Saints‘ Hill Church Podcast

The King is Here: What to do with a Promise

On Sunday we began a new series that will take us on a long journey through the book of Luke. We picked this book because out of all the gospels, Luke takes the most detailed look at Jesus. Luke’s gospel is all about the Kingdom existing because the King is here.

Many know Jesus primarily as Savior or as Teacher, but we want to take a look at Jesus as a model. We believe Jesus was a model of what a human really connected to God looks like. At the beginning of Luke's gospel, we get two lessons in how to walk with the Father, how to respond to God. They are the lessons of Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Their lesson is that God wants to accomplish His will through our believing in Him, and we get glorious as a result. That’s what it means to have hearts turned to the Father and the Father to His children. He is looking for a people of faith who can steward what He intends to pour out. Saints’ Hill, may we be those people - strengthening ourselves in the Lord, ready to receive all His promises.

The Gospel: Our Message To The World

On Sunday Jake Vigil wrapped up our series on the Gospel. The word gospel means good news, and most people have heard of this news, but they don’t know how good it is. Jake’s encouragement to our family is that we will be the people who put the good back in the good news by the way we live.

We were created to expand Eden through the things we put our hands to, our work. We were created to co-labor with God, and we do this best when we live by His voice. This voice will lead us into all truth and remind us of our righteous identity. When we live this way, we find the easy yoke that Jesus talked about. When we get to work from our identity instead of for our identity, we inherit peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. This type of living is radical to the world.

The gospel is really good news. May our lives reflect the inheritance we’ve been given!

The Gospel: How to Change

This last Sunday we heard from Alex Rettmann on what the journey of discipleship looks like for the believer. The journey is one of breakthrough and process.

The process of discipleship is about becoming a child again through the exchanging of fear for freedom through seeing God accurately. It’s a happy journey of glory to glory - walking in the delight of a paid for reality with a father who celebrates all growth no matter how small, and whose aim is that we get more fruit and get more joy. 

When we see Him clearly, we begin to change from love instead of fear. God’s goals for us are not a moral standard but a free relationship that destroys fear. 

All our fear, conquered by all His love...to make us more fruitful and full of joy. Blessings!

The Gospel: Atonement

On Sunday, Alex gave a message on the Atonement - what it is, why we needed it, how God did it, and what that means for us practically.

Before Jesus, sacrifices were offered in an effort to deal with sin and make people right with God. But no sacrifice was effective enough to remove sin and make perfect people.

In Titus 3v3-7 it says, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

Jesus became the perfect sacrifice, making us perfect.

We are therefore reborn into what it means to be human - We are continually renewed by the Holy Spirit, becoming more alive and more human with each day that goes by. Practically, this Atonement kills self-righteousness and gives us the mood of joy.

We pray this week you will live into the blessing of your inheritance in Him, and that you would receive a generous outpouring of the Holy Spirit

The Gospel: The Message of the Kingdom

This last Sunday we heard from Mariah Fredericks as we began a mini series on the gospel. We like the image of the gospel as a diamond that refracts light and beauty when spun around and looked at from different angles. Last night we spun the diamond to see what Jesus meant when He announced the good news of the coming of God’s Kingdom.

All throughout the narrative of the Scriptures we see God trying to set up His Kingdom among His people, but the common theme is that humans in their pride desired to build their own kingdoms, and in doing so laid a heavy burden on themselves. The truth is that the ways of the kingdoms of this world without the goodness of God will overpromise and underdeliver.

When we hear about Jesus as the founder and perfecter of our faith, the perfect representation of the Father, it means He’s the only one who knows what kind of kingdom we will flourish in. His Kingdom is what we were made for. While it does require us to leave behind our ideas of righteousness, justice, glory, and victory…it promises everything we could actually ever need.

The kingdom of God expands at the rate of relationship. You can spend your whole life accumulating what you think is wealth and end up with lack when it leaves you empty. The glory you are grasping at is nothing compared to the glory the Father wants to give you.

In his Kingdom, your work has purpose. 
In his Kingdom, you are reincorporated into the family of God. 
In his Kingdom, death and destruction lose their authority and darkness is rendered powerless. 
In his Kingdom dead things come alive. Addiction is broken. Hope is restored.
In his Kingdom anything is possible. Inside and out. 

Watch healing unfold physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically. 
Watch lies be uprooted and replaced with truth.
Watch enemies become friends.

We pray you were encouraged to continue giving everything up to follow Jesus. He’s worth what He asks for. We love you, Saints’ Hill.

Spiritual Warfare: What To Do When You Meet A Demon

This last Sunday we wrapped up our Spiritual Warfare series with a message on dealing with the demonic. Throughout this series we’ve seen that most of spiritual warfare is very ordinary - it’s the daily battle for truth in our minds. But what happens when we encounter a demon?

Alex first pointed us to our job description as Christians that we see throughout the New Testament and in Jesus’ life: to rid our world of demonic control. But how?

Well, what did Jesus do when faced with a demon?

By the power of the Spirit (Matt 12v28), He tells demons to shut up, and get out (Mark 1v21-28). And if He gave us His spirit, putting all things under our feet, then it is that simple for us too. We have been given all authority, but it is our choice whether or not we operate in our authority.

In everything we do at Saints’ Hill we want to equip. For the majority of this teaching Alex lays out really practical principles on demonic encounters and how we can approach them. Well worth the listen. We hope it dismantles any fear you may have surrounding the demonic and gives you courage to operate in the authority you've been given. 

Spiritual Warfare: Truth & Lies

Since the beginning we see that it is our agreement with the serpent that empowers hell on earth. The essence of spiritual warfare is all about what you think. This is why there is the invitation to daily have our minds renewed by The Lord.

This past Sunday, Alex Rettmann continued with Part 3 in the Spiritual Warfare series. We are reminded that a major part of spiritual warfare has to do with ourselves! - Sin and The Flesh. Therefore, Alex walks us through Ephesians Chapter 6 to show us we are more than equipped to fight this spiritual battle! The chapter tells us its our job to resist the enemy with Truth! - Lastly, Alex leads us through the book of Romans to show us that sin and the flesh have been dealt with through the work of Jesus Christ. We are dead to sin and slaves to righteousness!

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So take a firm stand against darkness and ask yourself today - Which voice are you listening to? - For us today we can see two major voices are wealth and politics. So, in other words what are you “taking and then eating?” What is truly pleasing to the eyes of our heart? May it be his thoughts and his voice over our lives.

Be strong and courageous! Blessings!

Spiritual Warfare: The Three Enemies of the Christian

This last Sunday we continued in our series on spiritual warfare. Alex taught on the three enemies of the Christian:

The world, building project self.

The flesh, trying to find significance outside of God.

The devil, through deception, accusation, and temptation.

Spiritual warfare, at its core, is the battle for the mind. Will God’s people think correctly about Him and His world and in doing so flourish? Or will they be found grasping for what they’ve already been promised by engaging in serpent stuff?

The good news of spiritual warfare is that the world, the flesh, and the devil had power...but God.

He sent Jesus and put everything under His feet. And if we are seated with Jesus in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2v6), then everything is also under our feet. The only battle we fight now, is believing that truth. May we be a people who are fully convinced of the victory and authority that we walk in as sons and daughters of Most High.

Spiritual Warfare: A Supernatural Worldview

This last Sunday we began our series on Spiritual Warfare. In this first teaching, Alex laid out for us what it means to have a supernatural worldview.

All the way back in Genesis we see that God’s connection to creation brings about purpose, and God’s disconnection with creation brings about chaos.

The truth about what happened in the garden is this: the serpent, a heavenly ruler, wanted the human’s earthly authority to sow chaos on earth and he gets their authority by tempting the human rulers with the very heavenly authority that they already had in relationship with God.

We exist to align ourselves with Yahweh Elohim that we might see heaven cover the earth. So you can try to make sense of chaos and come up with a plan of your own, or you can become a snake crusher. 

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Strength & Courage in Christ Jesus!

Vision 2021: A Heritage of Yes

This last Sunday Jake Vigil wrapped up our fall vision series with an identity reminding, gospel centered message.

Every human has an invitation to leave a legacy. You are either leaving a legacy of earth, or, when you put your faith in Jesus, joyfully leaving a legacy of heaven. Jake reminded us that the only way for us to truly leave a legacy of heaven is to become a people of faith. Faith is the wind in the sail of our legacy.

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God will take faith the size of a mustard seed and put you in the hall of faith with the great cloud of witnesses. We have the privilege of joyfully giving him everything, believing that we are who He said we were according to His blood.

Blessings!