Gospel Life Sermons

Acts 20:1-6 might read like a travel itinerary, but it is so much more than that. It’s a declaration that the mission of Jesus isn’t just for the apostles. The mission of Jesus is for everyday believers from every tribe and tongue and this passage teaches us that Jesus is building his church through and with His people! 

The New Testament teaches us that Christians are called to serve one another – but why? Ultimately, we serve one another because Christ first served us and our choice to serve puts the love of Christ on display for the world, and for one another, to see!

A Gospel Community is more than a social club or self-help group. Our GC's gather in a commitment to learn and live out God’s Word together. He has given us His Word to awaken faith in the unbeliever, bring help and hope to the believer, and to show us that the Scriptures point us to our Savior – Jesus! 

Jesus at great cost to Himself took our sin upon Himself and died for us, so that we could be reconciled to God! That good news, that Gospel truth, is now given to us to go out into the world to share with others. We must see that one of our new identities “in Christ” is to be on mission as a minister of reconciliation, so that those who are seperated from God because of their sin, might hear the Gospel and be reconciled to God and be made a new creation. So that it can also be said of them: “the old is gone, behold, the new has come.” All this is from God!

A Gospel Community is a family of missionaries that are learning and serving together. Join us for our first week where we learn about the identity of family to find out what family is, what family does, and what Jesus has done to make family possible for us. 

If we’re honest, Acts 19:11-20 is a bit strange. People that touch Paul’s handkerchief get healed, a demon decides to beat up a group of pretend Jewish exorcists, and many former witches decide to burn their spell books in the streets. Why on earth would all of this happen? Here’s our big idea: Jesus’ authority over the supernatural world commands our complete surrender! 

Twelve men in Ephesus had never even heard there was a Holy Spirit, yet when Paul told them the truth about Jesus that they hadn’t heard, they obeyed with no deliberation, no waiting for a sign. Then the Spirit worked in remarkable ways. Keeping “in step with the Spirit” is not a moment of power but a life of simple obedience and frequent repentance. Neither is complicated, but neither is easy. We can can’t sustain obedience on our own, which is why repentance is “all the life of the believer,” and why Jesus Christ the righteous stands as our advocate every time we fail.

In Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquila, we see God advancing His kingdom through people with

diverse backgrounds, gifts, roles, and opportunities—each acting, teaching, learning,

encouraging, and going. However, it’s not just their own agency: God remains the one

leading by His Spirit. Because Jesus has saved us by grace and made us His people, we are

freed from both pride and passivity: we can receive the gifts He has given us, learn from

one another, and faithfully participate in the work His Spirit is doing to build the Kingdom of

God in the hearts of men and women and children.

In Act 18:18-23, Paul is used as an example of several important truths including freedom to worship and be sanctified for Christ in numerous ways, never considering anyone too far gone for the Gospel to change them, and a call to strengthen the community of believers. Please don’t come away from today’s sermon thinking “be like Paul, our ultimate example.” Remember instead that Paul was a sinner like you and me, and any example he provides is but a tiny reflection of our true, good, and perfect example in Jesus. 

The mission of Jesus can seem daunting to everyday Christians and it’s not uncommon for us to feel uncertain, insecure, or alone. However, Acts 18:1-17 brings us good news and teaches us that Jesus gives His Word, His presence and His promises to HIs people for His mission!