We're all running a race with no finish line. Comparing ourselves to people who don't even know they're in the competition, chasing something we can't quite name, and still feeling like we're falling behind. In part five of The Jesus Way series, Lead Pastor Jon Stoe opens with something unexpected: a candid quote from Madonna at the height of her career, admitting she still couldn't outrun the fear of being mediocre. Turns out that feeling doesn't care how famous you are.

Jon digs into 1 Corinthians and the story of the Apostle Paul to unpack what the cross actually meant to the first people who followed Jesus. Not a symbol to wear around your neck. A way of life. One that looks foolish from the outside and goes completely against the grain of how we're wired to think about winning, proving ourselves, and keeping up. Ambition and achievement are good things, Jon says. They just make terrible masters.

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Litchfield Church of the Nazarene is a welcoming, bilingual community of faith in Litchfield, MN, whose mission is to produce fruitful disciples of Jesus Christ. We gather every Sunday at 10:45 AM. New messages drop on the podcast each week. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. Learn more at litchfieldnaz.com.

Self‑righteousness is one outfit none of us look good in—and most of the time, we don’t even realize we’re wearing it. In this message, “The Jesus Way: Rebranding,” lead pastor Jon Stoe walks us into Luke 15 and shows how Jesus completely reframes what God is like and who God likes. Through the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, Jon explores a God who is laser‑focused on what is lost, not content to simply enjoy what’s already “found.”

Along the way, Jon presses into our own tendencies to be “right” but not righteous, especially around hot‑button areas like religion and politics. He contrasts the self‑righteous posture of the Pharisees with the surprising, pursuing love of the Father, asking us hard but hopeful questions: Do we see people far from God as problems to fix—or as someone valuable who’s been disconnected from their Owner? This episode is an invitation to let Jesus rebrand your view of God, of others, and of yourself.

In this message from lead pastor Jon Stoe, we continue our journey through “The Jesus Way” by looking at one of Jesus’ most disruptive and beautiful stories: the Good Samaritan. Pastor Jon shows how Jesus didn’t just bring a new set of rules, but a completely new kind of kingdom that is “inviting, and relational, and without borders, and it was as if it was for everybody.” Everyone is endowed with inherent worth, created in the image of God, and Jesus insists that love for God is always expressed in love for people.

Walking through Luke 10, Jon unpacks the lawyer’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” and Jesus’ radical answer that “love for God is demonstrated by love for others.” He explores what neighbor love actually looks and acts like, using Jesus’ story of a beaten traveler, two religious passersby, and a surprising hero from the wrong side of the cultural divide. Along the way, you will be invited to rethink the minimums you have settled for and to see that following Jesus means crossing lines, absorbing cost, and moving toward people in need.

If you have ever wondered what God is really like, or what it practically means to follow Jesus in your everyday relationships, this episode will stretch your assumptions and stir your heart. Come discover a kingdom where everybody is invited, everybody is included, and neighbor love is the defining mark of the people of God.

In this episode of the Litchfield Church of the Nazarene podcast, lead pastor Jon Stoe continues our series, The Jesus Way, by focusing on “The Invitation.” Starting with a personal story about an unexpected date that turned into a 43–year marriage, Pastor Jon shows how “you never know what hangs in the balance of an invitation.” From there, he turns our attention to the greatest invitation of all: Jesus’ call to trust Him, follow Him, and stake our lives on who He really is.

Walking through Luke’s Gospel, Pastor Jon reminds us that the credibility of Christianity “rises and falls on the identity of this one individual” and asks us to wrestle with Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” We watch Jesus step into real history, teach with authority, heal the sick, and step into Simon Peter’s boat with a simple but life–altering challenge. When Peter finally responds, “But because you say so,” Pastor Jon shows how that one act of obedience can change the entire trajectory of a life.

If you’re wondering whether following Jesus is worth it, or you feel Him nudging you toward a next step that seems costly or unreasonable, this message will meet you right in that tension. It’s an invitation not just to believe in Jesus, but to actually follow Him in real time, in real decisions, in our real community.

In this message, Lead Pastor Jon Stoe launches a new series called “The Jesus Way” and invites you to rediscover what it really meant to follow Jesus in the first century. He begins with the constant tension between Jesus and the religious leaders and shows that they did not see Him as “Judaism 2.0” but as a threat to everything they valued. Jesus did not come as an upgrade to something old. He came to introduce something brand new that would reach every nation, tribe, and tongue.

Walking through John’s declaration, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” and Jesus’ conversation with His disciples at Caesarea Philippi, Pastor Jon unpacks the moment Jesus said, “I will build my church.” He explains the original word ekklesia as a gathering of called out people on the move, not a religious building or temple. The early believers were known as “the Way,” a Spirit filled movement that could not be contained by any facility and that carried the message of Jesus far beyond the borders of Israel.

This sermon also faces into our current reality. Pastor Jon contrasts the passion of believers who risk much just to gather with the growing number of “nones” and empty churches in America. He asks why the church has become so resistible when Jesus was not and calls listeners to let go of outdated ways that keep us stuck. This is an invitation to see yourself as a key player in the movement Jesus started and to embrace the Jesus Way as a living, active way of life in the world today.

In this message, Lead Pastor Jon Stoe tackles one of the hardest and most necessary topics in the Christian life: forgiveness. Starting with Peter’s question to Jesus about how many times he must forgive, Pastor Jon shows how Jesus completely reframes the conversation. Forgiveness is not about counting offenses or setting a limit. It is about a new kind of math where we stop keeping score and start losing count.

Walking through Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, Pastor Jon paints a vivid picture of the massive debt God has canceled for us and the tragic contradiction when we refuse to forgive others. He connects this to Jesus’ teaching in the Lord’s Prayer, Paul’s words in Ephesians and Romans, and even modern research that shows how unforgiveness affects our physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

This sermon invites you to tear up the mental spreadsheet you keep on those who have hurt you and to surrender your right to get even into God’s hands. You will be challenged to forgive from the heart, to release people to God, and to step out of the prison of bitterness into the freedom Christ offers. Listen in and let the Holy Spirit begin the work of healing, release, and true peace in your relationships.

Join us for an uplifting episode featuring our new interim lead pastor, Jon Stoe, as he explores the profound theme of forgiveness through the lens of Jesus' teachings and actions. In this heartfelt sermon, Pastor Jon invites us to reflect on our own experiences of forgiving others—often before they even ask—and challenges us to consider if God's forgiveness operates in a similar, boundless way. Drawing from powerful stories in the Gospels, he reveals how Jesus extended grace to the undeserving, the unaware, and even His enemies, demonstrating a divine authority to forgive sins at will, without prerequisites.

Pastor Jon delves into three key narratives: the healing of the paralyzed man lowered through the roof, the sinful woman who anointed Jesus' feet at a Pharisee's banquet, and Jesus' prayer of forgiveness from the cross. These accounts illustrate that God's love announces forgiveness in advance, replacing fear with gratitude and inviting reconciliation. Whether you're grappling with past hurts, seeking renewal in your faith, or simply curious about Jesus' radical approach to grace, this message offers hope and encouragement for living a life marked by limitless forgiveness.

This sermon is a timely reminder that it's never too late to embrace or extend forgiveness, echoing Jesus' call for us to do the same. Tune in to be inspired and transformed, and discover how understanding God's preemptive mercy can change your relationships and your walk with Him.

In this week’s message, Interim Lead Pastor Jon Stoe invites us to wrestle with a life-shaping question: Who will you be five or ten years from now? More than careers, accomplishments, or accolades, Pastor Jon reminds us that it is character, the person we are becoming on the inside, that defines our legacy and relationships.

Through Scripture and real-life examples, Pastor Jon explores how true Christian character is formed: dependence on God, selfless purpose, consistency, and love. He points us to Jesus as the perfect model of uncompromising character, showing that the will to do what is right, regardless of the personal cost, is the foundation of a life that lasts.

This message is both challenging and encouraging, calling us to pre-decide to follow God’s standard of truth and to trust His plan for shaping who we are becoming. Tune in and be inspired to pursue a life of conviction, consistency, and Christlike character.