Highlight In the Book of Acts there are several sermons given by Peter and Paul (primarily) that have a consistent pattern. Scholars call this the kerygma, which is the Greek word for “proclamation.” It is definitely important for us to see this pattern because it was what the Apostles deemed the foundational things to communicate when trying to help people see their need for Jesus and how to respond.   Read More

Highlight This passage of Scripture describes the birth of the church, the people of God under the covenant of grace. This is important because all of the conversion stories we’ve looked at, up until now, were pre-Resurrection, pre-Pentecost responses to the grace of Jesus. But Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 communicates the way that people are to respond to the call of God in order to receive salvation. Convicted of their sin and wanting to be restored to a right relationship with God, the people ask, “What shall we do?” Peter’s answer will define the response that we will see over and over again in the book of Acts: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (v38)  Read More

Welcome Welcome to Week 2 of the 2023 Faith Promise - What's Next Reading Plan. This reading plan is designed to partner with Compassion Christian Church’s sermon series of the same name, which you can find information about right here. This is a series focused on how our church responds to the commission that Jesus gave all of his followers to reach people far from Him. This commission is called the Great Commission and is found in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This reading plan will be designed to help us align our hearts with God’s heart for the lost. We will spend the next few weeks reading stories of people whose lives were changed by the love of God.   Read More

Highlight The man who was born blind is a unique story because of John’s focus on how the Pharisees would work to find evidence against Jesus. In this particular instance the Pharisees were upset because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the holy day of rest. According to Pharisaical Law, healing would constitute work and therefore be sinful. In verse 24 they bring the man back in and say ‘Give glory to God.’ This was an ancient form of giving an oath. Think of it as making the man put his hand on the Bible and swearing to tell the whole truth. They have their minds made up - he has violated the Sabbath, no matter how Jesus violated the Sabbath. The blind man’s response is beautiful and reflects the feelings of so many people who have found salvation in Jesus. He refused to get entangled in the theological question of whether or not the miracle made Jesus a sinner. Instead, he stuck to what he knew to be true - He once was blind, but now he can see… And Jesus is the reason.  Read More

Highlight The story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman is a beautiful picture of someone being fully known and yet fully loved by Jesus. Clearly the miracle of both Jesus’ knowledge and grace changed this woman’s life. There are many interesting aspects to this story, but today we will focus on the actions of the woman after meeting Jesus. The woman was collecting water during the “sixth hour,” which was noon by first century counting. This was not a common time to collect water, which is the hint that she is trying to avoid the people in her town by choosing the least populated time to collect water. Yet after meeting Jesus, the person who once avoided her neighbors now seeks them out. And the progression is worth noting. First, she invites them to come and see him for themselves. But she gives context for the invitation by explaining Jesus’ affect on her own life. Her neighbors, seeing the change in her and hearing her story, then go themselves and develop a faith in Jesus based off of their own experience. The Samaritan woman’s approach is something we should consider ourselves: combine our own testimony with an invite to ‘come and see.’  Read More

Highlight This conversion story focuses on “the thief on the cross.” However, mere thieves didn’t face crucifixion. These men were more likely to have been insurrectionists who had stirred up rebellion or some other far more extreme criminal (in Rome’s eyes). This short interaction with two criminals offers us amazing insights into Jesus’ identity and power.  Read More