Alistair Begg kicked off our Summertime Pulpit Swap series with a message from Acts 9. The early church experienced a season of peace, walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit and multiplied. These are helpful things for us to pursue and pray for in these early days of life at Parkside Westside.

This mother begins the day begging for Jesus’s help with her daughter and ends it finding her daughter restored to a state of dignity. She took Jesus’s words of seeming reproach, about her being a household dog, and transformed them into words of...

This mother begins the day begging for Jesus's help with her daughter and ends it finding her daughter restored to a state of dignity. She took Jesus's words of seeming reproach, about her being a household dog, and transformed them into words of hope. She hadn't earned Jesus's favor, her persistence in conversation demonstrated the faith in her heart. | Outline: [I] Unsuccessful Escape, vs. 24 [II] Desperate Need, vs. 25-26 [III] Clever Conversation, vs. 27-28 [IV] Faith Praised, vs. 29-30

Baptism is one of those rituals that is unique to the church. People may have all sorts of theories as to which kind of people should get wet and when and exactly how much water should be used, but Christian churches since the birth of Christianity...

Baptism is one of those rituals that is unique to the church. People may have all sorts of theories as to which kind of people should get wet and when and exactly how much water should be used, but Christian churches since the birth of Christianity have always baptized new converts. | Outline: [I] The Ethiopian's Baptism, vs. 26-40 [II] The Symbolism of Baptism [a] Christians are immersed in water, which identifies them with the death and burial of Jesus in their place for sins. Coming up out of the water, identifies them with the resurrection of for their salvation and new life empowered by the Holy Spirit [III] Three Reasons to Be Baptized [a] To Follow the Example Set by Jesus [b] Jesus Commanded It [c] It Demonstrates that I Really am a Christian

The verses are foundational in answering the question, “What wrong with me?” In this passage Jesus teaches that, sin isn’t the result of our environment, but of the evil in our own hearts. It’s not what’s on the outside that makes us evil; it’s what...

The verses are foundational in answering the question, "What wrong with me?" In this passage Jesus teaches that, sin isn't the result of our environment, but of the evil in our own hearts. It's not what's on the outside that makes us evil; it's what comes from inside our hearts that showcases the evil within. | Outline: [I] Explanation from Jesus about Defilement, vs. 14-23 [a] Sin is not the result of our environment, but of the evil in our own heart [II] What "Heart" Means in the Bible [a] It's the seat of your emotion, motivation, will, thought, desire, and the causal center of your personhood [III] What's Wrong with My Heart [a] It's ruined by self-centeredness [b] It has the seeds of all evil in it [c] It's what makes me unclean before God

The Jewish religious leaders accused the disciples of failing to practice their ceremonial regulations. The problem was that the practices that they demanded weren’t commanded in the Scriptures. They were regulations that had been added over time and...

The Jewish religious leaders accused the disciples of failing to practice their ceremonial regulations. The problem was that the practices that they demanded weren't commanded in the Scriptures. They were regulations that had been added over time and were now being pressed upon people in a heavy handed way. It was for these reasons and many more that Jesus was horrified by what he saw. | Outline: [I] Accusation from the Religious Leaders, vs. 1-5 [II] Condemnation from Jesus, vs. 6-13

This story doesn’t teach us that we’ll never face the scary and unknown. It instead teaches us that we don’t have to fear the scary and unknown because God is in control. The stormy sea rages, but never beyond the boundaries of God’s supervision. He’s...