Sermons
Leaps of Faith, Last Hopes of Humanity – Acts 3:1-26: Reflection Guide
Reflection Guide Key Terms The hour of prayer – The time of the afternoon sacrifice (3 pm), which Israelites often set aside each day in order to pray and when many Israelites living in Jerusalem would go up to the temple in order to pray together. Alms – The practice of giving charitable gifts to…
Read MoreA New Day, A New Community – Acts 2:42-47: Reflection Guide
Reflection Guide Key Terms The apostles’ teaching – The Early Church gathered in public at the temple and in homes to hear the apostles (those who had been with Jesus) teach; we get a glimpse of what they taught in the various sermons in Acts (see Acts 2:14-40, Acts 7, Acts 13:16-41) as well as…
Read MoreHow Pierced Hearts Become Glad Hearts – Acts 2:14-41: Reflection Guide
Key Terms Peter – One of the original 12 disciples and the writer of 1 & 2 Peter; Peter famously confessed Jesus as the Christ (Mt 16:16) but later denied knowing Jesus three times after Jesus’ arrest (Mt 26:69-75). However, Jesus restored Peter and chose him to be one of the prominent leaders in the…
Read MoreDescent of the Spirit, Ascent of the Church – Acts 2:1-13: Reflection Guide
Key Terms Pentecost – The Greek name for the Jewish Feast of Weeks (Ex. 34:22; Lev 23:15-16; Deut 16:9) that occurred 50 days after Passover (pentecost literally means “fiftieth”); many Jews travelled to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival. Galileans – People from the northernmost region of Israel, called Galilee; Galileans were often thought of as…
Read MoreReadiness for the Mission – Acts 1:12-26: Reflection Guide
Key Terms The women – In addition to Jesus’ twelve male disciples, Jesus also had several female disciples including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna (Luke 8:1-3), Mary and Martha (Luke 10:48-42), and likely others who are not explicitly named in the gospels. Baptism of John – John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare…
Read MoreGlad Hearts, Bold Church – Acts 1:1-11: Reflection Guide
Key Terms Theophilus – The recipient of the book of Acts and also the recipient of the gospel of Luke. Kingdom of God – The rule of God over his people in his creation, which is now present in the physical world, but is awaiting completeness (or fullness) at the second coming of Christ; however,…
Read MoreA Snowy Sabbath Resource List – Feb. 14, 2021
First, watch the four-minute video above, then see the list of resources below. Sabbath wasn’t our idea — it was God’s idea. In fact, one of the ten commandments spoke about our need to set aside a day without work and productivity. But it wasn’t just a “day off.” It was a day focused on…
Read MoreAuthentic Faith: Exploring the Book of James
Ever wonder if your faith makes a real difference? A dead, work-less faith is worthless, and true religion ought to make a real difference in our lives and in our world. The message of James is that we are not saved by works, but we work because we have been saved by faith. Authentic faith…
Read MoreStay Awake – A Continuation of Mark’s Gospel
In Mark 10-13, we see a call to stay awake to the things of God. From the story of Blind Bartimaeus who receives his sight through Jesus’ wake up call about being ready for the end, we are told to put our faith on full alert. In many ways, these were dark days in the life of Jesus. He is constantly challenged…
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