The New Heights Church Podcast

New Heights Church
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New Heights is a local church family in Richland, Washington. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ by engaging in passionate worship, expository preaching, and biblical community. Join us for one of our 3 Sunday services at 7:30am, 9:15am, or 11am.

  1. 5h ago

    God in Plain Sight // John 1:6-18

    1,097 people walked past one of the world’s greatest violinists, and only one recognized him—John says the world did the same thing to God. In John 1:6–18, we'll unpack the Incarnation, the Word who became flesh, full of grace and truth, and why you can’t afford to walk past Jesus.SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:- Read Acts 16:13–15. How do our believing and God’s opening of the heart fit together? Does it humble you, comfort you, or unsettle you that your new birth is God’s doing? (Christians have discussed this for centuries, so give one another room.) How should it shape the way you pray for people who don’t yet believe?- Read 1 John 5:11–13. Have you ever wrestled with whether you're saved? How did you resolve that question (or have you)? What would you say to someone who told you they're not sure if they're saved, but they want to be sure?- Read Ephesians 2:19–22. If God now makes His home among His people together, what does that say about how we treat one another, including in this group? What makes it tempting to treat church like an event instead of a household? How can we practically be intentional about building up one another in this group?- Read Proverbs 3:3–4. Jesus was full of grace and truth. When things get hard, which do you tend to drop: grace (you get harsh) or truth (you smooth things over)? Is there somewhere in your life, right now, where this issue is showing up?

    God in Plain Sight // John 1:6-18

  2. 5d ago

    Before It Happens: 9 Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled // Various Scriptures

    Centuries before Jesus was born, the prophets predicted the town He’d be born in, the price He’d be sold for, and the rich man’s tomb He’d be buried in. We'll walk through 9 Old Testament prophecies that have been fulfilled, and show why following Him doesn’t mean checking your brain at the door. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Acts 17:1–4, 10–12. What role did evidence and reason play in your own coming to faith—before you believed, or after? Is there a question about Christianity you’ve wondered about but never asked out loud? - Compare Isaiah 35:4–6 to Jesus' answer in Matthew 11:2–6. Which part does Jesus point to, and which part doesn’t He mention? Why might John the Baptist have struggled? Then share: When has Jesus not done what you expected, and what helped you keep trusting Him? - Read Luke 22:21–22; Acts 4:24–31. How can something be both God’s plan and a wicked choice people are fully responsible for? (Joseph’s words in Genesis 50:20 may help.) - Read Acts 26:22–29; John 5:39–40. If the evidence is as strong as the sermon argued, why doesn’t it automatically produce faith? The sermon said, “Knowing it’s true isn’t the same as trusting Him.” Where do you see that gap in people you love, or in your own life?

    Before It Happens: 9 Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled // Various Scriptures

  3. Oct 26

    The Reason Behind Everything // John 1:1-5

    Greek philosophers had a name for the hidden reason behind everything — the Logos. But John reveals that the Logos has a face and a name: Jesus. In this study, we'll unpack 7 truths about the Word who was with God and was God, and why you can’t keep Him in your peripheral vision forever. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Acts 14:15–17. As the sermon put it, the philosophers “got close enough to give the Logos a name, but they never got close enough to see His face.” What can creation and conscience tell people about God, and what can they never tell them? - Read Romans 11:33–36 & Deuteronomy 29:29. When Paul came to the edge of what he could explain about God’s ways, he responded with worship: “How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!” A skeptic might call saying, “It’s a mystery” about something like the Trinity a cop-out. Is it? What’s the difference between something beyond reason and something against reason? - Read Isaiah 30:9–11. Isaiah’s audience still wanted prophets, just not the truth. Where do you see this in our culture: spirituality without a God who speaks, commands, or judges? Where are churches tempted to do the same? And where are you most tempted to want Jesus’ comfort without His claims on your life? - Read 1 John 1:1–9. John ties walking in the light to “fellowship with one another” (V.7). The sermon said the light exposes our true moral condition, so many people run from it. Why do you think John connects walking in the light with fellowship with one another? What makes that kind of honesty hard in a group like this, and what would make this group a safe place for it?

    The Reason Behind Everything // John 1:1-5

  4. Oct 12

    Loose Ends // Genesis 25:1-11

    God promised Abraham a land and descendants like the stars, and he died owning a cave and holding two grandsons. Yet Scripture says he died “old and contented.” In this final study of Abraham's life in Genesis 25:1-11, we'll tie up some loose ends: what the New Testament says about Abraham's faith, a careful look at Sarah and 1 Peter 3, and the one question every listener has to answer — who will you be gathered to when you take your last breath? SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8 and Psalm 92:12-15. Genesis says Abraham died “old and contented” — satisfied, full of days. Jeff also pointed out that age peels away our ability to paint over who we really are: some people grow more beautiful every year, and some grow more bitter. Tell the group about someone you watched finish well — a grandparent, a mentor, an older saint at church. What did they have that you want? And honestly: if the trajectory you're on right now simply continued for 30 more years, which direction would it be heading? - Read Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:6-8. What are you doing to fill your mind with life-giving things? Is there anything you need to stop filling your mind with? - Read Malachi 2:13-16 and Colossians 3:19. Peter's word to husbands came with a warning attached: live with your wife in an understanding way, honor her as a coheir, so that your prayers will not be hindered. Malachi said the same thing centuries earlier — God wasn't accepting the offerings of men who were faithless to the wife of their youth. What does it mean, and what does it not mean, for a husband to live with his wife in an understanding way? - Read Mark 3:31-35 and John 1:12-13. Abraham was “gathered to his people” — not a bloodline, but the family of faith that went before him. Jesus redefines family the same way. Jeff asked, "Who are your people?" Do you honestly feel more at home with the church or with the world? If the answer is the world, why?

    Loose Ends // Genesis 25:1-11

  5. Oct 5

    Alone Again, Supernaturally // 2 Timothy 1:8-14

    Paul is chained in a cold Roman prison, deserted by most of his friends, and Timothy is heartbroken at losing his spiritual father. In this message, Pastor Dave Bechtel walks through 2 Timothy 1:8-14 and shows how we can face lonely, heartbroken seasons supernaturally instead of naturally: don't be ashamed of the Lord or of the world's outcasts, join with others especially in suffering and by the power of God, hold on to and speak healthy thoughts, and protect the precious treasure God has entrusted to us by the Holy Spirit's power until that day. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Was there anything in the message that especially stuck out to you (encouragement, conviction, etc.)? - Read 2 Timothy 1:8 & Mark 8:38. Why is it tempting to be ashamed of the Lord, or of the people He loves, when the culture around us pulls the other way? Where are you most tempted to stay quiet about Jesus? - Read John 10:10 & 3 John 1:4. When we're lonely or brokenhearted, we often isolate ourselves. Why is "disconnection the wrong direction," and who could you join with in this season, especially someone who understands what you're going through? - Read 2 Timothy 1:13 & Ephesians 4:29. What does it look like to hold on to healthy thinking instead of letting your mind sink into destructive thoughts? Who are the trusted truth-speakers in your life, and how can your words build others up this week? - Read 2 Timothy 1:12-14 & 1 John 4:4. What has God entrusted to you that you need to guard, and how does knowing that He guards what you've entrusted to Him give you confidence until that day?

    Alone Again, Supernaturally // 2 Timothy 1:8-14

  6. Sep 30

    In Tough Times // 2 Timothy 1:1-7

    Paul wrote his final letter from a Roman prison, deserted by friends and facing death — and yet it opens with promise, thanksgiving, and prayer. In this message, Pastor Dave Bechtel walks through 2 Timothy 1:1-7 and draws out five principles for facing our own tough times: remember His promise of life, thank God, keep your conscience clean, pray for your loved ones, and don't fear — because God has given us a Spirit of power, love, and discipline. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Was there anything in the message that especially stuck out to you (encouragement, conviction, etc.)? - Read 2 Timothy 1:1-2 & 4:6-16. Summarize Paul's situation when he wrote this letter. Is it fair to call that a "tough time"? Are you in one right now, or can you share about a recent one? - Read John 10:10 & Philippians 3:20-21. The first principle was "Remember His Promise." What promise was Paul remembering, and what are three different fulfillments of the Lord's promise of life? Which one is most meaningful to you in this season? - Read 2 Timothy 1:3-5 & Psalm 100:4. Who are the loved ones you are praying for? Review the things Paul prays for in Timothy's life — his heart, his faith, his purpose. How are you praying for yours? - Read 2 Timothy 1:6-7 & 1 John 4:4. Our default reaction to trouble is fear. Which of the three things God's Spirit gives — power, love, or discipline — do you most need to lean on this week, and what would that look like?

    In Tough Times // 2 Timothy 1:1-7

  7. Sep 22

    Will You Go With This Man? // Genesis 24

    A servant travels 500 miles to find a bride for a man she has never met, and her family asks her one question: “Will you go with this man?” In this verse-by-verse study of Genesis 24, Jeff Thompson unpacks the chapter's stunning picture of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Church — plus how God shepherds our decisions when no Bible verse tells us exactly what to do. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Romans 12:1-2, James 1:5, and Proverbs 15:22. Jeff gave 5 steps for when there's no verse that covers your situation: desire to please God, pray, seek counsel from mature believers, listen for the Spirit, and move forward in faith. Paul says a renewed mind is how we discern God's will, not a voice. Be honest: which of those 5 do you tend to skip (for most, it's the counsel one). So name names — who are the mature believers in your life you'd genuinely take a hard word from? If you can't name 2, that's the answer to the question. - Read Philippians 2:12-13 and Nehemiah 2:4-5. Jeff called this chapter's theme the unknowable dance between God's sovereignty and human decisions. Nehemiah prays a split-second prayer to the God of heaven and then, in the same breath, makes a specific ask of a pagan king. Both things at once. Does believing God is sovereign tend to make you more passive or more active? Be honest about which way you lean. - Read Colossians 3:23-24. A caravan of thirsty camels, a 3-gallon jar, steps down to the spring — Jeff put it at 70 to a 100 trips, hours of hard labor, for a stranger who never asked her to do it. And the servant stood there and watched to see if she'd get cranky. She didn't. Tell the group about someone who served you like that — quietly, at real cost, when nothing obligated them to. Have you thanked them? Then turn it around: where does your own serving come with grumbling attached, out loud or under your breath?

  8. Sep 15

    A Grave in the Promised Land // Genesis 22:20-23:20

    God promised Abraham an entire country, and the only piece of it he ever owned was the cave he bought to bury his wife in. In this study, we'll walk through the death of Sarah and what Scripture actually says about grief, losing a spouse, why death still feels like an enemy, and how gratitude becomes the floor you stand on when the waves hit.

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New Heights is a local church family in Richland, Washington. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ by engaging in passionate worship, expository preaching, and biblical community. Join us for one of our 3 Sunday services at 7:30am, 9:15am, or 11am.

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