In Ezra 7 and 8, the priest and scribe, Ezra, arrives on the scene for the first time in the book. Ezra is authorized by the Persian king, Artaxerxes, to lead a 2nd wave of exiles from Babylon back to Jerusalem to see to the restoration of faithfulness to the Law of God. How did […]

This week, we read in Ezra 5 how the prophets Haggai and Zechariah restarted and finished the Temple building project after it had been abandoned for many years. Dean talks about how the Temple, as well as it’s restoration, was meant to put God at the center of the Israelite’s lives, and how we should […]

This week, we read about the first steps the returning exiles take towards rebuilding the temple. Johnny recognizes the work it takes to rebuild this temple, and the laments of the oldest exiles as they compare the new foundations to Solomon’s temple.

As we begin the series on Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, Johnny takes us through the beginning of Ezra, and the history surrounding the Israelite’s exile in Babylon and Persia.

When Paul and Barnabas miraculously heal a lame man, the locals begin to worship them as Greek gods. Paul swiftly works to correct this, and Bishop Chris Warner shows how this applies to miracles and to idols today.

After Paul preaches the sermon in Pisidian Antioch, we get to see the incredible effect it has on Jews and Gentiles alike. Dean shows the great lengths Paul and Barnabas went to to give this sermon, and shows how we can have that same missionary impact today.

In this passage, we see Paul and Barnabas called to be missionaries to the Gentile Church. We see Paul preaching in the synagogue at Antioch in Galatia, and we learn about the importance of listening to God’s calling.

In Acts 9, we read about the conversion of Paul. Dean talks about the surrounding chapters, which include the conversions of the Roman Centurion Cornelius and the Ethiopian Eunuch, and how we can be like Ananias and Barnabas were to Paul.

On the 2nd Sunday of Easter, CCV begins a series using the Lectionary Year C readings, focusing on The Acts of the Apostles. In Acts 5, Peter and the Apostles are arrested for preaching Jesus. But when the Angel of the Lord sets them free and calls them to preach the gospel in the Temple […]

Easter Sermon: In a culture of an increasing hopelessness, the Christian hope, grounded in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ offers a real hope–Jesus did rise bodily from the dead; and a living hope with ongoing implications for lives. The Christian living hope is upside-down, forward-back, and inside-out.