Jesus Famous With Nate Holdridge

"For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9) Though we do not know what trial Paul endured in Asia, the Corinthians knew, and what we do understand is that he was "utterly burdened beyond strength." The man was at his breaking point, unable to endure, feeling his last ounce of strength evaporate. Paul trudged through great pain in his years, but this was the last straw. He felt he could take it no longer. He said, "We despaired of life itself." Perhaps you can relate to a season such as Paul's, one where life itself seems impossible, unendurable. Make no mistake, Paul was not an overly dramatic person. When he said, "We felt that we had received the sentence of death," you know something severe and despairing had

In this episode of the Jesus Famous Podcast, we will have a conversation about Pastor Nate’s article entitled “Breaking Into A Fresh Season With God". You can catch more episodes like this by subscribing to the Jesus Famous Podcast. If you’d like to read the entire article, then you can do so here. Link to full article:https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/breaking-into-a-fresh-season-with-god-2-chronicles-15-7 nateholdridge.cominstagram.com/nateholdridgetwitter.com/nholdridgecalvary.com

I recently sat down with a pastoral friend of mine to catch up. During the course of our conversation, we began talking about various ministries and events coming up in each our lives. Since Christmas, at the time of the conversation, was right around the corner, he began asking me about our Christmas Eve services, so I told him about the teaching rhythm I've landed on for both that service and also Good Friday. His interest and follow up questions caused me to think that other pastors and church leaders might like to hear about what we do. It's not the only way, but I have found it fruitful for our fellowship, so I thought I'd write about our Good Friday service here, with a small note at the end about Christmas Eve. If you are interested in my thoughts about Easter, I've written about it previously at nateholdridge.com. Our Good Friday service has only been in existence in its current format for the last eight years or so. I have always loved to celebrate the cross uniquely that evening. The gatherin

In this episode of the Jesus Famous Podcast, we will have a conversation about Pastor Nate’s article entitled “7 Lessons from Philip’s Adventure". You can catch more episodes like this by subscribing to the Jesus Famous Podcast. If you’d like to read the entire article, then you can do so here. Link to full article:https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/7-lessons-from-philips-adventure-acts-8-26 nateholdridge.cominstagram.com/nateholdridgetwitter.com/nholdridgecalvary.com

    “Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel! You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:22-25, ESV) The Lord wants to move his people forward, upward, onward. He has a plan for each one of you. Recently, I've seen this in a fresh way in my own life. The fruit of the Spirit is love -- and there are many outworkings of that love (Galatians 5:22). I believe the Spirit wants to produce heightened joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in me. And in you. He wants to move us forward, to take us further into the work and fruit o

Ruts to Avoid When Leading Small Group Discussions At Calvary Monterey, we emphasize our small group ministry, believing it necessary for Christians to gather together outside of the large weekend meeting. Though Sundays are of immense importance, nothing can replace the wonderful one to another ministry that occurs when we get together in small groups. Homes, coffee shops, restaurants, parks, hiking trails, and other public spaces should be filled with believers who have decided to gather together for fellowship, prayer, accountability, and Scripture. One way we have tried to help facilitate the above is through sermon-based small groups, which means a center point of the group is the discussion of the previous weekend's text and teaching. Fortunately, our church has adopted an expositional style, so, though the sermon is part of each group's discussion time, the Bible text the sermon was based on is the real focal point. The hope, of course, if for the bright light of the word of God to shine upon our hear

In this episode of the Jesus Famous Podcast, we will have a conversation about Pastor Nate’s article entitled “A New Father". You can catch more episodes like this by subscribing to the Jesus Famous Podcast. If you’d like to read the entire article, then you can do so here. Link to full article:https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/a-new-father-2-chronicles-29-2 nateholdridge.cominstagram.com/nateholdridgetwitter.com/nholdridgecalvary.com

"Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it, and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD..." (Isaiah 37:14-15) Have you ever been presented with a report or news which floored you? Has an impossible situation ever been thrown in your lap? Have you ever been given news, a bill, a task, a responsibility, that you could never in a million years handle? If you have, you are in Hezekiah's company. He also, as Israel's ancient king, received impossible news. The Assyrians were planning an attack and sent him threatening letters. A superpower, Hezekiah's little Israeli forces were no match for this Assyrian army. No one was. At the time, all other nations had folded in their presence. What in the world would Hezekiah do? 1. Hezekiah Went Up to the House of the Lord His first move was to go up to God's house to seek his face. Modern believers have no temple to pilgrimage to, but we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit

“And he said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.'” (Mark 5:34 ESV). As a father, a daddy, Jairus was in great distress. His twelve-year-old daughter, the joy of his life, was on her deathbed. Sickness had overwhelmed her body, and her body was losing the fight. As the synagogue's ruler, Jairus was a man of the community, and he had seen other families afflicted like this over the years, but now his own home was under siege. He was desperate. He knew not what to do. He had nothing to offer. It was then that he heard of Jesus. A healer, a prophet, was roaming the region. Galilee was abuzz over his works and words. Jairus sent for him. "Come to my house," he asked, "For my little girl is at the point of death. My daughter, she is dying. Please come." Jesus, pressed by the crowds, pushed through them to follow this hurting man to the epicenter of his hurt. On the way, a woman with a secret malady pressed through the throng of people to get to Jesus. She t

In this episode of the Jesus Famous Podcast, we will have a conversation about Pastor Nate’s article entitled “Husbands and Wives (A Recap)". You can catch more episodes like this by subscribing to the Jesus Famous Podcast. If you’d like to read the entire article, then you can do so here. Link to full article:https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/husbands-and-wives-a-recap-ephesians-5-32-33 nateholdridge.cominstagram.com/nateholdridgetwitter.com/nholdridgecalvary.com

Gospel Scope: Freed by the Spirit (Romans 8:1-11) Perhaps, after reading and studying Romans 7, you feel that Paul has put the perfect words to your current struggle. There, he eloquently described our ongoing battle with indwelling sin. That which we hope not to do, we do. That which we hope to do, we don’t do. Paul describes it. We say, “Yes, Paul! That is exactly what I have experienced!” The question, of course, is must we spend our whole lives frustrated by defeats to indwelling sin? Must we continually live in Romans 7? Will that be our continual existence? We hope not, but our everyday experience might lead us to believe otherwise. This is where we must remember the theme statement for the entire letter. “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” Paul wrote, “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). In Paul’s mind, the gospel is the power of God for salvation. God uses this gospel weapon to save us from sin eternally, but also to save us from sin currently. This i

  “I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all.” (Job 16:2 ESV). Job, in the midst of a massive trial, had three friends who attempted to confront him with "their truth," which were all lies, and Job knew it. Though his perspective was not quite yet God's, he recognized a void of wisdom when he saw one. His three friends had not yet tapped into real truth. They had come, perhaps to comfort and console, but had done no such thing. So Job replied, "Miserable comforters are you all." Straight up. Some have said what Job said when confronted with the truth; blinded by sin, they have become numb to the goodness of the truth, and they are wrong to say it. But Job was right to say it. He had not heard what was right, so the comfort which flowed was miserable and unhelpful. For our purposes, though, let's think for a moment of everything we might turn to for comfort in this life. God has given us common grace, a beautiful creation to enjoy, and he often comforts us with it, so we should not reje

In this episode of the Jesus Famous Podcast, we will have a conversation about Pastor Nate’s article entitled “How To Respond To The Brevity Of Life". You can catch more episodes like this by subscribing to the Jesus Famous Podcast. If you’d like to read the entire article, then you can do so here. Link to full article:https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/how-to-respond-to-the-brevity-of-life-psalm-39-11 nateholdridge.cominstagram.com/nateholdridgetwitter.com/nholdridgecalvary.com

  “In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.”” (Nehemiah 4:10–12 ESV). [Setting: Jerusalem] Waves of discouragement and frustration came into the city. Excuses abounded. Too much rubble! Our enemy's threats! Our friends have invited us to stop! But they didn’t stop. Discouragement and fear and fatigue require breakthroughs. Nehemiah said, "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes" (Nehemiah 4:14). A point comes in any church's life where atrophy sets in. The passion and joy and labor begin to dry up as people begin to grow discouraged in the mission. Soon, the fight, and what they were f

  He Still Quiets Stormy Seas (Psalm 107:29) "He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed." (Psalm 107:29) He continues to quiet storming seas. He still settles the weary heart and soul. He is constantly in the business of taking unrest and bringing his people to a settled state. Within, in the mind, in the chaos of the thought life, Christ works to soothe the pains and hurts and frustrations life has wrought. He is the lifter of our heads and the one who brings us to the still waters. He helps us take lies into captivity, locking them up that they would no longer roam our minds with intent to destroy. Jesus has the power, and he grants us his Spirit with which to bring us to rest. "He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed." At the Red Sea, when the waters churned and stirred, God made way for his people to pass. When Jonah rebelled and ran, God pursued him, using the storm to return his prophet to his required task, calming them as He gave Jonah grace for anothe

In this episode of the Jesus Famous Podcast, we will have a conversation about Pastor Nate’s article entitled “7 Lessons From Growing Pains In The Church". You can catch more episodes like this by subscribing to the Jesus Famous Podcast. If you’d like to read the entire article, then you can do so here. Link to full article:https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/7-lessons-from-growing-pains-in-the-church-acts-6-17 nateholdridge.cominstagram.com/nateholdridgetwitter.com/nholdridgecalvary.com

  “But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”” (Hebrews 1:8–9 ESV). Goodness and gladness. Justice and joy. No human alive is perfectly balanced, but the everlasting reign of Jesus Christ will always be wholly righteous and overwhelmingly glad. From his uprightness flows his joy, and from his cheer comes his righteousness. Intermingled together, singular and indivisible, the eternal justice and joy of Jesus will color his kingdom. Forever, we will bask in the goodness and gladness of Christ. We might strive, however imperfectly, for a similar balance, but we cannot attain it. Still, his Spirit drives us forward, longing to create the Christlike attitude in us. He drives forward to harmony, the balance of longing for that which is good and right and true, but also enjoying that which is d

  When Christ ascended, he gave his church various means with which to remember him. Partaking of the Lord's Supper, or communion, is a significant way we are called to remember Christ and His gospel work. All over the world, ministry leaders often preside over the partaking of communion during their gatherings. Recently, our worship pastor asked me if I would write an article about various points to bring up when leading communion. He is respectful of the Lord's Table and does not want to use it as a time to express his creativity, but he found himself saying the same thing week-in-week-out when leading the congregation in eating the bread and drinking from the cup. So he thought I might have a few starter points to help him and other ministers of the gospel in leading groups of Christians into a beneficial time of remembrance of Christ and his work. Below are a few ways to approach this time of celebration for what Christ has done. Often, words are not required, but if you decide to share something during

In this episode of the Jesus Famous Podcast, we will have a conversation about Pastor Nate’s article entitled “More Than Donkeys". You can catch more episodes like this by subscribing to the Jesus Famous Podcast. If you’d like to read the entire article, then you can do so here. Link to full article:https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/more-than-donkeys-1-samuel-9 nateholdridge.cominstagram.com/nateholdridgetwitter.com/nholdridgecalvary.com

"Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards..." (Songs of Songs 2:15) The Song of Solomon is the greatest love song ever written. In it, romantic love is evidenced from start to finish, from the beginning of life to the very end. The couple begins to love, marries, matures in love, and dies in love. Inspired by the Spirit, the power of married love is evidenced throughout the whole song. It is a great ideal, a wonderful possibility, a straight up life goal for any married couple. Still, in the midst of the love and romance the couple sang about, there were challenges. Some of the obstacles were major, such as massive insecurity. Other problems were perceived, such as fears the relationship was in jeopardy, though it wasn't. However, some challenges were small, minor little hassles that needed handling. They called these little issues the "little foxes that spoil the vineyards." Though small in stature, those little foxes could ruin the vineyard, and those minor issues, if undeal