Acts 27 and 28 Sermon Synposis Life is the stage for our faith to be on display. An onslaught of challenging elements along the journey of life will need to be faced. Preparation is needed to respond, react, and navigate these elements as we demonstrate and display our faith and give glory to God.

Sermon Synopsis - May 4-5, 2024 Paul was on trial because of his faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout the trials, Paul demonstrated a life of faith that lived out true justice, leading the world toward being a better, more functional and more flourishing place. In contrast with his Jewish accusers, Paul's message was all about love, forgiveness and transformation. Paul did not react, retaliate, or seek revenge for any injustice that he suffered. Paul continued to be God's servant and witness, letting God be the sovereign authority.

Gospel success is rooted in God's sovereignty. This explains Paul's Gospel success, why he was so faithful to the Gospel, and why God was faithful to produce fruit that continues even today. Just like Paul, as we are anchored in God's sovereignty, we will have the clarity, confidence, conviction and courage in life that will make us an unstoppable force for God's glory and His mission in the world.

Paul addresses the leaders and elders at Ephesus who are responsible for making sure the basics of the faith are the basis of forming Christian community. The basics of the Christian life that form the basis of a Christian community are to live a life of love, truth, tears, trials, and togetherness. Additionally, as believers, we are called to live a life of service,  awareness, development and gospel centrality. As Paul continues his journey and sets his sights on reaching Jerusalem, he knows that suffering and trials are ahead of him. No matter what Paul is facing, his life is a living embodiment and example of the presence of King Jesus on planet Earth.

Sermon Synopsis Paul continues his missionary journeys, and in Acts 19, he is in Ephesus. Paul ministers and shares the Gospel boldly in the synagogue. Some believe, but some become stubborn and reject the message. Paul then goes to lecture and teach so that many throughout Asia, both Jews and Greeks, hear the Word. Paul performed miracles, and many confessed sin and the name of the Lord was greatly honored.

Sermon Synopsis In Acts 18, Paul continues his missionary journey, and he comes to Corinth, where he connects with Priscilla and Aquila, who are tentmakers like Paul. While in Corinth, Paul preaches the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles and encounters Jewish foes who abuse, arrest and accuse him, but many are saved. God demonstrates His faithfulness and affirms that Paul is to continue preaching and not be afraid.

The Good News is that the Cosmic King, Jesus Christ, has come and, through His death and resurrection, is making all things new. We are called to be broken-hearted over spiritual darkness and depravity and to be bridge-builders in our culture driven by God's love. Like Paul, we are to be both a bright and bold witness, concerning the resurrection of Jesus and how God made a way for human beings to repent, be forgiven and be reconciled to God through His Son, King Jesus.

Pastor Josh delivers his Good Friday sermon: "The Terror of the Tears and the Twinkle of the Tearing"

March 23-24, 2024 Sermon SynopsisBecause of Jesus' death on the cross, His successes, His victories, and HIs wins meant that some powerful people in His time suffered losses and experienced misery. These people were jealous and were incited to instigate a mess. Today, as God works, the church will see Gospel success, Gospel victories, and Gospel wins. Such successes will infringe upon the unhealthy jealousy and zeal of idolatrous people, and as these people experience loss, they'll become miserable and seek to create a mess to win back the control they have lost. Therefore it is important that today, as believers, we hold fast and firmly to what we believe.

Sermon Synopsis   When Paul was in Philippi and was annoyed at the demon-possessed slave girl who was calling out after him for many days, Paul showed that in times of harassment, there is a choice of being AGGRAVATED OR AUTHORITATIVE. Later when Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, they demonstrated that in the darkest of times, there is a choice of WHINING OR WORSHIPPING.

All of us need to take lessons. We learn lessons when we are interested in the topic at hand, or when we love the area the lesson is about. The four lessons of mission we learn from Paul in Acts 16 are contextualization, vision, evangelism and suffering. These four lessons will enhance our understanding and make us more effective at mission.

As we learn from Paul and Barnabas, sometimes leaders can't work together, and they need to go their separate ways. Sometimes, God prompts leaders to split over sharp disagreements about strategy that multiplies mission efforts. Sometimes, God allows for disappointments that develop us for later duties. Leaders with differing viewpoints can both be right, and their rightness can cause a rift in the partnership and could cause a multiplication of ministry and mission.

Faith in the Gospel brings about SALVATION and a TRANSFORMATION, leading to major IMPLICATIONS around Christian unity. This Gospel Transformation, brought about by the centrality of Jesus’ life and Kingship, lays the groundwork for Christian unity. As a result, there will be some things Christians CEASE DOING because they belong to Christ and live by His law, and there are some things Christians CEASE DOING in front of diverse brothers and sisters because it would offend/agitate/trouble them, cause division, and threaten Christian unity.

Faith in THE GOSPEL saves us from the penalty of sin and welcomes us into the life of the King and His Kingdom. God has sent the rightful KING of all creation, Jesus Christ, to earth, who, through His substitutionary death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, is in the process of redeeming and restoring human beings from every nation, tribe, and tongue and the cosmos from the curse of sin.

Jesus COMMISSIONS His Church from everywhere to everywhere to share and show the Good News that, through His death and resurrection, He is making all things new. God has been on mission from the very beginning to create a people for Himself to reflect His glory in all spheres of life. Christ desires His followers to engage in His local church as they PARTICIPATE in God's Mission through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus expects His Church to CARE for God's people along with the resources He provides in a manner that gives witness to His Kingdom and in a way that demonstrably shares the Good News with the world. The church cares for creation and its resources by stewarding them for God's glory and others' good. As God's caring people, we meet needs, we love one another as God has loved us, and we give sacrificially of our time, talents and treasures for the building up of God's Kingdom.

As God's people, we are cultivated into his image as we become disciples who are learning what it means to be human and part of God's new human race after the image and likeness of Jesus. Jesus expects his followers to reflect God's glory in all spheres of life through corporate worship, small groups (LIFE2Groups) and close friends. As we are cultivated as a disciple of Jesus, we need to be embedded in community, submit to the Word, and exercise spiritual disciplines.

Jesus expects His followers to Connect with the Lord and with His people for corporate worship. From the very beginning, the early church believers connected as they added believers and devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, communion and prayer.

The church isn't a religious invention by humans that has a mission, but the divine intention of God birthed out of and for His mission. Christ builds the church, which is unstoppable and founded upon our confession that Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

As we get a new perspective, we are sent on a mission of reconciliation as we represent Jesus and His Kingdom well because of the cross. As instruments of God's Kingdom, we are to make disciples as we live in a broken and hurting world, sharing the love of Jesus and the Good News of the Gospel with neighbors and nations.