This Sunday we come to a watershed moment for the Early Church. The Apostles Peter, James, and Paul came to a point of conflict that could have threatened to divide the entire church. The future posture of Christianity was hanging in the balance. So, a council was called in Jerusalem, gathering the Apostles, the Elders, and the people of the Jerusalem church together. There is much to mine in this pivotal passage. As we walk through it together, we will see what is essential to the gospel, and something of how to handle things that we hold important but that are less essential.
The Jerusalem Council
Acts 15:1-35
February 10, 2019 • Pastor Bill Riedel
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Acts - To the Nations
Farewell to the Ephesians Elders
April 28, 2019 • Pastor Bill Riedel
As Paul headed back toward Jerusalem he stopped off to meet one last time with the elders of the church in Ephesus in Acts 20:13-38. It's an emotional scene that shows the tenderness between the Apostle and this church. It also shows us something of the calling to serve in leadership in local churches. We will see this week what the focus needs to be to keep a planted church on mission.
Death to Life
April 21, 2019 • Pastor Bill Riedel
This Easter’s sermon comes from Acts 20:7-12, continuing our current series in Acts with a dramatic story of a young man named Eutychus who fell from a window and was brought back from the dead. The raising of Eutychus is only a shadow of the glory of the resurrection offered to us in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will see that God sees our suffering and sorrow, and that death does not hold the final answer.
Ephesus: A Riot
April 14, 2019 • Pastor Bill Riedel
This passage is a riot. Literally. After two years in Ephesus, Paul's ministry was recognized as a threat to the social and economic order of the city. It shows us that the gospel truly does turn the world upside down. This passage will help us to assess the broader cultural idolatry of our city and to see the divergent paths of the Way of this world and the Way of Jesus.