Church of the City New York

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about lawlessness — an utter disregard for God and his laws. Lawlessness manifests as rebellion and causes devastation, not fulfillment, keeping us from being apostles of love and instead dragging us into the world's toxic, selfish culture.

SIN: ADULTERY - This past Sunday, Pastor Ashley preached on sin as adultery. Adultery can be defined as not only violating a law, but also as breaching our relationship with the God who loves us enough to tolerate no other lovers in our lives. Just like the Israelites, we can fall into the sin of adultery in three ways: 1) distrusting God; 2) not sharing in God's purpose; and 3) forgetting God's faithfulness. Even though we still break His covenant today, God has paved a path of mercy and restoration for us through the life of Jesus and the price He paid on the cross.

SIN: IDOLATRY - This past Sunday, Pastor Olivia preached on how idolatry can creep deep into our hearts without us even knowing something has become an idol until we actually sin. If we are not careful to guard and examine our hearts, our impatience with the Lord can lead us into idolatry, which can then lead to immorality and consequently, independence from God.

SIN AS REBELLION: This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our sin series, defining sin as rebellion against God and as sovereignty of the self. The same lies that Adam and Eve believed in Genesis 3 still haunt us today, but God pursues, covers, and restores us, just as He did for them. It is only through His divine mercy and Jesus's death and resurrection that we can be more than conquerors of sin.

SIN: AN OVERVIEW - This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy dove into the topic of sin, how it affects us, and why it's so insidious. Identifying sin is the first step in understanding the gravity of Jesus's sacrifice.

CREATIVE MINORITY: PARTICIPATION - This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about the importance of the way we as Christians participate in our culture. We must show up in hard places with the presence of Jesus Christ and welcome the vulnerable to push against the darkness with light and faith.

This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy challenged us to ponder what we do when our narratives, ethics and practices as Christ-followers come into conflict with the many authorities of the world. She exhorted us to remember that as Christ-followers, our one true allegiance is to God, and when we live as a creative minority and choose to be exiles, we can be light in dark places, in the world but not of it.

This Past Sunday, Pastor Susy brought good news in her message in the midst of our Advent series, talking about the great joy that is available to us all through Jesus Christ. After such a difficult year, and an uncertain future ahead of us, it is more important than ever for us to find the source of a lasting, defiant Joy. Proverbs 13:12 defines joy as the fulfillment of a longing, stating, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Pastor Suzy kicked off our Advent series this past Sunday, preaching on what it means to have defiant hope in a year like 2020.

Over two thousand years ago, God gave a message of hope and deliverance to King Ahaz of Judah: a baby would be born as a sign of God's presence in the besieged city. Today, this baby, Emmanuel, is a sign that God is with us in the midst of our suffering and sin, and the reason we can have defiant hope for a better future.

 This past Sunday, Pastor Jon taught on Christ’s words of blessing over those who are persecuted and His calling to rejoice in the midst of it. In a world that is offended by righteousness and claims of Christ’s exclusivity as the way to freedom, our efforts to follow Jesus and cling to His words will increasingly set us against the current of our culture. Yet in this we rejoice, remembering that we are exiles in this world and following Christ’s example of enduring persecution with joy and humility.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson preached about Jesus’ call to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). At a time when the world thought leadership meant violence and military prowess, Jesus declared that peacemakers were the children of God.

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART- This past Sunday, Pastor Ashley Anderson preached about how to cultivate a pure heart. Purity is leveraging all desires for God's kingdom’s purpose, allowing his will on earth to be the single driving force of every decision that we make. We cultivate pure hearts by aching for encounters with God, fleeing from sin, and embracing confession.

This past Sunday, Dr. Derwin Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church in South Carolina, preached on the fifth beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” In the divisive times we are living in, he encourages us to take up a mantle of mercy, and through the parable of the Good Samaritan, shares with us how to truly love our neighbors as ourselves.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon examined the fourth beatitude and its vision for righteousness as both personal holiness and social justice. In the midst of our current cultural decline, he exhorts us to become people who are desperate to see biblical righteousness break into our world today.

This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy illuminated the third beatitude in Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, blessed are the meek, and walked us through how to become more like Jesus by posturing ourselves toward meekness so that we can inherit the New Jerusalem.

This past Sunday, Pastor Olivia, our new pastor of discipleship and formation, shed light on Christ’s blessing and invitation to enter into redemptive mourning. As we mourn the brokenness of this world, as well as our individual and collective experiences of it, we are comforted by the promise and hope of Christ’s resurrection life.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon reminded us of the importance of maintaining our relationship with God by recognizing our spiritual bankruptcy. Being welcomed into the kingdom of God requires us to relinquish our pride and choose humility, else we are blind to what is above us.

This week, Pastor Jon set the foundation for our season-long study of Jesus’ teaching of the Beatitudes. In the face of the crises around us, we need to be rooted more deeply than ever in the core teachings of Jesus about discipleship and the Kingdom of God.

This week, Pastor Jon cast a vision for our church as we head into the fall season. We are tired, but resolved to regroup and rebuild through pressing deeper into our core values--Presence, Formation, and Mission. However, in this season, we are taking these values to a deeper level. We are pursuing the tangible presence of God, understanding that no human solutions can rescue us from our cultural trauma; we are committed to counter formation, recognizing that there is no neutral ground and fighting against culture's attempting to pull us away from becoming like Jesus; and we are pursuing sacrificial mission, adopting the "I sacrifice, we win" mentality of Christ and embracing the high cost of living for the good of this city. New York needs a community of champions, and now is not the time to shrink back but to rise up.

This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy preached about what it looks like to prayerfully join Jesus in his mission to seek and save those who are far from God. Luke 10:1-4 tells us that we are to: look, ask, go, and sacrifice — to see with compassion the harvest, to ask the Lord to raise workers up, and to go ourselves willingly, knowing that Jesus sends us to where He is already going.

This past Sunday, Pastor Dimas Salaberrios preached a powerful word about prioritizing prayer. As humans, we were built to need constant communication with God and to flourish in intimacy with him. In Daniel 6:1-11, Daniel distinguished himself in Babylon by consistently tapping into the spirit of God, and by prioritizing God over man’s decree. Prioritizing prayer is hard work, and at times, can feel like fighting a brick wall, but the results are astounding. Church, may we seek the face of the Lord, trust him in prayer, and be patient.

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Jon discussed the importance of repentance in following God. The full journey of repentance begins with the radical pursuit of God, followed by total annihilation of idolatry, the repair and rebuild of the ruins, and finally ruthless obedience to the Word.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about the opportunity for divine intervention through intense, persistent, and united prayers. It is only through prayer that we can shape our communities, church, and city, and ensure 2020 ends differently than how it started.

This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk shared with us how God's wisdom is far better than the wisdom of this world. Through scripture, we see that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, wisdom comes from and is given by the Holy Spirit, the path of wisdom is in obedience to God’s laws, the wisdom of God is worth seeking, and most importantly, godly wisdom is available to every believer.

Dr. Bryan Loritts teaches about Christ’s exhortation and example of humility. As we look at Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount, “blessed are the poor in spirit,” we see God’s invitation to posture our hearts in humble acceptance of His grace and extend that grace unto others.

Pastor Jon teaches about three encouraging exhortations from Hebrews 10:19-25: the encouragement to draw near to God, the encouragement to remain faithful, and the encouragement to love and good deeds. As we spur each other on, God can release the full potential of what He wants to do through us and make us into a community of hope.

Pastor Jon teaches about the power of encouragement. In a culture of criticism, cynicism, and attack, the Church is called to build a counterculture of encouragement and speak life into people's hearts. In doing so, we live out the ministry of the Holy Trinity, who is the source of all encouragement and who can use our simple words to shape a life in powerful ways.

Pastor Suzy Silk teaches about what it looks like to continue on in hope and prayer through seasons of fruitlessness, instead of asking that they immediately end. Throughout the Bible, we see God’s faithful ones crying out to Him in seasons of despair, remembering that God comes for His people and choosing to rejoice and be obedient. Like those before us, we can rest in the conclusion that God will strengthen us, transform us, and enable us to tread in the high places.

Pastor Jon Tyson teaches about sacrificially living for others. As the body of Christ, we can flip our current cultural narrative from "I win, you lose" to "I sacrifice, we win" and mimic Jesus by taking on the position of a humbled servant who gives from the heart. Regularly stewarding our resources and living in the way of the cross holds real power to change the world.

Guest pastor of Christ Church, Dr. David Ireland, preached about what it means to be more a multiethnic church, providing us with three coaching tips to bridge racial barriers based on how Paul coached Peter in Galatians 2:11-14: welcome confrontation, face the challenge and accept the coaching.

Pastor Jon Tyson teaches about intercessory prayer and the spiritual authority this kind of prayer gives us. Exemplifying the ultimate spiritual power in Jesus, God calls us to identify with the brokenness of the world, enter into an agony deeper than empathy, and move through the world with spiritual authority (Isaiah 53:12).

This past Sunday, Pastor David Bailey preached on the long history of racial injustice in America, and how our hearts may cry out in response with grief, anger, fear, and shame. God gave us the language to express these emotions through the Psalms, as a balm for our souls. Through the resurrection of Jesus, we have hope that God is doing the work of reconciliation and restoration in our time. Pastor David Bailey teaches on the long history of racial injustice in America, and how our hearts may cry out in response with grief, anger, fear, and shame. God gave us the language to express these emotions through the Psalms, as a balm for our souls. Through the resurrection of Jesus, we have hope that God is doing the work of reconciliation and restoration in our time.

Pastor Suzy teaches about the elements of prophetic lament in Scripture and what it means to weep with those who weep. Through the example of Jesus, God invites us to courageously enter into the pain of others and to bear the mark of lamenters (Ezekiel 9:4). We do this by looking closely at the sin in our hearts and communities, by learning our history of oppression, by listening to God’s voice and asking Him what grieves His heart, and by lamenting in a way that produces lasting change.

Pastor Jon introduces a vision for our church this summer: learning to pray in this time of crisis with an eternal perspective. During this season, we have the opportunity to pray like we never have before, to cry out to God with urgency and fervence, knowing the end of all things is near. We've changed our plans and practices because of COVID-19. 

Teaching Text: 1 Peter 4:7 "The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray." This is the Word of the Lord."

Pastor Jon teaches about self-control, wrapping up our series on the Fruit of the Spirit in a Time of the Flesh. Biblical self-control, at its core, is about cultivating a sacrificial stewardship of the self for the sake of others and redirecting our desires for Kingdom purposes. 

Pastor Suzy reminds us to exercise gentleness during these difficult times, as Jesus exemplified throughout his life. In a time where self-confidence is valued over meekness, it’s important to learn from and turn our hearts to Jesus, our gentle King.

We continue our study of the fruit of the Spirit as Pastor Jon teaches about choosing faithfulness in a time of compromise. At a time when the loyalty of God's people is being tested, we are called to be faithful to him, knowing that our own faithfulness is not rooted in human willpower but in God's faithfulness to us.

Pastor Jon Tyson teaches about the redemptive, beautiful, and confrontational nature of biblical goodness. With the Holy Spirit producing the fruit of goodness within us, we have the power to redeem, to bring beauty, and to overcome evil with good.

Pastor Jon teaches about having a spirit of kindness during a time of harshness. Through the Holy Spirit, we are called to manifest God’s kindness that is compassionate and others-directed.

We continue in our study of the fruit if the Spirit as Pastor Suzy teaches about patience that endures. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and persistence in prayer, we are able to persevere in our suffering and meet others with a patience that imitates the Father’s.

This Easter Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about the good news of Jesus's resurrection and the peace God offers to our collective anxiety and fear. Through Jesus, we can receive the peace of His presence, the peace of purpose, and the peace of His power. Jesus sends His Holy Spirit into our hearts so we can live with peace, have communion with God, and carry His gospel to the world.

Pastor Jon teaches about defiant joy as as an internal reality, produced by the Holy Spirit, that sees the beauty in the Word and the world, enables a different response, and anticipates a glorious future. Especially in a time of despair, we must live out of the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit -- a generator of life that lets us operate in a different way than the world around us.

We continue in our study of the the fruit of the Spirit as Pastor Jon shared a message about what it looks like to love in a time of selfishness. When we root ourselves in the love of God through Christ, we are able to bear the fruit of that love, turn away from oursleves, and let if flow freely to those around us.

Pastor Jon preaches about choosing a Spirit-led life over one driven by the flesh, which is any independent coping mechanism for life apart from God. The flesh uses and destroys, the law judges and excludes, but the Spirit transforms and loves.

Church of the City New York
https://church.nyc | @churchofthecitynewyork

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson shared a special message about how the Church has a chance to respond in the wake of this public health crisis. He urged us to use this time as an opportunity to grow deeper in our faith and move towards those around us with compassion. This has not taken God by surprise, and with our hope in Him, this could be the Church's finest hour.

Pastor Suzy Silk teaches about why sin is a "big deal" and why we will be studying it during this season of Lent. Sin is the opposite of God's original design for our world and is what separates us from Him, ourselves, and those around us. We cannot save ourselves, but we are ultimately freed from our sin through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and the resurrection on Easter.

Church of the City New York
https://church.nyc | @churchofthecitynewyork

Pastor Jon preached about the city of New York as an altar, calling for the people of God to come together in one heart and one mind, in order to seek the Lord, fast, and pray for our hearts to turn back to God.

In this episode, Pastor Suzy taught us about the importance of maintaining a communal altar of sacrifce and praise as a church, calling us to remember our first love, Christ, and cultivate a heart for Jesus together.

Pastor Jon talks about building altars in our home that pass on a spiritual inheritance to future generations. In Deuteronomy 6, God lays a clear pathway for how to develop resilient disciples. Specifically, He calls us to break off destructive generational patterns of spiritual complacency and worldliness, and to build a compelling vision of Himself, an ecosystem of discipleship, and a vision of spiritual legacy. This happens by creating environments where we’re always informing and discussing things of faith: at home, while we’re commuting, in daily transitions, when we leave and enter our home—every moment is an opportunity for discipleship. 
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Church of the City New York
https://church.nyc | @churchofthecitynewyork

In this episode, we start a new series called Altars. Pastor Jon encouraged us to remember that through Jesus, we no longer have to offer sacrifices to enter into God's presence, but we are called to create new altars of prayer, praise, and encounter in our hearts.

Church of the City New York

https://church.nyc | @churchofthecitynewyork

This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk preached about creating a culture of honor that springs out of honoring Christ first. In turn, we receive honor from each other as we see each other's story, calling, sacrifice, gifts, authority, and future.

Church of the City New York
https://church.nyc | @churchofthecitynewyork

This Sunday, Pastor John continued our advent series by talking about having defiant peace. When we look to our own selves or earthly systems for peace, we will be met with darkness and despair. But God shines light in the most surprising places. Ultimately, we have defiant peace inside us because we have the Prince of Peace inside us.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on self-denial and satisfaction.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on moving from temptation to testimony.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on our gentle king.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on enemy love.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on restoration.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on gentle touch.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on listening.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on faithfulness in exile.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on conviction and compassion.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on being faithful to God's word.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on functional trust.

Jon Tyson sat down with David Bailey, Executive Director of Arrabon, an organization that believes the Church should be a ​foretaste of a reconciled heaven to our divided world. They have a conversation about race and reconciliation in the kingdom of God, especially in light of Ahmaud Arbery's death.

Here you can find the link that David talks about, where you can find the tools to understand, discuss, and do something about the divisions you experience.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on faithfulness, spiritual adultery and restoration.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one is on bathing your heart in beautiful goodness.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on goodness and resistance.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on remembering God's goodness.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on how God is good.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on kingdom kindness.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on truly believing that God is kind.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on perseverance through suffering.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on persistence and Moses.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on persistence and Abraham.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on the patience we find in Matthew.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on the patience we find in Proverbs.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on the beauty of peace with God.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on peace in the midst of chaos.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on peace and purpose.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on guarding the peace of your heart.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on courageous joy.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on gratitude and joy.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on choosing joy.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This one focuses on Psalm 73.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This is about love and forgiveness.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This is about love in secrecy. 

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This is about 1 Corinthians 13.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This is the fourth one of the week.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This is the third one of the week.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This is the second one of the week.

Following along with our current sermon series on fruit of the Spirit, this is a devotional to help you reflect on how the Spirit is moving in your life. This is the first one of this week.