Beyond the Pulpit
Beyond the Pulpit: Exploring the life and ministry of Walnut Creek Church Downtown. The mission of Walnut Creek Church is to glorify God by making authentic disciples of Jesus Christ who love and worship Him in all they do. Join us as we dive deep in to the word of God and provide updates about life in the church.
Episodes
57 episodes
#57: Where Is Jesus Now and Why Does It Matter?
This week we ask the question that follows Easter morning: if Jesus is truly risen, where is he now and what is he doing. We walk through Acts 1 and Peter’s Pentecost sermon to see how the resurrection leads to the ascension, the sending of the...
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22:16
#56: Joyful Trembling
This week we kick off our Easter series Joyful Trembling by sitting with Mark’s account of the empty tomb and the strange mix of fear and awe it creates. We follow how trembling comes first, then lasting joy, as the resurrection of Jesus reshap...
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18:20
#55: Fleeing Temptation, Finding God’s Presence
This week we trace Joseph’s descent into Egypt and the temptation in Potiphar’s house to show how God’s presence steadies us when compromise looks easy. We map out practical ways to flee sexual sin, teach our kids with courage, and build homes ...
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28:21
#54: Jealousy And Joseph
This week we trace Joseph’s story in Genesis 37 to expose the hidden power of jealousy and show how God’s providence works through human evil. We offer gospel-shaped steps to fight envy and protect unity in the church and our friendships.
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21:05
#53: What You Set Your Eyes On Shapes Your Life
In this episode we explore Genesis 36 as more than a list of names, seeing Esau’s worldly success and the long fallout of his choices, and we call one another to live for a better homeland. We tie genealogies to today’s decisions about money, c...
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20:47
#52: God’s Promise To Jacob Points To A Global Church
This week we trace two “perplexing” lines in Genesis 35:11 and follow them from Eden to Bethel to the cross to a global church. We wrestle with messy sons, a faithful God, and how “be fruitful and multiply” becomes everyday disciple making....
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26:21
#51: The Priority of Right Relationships
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we trace Jacob’s reunion with Esau to show why moving toward God means moving toward people. Scripture links worship, reconciliation, and everyday relationships, calling us to humility, restitution, and peace that...
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16:06
#50: More People, More Problems, Meet The Deacons
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we revisit why we paused deacons, build a clear biblical case for the office, and explain how character-qualified servants protect preaching, solve real problems, and strengthen unity. We outline our pathway, addr...
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31:09
#49: Christmas Begins In The Garden
This week on Beyond the Pulpit, we trace Christmas back to the garden to answer why the world needed a Savior and how the promise in Genesis 3 points straight to Jesus. We talk about the serpent’s cunning, the Second Adam, and how to stand firm...
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26:25
#48: 5 Reasons the Bible rejects polygamy
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we trace five clear reasons the Bible upholds monogamy and exposes polygamy’s harm, moving from Eden’s design to the church’s witness. Jacob’s family drama becomes a lens to see how Scripture warns, how leaders mo...
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26:17
#47: Goat Skins, Silver Coins, And A Whole Lot Of Bad Decisions
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we trace the breakdown of Isaac’s family in Genesis 27 and follow its ripple effects into Genesis 37, showing how deceit, favoritism, and envy repeat across generations. The thread points beyond human failure to t...
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22:05
#46: Worship Changes Everything
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we trace Genesis 26 through famine, fear, and a turn to worship, watching Isaac move from anxious survival to open-handed trust. God’s presence becomes the hinge: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you,” reshaping o...
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24:48
#45: Jacob, Esau, And The Mystery Of Election
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we trace Jacob and Esau from Genesis 25 into Hebrews and Romans 9 to show how Scripture uses real events to reveal God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. We challenge fatalism, highlight faith alone for salvati...
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28:06
#44: Pray The Bible, Meditate With Purpose
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we trace why godliness requires training, not drift, and how grace fuels effort without sliding into legalism. We unpack praying the Bible and meditating on Scripture with clear steps, real barriers, and practical...
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31:32
#43: Why pursuing Christ, hard work, and sexual purity prepares you to love your future spouse well
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we walk through Genesis 24 to champion marriage as a good gift and explore how walking with Christ, working hard, and pursuing sexual purity prepare us to bless a future spouse. We wrestle with real questions abou...
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28:05
#42 Living as Citizens of Heaven in a Land That Feels Like Home
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we look at how Moses honor's Sarah’s life, slow down with Genesis 23, and trace Abraham’s final lap of faith as a foreigner who buys a tomb in hope. We unpack Hebrews 11 and 1 Peter 2 to show how citizens of heave...
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24:59
#41: Why We Pray and How It Changes Us
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we explore why prayer is a relationship to pursue, not a button to push, and how that vision deepens trust in the Father who sees in secret. We also unpack prayer as power in temptation, the Lord’s Prayer as a tem...
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32:24
#40: When We Live as One, the World Sees Christ
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we explore how the early church's unity became a powerful witness to the reality of Christ. When believers devoted themselves to fellowship, outsiders saw something compelling that drew them to faith.• Act...
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26:47
#39: How Peter Used the Old Testament to Proclaim Christ's Victory
Peter's first sermon after Pentecost demonstrates the power of Scripture in proclaiming Christ, as he uses Old Testament passages to prove Jesus is the promised Messiah.• Peter quotes Psalm 16 to show David prophesied Christ's resurrect...
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26:43
#38: You Will Die In Your Sins Unless You Believe Who Jesus Is
Jesus makes the extraordinary claim that unless we believe he is God, we will die in our sins, connecting his identity to the divine name revealed to Moses at the burning bush.• Jesus repeatedly uses the phrase "I am he" (ego eimi) whic...
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31:56
#37: Walking in the Light
This we on Beyond the Pulpit we explore how walking in Christ's light transforms our lives through genuine fellowship, obedience, and love for other believers.• Jesus declares "I am the light of the world" - anyone following Him will ha...
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29:23
#36: John 7:53-8:11 and the Canon of Scripture
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we dive into the formation of the biblical canon by examining the passage of John 7:53-8:11 (the woman caught in adultery) and exploring how we can trust the reliability of scripture despite textual questions surr...
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38:14
#35: Confession and Boldness
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we talk through John 7 and the need for boldness in our confession of Christ as Lord. Want to ask a question for an upcoming podcast?Email: beyondthepulpit@walnutcreekchurch.org and put Beyond the ...
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22:00
#34: Religious yet Worldly
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we talk through John 7 and some of the challenges issued to Jesus. Want to ask a question for an upcoming podcast?Email: beyondthepulpit@walnutcreekchurch.org and put Beyond the Pulpit in the...
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27:13
#33: Real Presence? Transubstantiation? What is Jesus saying in John 6:51-59?
This week on Beyond the Pulpit we wrestle with questions stemming from John 6 and why we spent so much time talking about transubstantiation. Want to ask a question for an upcoming podcast?Email: beyondthepulpit@walnutcreek...
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23:44