When Leaders Go Bad

May 18, 2025 • Jonathan Wolfgang

Give

About this series

It’s easy to call yourself a Christian. It’s a lot harder to live like one.

In this raw 5-week series, we dive into some of Jesus’ most jarring words in Matthew 7—calling out the judgment, hypocrisy, and hollow religion that make so many lose their way. Week by week, we’ll confront the instincts that trip us up: the need to criticize, the addiction to appearances, the craving for control.

But Jesus doesn’t just tear down false faith—He rebuilds something better.

Through honest stories, interactive moments, and gut-level Scripture engagement, we’ll rediscover the kind of faith that’s real: humble, self-aware, anchored in relentless love.

If you’ve ever been burned by the church—or caught yourself becoming the very thing you hated—this series is for you. It's time to trade performance for transformation, judgment for mercy, and dead religion for a living relationship.

About this message

People can be tough critics of many things in life—including the Church. For good reason. Research and real-life stories point to painful experiences like the absence of authentic community, moral failures, or even abuse within church walls. These wounds have left many disillusioned and betrayed by people who were supposed to reflect Christ. It’s one of the ways Christians have gotten it tragically wrong.

This Sunday, Wolfgang continues our series When Christians Get It Wrong – And How To Get It Right, looking at the final section of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In it, Jesus offers a sobering warning about false prophets—those who look trustworthy on the outside but lead others toward destruction. We’ll learn how to discern the difference between what’s real and what’s counterfeit, and how Jesus equips us to do just that. Because no matter who may have failed you in the past, Jesus never will. His is the only life truly worth following.