217church - Audio

God called Peter to a life that required boldness. Peter went back to Jerusalem and shared the word he received from God that the gospel is also for the gentiles. Peter made a bold statement. "Who am I to get in God's way?" We challenged ourselves to be a church that truly makes a way for God to do His will in our lives and in our community.

Cornelius and Peter meet as Peter shares the mission of the Gospel with the whole house of Cornelius. Peter shares Jesus as he explains that in Jesus there is acceptance, forgiveness and power. Water baptism follows as their first step of obedience in following Jesus.

Cornelius is shocked when an angel of the lord spoke directly to him in a vision to send for the apostle Peter. At the same time Peter was told to cross cultural boundaries to share the Gospel. We learn in order to be a sending church, we must be prepared, obedient and wait for God's revelation.

Luke is giving an account of the life of Paul as he boldly starts his ministry. Paul faces opposition but the Holy Spirit multiplies His efforts and the church expanded exponentially throughout the region. Our church will multiply when we strengthen the family, are deliberate in our disciple making and share the Gospel boldly.

As Paul writes a letter to his beloved friend Philemon, he shares with him how Onesimus has been restored in his usefulness for the kingdom of God. Paul makes an appeal for Onesimus like Jesus makes an appeal for us. In order to serve joyfully, we must see each other’s value, sympathize with pain, and seize the opportunity to serve.

When Zacchaeus the tax collector heard about Jesus he knew He was someone he had to meet. He overcame the odds and made sure he saw who Jesus was. Jesus took notice and made an impression on him that would transform the way he lived. Through meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus was healed spiritual, financially and was received as family.

When God created everything he rested on the seventh day and the first thing man experienced was God at rest. Not only is the Sabbath a commandment but it is a way of life that if followed leads to dependence on God. We need to inspect our habits, confront the truth and restore the Sabbath in our culture.

Nehemiah was successful because he sought to build the wall to glorify God. Jesus was successful because he went to the cross and endured for our forgiveness. We learn that when success happens it requires humility, stirs dissension and demands a strategy.

Jesus lives the life you cannot live, died the death you should have died and Rose from the dead and gave the gift that you don’t deserve and you cannot earn. This is the beauty of the restored life we celebrate through baptism as we move from conviction and confession to repentance and restitution.

Our families are a gift from God that help us learn to deal with conflict and pain. God’s desire for us is to own our part in the conflict and then to forgive the sins committed against us by our families.

This Mother’s Day we understand that marriage and relationships are difficult to manage. As women long for men in their lives to love and to respect them, men must step up to their God given role to serve and look out for women. Family health is driven by the marriage relationship. This all hinges on our orientation towards God.

Our bodies matter to God. He is the one who created and sustains our life and our role is to live by sound biblical principles. We must realize our bodies are God’s property and he expects us to manage them wisely. His master plan is to give us a new body in heaven that is flawless.

One of the most difficult things to do in life is to handle money well. There is intense marketing, sales everywhere, shop at home and places to spend your money everywhere you look. Paul writes Timothy and gives him some basic wisdom about how to protect himself against irresponsible financial practices. Not only must we work hard and have a giving heart, but we must learn how to save and live wisely.

As Nehemiah surveyed the rubble of the broken city he knew God would have to move on his behalf. He sought the welfare of the people, stood firm in the vision and stretched his faith to believe what was possible. In our 2nd anniversary service we celebrate all that God has done and anticipate what he will do on behalf of our city.

As the need to care for the people grew the disciples had to appoint more leaders to oversee different parts of the ministry. They appointed leaders who had a heart to unconditionally serve the people. We must see the need, sympathize with people’s pain and seize the opportunity to serve the people around us.

As the need to care for the people grew the disciples had to appoint more leaders to oversee different parts of the ministry. They appointed leaders who had a heart to unconditionally serve the people. We must see the need, sympathize with people’s pain and seize the opportunity to serve the people around us.

The disciples were preaching in public, had been released from prison and were under extreme pressure to stop sharing the Gospel. They would not stop and the message of Jesus was experiencing unstoppable momentum. This happens when we move from me to we, from pain to Joy and from discouragement to persistence.

As the need to care for the people grew the disciples had to appoint more leaders to oversee different parts of the ministry. They appointed leaders who had a heart to unconditionally serve the people. We must see the need, sympathize with people’s pain and seize the opportunity to serve the people around us.