Central West End Church

We are creatures of desire, but our desires always seem heartbreakingly beyond our reach. What do we do with that? In this passage, Paul shows us how the gospel affirms, critiques, and ultimately fulfills our deepest desires. 

How should we live when the Powers-That-Be insist that we accept realities and rules that violate our faith? Not an easy question. There are several options. This passage and sermon reveal the one perfect answer. 

These days it can be suspect and even unpopular to talk to other people about Jesus. Read the book of Acts, chapter 18, and listen to this sermon to understand why “sharing the Gospel” is basic to being a Christian and a blessing to the whole world. 

We all learn ways of getting through life that work for us, but they still feel upside down. The gospel shows us what right side up looks like. 

What if your ultimate safety wasn’t in being protected from suffering, but in the goodness of a God who carries and transforms you through the suffering? That is definitely not a safe question. But it is the question this passage helps us answer.

Even though our culture is deeply influenced by Christianity, many people have a distorted or false picture of Christianity. It doesn’t make any sense to them. How do you make sense of Christianity to people for whom Christianity doesn’t make any sense? This passage helps us. 

It’s often hard to recognize God’s work in our lives and in the world, because it doesn’t look like what we think it should look like. How can we take care not to miss what God is doing? In this passage, the apostle Paul shows us it’s all wrapped up in understanding the story we’re in.

Evangelism is a controversial and fearful topic for many people, and for many reasons. But the word has its roots in the idea of "good news," specifically the good news about Jesus. This passage helps us recover a healthier and happier understanding of this much misunderstood word. 

God's vision for the world has always been a multiethnic, multicultural vision. This story is one of the most powerful examples of that. In this passage, Peter recounts how he was led to a summit experience in the expansion of the gospel to all the world.