Your Custom Text Here
Acts Series message 21
Text: Acts 16:1-15
With the momentous decision delivered and articulated via the Jerusalem Council, now it's time to begin fleshing that out. We'll look at how the early Christians did that, as well as cast a specific vision for the year ahead at DBC.
Acts Series message 20 (Pastor Mike Speer)
Text: Acts 15:22-41
The Gentile church in Antioch has been unsettled by teachers that said they did not measure up. Now the church in Jerusalem is sending men with the good news that by God's grace they are certainly brothers and sisters in Christ. All they ask is that they abstain from four things for the sake of love and purity. How does the church at Antioch respond? They rejoice! They are accepted by grace and they respond in grace. God's grace is on display in this passage and when we live in His grace it changes how we view our world today.
Acts Series message 19
Text: Acts 15
It's cool that the Gentiles were being added to the church. The apostles loved sharing the stories of these conversions, even in Samaria. But after the novelty wore off, some wanted to rope the Gentiles with some Jewish practices. The larger problem was that they wanted to make it a salvation issue. A council was convenened, and very practical advice was given. It was a stake in the ground, and the church flourished becasue of it. In modern times, legalism often creeps into the church. "Yes, Jesus died for your sins and we are saved by grace. But... you must do this and you can't touch this and stay away from that and never talk with them..." Before we know it, Christianity is not defined by the the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, but, but by a list a mile long that we never meausure up to anyway.
Acts Series message 18
Text: Acts 14:19-28
We pick up the action with Paul being left for dead after being stoned for his witness. He went on to encourage the new believers to remain true to the faith. The hardships they face were legion this side of glory. The same can be said of us. I have been touched by Luke's coverage of these events, as he shows a very human side to the early Christiains in their struggles. In the midst of all this, Paul appoints elders for each church. We'll examine why this is so important in God's work in our lives - both then and now.
Salt Sunday is a church-wide community service event held twice a year. We cancel our regular church service and, instead, go out in the community to serve in various projects.
Text: Plilippians 4:1-10
After taking us to glorious heights in Philippians 3 (forgetting what's behind, straining toward what's ahead...), Paul addresses two women who just can't get along. He asks his assistant to help them. Then he tells us to always rejoice in the Lord. Always. He helps us see how to overcome anxiety: purposeful prayer and directed mind. Not only does he promise the peace of God, but the God of peace.
Acts Series message 17
Text: Acts 14
As Tim Keller has said, the issue on which everything stands is not whether or not you like Christianity, but whether or not Jesus rose from the dead. As the disciples boldly proclaimed the resurrection and lordship of Jesus Christ, some believed but others actively opposed their ministry. We'll see from Scripture how we will experience success, opposition, and redirection as we serve the Lord.
Acts Series message 16
Text: Acts 13
The past several Sundays we've addressed fulfilled prophecy, the Trinity, the Son of God and, of course, the death & resurrection of Christ. We hit those because Paul deals with all of them in his first missional sermon. We'll finish this rich passage on Sunday by tying all of those together and then take a look at the heart of Paul's message. As author Timothy Keller has noted, the issue on which everything stands is not whether or not you like Christianity, but whether or not Jesus rose from the dead.
Text: Various selected scriptures
He is risen! On Resurrection Day, we will walk through parts of a Seder dinner (Passover) in our worship service and see how Christ shines through in the account of the exodus. We will also observe Communion together.
Acts Series message 15
Text: Acts 13:33
Throughout our journey in Acts we’re constantly seeing the work of the Spirit as salvation in the Son is proclaimed. We've taken time to develop the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit, as well as explore the triunity of our God. This Sunday we'll examine exactly what the phrase 'only begotten Son of God' actually means. Established in eternity, the term 'Son' is seen clearly in His incarnation and work on the cross. This truth drives us to worship, paricularly as we consider that this One came riding on a…donkey.
Text: Various selected texts
When we study various sciences, we witness the Hand of God. When we engage theology(the study of God), we approach and engage the very being of the One we worship. He is AWESOME, beyond our ability to fully comprehend (which is why we worship Him, right?). He is magnificent and exalted in majesty. This Sunday we will examine His triune nature, commonly referred to as the Trinity. How is it that we say there is one God, yet known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit? This doctrine is often misunderstood and misrepresented, not to mention ridiculed. We will examine the Scriptural record on this matter; His revelation of Himself is consistent from beginning to end. Our sermon will flow into the following sermon on the phrase, 'only begotten Son of God.' I hope you are as excited as I am to dive into this!
Acts Series message 14
Text: Acts 13:13-52
Paul has stirred things up on his first missions trip (notice the missions theme this week?) and soon has the ear of almost an entire city. His speech is stirring and doctrinally rich; so much so, we'll spend at least two Sundays adressing it. This weekend we'll examine his powerful statements and larger themes: David's passion for God, the Sonship of Christ (just what does 'begotten Son' mean, anyhow?) and election within salvation.
Acts Series message 13
Text: Acts 13:1-12
The Apostle Paul is set aside for a "missions trip". My, does he find his voice when confronting evil - he hits the ground running! We will talk about our calling in life, as well as finding our own voice in the face of evil around us.
Acts Series message 20
Text: Acts 12
We certainly aren’t lacking for action in this chapter! Death by sword, imprisonment, angelic deliverance, a stunned church, and a king struck down by an angel. The church is growing now with both Gentiles and Jews, but we are reminded that it is also being resisted through persecution. We will conclude on Sunday with a powerful reminder of how the early church responded to opposition and setbacks.
Acts Series message 19
Text: Acts 11
Cornelius and his family being converted was HUGE, so Luke will have us revisit it, via Peter's recollection, to the believers at Jerusalem. Lots of very important and practical truths to glean from this chapter. As well, we'll see the Christians being encouraged and also proactive in helping those in need. And, oh, Christians are first referred to as Christians in this chapter.
Acts Series message 18
Text: Acts 10:9-48
We've seen the infant church suffer much persecution while at the same time expanding outside Israel. We'll now examine the first recorded Gentile conversion, as so many prophecies were fulfilled beginning with this momentous event! Acts 10 records the story of Cornelius' salvation experience; Cornelius was a centurion in the Italian regiment.
Acts Series message 17
Text: Acts 9:32-10:8
This Sunday we'll see God's faithfulness and how He can use anyone for His glory. The main character is Peter; soon, it will become the Apostle Paul.
Text: Lamentations 3:1-26
How do you handle the dark times in your life? Have you ever asked yourself, "Is God really there when I'm suffering?" or perhaps, "Does God even care, or could He even be the source of my trials? God has a message of hope for you. Guest speaker Jason Purdy delivers God's message of hope found in Lamentations.
Acts Series message 16
Text: Acts 9:1-31
We have arrived at a critical place in Acts: Saul (later the Apostle Paul) is born again and begins building up the very church he previously attacked! God chose Saul to be the mouth-piece of the Gospel, so we could see His unlimited patience through a man who once was a persecuter and a blasphemer. He is working His plan, tearing down the wall between Jew and Gentile and growing His church through all peoples. What an exciting section of early church history! We will conclude with 7 very practical applications from Saul's conversion.
Acts Series message 15
Text: Acts 8:26-40
The Lord orchestrates a meeting between Philip (the one who brought the Gospel to the Samaritans) and the treasurer to the queen The eunuch believes in Christ and is baptized on the spot. The Gospel is spreading! What is significant though is how Philip shares the Gospel: from the Old Testament!