from Ephesians 3:7-12, Colossians 1:15-20, 1 Peter 4:8-11
It’s one thing to consider HOW the church thrived in the midst of such challenges, but when we stop to consider the WHY behind the church’s thriving in impossible circumstances, it could just change our understanding of what it means to be a part of the church!
w/ Vern Collins
from 2 Timothy 3:10-17 and Hebrews 4:12-13
There are times that God is faithful to grant us those mountain top experiences…those times that we experience His presence and power in tangible ways. While those moments are a gift, while they stir our faith in important ways…the reality is, life is not lived in those perpetual mountaintop experiences.
The early believers experienced some life-changing moments with the Lord, but they also faced unbelievable challenges…what was it that sustained them…that kept them rooted in the face of such difficulty.
It was their commitment to Scripture…their willingness to remain connected to God through His Word.
w/ Vern Collins
from Acts 4:32-35, Acts 2:44-45, 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, and 1 Corinthians 16:1-2
Imagine a community in which the Gospel has run so wild that the manner in which lives are lived actually begin to reflect the hope and the freeing nature of the truths of the Gospel…but not just in your own life…in the lives of those around you…because YOU…because THE CHURCH is living with an integrity that is reflective of the reality of the Gospel in the way that others are cared for and provided for.
w/ Vern Collins
from 1 Peter 1:13-21 and Philippians 1:27-30
The call in a life of following Jesus is a call to holiness…the problem is, we either see that as something we don’t want to be lumped into, or it seems like an impossible aim. What if our hang ups with pursuing holiness weren’t in what it is, but in our misunderstanding of it? What if it weren’t meant to be burdensome, but instead was meant for freedom?
w/ Vern Collins
from Acts 2:42-47, Matthew 28:18-20, and 2 Peter 1:3-11
We have noted for the past several weeks that the disruption that was the persecution that the Acts 2 church experienced, instead of dousing the flame lit by the Holy Spirit, served only as a catalyst for explosive growth. What is different? Why does it feel like the church is struggling so much in this season of disruption? Perhaps one of the glaring differences is that the early disciples took SERIOUSLY the call from Jesus to go and make disciples! Imagine if your life began to be leveraged so that others might come to know Jesus!
w/ Vern Collins
from Acts 2:42-47, 1Corinthians 10:14-17, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
When we examine the worship practices of the early church, we find that there is little difference between the elements of worship used then and the ones we use today…and yet, it seems that the early church was so ignited in their love for Jesus and their commitment to the sharing of the Gospel that we have to wonder where the difference lies…
It is possible that it is not the power of the Holy Spirit, or the power of the Resurrected Jesus that has diminished, but that we might be treating worship like an add-on as opposed to the lifeline for our walk with Christ?
w/ Vern Collins
from 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-12
What does being the church in a world that might be fed up with the church look like? How do we not only proclaim who Jesus is to the world, but also reflect Jesus in this world?
w/ Vern Collins and Laura Byrch
from Ephesians 1:15-23
What is the foundation upon which you are building your life? What is the foundation upon which the church is to be built?
What if aligning your life and the life of the church under the Lordship of Jesus isn’t about stifling life, but about finding freedom and purpose. Looking at the early church in the disruption it experienced, one of the things that Paul and apostles sought to continue to uphold, was the headship of Christ as the catalyst for life to the full and a church that is flourishing.
w/ Vern Collins
from Acts 11:19-30
In a time of such uncertainty and disruption, many of us find ourselves asking questions around what it means to be the church and what it means to be a part of the church.
The hope we have in the midst of this, however, is that this is not the first time the church has been through seasons of challenge or a time of disruption.
If the church is still meant to thrive, and we are still meant to thrive as a part of it, then there must be something we can learn from those who have gone before us.
For the next 10 weeks we will “Reimagine Church,” by looking back at how the church began.
w/ Vern Collins