WEEKLY TEACHING

Sometimes, God’s blessing begins with a trickle. We see this in today’s message from Ruth, chapter two. As God reveals His hand in...

Our story finds Naomi and her daughters at a low point, at a moment of desperation and decision. The writer foreshadows better times, so we...

Ruth is a book, like Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Daniel. It’s a story stuffed full of tragedy, turmoil, heartache, and God’s...

Anchors are found drawn on the walls of the Christian catacombs and chiseled into the tombstones of 1st and 2nd-century believers. They...

In one of the most intimate moments with His disciples, Jesus redefines greatness. As He shares the Last Supper, a dispute breaks out—who...

In this passage, we find Jesus at a dinner party in Bethany, just days before His crucifixion. As He sits with His disciples, a woman...

Matthew 19 is a chapter that is relevant for us in every way. Divorce, marriage, children and money. Matthew compacts them all in one small...

We develop words and images and ideologies around the things that are intrinsically embedded into our belief system and, without...

We, as followers of Jesus, believe that the greatest story ever told is the true story of our loving creator God redeeming all things in...

There is the Jesus we know and welcome into our lives. The risen Jesus. There is also the historical Jesus – the Jesus who lived in...

This is a mission-critical moment in the life of the Church in America… a crossroads moment. American Christianity is in danger of...

Nehemiah led a miraculous restoration of the wall of Jerusalem. The city was finally safe to live in healing, hope, freedom and...

Every faith community is called to build and cultivate. And B4 is no exception. We’re called to build a place of hope, healing, freedom,...

The story of God is all about creating, restoring, and redeeming. The book of Nehemiah reflects this by painting a beautiful portrait of...

Nehemiah is a short book but it’s a big story. It centers on rebuilding after a huge crisis. It has a lot to teach us about how to face...

We share a fallen world where hearts, vows, and bodies break. Where evil surrounds and pursues us. From the moment our feet hit terra...

Most of us know that the world isn’t what it should be. All it could be. So, what do we do about that? Some people go all in,...

Everything starts with relationships: especially prayer. Prayer is a life lived out in front of God — with Him. It’s organic,...

Throughout life’s distracting demands, God listens to our hearts and cares deeply about us. Between work deadlines, homework, social...

Our final service of the 2024 year is a fully online experience. Pastor Bo offers a message of hope springing from Jeremiah 1, and shows...

May this candlelight service offer you the Peace of Christ. May the Prince of Peace, Jesus, visit your heart and home this Christmas. May...

The fourth name in Isaiah 9:6 is “Everlasting Father,” which refers to the fatherly care that this child-king will show God’s people....

There is no order, no boundaries. And into this great, vast, chaos, God speaks the first words we ever hear Him speak, “Let there be...

Throughout church history, Advent has been a season of anticipation, anticipating the birth of Jesus and his return. It’s an opportunity...

We celebrate the arrival of Jesus, God’s promised Redeemer, each Christmas. However, the wonder of that event is often drowned out by the...

We all experience hallway seasons, aware of movement from one place to another while traversing an in-between space. Maybe that’s due to...

Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. Jeremiah’s letter to the Israelites suffering exile in Babylon promises a good ending....

After water, food, and shelter, we crave security. We are made to seek out a safe, protected environment. Unfortunately, the harsher...

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most often quoted verses in the Bible. It can frequently be misunderstood if readers try to apply its truth in...

We live in a culture driven by ambition and emotion. The high achievers are encouraged to go even higher and they’re handsomely rewarded...

Everyone suffers to some extent. It’s a universal human condition that causes skeptics to question God’s character. The Psalms engage...

Building anything worthwhile—a building, a business, a family—requires a lot of work. It’s a big deal. And no matter how hard we...

The Scriptures assume we will share our lives and journeys as God’s people within loving communities. Psalm 133 calls this “good...

The Songs of Ascent were written to accompany journeys taken repeatedly to Jerusalem. As they sang these songs, the people reminded...

This series dives into the Songs of Ascent: Psalms 120 to 134. Jewish pilgrims used to sing these during their journey as they approached...

“…we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)...

We all live within stories. We tell ourselves stories about God, others, and ourselves. We believe the stories that others tell about us....

Our world runs on power. Military might. Massively, leveraged financial resources. Personal brands. We cannot escape the bonds of this...

Paul is concerned with how Christians behave with one another, but he is more focused on why they do so. He does not want his readers...

A renter is different from an owner, or a squatter. As Pastor Bo points out, “We are contractually bound to earth, but covenantally...

The apostles instruct us to mature and not be like easily swayed children (Eph. 4:14-15). And, to remain like babies (1 Peter 2:1). In the...

Paul repeatedly instructs his readers to “put off” the way of life they indulged before following Jesus. He argues for a great...

Paul has spent three chapters writing about what God has done in Christ for us. Now, he dives into the practical, day-to-day realities of...

Many believe we live in the most contentious political times ever. At least we don’t have administration officials dueling to the death,...

The Apostle Paul’s ambition for the Ephesian Church is simple. He wants them to be healthy in God and robust in love, so much so that he...

The Scriptures say God created us as “masterpieces” to do good works. However, masterpieces take time and hard work. Jesus said that...

Christian faith tells the story of a God who refuses to let any part of your life remain unredeemed, unhealed. He sees our misshapen pain...

Ephesians 4:1 instructs us to “walk worthy” of our calling. The idea is that the weightiness of our calling in Jesus balances with the...

Pastor Steve Mickel encourages us to see God’s unimaginable love for us in the Person of the Father through Romans 8. You can find a copy...

  We are moved by God’s blessings and the richness of His glory to pray for one another in present, powerful, and prophetic...

  The Holy Spirit is the least understood and most often neglected Person of the Triune God, what Christians call The Trinity. Some...

Identity and purpose are hugely impactful categories. To flourish, we need a strong, stable sense of identity. We also long to live...

Many people have endless opinions about what the Church should be, but only Jesus creates it, working through Spirit-filled people. So,...

It’s easy to connect the ideas of healing and freedom. For example, healing usually includes freedom from sickness and pain. However,...

We were always meant to work in a Garden. God’s original design was for a place of beauty and fruitfulness that would yield its benefits...

A consistent theme throughout Scripture is that sowing leads to reaping. If someone sows rows of corn in their field, they reap corn....

Is there truth in the pain I’m feeling? It’s an important question. We don’t like pain, but it is one of our most valuable...

Pastor Alex shares his farewell message with us before assuming his new role as Lead Pastor of Willamette Christian Church.

We are made for and from the “dust of the earth.” We are made from and for the Garden’s goodness. We are dust and breath, of the...

The story of humanity and its creation begins in a Garden. And so, it is fitting that the story of our redemption finds its crescendo in a...

It is sometimes said that Scriptures reads us more than we read it. God’s Word has the power to shape us, and make us ask good questions...

We can lose a sense of wonder as we begin “adulting.” We fail to notice the beauty and wonder of God. Maybe we still hold orthodox...

On Sunday, March 10th, Pastor Bo Stern-Brady was formally installed as B4Church’s new lead pastor. Pastor Bo was joined in the ceremony...

You were dead, but God made you alive. That simple, shocking truth is the hub on which this week’s passage turns. The “you” is...

Throughout the main text for this message, Paul weaves three ideas together: his joy at what he’s suffering for the sake of his readers,...

Jesus offers forgiveness and reconciliation, addressing our condemnation — self-styled and otherwise. While doing so, He’s stepped...

Since its beginning, the Church has used creeds, dense and memorable statements of belief, to communicate and propagate its basic beliefs....

Early in chapter one of his letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul writes about a deep, wide, and glorious rescue. It is full of...

How do you remain hopeful when you’re wrestling with suffering, your’s or someone else’s? It’s an age-old question that’s...

God begins talking about a legacy in Genesis 3 when he promises to address the problem of sin. He continues that conversation with the...

Winter finally found us! We are cancelling all Sunday services this weekend in order to prioritize safety. Hunker down, stay warm and enjoy...

We are all on a journey, but are we all on a pilgrimage? In his letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul greets them by saying they are...

Join us for our online only New Years Eve Day service. This service will allow you to gather with family, friends, or on your own and watch...

We all know what it feels like to return home. For some, it equates to a familiar welcome, where you’re seen, known, and loved. For...

As Pastor Alex says in this message, “Heaven’s first public statement about the arrival of Jesus is that Good News will cause great...

Isaiah Chapter Nine calls Jesus the Prince of Peace. The Prince whose kingdom is made of peace came to dwell among us. So, why do so few...

The first Sunday in the Advent Season focuses on hope, which is good news for a world where hope seems in short supply. The hope God offers...

It’s been said that christianity is always one generation away from extinction. That’s because it has always been a faith that relies...

It is tempting to reduce expressions of gratitude to simple platitudes designed to plaster over anxiety, fear, or deep pain. However, God...

Certainty, stability, and predictability. We want these. The fundamental structures of contemporary society are built on them, from the...

Everyone experiences the pain of brokenness, whether the source is external or internal. We are wounded by colleagues, friends, family, and...

God created day and night, establishing a rhythm for all life. Both are good, but they represent different qualities. Light is when the...

This week Pastor Alex teaches from Isaiah 58:13-14 wherein the prophet Isaiah conveys to the people direct words from the Lord on rest and...

God created us to dwell with him. He sent his Son, Jesus the Messiah, to recreate the conditions under which God and his people can dwell...

When we are rightly related to God, his power and presence will work in us, through us, and ultimately for the good of those around us....

In contrast to manipulative religious practice designed to earn the practitioner what they desire, God offers us what he desires from his...

Religious practice that is empty of genuine, heartfelt devotion to God always goes wrong. The prophet Isaiah confronts God’s people, who...

“God is always on mission and his mission is always to create something beautiful, fix something sin has broken, and ultimately to redeem...

The term Imago Dei means “image of God.” It indicates a profound truth. You are created in God’s image, not just as part of a...

Did it ever occur to you that you might be a miracle? You, as part of a brand new expression of humanity, with God’s Spirit in you and...

People who need Jesus often fall into two camps: those who are hurting, broken, and feel like they don’t belong in religious spaces —...

Jesus wasn’t random or haphazard about his miracles. They all carry layers of meaning, like an onion. On the surface, he is doing...

When Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave, it causes an immediate stir. The story of this miracle sweeps through...

Jesus had a reputation as a miracle worker. It’s why people sought him out in their most desperate moments. In today’s message, Pastor...

We begin hearing before we are born, as early as 12 weeks gestation. At six to seven months prenatal, we can hear and recognize sounds...

By way of a remarkably circuitous route, Jesus travels through Gentile regions that border Israel, and in doing so, he communicates that...

Do you believe the world is a place of scarcity or abundance? It’s an important question because your view of reality will greatly impact...

This world teaches us we have to fight for ourselves. Nobody will do it for us. However, the Bible presents us with a God who not only...

Sometimes it is easier to stay stuck than to move into the life that Jesus offers. In this message, Pastor Bo looks at two miraculous...

So many things promise us satisfaction: career, sex, money, and worldly power. However, our hearts remain restless in spite of momentary...

Jesus tells his friends and neighbors in Nazareth that the prophet Isaiah wrote about him in 61:1-2, referring to his authority to free...

In this topical message, we look at three different modes of being: our “before” seasons, beyond our horizon future imaginings, and...

Jesus hangs on a Roman Cross between two criminals. At his feet is his mother, Mary. Luke offers us a dialog between the two men executed...

Jesus stands trial before the kings of this world. Pilate represents Caesar, the ruler of the “Eternal Kingdom” of Rome. And, Herod...

Zacchaeus and the crowd that judges him represent two kinds of injury: those who hurt others because of self interest and those who do so...

Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” He’s surrounded by scoundrels like Jewish tax...

Jesus always responds to desperation. Always. There is not a single instance in the Gospels where someone comes to Jesus in dire...

Jesus’ baptism is a crescendo of sorts, a crowning affirmation by Israel’s greatest prophet at the time AND Jesus’ Father in...

As Jesus’s mother, Mary had a unique perspective. She saw him as few others did and helps us view the Son in all of his fullness. She is...

We all look through a variety of lenses to see things well. We sometimes even need glasses or corrective lens surgery to maintain that...

On the first day of the week following Jesus’ death, the 8th day, his followers approached his tomb with disappointment. Their only goal...

Jesus said that his Father looks for worshippers in Spirit and in truth. God’s pursuit of these worshipers begs a question. Will they...

We all yearn for freedom. Yet, so many people find themselves enslaved to things like bad relationships, exploitive jobs, or addictive...

The Apostle Paul often paired the concepts of grace and peace in his greetings as he wrote to the churches of the Ancient Roman World. The...

Blessing is built into Creation. Even though our world is marred by the evil evident to anyone paying attention, we are still blessed and...

God arrested Moses’ attention with a bush that burned and was not consumed, a shiny object if you will. However, he commanded Moses to...