2 Cities Church Podcast

Jeff Struecker
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Non-Profit
  • Updated Weekly

Engaging, weekly Bible teaching from Pastor Jeff Struecker

  1. 5d ago

    YOLO: 3 deep roots hold stronger than 300 branches. / Pastor Jeff Struecker

    Big Idea: 3 deep roots hold stronger than 300 branches.   I. Go deeper than virtual. Acts 2:44-46 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts… II. Go deep with only a few. Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching. III. Go deeper with Jesus. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.” Next Steps:  Believe: I surrender my soul to Jesus today.Become: I will join a small group this week.Be Sent: I will invite someone into my group this week. Discussion Questions:  What makes people hesitant to open their hearts to others?What makes meeting in a small group different from being in a social media relationship?What does it look like to “provoke love” in someone else?How has God grown you through your relationships with others?What are some obstacles that prevent real depth in small groups?Is it possible to grow into the follower Jesus wants you to be while living as a hermit?  Explain your answer from Scripture.Pray for someone who is isolated from Jesus’s people this week.

  2. Aug 3

    YOLO: Some trauma can only be healed by nail-scarred hands. / Pastor Jeff Struecker

    Big Idea: Some trauma can only be healed by nail-scarred hands.      I. Jesus is close. Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit. II. Jesus comforts. Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. III. Jesus gives courage. Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Next Steps: Believe: I need Jesus to change my heart today.Become: I need Jesus to help me heal this week.Be Sent: I will help someone hurting this week. Discussion Questions: What support would you recommend for someone who is stuck in trauma? (List all the options you’d recommend.)Can you move past trauma without ever sharing it with anyone? Explain your answer.Why is it sometimes hard to trust Jesus with your trauma?Has trauma changed you? If so, has it changed you for better or worse?Who do you know who is stuck in past trauma?Can you share a testimony about how Jesus helped you through trauma?Pray for the opportunity to share that testimony this week.

  3. Jul 27

    YOLO: Sin makes all relationships unhealthy. / Pastor Jeff Struecker

    Big Idea: Sin makes all relationships unhealthy. Romans 12:18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.   I. Show grace to people who are far from Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” II. Seek help when people hurt you. Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. III. Separate when people are living a lie. 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 But actually, I wrote you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you. Next Steps: Believe: I need to begin a relationship with Jesus today.Become: I will reflect Jesus’ way of life in my relationships this week.Be Sent: I will start a gospel relationship this week. Discussion Questions: How do you know when a relationship has become unhealthy?Which is more dangerous for you right now, emotionally or spiritually unhealthy relationships?Are you more patient with Christians or people outside the faith?  Explain.Why doesn’t the Bible give us permission to break off all hurtful relationships?When was the last time you broke off a relationship with someone who was living a lie?  How did it go?Who are you developing a Gospel relationship with?Pray for the wisdom to develop Christlike relationships this week.

  4. Jul 20

    YOLO: I don’t need more competence or confidence- God’s presence is enough. / Pastor Jeff Struecker

    Big Idea: I don’t need more competence or confidence- God’s presence is enough. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. I. Let sound judgment guide your decisions Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. II. Let Jesus’s power back up your abilities Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. III. Let God’s love define your worth 1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Next Steps:  Believe: I surrender my soul to Jesus today.Become: I will let only Jesus’s sacrifice define my worth this week.Be Sent: I will proclaim Jesus’s praises this week. Discussion Questions:  When was the last big decision you struggled with? How certain were you that you got it right?When was the last big challenge you overcame? Did you give God credit?When did you last fail a big challenge? How did it affect your self-worth?What is consistently trying to define your self-worth this week?Where do you need God’s power most this week?How confident are you in sharing your faith?Pray for God to use you to call someone out of darkness this week.

  5. Jul 13

    YOLO: Through Christ, you can live under pressure and above fear. / Pastor Jeff Struecker

    Big Idea: Through Christ, you can live under pressure and above fear.  Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I. Struggle with self-reliance Isaiah 26:3 You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you. II. Trade anxiety for abandon Psalm 94:19 When I am filled with cares, your comfort brings me joy. III. Release your pressures through prayer Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken. IV. Examine your source of peace Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. V.  Surrender everything to Jesus this week  Psalm 62:5-6 Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken. Next Steps:  Believe: I surrender my soul to Jesus today.Become: I will give Jesus control over my worry this week.Be Sent: I will enter into someone’s stress this week. Discussion Questions:  What is your #1 source of stress this week?What is your go-to way of handling stress?How often do you settle for stress management when God offers stress deliverance?Would you prefer that Jesus remove your sources of stress, or give you strength greater than your stress?Why is it so difficult to trust God with the things that cause you stress?Do you have a testimony of God’s peace in the midst of great pressure?Pray for the opportunity to share that testimony with someone far from Jesus this week.

  6. Jul 6

    YOLO: Don’t let AirPods tune out God’s megaphone! / Pastor Jeff Struecker

    Big Idea: Don’t let AirPods tune out God’s megaphone! Numbers 11:15 “If you are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now if I have found favor with you, and don’t let me see my misery anymore.”   I. It might be God’s preparation…  2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. II. or build your patience…  Psalm 88:18 You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me; darkness is my only friend. III. but it’s never permanent. Psalm 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor, a lifetime. Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning. Next Step: Believe: I need Jesus to give life to my dead soul today.Become: I will wait for God’s will this week.Be Sent: I will minister to someone in pain this week. Discussion Questions:  Has anyone walked with you through the same pain they once suffered? If so, how did it impact you?Do you look at depression as a spiritual problem or a mental health problem?  Explain your answer. Does seeing a mental health professional mean that your faith is weak?If we belong to Heaven, why do we allow circumstances on Earth to cause us pain?When was the last time God turned your weeping into joy? How can you comfort someone facing mental health problems this week?Pray for the opportunity to put that ministry into practice this week.

  7. Jun 29

    YOLO: The pool looks perfect to a restless frog. / Pastor Jeff Struecker

    Big Idea: The pool looks perfect to a restless frog.   I. Temptation is vicious, yet God’s grace is always victorious. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it. II. The struggle starts in a restless heart. Galatians 5:16-17 I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. III. Run to Jesus with your weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. IV.    You are never abandoned. Zechariah 4:6 So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Armies. Next Steps:  Believe: I need Jesus to heal my broken heart today.Become: I will rely on Jesus for power over my struggles this week.Be Sent: I will share about my struggles with someone this week. Discussion Questions:  How easy is it for you to share your struggles with others?What does it look like to embrace your weaknesses so that Jesus can give you his strength?When is the last time you felt helpless against temptation?Do you doubt your faith when you feel overwhelmed by temptation?Did you make some decisions based on “might” and “power” this week?Who do you know who needs Jesus to free them from sin?Pray for them by name this week.

  8. Jun 22

    YOLO: Your smart watch can’t make time. / Pastor Jeff Struecker

    Big Idea: Your smart watch can’t make time.   I.  Don’t abuse it.  James 4:13-16 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. II.   Don’t miss it.  Psalm 39:4-5 “LORD, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am. In fact, you have made my days just inches long, and my life span is as nothing to you. Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. III.    Don’t waste it. Colossians 4:5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Next Steps: Believe: I surrender everything to Jesus today.Become: I will give Jesus full control over my schedule this week.Be Sent: I will spend time growing his kingdom this week. Discussion Questions:  When you look at your weekly schedule, what does it say about your priorities?In what ways do you see evidence that you are (or are not) honoring God with your time?What are the “non‑negotiables” on your calendar right now? Which of these clearly honors God?How do you typically decide what makes it onto your schedule?Where do you see patterns of overcommitment, hurry, or burnout in your life?In what practical ways can you build intentional space into your schedule to worship Jesus and grow his kingdom? What small change could you make this week to move in that direction?Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you prioritize building God’s kingdom this week.

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About

Engaging, weekly Bible teaching from Pastor Jeff Struecker

Information

  • Creator
    Jeff Struecker
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    297
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jeff Struecker

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