In one of the strange texts of the book of Acts, one of the great duos of the Bible breaks up, and Paul seems to completely contradict himself with he decides to take Timothy with him.
In this sermon from Sept 2024, we presented the vision for building our own facility in Riverside. This message was immediately followed by an exercise with our architect/designer, so there are references to that exercise throughout.
Our hearts are begging us to seek the face of God. It’s what we were designed to do, and it’s where so much idolatry happens. In our flesh, we try to fill that emptiness and longing with lots of other things. David recognizes that his heart is pointing him to Yahweh, and so the one thing he wants more than anything else is not deliverance from his enemies, perfect health, or long life; he wants to live every single day of his life in the presence of God.
Jesus utters these words from the cross: “My God, my God; Why have you abandoned me?” First of all, is that even possible? Can God the Father actually abandon God the Son? No. Is Jesus asking a question looking for answers? No. He knows exactly what is happening. So if it’s not a question, and it’s not even possible - what is Jesus saying and why is he saying it? What if he is pointing to Psalm 22 from the cross?
As Paul and Barnabas travel to Antioch, they are invited to speak at a synagogue. Paul launches into his first recorded sermon, and proclaims that God’s promises to Abraham and David are fulfilled in Jesus Christ! The blessing to Abraham in Genesis 12 pointed to Jesus, forgiving our sins and justifying us through his death & resurrection.
The focus now shifts from Peter and James to Barnabas and Saul, with Saul/Paul being the main character from here on out. The gospel continues to spread, made up of these key items – Worship, Obedient Faith, Community, Discipleship, and Readiness for Spiritual Warfare.
We celebrated 5 years as a church just a few weeks ago, and in this message, we look ahead to what’s coming down the road for the next five years. Updates on the building, potential hiring opportunities, sabbaticals, etc
Peter leaves Jerusalem to check up on new believers, and along the way he has opportunities to see Jesus at work through him.
Josh Krueger, one of our Men's Ministry leaders, brings the message today from John 15, under the main idea that "Mandated, glory producing fruit can be produced one way: sap from the true vine." Throughout the message, Josh will address these questions: What is fruit and how is it produced? What is sap and how do we get some? Why are fruit and sap so important?
What construction company sets out to build a building without first giving a bid? What king goes to war without first counting his troops? Jesus uses those to parables to say you shouldn’t be so fast to just raise your hand to follow him without first considering what it will mean.