June, 14, 2026

Taking Ground: Why the Church Must Stop Playing Defense

Boldly, the church was never meant to hide behind walls. This sermon opens with a striking image: the D-Day invasion as a picture of what the Christian mission should actually look like, and it reframes everything about how believers engage with culture.

Jeff draws from Matthew 16 to make a case that Jesus called the church to advance against the gates of Hades, not retreat into comfortable religious bunkers. Gates, he explains, represent the weakest points of walls (not the strongest), which means the church is called to push through, not hunker down.

What does it actually mean to be on a rescue mission rather than a defensive one? Drawing on Matthew 10, the Jeff explains that Jesus warned his disciples the gospel would bring division, not peace, becau ...