Mission City Church w/ Pastor Josh Hershey

202309.03 THE HIGHLIGHTED LIFE

Learning the lessons from the book of Acts we find that the believers learned to STAND UP and STAND OUT in their generation! They were in fact, HIGHLIGHTED!  They were lit with the life of the Holy Spirit to make an impact in their world with the Gospel of Jesus! And what happened? The world was turned upside down! Your world can be mightily influenced too, when you live THE HIGHLIGHTED LIFE IN CHRIST!

202308.27 ACTS (PART 45) — OUR FUTURE IS IN GOD’S HANDS!

After Paul was in prison for two years, a new governor over Judea came to power. This man, Festus, sought to make alliances with other powerful rulers in the land who were aligned against Paul. From a natural perspective, this spelled danger! Through it all, like David, Paul would have trusted God and prayed, “They scheme to take away my life. But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant” (Psalm 31:13-16). Our times/future is in God’s hand! We can face every new situation and challenge with utter confidence in our good Father! 

2023008.20 ACTS (PART 44) — OCCASIONS FOR TESTIMONY!

Jesus told His disciples, “You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.” This is exactly what happened with Paul when he was taken to Caesarea to be tried before Felix (Acts 24). Both publicly and privately Paul was able to testify to Christ to the most powerful ruler in Judea! Let us also see the ‘tests’ we face in life as opportunities for ‘testimonies’! God will grant us all the grace, wisdom, and favor we need to be effective witnesses for Him!

ACTS (PART 43) — SMALL MIRACLES WITH BIG RESULTS!

There are a lot of ‘big’ miracles in the book of Acts—lame leaping, dead raising, Spirit teleporting, prison shaking—but there are also important ‘small’ miracles too. The Risen Lord Jesus is always at work on our behalf behind the scenes, and is providentially ordering things for our good! This is especially seen in the story of Paul’s protection from 40+ assassins in Jerusalem. An event that makes us think of God’s providential presence in the book of Esther. Let us always be in awareness of God’s many ‘small’ miracles in our life and give Him thanks! Join us!

THE LAMB IS THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING (PART 2)

Tonight we will continue to explore what it means for the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, to be at the center of everything! In particular, we will be looking the book of Leviticus, a book in Hebrew titled *And He Called*, and see how God preaches His own Gospel about the Lamb throughout the book. It is only through the Lamb we can draw near to God! It is only the Lamb of God that we are strong and victorious! Join us!

ACTS (PART 42) - JESUS STANDS WITH US DURING OUR TRIALS

In Acts 23 Paul testified before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. He shared how he had a “good conscience” before God and even testified to the resurrection. Ultimately, the Sanhedrin were unreceptive of what Paul had to say and viciously mistreated him. Seeing their response, Paul easily could have been discouraged as he was taken back into custody. But, it was in that moment, in the middle of the night, when the Lord Jesus showed up in Paul’s room and stood by him! The Lord always stands by us in our trials! Bringing encouragement, hope, and good cheer! Join us as we worship!

THE LAMB IS THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING!

Tonight we will be exploring what it means for the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, to be at the center of everything! We will see how God instituted the theme of the Lamb. How the literary structure of Scripture is centered around the Lamb. How the Lamb currently reigns in the highest heavens above all. How the Lamb brings His restoration life to you and me—the church. And finally, how we have a responsibility to behold the Lamb throughout every moment of our life. Join us!

ACTS (PART 41) — TAILORING YOUR TESTIMONY

After being saved from a mob who had just tried to kill him, Paul turned to that same mob and shared his testimony with them about how and why he had become a follower of Jesus. His heart toward them was one of love! He understood why his audience was reacting the way they were, and he wanted to make that plain to them. One interesting aspect of how he tells his testimony here is that it is specifically tailored to his audience. Paul wanted to make sure the message was truly understood by them and hit home! The way Paul engaged this zealous Jewish audience in Jerusalem is a great lesson for us today on how we should engage different kinds of people. The Spirit can direct us on how to share and witness in a way that brings the truth most forcefully home to the listener!

202307.23 ACTS (PART 40) — ZEALOUS FOR CHRIST AND HIS KINGDOM

e are nearing the end of Acts. Paul has finally made it to Jerusalem with his great monetary offering from all the new Gentile churches around the empire. How would the Christians in Jerusalem receive his work among the Gentiles? As we will see, some unhealthy forms of Jewish nationalism had begun to inflame the Jews in Jerusalem, and also infect some Jewish Christians living there as well. Many looked askance at Paul’s work. How would Paul handle this situation? Join us as we worship, dive into the Word, and seek to have our affections fully aligned with Christ and His Kingdom!

ACTS (PART 39) — RELENTLESSLY MOVING FORWARD IN GOD’S PLAN!

The Holy Spirit directed Paul to go to Jerusalem, and ultimately, to Rome (Acts 19:21, 20:22). Regardless of many voices and loved ones who begged him not to go because of the hardship he would face, Paul fearlessly and relentlessly moved forward! In his final days before he set foot in Jerusalem, he spent some time encouraging various Christian communities as well as interacting with Philip the Evangelist and the Prophet Agabus. Join us as we worship and continue to be encouraged by the Word of God in Acts!