Sunday, December 30: Lord of All Acts 15:36–16-15 Following the clarification given by the Jerusalem council in Chapter 15, Paul sets out to strengthen and encourage the churches that he, and his missionary team, planted earlier on. The message they have is important, especially for the Gentiles who are still a little unsure of their […]
Sunday, December 23: Christmas Luke 2:1-12 And the angel said to them (the shepherds), “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in […]
Sunday, December 16: Lord of All Acts 15:1–35 What does God think about you?Is He happy with your life? Is He disappointed? Are there things He wishes you had done differently? How often do you wrestle with questions like those? Many of us wrestle with them on occasion. Some of us wrestle with them a […]
Sunday, December 9: Lord of All Acts 14:1–28 Three times in the New Testament Paul describes his life before Jesus. In each of his accounts, he uses the same word to describe his demeanor—zeal. Paul had intense passion for God and for his people, Israel.So, when he is set apart for missionary service, Paul is […]
Sunday, December 2: Lord of All Acts 13:13–52 “And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’” Acts 13:32-33 One of […]
Sunday, November 25: Lord of All Acts 13:1–13 Acts 13 opens with the Spirit of God and the church at Antioch setting apart and sending out Paul and Barnabus for what will become their first missionary journey. Together, along with an intern named John Mark, they sail to the Island of Cyprus to tell people about […]
Sunday, November 18: Lord of All Acts 12:1–24 Christmas is still a few weeks away, but I thought it might be nice to have an early Christmas message this year. It’s the story of Mary and a miracle. It’s a story where an Angel appears with a message of hope. There is a star and […]
Sunday, November 11: Lord of All Acts 11:1–30 Last week, we looked at a turning point in the history of the church: Peter’s meeting with Cornelius. For the first time ever, a Gentile believed in Jesus and received the Holy Spirit! You would think that Peter’s return to Jerusalem after the meeting would be marked […]
Sunday, November 4: Lord of All Acts 10:1–48 This week we are going to look at a guy who wanted to worship God but couldn’t because he was unclean.This guy had quite a story. First, he was a slave. Somehow, he ended up in the Roman infantry, and then he so distinguished himself that he […]
Sunday, October 28: Lord of All Acts 9:32–43 In Acts 9:32-43, we are reunited with the Apostle Peter and join him as he visits the early church in Joppa. The ministry of Peter is similar to Paul in many ways, but it also shows us how different people are equipped in different ways around a […]
Sunday, October 21: Lord of All Acts 9:20–31 What comes to your mind when you think of the Apostle Paul? Great preacher and apologist. Courageous missionary to the Gentiles. Unflinching defender of the Christian faith. A.W. Tozer went so far as to call him, “the world’s most successful Christian.” I’m not sure about that but […]
Sunday, October 14: Lord of All Acts 9:1–19 Last summer we did a study based on the questions of Jesus. At the start of the series, we looked at the first recorded question of Jesus in Luke 2. As a young boy he had been left behind by Joseph and Mary in Jerusalem, and when […]
Sunday, October 7: Lord of All Acts 8:4–40 I hope you are looking forward to Sunday as much as I am. There is something special about gathering together with God’s people in corporate worship. We encounter God in many ways during the week, but corporate worship remains a category of its own. This week, we […]
Sunday, September 30: Lord of All Acts 6:8–8:3 Acts 6-8 is one of the most memorable scenes in the whole book. We are introduced to a promising young man named Stephen—he’s full of the Holy Spirit and powerful in all that he does, and he’s put in charge of caring for widows in the early […]
Sunday, September 23: Making a Greater Impact 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not […]
September 16, 2018 Family Ministries Where is our church growing? What can we improve? These are questions we talk about this Sunday concerning the vision of our church. So, what’s next? Last week, we talked about how life together is better. What better way to continue that discussion than to share our plans for the […]
Sunday, September 9: Life Together George Gallup has written that Americans are among the loneliest people in the world. How can that be? Most Americans (75 to 80%) live in either cities or large suburbs. We are surrounded by a sea of people. Why would folks feel lonely? Your guess is as good as anyone […]
Sunday, September 2: Missions Recap “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” John 17:18 As the people of God, we are sent out into the world, just as Jesus himself was sent out into the world. We participate in acts of service, by visiting brother and sisters […]
Sunday, August 26: Questions of Jesus John 7:53–8:11 This week we are going to look at a fascinating story about Jesus. In John 8:1-11, a woman is caught in the act of adultery and brought to Jesus for judgment. All is not as it seems, though. John tells us that she was brought to Jesus […]
Sunday, August 19: Questions of Jesus Luke 7:36–50 In our text this week Jesus tells a little story that closes with a question. It’s a real simple story. Two people owe someone money but one person owes ten times as much as the other. When neither person can pay it back, however, both are forgiven of […]
Sunday, August 12: Questions of Jesus Mark 4:35–41 Do you remember the feeling of being afraid of the dark? As a child, if you heard the tiniest sound you knew for certain a stranger was pushing open a basement window and would be coming up the stairs any minute to kidnap you. Or, you might […]
Sunday, August 5: Questions of Jesus Luke 10:25–37 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? Luke 10:36 One of the ways that Jesus taught during his earthly ministry was with a beautifully-formed question. The sort of questions that made his listeners pause […]
Sunday, July 29: Questions of Jesus Mark 10:17–22 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” Mark 10:17-18 […]
Sunday, July 22: Questions of Jesus John 6:1–71 One of the many things I appreciate about Jesus is that he always told people the truth, even if it hurt.This week we come to a scene where Jesus needs to tell some folks the truth about themselves and it is not very pretty. In fact, rather […]
Sunday, July 15: Questions of Jesus Luke 8:43–48 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” Luke 8:45 What does it mean […]
Sunday, July 8: Questions of Jesus John 11 The Jewish historian Josephus tells the story of a first-century shepherd who rose up to become king of the Jews. There was nothing remarkable about this shepherd. He wasn’t wealthy. He wasn’t educated. He wasn’t powerful. The shepherd was humble and unassuming, but he had passion for […]
Sunday, July 1: Questions of Jesus Matthew 16:13–17 Imagine what it must have been like for the first followers of Jesus to see him in action. Healing the sick. Casting out demons. Multiplying bread and fish. Calming storms. Walking on water. Raising the dead. What would it have been like to see those things live? […]
Sunday, June 24: Questions of Jesus Luke 2:41–49 The questions we have for God are not nearly as important as the questions he has for us. It can be easy to miss, unless someone happens to point it out, that Jesus, during his short pilgrimage on earth, asked a lot of questions. Have you noticed? […]
Sunday, June 17: Baptism Happy Father’s Day! I don’t know if you have any Father’s Day traditions, but we do at church! On Father’s Day, we like to celebrate new life in Christ with baptisms. This week we are going to baptize a number of people who want to make their faith in Jesus known. […]
Sunday, June 10: Witness Acts 6:1–7 One of the things that sticks out about the early church is how quickly it grew. In the first 5 chapters of Acts, at least 8,000 people become Christians. That’s exciting!But a question for you: How many of those 8,000 can you name? I’ll answer it for you: None. […]
Sunday, June 3: Witness Acts 5:17–42 What does it look like to be a witness in Gig Harbor? Do we have to lose our life to be a witness, or can we be bold for Jesus in the safety of suburbia?Good questions. In our Witness series, we have been studying the first chapters of Acts, […]
Sunday, May 27: Witness Acts 5:1–11 “But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” The post-Pentecost church was characterized by a […]
Sunday, May 20: Witness Acts 4:23–37 And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33 Occasionally someone will ask me the question, “Are you a Spirit-filled church?” I’m always a bit conflicted. The correct answer is, “Yes,” but I know […]
Baby Dedication – May 13th 2018 Today we celebrate mothers across the world for their tireless efforts in raising their beloved babies to the people they have become. Thanks for everything you’ve done and continue to do for us, we love you!
Sunday, May 6: Witness Acts 4:1–22 The first three chapters of Acts are pretty good for the church. They receive the Spirit, they speak in tongues, they heal people, and they live in peace and harmony. It’s miracles and salvations all around! Well, that all changes in chapter 4 when the church experiences its first […]
Sunday, April 29: Witness Acts 3:1–26 Imagine for a second that you have been wheelchair-bound your whole life.You have never been able to walk. Now, imagine one day that you are instantly and miraculously healed so that you have full use of your legs. What would be the first thing you would do? This was […]
Sunday, April 22: Witness Acts 2:1–47 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to […]
Sunday, April 15: Witness Acts 1:12–26 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 In some of his final words to the Apostles before he left, Jesus […]
Sunday, April 8: Witness Acts 1:1–11 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 Last Sunday we celebrated Easter. This week we’re launching a new study series called Witness, based […]
Sunday, April 1: Easter Happy Easter! We have a lot going on this weekend as we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus. First, join us on Friday for our Good Friday service when we remember the cross. This year, we will emphasize its liberating effects—Jesus has rescued us from sin and death. It is no coincidence […]
Sunday, March 25: Joseph Genesis 47–50 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20 (ESV) As we’ve explored the life of Joseph and his family, it’s become increasingly clear that God is […]
Sunday, March 11: Joseph Genesis 45:1–28 What is it that makes Joseph great? Have you ever thought about that? Why did the Spirit of God give him so much ink in Scripture? Maybe not as much as a Moses or a David – but still a lot.Think about it. He never did a miracle. He […]
Sunday, March 4: Lifewater This week we will be joined by Sean Martin from Lifewater. Lifewater is a Christian organization that brings clean water, improved health and hope to women and children living in extreme poverty. We are partnering with them this year and raising $12,000 to dig a well that will provide clean water […]
Sunday, February 25: Joseph Genesis 44:1–34 In his book on Joseph, God Meant it for Good, R.T. Kendall writes about the material in Genesis 44, “[Y]ou cannot have your life to live over again. What is done is done. Even the blood of Jesus cannot undo the past. It can forgive the past and make you […]
Sunday, February 18: Joseph Genesis 43:1–34 Last week, we saw a famine strike the whole world, forcing ten of Jacob’s sons to go to Egypt for grain. (Benjamin stayed behind, of course. He was the favorite and Jacob didn’t want to put him in danger.) Unbeknownst to the brothers, their long-lost brother Joseph had ascended the ranks […]
Sunday, February 11: Joseph Genesis 42:1–38 When we think of the faithfulness of God, it’s easy to think of the Bible’s “Main Characters.” The big names of the Bible get their own cartoon movies: Moses and Joseph, or even Dave and the Giant Pickle, if you prefer Veggie Tales. We understand how God was faithful […]
Sunday, February 4: Joseph Genesis 41:1–57 What God does in us while we wait is as important as what we are waiting for. Ben Patterson I don’t know about your Bible, but in mine there is about an inch of white space between Genesis chapters 40 and 41. It doesn’t look like much on paper […]
Sunday, January 28: Joseph Genesis 40:1–23 It was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirring of good. Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through […]
Sunday, January 21: Joseph Genesis 39:1–23 Last week, we continued our study of the life of Joseph and saw him sold into slavery by his brothers. Our passage ended with Joseph on the slave train to Egypt.This week, we pick up the story in Genesis 39. Joseph is in Egypt and he finds himself a […]
Sunday, January 14: Joseph Genesis 37:12–36 How do we keep our faith when times are hard?That is going to be our question over the next two weeks as we continue our study of the life of Joseph. Last week, Gary introduced the story. We saw that years of favoritism had created a rift between Jacob’s […]
Sunday, January 7: Joseph Genesis 37:1–11 Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.Genesis 37:8 A lot of people are familiar with Joseph but for a lot […]