast didn’t just raise money — it raised up disciples.
It didn’t just expand property — it expanded the Kingdom.
It didn’t just build buildings — it built bridges.

“You can’t force the Spirit of God to spark revival — but you can lay down dry wood, put kindling on top, and pray that the Lord sends the fire.”

The Next Ten – Generosity That Shapes Eternity: A Call to Bold Faith

This week, we were challenged to see generosity not as an obligation, but as the heartbeat of God’s greatest work—both globally and here at Northeast. We were reminded through Jesus’ parable in Luke 12 and the story of the YouVersion Bible app, that true wealth is not measured by what we store up, but by the richness of our relationship with God and our willingness to invest in His Kingdom.

For nearly 50 years, Northeast has seen God move through ordinary people who gave sacrificially, building a community where God’s grace is free and lives are transformed. Now, we’re stepping into the next 10 years with bold faith—planting new churches, expanding outreach, and creating spaces to serve a growing community.

The challenge is big, but God’s call is clear: give, grow, and go. Like Bartimaeus, let’s cry out, “Lord, don’t pass me by!” Let’s be the generation that invests in eternity, trusting God to multiply our efforts for the sake of future generations.

The Next Ten - A Movement for This Neighborhood

This Sunday, we continued our Next Ten series as Tyler shared the vision for one of our three initiatives—building a multipurpose outreach center and playground on our Brownsboro Campus to expand our impact in Louisville’s growing and diverse neighborhoods.

He highlighted three key reasons behind this initiative: our neighborhood’s rapid growth, increasing diversity, and the proven impact of outreach through sports. We also heard Jason Shreve’s powerful story of how a church gym changed his life, illustrating how sports and community can open doors to faith and belonging.

Tyler emphasizes that our greatest calling is to invest in the next generation, citing encouraging trends of spiritual revival among young people. Let’s pray, serve, and give together to shape the future of our city and unleash the love of Jesus in powerful ways.