Access Church Weekend Messages

Christianity seems to be so misunderstood. One one hand, the Bible teaches that Jesus saves us when we put our faith in Him. On the other hand, we read so many rules and regulations to follow. So what is this whole "Christian" thing all about? In the final week of this series, we discover the one aspect of our faith that is more important than anything else - relationship.

We don't really need the local church, do we? I mean, you don't have to go to church to be a Christian, right? Besides, if you're gonna be involved in something, why not be involved in something that really makes a difference? Disaster relief, feeding the hungry, fighting to end slavery around our world. With so many options, why do we need the local church at all? In this week's message, we discover God's plan for the local church, and why it should weigh heavy on all of our hearts.

We know that obedience in our everyday lives is important. We're taught from a young age to fix bad behaviors and act appropriately. And we carry that same mindset into our obedience towards God, but unfortunately, it never results in our relationship growing with God. However, the Apostle Paul instructs us to approach obeying God from a different point of view and promises a different version of Christianity than we've experienced before.

Most of us want to grow closer to God, yet with our busy schedules and pressing priorities, we find it difficult to add godliness to our lifestyle. How do we add giving when our credit cards are maxed out? How do we start serving others when the kids have practice every night? How can we join a small group when we only have one free night a week already? In this message, we discover that it's not about "adding" Christianity to our lives, but about something altogether different.

Conflict is something that plagues us all - in our homes, at our jobs, with our friends, in our churches. Anytime that we face difficulties and struggles with someone else, we are presented with two choices. One is easy, but leads us nowhere. The other choice is far more challenging, but in the end it will help develop the character and spiritual growth we all desire.

Many of us wrestle with the gap between our weaknesses and our dreams, between who we are and who God says we are meant to be. We feel unqualified to do God’s work or to live out the calling we imagine. But God has a way of using our weaknesses for good. In fact, God loves unqualified people.

For the past several weeks, we've taken an in-depth look at what the early church did to help propel the movement of Jesus Christ. They faced so many challenges, yet persevered. They were confronted with opposing views, yet kept marching forward. Even internal struggles couldn't keep them from spreading the message of Jesus Christ. In the final week of this series, we discover the motive behind the movement, and how it looks for our church in 2017.

Throughout the book of Acts, we see a common theme: there were no lone rangers. No single person went off on their own to do their own thing. Through difficulties and disagreements, the early church knew that working together would produce far better results than working alone. In this week's message, we learn how to apply that principle to our own lives, and face some common challenges we'll encounter along the way.

Although the Church started with one clear mission and message from Jesus Himself, within a decade or two, they soon found themselves at odds. One group was preaching salvation through Jesus alone, while another required religious law to be followed. At the Jerusalem Council, the first church business meeting, we see how the church leaders decided to clarify their stance, and we discover how to do the same in our own church.

Luke records not only what the early believers did in the book of Acts, but he also records what God did. Time after time, God performed signs and wonders through them, adding credibility and strength to the movement. However, there were also times where God seemed to be silent; where He didn't intervene. The early church knew something that helped them stay strong whether God moved or not. In this week's message, we discover what that was, and how we can learn to live the same way.