SERIES: ACTS-Church Meets World
Fall 2018
08-26-18 Pentecost
August 26, 2018 • Pastor Chris Weatherly
The ushering in of Jesusʼkingdom started with the cross and resurrection and the next phase happened at Pentecost. Where we learn that the Holy Spirit came down on those gather just like the spirit came down on the tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament.
09-02-18 What Must We Do?
September 2, 2018 • Pastor George Gasperson
If God’s plan is to accomplish His will on earth by working through His church (and it is), and if Jesus has given us the task of carrying the Kingdom of God into our world (and He has), and if He has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us (and He has), then how do we go about partnering with the Holy Spirit? What does that look like? What must we do?
09-09-18 Seeing Through Spiritual Eyes
September 9, 2018 • Pastor George Gasperson
When the Kingdom of God shows up in an unbeliever’s life, they will need someone to help them see and interpret God’s moving through spiritual eyes. People who are not Christ followers lack the ability to recognize the significance of a spiritual event. That’s our topic for this week.
9-16-18 The Importance of Inner Purity
September 16, 2018 • Pastor George Gasperson
This week we’ll see how Satan tries to corrupt the church by corrupting the hearts of its members. In Chapters 4 and 5 of Acts, we read the story of a husband and wife who fell prey to Satan’s scheme and paid the ultimate price for what they did.
9-23-18 Risks & Rewards
September 23, 2018 • Pastor George Gasperson
Taking the Gospel into the world is not child’s play. It’s not for the faint of heart. There are risks, but the risks are worth facing because of the rewards of changed lives and saved souls. In today’s Scripture story, there are risks that the church faced by taking the Gospel to the world, but there are also see some rewards.
09-30-18 Kingdom Minded Confrontation
September 30, 2018 • Pastor Chris Weatherly
In Acts 6:8 through the end of chapter 7, we see the final culmination of an escalating tale of two temples. On one hand you have the representatives of the Old Temple model who keep breathing threats, and on the other hand you have the body of Christ as represented in his followers who are committed to sharing His kingdom with others. This hostile standoff between two groups results in the stoning of Stephen, but through it all we can learn how to deal with difficult conversations.
10-07-18 The People You'll Meet
October 7, 2018 • Pastor George Gasperson
The Christians are scattered, the Gospel is being spread, and the narrative focuses in on one particular believer-Philip. Philip flees to Samaria, and as he shares the Good News with the Samaritans, he runs into different types of people who respond differently to his words. When we take the Gospel into our world, we’ll encounter different types of people who will react to our message in different ways. How should we respond to their reactions?
10-14-18 Surprised By God
October 14, 2018 • Pastor George Gasperson
Last week we saw the young Christian church come under sudden and severe persecution. Fleeing for their lives, they shared the Gospel message with people they met along the way. Philip fled to Samaria, where our story begins. There are four places in the narrative where the characters find themselves in places you might be today: in difficult, frustrating, or confusing circumstances, only to be surprised by God.
10-21-18 Satan's Conversion Story
October 21, 2018 • Pastor Chris Weatherly
Paul’s story is a powerful story of a man passionate in his beliefs but completely misguided. Jesus stepped in a redirected him to most important mission that ever existed. In changes his direction, He brought people into his life to love him (Ananias) and to stand in the gap for him (Barnabus). Like paul we often get misdirected and need Jesus to step in to bring change. We also need to be more like Ananias who despite fear still on faith went to Paul, and like Barnabus we need to willingly step in the gap for people new to the faith.
10-28-18 Salvation For Everyone
October 28, 2018 • Pastor George Gasperson
In today’s Scripture, we will see the first Gentile conversion to Christianity. But in order for Gentiles to be incorporated into the Christian fellowship, things would have to change. A new paradigm would need to be adopted. Jews and Gentiles would have to relate to each other differently. The definition of what it means to be God’s child would have to change. Watch how God changes the thinking of Peter and the other believers so that these new Gentile converts can be accepted into the Kingdom and the church.
11-11-18 Defining Salvation
November 11, 2018 • Pastor George Gasperson
A new process was starting to happen in the Christian church- something which disturbed and alarmed many Jewish Christians. Gentile converts were being welcomed into the fellowship by baptism without the requirement of circumcision! They were becoming Christians without first becoming Jews! It was one thing for the Jewish leaders to give their approval to the conversion of Gentiles, but could they be OK with approving conversion to Christianity without conversion to Judaism at the same time? This week, we’ll see the church leaders struggle to deal with this issue.
11-18-18 Paul In Athens
November 18, 2018 • Pastor George Gasperson
Paul found himself in a city that was culturally sophisticated and aesthetically beautiful, yet morally decadent and spiritually bankrupt.Religion, they believed, was fine as long as one doesn’t take it too http://seriously.these words could describe the condition of our culture, http://too.we have never been more sophisticated, more advanced, yet more spiritually un-engaged than we are now. Although we’ve never been more developed, we’ve also never been more disinterested in God. So think about this question: what should Christians do and how should Christians react to a society that is both disinterested and un-engaged in Christianity?