Innovation Church Messages

Innovation Church
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This is the weekly message from Pastor Billy Holden here at Innovation Church, Lafayette, IN. Our Vision…​ is to create irresistible environments that allow the unchurched (those who have never been to church before) and the dechurched (those who have been to church and decided not to go back) to take a second look at Christ and His church. Our Sunday morning environments are casual, engaging, fun, and friendly, and we allow people a safe place to come and investigate Jesus and His Word.

  1. 1d ago

    The Strongest Fruit Bends the Lowest - Week 4

    What does real spiritual strength look like? We often define strength by winning the argument, having the last word, standing our ground, or proving what we’re capable of. But Jesus gives us a different picture. The strongest Christians aren’t those who have something to prove—they’re the ones who have fruit to produce.In the fourth message of our “Grow A Pear” series, we discover that the final fruits Paul describes in Galatians 5—faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—aren’t signs of weakness. They are evidence of strength surrendered to the Holy Spirit.Faithfulness says, “I don’t have to run.” It keeps showing up when the excitement is gone and obedience feels ordinary. Gentleness says, “I don’t have to retaliate.” It is strength under control, choosing not to use our power simply to prove that we have it. Self-control says, “I don’t have to give in.” True freedom isn’t doing everything we want; it’s knowing we don’t have to.The fruit of the Spirit isn’t a checklist of behaviors we accomplish through willpower. It is the character of Jesus growing in people who have surrendered themselves to Him. At the cross, Jesus dealt with our failure and gave us His Spirit so that His life could begin growing in ours.A mature branch bends because it is carrying something heavy. In the same way, the more fruit the Spirit produces in us, the lower we become—more willing to serve, forgive, listen, and love.The strongest fruit bends the lowest.

    The Strongest Fruit Bends the Lowest - Week 4

  2. 1d ago

    Goodness & Kindness - Week 3

    What’s the difference between being nice and being genuinely kind? And is being a good person the same as displaying the goodness of God? In Week 3 of our Grow A Pear series, Pastor Billy explores two powerful fruits of the Spirit: Kindness and Goodness. While the world encourages us to be nice, God calls us to something much deeper. Niceness can be manufactured, but genuine kindness and goodness must be grown through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Drawing from Galatians 5 and John 15, we discover that spiritual fruit isn't produced through human effort but through staying connected to Jesus. True kindness doesn't simply seek approval or avoid uncomfortable situations. It moves toward others with love, even when there's nothing to gain in return. Likewise, goodness isn't about keeping everyone happy. It's about having the courage to do what's right, speak the truth, and demonstrate integrity when nobody is watching. Through Scripture, we'll discover how God's grace frees us to serve others, how kindness requires action, and why goodness sometimes demands difficult decisions. Most importantly, we'll learn what it means to keep in step with the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to transform our hearts and guide our actions. Jesus demonstrated the ultimate kindness and goodness when He willingly carried the cross for us. Now, as followers of Christ, we're called to reflect that same love to the world. We don't produce fruit to earn God's love. We produce fruit because we've already received it!

    Goodness & Kindness - Week 3

  3. Oct 1

    Peace &.Patience - Week 2

    What happens when God’s timing doesn’t match ours? We live in a world that celebrates speed, instant answers, and constant progress. But following Jesus often means learning to slow down, trust God’s timing, and remain faithful when we cannot see what He is doing.In Week 2 of Grow A Pear, we discover that peace and patience are not qualities we manufacture by simply trying harder. They are fruit the Holy Spirit grows in us as we stay connected to Jesus. Peace trusts God’s control even when circumstances feel uncertain. Patience trusts God’s timing even when the waiting feels frustrating.Comparison can make us rush a race God never asked us to run. Hurry can cause us to push ahead of God, while pressure can tempt us to prove ourselves, control outcomes, or force things to happen. But Jesus invites us into a different way of living—one where we learn to keep in step with the Spirit and trust that God is working even when we cannot see it.Jesus modeled this perfectly. He was mocked, misunderstood, and falsely accused, yet He did not feel the need to prove Himself. He entrusted Himself to His Father. What looked like defeat on Friday became victory on Sunday.The challenge this week is simple but powerful: Who can I love and serve who can’t love me back?Because the more connected we are to Jesus, the less life becomes about proving ourselves—and the more His peace, patience, and love begin to grow in us.

    Peace &.Patience - Week 2

  4. Sep 7

    When You Can’t Fix It - Week 5

    In “When You Can’t Fix It,” the final message in our That’s What She Said series, we return to the story of Hannah and discover what it means to love people well when we can’t solve their pain. When someone we love is hurting, our instinct is often to find a solution, offer advice, or make the pain go away. But sometimes, the people we love don’t need us to fix it—they need us to be present.Hannah was hurting. She was grieving, misunderstood, and carrying a pain that those around her could not fully understand. Elkanah couldn’t fix it. Eli misunderstood it. But God heard her. Hannah’s story reminds us that gratitude doesn’t cancel grief. We can trust God and still have questions. We can have faith and still cry. We can worship and still hurt.This message challenges us to look beyond behavior and see the pain behind it, to listen instead of always offering solutions, and to remember that we don’t have to understand someone’s pain to help carry it.Then we look to Jesus, who knew He could raise Lazarus from the dead, yet still wept with those who were grieving. Jesus shows us that sometimes presence comes before the solution.When we can’t fix it, we can still listen. We can still see. We can still pray. We can still stay. And sometimes, simply being there is the most Jesus-like thing we can do.

    When You Can’t Fix It - Week 5

  5. Aug 31

    Joyful Surrender With Pastor Traci Akers - Week 4

    In the fourth message of our Women’s History Month series, “That’s What She Said,” we return to the story of Hannah and discover that sometimes the greatest expression of faith isn’t receiving from God—it’s releasing what we love back into His hands. Hannah prayed for a child, waited through heartbreak, and trusted God for the miracle she desperately desired. When Samuel was finally born, Hannah could have held tightly to the answer to her prayer. Instead, she kept her promise and surrendered her son to God’s greater purpose. Her story teaches us that true strength is found not in controlling the outcome, but in trusting the One who holds it. In “Joyful Surrender,” Co-Pastor Mandy Holden will sit down with Traci Akers for a powerful and deeply personal conversation. Traci will share her story of walking alongside her husband through an extraordinary battle with cancer—not once, not twice, but three times. Through each diagnosis, uncertainty, prayer, and difficult season, Traci learned what it means to trust God with what she could not control. Her husband ultimately experienced complete remission, but the journey revealed a deeper truth: our faith cannot be dependent on the outcome. Hannah’s story and Traci’s testimony remind us that surrender doesn’t mean we stop believing for a miracle. It means we can pray boldly while still saying, “God, whatever the outcome, I trust You.” Because when we surrender what we love to God, we aren’t placing it in the hands of the unknown—we’re placing it in the hands of the One who loves us completely. Joy comes when we trust God with what we cannot control.

    Joyful Surrender With Pastor Traci Akers - Week 4

  6. Aug 24

    Standing Firm When Others Mock With Pastor Brenda Vogel - Week 3

    What happens when the words of others become another source of pain in a life that has already been wounded? In the third message of the That’s What She Said series, “Standing Firm When Others Mock,” Co-Pastor Mandy Holden interviews her mother Pastor Brenda Vogel in a deeply personal conversation about abuse, shame, rejection, and finding the courage to stand firm in God’s truth.Drawing from Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1, we see a woman who endured years of ridicule and painful words from those around her. Hannah knew what it felt like to be mocked in the very place where she was already hurting. But she refused to allow the voices of others to define her relationship with God.Pastor Brenda shares from her own life about the abuse she experienced from her father and the deep shame that followed. She opens up about the pain of knowing people were talking about her and how those words could become another burden to carry. Her story reminds us that sometimes the wounds we carry are compounded by the opinions, assumptions, and whispers of others.But healing begins when we stop allowing those voices to tell us who we are and begin measuring them against the truth of Scripture. People may talk. They may judge. They may misunderstand our story. But their voices do not have the authority to define us.Romans 8:1 reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We are not defined by our past, our wounds, our failures, or what others say about us. Jesus gets the final word. In Christ, we are forgiven, chosen, and redeemed.

    Standing Firm When Others Mock With Pastor Brenda Vogel - Week 3

  7. Aug 16

    Bold Promises in the Valley With Ashley Williams - Week 2

    Bold Promises in the Valley is the second message in our Women’s History Month series, That’s What She Said: The Bold Faith of Hannah—Standing Strong When Life Says No. Today, Co-Pastor Mandy Holden sits down with Ashley Williams for an honest conversation about what it means to take a bold step of faith when you cannot see how the story will unfold. Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1:9–11 shows us a woman who brought her deepest pain to God and then made a bold promise: “If You give me a son, I will give him back to You.” Hannah asked God for what she desperately wanted, yet she was willing to place the answer completely in His hands. That is courageous faith. We love guarantees. We want the plan, the timeline, the resources, and the outcome before we obey. But God rarely gives us the whole picture. Faith isn’t having the whole recipe before you start; faith is trusting the One who does. Hannah teaches us that faith is not pretending there are no risks—it is deciding that God is trustworthy even when there are. Through Ashley’s testimony, we’ll explore the “what ifs” that can keep us from taking our next step: What if I fail? What if it costs me? What if God doesn’t answer the way I expect? What if I don’t have enough?

    Bold Promises in the Valley With Ashley Williams - Week 2

  8. Aug 10

    When Your Heart Breaks With Angela Meek - Week 1

    “When Your Heart Breaks” launches our new series, That’s What She Said, with a powerful and deeply personal conversation between Co-Pastor Mandy Holden and Angela Meek. Drawing from 1 Samuel 1:1–18, this message brings the story of Hannah into real life, showing us what it looks like to walk through heartbreak with honest, unfiltered faith. In this opening week, we explore the truth that Hannah didn’t hide her pain—she brought her broken heart directly to God. Through Angela’s testimony, we’ll hear what it’s like when life suddenly shifts, when prayers feel unanswered, and when the weight of sorrow becomes overwhelming. This conversation will tackle the real questions many are afraid to ask: What do you do when you feel disappointed with God? How do you keep believing when nothing seems to change? And what does it look like to stop pretending you’re okay? This message reminds us that being real with God is the first step to standing strong. Hannah’s story shows us that God is not intimidated by our pain—He invites it. And while the situation may not change immediately, something powerful happens when we pour out our hearts before Him. By the end, we see a turning point: Hannah walks away different, not because her prayer was answered yet, but because she trusted that God was carrying her. That same invitation is extended to us. If your heart is breaking, you don’t have to carry it alone—God hears even your silent prayers.

    When Your Heart Breaks With Angela Meek - Week 1
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About

This is the weekly message from Pastor Billy Holden here at Innovation Church, Lafayette, IN. Our Vision…​ is to create irresistible environments that allow the unchurched (those who have never been to church before) and the dechurched (those who have been to church and decided not to go back) to take a second look at Christ and His church. Our Sunday morning environments are casual, engaging, fun, and friendly, and we allow people a safe place to come and investigate Jesus and His Word.

Information

  • Creator
    Innovation Church
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    159
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Innovation Church
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    Innovation Church Messages