Citizens Church Elmira - Podcast: Recent Episodes
Citizens Church Elmira
Darcy starts our new series "We Are Citizens", which will outline our core values as a church.
Paul arrives in Jerusalem and in an effort to appease many of the local people, he takes a vow. The vow makes no difference and Paul is beaten and eventually arrested for his ministry to the gentiles. In his defense he recounts how God saved him and used him to bring the gospel to gentiles.
Paul concludes his third missionary journey by revisiting disciples on his way to Jerusalem, where he anticipates being arrested. He says goodbye to various churches and shows resolve, peace and contentedness as he heads towards his imprisonment.
When the apostle Paul arrives in Athens he shares the message of Jesus with the philosophers of the city. Paul graciously shows them a better way which some reject, are indifferent to or accept. In Corinth God graciously gives Paul a team of co-workers and a word of encouragement while facing much opposition.
On a second missionary journey. Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke are sent, by the Holy Spirit, to Macedonia to preach the gospel. They begin by stopping in Philippi where Lydia, a demon possessed girl and jailer find freedom and faith in Jesus. This came through the suffering, gospel presentation and the work of God.
After Paul and Barnabas return from their first missionary journey, the gospel message comes under attack. Some believing Jews say that circumcision and law keeping are necessary for salvation. The Jerusalem council clarifies that we are saved by grace through faith without works. And it also calls for personal sacrifice for the sake of unity.
Luke describes how continued attempts to persecute and silence the church are unsuccessful. Scattered believers take the gospel to Antioch and a church is planted. Peter is miraculously rescued from prison. God is in control and the word continues to multiply.
In Acts 10 we see God lead Cornelius and Peter to a meeting where the gospel brings them together. This is difficult for Peter and the other Jews to understand, but after seeing Cornelius and his family respond to the gospel and receive the Holy Spirit they rejoice and prepare to accept this new multi-ethnic global church.
In the midst of actively persecuting the new church movement, Jesus captures the heart of Saul. He is radically changed and begins his ministry to preach the message that Jesus is the Son of God. This change is hard for the early church to wrap their minds around. God uses Ananias and Barnabas to welcome Saul into the early church.
We continue our study in Acts 6 and 7, where we see the church deal with a conflict quickly and effectively. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, preaches a tough message to the religious leaders and is murdered. The Jerusalem chapter of the book of Acts draws to a tragic close, but God’s church will continue to be built.
God’s work is unstoppable. Even from challenges within the church and from outside. The early church continued to share about Jesus with Joy.
Jesus continues his work through the apostles by the power of the Holy Spirit. The religious leaders choose to reject Jesus’ work and try to stop the movement of God.
The time has come. The Spirit has fallen and Peter delivers his first sermon to Jews gathered in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. 3000 choose to follow Jesus as Messiah and the Church is born.
Jesus remains at the center of what God is doing. As Jesus ascends to heaven, the disciples are reminded of the coming Holy Spirit and God’s ability to lead them as they chose a twelfth disciple.