Vintage Church Podcast

In Part 7 of our annual Live.Love. series, Pastor Matt Smith continues to unpack the four pieces of the vision of Vintage Church. The church is more than just a place to sit in, it is a people to serve with. Vintage deeply believes the ministry of God’s church is the responsibility of all of God’s people. That is why we create an opportunity for everyone to discover and deploy their God-given gifts, serving the church, and advancing His mission.

The church can’t just know it’s mission, it has to find a vision that accomplishes it. At Vintage Church we accomplish our mission by creating four things that we believe have the potential to inspire people to live and love like Jesus. In Part 6 of Live Love 2020, Pastor Matt Smith unpacks the second piece of that vision. He challenges us to move beyond the weekend worship gathering and moving to a group. Join us as we unpack the value of getting out of rows and into circles.

In Part 5 of our annual Live Love series, Pastor Matt Smith begins to unpack the vision that accomplishes the mission. At Vintage Church there are four things we hope to create in order to inspire people to live and love like Jesus. We deeply believe if people will engage in all of these things, the result will be people consistently living out their faith. Join us as we dive into the vision behind the gathering.

Jesus made it very clear why we do church but left a lot of room for us to figure out how. He knew that how we would accomplish his mission would need to be different from generation to generation. It’s up to us to find a vision that makes the mission happen. It’s this reality that has created tension in the church. Everyone has a vision for how the church should accomplish its mission. Often that vision is driven by personal preferences instead of a set of priorities rooted in biblical principles. At Vintage, we have a set of core values that serves to funnel our fluid vision to be sure it constantly flows in the right direction. Join us as Pastor Matt Smith unpacks those values in part 4 of Live Love 2020.

“Rigid and Fluid“ (10.18.20) In Acts 15 the church faces one of the most pivotal moments in its history. They have to determine where the church must be rigid and where it can be fluid. The tension between what’s essential and what’s non-essential has been one that has divided the church ever since. There are things that are essential, and on those things we must be rigid. There are things that are non-essential, and on those things we can be fluid. However, we have to make sure that we put the right things in the right bucket. Join us for part 3 of LiveLove as Pastor Matt Smith walks us through the essentials of Vintage Church known as our core values.

“Identity through Adversity“ (10.11.20) As you walk through the book of Acts you get a glimpse into the early days of the church. There you quickly find that the church had to endure adversity from the onset. There have always been obstacles to overcome if the church was to survive. In part 2 of LiveLove 2020, Pastor Matt Smith reminds of what must matter most for the church to endure for decades to come.

“This One Thing“ (10.04.20) Inspiring people to live and live like Jesus is not the moto of an organization, it is the mission of everyone who calls Vintage Church home. Every year we carve out time to remember our “why”. Live.Love. is not just a series, it is the essence of who we are as a church. In part one, Pastor Matt Smith, shares his story, and how Vintage was birthed in his heart. As he shares, we are reminded of the beauty of God’s church and where mission is really measured.

We have spent the summer on a journey through the Gospel of John. In this final installment we dive into John’s reflection on Jesus’ death and resurrection. With his own eyes John saw Jesus willingly die and triumphantly rise again. These events are the cornerstone of our faith. God gave up his son that we may have life. Our debt has been paid, death has been defeated, and now we have the opportunity to live in relationship with our creator. Lean in as Pastor Matt Smith walks us through John’s account of these powerful moments.

Jesus knew difficult days were ahead. His first follower would have their faith in him pushed to the edge. So he leverages these final moments to preach to them and pray for them. Jesus prayed for his disciples and the ones who would believe in him through their testimony. In other words, Jesus prayed for US! Because he knew it would be just as challenging for us to remain faithful as it was for them. This prayer revealed Jesus's heart and hope for his church so that all people would come to believe and trust in him. The message from Vintage Church this week unpacks what Jesus prayed for you and me.

We are in a season of disruption. We all feel out of rhythm. Most of our routines have been wrecked. We can no longer depend on “normal” things to keep us connected to Jesus and strong in our faith. But Jesus made it very clear: apart from him, without intimacy with him, we could do nothing of any significance. This message from Matt Smith is packed with challenging and actionable ways to remain in constant, intentional relationship with Jesus so that we can experience the fruit of living and loving like Him even when life is full of the unexpected.

Judas hoped for a messiah, a king, a revolution, and restoration for Israel. His hope was in an outcome and when Jesus didn't fit the mould of his idea of what a king should be, Judas sold him out for the price of a slave. We are quick to criticize and condemn Judas for this betrayal, but we are guilty of doubting or turning our back on Jesus when he doesn't meet our self-created expectations of what a Savior should do. It is vital that we understand who Jesus through the lens of scripture so that we do not misunderstand what he is doing in our circumstances.

In the span of two days, Jesus is worshipped by Mary at His feet and adoring crowds lining the streets. The crowds would soon demand for his crucifixion, but the one who served at his feet would be honored forever. Jesus tells his disciples that following him requires sacrifice: a loss of one’s status, position, possessions, even one’s very life. Many will believe, but love their own life too much to confess his name. Some will believe and worship, but only alongside a crowd. Few will give everything they have to serve at his feet.

The tension of our faith lies in the space between what we know God can do and what we experience him not do. We know Jesus raised people from the dead but also allowed John the Baptist to be beheaded. We doubt God when we see him doing for everyone else what we wish he would do for us. As believers, we must continually address this tension so that instead of being prisoners of our momentary struggles, our hearts are open to the greater story that God is writing in our lives.

In His explanation of the Good Shepherd, Jesus lays out what He has succeeded in doing that which we could not accomplish on our own. Being the “under shepherds,” we have frequently failed in pointing people to a full relationship with the Father. Becoming a living example to us, Jesus shows us how to live and love, and enter into relationship with the Father. The Good Shepherd is dedicated to His sheep; we must become dependent on Him.

The disciples witnessed Jesus walking on water, mere hours after he multiplied meager provisions to feed bread and fish to thousands, and, not recognizing or expecting him, the disciples were full of fear. This is the work every disciple must do: learn to recognize, expect, and trust Jesus, so that in the face of hard times, we don't let the uncomfortable and uncertain overshadow what we know to be undeniable.