North Valley Baptist Church Preaching Podcast · North Valley Baptist Church

Paul’s Purpose – Dr. Jack Trieber

April 9, 2026·23 min·2 clips

Paul and Silas sang praises at midnight while beaten and locked in stocks.

The episode opens with Pastor Jack Trieber, who has led North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, California for approximately 50 years, welcoming his congregation on an evening when school is not in session the following day. He prays for the congregation and frames the sermon around Ephesians 3, where the Apostle Paul describes his own purpose. Trieber begins with the assertion that every person needs a purpose, listing ordinary occupations as legitimate callings before centering the church's ethos on the verse 'seek ye first the kingdom of God.' He establishes Paul as his primary case study, focusing first on Paul's identity as a prisoner. Trieber references a contemporary account of a Christian questioning God's actions, using it as a foil to Paul's uncomplaining acceptance of imprisonment and eventual execution. He then introduces the 1956 killing of five missionaries by Auca (now Huaorani) Indians, recalling the news coverage of his childhood, and notes that some of the perpetrators later converted and became pastors at the same church. This narrative is used to argue that God's purposes work through apparently tragic events. Trieber turns to personal observations about his own congregation, naming members who are suffering — through illness, abandonment by spouses, or physical disability — and arguing that their faithful endurance places them ahead of him in terms of heavenly reward. He singles out Brother Martinez as someone who ministers to ill members, and references Maria, a widow whose husband encouraged her continued church attendance before his death. Moving to Acts 16, Trieber recounts Paul and Silas being beaten and imprisoned in stocks at Philippi after their ministry disrupted commerce tied to idol sales. He highlights that at midnight they prayed and sang, then led the jailer and his household to faith after an earthquake opened the prison. He applies this to congregants who may have ankle bracelets or criminal records, urging them not to give up on God. Trieber identifies Paul's second purpose as that of a writer, noting Paul authored 14 New Testament books (including Hebrews in his count). He shares a personal anecdote about a fellow airline passenger noticing how heavily annotated his Bible was, describing his own experience preaching through Colossians over several months after it had previously been his least favorite book. He affirms King James Bible exclusivity and will not be debated on it. Trieber introduces Paul's third purpose — that of preacher and minister — derived from Ephesians 3:7, explaining that 'minister' means servant. He reflects on 50 years of pastoral care from the congregation, including meals brought during his wife's recent illness, while insisting his role is to bear their burdens, not to be honored. He reads Ephesians 3:8, where Paul calls himself 'less than the least of all saints,' using it to model pastoral humility. The sermon closes with a call for the congregation to be rooted and grounded in love, to comprehend the breadth and depth of Christ's love, and to recognize God's power working within them. He references Hans Nikolai and Jim Carey, long-serving members now deceased, as examples of faithful purpose. The closing prayer thanks God for the congregation's outreach work across five parks the previous day and reports over 10,000 in attendance at a recent church event.

As heard by us

A revival sermon about failure, repentance, and getting back to God.

Pastor Jack Treber shapes the sermon around Paul in Ephesians 3 and the prison scene in Acts 16, then turns that setup into a direct question about what God can do with a life that has gone wrong.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

When you need an old-fashioned revival sermon that moves from Ephesians to Paul, prayer, and praise.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from North Valley Baptist Church Preaching Podcast