Hey! You! Yes, you. Jesus loves you for who and what you are and wants you to be a part of God's family. Yes, you! That's not exactly what today's investigation of Acts 4 is about, but ultimately, it's what everything is supposed to be about.

But to get there, you need to understand something about Star Trek... (Wait, what?)


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Grace and peace to you all this week!

Before we go further in the book of Acts, learning the events and history of the early church, I thought we should stop and learn what exactly the church is and whether we are actually a part of it. What does it mean to be "part" of the church anyway? What makes us the called out assembly of God and not just a group of people with some shared ideas?

This week we learn to live as "echad" in "ekklesia" through submission and love in a way that SHOULD bring peace.

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Grace and peace to you all this week.

What is the point of sequels, and why is the Bible filled with them? It's almost as if someone was trying to make a point and make sure we all get it...

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Our mission is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ by meeting human needs in his name without discrimination. You can help us do that by donating to The Salvation Army in Nevada County. https://grassvalley.salvationarmy.org

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Thanks for journeying with us for a few minutes!

Grace and peace to each of you this week.

Thank God for his instruction that we build up the body of the church by loving one another unconditionally and by lifting up every person, without exception! If that's not the church you know, you will want to check out this passage in Acts to see what the first followers of Jesus did and what may be different from what we are doing now.

Questions and comments are always welcome. Post them or email [email protected]

Check out our message archive! http://bit.ly/shieldonline

Help share the love of Jesus by helping those in need. Your gift of any amount is appreciated and can be given at https://grassvalley.salvationarmy.org

Grace and peace to you this week!

This new thing had happened and everyone was excited to share. Even though they knew it made them all sound crazy! It WAS crazy, and yet, somehow, it was true. And they had to tell people. But would they listen?

Will you?

Comments and questions are always welcome. Post them here or email [email protected]

Check out our podcast, The Shield Online, on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Or you can visit our host archive here: http://bit.ly/shieldonline

We meet in person in beautiful downtown Grass Valley, California each week. Join us Sundays at 11:00 am at 10725 Alta Street!

The Salvation Army's mission is to share the gospel of Jesus by meeting human needs in his name without discrimination. Whether you are nearby or far away, you can help. Make your gift of any amount or find out more information about what we do here: grassvalley.salvationarmy.org

Grace and peace to each and every one of you this week!

O God of cleansing, burning flame: Send the fire!

I live in what we could call the nation's tinderbox, Northern California, and fire has burned scars into all our lives over the last decade or so. But fire is only bad when it is misused or out of control. Sometimes you need a controlled burn to clear away the corruption in life so that what matters will stand tall and healthy when the flames of judgment come.

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Grace and peace to you this week!

You ever have the problem of having to wait for something but you don't really know what the something is or how long it's going to be? So you find yourself sitting around, brooding over things that are really outside your control but which you wish you could change or somehow move on from? You aren't alone. That may actually be a universal thing. I know I've been there. It seems that King David had some moments like that, and Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, went through some of that too.

Which is where we're going today in our look at the book of Acts.

All that, plus a super hero in the Bible. Seriously, you don't want to miss this one!

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Grace and peace to you. Remember, we're all in this together.

Psst... Hey, you! I can trust you, right? Good, because I have something important I want to tell you, but the government has banned the book about it. Even just saying that is probably enough to get me flogged, so if you don't want to hear more, stop now.

There was a man named Jesus who said he was God, which I know sounds crazy. But when I tell you about the people who believed in him and what happened with them, maybe you'll understand why spreading this story is considered so subversive. 

So, you want to hear it?

Questions, comments, or need a copy of the book? Email [email protected]

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Grace and peace to you this week.

Hey, you want to go dancing?

No, not with me. With God. Because he's been waiting for a chance to dance with you. Really. Check out today's message to hear how that will work. Because if all this God stuff is true, we might need to polish some of our moves.

It's a new year! Feel free to ask questions, new or old, and we'll see if we can find answers together! Post those here or email [email protected]

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Grace and peace to each of you as we enter in to 2023 and beyond!

It's Christmas! Let's talk presents!

In the last chapter of his gospel, Matthew slips three very special gifts into our hands. Three things we may not have noticed. Three special ideas which could reshape the way we view or live out our faith...

Got questions or comments? Post them here or email [email protected]

Want to make a donation before the end of the year? Drop it in our Virtual Red Kettle to support the work of The Salvation Army in Nevada County, California! http://grassvalleyredkettle.org

There is no better way to spend Christmas than by catching up on the whole series of teaching on the book of Matthew! We podcast everything and you can find it at your favorite podcast source or through our host site: http://bit.ly/shieldonline

Grace and peace to you all! And a very happy Christmas to you.