What does it look like to build a faith that outlasts you? In The God of Generations, Tyler Lynde opens Titus 2:1-8 and shows how God’s plan for cultural transformation is forged not in grand gestures but in ordinary lives that look like Jesus at home, at work, and in the neighborhood. Drawing from Paul’s instructions to Titus—sent into a Crete as broken as any modern city—Tyler urges older men and women to live with dignity, reverence, and self-control, creating a living pattern that younger believers can imitate. Integrity, he says, is the unwavering determination in the heart to do the right thing for the right reasons, and self-control is a Spirit-given fruit the next generation desperately needs to see.

Tyler roots this call in God’s very nature. God reveals Himself across generations—from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to His name as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham reflects the Father as progenitor of many nations; Isaac prefigures Christ in his “almost” sacrifice, where the Lord provides the ram in Genesis 22; and Jacob’s wrestling and limp picture the Spirit’s transforming work that breaks us to make us whole. This is more than history; it’s a map for discipleship, reminding us that Jesus not only removes sin but also teaches us how to live holy, Spirit-led lives.

The message lands tenderly for parents and grandparents wondering how to shepherd children in confusing times. God has not left you to do this alone. Sometimes the most powerful parenting move is a sincere apology that models humility and grace. And if you don’t have biological children, you still have a crucial part in God’s generational plan by investing in spiritual sons and daughters through mentoring and discipleship. Later years are not a retreat from impact; they can be the most fruitful season to pour wisdom into hungry hearts.

Tyler invites the whole church to embrace Psalm 145:4—let each generation tell its children about God’s mighty acts—and to see spiritual generations as every bit as vital as natural ones. Imagine a community where older believers embody holiness and younger believers imitate that life with joy. That’s how regions change. Will you build a faith that outlasts you? Watch or listen and be equipped to live like Jesus for the sake of generations to come.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram

As Red Letters concludes, Pastor Scott Wines sets Jesus’ wise and foolish builders beside a modern image from Hurricane Michael: a single house left standing because it was anchored far beyond code, on pilings driven deep into the sand. Scott shows that the difference in Matthew 7:24–27 isn’t the weather but the foundation. He lays three stones for a storm-ready life: Christ as cornerstone, Scripture and sound doctrine to keep us from being tossed by every wind, and an abiding relationship with the Triune God through prayer and the Spirit. Trials intend opposite ends—Satan schemes to destroy, but the Father uses suffering to produce endurance, character, and hope. Scott resists “upper story” relativism and calls us to the objective truth of God’s Word shaping everyday obedience. Because this is the final week of Red Letters, he gathers the series’ themes into Jesus’ closing charge: hear His words and do them. The life fastened to the Rock will stand when rains fall, floods rise, and winds beat against it.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram

"The Cure for Deception" brings us to Jesus’ sober warning in Matthew 7:15-23, and Pastor Kelly Kinder will not let it drift past our ears. Kelly shows how false teachers often arrive in convincing costumes, and why Jesus’ test is simple and searching: examine fruit over time in doctrine, character, and impact. He traces the enemy’s ancient playbook from Eden—twisting God’s words, denying His truthfulness, questioning His character, and baiting our desires—and shows how the same moves animate modern counterfeits, even under religious branding. The most unsettling part is not the wolves but the possibility of being false followers who say “Lord, Lord” while remaining unknown by Christ. Kelly calls us to honest self-examination: are we doing the Father’s will because we are united to the Son, or are we performing for approval? The cure for deception is Jesus Himself. As we know Him truly, love His truth, and obey His Word in the power of the Spirit, real fruit grows and counterfeit hopes wither. This message pairs vigilance with hope and urges us to guard the gospel for our children and our neighbors by clinging to Christ and conforming our lives to Scripture.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram

In this final session of our Beatitudes study, Matthew Atchley teaches from Matthew 5:10—“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus speaks this in the present tense, promising that the kingdom belongs now to those who endure persecution for His sake. This session draws together the whole Sermon on the Mount, showing how each Beatitude serves as a key to the kingdom of heaven—planted like mustard seeds that come to life through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew reminds us that Jesus wasn’t calling His followers to become better rule-keepers but to examine the state of their hearts. Our identity is not in our own righteousness but in the righteousness of Christ living in us. Persecution comes when the fragrance of Jesus is present in our lives. Without it, the world has no reason to push back. But with it, the believer shines with a different identity—one that cannot be hidden.

Through his own testimony of being struck while witnessing on Cumberland Avenue as a new believer, Matthew illustrates that persecution is not just hardship or trial—it is the cost of bearing Christ’s name. He shares recent experiences of opposition faced in prison ministry, where the spread of the gospel has stirred resistance from authorities. These real-life examples point us back to the words of Jesus: persecution is inevitable for those who follow Him.

The session also connects the nine Beatitudes of Matthew 5 with the nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, showing how the Spirit equips believers to live out the character Jesus describes. From Stephen’s bold witness in Acts to the promises in Revelation 2, we see that persecution has always been part of the church’s story. Yet in every instance, God’s peace and glory shine through the suffering of His people.

As Matthew emphasizes, the Beatitudes are not just lofty sayings but treasures that reveal who we are as children of God. They call us to embrace our identity, surrender to the Spirit’s work, and prepare to stand firm in a world where persecution is certain. This concluding session challenges us to move beyond religious routine and to be ready to display the fragrance of Christ—whether in daily life or in the face of opposition—knowing that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who endure for His name.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram

In this week's sermon in our "Red Letters" series, Pastor Tyler Lynde brings us to Jesus’ stark finale in the Sermon on the Mount: two gates, two roads, two ends. Tyler begins with the Golden Rule, not as polite restraint but as proactive love that mirrors the Father’s generosity and fulfills the law from the heart. Then he follows Jesus into the decisive choice. The wide gate and easy road feel natural because self sits at the center, yet they end in ruin and, ultimately, separation from God. The narrow gate and hard road demand repentance, daily cross-bearing, and obedience, yet they lead to real life now and eternal life to come. Tyler anchors the hope of this path in Christ Himself. Jesus is both the gate and the way; no one reaches the Father apart from Him. And we do not walk alone. The Spirit indwells believers as Helper and Guide, giving peace in trouble and power for obedience so that love of neighbor becomes possible. This message refuses sentimentality and despair: it is honest about hell and radiant about grace. Choose the road that keeps company with Christ and practices the Golden Rule as a family resemblance, and you will find that the narrow way, though steep, is the best way to live.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram

What does it really mean to be a peacemaker in a world filled with conflict? The answer might surprise you. When Jesus declared, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” He wasn’t calling us to avoid conflict at all costs—He was inviting us into a revolutionary way of engaging with a fractured and hurting world.

The Greek word for peacemaker (eirēnopoios) appears only once in Scripture and describes someone who “bravely declares God’s terms and makes others whole.” This definition challenges the passive view of peace many of us hold. Jesus Himself said He came not to bring peace but a sword, revealing that true reconciliation sometimes requires confrontation. As the ultimate peacemaker, He overturned tables in the temple and rebuked religious leaders, showing that addressing injustice is essential to genuine peace.

This teaching explores three dimensions of biblical peacemaking. First, peace within ourselves, modeled by Jesus sleeping through a raging storm while His disciples panicked. Second, peace between people, demonstrated when Jesus crossed cultural boundaries to speak with the Samaritan woman at the well. Third, peace between humanity and God, accomplished through Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection. Each dimension shows that real peace demands courage, intentionality, and a readiness to step into difficult conversations for the sake of restoration.

The early church embodied this radical approach to peace through its diverse leadership and inclusive fellowship. From Pentecost onward, God’s people were called to break down racial, social, and cultural barriers through unity in Christ. Like leaven working through dough, this Kingdom peace transforms from the inside out—changing hearts, shaping communities, and ultimately influencing the world. As James writes, “A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

This session invites you to embrace that calling—to step beyond comfort, speak truth in love, and become an active participant in God’s redemptive work of reconciliation.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram

Prayer often feels like the spiritual practice we “should” be better at and secretly avoid. In Red Letters, Pastor Mark Medley takes us into Matthew 7:7–11, where Jesus reduces the complexity we put on prayer to three verbs: ask, seek, knock. Mark shows that this isn’t a technique but an invitation. The Father already knows our needs, yet He tells us to ask because prayer is relationship with His heart and partnership in His mission. Asking confesses our poverty of spirit. Seeking pursues God with hunger. Knocking persists when doors don’t open on the first try, not to wring blessings from a reluctant deity but to stay near a generous Father. Mark addresses delayed or denied requests through the lens of adoption and abiding: the Father sometimes says no, slow, or grow before He says go, shaping us for joy. Through the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah, we see that God remembers prayers we’ve forgotten and weaves answers into a larger plan. This message urges holy discontent in spiritual things, a renewed appetite to be with the Lord and then be sent by Him. In Jesus’ own words, the way forward is simple and sturdy: ask, seek, knock.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram

What if you could stop struggling to feel “spiritual enough” and start experiencing God through simple, honest connection? In this transformative session on Matthew 5:8—“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”—Brian Durfee unpacks Jesus’s radical redefinition of spiritual blessing and shows how purity of heart is rooted not in perfection, but in relationship.

When Jesus spoke the Beatitudes, He wasn’t addressing the religious elite. He was speaking to the common, overlooked people of Galilee—those who had been dismissed as spiritually unqualified. By calling them blessed, Jesus shattered conventional religious thinking. He revealed that God’s favor isn’t reserved for those with external success or spiritual credentials, but for those whose hearts are open and aligned with Him.

The key revelation in this teaching is liberating: purity is not something we achieve by religious effort, but something we receive through relational abiding. Drawing from Jesus’s words in John 15 about the vine and the branches, Brian reminds us that branches don’t struggle to produce fruit—they simply stay connected to the source. In the same way, “we become pure by staying close, not by trying harder.”

This insight changes how we view spiritual disciplines. Reading Scripture becomes less about fulfilling a checklist and more about encountering God in His Word. Prayer becomes less formal and more honest—an ongoing conversation with the One who already knows what’s in our hearts. Even small prayers like “God, give me the want to”—prayed in moments of dryness—can spark real transformation and renew our desire for His presence.

This session invites you to stop pretending with God and start being present with Him. It’s in those real, unguarded moments that we begin to see Him more clearly. As Brother Lawrence observed in Practicing the Presence of God, acknowledging Christ’s presence in the ordinary moments of life can reshape our entire spiritual experience.

Through this class, you’ll discover that a purified heart comes not from striving, but from abiding—and that the promise of “seeing God” is not only about eternity but about recognizing His nearness in the present. The door to experiencing Him is not locked by your past or your performance; it is opened through your presence with Him.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram