What if the church's biggest problem isn't hatred, but the subtle ways we treat people differently? In this week's message from our "Integrated" series, Pastor Stephen Mizell confronts a truth that hits closer to home than we'd like to admit: we all have prejudices.

Drawing from James 2, this sermon challenges us to examine how we show favoritism—whether based on wealth, appearance, motivation, or countless other factors. Pastor Stephen reminds us that every person who walks through our doors is created in the image of God and deserves the same mercy we desperately need.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Everyone has prejudices—the question is how we respond to what we see
• Faith and favoritism cannot coexist in the life of a believer
• We want "TSA PreCheck mercy" for ourselves but "cavity search mercy" for others
• The royal law: Love your neighbor as yourself (James 2:8)
• Mercy triumphs over judgment because mercy looks like the King

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

• James 2:1-13
• Matthew 5:3 (Sermon on the Mount - Blessed are the poor in spirit)

This message will challenge you to ask: Who do I instinctively honor? Who do I subtly overlook? And if Jesus walked into our church as inconspicuously as He arrived in a manger, how would we treat Him?

What if the biggest lie you'll ever hear isn't from the culture, the media, or even the enemy - but from yourself? In this week's message from the book of James, Pastor Stephen Mizell tackles one of the most common problems in the church today: we're information-rich but obedience-poor.

Drawing from James 1:19-27, Pastor Stephen uses the powerful metaphor of a mirror to show how God's Word reveals who we really are. But here's the challenge: are we just glancing at our reflection and walking away unchanged, or are we allowing what we see to transform us?

• Why asking for "deep teaching" might actually be an excuse for disobedience
• The three big blockers that prevent us from hearing God (speaking too quickly, anger, and casual sin)
• How you can sit in church week after week and remain completely unchanged
• The dangerous tension between purity and compassion—and why we need both
• Why social justice without Jesus is no justice at all

"God's word reveals our reality, but our obedience is what releases our transformation."

ABOUT OPEN DOOR CHURCH
Open Door Church is located in Edenton, NC, where Pastor Stephen Mizell serves as lead pastor. We are a fellowship of believers whose lives are being transformed by Jesus Christ and are committed to reaching Northeastern North Carolina with the good news of Jesus Christ. We are an independent, non-affiliated fellowship with a love of Jesus that connects us to a larger purpose in life.

Start your year with powerful insight into how God uses pressure to refine your faith! In this first message of our new series "Integrated," Pastor Stephen unpacks James 1:1-18 to reveal why trials aren't meant to break us—they're meant to complete us.

Discover the difference between testing and temptation, learn why God allows difficulties in your life, and find out how endurance develops through patient faith. This message will challenge you to close the gap between what you believe and how you live.

Key Takeaways:

• Pressure reveals your integrity—it doesn't break it
• God tests you to strengthen you; sin tempts you to destroy you
• A faith that can't be tested can't be trusted
• God uses trials to refine you, not punish you
• Patient endurance leads to wisdom, wholeness, and the crown of life
• The question isn't IF you'll face pressure, but WHAT it will reveal about you

Scripture References: James 1:1-18 | Jeremiah 29:11-13 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

About This Series: Join us for "Integrated"—a 7-week journey through the book of James that will help close the gap between what we say we believe and how we actually live. It's time for an integrated life!

ABOUT OPEN DOOR CHURCH: Open Door Church is located in Edenton, NC, where Pastor Stephen Mizell serves as lead pastor. We believe in the transformative power of God's Word and the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

In this week's Advent sermon, Pastor Stephen Mizell challenges us to rethink everything we thought we knew about love. As we light the fourth Advent candle, discover why love isn't just a warm feeling or sentimental decoration—it's a Person you meet and a divine action that changes everything.

Drawing from 1 John 4:7-12, Pastor Stephen unpacks the profound truth that God doesn't just love—He IS love. This means love existed before creation, before redemption, and before the incarnation. We don't manufacture love; we can only reflect it. We don't generate it; we can only distribute it.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why the Bible never treats love as a decoration
• The difference between sentimental love and sacrificial love
• How the manger and the cross are inseparably connected
• Why your theology is only as good as your relationships
• The challenge of being God's "full expression" of love to the world
• A special word for those finding this Christmas season difficult

KEY QUOTE: "Christmas is not about God shouting from the mountaintops, 'I love you.' It's about Him whispering it from a manger."

This sermon includes a salvation invitation and a tender moment addressing those experiencing a "Blue Christmas"—anyone grieving loss, waiting for answered prayer, or finding the season less joyful than expected. Pastor Stephen reminds us that the good news of Christmas isn't that God avoided darkness, but that He stepped into it.

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:7-12, Romans 10:9

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Pastor Stephen Mizell serves as the lead pastor of Open Door Church in Edenton, North Carolina. His teaching combines biblical depth with practical application, helping people encounter Jesus in real and transformative ways.

Are you struggling to find joy this Christmas season? In this week's message, Pastor Stephen Mizell cuts through the shallow happiness of the holidays to reveal what real joy actually is—and where it comes from.

Through the lens of Mary's Magnificat prayer in Luke 1, discover how a teenage girl facing scandal, fear, and uncertainty chose to magnify God instead of her overwhelming circumstances. This isn't a feel-good Christmas message. It's a prophetic declaration that will challenge what you're focusing on in your own life.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why joy is not a season, reaction, or outcome—it's a revelation of who God is
• The surprising connection between magnifying God and experiencing joy
• How what we ruminate on eventually masters us (including politics, fears, and circumstances)
• Why Mary's ability to articulate her prayer at 12-16 years old was supernatural
• The power of remembering God's faithfulness when circumstances press in
• How traditions and rhythms help us look back and see God's hand in our lives

KEY QUOTE: "Joy is not found in what you hold—it's found in who holds you. Real joy is settled confidence that God is present even when life is painful."

PERFECT FOR: Anyone feeling overwhelmed by circumstances, struggling to find joy beyond temporary happiness, or needing to remember God's faithfulness during difficult seasons.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:45-55 (Mary's Magnificat)

Open Door Church
Edenton, NC Pastor
Stephen Mizell

In this powerful Advent message, Pastor Stephen Mizell explores how God brought peace to shepherds in a field before bringing it to a palace. Discover why peace isn't the absence of chaos, but the presence of Jesus Christ—and why it requires pursuit, not passivity.

The shepherds watching over sacrificial lambs were the first to hear the greatest announcement in history. Their story reveals profound truths about how God meets us in forgotten places, interrupts our ordinary moments, and transforms us from the inside out. If you're waiting for life to calm down before you can have peace, this message will challenge and encourage you.

Key Takeaways:

• Peace is not a place you escape to—it's a person you embrace
• God starts in the places the world has forgotten
• Peace begins when you realize you're not in control
• Anxiety lives in the gap between God's command and our action
• You can have peace even when your circumstances don't change
• Peace requires pursuit—you must move toward Jesus

Scripture References: Luke 2:8-20 (The Shepherds and the Angels)

Open Door Church
Edenton, NC Pastor
Stephen Mizell

🌐 Website: www.visitopendoor.com

Have you ever prayed for something so long that you stopped expecting the answer? In this powerful Advent message, Pastor Stephen Mizell explores the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth—a faithful couple who waited 40 years for a child while continuing to serve God in the temple.

Through their story found in Luke 1, discover a profound truth: God's silence isn't His absence. Sometimes heaven's delays aren't denials—God is preparing something bigger than what you're praying for.

In This Episode:

• Why biblical hope is different from wishful thinking—it's confident expectation based on God's character
• How Zechariah and Elizabeth's obedience positioned them for a miracle they'd stopped expecting
• The difference between faith that believes God "can" versus faith that serves Him even when He "doesn't"
• Why both Zechariah and Mary asked "how?" but received different responses from the angel
• What it means to "keep lighting the incense"—staying faithful in service while waiting for answers
• How God sometimes closes our mouth so He can open our understanding

Pastor Stephen challenges us with this question: What do you do when your prayers seem unanswered? The answer may surprise you—it's not to stop praying or stop serving, but to continue faithfully because hope is forged in consistency, not excitement.

This message kicks off Open Door Church's Advent series, preparing hearts for 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting beginning January 4th.

Key Quote: "Sometimes the most righteous people carry the heaviest crosses. Faith is not just believing God can—it's continuing to serve Him when He doesn't answer the way you expect."

Scripture Focus: Luke 1:5-25

In this Thanksgiving message, John Lassiter from Open Door Church's teaching team teaches about the spiritual discipline of remembering God's faithfulness. Drawing from Deuteronomy 8, John challenges us to slow down in our busy season and resist the cultural trap of comparison and entitlement.

Through vulnerable personal stories—from his journey as a school principal to watching his daughters get baptized—John illustrates the critical difference between pride that says "look what I did" and gratitude that says "look what God has accomplished through me." He reminds us that gratitude fades when memory fails, and that the greatest danger to our faith isn't trouble or hardship, but the forgetfulness that comes with comfort and success.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why gratitude doesn't come naturally and must be intentional
• The dangerous exchange: replacing dependency on God with confidence in self
• How blessings can make you forget the Blesser
• The reality that self-made faith and self-earned salvation don't exist
• Choosing between being the main character in your own story vs. an important character in God's eternal story
• Practical challenges for cultivating a lifestyle of gratitude

KEY SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 8:10-18

THREE THANKSGIVING CHALLENGES:

1. Make a list of blessings money cannot buy and praise God for them daily
2. Tell one person each day how God has been good to you
3. Give back where you have been blessed—ask God where He can use you

Whether you're lost in the wilderness or comfortable in your blessings, this message will recalibrate your perspective and inspire you to live with intentional gratitude this Thanksgiving season and beyond.