Acts 18:18-28

Sometimes it can be hard to know when to give and when to receive. In fact many of us have been taught that it is a virtue to give all of ourselves away and then end up burnt out and resentful. Others of us expect (often unconsciously) to constantly receive- judging everything by how much it entertains us or reaffirms what we already think. What if neither position is a mature response to the Christian life? Listen in to hear about another path.

Acts 18:1-17

Have you ever felt done? Like, you try and keep trying, but feel life is against you and NOTHING works out? 

Probably so. 

In this passage, we find Paul in a similar spot. He has stepped out on faith to follow God and preach the good news of the Christ, but everywhere he turns he encounters backlash, hardships, and simply "life not working." But there's a deeper truth God has for Paul, and for us, in those moments.

Listen in as we unpack this story and discover what it means that God is with us...and there’s someone, somewhere on our side.

Acts 17:16-34

Have you ever experienced something that so dramatically shifted your perspective about life that it made it difficult to relate to the people around you? The apostle Paul did. As we continue to explore Paul's encounter with Athenian thinkers we find the meeting of two different world views- Is the divine a separate and abstract idea or has it walked among us, spoken and acted? In essence- "Is God near?" The answer to that question can, and has, shifted our understanding of reality as we know it. Listen in to engage the conversation. 

Acts 17:16-34

This week we encounter Paul as a tourist in Athens right before his famous Mars Hill sermon. But Paul isn't on vacation, checked out and taking it easy. Instead, he's dialed in, choosing presence and engaging culture. Listen in as we seek  to learn from the Apostle Paul about how we as modern people can live as followers of Jesus in our complex cultural landscape.

Acts 17:10-15

You ever hear something that sounds so good you just can't help but believe it without checking up on the sources? Of course! Haven't we all? But when Paul and his crew encounter a group of Jews called the Bereans he finds they have a more thoughtful approach to his good sounding news. They receive Paul's messages about Jesus the Christ with eagerness but they also look to the scriptures to see if they can find a basis to accept his good news. Listen in as we learn to think like a Berean.

Acts 17:1-9

Paul's opponents accuse him in Acts 17 of "turning the world upside down." Their statement is loaded with irony, and Paul would likely agree with them! Paul might suggest that the world is being turned "right side up" through King Jesus. But would people say the same thing about Christians today? Are we turning the world "right side up"? If not, why? What if it's because the message we're proclaiming and living is subtly different than the message Paul was proclaiming and living? A subtle difference can have massive implications! Listen in as we explore... 

I Corinthians 15:1-11

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Resurrection tells us the world has changed and we are invited to be a part of it all and help usher in all that is true about God to a world hurting. Something was opened up and unleashed on Easter...something big and life-changing...something true and of first importance. 

Listen in as we unpack the “of first importance” of the resurrection, and the life-long pursuit it puts us on, in the world. 

Luke 23:32-43

During his last hours Jesus was not consumed with rage and resentment but was instead found so full of mercy and compassion he could listen to and see the two men next to him who shared his fate-a criminal's death on a cross. One hurled insults, the other asked for mercy. Jesus gave immediately to the one who asked. What kind of man (God) is this who bestows mercy so freely in the midst of such intense, undeserved suffering? How can we ask for, and receive, this mercy from the suffering savior? 

Genesis 1:26-31

In a world looking for beauty to behold, Scripture tells us humans are the best chance at meeting those needs. And though we've seen much beauty come from humanity, we can point to countless ruins where we've not sought to create true and lasting beauty, but something to simply suffice our momentary impulses and lusts. 

At Christ City Church, we believe there's a mandate and true function to every human to make this world more whole and free and beautiful, through recognizing that we're made in the likeness of God. Listen in as we unpack this scared practice of Creating Beauty.

Esther 3:1-4:17

The story of Esther is timeless and inspiring: an orphan, minority woman who rises to a seat of power only to be faced with the dilemma of risking her meteoric rise and privilege, as she attempts to save her people. We know Ester finds the courage to confront the king and thus the cultural norms, and God uses her to bring change to her world...simply because she was willing to engage her culture.

This week we explore our 5th Practice, Engage Culture, and ask the question: what does to mean to engage the cultures we find ourself in, and seek to critique and change the things we know are not right, good, holy, and of God?