Mckernan Baptist Church Podcast

The purpose of our new ministry theme, "20/20 Vision: Life As God Intends" into focus on anew on the quality of life God offers. The book of Philippians presents a unique perspective on this, given that it is written by Paul from jail, where his freedom has been taken from him, his financial resources are very thin and any sense of control over his circumstances is gone.

Today we conclude the journey through the book of Acts as we look at key themes in the last chapter. Acts 1:8 is a focus.

Acts 22 and 23 provide chaotic scenes of angry mobs, hasty imprisonment, an unfair trial, and an insidious plot to take Paul's life. While Paul is in the very centre of this chaos, he appears less fazed than those creating the whirlwind around him. Through the years, God had deepened in Paul a perspective that speaks to us in our own chaotic circumstances.

In a culture where loneliness has become an epidemic, followers of Christ are invited into a different way: the way of community. Living in community involves intentionally making space for others in our lives.

As we take a quick survey through Scripture we'll see that celebration has played a major role in the story of God, from the Old Testament and the daily life of the Israelites, through to the teaching of Jesus all the way till the end of eternity.

It's not a matter of "if" something hard will happen in our life, but rather "when" will it happen. Our western society views suffering as unacceptable and strives to get rid of it as quickly as possible. Paul offers a different perspective on suffering.

We live in a world that is filled with clutter, distraction, and misplaced priorities. Following Jesus in a significant way can easily fall onto the back burner when we allow these things to take over .

As Paul was on his way to Jerusalem, fully aware it would lead to life-threatening danger, he gathered the leaders of the church in Ephesus and shared his heart with them in a tearful good-bye. In so doing, we get a powerful glimpse at the inner heart that was beneath the "deep and wide" life Paul lived.

As Paul begins a difficult journey to Jerusalem, he does so in a context of godly encouragement (Acts 20; 1, 2, 12). True encouragment is much more than expressing human hopes and well-wished to one another. Rather, it involves lifting our eyes upward to the God of encouragement who has been chosen to come alongside us. (Rom. 15:5, John 14:18; 1. Thess. 5:11)

As Paul and his companions travel from city to city, they left quite a wake. Today, we can still see that God uses life change to bring about spiritual growth and revival in modern cities.

On this Canada Day weekend, we want to look at how our "heavenly" citizenship should impact our earthly citizenship. This was certainly the case for Paul when he entered Athens and saw in its rampant array of idols a real hunger for God. His response endeavoured to bring the hope of the true God to this needy city.

As we continue our journey through the book of Acts, we come to the familiar story of Paul and Silas in a Philippian jail. While at first glance, the focus of the story seems to involve the miraculous earthquake that brought about their release, the passage focuses on the impact of the authentic relationship Paul and Silas had with God and how this was revealed in their prayer lives. Paul and Silas expressed a life of prayer that was not about lists or rituals, but rather about a plunge into the constant presence of God.

Today we're looking at what it means to enter into the mystery of worship as we look at two different versions of the throne room, written about 850 years apart. As we journey through these visions in Isaiah and Revelation, we'll learn how these windows into heavenly worship should inform how we engage in worship here today.

Elijah had done it "right" serving God, and it still didn't go like he thought it would. Doing it right doesn't equal a life without difficulty,

As we continue our journey through the book of Acts, we are currently in the section of its story where the church is extending wide. Today, we see Paul begin an effective time of outreach in the seemingly closed city of Philippi. The description of his starting points can truly encourage us to move past intentions, fears and guilt with the truth that when it comes to impact for Christ, we won't get anywhere if we don't start somewhere.

We're currently exploring the section of Acts that describes Paul's impactful journeys. Today we'll look at the early days of his second journey and see some decisions he made that contributed to the impact God accomplished through him. God invites us to a life that moves from a leisurely stroll to a purposeful journey for this to happen, we need to focus on ...

As the Church expands in its early years, a serious conflict arose regarding a person's need to be circumcised (according to Jewish law) in order to be truly saved (brought into relationship with God). In Acts 15, we find a description of how this conflict was handled with the result of being an encouraged and strengthened church (vs. 30-32).

When Paul and Barnabas completed their missionary journey, they came home to Antioch and did more than just report. They spent tim in continued "deep and wide" development with this group of people who were not just a sending church, but also a sent church (Acts 11:21)

Forgiveness is key to us being the people God created us to be. Jesus' teaching on forgiveness challenges us to face our own inner struggle with pardoning people who may not even be remorseful. Nonetheless, we are to forgive.

On the day Jesus rose from the dead, He came up from behind two of His followers as they were walking to their home. These two had heavy hearts, thinking He was still dead. They didn't recognize Jesus until He joined them for a meal and "broke bread" with them. Everything Jesus claimed about Himself was true.