A quiet town.
An unexpected girl.
A messenger from God.
A Messiah coming to fulfill the Promises.
The announcement of Jesus isn’t just a Christmas moment — it’s the turning point of the whole story of Scripture.
Every promise finds its “yes” in Him.
Mary responds with humble faith:
“Let it be to me according to Your word.”
Join us this week as we dive into the Christmas Story from the Gospel of Luke and examine Luke 1:26-38 🫄🏽
💭 Two Things to Think About Before Listening:
1️⃣ Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises.
From Abraham → David → the Prophets → right here in Nazareth.
2️⃣ Faith involves submission to God’s Word.
Trust isn’t having all the details — it’s trusting the One who does.
🙏 Two Ways to Pray:
• Ask God to give you a bigger view of Jesus — His identity, His mission, His kingdom.
• Pray for a heart that says “Your Word, not my way” — not to earn His favor, but because His grace is enough.

🔥 When Egypt creeps back into your heart…
This Sunday we step into one of the most powerful moments in the Book of Acts — Stephen’s sermon, his bold witness before the Sanhedrin, and the first Christian martyrdom.

Stephen walks Israel’s entire history to show one massive truth:
God is always faithful… and God’s people have always been tempted to turn their hearts back to Egypt.

Back to old sins.
Back to old gods.
Back to self-rule instead of God’s rule.

And Stephen’s life — and death — show us what Spirit-filled, ordinary Christian faithfulness really looks like:

Jesus treasured above everything.
A soft heart instead of a stiff neck.
A life yielded to the Holy Spirit.
A courage that speaks truth.
A hope that endures all the way home.

This passage comforts the humble, confronts the proud, and calls every one of us to examine the places where “Egypt” is still whispering to our hearts.

🧠 Two Things to Think About Before Listening:
1. Where is Egypt gaining ground in my heart?

Are there old sins, old idols, or old habits that still call out to you — pulling you back toward self-rule instead of God’s rule? Where am I resisting God’s Word the way Israel resisted Moses and the prophets?

2. What does ordinary, Spirit-filled faithfulness look like for me this week?

Stephen wasn’t an apostle. He was an ordinary believer—full of the Spirit, steeped in Scripture, courageous, surrendered, and committed to Jesus above all. Where is God calling you to that same ordinary, steady obedience?

🙏 Two Ways to Pray

1) “Lord, expose any drift in my heart.”
Ask God to show where you may be stiff-necked, resistant, or closing your ears to Him. Pray for soft soil, quick repentance, and renewed love for Jesus.

2) “Fill me with the Spirit to live faithfully in my ordinary life.”
Ask God to make you courageous, gentle, Scripture-shaped, and ready to speak about Jesus wherever He places you.

What do you do when the needs around you are bigger than your capacity?
As we come to Acts 6, we’re stepping into a moment where the early church hit a crisis — not of apathy, but of capacity.
Widows were being unintentionally overlooked. Tension was growing. Unity was threatened.
But instead of ignoring the problem or pretending they could just “do more,” the apostles did something stunning:
✨ They acknowledged their limitations.
✨ They invited the whole church into the solution.
✨ They raised up Spirit-filled servants to meet real needs.
And the result?
The Word increased. Disciples multiplied. And the most unlikely of people came to saving faith in Jesus.
This passage reminds us:
The church doesn’t flourish when a few people do everything.
It flourishes when every member steps in with the gifts God has given.
Consider as you listen:
🤔 Where might God be calling you to step in?
🤔 Who around you might be unseen, overlooked, or carrying a weight they shouldn’t carry alone?
🧠 Two Things to Think About Before Listening:
1️⃣ Where are the “cracks” around me?
Who in my church family might feel unseen, uncared for, or overwhelmed — and how might God be inviting me to notice and respond?
2️⃣ What limits do I need to acknowledge?
Like the apostles, what are the God-given limits I keep ignoring — and how might God want to meet needs through others, not just through me?
🙏 Two Ways to Pray
1️⃣ “Lord, open my eyes.”
Ask God to help you see the people who feel overlooked — whether in small groups, Sundays, relationships, or daily life. Pray for sensitivity and courage to step toward them.
2️⃣ “Lord, raise up workers.”
Pray that God would continue to raise up Spirit-filled, wise servants in our church who protect unity, shoulder burdens, and help our community flourish.

❓What do you value most? 💭
Advancement? 📈 
Image? 👤
Relationships? 🤝
Security? 🔐
This Sunday, we’ll step into Acts 5 where the apostles face prison again but this time, they also get beaten for their faith in Jesus … shockingly, they leave this whole experience rejoicing. 
Why? 
Because they valued Jesus more than anything else they once held tightly. 
More than reputation. 
More than safety. 
More than comfort. 
More than life itself.
Leading us to honestly assess this question: When following Jesus costs you something—your image, your opportunities, your relationships, your comfort—how do you respond?
This text forces us to ask a tough but freeing question:
Do I treasure Jesus more than everything else I cling to?
Two things to think about before listening::
1️⃣ What competes for my highest affection?
Where do advancement, image, security, or relationships subtly outrank Jesus in my heart? 
2️⃣ What would it look like to value Jesus above that thing? In my decisions, courage, conversations, or willingness to obey?
🙏🏿 Two ways to pray:
1) “Lord, reorder my values.”
Ask God to expose places where old loves have crept back onto the throne and to help you treasure Christ above all. 
2) “Give me boldness.”
Pray for the same Spirit-wrought courage the apostles had—courage to obey God rather than men, even when it costs.

The early church was marked by wholehearted devotion — unity, generosity, honesty, and awe before a holy God.
But the story of Ananias and Sapphira reminds us: God is not interested in partial obedience, spiritual performance, or selective surrender.
God wants the whole heart — not the edited, filtered, Sunday-only version.
Before you listen, take a moment to slow down and prepare:
⸻
🤔 TWO THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1️⃣ Where am I tempted to appear godly instead of being godly?
Am I more concerned with what people see than what God sees?
2️⃣ What would change if I truly believed that eternity is real and Christ is risen?
Would it loosen my grip on comfort, money, reputation, or control?
⸻
🙏 TWO WAYS TO PRAY
1️⃣ “Lord, expose any half-heartedness in me.”
Ask God to reveal hidden pride, dishonesty, or divided loyalty — and to give you the grace to repent.
2️⃣ “Make me wholehearted like Barnabas.”
Pray for a heart that gladly sacrifices, gives, and serves because Christ is worth more than anything we’d keep back.
⸻
🔥 Come ready. Come humbled. Come hungry.
God’s holiness is not casual — and His grace is not cheap.

📣 When the world pushes back, how do Christians push forward?
In Acts 4, the early church doesn’t panic when threatened — they pray, they trust God’s sovereignty, and they ask for more boldness, not more comfort. 🔥
🧠 Two Things to Think About:
✅ Boldness isn’t a personality type — it’s a Spirit-given response to opposition.2.png3.png
✅ What we pray for reveals what we value most: comfort or the mission of Jesus.
💬 Two Questions to Ask Yourself Before Listening:
When I face criticism, pressure, or hostility for my faith — is my first instinct fear, frustration, or prayer?
Do I want God to make my life easier… or do I want Him to make me bolder?
🔥 Come ready to be challenged.
🙌 Come ready to pray dangerous prayers.
💡 Come ready to rethink what “faithfulness” looks like when the pressure rises.

What would you do if you were told to stop talking about Jesus?

In this Sermon, we’ll look at Peter and John standing on trial before the most powerful leaders in Israel. They boldly proclaim judgment — and then astonishingly offer grace and forgiveness through Jesus to the very men who orchestrated His death.

The result: threats to stay silent.

Their response:
🔥 “We cannot help but speak of what we have seen and heard.” — Acts 4:20

But their strength didn’t come from themselves — it came from the Holy Spirit.

And this isn’t just a history lesson. The same Spirit who filled Peter still empowers us today to speak and live with courage for Christ.

So, are you timid to share your faith?
Worried you won’t know what to say?
Afraid to take a stand?

In this Sermon , we’ll see that true boldness doesn’t come from within — it comes from God Himself. 🙌🏼

Two Things to Think About while you listen 🧠
1️⃣ Where in your life are you tempted to stay silent about Jesus out of fear of what others might think?
2️⃣ What would it look like this week for someone to recognize that you’ve been with Jesus?

Two Things to Pray About in Response 🙏
1️⃣ Ask the Spirit to give you boldness to speak the name of Jesus with love and courage — at home, at work, and in our city.
2️⃣ Pray that our church would be known in Winnipeg as a people who have been with Jesus — humble, holy, and Spirit-filled witnesses.

Have you ever had a day that didn’t go as planned? 🚗💨
Peter and John did — on their way to pray, God interrupted their plans and changed everything. A man was healed, the gospel was preached, and thousands met Jesus.

In Acts 3:1–4:4, this sermon shows how God still works through our interruptions today — turning everyday moments into opportunities for His glory.

Theme: God’s power in the ordinary, Spirit-led obedience, and faith that sees divine interruptions as invitations.

This sermon goes through Acts 2:42-47

Have you ever noticed that every birth story is different?
Some babies come fast, some slow. Some are birthed at home, others in hospitals. Each one unique. Exciting. Life-altering.
This Sunday, we are studying one of the greatest birth stories ever — the birth of Jesus’ Church.
After weeks of waiting, the promised Spirit finally comes — and when He does, everything changes: 
God’s people are filled with His presence, empowered for His mission, and sent with good news to the ends of the earth, starting in Jerusalem.
This weekend, we continue our study through the book of Acts, seeing that this passage isn’t a dry history lesson — no, if you’re a Christian, this is your lineage, your story.
💭 Two Things to Think About Before Listening to our Sermon:
1️⃣ God has placed you right where you are as a means of sharing your life and the Gospel with those around you … in other words, your address is your assignment. Do you treat your everyday location (house, work, the gym) as your assignment? Are you looking for opportunities to build relationships and share the gospel? 
2️⃣ Are you expecting the Spirit’s power in the ordinary parts of your week — or are you trying to live on your own strength?
🙏 Things to Pray For:
🕊️ “Lord, fill me afresh with Your Spirit today — empower me to speak boldly and love faithfully.”
🌍 “Father, use our church to bring gospel light into every home, every workplace, and every corner of Winnipeg.”
✨ Join us next week as we gather weekly to celebrate this story that began in Jerusalem and continues right here at The Trails.