Redemption Hill Church

The lens of the book shifts to the ministry of the Apostle Paul, as he pursued the call Jesus placed on him to be a witness to the Gentiles. Paul's journeys take the gospel to the nations. We begin with Acts 12:25-13:12, which tells the story of Paul and Barnabas being sent out from the church in Antioch and preaching the gospel on Cyprus. This passage will show us what it looks like to live our lives On a Mission from God.

This Sunday is the final Sunday of our series in Haggai. We close it out with Haggai 2:20-23, which is addressed to one of the all-time-great Bible names, Zerubbabel. We will see in this passage that God has a promise for His people and that Zerubbabel is declared to be God’s signet ring. In our time together we will explore the implications of big Z’s status as a signet ring, and the significance of Zerubbabel’s appearance in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

This passage shows us that the Law cannot actually make us clean. On our own, we are all defiled people. Yet, God has not abandoned us. He loves us and pursues us, and has promised blessing even before our obedience has shown itself. So, as we celebrate Preparation Sunday, we will do so with great anticipation for God's blessing for His people.

This second section of Haggai highlights the promises of God and the centrality of the Temple in the worship of the Israelites. We will take some time to consider the importance of the glory of God and the way His presence manifested itself throughout the history of His commitment to His people, extending to us today.

The first chapter of Haggai challenges God's people on their priorities. Written during the return of the Exiles to Jerusalem, it is a book focused on the dawn of a new era in the life of God’s people. This passage challenges us as God's people to evaluate our own priorities as they line up with God's.

This passage starts off pretty bleak. James the Apostle is killed, Peter is imprisoned and awaiting execution, and Herod is triumphing over the church. But God...This passage helps us to see that in the darkest of times, God can surprise us by bursting through with glorious light. His work can be surprising and confusing. The one thing we need to have confidence in is that His Word will continue to spread and increase. So, in the darkest days, God's people pray.

This passage shows us a glimpse of the founding of the church in Antioch. The church in Antioch was the original church planting church. This passage shows us how we as a church can join God in His work as His Word advances. It’s an incredible passage that shows the power of the gospel and the value and role that each one of us has in the church.

After Peter witnessed the movement of the Holy Spirit extended to the Gentiles in the salvation of Cornelius and his entire household, he returned to Jerusalem. The homecoming could not have been what Peter hoped for. His church family back home heard reports of what Peter had been up to and met him with criticism and questioning. This is not an unfamiliar story. When the Holy Spirit moves, it will always mess with our categories. Even today, feeling out of control can make us turn to fearful and critical hearts. Peter's thorough response helps us to see how to respond to each other in patience and love, pursuing unity as we join God in His work.

This passage is pivotal for the book of Acts and God’s work in saving all people because it shows us the moment that the gospel went to the Gentiles and the Holy Spirit fell on them. We will take a look at the pathway of both Peter and Cornelius as we spend time reflecting on the barriers that keep us from being part of God’s work in saving all people, and consider the barriers that had to be overcome for us to hear the gospel.

One of the biggest challenges Christians face in the public square with rapidly shifting ethics is the criticism of inconsistency. You've heard it before - "If you believe in ______, then why do you eat shellfish? Why do you wear mixed-material clothing?" People will point to Old Testament laws on food and clothing, and then claim the ability to extend similar fluidity to other moral and ethical lines. We will see this Sunday that what feels like a complicated web of determining what ethical laws still stand, Scripture is remarkably clear and helpful for us. This passage stands at the center of that discussion as Peter had to wrestle through God's command to do what stood against some of the OT law.