Walking with God
January 7, 2024 • Mike Foell • Genesis 5:21–24, Hebrews 11:5–6, Jude 14–15
Genesis 5 says that Enoch walked with God. He didn't sprint, but moved methodically over a life time towards God until God took him and the Bible says "he was no more". Pastor Mike returns from retirement for a special message looking at the life of Enoch and asking some key questions. What does it look like for us to walk with God and what are the implications and outcomes of a life devoted to following Jesus for the long haul?
Part 2: Psalm 145: 8-21
June 26, 2022 • Mike Foell • Psalm 145:8–21
Pastor Mike has been an integral, influential, and infectious leader in the community of The Bridge since The Bridge and Mission Hills Community Church merged. He's been impactful at the property the church resides for even longer, not only as a pastor, but as a teacher, counselor, and mentor. Before addressing the content of this teaching we say thank you Pastor Mike. Happy "refirement"! We look at the larger of body of Psalm 145 and examine how the psalmists points us to the greatness of God. Not only His greatness, but His glory, goodness, generosity, and His grace. As verse 8 points out, we worship a God who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Part 1: Psalm 145: 1-7
June 5, 2022 • Mike Foell • Psalm 145:1–7
How great is our God? Pastor Mike delivers his penultimate message before retirement in which he begins a two-part survey of Psalm 145. Here he keys in on the first seven verses and explores the praises heaped upon God as the psalmist wonders at the magnitude and incomprehensibility of God while calling the community of His people to praise through the word of their testimony.
Part 5: Continuously Modeling Faith
May 29, 2022 • Mike Foell • Matthew 7:24–27
You can tell someone all day about your faith, about what is right and wrong, and about your ethics. It won't carry much weight unless you actually live it out. As you lead and mentor, you have to exemplify what it is you want to see grow in those you're leading. This is true of children, students, mentees, etc. There is no "do as I say, not as I do". The only effective leadership that leads to health is one that models the truth to which their words point.
The Gospel According to Mark Part 7
January 14, 2022 • Mike Foell • Mark 1:21–28
TRUE AUTHORITY COMES NOT FROM A TITLE, BUT FROM WHO AND HOW WE ARE. Jesus taught as one with authority. He wasn't simply reciting dogma or ethical code. He embodied His words; lived them out. Being God, He carried with Him the authority of the Father, empowered by the Spirit and it was recognizable to everyone around Him. The question for us is this: How does that authority inform your life? Pastor Mike opens a story about how even demons recognize the authority of Jesus in this episode of Moments with Mike.
The Gospel According to Mark Part 6
January 7, 2022 • Mike Foell • Mark 1:14–20
GOD MAY NOT COME WHEN YOU WANT HIM, BUT GOD IS ALWAYS ON TIME. The hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness" has the line "There is no shadow of turning with Thee". While we may fluctuate and our human leaders falter, The One we are called to follow first is steady, faithful, reliable. Are there areas where you have prioritized following something or someone else over follow Jesus? It's not too late. Jesus invites you to turn now and follow Him and nothing else. We look at two pairs of people choosing to do just that in this episode of Moments with Mike.
Diligence Devotion & Determination
December 26, 2021 • Mike Foell • Philippians 3:12–14
How long do I have to actively follow Jesus? When does the daily decision to choose His lordship end and I get to just coast as a fully-realized, conformed Image of Christ? Well the bad news is this: it never ends on earth. But the good news is also this: it never ends! We get to be pursuing our God, learning from Him and growing in His wisdom every day of our lives. We get to choose Him again and again; and we get the privilege of sitting at His feet as often as we desire. He has invited us to follow Him for as long as we live, His perfection is unattainable, but His grace is sufficient and by it we continue to be spiritually formed into His likeness.
The Gospel According to Mark Part 5
December 6, 2021 • Mike Foell • Mark 1:12–13
"THE LORD GETS HIS BEST SOLDIERS OUT OF THE HIGHLANDS OF AFFLICTION." -CHARLES SPURGEON Before any public ministry for Jesus Christ came a time of private testing. Not only that, but temptation by the Satan. Challenge is very real in our lives, but provides in the wilderness a template for facing it. How he does that as well as how it's presented both in Mark and elsewhere is what we're talking about in this episode of Moments with Mike.
The Gospel According to Mark Part 4
November 29, 2021 • Mike Foell • Mark 1:9–11
WHAT IS MY WORTH BEFORE GOD? Mark's account is the Gospel of Action and in this short inclusion of the baptism of Jesus, he packs a bunch of gold. Pastor Mike unpacks that literary brilliance from the Trinity to the instrinsic value of those created in the image of God in this episode of Moments with Mike.
Part 6: Respectful Citizens
October 17, 2021 • Mike Foell • Romans 13:1–7
The Way of Jesus comes with a difficult call. The call to submit to authority. Pastor Mike Foell takes us through what it means to be a Christian citizen and how we relate to authority, both government and otherwise as we continue our series in Romans on The Church God Uses.
The Gospel According to Mark Part 3
September 13, 2021 • Mike Foell • Mark 1:5–8
WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE THING YOU HAVE? John the Baptist had an idea, and his life demonstrated that. People flocked to him because of the type of man that he was and his message was received willingly as a result. Pastor Mike takes us into that and the reasons for John's popularity in this episode of Moments with Mike.
The Gospel According to Mark Part 2
September 6, 2021 • Mike Foell • Mark 1:2–8
WHAT WAS JOHN THE BAPTIST ALL ABOUT? Mark jumps right into his action-packed account of the Person of Jesus Christ with an explanation of who a man named John is. John is immediately described as a little weird, and yet people are drawn to him. Even stranger, he preached a strong message of repentance. Pastor Mike looks at the message of John and at that very concept of repentance in this episode of Moments with Mike.
The Gospel According to Mark Part 1
September 3, 2021 • Mike Foell • Mark 1:1
"THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD." -MARK 1:1 The Gospel According to Mark is a riveting account of action and power, humanity and servanthood, and begs the question of us: "Who do you say that Jesus of Nazareth is?" Pastor Mike begins a line-by-line look at this powerful declaration of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in this episode of Moments with Mike.
James 3:17-18
August 30, 2021 • Mike Foell
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO LIVE BY DIVINE WISDOM? Last episode addressed the way of man, but this time we look at what James says about the wisdom from above. Pastor Mike outlines the seven attributes of divine wisdom in this episode of Moments with Mike.
James 3:14-16
August 27, 2021 • Mike Foell
WHOSE STANDARD ARE YOU LIVING BY? Proverbs says "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." It's easy to live by earthly wisdom. It's in our leadership development seminars and entreprenuerial manifestos and even often invades the Church on an organizational level. It is not, however, the way to abundant life in the Kingdom of God. Pastor Mike looks at what James says about the dangers of earthly wisdom in this episode of Moments with Mike.