New City Church - Nashville

Should Christians fast?

In this message, we kick-off a four week series on fasting via Practicing the Way.

If fasting from a Christian perspective is a new thing for you, you're not alone. The mere mention of fasting can bring up body image issues, body shame, and more.

While we talk about that some in this message, if that resonates with you, we encourage you to check out Practicing the Way's podcast episode with Dr. Allison Cook on fasting, body shame, eating disorders, and when/ when not to fast.

In this message, we talk about the history of fasting, the theology of the body, and how to start.

Have you ever wondered what your purpose is? Why are you here?

In this message in our values series, Trey Hayman (Lead Pastor) and Karly Butler (Pastor of Worship and Mission) talk about "mission." We talk about the pressure of finding out your purpose, the mission of God, what you are made to do, and how our church aims to join in with what God is doing.

Have you ever thought about who you're becoming? In this message, we talk about how to become who you are made to be and practical steps you can take to do so. JOHN 15:1-17 (NLT) “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. 9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Why do so many of us feel lonely? We can be surrounded by people and yet still feel unseen, unknown, and unloved. Why? Do we have to feel this way? Is there something we're missing? What if your loneliness is actually evidence of what you were created for? What if we actually numb ourselves when we aim to fill our loneliness with things that aren't what is best for us? In this message in our values series, we talk about connection. We talk about how you were made for connection with God, with yourself, and with others. JOHN 15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. 9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. #sermon #nashvillechurch #connection #loneliness #lonely

It is possible for you to become a person who is kinder, more loving, more gentle, and more peaceful.

In this message, we look at a famous passage on the fruit of the Spirit and talk about the invitation from God to become a person of love as a response to His love for us.

GALATIANS 5

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Nehemiah was a man of humility and a leader who was willing to admit his own faults alongside his people. As you can see in his documented prayer below, Nehemiah used "us" and "we" language, showing that he considered himself to be on the same level as the people Israel, acknowledging that they had all fallen short of their covenant relationship with their Creator. Check out this message on Nehemiah about what it means to pray to God in the midst of hardship. Nehemiah 1:5-11 NLT Then I said, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”

Have you ever prayed for God to do something and felt like He wouldn't?

What happens when we pray and our circumstances don't change? What happens when we ask God for healing and it doesn't seem to happen?

How do we respond when we deal with chronic pain, depression, anxiety, etc.?

In this message we look at Paul's "thorn in the flesh" and what that teaches us about God, prayer, suffering, and walking in a broken world. We pray it's a healing word for you.

2 Corinthians 12:5-10 (NLT)

That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. 6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In this message, we dive into 2 Corinthians 4, looking at the tension of walking in pain and trusting God.

We unpack multiple verses, including a famous portion from v. 8-9 that says, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."

We pray it blesses you and helps you in whatever you are walking through today.

If you've been to a wedding before, chances are you have heard this passage.

But is this about weddings? What is the point of this passage?

In this Bible study, we look at 1 Corinthians 13 and talk about what love is and what love isn't.

In our last episode of the season, Karly interviews friend and fellow Worship Pastor Abby Harmon Gregory on what it's like to combat busyness with a spirit of rest. Karly asks Abby a series of topical questions ranging from cultural relevance, practical advice, and personal experience. We hope you glean some wisdom, encouragement, and helpful tips from this episode.

In this week's episode, we discuss what it means to stop, rest, delight & worship God using the practice of sabbath. We pull materials from Practicing the Way (a useful tool for implementing historical formational practices into your everyday life), as well as our own experiences. 

This week Guest Preacher Israel Munoz teaches us about unity in the church. He unpacks the cultural background and transcendent relevance of the story of Paul, Apollos, & Peter (early church leaders) and warns against forming factions based on leaders (among other differences), reminding us that Christ, and Christ alone, is the head of the Church and that we are all working toward the same goal under His leadership.

In this week's episode, we take a deep dive into some of the cultural motivations and pressures of chronic busyness. We will take a look at several quotes and ideas (see references below) such as: “Americans work longer hours, have shorter vacations, get less in unemployment, disability, and retirement benefits, and retire later, than people in comparably rich societies.” - Jeff Bethke 

Reference Materials:

Bethke, Jefferson. To Hell With The Hustle: Reclaiming Your Life in an   Overworked, Overspent, Overconnected World. Nelson Books, 2019.

Thompson, Derek. "Workism Is Making Americans Miserable." The Atlantic, 2019, https://doi.org/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/religion-workism-making-americans-miserable/583441/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share.

This week Guest Preacher & New City Elder Sarah Collier teaches us about the wisdom of God versus the wisdom of humankind. She walks us through the background of Paul's first letter to Corinth, gives us a detailed description of God's wisdom found through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and challenges us to share this wisdom with those around us.

What is the problem with busyness and what does scripture have to say about it? We live in an increasingly busy society. Often, when we ask someone how they are doing, the response is "Good, just busy". In this episode we will discuss our thoughts on the busyness epidemic, chat about some relevant scripture passages, and set up the rest of the season.

In this episode of our faith and mental health podcast, we have a very special guest. Jesse Lusko is a pastor and church planter in Portland, Oregon. This interview is honest, beautiful, and filled with hope. Jesse has struggled with bipolar depression, and in this candid interview, Jesse shares openly about that journey and what he has discovered about God in the process. We hope that Jesse's story will bring you hope in the midst of your journey.

*Please note, this episode does touch on some sensitive topics pertaining to mental health.

What does it mean to be adopted into God's family?

Romans 8 talks about being given the spirit of adoption. What does that mean?

In this message, we talk about identity and how we relate to God. We talk about the difference it makes when you become part of God's family.

We focus in on whether we define ourselves by our sin or by what God has done for us.

A big question for this message is - If you follow Jesus, do you consider yourself primarily a sinner saved by grace or a saint who still sins?

Romans 8:12-17 (NLT)12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

This season we are taking a dive into Mental Health, Busyness, and Formational Practices. We will also have a couple interviews later in the season with individuals who have experience following the way of Jesus while dealing with mental health issues. This week we will deep dive into our first formational practice: PRAYER. This is not a "fix-all" suggestion, but merely a helpful practice that invites God into our mental/emotional health journey.

Sources Mentioned:

"Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools" | By: Tyler Staton

Rule of Life Podcast | Season 2: Prayer

Have you ever read Proverbs and wondered what to do with them?

In this message, we talk about wisdom, truth, doubt, and the difference between knowing about something and knowing. We talk about the importance of seeing Proverbs as general rules for wisdom and not mathematical formulas.

If you've ever wanted to become wiser, we end by talking about a practical spiritual discipline to help you grow in wisdom.

It might not be what you think.

Resources:Bible Project Wisdom Series

Text:Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

6 Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.

This season we are taking a dive into Mental Health, Busyness, and Formational Practices. We will also have a couple interviews later in the season with individuals who have experience following the way of Jesus while dealing with mental health issues. This third week we will continue our discussion about factors in our culture that surround us that contribute to mental health problems and crises.

This season we are taking a dive into Mental Health, Busyness, and Formational Practices. We will also have a couple interviews later in the season with individuals who have experience following the way of Jesus while dealing with mental health issues. This second week we attempt a cultural autopsy as we think about factors in our culture that surround us that contribute to mental health problems and crises.

This season we are taking a dive into Mental Health, Busyness, and Formational Practices. We will also have a couple interviews later in the season with individuals who have experience following the way of Jesus while dealing with mental health issues. This first week we give a birds eye view of why mental health issues exist and set up the next few episodes.

Your view of God affects how you see the world. It affects how you experience the world and even how you see yourself and others. In this message, we dive into a few questions: Was Jesus Religious? Is it possible to be spiritual but not religious? What is a religion anyways? We talk about the struggle of doing what you don't want to do and not doing what you want to do, breaking bad habits, and dealing with destructive behaviors. We look at sin, the Law, and more.

In this kickoff message for our series, we look at Psalm 139 and talk about how a distorted image of God affects everything else in life. We unpack some popular caricatures of God and offer a new way forward. Looking at Psalm 139, we see the beautiful message that you are both known and loved.

*The inspiration for the title of this series comes from a quote from Flannery O'Connor.

Text: Psalm 139 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! 7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— 12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. 13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! 19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! 20 They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. 21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? 22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. #nashvillechurch #sermon #psalm139#nashvillechurch #sermon #psalm139

Have you ever felt let down? By yourself, by someone else, or by God?

In this Easter message, we talk about that feeling and why it is so painful.

We talk about how Jesus meets us in our disappointment and doubt and why the resurrection of Jesus is such good news.

This week (end of March 2023) was a heavy week in Nashville. We focus in on Acts 12 and the tension of prayer in the wake of tragedy. How do we respond? We also talk about the tension between prayer and action, and how prayer and action are not meant to be separated.

#nashvillechurch #prayer

In the early church, there was an emphasis on the table, around sharing in meals together, eating and drinking with one another.

In this message, we talk about hospitality, the Lord's Supper, and sharing a table together. 

#nashvillechurch #church #sermon #hospitality

What was the early church like?

What types of things marked their community, and what type of things should Christian community be?

In this message, we talk about the early church and lessons for what church ought to be like today.

We also talk about some social distinctives of the early church that separated them from other cultures of the time.

What was the early church like?   

In this series, we dive into a few defining characteristics of the early church.  

First up: devotion to the apostles' teaching. 

 #church #sermon #acts #nashvillechurch

For this last week of our prayer series, we host a panel discussion on prayer.   

We talk about some of the challenges of prayer and what prayer looks like in different seasons of life. 

#prayer #panel #nashvillechurch

What does it mean to "pray without ceasing?" 

In our fourth week of our series on prayer through Practicing the Way, we talk about the stage of prayer called, "being with God" or what others have referred to as contemplative prayer. 

We talk about a way of prayer that is saturated in the love of God, a posture of being more than doing. 

We talk about battles we face in this type of prayer. This type of prayer focusing on the presence of God challenges our conceptions of love and safety as well as our culture of consumerism. 

It challenges us to move from pursuing love to recognizing we are loved and receiving that love and moves us into loving others.

 It challenges us to move from short term fixes to long term well-being. 

It challenges us to move from productivity and performance to presence, from competitiveness to compassion, and from complacency to commission. 

We end the message with a practical way to start to embody this type of prayer.

In this sermon, Karly Butler, our pastor of worship and mission, shares honestly about learning to trust God in the midst of suffering.

Looking at the story of Job, she talks about how to turn to God when it is hard to do so, dealing with grief, and how to walk with friends in the midst of their Job seasons.

In this message, we talk about the famous verse Micah 6:8 that gives the command to: do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

Particularly, we focus in on the concept of humility. 

We talk about pride and how it manifests in our lives. 

We talk about how sinister pride is and how it prevents us from really knowing God.   

We talk about Jesus  and his example of humility as one Christians are called to emulate.  

We also talk about what pride is not and what humility is not.  

#pride #humility #micah68 #nashvillechurch #sermon

What do you do with this story about a guy running away from God's call, getting swallowed up by a fish, then spit out in Nineveh to preach a message, and then ending up outside the city angry and bitter?  

Seems like a FISHY story. Right?   

In this message, we talk about mercy, resentment, and repentance, and why repentance is actually good for you.  

We look at some parallels with this story and Luke 15 with the story of the prodigal son (better referred to as a story about a Father and two sons).

Resources: 

Jonah: The Prodigal Prophet by Tim Keller 

Jonah: Bible Project Video 

#Jonah #biblestudy #repentance #nashville #nashvillechurch #antiochtn

In this message, we kick off our series on a whole-bodied faith.   We look at Amos 5 and talk about the King and the Kingdom. What is the Kingdom of God? What do we do about justice?   We look at this and more in this message.   

Amos 5:18-27 (NLT) Woe to you who long     for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord?     That day will be darkness, not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion     only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house     and rested his hand on the wall     only to have a snake bite him. 20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light—     pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? 21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;     your assemblies are a stench to me. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,     I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,     I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs!     I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice roll on like a river,     righteousness like a never-failing stream! 25 “Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings     forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? 26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,     the pedestal of your idols,     the star of your god[b]—     which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,”     says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.

In Matthew 10, Jesus says that he came to bring a sword.

What does a sword have to do with peace?

Matthew 10:34-39 (NLT)

"Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 35 'I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 Your enemies will be right in your own household!' 37 "If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

#nashvillechurch #Matthew

What is joy? What does it mean to be joyful?  

In this message, we do an overview of what the Bible teaches about joy, what it is and how to grow in it.

Have you ever heard someone say something like, "Just have faith" or "just be faithful." 

What does this even mean?  In this message we talk about faith and how you can technically have right beliefs and not actually be a person of faith.

  #faith #faithinjesus #nashvillechurch

This is our last message of our sabbath series, focusing on the last movement of sabbath - worship.  

In this message, we talk about hope and worship. We talk about sabbath as a day that can transform the entire way you view time.  #sabbath #practicingtheway #Jesus #nashvillechurch

Did you know God actually wants to bring you delight? 

 This week we talk about how sabbath is a practice meant for your good.   #sabbath #delight #happy

In this video, we do a panel discussion on the sabbath and what that looks like for people in different seasons of life (married, single, with kids, etc.).   Karly Butler (Pastor of Worship and Mission), Israel Muñoz (church leader), and Trey Hayman (Lead Pastor) sit down to have an honest conversation about the beauty and challenge of sabbath.  #sabbath #practicingtheway #spritualgrowth

Have you ever been curious about how emotions and mental health fit into living a life of faith? Join Lead Pastor Trey Hayman and Worship & Mission Pastor Karly Butler as they discuss how mental health and emotional health intersect with their spiritual lives. This week they will share some tips and tricks for navigating the holidays and all the feelings that may come with them.

In this message, we talk about the practice of Sabbath.

  This is our focal practice for 2022.  

We're kicking off a four week series looking at this ancient practice and how it can be transformative for us today.  

Many of us are deeply formed by a culture of constant business and a need to be productive.  Sabbath is an invitation to stop and be and remember we are not just what we do.

Have you ever been curious about how emotions and mental health fit into living a life of faith? Join Lead Pastor Trey Hayman and Worship & Mission Pastor Karly Butler as they discuss how mental health and emotional health intersect with their spiritual lives. This week, join them for their season finale as they talk about the wilderness experience of Jesus and what we can learn about our own wilderness experiences.

What does it mean for God to be compassionate?

In this message we talk about the God who suffers with us, who meets us in the midst of pain.

We talk about how to become compassionate people.

Resources:

Compassion by Henri Nouwen, Donald McNeill, & Douglas Morrison

Have you ever been curious about how emotions and mental health fit into living a life of faith? Join Lead Pastor Trey Hayman and Worship & Mission Pastor Karly Butler as they discuss how mental health and emotional health intersect with their spiritual lives. This week Karly will be interviewing Trey about his personal story and journey with faith and mental health.