Mercy Culture Waco

When you abide in Jesus you abide in Joy | Ps Seth | MC Waco

In this message, Pastor Seth touches on the attribute of Joy produced in the Fruit of the Spirit. Ps Seth explains that Joy is not merely a fleeting feeling or momentary high—it is a deep, abiding reality that comes from a relationship with Jesus. That, unlike happiness, which is natural, common, and often tied to circumstances, joy is supernatural, holy, and rooted in grace. It cannot be manufactured through behavior modification, dopamine hits, pharmaceuticals, or even by striving to "be happy." Joy is not the world’s to give—it is the Lord’s, and it is received, not rehearsed. True joy is found in the presence of God; it comes from abiding in Jesus, and when we abide in Him, we also abide in His joy. As we seek the Lord daily, He lifts the heavy burdens from our shoulders, reminding us that joy is not determined by what’s around us, but by who is within us. If your circumstances determine your joy, those same circumstances will eventually steal it. But the joy of the Lord is constant because it flows from an encounter with God Himself. So don’t overlook His presence—when you recognize His joy, you are recognizing Him.
The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com 

Culture with Mercy Culture | Pastor Les & Pastor Nikki Cody | MC Waco

This week, Pastors Les and Nikki Cody are joined by fellow Mercy Culture pastors from various campuses, including Pastor Chris Cheema, Pastor Ben Meckel, and Pastor Evelyn Luciano. Together, this panel of pastors discusses the culture of Mercy Culture and the values the Lord established when giving vision to the ministry.
 
The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com 
 

Patience pleases the Lord | Pastor Les Cody | MC Waco

In this powerful message, Ps. Les Cody explores the spiritual attribute of patience, a vital component of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Drawing deeply from 1 Samuel 1, he highlights the life and character of Hannah, whose long-suffering and heartfelt prayers serve as a profound example of godly patience. Ps. Les also references other Heroes of Faith, showing how patience was a defining trait in their journey toward God's promises.
Throughout the message, Ps. Les contrasts the fruits of impatience—such as impulsiveness, complaining, self-reliance, and anxiety or fear—with the fruits of patience, which include calmness, strength, endurance, diligence, and a sense of being unbothered or at peace. He challenges believers to reflect on the state of their inner world and to learn how to rule over their spirit, a biblical concept that emphasizes spiritual maturity and emotional control.
The teaching provides practical steps for developing patience, not as a passive waiting, but as an active spiritual discipline. Ps. Les encourages believers to cultivate patience by embracing a kingdom perspective, practicing gratitude, choosing joy, and most importantly, surrendering control to God. These heart postures allow believers to endure trials with grace and hope.
A central and transformative point in the message is the understanding that suffering is not always a curse or a sign of God's absence, but can often be a response to prayer—a divine preparation for the promise to come. Just as Hannah’s barrenness led her into deeper dependence on God and ultimately to the birth of Samuel, our own times of waiting and struggle may be God's way of shaping us for something greater.
This message is a call to spiritual maturity, urging us to trust God's timing, submit to His process, and grow in the character of Christ through patience.
The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com 

The Fruit of Peace | Pastor Les Cody | MC Waco

In this message, Pastor Les Cody offers a profound exploration of Peace—one of the key attributes produced by the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Centering his teaching on the well-known passage from Matthew 8:23-27, where Jesus calms the storm, Pastor Les highlights the divine authority Jesus exercises over nature's chaos. He emphasizes how this moment is not just a miracle of calming the sea, but a powerful illustration of how Christ brings order, stability, and serenity into the turbulent situations of our lives.
Pastor Les explains that peace is not simply the absence of conflict but the presence of divine order that comes from aligning one's life with God's will. He points out that resisting the things of God—whether through disobedience, fear, or pride—invites turmoil and confusion, effectively driving peace out of one’s life.
Throughout the message, Pastor Les identifies five characteristics or forces that symbolize the spirit of chaos, which can disrupt spiritual, emotional, and relational well-being. In contrast, he provides three practical and spiritual strategies to cultivate and maintain peace, even in the midst of life’s storms. These include finding peace through his presence, permission and perspective.
Ultimately, the message empowers believers to not just endure chaos, but to take spiritual authority over it—mirroring Jesus’ example—and to invite the Holy Spirit's peace into every area of their lives.
The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com 

Shame Go | Lead Pastor Les Cody | MC Waco

In this message Pastor Les Cody teaches on the topic of Shame. Drawing from Matthew 27:27-37, He teaches us that “Nakedness is connected to Sin & Shame.” Pastor Les gives us Three things that need to be understood about shame, and warns us that Living in shame is saying “My sin is greater than the Cross.” Jesus took our shame, so we could be clothed in His glory, but If you don’t understand the mercy of God then you will stay in shame. 
 
The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com 

The Lord Requires Goodness | Lead Pastor Landon Schott | Mc Waco

In this message, Pastor Landon Schott teaches on Goodness, an essential attribute of the Fruit of the Spirit. Drawing from Genesis 50, he emphasizes that the Goodness of the Lord is evident in every situation, circumstance, and trial—even those intended for harm, as God will use them for good. Pastor Landon addresses five common misconceptions that distort the true nature of God’s goodness, warning against teachings that misrepresent His character. He emphasizes that God is inherently good and calls believers to reflect the goodness of God in their lives—not as a means to earn His love, but as a response to it. Through this teaching, Pastor Landon encourages a deeper understanding of divine goodness and challenges believers to embody it daily.
The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com 

Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control | Senior Leader Pastor Landon Schott | MC Fort Worth

In this message from Mercy Culture Fort Worth, Pastor Landon Schott guides listeners through the importance of self-control, a vital Fruit of the Spirit. Drawing from Luke 22:47 and various biblical texts, Pastor Landon emphasizes that self-control, an evidence of a relationship with the Holy Spirit, involves the spirit-empowered ability to rule over one's desires, thoughts, emotions, and actions in alignment with God's word. He dispels misconceptions about self-control being purely willpower and instead highlights its divine and essential nature for godly living. Throughout the episode, Pastor Landon encourages self-reflection, focusing on areas like thoughts, fleshly desires, emotions, and words where self-control is crucial. He shares personal and biblical anecdotes, underscoring that though challenging, self-control is attainable with the Holy Spirit's guidance. This message aims to inspire believers to understand the spiritual warfare aspect of self-control, ultimately leading to a more fruitful and righteous life.
The vision of Mercy Culture Church is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
One of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com

Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness | Lead Pastor Les Cody | MC Waco

This week Pastor Les Cody continues the series, Fruit of The Spirit, expanding our understanding of Kindness and what it means to truly be kind. Focusing on scriptures from Galatians 5, he highlights the importance of asking The Lord where we lack fruit and where we can become fully dependent upon The Spirit. Further, Pastor Les describes how the spirit of the age demands you to be “nice” at the expense of being “Kind.” True love expresses itself through truth-filled kindness.  When your version of “kindness" prioritizes someone’s comfort over their transformation, that’s not Christlike humility—it’s pride masquerading as compassion. Real kindness doesn’t serve your reputation; it serves theirs! 
 
The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com 

Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness | Pastor Matt Wakefield | MC Waco

Right now we are in a season of required fruit! In this message, Pastor Matt Wakefield teaches on the Fruit of the Spirit of Gentleness. He defines Gentleness as Strength under control, submitted to God, and teaches us multiple practical ways that we can develop the Fruits of the Spirit. What fruit are you producing in your life? Will the world partake of the fruit you produce and taste and see that the Lord is good or smell that the fruit is rotten?
The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com 

Fruit of the Spirit: Revelation of Love | | Lead Pastor Les Cody | MC Waco

In this powerful sermon, Pastor Les Cody teaches us about the "Fruit of the Spirit" and the spiritual growth that comes from a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Drawing from Galatians 5:22-23, he explains how the fruits of the spirit in action are evidence of a life submitted to the Spirit. Using the metaphor of a fig tree, Pastor Les emphasizes that God is requiring His people to bear fruit, not just go through the motions of religion. He challenges us to examine what spiritual fruit might be missing from our lives and how we can cultivate it. With insights from Galatians, Pastor Les highlights the ongoing battle between the flesh and the Spirit and encourages us to overcome by walking in the Spirit daily. This message is a call to spiritual maturity and a deeper relationship with God, as we strive to bear fruit that reflects His love and power in our lives.
The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.
At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community.
To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com