Episodios

  • A Community of Outsiders

    A Community of Outsiders
    Jun 16 2024
    From this point on in the book of Acts, things begin shifting in surprising ways. The Church is beginning to see the Holy Spirit behaving in ways they didn’t expect. Because you can’t keep God in a box. Just like Jesus constantly surprised the disciples during His time of ministry on Earth, the Holy Spirit begins leading the Church in surprising ways they must respond to. In Acts 8, we see the apostles surprised that people in Samaria have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. And then Philip is led by the Spirit to an Ethiopian Eunuch who wants to be baptized as well. Philip certainly never could have expected all of these outsiders - Samaritans, Ethiopians - being brought into the Kingdom. But interactive life with God continues to expand beyond any of their preconceived categories or notions about what God is up to
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  • The Story of Deborah I Jesus People Ep. 5

    The Story of Deborah I Jesus People Ep. 5
    Jun 13 2024
    On this episode we look at the story of a brave woman who followed God even when it was difficult. Jesus People is a podcast to families gain a bigger imagination for interactive life with Jesus in His Kingdom.
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  • A Community of Generosity

    A Community of Generosity
    Jun 9 2024
    Most communities and societies function around an unwritten rule: whoever holds the most money, holds the most power. The more money you have, the more influence you have. The more money you have, the more security you have for the future. The more money you have, the more respect and admiration you have. What’s interesting about the first community that was formed by the Holy Spirit - the Early Church - was that it seemed to function around the inverse of that rule. In the Early Church, people saw it as powerful to give their possessions and money away for the sake of others. And it seems that those who did so held a certain level of honor in the Early Church, because in Acts 5 we see a couple - Ananias and Sapphira - who want to steal a little bit of this honor. They sell a plot of land, give some of the money to the Church, but want the credit and honor as if they’d given the whole thing. So they lie, and because of this, they die. This is not a case of God striking someone dead, because they didn’t give enough money. If so, we all better learn what that dollar amount is so we hit our quota each year. It was their deception that was the problem. It was their pride. Their desire to keep some of the money, while pretending as if they’d given it all, was a scheme to deceive the entire community. For what reason, we’re not sure. Maybe they thought they would gain some honor and admiration from others. Maybe they thought it would give them a little more influence or authority in the community. Maybe they thought God would bless them more. But what Peter makes clear to them is that the issue isn’t the money they deprived from the community (Acts 5:4), but that they were “conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord” (Acts 5:9). Ananias and Sapphira were not giving due to listening to the Holy Spirit - or from their interactive life with God - but in order to trick the Spirit. We see a picture of generosity led by the Spirit at the end of Acts 4. That from time to time people were led to sell their possessions and entrust it to the Apostles to distribute to those who had need. And the result of this was that there were no needy persons among them. And Luke makes clear this is not just the result of human financial wisdom or a good economic strategy, it’s the result of God’s grace at work in their community (Acts 4:33-34). A community centered on interactive life with God is a new kind of society. It’s not a club or organization or government, it’s a family. And families share with one another. This means if we are to be this kind of community, we must become a community of regular generosity.
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  • The Story of Perpetua and Felicity I Jesus People Ep. 4

    The Story of Perpetua and Felicity I Jesus People Ep. 4
    Jun 6 2024
    On this week's episode we look at the story of two women who followed Jesus - even unto their deaths. Jesus People is a podcast to families gain a bigger imagination for interactive life with Jesus in His Kingdom.
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  • A Community of Healing

    A Community of Healing
    May 26 2024
    When Jesus was doing ministry on Earth, He would regularly send out His disciples to perform healings and good works “in His name”. And it was clear, the source of this power did not come from the disciples. The source of the power was Jesus. But after His ascension, the question becomes - can the disciples continue to bring healing in the name of Jesus if He’s no longer on the planet? But when Peter and John are able to heal in the name of Jesus in Acts 3, they make clear (Acts 3:12) they were not the source of this power. It was Jesus who healed the man, and this was proof that Jesus was alive and active. Because dead men don’t have power to heal. But Jesus was in fact alive, and currently living a life on Earth. He was doing it through these men. Here’s the application for us: where might Jesus be sending His Church to provide healing in His name for people in our world? With the current mental health crisis in our world, we at Community Christian are convinced - Jesus would have us step into those problems, in the name - the likeness of Jesus. Because we believe Jesus is alive and active in our world, and He too has something to say about the problems people face in our world.
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  • The Story of Nathan (The Prophet) I Jesus People Ep. 3

    The Story of Nathan (The Prophet) I Jesus People Ep. 3
    May 23 2024
    This week we look at a story about speaking truth to power. Jesus People is a podcast to families gain a bigger imagination for interactive life with Jesus in His Kingdom.
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  • Church Stories - An interactive community

    Church Stories - An interactive community
    May 19 2024
    Church was not created by the writing of the Bible or by a group of people who just wanted to get Jesus’ philosophy and teachings out to the world. It wasn’t even created in the moment of the resurrection. After His resurrection, Jesus told His followers not to rush out and start preaching the gospel (or even making disciples). He told them to wait. Wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. The Church was founded when the Holy Spirit descended, and a new kind of interactive life with God was available. A life with God that did not rely on Jesus’ physical presence on Earth, rather it was Jesus living within believers. And what’s the first thing the Holy Spirit does? Fulfills the words of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 - He unites believers from around the world in love for Him. The Church explodes, and immediately we get a picture of the kind of unity and community that the Holy Spirit creates.
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  • The Story of Francis of Assissi I Jesus People Ep. 2

    The Story of Francis of Assissi I Jesus People Ep. 2
    May 16 2024
    This week we tell a story about a wealthy man who gave up his money for the sake of God and others. Jesus People is a podcast to families gain a bigger imagination for interactive life with Jesus in His Kingdom.
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