Encounter Church Henley

Lock In

Encounter Henley Welcomes Preacher: Josh Petrie "Am I meant for more than this?" It’s the question that drives every cinematic superhero from Tony Stark to Peter Parker, but as Josh Petrie explores in this challenging message, it is also the deepest question of the human heart. Drawing a line from the silver screen to the Great Commission, Josh examines the weight of conviction—that deciding moment where we choose to let our old selves die to become something new. Sharing his own journey of joining Encounter Church in 2019 with "no intention of staying," Josh illustrates how a single choice to move from spectator to participant changed his life’s trajectory. He challenges us to stop "domesticating" Jesus by treating church as a Sunday box to be checked. Instead, he calls for a community of Monday Invaders—people who carry the presence of Jesus into their workplaces, hallways, and the mess of real-life relationships. Key Takeaways * Conviction vs. Convenience: Why staying the same is often harder than choosing the transformation God calls us to. * The Handover: Understanding the Great Commission as Jesus passing the baton of His ministry to us. * Go vs. Attend: Trading the "Sunday spectator" lifestyle for a "Monday invader" identity. * Raised, Not Created: Why discipleship isn't a theology degree, but a season of being raised within a messy, authentic community. * The "Plus-One" Culture: Dealing with the heartbreak of the "no" and the persistent call to keep investing in others.

Greater Vision

Encounter Henley Welcomes Lead Pastor: Tim Littleford Are you feeling surrounded by "armies" of sickness, debt, or stress? It is easy to let what is visible dictate our reality, but as Pastor Tim Littleford explores in this powerful message, what is visible is often an incomplete picture. Drawing from the story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings, Tim challenges us to trade our "Enlightenment hangovers"—the tendency to separate the rational from the spiritual—for Greater Vision. We learn that the same Spirit that opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant to see chariots of fire is available to us today. As Encounter Church enters its third year, this episode is a call to move beyond "Supernatural Sundays" and let the reality of God’s unseen kingdom invade our Mondays. Discover how personal knowledge of God provides a confidence that doesn't just fight or flee, but faces every challenge with prayer. Key Takeaways * Visible vs. Real: Understand why the physical world is factual, but the spiritual realm is the ultimate reality. * The Elisha Confidence: How to develop a "fifth" survival mechanism: facing down danger with prayer. * The Enlightenment Trap: Why Western Christians struggle to talk about faith as "knowledge" rather than just "opinion." * Personal Knowledge: Moving from "watching the game" to "getting on the court" with the Holy Spirit. * God’s Vision for You: Why God’s dream for your life is 10x greater than any plan you could craft for yourself.

Believing Thomas

Encounter Henley Welcomes Pastor: Ashlee Littleford This week, Pastor Ashlee Littleford explores the tension between intellectual defense mechanisms and deep-seated heartbreak. Drawing from her own background in mathematics and coding, Ashlee challenges the idea that doubt is a moral failure. Instead, she looks at the story of "Doubting Thomas" to show that Jesus doesn't meet our skepticism with a physics lecture—He meets it with His wounds. In this episode, we discuss: * Why "weaponizing" ourselves with facts often keeps us barricaded in our own corners. * The psychological reality of cynicism as a defense mechanism against emotional overload. * The staggering statistics on why people leave the church when they experience doubt. * Why Jesus retained His scars in His resurrected body specifically to comfort the doubter. * How to move from seeking evidence to experiencing an encounter. Whether you’re holding up a shield of intellectualism or faking a certainty you don’t feel, this message is an invitation to drop the walls and bring the "absolute mess of your story" to a Savior who isn't afraid of your questions. Scripture Reference: John 20:24-29 "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'"

Ghostbusters

Encounter Henley Welcomes Preacher: Angus Green In this episode of the Encounter Church podcast, preacher Angus Green dives into the heart of the Christian faith: the physical resurrection of Jesus. Moving beyond Easter Sunday, Angus explores why the bodily resurrection isn't just a "nice story," but a grounded historical reality that changes how we live today. Using a clever (and spoiler-filled!) comparison to Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, Angus highlights the stark difference between a distant, "spiritual" ghost and the very real, fish-eating Jesus who invited his disciples to touch his scars. Key Highlights: * The Gandalf Comparison: Why Jesus’ resurrection is actually the opposite of Gandalf the White’s "otherworldly" return. * The Numbness of Familiarity: How to recapture the "weight" of the resurrection when we’ve become desensitized to the story. * Physical vs. Spiritual: Understanding why a purely "spiritual" resurrection would mean death hasn't actually been defeated. * Caterpillars and Butterflies: A powerful look at how our future resurrected bodies will be a transformation—not a replacement—of who we are now. * Hope Beyond Sentiment: Why the resurrection provides a "guaranteed promise" rather than just "blind optimism" in the face of grief and loss. Scripture References: * Luke 24: Jesus appears to the disciples and proves his physical form. * 1 Corinthians 15:14: "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." * Isaiah 53 & Hosea 6:2: The Old Testament patterns of suffering and restoration. * Philippians 3:20-21: The promise of our citizenship in heaven and transformed bodies. Connect with Encounter Church: Join us as we continue "The Resurrection Files" series. Whether you're a lifelong believer or just curious about the historical claims of Jesus, this message offers a grounded, encouraging look at the hope that death is not the end. "Our lives today matter. Restoration doesn’t begin after we die—it begins now." — Angus Green

Road to Emmaus

Encounter Henley Welcomes Lead Pastor: Tim Littleford Have you ever felt like God let you down? Maybe your life doesn’t look the way you expected, your career has stalled, or a prayer for healing went unanswered. John Maxwell famously said that disappointment is the gap between expectation and reality—but for a Christian, that gap can sometimes feel like an ocean between us and God. In this opening message of our new series, The Resurrection Files, Pastor Tim Littleford dives into the story of the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24) to show us how the resurrected Jesus meets us precisely in our moments of deepest disappointment. In This Episode, We Explore: * The "Emmaus" Escape: Why we often run toward comfort food, doom-scrolling, or old habits when God doesn’t do what we thought He would. * The Cost of the Story: A fascinating look at the historical "floor price" of Luke’s Gospel and why he invested so much to include this specific encounter with two "nobody" disciples. * The Perception Problem: Why the disciples' disappointment was actually based on a misunderstanding of reality—and how Jesus was doing something far better than they could have imagined. * Three Ways Jesus Meets Us: 1. In Scripture: Loving correction that realigns our perspective. 2. In the Breaking of Bread: Finding His presence in community and communion. 3. In the Burning Heart: The internal witness of the Holy Spirit when we contend in prayer. "Disappointment isn't usually with who God is; it's with what God has or has not done. Don't stuff it down—speak it out to Him." — Tim Littleford