Prairie Preacher

The message of the cross has not changed. It is tempting to read Acts with a curiosity about how the same message we hold to so dearly today was received way back then in such a pagan, polytheistic culture. But what I want you to consider today is the possibility that the context and the culture haven’t really changed that much at all. Customs change, languages change, leadership changes, government changes, technology changes. Lots of things change, but don’t think for a second that we can’t relate to Paul and Silas and Timothy, and to those followers of Jesus in Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea. They faced the same kind of obstacles and opposition that we do today, that followers of Jesus all around our world and throughout history have faced when proclaiming the cross. 

Yes, that is one sermon on a little more than one chapter of Acts. Listen to how the unpredictable power of God is displayed in overcoming failure, fierce flexibility, and in focusing his followers.

No matter where you live, you live under a civil religion. In Acts 14 we are looking at what happens when the Gospel confronts civil religion and how followers of King Jesus should respond.

Hear the story of my first sermon and then hear Paul's. Pay attention to the story Paul tells -- to what happens when God initiates the action versus what happens when people take matters into their own hands. Sorry for the length. 

Do you believe that the church should have a voice amidst the chaos and crises that we are facing today and the ones we will face tomorrow? We must remember that the church's voice must be connected to its mission and that its mission must be rooted in its worship.

One kingdom is made and maintained by violence and the threat of violence. One kingdom is made by one who suffered violence and maintained by citizens who die to themselves and are willing to suffer violence. One kingdom decays and decomposes while the other develops, spreads, and grows. Which has your allegiance?

What do cockroaches and Christians have in common? Not much, I hope. 

COVID-19 opinions and theories have spread infectiously. Don't let them divide us. Don't let anything divide us. Let Jesus unite us. Pretty simple, right?