We sit down with Charlie Gretzinger (Crossroads Tech Director) as we step into the world of the early church and follow Paul into the cultural pressure cooker of Thessalonica and Athens. We explore the twin “tsunamis” that confronted the gospel: religious nationalism that turned faith inward and proud, and Hellenism that exalted success, self, and material glory. These forces shaped the opposition Paul faced and mirror the pressures believers still experience today.

As Paul reasons in the marketplace and stands before the Areopagus, we see a model for taking faith into the public square—engaging ideas, culture, and power centers with clarity and courage. Beginning with God as Creator and confronting the city’s idols, Paul exposes how false gods enslave human desires and distort our understanding of life, purpose, and truth.

Preacher: Rod VanSolkema

Text: Acts 17

Sermon Link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like... Lily and Karl's Story. Lilly was raised in a genuine Christian home who walked through childhood trauma, years of anxiety, spiritual torment, and ultimately, profound freedom in Christ. From sexual abuse and the suicide of a close friend to a decade-long battle with fear and spiritual oppression, Lily shares how she learned that being a child of God doesn’t make you immune to spiritual attack—it puts you on the front lines of it.

Through Scripture, community, and Freedom in Faith Ministries she grew in her understanding of the authority she had in Christ. Lily discovered what it means to “take back ground” the enemy had stolen and to reclaim her identity, no longer defined by fear but by Christ.

The episode also features Karl, a filmmaker with a decades-long calling to tell “Kingdom Stories,” who shares how God orchestrated the timing, relationships, and vision that led to Lily’s story being told through film and podcast. In a beautiful picture of divine alignment, Karl and Lily both attended Crossroads, sitting only about ten feet from each other—yet they didn’t know one another. All the while, God was preparing both of them: Lily to be set free and to share her story, and Karl to be ready to tell it.

Rooahk Films: Rooahk is a digital platform using visual storytelling to showcase the movement of God, working with the Holy Spirit to speak into people’s lives. On our YouTube channel you'll find short films, podcast conversations and more, where we observe people's real life experiences, exploring how their lives have been transformed.

Freedom in Faith Ministries: Serving the Greater Grand Rapids community and beyond by bringing the hope of Jesus Christ to those who are hurting through biblical counseling.

Acts 16 places three people in the same story who should never be in the same room: a wealthy entrepreneur, a demonized slave girl, and a Roman jailer. Different status. Different wounds. Different levels of power. Yet each one carries the same desperate need for rescue. In this episode, we explore how all three answer the Macedonian cry, “Come help us,” and how God still pursues the achiever who is empty, the broken who are bound, and the comfortable who are spiritually asleep — bringing them not only to Christ, but into one family through the cross.