Garden City Church

Garden City Church Pittsburgh
  • 5.0 (2)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to the weekly audio podcast for Garden City Church in Pittsburgh, PA. You can find and listen to messages from our weekend worship gatherings here. It's our hope that these messages encourage you to know and love God more, and to live out your faith well in your local communities.

  1. The Path is Narrow

    21H AGO

    The Path is Narrow

    This week, Carrie Buckner explores Jesus' teaching about the narrow path of discipleship and the danger of false teachers (Matthew 7:13-23 NIV). Drawing on the challenging imagery of wolves in sheep's clothing and trees bearing good or bad fruit, he examines what it means to pursue whole-person righteousness—not just external behavior, but internal transformation of heart and mind. The narrow path requires daily obedience to God's kingdom values even when the world calls us foolish, and demands discernment about who we allow to influence our spiritual journey. Jesus warns that miracles and religious activity aren't proof of genuine faith; rather, we must examine the fruit of people's lives—their character, humility, and whether they bring God's shalom or sow division and fear.

    24 min
  2. Oh Really?

    NOV 2

    Oh Really?

    This week, Dr. Rafael Rodriguez, Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, talked about the way Jesus's instructions to Ask, Seek, and Knock through prayer can feel really challenging. We can ask, we can seek, and we can knock, yet it oftentimes feels like God isn't hearing or just isn't responding. So, what do we do while we ask and wait? Well, Jesus says that we should go and do for others what we'd like to have done to us. That while we wait for God to respond, maybe we can be the answer to someone else's prayers.

    23 min
  3. Do Not Worry

    NOV 2

    Do Not Worry

    This week, Julia Allan walks through Matthew 6:25–34, where Jesus commands His disciples, “Do not worry.” These words aren't a shallow call to ignore anxiety or poverty, but an invitation to freedom from the illusion that our worth or security depends on what we produce, earn, or control. The roots of our anxiety can be traced back to Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve first doubted God’s sufficiency and began trying to provide for themselves. Jesus’ words, though, call His followers to return to trust in God’s provision and to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness. Instead of worrying, Jesus says we should seek first the Kingdom, where resources are stewarded for the common good: those who have enough share with those who lack, embodying an economy of abundance rather than scarcity. Ultimately, Jesus's words “do not worry” are a radical invitation to open-handed living—receiving what we need and releasing what we don’t.

    32 min
  4. Eye of the Heart

    NOV 2

    Eye of the Heart

    This week, Pastor Shaq Hager walks through Matthew 6:19-24, a portion of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus warns His disciples not to store up treasures for themselves. Because, where our treasure is, our hearts follow. Jesus challenges us to examine what we truly value—what we love, pursue, and depend upon. He warns that the pursuit of wealth can distort our vision and divide our loyalties. Kingdom people are marked by a different economy— one defined by generosity, simplicity, and trust. We cannot serve both God and Mammon. Our lives must reflect the values of the Kingdom we belong to.

    29 min
  5. Love Your Enemies

    OCT 12

    Love Your Enemies

    Jesus' command to love your enemies has fallen into disfavor. Christians who align with progressive political ideals and Christians who identify with conservative political goals have come, in many cases, to hate their political opponents and consider that hatred righteous. After all, if we view our political opponents as responsible for the denigration and degradation of people's dignity, harming vulnerable people or people groups, or if they're to blame for the way we think society is crumbling, then opposing them with everything might just be righteous and faithful. This week, Dennis Allan walks through Jesus' command to "love your enemies," making the case that to love one's enemies is to will their good, or seek their flourishing, while refusing to hate them. We don't embody the Kingdom by embracing hate. So, how can Christians be people who demonstrate to our neighbors and our country that there's another way, a Kingdom way, that's possible.

    43 min
  6. Non-violent Truth-tellers

    OCT 5

    Non-violent Truth-tellers

    This week, Pastor Dennis Allan focuses on what it means for Jesus' people to be t non-violent people who tell the truth. In Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus outlines why His people shouldn't make "oaths," but instead simply allow their "yes" to mean "yes" and their "no" to mean "no." Citizens of the Kingdom should be truth-tellers, people who can be counted on in their families, workplaces, relationships, and neighborhoods. Then, in v. 38-42 Jesus interrogates the prevalent idea that His people should participate in retaliatory violence. Jesus' answer is a profound, "No." When we're hurt or harmed, while it might look and feel foolish, we're not to retaliate. We don't meet evil with more evil. Instead, we're to be peacemakers who lay bare evil, injustice, and brutality through a radical form of non-retaliation. And, as we practice bring non-violent truth tellers, we bear witness to a different way of living and a different kind of Kingdom.

    26 min
  7. The State of Our Hearts

    SEP 28

    The State of Our Hearts

    This week, Carrie Buckner explores Jesus' words on murder and lust in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-30 NIV). While it can seem like Jesus might be talking about two separate moral issues, He's actually describing one: the way we view, think about, and value other people. It's a low bar for Jesus' people to not kill other people or to commit adultery. Because, Jesus isn't only interested in external behavior, but internal transformation. Humans are capable of hating people that they don't kill, or lustfully desiring another people that they don't commit adultery with. For Jesus, Kingdom people value other human beings, seeing them as image bearers whose lives are sacred. Jesus' followers are to uphold people's dignity and fight against hatred and objectification.

    33 min
  8. Fulfilling the Law

    SEP 21

    Fulfilling the Law

    What did Jesus mean when He said, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven"? (Matthew 5:20 NIV). Does this really mean we have to keep all the laws the Pharisees implemented in order to ensure Jewish righteousness before God? Or, that we're supposed to become legalists? This week, Benjamin Chua walks through a personal story that illustrates what Jesus really meant when He spoke these words to His disciples and what they mean for us today.

    31 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to the weekly audio podcast for Garden City Church in Pittsburgh, PA. You can find and listen to messages from our weekend worship gatherings here. It's our hope that these messages encourage you to know and love God more, and to live out your faith well in your local communities.

Information

  • Creator
    Garden City Church Pittsburgh
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    164
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Garden City Church Pittsburgh
  • Show Website
    Garden City Church

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