Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

Have you ever heard the phrase “for this reason”? Or maybe “I told you all of that so that…”? That’s how Paul begins chapter 3 of Ephesians. All of that foundational knowledge of shifting from more effort to more Jesus and from more volunteers to more masterpieces served to set the stage for what Paul would write next. It’s some of the most gripping prose ever written.

Have you ever felt like a stranger? It's awkward and uncomfortable. It's not your place, your area, your people. In this sermon we see how God took strangers and made a family. It's our last look at the need to shift from more volunteers to more masterpieces.

“I did it!” Those are three very powerful words. They are words that each of us have probably declared proudly at one point or another. Being able to say those three little words bring us feelings of confidence, joy, accomplishment, and relief. But what happens when we can’t say those words, and all we are left with is a defeated “I can’t do it”? It’s a vulnerable place to be, but it forces us to...

Last week we commissioned a lot of missionaries. Be sure to share your stories of celebration and struggle so that we can encourage one another as we take the fullness of Jesus into our own mission fields. God has made us for mission! We’ll see that over the next three weeks as we explore the shift of moving from more volunteers to more masterpieces.

God has called us all to be everyday missionaries wherever we live, work, study, and play so that the fullness of Jesus can fill everything in every way. If you are serious about the masterpiece mission God has designed for you, we would like to affirm God's gifting and calling on your life by commissioning you to make disciples in your sphere of influence.

Do you ever feel like you’ve got a million things on your mind or on your to do list? Are there emails sitting in your inbox that you feel like you should get to? It’s so easy, and all too common, to become so engulfed in the day-to-day that we lose the obsession of Jesus growing ever larger in our minds, our hearts, our homes, and our church. We’re tempted to settle for a little Jesus. Join us as...

What is your reason for being? Jesus designed His church to take the fullness of Christ into every corner of culture and every sphere of society. That is a huge calling and God handpicked you to be a part of it. We're praying our theme will shatter your small dreams and God will awaken you to the reality that you were made for more. Join us as we begin our new sermon series and theme for the...

There are so many distractions in our world aren’t there? What if we’re missing things God wants to teach us because we’re so busy doing good things, but we miss the best thing? The problem isn’t unique to us, people have dealt with this for centuries. Join us Sunday, we’ll be amazed by all 66 books of the Bible as we consider what it's like to learn from Jesus Face to Face.

It is said that people are like icebergs. We reveal about 15-20% of what is really going on in our lives. The other 80-85% we keep hidden below the water line. Imagine someone coming along who knows everything you've ever done, the full 100%, every last skeleton exposed. And right when you're about to be embarrassed and ashamed, they say I love you anyway.

Sometimes we can’t kind find what we’re looking for because we are looking in the wrong place. Where do you look when you want to celebrate? We’ll talk about that as we celebrate together this Sunday.

God designed church to be a team sport because we, His people, are the church. Inherit in that very design, God created a body without any spectators. Each member has a role to play. We are so excited for Involved Sunday this week, because it is an opportunity for each member to pray about how God has made you to build up the body. We hope to see you here this Sunday and you’ll be sure to be encou...

Have you ever played the blame game? Something goes wrong and you start pointing fingers trying to determine whose fault it is only to find several fingers pointing back at you. What does all that accomplish? When Jesus came face to face with a blind man and with us he wasn’t interested in pointing fingers, but getting to work. I’m sure you’ll be challenged and encouraged as we celebrate together.

Have you ever wanted to get away for a little rest and relaxation? Jesus left the crowds and the chaos continued as he came face to face with a madman. The details of this encounter are both ghastly and captivating. Join us Sunday to see what one meeting with Jesus would do for this madman and ask that meeting with Jesus would do the same for us.

We’ve been talking about effective post-Christian evangelism in our This vs That series. As we conclude we’ll discuss one of the hardest parts – playing our role and trusting God to play His. Jesus said, “If I am lifted up, I will draw all men to Me.” Do you trust Him to do that? Don’t miss the dramatic conclusion to this series.

We all have certain traits where those who know us best say, "that's just ______________!" We might deny it, but everyone knows. There is something about the way we live that speaks louder than our words. The same is true for evangelism. This Sunday we will see how Jesus modeled this to his friends on the road to Emmaus.

We continue down the Emmaus road, learning from Jesus how to share the gospel in today’s world. And that involves the hard step of waiting to be invited. So what do we do while we wait? Let’s talk about that in today's sermon.

In our attention-deficit world, listening is a great gift. People love telling their story. They’re telling it hundreds of different ways – twitter and tattoos, photos and Facebook. Listening to what people are saying is a selfless act. It’s gift. When we listen to others, we demonstrate what God is like because we have a God who listens and draws near. Come and listen this Sunday.

What matters more, the journey or the destination? This week, we’re continuing our sermon series on the journey that Jesus took with two of His disciples down the Emmaus Road, and we’ll see how joining others on the journey can make a big impact on both them and us. Come and join us this Sunday—especially you dads—as we journey together on this mission of sharing Jesus and impacting people!

Our mission is to Share Jesus and Impact People. And we all would like to live our mission with greater effectiveness, right? During the next 6 weeks we will join Jesus on the Emmaus Road as he engages two sad, cynical disciples shortly after his resurrection. We will closely examine the way Jesus impacted them so that their spiritual eyes would be opened. You’ll be sure to see the way Jesus inter...

It's been an exciting year working our way through the book of acts. We've seen the rise and growth of the transformational church. It has flourished despite persecution, beatings, imprisonment, and even the murder of her members. You want to be sure to be here on Sunday for the dramatic conclusion of Acts: The Unstoppable Church.

Our lives need vision. We need clearly articulated destinations that guide all our efforts and energies. For, Paul, that compelling vision was his encounter with Jesus Christ. Everything he did, whether he was on trial or shipwrecked, was guided by that vision. What about you? What compelling vision drives your life?

How well do you hold up under pressure? This week we will take a seat inside a courtroom and watch as Paul is on trial. How will his faith stand up under the interrogations of both Jews and Romans? How does your faith stand up in the public square? Come celebrate new members with us this Sunday and be challenged to develop a faith that holds up under pressure.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our Moms! I don’t know about you, but I need a reminder alerting me to important days like this, otherwise I’d forget. You’d think with all of the digital reminders we have today that we’d never miss anything really important. The truth is we miss the most important things all the time. Don’t let that be the case on Sunday! Come and let’s celebrate together!

Would you like to be a highly effective Christian? After 3 years of establishing the church in Ephesus and equipping leaders, Paul bids a long farewell. It is the only message in Acts from Paul to Christians. It is a fascinating study on Christian living. Join us this week to discover some habits of what makes a transformational church unstoppable.

What is the most powerful force on the planet? I hope you're a part of it. Jesus said that He would build His church in such a way that not even the gates of hell could prevail against it. In this last installment of the book of Acts, we will watch the expansion of the church to the known world of that time. More and more people were impacted by the gospel and invited to be a part of the chur...