BridgePoint Church Podcast

Jesus’ invitation to “Follow Me” has echoed through history for more than 2,000 years. But what did He really mean when He said it? In this message we explore the difference between simply believing in Jesus and actually following Him. While many people admire Jesus or agree with His teachings, His invitation was never meant to be informational or symbolic. It was a clear call to reorient our lives around Him. This message challenges us to consider whether we have truly responded to Jesus’ call—or if we’ve only respected it from a distance. Questions for Reflection • If someone observed your life, what evidence would they see that you are following Jesus? • Is there anything Jesus may be asking you to leave behind in order to follow Him more fully?

In Jonah 1, a prophet hears God’s call and runs in the opposite direction. In Isaiah 6, another prophet hears God ask, “Whom shall I send?” and responds, “Here I am. Send me.” In this message, Pastor Tim Riddick reminds us that God makes His invitation personal through us, and how we respond matters. Avoidance may feel safe, but it’s still running. The difference between Jonah and Isaiah wasn’t talent or gifting. It was availability. Questions for Reflection: • Who might be your “Nineveh” - someone God is prompting you to move toward instead of avoid? • What step could you take this week to move from delay to obedience?

When Elijah reached his breaking point in the wilderness, God didn’t meet him with condemnation or spectacle. He met him with rest, care, and eventually—a whisper. In this stand-alone message, guest speaker Tim Bohlke walks us through 1 Kings 19 and reminds us that God often speaks not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in the quiet. In a world full of noise, pressure, and chaos, the real question becomes: do we have space to hear Him? Questions for Reflection: • What noise or weight in your life might be crowding out space to hear God’s voice? • What practical step could you take this week to create intentional space for stillness before Him?

In the final week of The Lord’s & The Leftovers, we confront a difficult but freeing truth: what we hold onto can begin to hold onto us. Looking at the rich young ruler, the parable of the rich fool, and Jesus’ words about treasure and the heart, this message explores the spiritual danger of misplaced trust. Wealth itself is not condemned, but when security and identity are rooted in what we keep, anxiety quietly grows and space for God begins to shrink. True freedom is found not in accumulation, but in trusting God enough to release our grip. Questions for Reflection: • What do you instinctively turn to for security when life feels uncertain? • In what area of your life might God be inviting you to loosen your grip and trust Him more fully?

In Week 2 of The Lord’s & The Leftovers, we move beyond the question of what we give and focus on why we give—or why we hold on. This message explores how generosity is shaped by trust and motivation rather than pressure or obligation. Looking at Scripture, we see that giving is not meant to be a transaction with God, but a formative practice that helps align our hearts with His. When generosity flows from gratitude and trust, it becomes a way of participating in what God is already doing. Questions for Reflection • When you think about giving, what emotions or motivations tend to rise first—trust, fear, gratitude, or control? • How might viewing generosity as spiritual formation, rather than obligation, change the way you respond to God?

In the opening message of The Lord’s & The Leftovers, we begin with a simple but searching question: does God receive our first and best, or only what remains after everything else has been taken care of? Looking at the story of Cain and Abel, this message reminds us that giving has never been primarily about money, but about trust and priority. God is not interested in leftovers or reluctant offerings. He invites us into a relationship where He is honored first, shaping our hearts and our lives in the process. Questions for Reflection • When it comes to your time, resources, and attention, where does God actually fall in the order of your priorities? • What might change if honoring God first became a trust-filled response rather than a reluctant obligation?

As the story of Nehemiah comes to a close, God’s people discover that renewal does not sustain itself. After repentance, celebration, and commitment, compromise slowly begins to creep back in. In Nehemiah 10–13, we see that faithfulness is not maintained by emotion or momentum, but by continual realignment with God’s heart. This message invites us to reflect on what carries our faith into everyday life and reminds us that lasting strength is found not in our resolve, but in the joy that comes from walking closely with God. Questions for Reflection: • Where might you be relying on past spiritual experiences instead of daily dependence on God? • How can you intentionally return to the joy of the Lord as a source of strength in this season?

In Part 3 of “God Among the Ruins”, Nehemiah shows that rebuilding is not about leadership success, but about God restoring hearts after failure. When the wall is finished, Israel doesn’t celebrate itself—they turn to God’s Word, realizing the wall was meant to spark spiritual renewal. The message challenges believers not to coast spiritually, but to let what God restores outwardly lead to obedience and inner transformation, pointing to Jesus as the one who rebuilds what sin destroyed. Reflection Questions: 1) Where am I spiritually coasting? 2) What has God restored that I am enjoying, but not stewarding? 3) How often do I allow the Word of God (scripture) to correct me? 4) What would obedience look like, not just emotions?

In Nehemiah chapters 3 and 4, the rebuilding of Jerusalem begins not through experts or heroes, but through ordinary people showing up together. Each person takes responsibility for a section of the wall, reminding us that God’s work is meant to be shared. As opposition and discouragement rise, Nehemiah points God’s people back to prayer, perseverance, and community. This message invites us to see that faith is expressed through action, and that when life gets heavy, God often strengthens us through the people walking beside us. Questions for Reflection: • What might be your “section of the wall” right now, and how are you being invited to show up? • Where do you need the support of community to help you keep going instead of giving up?

This message introduces the series “God Among the Ruins” through the book of Nehemiah, reminding us that God is present and at work even when life feels broken. Israel’s ruin came from doing what was right in their own eyes, showing that sin always leads to destruction, but Nehemiah’s response—grief, prayer, confession, and dependence on God—became the starting point for renewal. His broken heart aligned with God’s heart and led to a clear call to action: rebuilding begins when God’s people allow themselves to feel the weight of brokenness and step into God’s work with compassion and obedience. Today, God no longer dwells in buildings but in His people, calling the church to move beyond numbness and judgment and instead carry His presence into the ruins through prayer, repentance, and faithful action. Reflection Questions: · What breaks my heart that also breaks God’s heart? · Have I become numb to sin and brokenness, or does it still move me to compassion and prayer? · Am I living according to God’s ways, or simply doing what seems right in my own eyes? · When I see brokenness, do I respond with judgment and distance, or compassion and action? · What step of rebuilding or obedience might God be calling me to take right now?

At Christmas, love is often measured by effort—what we give, how much we serve, and how busy we stay. But the love we need most can’t be earned or performed. In the final week of our Advent series, Until He Came, we’re reminded that real love didn’t arrive as activity or obligation. It arrived as a person. Pastor Tyler points us to Jesus as the true expression of love—love that moves toward us, sacrifices for us, and invites us into relationship. This message calls us to lay down performance-based love and receive the transforming love God has already given us in Christ. Questions for Reflection: • In what ways do you find yourself trying to earn love through effort, performance, or activity? • What might it look like this week to rest in the love Jesus has already shown you rather than striving to prove yourself?

Drawing on C.S. Lewis’s “always winter” imagery, Pastor Tyler Crosson teaches that Christmas is God entering a broken, routine-filled world to bring lasting joy through Jesus. This joy isn’t dependent on circumstances but is a gift available to all, especially the overlooked. True joy comes from trusting the Savior who stepped into our brokenness, not from trying to create meaning on our own. Reflection Questions: 1. Where am I currently looking for joy — in a season, circumstance, achievement, or relationship — and how has that shaped my expectations or disappointments? 2. In what ways might I be “settling for winter,” becoming comfortable with routine, brokenness, or spiritual numbness instead of opening myself to the new life and joy God offers? 3. What would it look like for me to actively receive and live from the gift of joy announced at Christmas, rather than trying to create, control, or earn it on my own terms?

When life feels chaotic, we often do what Herod did—fight for control, protect our comfort, and try to manufacture a peace that never lasts. But the magi show a different way. Their response to Jesus was surrender, worship, and trust, and in that surrender they found the peace their hearts were searching for. In this week’s message, Pastor Tyler reminds us that peace doesn’t come from managing outcomes or holding our world together. Peace comes from laying down our lesser kingdoms and receiving the gift Jesus came to bring. The Prince of Peace has arrived—and His peace is available to you. Questions for Reflection: • What area of your life are you trying to control or “keep together” in order to feel at peace? • What would it look like this week to surrender that area to Jesus and trust His kingdom over your own?

Life can feel cold, heavy, or disappointing—especially when the things we think will finally make us feel better fall short. In Week 1 of our Advent series, Until He Came, Pastor Brad helps us see that real hope isn’t something we create. It’s something God brings. Jesus stepped into our winter and broke its power, inviting us to live as people of hope in the space between His first coming and His promised return. Questions for Reflection • Where in your life does it currently “feel like winter,” and what does this message invite you to believe about Jesus in that place? • How can you practice living as a person of hope this week, even before anything in your circumstances changes?

In the final week of Rhythms, Pastor Tyler invites us to see our bodies the way God sees them: as holy places where His Spirit dwells. Instead of viewing our bodies only through frustration, insecurity, or the pressure to perform, Scripture reminds us that we were created in God’s image, formed with purpose, and called to glorify Him with our whole selves. Your strengths and your limitations are not accidents, they are opportunities to worship the God who is shaping you from the inside out. Questions for Reflection: • How are you using your strengths to worship God? • How are you using your weaknesses to worship God?

In week four of Rhythms, Pastor Tyler invites us to slow down and honestly ask, “How’s your soul?” Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds to spend time alone with the Father. In the same way, we’re reminded that spiritual maturity requires moments of silence, solitude, and rest. Life with God isn’t about doing more, it’s about being with Him. When we learn to rest in God’s presence, our souls find renewal and strength for the life He’s called us to live. Questions for Reflection: How’s your soul? What does rest with God look like for you right now? What’s one way you can create more space for silence, solitude, or rest in your current season?

In week three of Rhythms, Pastor Tyler reminds us that life with God isn’t just about talking to Him—it’s about listening for His voice. God still speaks today through His Word, His Spirit, and His people. When we slow down long enough to listen, we discover that Scripture isn’t just ancient text—it’s living and active, shaping our hearts and guiding our steps in every season of life. Questions for Reflection: • What does it mean to you that God says His Word is living and active? • After this message, how well do you feel like you’re listening to God? Why?

Following Jesus means practicing His rhythms daily, not just adding Him into our busy lives or Sunday routines. Pastor Tyler realized during illness how often we rush to get “there” instead of being present “here.” Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that every season has a purpose and that God makes all things beautiful in their time. Spiritual maturity grows when we pause to recognize that God is with us in every moment, not just in good or easy ones. The challenge is to stop striving for what’s next and instead ask, “What is God inviting me to notice, release, or embrace here?” Reflection Questions: • Is everything good in your soul? • Are you able to find moments to be fully present with God? • Are there any red alerts in your life that are hindering you from practicing the presence of God?

Our deepest desires tell the truth about what we were made for. In this first message of the Rhythms series, Pastor Brad invites us to name our longing for God—the desire beneath every other desire—and let it shape the rhythms of our everyday lives. Questions for Reflection: • What do you long for most deeply right now? • How might Jesus be inviting you to order your life around that longing for Him?

Life can feel like a wilderness—uncertain, dry, and filled with questions. But the good news of Scripture is that God doesn’t wait for us to find our way out; He meets us right where we are. In this message, Pastor Brad shows how the wilderness is often the place where God does His best work—bringing new life and a new story through Jesus. Questions for Reflection: • Where might God be meeting you in the middle of your own wilderness? • How could you practice faithfulness and trust, even when you can’t yet see the way out?