Zoe Church LA

In this message, Pastor Chad Veach teaches from Mark 4:35–41 about the wind and waves of life. The disciples were in a storm not because they had done something wrong, but because they had obeyed Jesus and followed Him into the boat. Pastor Chad reminds us that we can do everything right and still find ourselves in a storm. Storms often arrive without warning and when we are already tired, but they don't mean God has abandoned us. In fact, the storm can be part of the path God is using to strengthen, prepare, and reveal us.

Pastor Chad encourages us not to allow what is happening on the outside to get on the inside. We may not be able to control the wind and waves around us, but we can choose where we place our faith. He emphasizes the importance of godly community and being careful who we “panic with,” because we need people who will remind us to trust God when fear takes over. The message ultimately points us back to Jesus: He is Lord, He is in control, He is our Good Shepherd, our provider, our healer, and He is with us in the boat.

The central encouragement is to keep putting your faith in Jesus and don't quit. There is purpose and destiny on the other side of the storm, and God can use difficult seasons to prepare us for what comes next. Most importantly, Pastor Chad reminds us that Jesus' presence matters more than His power—if His presence is with us, so is His power. Even when it feels like God is sleeping through our storm, He was there the whole time.

In “I Got the Power,” Pastor Chad Veach concludes the freedom series by teaching that believers cannot live free through their own strength—they need the power of the Holy Spirit. Freedom is received, learned, and fought for, but the ability to stay free comes from God. Drawing from Acts 1, Pastor Chad explains that Jesus told His disciples not to begin their mission until they had received the Holy Spirit’s power. The Holy Spirit is not an optional part of following Jesus; He is essential for overcoming the addictions, unforgiveness, lust, greed, comparison, and other chains that try to pull us back into bondage.

Pastor Chad describes this relationship in two ways: “The Holy Spirit is in me for me” and “The Holy Spirit is on me for others.” Within us, the Holy Spirit teaches, guides, comforts, convicts, strengthens, transforms, and continually points us toward Jesus. Upon us, He gives spiritual gifts that enable us to serve and strengthen others. As Pastor Chad puts it, “The Holy Spirit is in me to form Jesus in me. He is on me so that Jesus flows from me.”

Ultimately, freedom isn't meant to end with us. God sets us free for worship, relationship, and mission. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to take the freedom they've received into their everyday lives, allowing God to use ordinary conversations, relationships, workplaces, and unexpected encounters to reach others. The challenge is to surrender control and say, “Here I am, your servant. Use me as you see fit.” When we depend on the Holy Spirit, we don't simply experience freedom ourselves—we become people God can use to help others find freedom too.

In this Anniversary Sunday message, Pastor Chad Veach celebrates 11 years of Zoe Church while challenging believers to fight for the freedom Jesus has given them. Freedom is first received, then learned, but it must also be fought for. Drawing from Galatians 5:1, Pastor Chad declares, “I’m standing because I’m staying.” Following Jesus requires a determination not to return to old thinking, relationships, habits, jealousy, greed, or anything else that once held us in bondage. Staying free means standing firm in Christ, surrounding ourselves with community, and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus instead of becoming distracted by what is happening in other people’s lives.

Pastor Chad also teaches that fighting for freedom means knowing when to stand and when to run. Using Peter walking on water and Joseph fleeing Potiphar’s wife, he shows that there are moments when believers must intentionally run from environments, relationships, temptations, and compromises that could destroy their destiny. Freedom is too valuable to play around with the things that once kept us bound. As Pastor Chad puts it, “You can have my jacket, but you can’t jack my calling.”

Ultimately, freedom isn't meant to be used selfishly. God sets us free so that we can serve others and become planted in community. Reflecting on Zoe Church’s 11-year journey, Pastor Chad emphasizes that the church was built through people who decided, “It’s not about what we can get anymore, it’s about what we can give.” The call is to stand in freedom, serve the house of God, stay connected to people, and use the story of what God has done in our lives to help others find freedom too.

In this message, Pastor Mark Varughese teaches that the greatest threats to our spiritual fruitfulness are not always the obvious problems around us, but the hidden issues growing within us. Using Jesus’ parables of the soils and the wheat and tares, he distinguishes between the tares around us—people, circumstances, disappointments, and offenses—and the thorns within us—unforgiveness, resentment, fear, anxiety, cynicism, pride, and unbelief. The tares may be visible, but the thorns are what choke the Word of God and keep our lives from producing thirty-, sixty-, and hundredfold fruit.

Pastor Mark explains that believers must learn to “garden” their hearts. Guarding the heart does not mean isolating ourselves from people; it means allowing God to remove the attitudes and wounds that do not belong there. Rather than constantly changing jobs, churches, relationships, or circumstances, we are called to deal honestly with what those experiences have produced inside us. The person may have caused the pain, but the condition of our heart remains our responsibility.

Ultimately, this message is an invitation to daily surrender. A little daily gardening is better than waiting for a major spiritual crisis. Pastor Mark encourages believers to pray regularly, “Create in me a clean heart,” and trust God as the divine gardener who knows exactly what needs to be removed. Jesus wore a crown of thorns so we would not have to carry thorns in our hearts, and when we let God do His work within us, our lives can become healthy, free, and fruitful.

In part two of the “Rent Free” series, Pastor Chad Veach preaches a message titled “No Turning Back,” challenging believers to stop romanticizing the very things God delivered them from. Using the Israelites in Numbers 11, he shows how they were physically free from Egypt but still craved their old life. Pastor Chad explains that freedom is received, freedom is learned, and freedom is fought for—and learning to live free means refusing to linger in old relationships, habits, mindsets, lusts, and patterns. “God can get you out of Egypt, but it take a long time to get Egypt out of you.”

Drawing from Lot’s wife, Paul’s instruction to flee youthful lusts, and his own experiences, Pastor Chad urges the church to “don’t look back and don’t stir up.” Instead of constantly revisiting the past, believers are called to throw off their old life and embrace the new life Jesus has given them. He challenges listeners to examine what needs to be removed during 21 days of prayer and fasting—old attitudes, thinking patterns, speech, relationships, and anything else pulling them away from God. As he puts it, “Don’t tolerate where you’re going. Celebrate where you’re going.”

Ultimately, Pastor Chad calls believers to “feed your future.” Rather than sowing back into the life God rescued us from, we should invest in where God is taking us: “Sow where you wanna go.” Staying free isn't accomplished through human effort alone, but by continually being filled with the Holy Spirit. The same God who delivered you is faithful to sustain you and complete the work He started. Your past may explain where you've been, but it doesn't determine where you're going—there's no turning back.