The Triumphant entrance of Jesus! An entrance that communicates to the people, you must accept Him all, or not at all.

In this message, we're challenged to embrace true reconciliation in our lives and communities. The book of Philemon serves as a profound illustration of how the Gospel transforms relationships. We see Paul urging Philemon to receive his runaway slave Onesimus back, not as property, but as a beloved brother in Christ. This radical shift reminds us that reconciliation isn't just about emancipation, but about changing how we view and treat one another.

Jesus has provided humanity with a way to the Father. However, human tradition tries to hinder instead of help.

Paul faced many challenges as he continued to try and get the gospel out. The disciples weren’t necessarily getting the best results in every town they visited. They discover that sticking with a thing, is sometimes the better answer over instant success. 

The focus of the book of Acts is now shifting toward the Apostle Paul and the first of his missionary journeys. Paul and Barnabas are traveling city to city and have found themselves in Antioch looking to do Gospel work. Similar to sermons from Peter and Stephen, Paul gives a sermon that goes through the history of the Jewish people showing them why they should believe in Jesus as the fulfillment of their promises. In this passage, Paul displays a pattern that we can also make use of as we do our own Gospel work. 

Prayer should be like air for the Christian. We should find ourselves regularly communicating with our Lord and Savior. Along this journey, we often discover God joins us in our most impossible circumstances. 

Many years have now gone by since the Pentecost experience and God is still tearing down the walls that were restricting the good news from reaching the gentiles directly. Peter learns the gospel is for all people and not limited to some. 

As we open God’s Word, we will look at three different characters in the passage and how we may or may not relate to each.

Every now and again we see glimpses of the Kingdom breaking forth, just like sun rays breaking through the clouds. It’s as if the clouds are sometimes trying their best to hold back the warmth and brilliance of the sun. In Acts 8, we see both the people of God and the words of God spilling out off Jerusalem. 

Stephen is introduced in the narrative of Acts in chapter 6. In chapter 7, he is on trial because of the work of the Holy Spirit through him. During his trial he preaches a lengthy sermon in which he accuses the Israelites for past failures and the Sanhedrin who are present, of worshipping what they made with their hands. This account is an example of what happens when man-made religion has carried people too far. However, it’s also a reminder from Stephen about what true religion looks like.