Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

God designed church to be a team sport because we, His people, are the church. Inherit in that very design, God created a body without any spectators. Each member has a role to play. We are so excited for Involved Sunday this week, because it is an opportunity for each member to pray about how God has made you to build up the body. We hope to see you here this Sunday and you’ll be sure to be encouraged to get off the bench and into the game.

Have you ever played the blame game? Something goes wrong and you start pointing fingers trying to determine whose fault it is only to find several fingers pointing back at you. What does all that accomplish? When Jesus came face to face with a blind man and with us he wasn’t interested in pointing fingers, but getting to work. I’m sure you’ll be challenged and encouraged as we celebrate together.

Have you ever wanted to get away for a little rest and relaxation? Jesus left the crowds and the chaos continued as he came face to face with a madman. The details of this encounter are both ghastly and captivating. Join us Sunday to see what one meeting with Jesus would do for this madman and ask that meeting with Jesus would do the same for us.

We’ve been talking about effective post-Christian evangelism in our This vs That series. As we conclude we’ll discuss one of the hardest parts – playing our role and trusting God to play His. Jesus said, “If I am lifted up, I will draw all men to Me.” Do you trust Him to do that? Don’t miss the dramatic conclusion to this series.

We all have certain traits where those who know us best say, "that's just ______________!" We might deny it, but everyone knows. There is something about the way we live that speaks louder than our words. The same is true for evangelism. This Sunday we will see how Jesus modeled this to his friends on the road to Emmaus.

We continue down the Emmaus road, learning from Jesus how to share the gospel in today’s world. And that involves the hard step of waiting to be invited. So what do we do while we wait? Let’s talk about that in today's sermon.

In our attention-deficit world, listening is a great gift. People love telling their story. They’re telling it hundreds of different ways – twitter and tattoos, photos and Facebook. Listening to what people are saying is a selfless act. It’s gift. When we listen to others, we demonstrate what God is like because we have a God who listens and draws near. Come and listen this Sunday.

What matters more, the journey or the destination? This week, we’re continuing our sermon series on the journey that Jesus took with two of His disciples down the Emmaus Road, and we’ll see how joining others on the journey can make a big impact on both them and us. Come and join us this Sunday—especially you dads—as we journey together on this mission of sharing Jesus and impacting people!

Our mission is to Share Jesus and Impact People. And we all would like to live our mission with greater effectiveness, right? During the next 6 weeks we will join Jesus on the Emmaus Road as he engages two sad, cynical disciples shortly after his resurrection. We will closely examine the way Jesus impacted them so that their spiritual eyes would be opened. You’ll be sure to see the way Jesus interacted with these men is often different than most approaches today. Join us and prepare to be challenged during our next sermon series titled This vs. That.

It's been an exciting year working our way through the book of acts. We've seen the rise and growth of the transformational church. It has flourished despite persecution, beatings, imprisonment, and even the murder of her members. You want to be sure to be here on Sunday for the dramatic conclusion of Acts: The Unstoppable Church.