Reality Santa Barbara (Audio)

Join us Sunday as Stephen starts our new series EPHESIANS | HOW GRACE WORKS. We hope you’ll join us as we worship together!

Pastor Stephen teaches the final installment of our Vision Series - Practicing the Way of Jesus Together in Santa Barbara. We hope you’ll join us as we worship together!

Hear the new mission of Reality Santa Barbara. It’s not a new mission. It’s the ancient, biblical, historical mission from the earliest followers of Jesus, contextualized to our local community—practicing the way of Jesus together in Santa Barbara.

This is week one of a vision series at Reality Church of Santa Barbara. In this sermon Stephen Posey talks about the power of dreaming God-size dreams with God and partnering with God for their fulfillment—for His glory and our joy!

If you and I were to have audience with God almighty, there are any number of things we’d want from Him. We certainly have a few questions for Him. Why this? What about that? What would you ask of the God of all creation? Now this: what is it you think God would ask of you? In Matthew 9, we see Jesus reveal something about what God wants through a series of stories in which people cry out to in desperate need .

Jesus famously said, “In this world you will have trouble.” This was an affirmation of a truth we already know—trouble is unavoidable for all humankind. Thankfully, Jesus didn’t stop there. He also said “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” That’s good news, but how does it actually work? What are we supposed to do trouble comes? This week, we’ll consider what Psalm 91 tells us about trouble.

For the next three weeks we believe God is calling us into a focused, intentional season of worship. We’re asking God for the one thing we need most — His empowering presence. This week we’ll look at a story from John 4 to see what happens when Jesus shows up in the unlikeliest of places to the unlikeliest of people.

Pastor of Spiritual Formation, Joseph Pfeifer, preaches on what it means to be Gracious, Gritty and Wholehearted over 1 Samuel 14

Pastor Stephen finishes the series preaching over Psalm 127

Guest Speaker Bill Clem continues the series Restore my Soul by preaching over Psalm 23

Psalm 126 is a song of ascents—an epic road trip song—a reminder that God was so good “back them” and God will continue to be good in the future, and that goodness is available to Him right now. Psalm 126 invites us to sing along, to remember dreams God gave us, dreams He’s fulfilled, and dreams yet to come. Reality Church of Santa Barbara, it’s time to dream again.

Guest Speaker Casey Shirley continues the series Restore my Soul by preaching over Psalm 34

CS Lewis once paid Psalm 19 was “the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world…”. In fact, the scope of Psalm 19 could not be more grand nor its implications more personal. In this message, we’ll meditate David’s word and follow the Spirit’s leading turning our hearts to worship.

Ariel Bournes preached over the Rhythm of Restoration through the principles of humility, prayer and praise. Psalm 51

The Psalms are that sacred space in Scripture where honest humanity collides with loving divinity. Thomas Merton once said the Psalms “represent the experience of men and women who have prayed in every conceivable circumstance across thirty centuries.” In Psalm 42 we get an intimate glimpse into a soul’s pursuit of God’s presence, not simply for enhanced spirituality, but for in a heart-wrenching cry for survival. Let’s consider Psalm 42 as less a poetic contemplation and more of a primal scream.

If someone were to ask you the condition of your soul right now, how would you respond? Are you running on fumes or full to overflowing? Are you anxious or at peace? Discontent or satisfied? Distracted or in tune with the Spirit? Afraid or full of faith? As AW Tozer suggests, “what comes to mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.” Psalm 103 points a path to restoring our souls and it all begins when your thoughts about God.

The book of Psalms has been a favorite for followers of Yahweh and of Jesus for centuries, because of its visceral, evocative language and beautiful imagery. Psalm 1 is not only an introduction to the book, but a container for all of its themes, and, as we will see, a kind of shorthand for the key tension in all of Scripture. You may be surprised to find out how much practical this ancient Psalm has on offer to the modern follower of Jesus in deciphering (and living out) truth.

The whole world celebrates holidays surrounding the incarnation (Christmas), death (Good Friday), and resurrection (Easter) of Jesus Christ, but very little attention is given to Jesus’ ascension, even in the Church. But the ascension is kind of a big deal. Hebrew Scripture prophecies it. The New Testament’s most quoted Old Testament verse is about Jesus’ ascension. Peter’s Pentecost sermon cites the ascension as proof of Jesus as Israel’s exalted messianic king. When we say “Jesus is Lord”, or “Jesus is King” we mean, Jesus has ascended! But why does the ascension matter to you, right here and right now as a 21st century follower of Jesus? Let’s talk about that.

Throughout history God has used everyday, ordinary people to do extraordinary things in His name. But is there something God looks for in the people He sends on mission? In this message we’ll learn from the details of Paul’s experience immediately after God’s call.

Guest Speaker Dominic Balli preaches over Psalm 126 and God’s Faithfulness

The Great Commission has catalyzed tens of millions of Jesus followers to share their faith over the centuries. Christians have been compelled to share the good news of Jesus to family members, friends, and coworkers, to people in their communities and beyond, to other cities, states, nations, and continents. Countless vulnerable, exploited and abused children have been rescued, millions of hungry have been fed, desperately poor communities have been given resources, water wells have been dug, and education has been provided all in the name of Jesus and His command to “go”. Still, some Christians feel guilt around the idea of “going” (or not going, as it were). Others question some of the unintentional negative consequences of well-meaning Christians whose efforts caused complications or even harm to people in other parts of the world. What’s did Jesus mean when He told His disciples to “go”? What do these words mean to us in 21st century Santa Barbara, California? Let’s talk about the good news of the Great Commission.

Followers of Jesus have an easy time believing God loves the whole world, but we sometimes struggle to believe that God really does love us. In this prophecy from Isaiah, God expresses a love so supreme He invokes the strongest relational metaphor—that of relationship between a mother and her nursing infant— a love so supreme it transcends a mother’s love.

Stephen Posey shares a short sermon on the pursuit of joy

In the first century a woman’s testimony was only half as credible as a man’s. A woman with a bad reputation would have been less credible still. Regardless of its inclusion, or lack thereof in the canon, the verses in the last half of Mark 16 present a truth that all the gospels agree—Mary Magdalene, a formerly demon-possessed woman, was among the first witnesses of the resurrection. Why would the authors (and most devoted apprentices of Jesus) want us to know that the first person to proclaim the resurrection testimony upon which the entire substance of saving faith derives its credibility, was a woman? What might we learn about belief itself in an age of easy unbelief?

God’s faithful son is finally enthroned as king, but in the most surprising way. He is exalted through a shameful execution reserved for only for the most unconscionable criminals. Faithful disciples quietly give Jesus a lavish burial in a tomb fit for the affluent. A faithful disciple quietly show up at his tomb. A faithful divine messenger asks, “What are you doing here?”

Jesus stands before the local Roman prefect, accused of being a messianic insurrectionist. When Pilate finds no fault in Jesus he offers to free “the king of the Jews”. Will the people #FreeJesus and receive him as king? Or will they be swayed by the loudest voices to choose a lesser alternative? In this sermon we consider what truth this passage has on offer when we face the Jesus vs. a lesser messiahs choices in our daily lives.

As Jesus is whisked away to the first of his illegal trials, Peter makes good on his promise to prove his devotion, following Jesus deep into enemy territory. Still, despite his best intentions, Peter finds himself falling back into old grooves of bad behavior. What can we learn from the failure of Jesus’ most faithful disciple? Is change actually possible?

Guest Speaker Blake Zimmerman takes a break from Jesus is King series to preach on Acts 28v17-31

Jesus shares his final meal with his disciples, one of whom will betray him, most of whom will abandon him, all of whom He offers the cup of redemption.

As we close in on the last couple of days before Jesus’ death, there is little neutral ground in the hearts of humankind. In light of Jesus’ love, tender hearts can’t hold back their lavish worship, and hard hearts grow harder still.

This passage contains Jesus’ longest uninterrupted teaching in the gospel of Mark. In response to the disciples marveling at the magnificence of the Jerusalem temple, Jesus predicts its utter destruction, after which the disciples when that will happen and when will be the sign that it’s about to take place.

After fielding a series of deceptive, adversarial questions with wisdom and grace, Jesus now asks a single powerful question, and reveals a prophetic truth, rattling the tenets of the religious core and their systemic manipulation, domination, and exploitation. The audience listens with delight as Jesus reveals Himself as the God who sees.

We all take comfort in being right. “Being right” helps us justify our wrongs and make sense of wounds. “Being right” protects us from villains and liberates us to pursue the good life, or so we think. But happens when we find out our mind map of “being right” is off? What happens when we realize we don’t see life as clearly as we thought? Jesus eases the burden of our incessant needs of “being right” and invites us to follow Him along the path to living well—truly liberated to live a life of love. In this sermon we explore what happens when the people most obsessed with being right confront the author of life.

Marvelous Jesus by Reality Santa Barbara

Lead Pastor Stephen Posey talks about three commitments on a short sermon over Mark 3:13–19.

Pastor of Spiritual Formation & Worship , Joseph Pfeifer continues the series Jesus is King with Mark 11:27-33 and Mark 12:1-12

This is Day 21 of our 21 Day Prayer Tour. We’re praying for a new season of faithful ministry at Reality Santa Barbara and the other churches in the Reality Family.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

This is Day Eighteen of Reality Santa Barbara’s 21 Day Prayer Tour. Today we’re praying for all the local churches of Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Today we are praying for those who feel alone and fatigued. Those who are in the midst of brokenness. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. In Today’s podcast, Grace Posey, age 13, takes over, to lead us in prayer for the Next Generation of followers. Listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

The disciples marvel that Jesus’ words had such power; Everyone wants prayer that works, but no one seems to know how prayer works. Jesus makes another astounding promise about prayer and invites them to experience a Jesus kind of faith for themselves.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response. Today we are praying for those that might feel unseen.

Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response. Today we are gathering at Paseo Nuevo from 12 to 1pm. Join us if you can. We will be meeting near the rooftop parking lot. At the top of the colorful mosaic tile stairway. You can enter between the California pizza kitchen and Eureka burger restaurants.

Day 10 | 21 Day Prayer Tour | Reality Santa Barbara | What To Do With Weariness by Reality Santa Barbara

Today we’re praying God would open the eyes of lost friends and loved ones, that they would come to know the goodness of God in Jesus!

Today, in light of Martin Luther King Day and the scriptural prayers and purpose his life represents, we stand in solidarity with those who are hurting and pray for those in need.

Jesus disrupts the way access to God happens forever, making the meritocracy of religious achievement obsolete currency, and disarms the powers of religious exploitation.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.Today we are praying for God's blessing upon unity in our community.

Today we are praying for God to be our help, the the guardian of our community and the keeper of our souls.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response. Today we are gathering at El Presidio from 12 to 1pm. Join us if you can.

Day 3 of Reality Santa Barbara Prayer Tour, January 12, 2022. Today we’re praying for healing in our physical bodies and for people we know and love

Join us as we return to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

Join us as we return to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

What does Jesus see when He looks at you? This week we are looking at a mysterious prophetic parable Jesus enacts in front of His disciples and what it means to us today.

Guest Speaker Peter Russell starts off Reality Santa Barbara New year with the sermon titled Born to Bless.

If you are a follower of Jesus, then you have a ministry in the church. But what does it mean to fulfill our ministry?

Whether under the tyranny of poverty and injustice or under the spell of overconsumption and apathy, the whole world is crying out for revolution! We, the followers of non-anxious, humble Jesus, are invited to participate in a Jesus kind of revolution.

On Pastor Lazo’s last sermon as official Lead Pastor of Reality SB, he talked about what looks like Jesus favorite question shown in Mark 10:46-52 “What do you want me to do for you?”

The world’s success comes through greed and control. Jesus succeeds by serving and shows us how.

Eternal life comes from following Jesus. But this is hard for people who are well off.

The way we access God is in the same way a child receives a free gift they never expected.

Sometimes our relationships are framed by what we can get out of them. Jesus reframes the question by using the example of marriage.

Be aware of each other’s faith. Be aware of your own faith. Go all in on Jesus together.

Do not reject someone who is doing good just because they don’t belong to your tribe. Nor reject what you are doing because you don’t belong to the right group. God is making all things new and we are invited into that.

Guest preacher Stephen Posey will teach over Mark 9:30-37 to continue the series Jesus is King

Some things are only possible through ongoing communion with and reliance on the Father.

In a world filled with turmoil and urgency, what we need most happens to be right in front of us: Jesus, anointed by the Father to usher in the Kingdom is before us—we are called to listen to him.

Jesus’ way is different. Do we believe in him enough to follow Him?

Healing begins when we take our hope and hurt to the Great High Priest

Society has a couple problems with Jesus. He looks for those who believe that he is who he says he is, and invites them to follow him together

When you’re running on empty and there’s not enough to keep going, God can multiply what little you have

- The thief on the cross - Guest Gavin Ortlund teaches from Luke 23:39-43

Where can we find hope when we need healing? In Mark 7:31-37 a blind man desperate for healing encounters Jesus and finds hope in unexpected ways.

What happens when God’s promises don’t seem to line up with our reality? Gritty faith invites us to hear God in a new way in the very places of our disappointment (Core Values, pt 3)

When God seems hidden, some will seek God more desperately and will find their reward. He is gracious and there is always plenty at the table.

There is a shift taking place in the post-pandemic church. What if it’s a blessing in disguise?

RSB Core Values, Pt 2 - Too often we look away instead of truly seeing the people around us. Because of the lavish grace of God through Jesus, we are free to meet each other where we are and call each other to something higher!

The storms of life often challenge our trust. In the famous text of Jesus walking on water in Mark 6:45-52, we discover why our trust gets challenged during trials. But if Jesus really is the Good Shepherd and the Lord of the Storm, then we have reason to channel our trust in him during life’s storms

In an over-active, high-pressured environment, Jesus calls us to periodically stop and rejuvenate.

Gabrielle Hughes teaches on wholeheartedness, an RSB core value. In a fragmented world, wholeheartedness means showing up with God and others with all our hearts, minds, and strength.

Discipleship requires dependence, brings opposition, and is fueled by resolve

When we grow too familiar with Jesus, we risk creating “boxes” for him to fit in, and a bottleneck of unbelief threatens to stifle his work in our lives

Jesus gives life to those who are dead

One moment in the presence of Jesus can heal a lifetime of shame

Following Jesus is rarely convenient, but it is always good. He calls us to give up things for our liberation and joy.

A life of meaning rarely runs through calm waters. From Mark 4:35-41, Al Abdulla explores the story of the disciples in the storm, and how we learn to trust Jesus in times of troubled waters of life.

The Kingdom of God is gracious and abundant.

Journey into the Kingdom is a journey of waking up.

The kingdom is like a sower who sows seed

When we follow Jesus, our allegiance extends also to his people.

Jesus is the only one who can destroy Satan. Yet even those close to Jesus doubt him sometimes. The best choices are when we continue to trust in Jesus even when it’s hard.

Jesus has been declared Lord and King by rising from the dead.

We were made to be with Jesus, and our ministry must flow from intimacy.