Ada Presbyterian Church Pulpit Podcast

In Acts chapter 5, the church experiences a wake up call.  "Great fear" takes hold of everyone.  Why?  Because a married couple is struck dead for deceiving the church, the apostles, and God himself.  Join us today for a wake up call:  God wants us to take our integrity seriously, God himself seriously, and the church seriously.

When life throws us hard times, it's normal to pray.  In our sermon today, we learn how to enhance our praying in such times, as we take a look at the apostles' prayer upon their release from a brief imprisonment.  They not only ask God for help, but they reflect on his character and use scripture to guide them.  Join us today as we learn how to go deeper in prayer.

The early chapters of Acts show the church advancing with very little in the way of opposition--until now.  In chapter 4, the apostles are arrested by the same crowd that had Jesus arrested and crucified.  How will they respond to this new challenge?  How do we respond in hard times?  Join us for today's message.

There are some instances where generics are a good alternative to the brand name, but that doesn't work when it comes to questions of religious faith.  As Christians we don't believe in a generic "god;" we believe that our God reveals himself in the name of Jesus.  Join us today for our on-going series from Acts where we see Peter arguing this very point to his countrymen in Acts 3.

One of the lessons we have to learn in life is that we can't control how others think of us; we can only control ourselves.  In our passage today, we see the things under our control, the basic set of practices that Christians do in good times and bad.

Reliable information is hard to come by these days, and that is also true in the realm of religion.  If we were trying to find the best information that got me closest to the truth about the person of Jesus, we would be hard pressed to find a source better than the Apostle Peter, and the sermon he preaches on Pentecost.  Join us today as we give Peter a fair hearing, listening in on the first Chri...

On Pentecost, the crowd poses a good question: "What does this mean?" What does it mean that the Apostles are speaking in tongues? Is their experience a model for the church today, or is something else going on? What are some signs in our own lives that we are filled with the Spirit? Join us as we delve into this important passage from Acts 2:1-13.

We find ourselves waiting more often than not, and in today's passage, the apostles are waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. But they're not idle or bored--they're active in their waiting.  Join us today as we see the early church doing so much more than just passing the time.

The opening of the Book of Acts shows us the church in a time of transition.  Jesus had just been raised from the dead, and with that milestone behind him, the disciples are wondering, "what's next" for them and for their nation.  As we might expect, Jesus gives them an expanded vision of "what's next" for them, and for all of us who name him as Lord.  Join us as we begin a new series on Acts in t...

As we wrap up our study of Titus, we read a few instructions in the final verses that draw us back into some of the larger themes of the letter.  God will grow the church, and along the way he calls us to a ministry of good deeds, namely the ancient practice of hospitality.

The early Christians had a unique opportunity, one we might envy today:  they were able to make a first impression on the world.  But what was that impression to look like?  Join us for today's message as we discover the Christian vibe that characterized the early church and that we can live into today.

Grace is a word that has changed the world, and grace is a concept that comes straight from the heart of Christianity.  Grace has appeared on the scene, especially in the coming of Jesus Christ, and nothing can ever be the same.  Join us this week as we talk about grace and its importance in the Christian life and larger world.

When the church was first getting off the ground in the 1st century, it had a unique opportunity to give a first impression.  Paul instructs Titus to take advantage of that--to instruct the church on how to live in such a way that the gospel is praised for its positive impact on people's lives.  Join us today to see how God wants us to live so our character speaks well of the gospel.

Healthy leadership is critical to healthy churches.  Unfortunately, there are many war stories today about Christians who have been hurt by leaders who weren't well-suited to their role.  Join us today as we look at the features of good, elder-based leadership in the church.

In the introduction to Titus, Paul describes the factors that make it more likely a church will spring to life and grow, even in a tough place like Crete.  Join us today for our first sermon on this lesser known Pastoral Epistle. 

Worry often feels out of our control; it just comes over us.  And that is true--sometimes.  Other times, we dig ourselves into a place of worry because we're focused on the wrong things:  the "anxieties of life," Jesus calls them.  Join us today for our concluding sermon in our anxiety series.

The Bible recognizes that anxiety feels like a weight, a burden that presses in upon us.  But God gives us a very human tool to help lighten that load--namely, good friendships.  Join us today as we explore the power of friendship to either fuel anxiety or calm it. 

You know you're a VIP when you have your own security detail, and so it's interesting that God himself promises to guard our hearts and our minds with his peace when we come to him in prayer and gratitude.  Join us as we examine the second half of Philippians 4 in our sermon series on anxiety.

Philippians 4 is one of the most well known and well loved treatments on worry in the Bible.  Today we are doing a deep dive into the first few phrases of this passage.  Join us as we discuss what it means to reframe our thinking around joy, and how gentleness is the definitive mark of the non anxious person.

We know worry won't fix things, but we're junkies - it's hard to stop.  Sometimes our thoughts take on a life of their own.  When Jesus tells us "do not worry" he is inviting us to put our concerns in the hands of another, the God who provides for the needs of his whole creation.  Join us for today's message as we continue in our series on anxiety.

Join us as we start a short 5-week sermon series examining what the Bible has to say about anxiety.  This morning's message focuses on getting through "the big picture" anxiety that we can't help but feel as we live in a chaotic world.

We're so used to the Easter story ending on a happy note, that it's hard for us to make sense of the ending of Mark's gospel--he ends by telling us the women who discovered the empty tomb were afraid.  Why end on a note of fear?  What is Mark trying to communicate?  Join us for today's Easter Sunday message.

On Good Friday, we sometimes ask:  why did Jesus have to die?  The short answer is that he died for our sins.  Author and priest Fleming Rutledge poses a follow-up question:  why did Jesus have to die by crucifixion?  Jesus didn't just die any old death; he died one of the cruelest ways possible.  Join us today as we explore this question in our Lenten series on Holy Week.

One of the practices held in common by all Christians is communion.  Call it the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, or Holy Communion - we all believe something deeply significant happened when Jesus broke bread with his disciples on Thursday of Holy Week.  Join us for today's message to witness history being made and to learn about the significances of this meal.

In the middle of Holy Week, Jesus holds up two models of discipleship: one is rooted in showmanship and status updates.  Jesus is not impressed with this group.  The other is embodied in the widow, who brought her two small coins.  She comes and lays down her life; she is the model disciple.  Join us for our Lenten series as we explore this important contrast.