Philip's ministry was going good in Acts 8. God was working miracles, the Gospel was advancing, and many were coming to faith in Jesus and getting baptized. But God had plans to move Philip on. He sent an angel to nudge him to leave, and Philip obeyed. Following the Spirit's lead, Philip meets an Ethiopian eunuch on his way home after coming to Jer…
Part 14 - SERIES: Acts Stephen is the first person recorded to have given their life for the sake of the Gospel. After being arrested and tried due to his faith, he gives a brilliant testimony that traces God's work in the Old Testament to Jesus. Luke (the author of Acts) tells us that Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, wisdom, faith, grace, …
Part 13 - SERIES: ActsThe early Christians often found themselves in trouble due to their faith. Pastor Josh spends some time at the beginning of the message reviewing the difference between descriptive and prescriptive passages of Scripture. This week's passage starts off with Luke describing some of the incredible ways God was at work among the e…
Part 12 - SERIES: ActsIn Acts 4:32 and following, Luke gives us a brief summary statement of the good things happening in the early church. It was a time of God pouring out his grace to provide for this people and his power to protect them. There was great unity among them. Luke gives two examples, one good and one devastating, as these things play…
Part 11 - SERIES: ActsActs 3-4 is the chronicles a crazy 24-48 hours for Peter and John, and all the believers. We read about Peter and John going to the Temple to pray. En route they heal a man, then later get arrested for preaching about Jesus and are forced to appear before the Sanhedrin council. The council–due to fear of the people–lets them g…
New Years Day | Press OnFounding Pastor Tom Speicher preaches from Philippians 3:12-14 and shares his heart for Wawasee Bible in the new year. Life is full of changes. We're instructed to make the most of every day and press on as we follow Jesus.بقلم Tom Speicher
Light of the WorldJesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He announced this during the Feast of Tabernacles, an annual feast celebrating and remembering how God had led his people from Egypt, through the wilderness, and home into the Promised Land. God did this with a…
Part 5 - SERIES: Mary's ChristmasWe wrap up our series turning our attention toward not only Mary but Joseph. Joseph’s biggest claim to fame is who he wasn’t. We just know him as “not the real dad” of Jesus. Did you also realize that he never speaks a word in the text? In any case, Joseph and Mary both were facing a lot, and God men them in all of …
Part 4 - SERIES: Mary's ChristmasThe night of Jesus's birth was an intense one for Mary and Joseph. They had just traveled 70 to 100 miles on foot (or possibly with an animal for Mary to ride on) from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was a hard journey in general, but especially for someone nine months pregnant. Then there was no place to stay, so Jesus's…
Part 3 - SERIES: Mary's ChristmasMary was an exceptional young women, a great example to us in her obedience and faithfulness to God. But her saying yes to God was also saying yes to struggle and suffering. This week we see Mary & Joseph's obedience affect Jesus's. While he was young they had him circumcised and dedicated to the Lord according to t…
Part 2 - SERIES: Mary's ChristmasWe’re looking at the biblical account surrounding Jesus’s birth through the eyes of Mary. Mary was a teenager when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced (all because of God’s grace) that she would give birth to the Son of God. In Luke 1:39-56 we see Mary travel to visit her relative Elizabeth whom God also…
Part 1 - SERIES: Mary's ChristmasNo one had an experience of the first Christmas like Mary did, and no one else will. This Advent season we’re looking at the biblical accounts of Jesus’s birth through the eyes of Mary. We’ll see her faithfulness as a model for us to follow. This week she’s visited by the angel Gabriel who reveals God’s incredible c…
Part 10 - SERIES: ActsIf you choose to become a Christian and follow Jesus, life will get better… but it probably will not get easier. When we obey and follow Jesus, opposition is always waiting to discourage, derail, and if possible sabotage our faith. The Apostle Paul wrote to a young pastor, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ…
Part 9 - SERIES: ActsRepentance gets a bad rap. Often in our culture we think of repentance as a bad thing... a weakness, admitting a wrong done, finding nowhere else to turn after an epic failure. But Biblically, repentance is actually a very good thing. A refreshing thing, even. After the Holy Spirit used Peter and John to heal a man who had been…
Part 8 - SERIES: ActsDo you believe in miracles? Acts 3:1-10 record a miracle where Peter and John bring healing to a man lame from birth in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Miracles are anchored in the twin truths that God cares about you and God has limitless power. Miracles are rooted in the historical Jesus Christ of Nazareth who went to t…
Part 7 - SERIES: ActsIn Acts 2:42-47 Luke gives a summary of what was taking place in the Church in its earliest days. This passage (like much of Acts) is descriptive rather than prescriptive, meaning it simple tells us what happened. To apply it, then, we must pull out principles to apply to our own life and context, not simply mimic exactly what …
Part 6 - SERIES: ActsAfter the Spirit’s descent, Peter gives the first Christian sermon in Acts 2:14-41. Preaching was what God used to grow the church. On the surface preaching seems a bit foolish, but God has chosen the proclamation of his Word to be at the center of his work in and through the Church. Peter (who had been cowardly afraid of some …
Part 5 - SERIES: ActsIn Acts 2 we see the Holy Spirit descend and empower his people. This week we step back to explore what "spiritual gifts" are. In short, they are God-given and Spirit-empowered spiritual abilities given to every believer in Jesus, according to God's grace, to help them fulfill their God-given personal purpose as part of the Chu…
Part 4 - SERIES: ActsIn Acts 2, God's people are celebrating Pentecost (the Festival of Weeks). As part of it, they are remembering God's provision and how he came in power to Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19-20ff and gave the Law. While all this is going on, God shows up again in a history-changing way. Rather than descend on a place in power, the Holy Spir…
Part 3 - SERIES: ActsBefore Jesus left, he told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them. In Acts 1:12-26 we see them waiting and making a big decision about who would replace Judas on the team. From their process we can discern some principles for making decisions ourselves that honor God. One thing not to miss as we…
Part 2 - SERIES: ActsAs Acts begins, Jesus tells the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit before they do anything. All through the book of Acts we’ll see the Holy Spirit at work in powerful ways. This all begs the question, who is the Holy Spirit? Before we go any further in Acts, we should be sure to understand who the Holy Spirit is. Jesus calls…