As we reach the end of our journey through the book of Acts, we now find Paul in Rome. Rome is not just a place for Paul in the first century, but it's also an image of the places where we live today too. What is Rome for us? How is the Church to live and exist in Rome? Listen in today as we learn together how the Church is to exist as an exile people, and to find our home in the hard places. Because that's what the Church is equipped for, and that's where the Gospel was made to go.
The Church: Submitting to the Way (Acts 24-26)
How do the way of politics and the Way of Jesus relate? In this sermon from November 14, Pastor Steven analyzes Paul's three interactions with three different politicians in Acts 24-26. How does Paul submit to the government? And ultimately how does he show the truer Way of Jesus? Listen in with us as we try learn together how to be faithful, submitting Christians in complicated political times.
The Church: Persecution With Hope (Acts 22-23)
Today is "International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians." Beautifully, our text in Acts leads us straight into Paul's reckoning with his own persecution - both his personal history being a persecutor of Christians and now being on the receiving end of persecution. What is persecution for a Christian? Why does it exist? What we learn from the Scriptures is that God more than just allows persecution of His followers - He actually also uses it for powerful purposes. And not just for Himself, but beautifully in personal ways for the people receiving persecution. Listen in to learn more of this mysterious, yet hard, blessing of God.
The Church: Discerning God's Will (Acts 21)
How do you make decisions? For Christians, how can you know what the "will of God" is? The Bible actually actually has a lot to say about both. Today's passage leads us to a healthy place of learning the craft of Holy Spirit "discernment." Listen in as we see how a disagreement between two parties actually turns into a beautiful portrait of how the church community works - leading others into truth, humility, and dependency on the Lord.
The Church: Embracing His Grace (Acts 20)
Are you a hugger? What's the difference between an awkward, uncomfortable bear hug and a true embrace? Listen in with us today as we see how God's grace given to us in the Gospel of Jesus is God's true embrace of us. Not even our fragility can keep God from opening His arms to us. Rather, dispensing His grace in full, God embraces us so we can embrace others with that same transformative grace.
The Church: Equipping the Saints (Acts 19)
In Acts 19, we see and learn something important about why the Church exists. In the challenging city of Ephesus, where witchcraft and magic arts was commonplace, we learn the importance of not just being a Christian, but of also being equipped to be a Christian. What does that bring? What does that require? What does that kind of equipping do? Listen with us today to learn about the power of the Holy Spirit in equipping believers - even making us able to give up other alluring spiritual forces.
The Church: Community In, For & With Jesus (Acts 18)
What is Christian community? What is unique about the Church? As thousands from around the country and the world flood to our city during the month of October, what are they seeing about the reality of the Church? Listen in today as we hear from Alan Vance about the power of Christian community. And what's the secret to this unique community? Centrally, it is all about the person of Jesus Christ.
The Church: For Every Culture (Acts 17)
Through the book of Acts, on his missionary journeys Paul encounters cultures of many varieties and with great diversity. Acts 17 is the climactic place where we wrestle with the question, "How does the Gospel relate to culture?" Join us today as we watch how Paul universally brings the Gospel with unique beauty into three different cultures - Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. How does Paul show us how to relate the Gospel to our culture of today?
The Church: Praying and Singing (Acts 16)
Nothing good happens after 11pm, right? Well what then leads Paul, Silas, and Timothy to sing at midnight in the darkness of a jail cell in the city of Philippi? Listen in today as we take a journey in our heart to find where prayers and songs come from and what they do. Especially in the midnight hours of our life.
The Church: Mundane and Glorious (Acts 15)
As we return to our ongoing series through the book of Acts, we zoom in today on a church meeting where conflict is occurring. Sound likes a lot of churches even in the modern day! But what we learn in today's sermon is that it is actually in the mundane of church governance where the glory of God shines glorious. Listen in as we see how the predominantly Jewish early Church brings in the new and large Gentile-believing community. They choose not to add on extra burdens, but to instead rely on the same grace they received themselves.
The Church: Sent (Acts 13-14)
At the core of the Church's identity is the idea that it has been "sent out" into the world. This week's sermon focuses on the various "places" that make up how the Church is sent - the place of change, the place of sending, and the place of mission. Listen in as we discover together how the joy of a heart changed by Jesus explodes into the world, fueled by mission and released with grace and purpose.
The Church: Little Christs (Acts 11:19-12:25)
What is a "Christian"? This may seem like a silly question to ask because it has an obvious answer. But as the first followers of Jesus Christ are identified by this title for the first time in Antioch in Acts 11, it's good for us to pause and think deeper about what this means. So join in today as we learn the 13 things that the text tells us "Christians" are. But more than simply memorizing those 13 things, we learn deeper today that "Christians" are nothing more or less than those who image Christ, and become little versions of Him in our world.
The Church: Uncommon (Acts 10:1-11:18)
The story of Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10-11 is told 3 separate times throughout those chapters. Because it's told three times, it must mean we need to really listen well to what is being told through that story! This sermon is about a clarion call to the global Church for all times - "God shows no partiality" (Acts 10:34) and the Church is for Jews and Gentiles. Listen in as we learn about what makes the Church uncommon in world always, and how the Olympic Games and NBA Finals give us examples.
The Church: Never Too Far (Acts 9:1-31)
It's amazing how one person can make such an impact. In today's famous story, we learn about Saul of Tarsus' well-known conversion on the road to Damascus. But even deeper, we see the ever-extending grace of God at work in powerful ways. Join us today as we feel and experience the Pursuer God, relentlessly and extravagantly changing the course of history by transforming one man. And He uses His Church to do the good work!
The Church: Scattered For a Purpose (Acts 8)
After the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 7, the Church is scattered away from Jerusalem and into the rest of the region because of intense persecution. At first glance, this seems to be problematic for the advance of the Gospel. But as we peer into Acts 8, quite to the contrary, we read two extraordinary stories: one with a magician and one with an Ethiopian - both of whom come to faith in Jesus through the obedience of Philip to the call of the Holy Spirit. In today's sermon, Alan Vance focuses on the story of the Ethiopian eunuch and the power of God's Word to change lives... at any point and in any place.
The Church: Servants in the Story (Acts 6-7)
How can the Church be of use in the modern world? This is a question many have begun to ask in recent decades. With so many humanitarian aid agencies, NGOs, non-profits, and a rising spirit of volunteerism, what possibly can the Church add? In today's sermon, we look at how the early Church remarkably responded - in a posture of humility and with a passion for the Grand Story - to a rising need in their community. We learn about the origin of a vision for "deacons" and what their important role is in the life of the Church. What we see through these deacons - with the light shining ultimately on the bold & gracious person of Stephen, is that the Church exists as the ultimate Servant People, with the One Story that can bring lasting hope to the world.
The Church: Changed by Grace (Acts 4:31-5:42)
The best definition and evidence of the of the Church is "grace." As we listen to a story today that causes fear in the early Church, we see that God takes seriously the genuineness of our actions done in His Name. But He also abundantly pours out His grace on His Church, empowering and changing them into a beautiful outpost of hope and care for our broken world. Listen in today as we explore the two evidences of grace, and the one lurking danger of grace in the story of Ananias and Sapphira.
The Church: Bold With the Gospel (Acts 4:1-31)
There may be nothing more scary for the modern day Christian than the admonition to "share your faith" with others. But when we look at the early Church, particularly at John and Peter in Acts 4, we see a unique flavor of Gospel boldness. It's not a burden, but rather a belief. Listen in as we learn about how to unlock a boldness that is freeing, and not forced. The short answer? Genuine time with Jesus - the only way to true life.
The Church: In Jesus' Name (Acts 3:1-26)
In today's Scripture, a remarkable event occurs... and it's not the healing of a lame beggar! Rather, "in Jesus' Name" Peter and John bring this man and all the onlookers more than they expected. Listen in today as we see how the power of the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth brings about more than we ever could have dreamed or imagined... even more than eternity. "God is on the move!"
The Church: Unique in the World (Acts 2:42-47)
The earliest Church must have looked really strange in the Roman Empire. Selling their houses and meeting together every day? Giving generously to the poor and the outcasts? All this (and more) is what makes the Church unique in the world. Listen in today to learn more about how these earliest believers in Jesus uniquely came together to form a fellowship that would change the world forever.