St John the Beloved

St John the Beloved

5.0 (2)
Christianity
Updated Weekly

Sermon and teaching audio from St John Church in Cincinnati Ohio.

Jul 12

Invited to the Party

A lavish wedding banquet is ready, the doors are open, and the invitation is free. Then the unthinkable happens: the guests shrug, make excuses, and wander off to their farms and businesses as if the King’s celebration is optional. We open Matthew 22 and sit with the weight of that moment, because Jesus is not just telling an ancient story. He’s exposing how easy it is to ignore God without ever shaking our fist, simply by staying busy and calling it normal. We also talk about the patience of God, the kind of patience most of us would never offer. The King keeps sending messengers, giving more opportunities to repent than we deserve, yet his patience is not permission to coast. Along the way, we connect the parable to real life: what encouragement looks like when you’re trying to build something from nothing, why delayed obedience hardens over time, and how a terminal diagnosis can snap our priorities into focus and reveal what is truly urgent. The story turns on one sharp detail: the wedding garment. The issue isn’t whether you received an invite, it’s whether you respond rightly with repentance and faith, “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” rather than showing up for the benefits. If you’ve ever wondered how church attendance, spiritual habits, judgment, grace, and assurance fit together, this conversation gives you a clear path through the tension: many are called, but few are chosen. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What excuse do you need to drop to say yes to the King’s invitation?
Jul 5

The Value of the Kingdom

The most dangerous spiritual mistake is confusing price with value. When Jesus describes the Kingdom of God as a hidden treasure and a pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44–46), he is not pitching a minor life upgrade. He is telling the truth about Christian discipleship: it can cost you everything, and it is still the best deal you will ever make. We start by naming what everyone feels but few say out loud: obedience can sound expensive. Then we slow down and “dig” into why the Kingdom often looks ordinary on the surface, why Jesus teaches in parables, and why a holy unrest, that nagging sense that something is missing, can be the very beginning of grace. If you feel poor, hungry, or weary, that might not be failure. It might be the doorway to seeing real value. From there, the conversation turns urgent. Opportunity does not last forever. Scripture keeps repeating the word today for a reason: distractions are loud, hearts can harden, and tomorrow is not promised. We talk about what acting now looks like in real life, surrender in prayer, cutting off what leads you into sin, making commitments that draw a line you cannot easily erase, and learning to count the cost without losing joy. We close with hope: the Kingdom is worth it because Jesus is worth it. If you are tired of “raw deals” that take more than they give, this is an invitation to explore the riches you have in Christ and find a new affection strong enough to expel every idol. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the biggest question you are still wrestling with.
Jun 28

The Power Of Small Beginnings

Big promises are easy to market. Real change is harder to spot. We start with the story of the Fyre Festival, a spectacle that looked enormous and delivered disappointment, then pivot to Jesus’ surprisingly humble images for the kingdom of God: a mustard seed and hidden leaven. We unpack why the mustard seed parable matters for anyone who feels stuck in the “small” stage. God repeatedly chooses what looks weak, ordinary, and overlooked, then turns it into something sturdy enough to shelter others. That means you don’t have to panic when the crowd is small, the progress is slow, or the impact feels invisible. Small beginnings are not a sign of failure, they’re often the way God gets the glory. Then we sit with the leaven parable and what it teaches about spiritual growth that happens quietly, from the inside out. The Word of God and the Spirit of God can transform a person, a family, and a church community over time, even when there’s no immediate evidence. The takeaway is simple and demanding: persevere, keep praying, keep showing up, keep planting seeds, and trust God with the growth. If you need encouragement to stay faithful in the ordinary, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s discouraged, and leave a review to help more people find the show.
Jun 27

Children of the Father

Father’s Day can be tender, complicated, or downright painful, so we start by telling the truth about what many of us carry into the day. Then we turn to 1 John 2:28 to 3:3 and ask a bigger question than “How do I feel about my dad?” What if the most defining thing about you is that you can be called a child of God, not as a vague spiritual slogan, but as a real identity anchored in Jesus Christ? We talk about what the Bible means by “children of God,” why that isn’t the same as saying all humans are God’s children, and how Christian faith describes adoption into God’s family as a gift. You’ll hear why “abide in Christ” is about steady connection instead of performance, why righteousness is a direction rather than perfection, and how the gospel confronts shame with confidence. We also wrestle with the emotional side: if your earthly father was distant, neglectful, or hard to trust, how do you learn to trust a Father who calls you near? The conversation builds to the heart of the message: the Father’s love is costly, shown in the cross, where Jesus lays down his life so outsiders become family. We connect that to prayer, the Spirit of adoption, and a grounded call to dads to reflect God’s character with presence, patience, and discipleship at home. Finally, we lift our eyes to Christian hope: Christ will appear again, and the promise of a restored world shapes how we live today. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review with the line that hit you hardest.
Jun 14

Wheat Among the Tares

Counterfeits are easy to spot until the fake looks almost real. That is exactly why Jesus’ Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds in Matthew 13 still hits a nerve, especially when we look at the church and ask, “If God planted this, how did it get so messy?” We sit with Jesus’ answer, an enemy has done this, and we name the daily tension of the kingdom of God: it is truly here, growing and bearing fruit, yet it is not yet perfected. From there, we talk about Christian discernment in a world where darnel can mimic wheat until fruit appears. Discernment is not separating obvious good from obvious evil; it is learning to recognize subtle mixtures, teachings that sound nearly biblical, and influences that feel fair but lead somewhere foul. We connect that to practical habits like testing what we hear, searching the Scriptures, and praying for wisdom before we react. We also confront a tempting impulse: trying to purify the field ourselves. Jesus warns that ripping out weeds too early can uproot wheat, and church history backs that up through the Donatists and Augustine’s insistence that the visible church remains mixed, even at its best. Finally, we land on what patient faith looks like right now: praying before speaking, telling the truth in love over time, giving people room to change, and refusing to define anyone by their worst moment, because Jesus does not define us that way. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.
Jun 7

Entering the Kingdom

We treat the Parable of the Sower like it’s about sorting people, but Jesus uses it to train our attention and show us how the kingdom of God takes root. We connect Mark 4 to everyday life and walk through three doorway practices: curiosity, careful listening, and making space for the Word to grow. • parables as an invitation that rewards spiritual curiosity • the sower parable as the master key for understanding Jesus’ parables • refusing the trap of “I already know it all” • staying curious about Jesus the ultimate “parable” with depth beneath the surface • listening as the repeated command and the main thrust of Mark 4 • “with the measure you use” as a promise tied to attention and hearing God’s Word • the difference between crowds who hear and disciples who wrestle and ask • noticing the kingdom like bird watchers notice a hidden world • the three obstacles that choke fruitfulness: hardness, shallowness, crowdedness • making emptiness and quiet so the Word can root and bear fruit
May 31

The Love of Money

Money can be a tool for good, but it becomes dangerous the moment we start treating it like a savior. We walk through 1 Timothy 6 and slow down on the phrase people misquote all the time, not “money is the root of all evil,” but “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” That shift opens up a practical, honest conversation about financial anxiety, ambition, integrity, and what we’re really hoping will keep us safe. We define the love of money in plain terms: the belief that more money will rescue me. Rescue me from discomfort, from fear, from limits, from the hard edges of life. From there, we explore why Scripture calls this craving a snare. Money makes big promises, but it cannot deliver peace, and it often invites temptation, the kind that shows up in everyday decisions where nobody is watching. If you’ve ever felt pulled to protect profit at the cost of doing the right thing, you’ll recognize the crossroads. Then we get concrete about the way forward. We talk about Christian contentment as a learned virtue, not passive resignation, and we name the habits that reveal malcontentment: grumbling, discouragement, and bitter jealousy. Finally, we turn to generosity as both a command and a healing practice, a way to break money’s grip and rediscover what is truly life. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What part of the love-of-money trap feels most familiar to you right now?
May 24

Pentecost And The Holy Spirit

Wind. Fire. A crowd that thinks the disciples are drunk at 9 a.m. Pentecost is one of the most misunderstood moments in the Bible, and it’s also one of the most hopeful. We walk through Acts 2:1–21 and show why Pentecost is not a random spiritual spectacle but God keeping His ancient promises and giving His own presence to His people. We talk about what Pentecost meant in the Jewish calendar, why Jerusalem is filled with people from across the world, and why the miracle of many languages matters for the mission of the church. From there we follow Peter’s sermon, especially his use of the prophet Joel, to see how the Holy Spirit is poured out “on all flesh” and how that changes the story for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. Then we bring it down to street level: Who is the Holy Spirit, and do we actually need Him? We name the hard truth that Scripture calls us spiritually dead apart from God, and the good news that the Spirit applies the work of Jesus to us, unites us to Christ, and grows real fruit like love, joy, peace, and self-control. We also clear up confusion around tongues and “extra” spiritual tiers, and we highlight the ordinary, steady shape of a Spirit-filled life: faith, repentance, prayer, courage, and trust that God is near. If you’ve ever wondered whether God is distant, whether you’re stuck, or whether real change is possible, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

5

out of 5

2 Ratings

Sermon and teaching audio from St John Church in Cincinnati Ohio.

Creator

St John the Beloved
Years Active

2022 - 2026
Episodes

172
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 St John the Beloved
Show Website

St John the Beloved