As we continue our study through the book of Acts the camera fades from the life of Peter, and Paul becomes the new focal point of Luke’s account. In Acts 12:25-13:12 we learn that Paul and Barnabas take time to listen to the Holy Spirit, and obediently travel to the Island of Cyprus with the Gospel message. While on the island the Holy Spirit works in power, and we learn that the church expands when we are obedient to the Spirit.
As the story continues in Acts, it looks like a bleak situation for the church. In a display of power, Herod takes the life of one of the apostles and imprisons another. The church responds with its most powerful weapon – prayer. Listen in as Neal teaches us that when facing persecution, it is the praying church that prevails.
Guest speaker, Hylke Hylkema, continues the Acts series with a message from Acts 11:19-30 about messy grace.
The Church has been called a lot of different things over time. When you think of words that describe the local church, do you think of words like caring, compassionate, accepting, influential and worshipful? Or do words like judgmental, critical and ethnocentric come to mind? In Acts 11 a small, critical group of people made the Church out to be racially biased and ethnocentric. Considering current situations in our nation, it is not coincidence that God has us jumping back into our study of Acts at this particular point in the story. Let's learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before us and discover how to be a church that ministers to people from all walks of life.
As we close out our Summer in the Psalms series, we'll look at perhaps the most well known and beloved Psalm, and what it means to follow and honor God as our Shepherd.
This Sunday our Summer in the Psalms journey will lead us to Psalm 20, where David celebrates how God came through when Israel chose to trust Him in a frightful situation. Let your trust in God be strengthened as we learn from His Word together!
What authority does God's Word have in your life? How much would you have to say if asked what your Bible means to you? Wherever you are in your journey with God and His Word, join us as we explore what it means to be a church that heeds the Bible's authoritative voice.