Gathering Recap - 10/19/2025 - Acts 17:1-15 - Jesus is King, Look at the Book

Call to worship:

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What was the difference between the two cities?

What is the importance of Jesus promised and risen?

Why is repentance often met with resistance?

What is the connection between hope and holiness?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 17:1-15 - Faith

Acts 17:1-15

“The resurrection was indeed a miraculous display of God’s power, but we should not see it as a suspension of the natural order of the world. Rather it was the beginning of the restoration of the natural order of the world, the world as God intended it to be…The resurrection means not merely that Christians have a hope for the future but that they have a hope that comes from the future. The Bible’s startling message is that when Jesus rose, he brought the future kingdom of God into the present.” - Tim Keller

1 Thess 1:1-10

1 Thess 5:1-11

Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God's judgment, hating what He hates, loving what He loves, and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word. - JC Ryle

The Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne—everything— to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life! There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. - Sally Lloyd Jones

What’s going on?

Where is the good news?

How has the church seen this through history?

How does this shape us toward repentance/faith/flourishing?

Psalm 119:105

Hebrews 4:12

Ephesians 6:17

Gathering Recap - 10/12/2025 - Acts 16:11-40 - Gospel Breakthrough

Call to worship:

10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
    and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
    he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
    and gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:10-11

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

Which of the multiple scenes from this account stick out to you?

How have you seen and experienced spiritual warfare?

Where are you looking to Jesus for clarity in the midst of uncertainty?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 16:11-40 - Jack

Slide 1

Scene 1: The Conversion of Lydia (16:11-15)

Slide 2

See Map that I'll send by email

Slide 3

Takeaways from Scene 1

1. God is sovereign in salvation

2. Obedience is our response to His work

Slide 4

Scene 2: The Exorcism of the Slave Girl (16:16-24)

Slide 5

Takeaway from Scene 2: We are wise to see the spiritual battle going on behind the scenes.

Slide 6

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

Slide 7

Scene 3: The Conversion of the Jailer (16:25-34)

Slide 8

“From one perspective, Paul and Silas’s day was a picture of perfect mayhem. Their spiritual power was slandered; their gospel trampled by a mob; their innocence silenced by injustice. They appeared like two victims caught in the chaos of a merciless, purposeless world.

But such was not their perspective. For Paul and Silas, all the day’s sorrows rested in the hand of a sovereign God. God had called them to Philippi through a midnight vision. Was he now any less sovereign in a midnight prison? God had used them in Philippi to save Lydia and her household. Had he discarded them now? No, prison could neither thwart the plans of God nor remove them from his sight; of this they were sure.”

Scott Hubbard

Slide 9

Takeaway from Scene 3: We do well to ask ourselves “What does God owe me?”

Slide 10

“He lets things happen that I don’t understand. He doesn’t do things according to my plan, or in ways that make sense to me…

If you have a God great enough and powerful enough to be mad at because he doesn’t stop your suffering, you also have a God who is great enough and powerful enough to have reasons that you can’t understand…

And so often, if God seems to be unconscionably delaying his grace and committing malpractice in your life, it’s because there is some crucial information that we don’t yet have, some essential variable that’s unavailable to us.”

Tim Keller

Slide 11

Scene 4: The Vindication of Paul and Silas (16:35-40)

Slide 12

Takeaway from Scene 4: In the end, God wins. And so do His people.

Slide 13

The Takeaways from Phiiippi

1. God is sovereign in salvation

2. Obedience is our response to His work

3. We are wise to see the spiritual battle

4. We do well to ask ourselves “What does God owe me?”

5. In the end, God wins. And so do His people.

Gathering Recap - 10/05/2025 - Acts 16:1-10 - Investing in Others, Hearing From God

Call to worship:

6 A voice says, “Cry!”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
    and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
    surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.

Isaiah 40:6-8

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does the church go about discipleship in the 1st century?

What kind of investment did Paul make in Timothy? Do you think the experience with Barnabas had an impact in his approach?

What do we glean from the early church discerning God’s will?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 16:1-10 - Josh

Individually the disciple and friend of Jesus who has learned to work shoulder to shoulder with his or her Lord stands in this world as a point of contact between heaven and earth, a kind of Jacob’s ladder by which the angels of God may ascend from and descend into human life. Thus the disciple stands as an envoy or a receiver by which the kingdom of God is conveyed into every quarter of human affairs. - Willard

The world is full of miracles. But none greater than how far a young person can be carried by someone else’s belief in them

Frederick Backman (My Friends)

“Almost anything in life that truly matters will require you to do small, mostly overlooked things, over a long period of time with him.” Zach Eswine

Map

“Our failure to hear His voice when we want to is due to the fact that we do not in general want to hear it, that we want it only when we think we need it.” - Dallas Willard, Hearing God

“Usually God’s guidance is not negative only but also positive (some doors close, others open); not circumstantial only, but also rational (thinking about our situation); not personal only, but also corporate (a sharing of the data with others, so that we can mull over them together and reach a common mind).” - John Stott

Gathering Recap - 09/28/2025 - Acts 15:22-41 - What a Strong Church Looks Like

Call to worship:

3 A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 40:3-5

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is the significance of the 4 prohibitions of the letter from Jerusalem to Antioch?

Why do we have a tendency to lay heavier burdens on ourselves and others?

What are some of the marks of a church that is being strengthened?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 15:22-41

2 Timothy 2:22

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins alone. - Dallas Willard

“They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified” Epistle to Diognetus (2nd Century)

Matthew 23:1-12

The early church understood well the powers at work in the Roman Empire. There were many gods who ruled and oppressed its citizens. Among them were Aphrodite (goddess of sex), Hephaetus (god of technology), Mars (god of war), Ploutos (god of wealth), and Bacchus (god of pleasure). At the top of the ladder, and unifying them all, was political power, deified in the Caesar, and nourished by the Imperial theology and religious practice. The powers and gods were the forces that most determined and shaped their lives. The church understood the oppressive and intrusive influence of evil. They understood the comprehensive scope and spiritual power of these cosmic powers to tyrannize their lives. Perhaps we shake our heads at the primitive and childish worldview that could ever conceive of a world populated by powers. After all, science has liberated us from such nonsense. Yet when we see millions addicted to pornography, it seems the goddess of sex is not dead. When we see millions of lives trivialized and emptied of significance by addiction to technology, we observe that the god of technology still wields power. When we experience the seductive power of a consumer society that inflames us with a desire for the senseless consumption of goods and experiences, we must grant that the gods of wealth and pleasure are alive and well. And the billions of dollars spent annually on arms betray our enslavement to the gods of war and national security. Economic forces, political powers, sexual addiction, technological seduction: it seems we are helpless before these powers. All scientific attempts to control them have failed. - Mike Goheen

“God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.” Augustine

Gathering Recap - 09/21/2025 - Acts 15:1-21 - Transforming Enemies

Call to worship:

6 6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:6-9

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does the gospel transform enemies into family?

What posture do the apostles take as they sort through the questions of the 1st century?

In what ways does Jesus break down boundaries and barriers today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Slide 1

God promised salvation to Israel...

God's blessings would come to the Nations through

the covenant with Abraham...

Circumcision was the standard means of entering

into full participation with the covenant people...

These Gentiles had not been circumcised...

They remained outside of Israel and therefore

could not participate fully in God's promises

Slide 2

Amos 9:12 (MT)

12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom

and all the nations who are called by my name,”

declares the LORD who does this.

Amos 9:12 (LXX)

12 so that the remnant of the people,

and all the nations upon whom my name was invoked upon them,

will search for me,” says the Lord who is making these things.

Slide 3

אדום = Edom

אדם= adam/ humanity

Slide 4

Deuteronomy 30:6

6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Gathering Recap - 09/14/2025 - Acts 14:1-28 - The Miraculous and Mundane

Call to worship:

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens![a]
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
    praise him according to his excellent greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
    praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
    praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1-6

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How do you see opposition meet the opportunities God has brought about?

In what ways does Jesus meet us in our shock, grief, longing, and hope?

What does it look like for the content and curriculum of our discipleship to be Christ?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 14:1-28

Assumption: Every day for Jesus' first followers were God-soaked. Something is wrong with me, or I am doing something wrong because I don't have many God-soaked days.

Reality: Scripture authors recorded a truncated history to show us who God is. Jesus and the first followers experienced many mundane days.

Contextualization is not - as is often argued - ‘telling people what they want to hear.’ Rather, it is giving people the Bible’s answers, which they may not at all want to hear, to questions about life that people in their particular place and time are asking, in language and forms they can comprehend, and through appeals and arguments with force they can feel, even if they reject them - Tim Keller

Gathering Recap - 09/07/2025 - Acts 13:13-52 - The Gospel and Grit

Call to worship:

5 Let the godly exult in glory;
    let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
    and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
    and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains
    and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment written!
    This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 149:5-9

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does Paul present the story of the gospel?

What is the “good news” of the gospel?

How does the truth of Jesus produce a holy kind of grit in our lives?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 13:13-52

“This section relentlessly present’s Israel’s history as the history of God’s activity. From v. 17 through 23 almost every verb has God as it’s subject.” Beverly Gaventa

1 Cor 15:1-4

Evangelism is not persuading people to make a decision; it is not proving that God exists, or making out a good case for the truth of Christianity; it is not inviting someone to a meeting; it is not exposing the contemporary dilemma, or arousing interest in Christianity; it is not wearing a badge saying 'Jesus Saves'! Some of these things may be right and good in their place, but none of them should be confused with evangelism. To evangelize is to declare on the authority of God what he has done to save sinners, to warn men of their lost condition, to direct them to repent, and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. - Mark Dever

Romans 8:28-30

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

Gathering Recap - 08/31/2025 - Acts 13:1-12 - People, Practice, Opposition

Call to worship:

1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise in the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
    let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
    making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.

Psalm 149:1-4

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is unusual about the makeup of people in Antioch?

What were some of the early church practices and how do they translate to today?

Where have you experienced opposition in your life? How does the victory of Jesus meet those places?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 13:1-12

"Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought" — Yip Harburg

“To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything….Prayer turns theology into experience.” Tim Keller

“The Spirit led the church in its mission. As throughout Acts, God took the initiative in every new development of the Christian witness; however, the church did its part. It fasted and prayed, seeking the divine leading in a mode of expectant devotion." - J.B. Polhill

Map

Gathering Recap - 08/25/2025 - Acts 12:1-25 - Murder, Rescue and Justice

Call to worship:

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
    princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
    old men and children!

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
    praise for all his saints,
    for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 148:11-14

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What “difficult cup” were these early apostles called to drink? What difficult cup have you been faced with?

How did the early church approach suffering?

What does trusting in the justice of God look like today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 12:1-25- Nathan

Title: Murder, Rescue, & Justice

“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” (John 20:22&23)

“Whatever it will cost you to be with God is nothing compared to what it cost Him to be with you.”

—Timothy Keller

“A Christian happens to mean a man who has discovered that Christianity is true, not that it is pretty or even practical. It may be a very strange discovery for a modern man to make; but some of us happen to have made it.” — G. K. Chesterton

“That force of earnest, halting prayer was mightier than Herod, and mightier than hell.” —G. Campbell Morgan

Long my imprisoned spirit lay


Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;


Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,


I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;


My chains fell off, my heart was free,


I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

- Charles Wesley

“Indeed, one cannot fail to admire the artistry with which Luke depicts the complete reversal of the church’s situation. At the beginning of the chapter Herod is on the rampage—arresting and persecuting church leaders; at the end he is himself struck down and dies. The chapter opens with James dead, Peter in prison and Herod triumphing; it closes with Herod dead, Peter free, and the word of God triumphing. Such is the power of God to overthrow hostile human plans and to establish His own in their place. Tyrants may be permitted for a time to boast and bluster, oppressing the church and hindering the spread of the Gospel, but they will not last. In the end, their empire will be broken and their pride abased” —John Stott

Gathering Recap - 08/17/2025 - Acts 11:1-30 - First Called Christians

Call to worship:

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!
    For he commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever;
    he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.[a]

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist,
    stormy wind fulfilling his word!

9 Mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock,
    creeping things and flying birds!

Psalm 148:5-10

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What issues did the early church have to work through?

How did the Spirit of God shape their theology and practice?

What might that look like today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 11:1-30 - Josh reading

Slide 1

A biblical proposition… needs interpretation. It does not simply interpret itself… The only way to interpret… is to look at the biblical story that reveals God’s character through his actions…

The task of the church is to “faithfully improvise” the “rest of the story.” Christians are not called simply to live in the story; they are called to continue the story in their own cultural contexts. First, they must be grounded in the story. They must be people for whom the story “absorbs the world.” Second, they must together (communally) improvise the “rest of the story” faithfully to the story given in the Bible.

Roger Olson

Slide 2

Ritual Practices of a Typical Roman Meal

- A portion of the food being offered to the gods.

- Wine libations and the reciting of prayers in honor of the gods or of the dead.

- Possibly even being given a dining wreath with flowers considered sacred to the gods upon arrival.

Slide 3

Table comparing Acts 8:1 and Acts 11:19

https://services.planningcenteronline.com/plans/80966647#

Slide 4

That's a great way of putting it. Grace is something you can see. Presumably when you watch Judeans and gentiles sharing in prayer, sharing in the Lord’s supper, sharing their whole lives as brothers and sisters. You can’t fake that. It’s grace made visible.

- N.T Wright; The Challenge of Acts

Slide 5

Acts 26:28

28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”

1 Peter 4:14–16

14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

Slide 6

Romans 15:26–27

26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

Slide 7

When grace is visible, when the story of God is lived out in the world, when the church is truly carrying the name of Christ… The standard conventions for who is accepted and who is left out are re-evaluated, the standard ways of giving and receiving are upended and the standard ways in which we categorize our theology can be challenged.

Gathering Recap - 08/10/2025 - Acts 10:1-48 - Hostility, Indifference, or Enthusiasm?

Call to worship:

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his hosts!

3 Praise him, sun and moon,
    praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
    and you waters above the heavens!

Psalm 148:1-4

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

This passage is a big deal in the story of redemption. Why is it so significant?

What dividing lines do you sense today?

What role is God calling us into today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 10:1-48 - Jack reading

Slides

Slide 1

Big Idea

Christ’s plan includes not just us, but all the nations of the world. How will we respond?

Slide 2

(Map of Israel showing Joppa and Caesarea, to be emailed separately)

Slide 3

“It is more likely, therefore, that the point is that the Lord’s command frees Peter from any scruples about going to a Gentile home and eating whatever might be set before him. It would be a short step from recognizing that Gentile food was clean to realizing that Gentiles themselves were ‘clean’ also.”

Tyndale Commentary, I. Howard Marshall

Slide 4

“The conversion of Cornelius was a landmark in the history of the gospel’s advance from its strictly Jewish beginnings to its penetration of the Roman Empire. True, it did not settle any of the issues relating to Jewish-Gentile relations within the church, nor did Jewish believers take it as a precedent for direct outreach to Gentiles. But it did show that the sovereign God was not confined to the traditional forms of Judaism and that He could bring a Gentile directly into relationship with himself through Jesus Christ and apart from any prior commitment to distinctive Jewish beliefs or lifestyle.”

Richard N. Longenecker

Slide 5

John 10:16

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Slide 6

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Slide 7

Three possible responses to God’s plan for the nations

Hostility

Indifference

Enthusiasm

Slide 8

Mike’s Definition of Missions:

God is using the preaching of the gospel to turn rebellious sinners around the world into redeemed worshippers of His Son Jesus Christ …

… and WE GET TO HELP!

Slide 9

“Lord, where do I fit?”

Gathering Recap - 08/03/2025 - Acts 9:32-43 - Questions, Holy Disruptions, And The Ministry Of Small Things

Call to worship:

12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
    he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders;
    he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
    his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
    he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
    who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
    he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
    his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
    they do not know his rules.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 147:8-11

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What questions are brought about in this text?

How have you experienced “holy disruptions”? In what ways did Jesus meet you there?

What is the significance of the small things in life and ministry?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

“The three Peter-stories Luke selects are i) a double miracle story how Aeneas was healed and Tabitha raised from death), (ii) a conversion story (how Cornelius was brought to faith), and (ili) an escape story how Peter was rescued from prison and so from Herod's evil intentions). Each may be seen as a confrontation - with disease and death, with Gentile alienation and with political tyranny. Moreover, in each case conflict gave place to victory - the cure of Aeneas, the resuscitation of Tabitha, the conversion of Cornelius, and the removal of Herod.”

- John Stott

“Gazelles—small antelopes spoken of in the Bible—are known for their grace and beauty. Some live where rains provide water. But one type, the Dorcas gazelle, can spend its entire life in the desert without drinking—receiving hydration only from plants. This gives it a mysterious quality rather like that of a Christian, whose source of life and love is an invisible fountain of living water, as Jesus promised (John 7:38).”

- In Touch Ministries

“The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man.”

- G. K. Chesterton

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27)

Gathering Recap - 07/27/2025 - Acts 9:1-31 - How Grace Works

Call to worship:

8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares rain for the earth;
    he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food,
    and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Psalm 147:8-11

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What surprises you in this section of scripture?

How does God use people in this account of Saul’s transformation?

Who seems to far off that you’re praying for?

Where do you see the grace of God at work in your life?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 9:1-31 - Larry/Jorgen

Grace is something you can never get but can only be given. There's no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth. A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace. Loving somebody is grace. A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing you have to do. The grace of God means something like: "Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you.” There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too. - Frederick Buechner

Gradually, and without violence, Jesus pricked Saul's mind and conscience with his goads. Then he revealed Himself to him by the light and the voice, not in order to overwhelm him, but in such a way as to enable him to make a free response. Divine grace does not trample on human personality. Rather the reverse, for it enables human beings to be truly human. It is sin which imprisons; it is grace which liberates. The grace of God so frees us from the bondage of our pride, prejudice and self-centeredness, as to enable us to repent and believe. One can but magnify the grace of God that he should have had mercy on such a rabid bigot as Saul of Tarsus, and indeed on such proud, rebellious and wayward creatures as ourselves. - John Stott

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes I sped;

And shot, precipitated,

Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase,

And unperturbèd pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat—and a Voice beat

More instant than the Feet—

‘All things betray thee, who betrayest Me

Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

Romans 10:14

“Put all this together, and what do we have, as the central, shaping marker of the new worldview, taking the place and bearing the weight that the Jewish symbols had borne within the worldview of Saul of Tarsus? We have precisely the gospel, the euangelion, the ‘good news’, rooted in the ‘good news’ spoken of in the Great Prophet, confronting the ‘good news’ carved in stone around Caesar’s empire. We have the symbol by which Paul declared that he was himself defined, the anchor of his own vocational mindset: Paul, an apostle, set apart for the good news of God; I am not ashamed of the good news, because it is God’s power for salvation to all who believe; the Messiah did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel; woe to me if I do not announce the good news; I do it all for the sake of the good news; let me remind you of the gospel which I announced to you, which you received, in which you stand firm, through which you are saved; the gospel of the glory of the Messiah, who is the image of God. The gospel, the gospel, the gospel. It defined Paul. It defined his work. It defined his communities. It was the shorthand summary of the theology which, in turn, was the foundation for the central pillar for the new worldview. It carried God’s power. That was just as well: the worldview, and those who lived by it, were going to need it.” NT Wright

“Grace is God acting in our life to bring about, and to enable us to do, what we cannot do on our own. Grace is for all of life and not just for forgiveness. Grace is not opposed to effort (action)-though it is opposed to earning (attitude). Grace is inextricably bound up with discipline in the life of the disciple or apprentice of Jesus. “Grace,” of course, as an active agency in the psychological and biological reality of the disciple.” - Dallas Willard

Eph 1:7-10

What you need to drive out an old passion, is a new passion, a greater passion. What you need is an over-mastering positive passion. To the degree, that you see Jesus on the cross, loosing absolutely everything for you, He will become a beauty to you, He will become so beautiful in your eyes that you'll be able to change these things that control you now, they'll loose their power. Do you know how to work on your heart like that? It's only by rejoicing in and resting in what Jesus Christ has done for you. Then you can replace your idols. And if you really want to change and want to pound the Gospel more deeply into your heart - Jesus Christ must become your over-mastering positive passion. Tim Keller

All which I took from thee I did but take,

Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.

All which thy child's mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:

Rise, clasp My hand, and come!'

Francis Thompson, Hound of Heaven

Gathering Recap - 07/20/2025 - Acts 8:26-40 - God of the Desert

Call to worship:

4 He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble;[b]
    he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on the lyre!

Psalm 147:4-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does the desert motif work throughout scripture?

What barriers are broken in Acts 8? What modern day barriers do you feel exist?

What does simple obedience to the clear commands of scripture look like today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 8:26-40

1 Thess 4:1-8 - 1 Peter 2:13-17— 1 Thess 5:16-18

Deut 23:1

”He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Luke 24:25-27

Romans 10:10-17

We do not go into the desert to escape people but to learn how to find them; we do not leave them in order to have nothing more to do with them, but to find out the way to do them the most good. But this is only a secondary end. The one that includes all others is the love of God. - Thomas Merton

"Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.” Augustine

Gathering Recap - 07/06/2025 - Acts 7:1-60 - The First Martyr

Call to worship:

8 he Lord sets the prisoners free;
8     the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 146:8-10

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What are the accusations against Stephen and how does he respond?

How does being saturated in the story of God influence our witness?

What is the significance of Stephen seeing Jesus standing?

In what ways does the gospel transform our witness and the ethics of forgiveness?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 7:1-60

1 Pet 3:8-17

“God is everywhere present. The holy place is there wherever God may be.” - Chrysostom

“No harm can be done to the temple and the law, when Christ is openly established as the end and truth of both.” - John Calvin

“Stephen has been confessing Christ before men, and now he sees Christ confessing his servant before God.” FF Bruce

“The Jesus who was right then interceding for Stephen had taught him that intercession, rather than cursing, was the way of the new, fulfilled, law and Temple.” - NT Wright

Gathering Recap - 06/29/2025 - Acts 6:1-15 - Growing Pains

Call to worship:

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7     who executes justice for the oppressed,
    who gives food to the hungry.

Psalm 146:1-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does success create problems? In the early church, what’s the nature of it and what do they do about it?

What does the idealized church look like to you? Does it line up with scripture?

What is Christ’s criteria for community?

What does it mean to be both redeemed and on the mend?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 6:1-15 - Sawyer

Title: Growing Pains

“Success, while desirable, can paradoxically create new challenges. This can manifest as increased pressure, difficulty managing growth, and strained relationships with those who haven't achieved the same level of success. Understanding these potential downsides is crucial for navigating the complexities of success and maintaining long-term well-being.” 

- Google AI

“The devil’s next attack was the cleverest of the three. Having failed to overcome the church by either persecution or corruption, he now tried distraction. If he could preoccupy the apostles with social administration, which though essential was not their calling, they would neglect their God-given responsibilities to pray and to preach, and so leave the church without any defense against false doctrine.”

- John Stott

“Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“One of the apologetics against the church is that the rhetoric often doesn’t live up to the reality.”

- Leo Schuester

1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

(Philippians 2:1-8 The Message)

Questions:

1. Do I love the community or my dream of the community?

2. Have I experienced hurt in the community?

3. Who actually is the architect of my dream community?

Gathering Recap - 06/22/2025 - Acts 5:17-42 - The Name

Call to worship:

18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
    and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Psalm 145:18-21

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is the path out of jealousy?

What is the significance of “the name” throughout the story of Scripture?

How does faith drive obedience and vice/versa?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 5:17-42 - Karen

Acts 5:17-42

Proverbs 14:30

“Envy is one of the most miserable vices. Most other vices tend to produce some kind of pleasure, however momentary. But envy is nothing but unpleasant, through and through. It is the constant thief of joy. - Gavin Ortlund

We can glimpse it in the book of Acts: the method of the kingdom will match the message of the kingdom. The kingdom…goes out into the world vulnerable, suffering, praising, praying, misunderstood, misjudged, vindicated, celebrating: always – as Paul puts it in one of his letters – bearing in the body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed. - NT Wright

Ex 34:4-7

“When God describes himself, He doesn’t start with how powerful He is or how He knows everything there is to know or how He’s been around since before time and space and there’s no one else like Him in the universe. That’s all true, but apparently, to God, it’s not the most important thing. When God describes himself, He starts with His name. Then He talks about what we call character. He’s compassionate and gracious; he’s slow to anger; he’s abounding in love and faithfulness” - John Mark Comer

Gathering Recap - 06/08/2025 - Acts 4:23-37 - How to Church

Call to worship:

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your[b] mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

Psalm 145:10-13

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How do the apostles respond to the threats against them?

What do we see about how they pray? How is that instructive for today?

Why do you think the resurrection leads to generosity?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 4:23-37

“If we allow the Bible to become fragmented, it is in danger of being absorbed into whatever other story is shaping our culture, and it will thus cease to shape our lives as it should. Idolatry has twisted the dominant cultural story of the secular Western world. If as believers we allow this story (rather than the Bible) to become the foundation of our thought and action, then our lives will manifest not the truths of Scripture, but the lies of an idolatrous culture. Hence, the unity of Scripture is no minor matter: a fragmented Bible may actually produce theologically orthodox, morally upright, warmly pious idol worshippers! - Mike Goheen

John 17:20-23

”We must have hearts that are harder than iron if we are not moved by the reading of this narrative. In those days the believers gave abundantly of what was their own; we in our day are content not just jealously to retain what we possess, but callously to rob others.... They sold their own possessions in those days; in our day it is the lust to purchase that reigns supreme. At that time love made each man's own possessions common property for those in need; in our day such is the inhumanity of many, that they begrudge to the poor a common dwelling upon earth, the common use of water, air and sky.” John Calvin

1 Cor 6:19-20

Gathering Recap - 06/01/2025 - Acts 4:1-22 - The Stone

Call to worship:

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Psalm 145:8-9

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

Are you able to articulate the hope you have?

Do you have a tendency to be mouthy or “mousey” about the faith?

In what ways do you tend to acquiesce to culture?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 4:1-22 - Scott

They rejected the oral traditions of the Pharisees and considered only the written Torah of the Pentateuch as valid. They considered the concepts of demons and angels, immortality and resurrection as innovations, believing in no life beyond this life.

More important than their theology, however, was their political orientation. Coming largely from the landed aristocracy, they were accommodationists with regard to the Roman occupation of Israel. Possessing considerable economic interests, their concern was to make peace with the Romans, preserve the status quo, and thus protect their own holdings. In return the Romans accorded the Sadducees considerable power, invariably appointing the high priest from their ranks, who was the most powerful political figure among the Jews in that day. The prime concern of the Sadducean aristocracy, of whom the high priest was the chief spokesman, was the preservation of order, the avoidance at all costs of any confrontation with the Roman authorities.

- New American Commentary

The church's one foundation

is Jesus Christ her Lord;

she is his new creation

by water and the Word.

From heaven he came and sought her

to be his holy bride;

with his own blood he bought her,

and for her life he died.

- Samuel J. Stone (1839-1900)

”Grace is the free favor of God, the undeserved bounty of the ever-gracious Creator against whom we have offended, the generous pardon, the infinite, spontaneous lovingkindness of the God who has been provoked and angered by our sin."God's grace proceeds exclusively through Jesus Christ, the Mediator. "All things come to us through Christ Jesus: he is the golden pipe of the conduit of eternal love, the window through which grace shines, the door by which it enters." — Charles Spurgeon (The Cross and Salvation, Bruce Demarest)

…It does not say, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted because they are objectionable.’ It does not say, ‘Blessed are those who are having a hard time in their Christian life because they are being difficult.’ It does not say, ‘Blessed are those who are being persecuted as Christians because they are seriously lacking in wisdom and are really foolish and unwise in what they regard as being their testimony.’ It is not that. There is no need for one to elaborate this, but so often one has known Christian people who are suffering mild persecution entirely because of their own folly, because of something either in themselves or in what they are doing. But the promise does not apply to such people. It is for righteousness’ sake. Let us be very clear about that. We can bring endless suffering upon ourselves, and we can create difficulties for ourselves that are quite unnecessary because we have some rather foolish notion of witnessing and testifying or because, in a spirit of self-righteousness, we really do call it down on our own heads. We are often so foolish in these matters. We are slow to realize the difference between prejudice and principle and we are so slow to understand the difference between being offensive, in a natural sense, because of our particular makeup and temperament, and causing offense because we are righteous.

- Martyn Lloyd-Jones

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

10 For “Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit;

11 let him turn away from evil and do good;
    let him seek peace and pursue it.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:8-17)

Gathering Recap - 05/25/2025 - Acts 3:1-26 - Repentance, Removal, Refreshment, Restoration

Call to worship:

4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

Psalm 145:4-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What does waiting well look like?

We see the theme of repentance again in Acts, what does it look like in the book? In your life?

In what areas of your life are you longing for refreshing? How is Jesus leading you toward it?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Slide 1

Title of the Message:

Repentance, Removal, Refreshment, and Restoration

Slide 2

Big idea

As we wait for Jesus to restore all things, refreshment is now available in

His presence.

Slide 3

“The healing story itself is similar to those related in the gospels, but it is related with a fair amount of detail. Peter is able to do the kind of things that Jesus did by acting in the name of Jesus: thus, the continuity between the ministry of Jesus and the witness of the church is expressed…the main point of the story is the continuing power of the name of Jesus to perform the same gracious and healing acts which were signs in the gospels of the coming of the kingdom or rule of God.”

I.Howard Marshall

Slide 4

“The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.”

Acts 3:13-15

Slide 5

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”

Acts 3:19-21

Slide 6

True Christian repentance involves a heartfelt conviction of sin, a contrition over the offense to God, a turning away from the sinful way of life, and a turning towards a God-honoring way of life.

Sam Storms

Slide 7

“The word wipe away is a really precious and beautiful word in the New Testament. It’s used, for example, in Revelation 21:4, where it says, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” God is in the business of wiping away sin to prepare people for the wiping away of tears in the age to come.

John Piper

Slide 8 – Selah logo (sending by email)

Slide 9 – Verse on wall (sending by email)

Slide 10

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

2 Peter 3:11-13

Slide 11

Big idea

As we wait for Jesus to restore all things, refreshment is now available in

His presence.