Listen to past Sermons.

May 21, 2023

Acts 15:36-17:15; 1 & 2 Thessalonians — The Thessalonian church was a church marked by suffering. From Paul’s encouragements to this suffering church we learn that God loves us still in the midst of our trials. Jesus is returning to write our final story. In the meantime, we are called to be wholly engaged in life and ministry while we know that we are fully and frequently blessed.

This is part of our series — Jesus Builds His Church. In this series, we look at the early church in Acts and the corresponding letters of Paul to see how Jesus builds His church, then, through the ages, and now. From the early church in the New Testament, we learn what the church is and how to be the church in these challenging times. This series is based especially on the book of John Stumbo, A Stained Beauty: The Church Ancient and Present. Full credit is given to him. His ideas have been adopted and adapted into this sermon series. The book of Scott McKnight & Laura Barringer, A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing, has also been used.

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May 14, 2023

Acts 12:25-14:28 & Galatians 1-6 — God called us into relationship with Him and into service for Him, into partnership with Him to build Christ’s church for His kingdom mission. From the churches of Galatia, we learn that discipleship, missions, and ministry come with a cost that includes hardships and challenges. Disappointments may discourage us but we are called to persevere like Paul. God’s calling upon our lives and being filled with the Holy Spirit enables us to persevere in our mission. God’s calling and the Spirit’s power assure us that the Lord is building His church through us.

This is part of our series — Jesus Builds His Church. In this series, we look at the early church in Acts and the corresponding letters of Paul to see how Jesus builds His church, then, through the ages, and now. From the early church in the New Testament, we learn what the church is and how to be the church in these challenging times. This series is based especially on the book of John Stumbo, A Stained Beauty: The Church Ancient and Present. Full credit is given to him. His ideas have been adopted and adapted into this sermon series. The book of Scott McKnight & Laura Barringer, A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing, has also been used.

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May 7, 2023

Acts 9:26-30; 10:9-11:30; 13:1-3 — The innovative, barrier-breaking, way-making, risk-taking leadership of the Antioch church presents us with important lessons and challenging questions about our identity, our mission, and how we handle conflict. “For the Gospel to go to the next people and for the church to advance to its next phase of ministry, often an entrepreneurial spirit must arise to take us beyond our current limitation.” (Stumbo, 31).

This is part of our series — Jesus Builds His Church. In this series, we look at the early church in Acts and the corresponding letters of Paul to see how Jesus builds His church, then, through the ages, and now. From the early church in the New Testament, we learn what the church is and how to be the church in these challenging times. This series is based especially on the book of John Stumbo, A Stained Beauty: The Church Ancient and Present. Full credit is given to him. His ideas have been adopted and adapted into this sermon series. The book of Scott McKnight & Laura Barringer, A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing, has also been used.

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April 30, 2023

Acts 1-8 — Jesus builds his multi-cultural church from all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations. He sends us into the world to be his witnesses here and there to everyone everywhere. We are to be his witnesses in our own communities, in our region, in our Samarias, and to the ends of the world.

This is part of our series — Jesus Builds His Church. In this series, we look at the early church in Acts and the corresponding letters of Paul to see how Jesus builds His church, then, through the ages, and now. From the early church in the New Testament, we learn what the church is and how to be the church in these challenging times. This series is based especially on the book of John Stumbo, A Stained Beauty: The Church Ancient and Present. Full credit is given to him. His ideas have been adopted and adapted into this sermon series. The book of Scott McKnight & Laura Barringer, A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing, has also been used.

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April 23, 2023

Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-16; 5:25-27 — Jesus loves his church, and so should we. Because He loves His church, Jesus builds His church to present her to Himself as His radiant bride. He gifted every one of us to build up His body, the church. We are called to participate in the work God is doing in and through His church. No church is perfect. It has many flaws and failures. We make many mistakes, but the church remains God’s sanctified, holy, and blameless people. The church is stained but beautiful. Let us be the church and love the church as Jesus loves her.

This begins our new series — Jesus Builds His Church. In this series, we look at the early church in Acts and the corresponding letters of Paul to see how Jesus builds His church, then, through the ages, and now. From the early church in the New Testament, we learn what the church is and how to be the church in these challenging times. This series is based especially on the book of John Stumbo, A Stained Beauty: The Church Ancient and Present. Full credit is given to him. His ideas have been adopted and adapted into this sermon series. The book of Scott McKnight & Laura Barringer, A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing, has also been used.

Read More