Following Jesus was never meant to stop at belief. It was always meant to move into mission.

In this closing sermon of the Encounters with Christ series, John Gunter explores what happens after people meet Jesus. Looking at John 20 and Luke 24, we find disciples hiding behind locked doors, weighed down by fear and uncertainty. We also find travelers on the road to Emmaus, disappointed that life had not gone as they had hoped.

Into both stories, Jesus comes near.

He speaks peace before they fix their fear. He walks with them before they understand what He is doing. Then He sends them out with purpose and with the gift of the Holy Spirit. This message calls us to live as people who are not just changed, but sent.

Key Themes:

• Jesus meets us in fear and uncertainty
• Peace comes before clarity
• Disappointment does not mean God is absent
• Those who encounter Jesus are sent into the world with purpose

📖 Scriptures: John 20:19–22, Luke 24:13–35, Psalm 46:10

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Resistance often looks like control, pride, or protecting our image. Jesus meets us there.

In this message, John Gunter walks through the story of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector who was wealthy but isolated. Though rejected by others, Zacchaeus was also holding onto a life shaped by power and gain. Yet his curiosity led him to seek Jesus, and in a moment that defied cultural expectations, Jesus called him by name and chose to stay at his house.

This encounter reveals that transformation does not begin with perfection. It begins with surrender. Zacchaeus responds not because he was forced, but because his heart was changed in the presence of Christ.

This sermon also challenges the listener to consider the posture of the crowd. While Zacchaeus moves toward Jesus, others resist through judgment and pride. The question becomes personal. Are we drawing near, or are we holding back?

Key Themes:

• The danger of pride and protecting our image
• Jesus seeks those others have written off
• True change flows from an encounter with Christ
• Grace invites surrender, not performance

📖 Scriptures: Luke 19:1–10, John 10:3, Luke 5:31–32

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Long suffering can wear down even the strongest faith. Jesus meets us there.

In this message, John Gunter explores the story of the woman who had been suffering for twelve years. Her condition left her isolated, exhausted, and without answers. Yet in a moment of hope and desperation, she reaches out to Jesus and experiences immediate healing.

This sermon highlights the power of faith, even when it is small. It also exposes the weight of shame and how it keeps people from stepping toward Christ. Jesus does not respond with rejection. He responds with compassion, calling her daughter and restoring both her health and her identity.

Through this encounter and the surrounding story of Jairus’ daughter, we are reminded that Jesus has power over both long suffering and even death itself.

Key Themes:

• Faith does not have to be perfect to be powerful
• Shame loses its power when it is brought into the light
• You can be near Jesus and still miss a true encounter
• God is still working even when the answer feels delayed

📖 Scriptures: Mark 5:25–34, Leviticus 15:25–27, Numbers 15:38–39, Malachi 4:2, Romans 5:8, Hebrews 4:15–16

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Shame tells you that you are unworthy. Jesus tells you to stand up and walk free.

In this message, John Gunter explores the encounter between Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. Publicly exposed and facing condemnation, she stands in the center of accusation. The religious leaders demand judgment. Jesus responds with wisdom, truth, and mercy.

This sermon addresses the weight of shame and the danger of selective judgment. While Scripture is clear about sin, it is equally clear about grace. Jesus does not ignore wrongdoing, but He refuses to weaponize it. Instead, He offers forgiveness and calls us into a transformed life.

Key Themes:

• The hypocrisy of selective outrage
• The difference between condemnation and conviction
• The freedom found in Christ’s mercy
• Living transformed instead of trapped in shame

📖 Scriptures: John 8:1–11, Romans 3:23, Psalm 130:3, Hebrews 4:15–16, Titus 2:11–12, Romans 6:1–2, 2 Corinthians 5:21

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Being religious is not the same as being transformed.

In this message, John Gunter explores the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus in John chapter 3. Nicodemus represents the curious, the moral, and the spiritually serious. Yet Jesus confronts him with a truth that cuts through effort and heritage. Unless one is born from above, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

This sermon reminds us that salvation is not inherited, achieved, or reasoned into existence. It is received. God gives a new heart. The Spirit produces life. The invitation is not to control the process but to surrender to it.

Key Themes:

• The difference between curiosity and transformation
• The limits of religious effort
• The promise of a new heart and new Spirit
• Trusting God rather than trusting our own systems

📖 Scriptures: John 3:1–9, John 1:12–13, Ezekiel 36:25–27, 2 Corinthians 3:5–6, 1 John 1:7

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Something happens when we truly encounter Jesus.

In this first sermon of the Encounters with Christ series, John Gunter explores John chapter 6 and the feeding of the crowd. The people follow Jesus because they were filled physically. Jesus calls them to something deeper. He points them beyond temporary provision and declares Himself to be the Bread of Life.

This message invites us to look honestly at our own hearts. Are we seeking Jesus for what we can receive, or are we willing to be transformed by who He is? God does not merely satisfy surface-level needs. He offers life, renewal, and eternal hope.

Key Themes:

• The difference between provision and transformation
• The danger of chasing temporary satisfaction
• Jesus as the true Bread of Life
• A call to respond personally to Christ

📖 Scriptures: John 6:26–35, John 6:51, Deuteronomy 8:3, Isaiah 55:2, Psalm 34:8, 1 John 4:9–10

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Faith does not require full understanding. It requires trust.

In this final sermon of the Not Alone series, John Gunter reflects on Psalm 131 and the posture of quiet, humble trust before God. Life often leaves us with unanswered questions and unresolved tension. Scripture does not promise clarity in every season, but it does promise God’s presence.

This message calls listeners to release pride, ambition, and the burden of control. Trust is not passivity. It is an active choice to place our lives in the hands of a faithful God who sees what we cannot and works in ways we do not expect.

Key Themes:

• Letting go of the need to control outcomes
• Learning to quiet the soul in God’s presence
• Trusting God when clarity is missing
• Resting in the promises of a faithful Lord

📖 Scriptures: Psalm 131, Proverbs 20:24, Matthew 11:28–29, Psalm 62:1–2, Psalm 46:10

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You were never expected to change by your own strength. God takes responsibility for the transformation.

In this week’s message, John Gunter reminds us that God promised to remove hearts of stone and give hearts of flesh. This is not a demand to perform. It is an invitation to surrender. Whether from Ezekiel or Psalm 51, Scripture shows that change starts when we step aside and allow God to do what only He can. His Spirit lives in us. His grace covers us. And His power transforms us.

Key Themes:

• Transformation is God's work, not ours
• The Spirit of God lives in us and gives us freedom
• Every believer is a work in progress and a new creation
• There is no sin too great for God’s mercy

📖 Scriptures: Ezekiel 36:26–27, Jeremiah 31:33, Psalm 51:10, Romans 8:26, 2 Corinthians 3:16–18, Romans 12:2, Philippians 1:6, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17

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