As we take a break from our series in Acts, Missy Bell looks back to Acts 5:12-16. In addition to being a Park Hill member, Missy is the Programs Director of Olive Crest, an organization that believes in transforming the lives of at-risk youth through the healing power of God, family, and community. As Missy walks us through the passage, she reminds us that serving vulnerable people was meant to be done in community with other believers, for the glory of God.
Aug 13, 2024•40 min
As we take a break from our series in Acts, David Wade, lead pastor of All Saints Church, walks us through 1 John 4:13-18. How we relate to God so often depends on what we believe he is really like, or how we think he really feels about us. Are we expectant of love? Or anticipating punishment? Thankfully, in the midst of our fear, uncertainty, and even our failures, we meet a Savior who gets low, lifts us up and says do not be afraid. Why? Because God is love, and perfect love drives out all fea...
Aug 07, 2024•58 min
As we take a break from our series in Acts, Luis Mellado shares insights from James 5:17-18. In addition to being an elder at Park Hill Church, Luis is the Regional Director of the Global Leadership Summit for all Spanish-speaking countries, where he oversees hundreds of pastor and leader conferences across Latin America. As Luis walks us through the passage, he discusses how we are all capable of experiencing great highs and lows. We examine how God worked in Elijah’s life to help him navigate ...
Jul 30, 2024•47 min
From our series "Acts." Paul finds himself in Athens, surrounded by idols. The idols make him angry—but not for reasons we might think. Paul knows that idol worship leads to the dehumanization of the idol worshiper. And he's deeply grieved at how much this dehumanization is happening in this city. But instead of condemnation, Paul gets curious. Instead of irrational anger, Paul engages people with invitational curiosity. And his hearers experience the love of God.
Jul 22, 2024•51 min
From our series "Acts." What are we praying for when we ask God to "open doors" for us? Do we really know? What does an open door from God look like? And should we walk through every open door, even if it really is opened by God? Not according to Paul in Acts 16. This fascinating story lights the way. Apparently, it's about something far better than any open door we could ever ask for—and it's available to everyone who trusts in Jesus. It's all about loving the person right in front of you....
Jul 14, 2024•56 min
From our series "Acts." Who belongs in God's family? This is the question that prompted the very first church conference which we read about in Acts 15. Certain Jewish Christians were telling Gentile Christians they had to essentially become Jewish to be saved and belong at the table of Jesus. But Paul, Barnabas, Peter and James disagree. This family is for everyone, regardless of background, who repents of their sin and calls upon Jesus as King. This is a message of radical inclusion, open to a...
Jul 08, 2024•53 min
From our series "Acts." Matthieu Rouffet unpacks the turbulent story of Acts 14. Paul and Barnabas experience both extreme highs and extreme lows on their journey. But somehow, they manage to remain in a state of joy. How is this possible? Could the same Holy Spirit that empowered their joy be available to us?
Jul 01, 2024•40 min
From our series "Acts." Aleah Pursley walks us through Acts 13 and the Apostle Paul's first recorded sermon, which is a stunning vision of the Risen Jesus.
Jun 23, 2024•39 min
From our series "Acts." As the first half of Acts comes to an end, Luke (author of Acts) highlights the dramatic conflict between the kingdoms of the earth and the kingdom of God. While human governments and politicians vie for temporary power, the true King of kings and President of presidents is and will always be a slain Lamb on a throne at the center of the universe who reigns over every human nation of the world. What does this mean for how Christians should engage in human politics? Acts 1...
Jun 17, 2024•49 min
From our series "Acts." Cataclysmic newsflash: The Gentiles are in! In Acts 10–11, for the first time ever, Gentiles are coming to faith God through Jesus, repenting of sin, and receiving the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. But the Jewish Christians have a concern: how could Peter the Jew be eating with uncircumcised Gentiles?! This was a problem. Thankfully, Gentile inclusion was always in God's plan, and the Holy Spirit is really good at guiding God's people into all truth.
Jun 09, 2024•50 min
From our series "Acts." In chapter 9, we come to one of the most famous stories in the Bible. It's the story of Paul's encounter with the risen Jesus which changed him forever. This wasn't just the turning point in Paul's own life, but one of the main turning points of human history. By reflecting on Paul's story of encountering Jesus, we can learn a ton about how to tell our own Jesus stories. It's not about having a flashy, golden, hollywood, biblical-level Jesus story like Paul’s. It's about ...
Jun 02, 2024•48 min
From our series "Acts." Josh White, founding pastor of Door of Hope Church in Portland, OR, visits Park Hill Church to preach a message on Acts 8v26–40. In this text, a Jewish Jesus follower named Philip follows the leading of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with an influential Ethiopian eunuch. Josh White interweaves his own story with the story of Philip, and the result is a powerful call to boldly witness to Jesus in our time.
May 26, 2024•58 min
As we walk through the book of Acts this year, we are also looking at eight practices from Jesus and the early Christians that shaped the life of the Church through time. In this teaching, Evan Wickham walks us through our fourth practice: Sabbath. It's also Pentecost Sunday—the day the Western church celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus' first disciples in Acts 2. What does Pentecost have to with Sabbath? For the Spirit-filled body of Christ today, to practice Sabbath is to e...
May 21, 2024•48 min
From our series "Acts." Christianity goes international. As it does, the Holy Spirit proves himself to be the Great Unifier of God's family in Jesus. As mortal enemies turn to Jesus together, they become family around the same table. This is the shocking stuff of the kingdom that turns the world upside down. Isn't this the reconciled, forgiven family we all long to become? Come and see.
May 13, 2024•50 min
From our series "Acts." The church goes international in Acts 8. But not the way anyone expected or wanted. Severe, painful persecution comes upon the first church in Jerusalem, causing everyone but the Apostles to escape into Judea and Samaria. From the human perspective, this is terrible and real suffering. From the divine perspective, God is repurposing terrible evil for near-unimaginable good. This is what God promises to do for all who trust in Jesus: he masterfully redeems our brokenness f...
May 07, 2024•37 min
As part of our year in Acts, we are looking at eight different practices from Jesus that shaped the life of the early church. In this teaching, Dan Braga walks us through the third practice: silence and solitude. Jesus was shaped by his rhythmic practice of being still and embracing isolation in order to commune with the Father through the Spirit. So as Jesus followers, we are invited to do the same. But what should our practice of silence and solitude look like in our noise-saturated age?...
Apr 29, 2024•49 min
Rachel Hughes visits Park Hill Church with a timely message for many. Rachel and her husband Tim are pastors of Gas Street Church in Birmingham, UK. Today, Rachel unpacks the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 and 2. The story of Hannah is a beautiful example of what we as God's children are invited to do with our unfulfilled longings. Rather than engaging in spiritual bypassing or caving in to discouragement, Hannah chooses to "stand up" and walk through her unfulfilled desires, fully trusting God w...
Apr 21, 2024•45 min
From our series "Acts." Acts 6-7 are two chapters almost entirely focused on the life of one person: Stephen. He's not a full time pastor. He's not one of the Apostles. He's not one of the professional church people. He's a normal church member who becomes one of the most extraordinary lives in the history of the Church. He's also the first Christian martyr. What is the secret of Stephen's power and influence? Whatever it is, it's something available to everyone in the church, not just the profe...
Apr 14, 2024•45 min
From our series "Acts." As the church continues to grow, problems start to arise. In Acts 6, the Greek-speaking Jewish Christian widows are getting overlooked by what is likely the majority culture (Aramaic-speaking Jewish Christians) within the church. But the Holy Spirit begins moving in this new church, and the result is beautiful. Because the whole church has the power of the Spirit, they are free to give away their own power for the sake of the vulnerable just like Jesus did. This story has...
Apr 07, 2024•57 min
It's Easter 2024. We are continuing in our series "Acts." Here in Acts 5, the connection to the Easter story is too good to miss. The apostles are in prison for preaching the resurrection. They've been publicly shamed by Jewish leaders. These apostles have every reason to be crippled by fear of the unknown. But they aren't afraid. It's as if they're expecting a heavenly being to pass through their locked doors and lead them into God's future hope. Why were they so secure, confident, and settled ...
Apr 01, 2024•36 min
Matt Pursley gives a teaching at our special Palm Sunday gathering for all ages.
Mar 25, 2024•27 min•Ep. 3
From our series "Acts." For many Bible readers, Acts chapter 5 is famously considered one of the most troubling texts in all of scripture. In this narrative, a couple named Ananias and Sapphira die... seemingly, for lying. But things are more than they seem. And the result of this tragic moment in church history is that the "fear of God" grips the hearts of the whole church, which in turn leads to miraculous healings, salvation, and power flowing through the early church out into the world God s...
Mar 18, 2024•47 min
From our series "Acts." In the unfolding events of Acts 3–4, we witness the first significant conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. Peter and John are interrogated by the authorities for preaching the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. How they respond to their earthly authorities (and how their Church community responds to their response) reveals much about how followers of Jesus are to live in the world today. As citizens of God's kingdom first, what should our "a...
Mar 10, 2024•51 min
As part of our year in Acts, we are looking at eight different practices from Jesus that shaped the life of the early church. In this teaching, Evan Wickham walks us through our second practice: fasting. The spiritual practice of fasting from food played a crucial role in the launching of Jesus' ministry as well as the most important moments of key decision-making in the early church. So, this raises the question, why is fasting such a forgotten practice for Christians in our time and place toda...
Mar 03, 2024•45 min
From our series "Acts." As the disciples proclaim Jesus’ name with power and authority, the religious leaders recognize that although the disciples were uneducated, ordinary men, they had obviously been with Jesus. They were beginning to talk like him, act like him, and do the miraculous things he did. As Jesus' disciples today, we are called to impact our world the same was his first disciples did. We do this by being with Jesus. In other words: we must be filled with the Spirit.
Feb 26, 2024•52 min
From our series "Acts." Here in chapter 3, we read the account of the first miraculous healing in the early church. Peter and John see a man unable to walk from birth, and they proceed to heal the man by God's power in Jesus' name. This story raises so many questions for us—namely, does God still heal like this today? Did Jesus really command his followers to continue doing all his healing work that he did? The answer is just as shocking for us today as it was for the first witnesses of the mira...
Feb 18, 2024•42 min
As part of our year in Acts, we are looking at eight different practices from Jesus that shaped the life of the early church. In this teaching, David Wade walks us through the first practice: reading scripture. The Bible tells the story of God’s acts through history to save and rescue a people for himself. Not only is the Bible this kind of story, but it's also a living word, alive and powerful, that actually shapes God's rescued family more and more into the image of his son Jesus by the power ...
Feb 12, 2024•49 min
This is a live recording of our final House of Learning event from 2023 (Nov 26). When Park Hill leadership asked our people what areas of the Christian faith they would most like to learn about, several responded: “Church history.” So, this final House of Learning is entitled "Christian History Before Power.” The goal of the night was to share a meal and humbly learn from the first 300 years of church history all about what it means to love and follow Jesus. How did the first Jesus followers an...
Feb 06, 2024•1 hr 52 min
From our series "Acts." Acts chapter 2 shows us what happened the day the Church was born, and the apostle Peter gives the first sermon in Church history. His message: The long-awaiting Day of the Lord has come! Now the power of heaven is unleashed on earth, creating new ways of being human, leading to the complete restructuring of human society around King Jesus. So rethink everything! This is what the first century Jews were waiting for. And it's what every human heart today is longing for as ...
Feb 04, 2024•45 min
From our series "Acts." Acts chapter two is one of the most well known parts of the Bible, and for good reason. It's the moment the entire Old Testament was longing for: When God's personal presence comes to rest within the hearts of everyone, from every nation and culture, who pledges allegiance to Jesus as king. But when the Holy Spirit comes, what's the first thing he compels the first Christians to do? The answer is just as shocking to us today as it was to those who witnessed the first even...
Jan 28, 2024•45 min
