CCF Weekly Services Podcast

Following the unjust execution of the Apostle James, Herod Agrippa I tries to do the same to the Apostle Peter. As the church uses this time of crisis to passionately pray for him, God works a miracle by sending an angel to get him out of prison. It wasn't rushed. It wasn't even necessarily a gentle experience. However, it was the way God always does things. Even when people and circumstances are bad, He remains good. Peter understood this whether he was going to be released or not.

1. The purpose of prayer is to align your desires with God's.

2. A heart that trusts God knows Him.

3. If we need a miracle, we'll get one.

Ezekiel's ministry was a powerful one, but also one that cost him incredibly. From seeing his nation's capital destroyed to having to say goodbye to his beloved wife, it was a ministry that was only worthwhile because God saw him through everything he was called to do and say. Our ministry should be nothing less regardless of where or when we're called.

1. The most effective evangelist talks to people the way they would want to have been shared with before they knew the Lord.

2. God's Word is the only thing we're promised will always accomplish what it was meant to.

3. God is the only one that changes hearts. Our job is to be an asset rather than an obstacle to that process.

Despite the cultural controversies of Hebrew and Greek culture clashing, God's word was still going out. How? Men like the people of Antioch were eager and willing to begin every day as an opportunity to draw closer to Jesus and act like Him where they could. Men like Paul and Barnabas were willing to go through the necessary preparation of mind and character to be used by God effectively where and when He intended. And those who followed Jesus expressed His character with their physical resources as much as their emotional investment.

1. A saved life will become a changed life.

2. Preparation is just as important as ministry.

3. God is more interested in your heart than your checkbook.

Ezekiel is inspired by the Holy Spirit to reveal just how serious Israel's sin was. He uses language and terms that are not suitable for all audiences. However, God in intentional in how He talks to His people because it is just that serious. If they wouldn't be restored, they would be judged. But like judgment in our own lives, it won't be because God didn't warn them or plead with them to return every step they took away from Him.

1. Confession requires us to understand how incapable we are of dealing with the issues of our hearts on our own.

2. Restoration is always available to anyone still willing to receive it.

3. The motivation for Godly living is being in awe of the Cross.

The Apostle Peter is challenged about what God did regarding the Gospel being shared with a Gentile. As an example of proper conflict resolution, he doesn't point to himself. He simply tells them what God said and did. That is our common ground. Anything above or beyond that needs to be understood as secondary to what is actually worth arguing about.

1. The first step to avoiding conflict is not to be the cause of it yourself.

2. If God says something once, pay attention. If He says something twice, really pay attention.

3. Nothing qualifies us to share the gospel apart from His Word and His Spirit.

Ezekiel makes several calls back to Israel's history regarding individuals who stood in the gap. These were people who prayed on behalf of Israel to be given mercy especially at times when they didn't deserve it. This is the best place to find ourselves in a day and age that reflects the same attitude that reduced beautiful Jerusalem into little more than a Bloody City.

1. God wants us to understand His promises.

2. God wants us to share His heart, especially towards sinners.

3. God wants more people who act like Him in a world that rejects Him.

The parable of the prodigal sons is an effective example of God the Father's treatment of us and example for us. Like the Father's allowance of the son to learn his own lessons in life, the heart the father had in seeing his children restored, and his willingness to do so the moment they came back to him, so too does every father have that calling to model God's heart to their children.

1. God the Father exemplifies what an earthly father ought to be.

2. The Father allows His children the freedom to make mistakes.

3. The Father receives and fully restores anyone who comes to Him as His children.

God doesn't enjoy judgment. People that celebrate when God drops the hammer make themselves as much an object of His wrath as those experiencing it. The key to avoiding a cold heart is to understand our purpose remains the same during times of mercy as they do in times of wrath. If we're to show patience towards those who are rejecting God, we should also be grieving when the time comes for them to answer for those decisions.

1. God is patient, but He's nobody's fool.

2. When God judges, He judges right.

3. Our job is to share God's heart towards this world. During judgment, that is a heart of grief.

Cornelius the Centurion is the first Gentile recorded in the book of Acts to come to a saving relationship with Jesus. This was not only done in a way that allows us to understand what real salvation looks like, but also a wonderful outline to discern people that claim to exercise or emphasize spiritual gifts beyond what is biblical.

1. Salvation, like any work of God, is a direct work of the Holy Spirit.

2. Tongues, like any spiritual gift, isn't always a fraud. It needs to be biblically defined and tested.

3. Baptism, like any good work, isn't salvation. It naturally follows it.

Israel's leaders finally seek God to understand why they're in Babylon. God answers by reminding them of what He's already spoken in His word. With a reminder of their idolatry, their negligence of the Sabbath years, and the consequences that were spelled out for them, we're reminded of an important truth when hearing from God. If you want to hear what God has to say to you today, start with what He's already written in His Word.

1. If God isn't answering your questions, it's because He already has.

2. Communication with God apart from His word is foolish.

3. Man is pathetic, but God is still good.