Cross Section from the Summit View Church of Christ

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — The name of Jesus is powerful. It changed the city of Ephesus when Paul proclaimed the good news of Jesus there. It changes our lives. It changes our communities. It changes our world. Text: Acts 19:1-41

This episode covers the tenth segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). What does the Bible say about guardian angels? Do children—or any other people—have guardian angels? Do demons still possess people today? We cover these questions and more in this study of a few more miracles and teachings of Jesus that impact our study of the in-between realm. Recording date: September...

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — How do you begin to share the good news of Jesus with someone who does not yet know our God? The apostle Paul did just that while he was in Athens: he introduced the Athenians to a deity they knew only as "The Unknown God". From his example we learn five techniques for sharing the gospel with a friend who needs to know our God. Text: Acts 17:10-34

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — When the jailer saw the power of God, the mercy of God, and the exceptional character of the people of God, he believed in God and was filled with joy! What is it about God that fills us with such joy as we come to know him? Even in our most difficult times, his power and mercy and the transformation he works in us amaze us, help us, and give us hope.  Tex...

This episode covers the ninth segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). In this lesson's texts, Jesus drives out more demons and actually calls two of his disciples "devil" and "Satan". Why would he do that? What can we learn from these stories about Jesus and Satan? In these texts we also get two hints about the situation of the spirits of the dead as they await the gr...

This episode covers the eighth segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). This week we dive deeply into the story of the demons who called themselves "Legion," who controlled a man until they encountered Jesus and then fled, with Jesus' permission, into a herd of pigs. Recording date: September 8, 2021

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — A dispute in the church led Paul and Barnabas to travel to Jerusalem, where they met with the apostles and elders there about the issue. The way the church handled this argument models how we, too, should deal with disagreements and arguments in the church: first by always seeking the will of God, then by working to guard and affirm our relationships with one a...

This episode covers the seventh segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). In this lesson we examine what Jesus tells us about the devil and angels in three of his parables. Recording date: September 1, 2021

This episode covers the sixth segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). We look at more that Jesus says about the devil and demons, what demons are, and a little bonus material about angels on the day of judgment. Recording date: August 25, 2021

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — The apostle Paul helped to launch a new church in the city of Pisidian Antioch. When persecution came, it could have crushed the new disciples of Jesus—but it didn't. Instead, they were filled with joy! Why? Because of God and all he had done—as Paul explains in his first recorded gospel sermon. Text: Acts 13:13-52

This episode covers the fifth segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). It examines connections between Jesus' disciples and demons: some had been possessed by Jesus, then healed; others were given power to drive out demons. This lesson was recorded August 11, 2021.

This episode covers the fourth segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). What does demon-possession look like? What can demons do to the people they possess? Is demon-possession actually merely an old name for mental disorders? We discuss these questions in light of Jesus' encounters with demon-possessed people.

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — The church prayed diligently for Peter, and God saved Peter from prison. Even so, as this story reminds us, prayer is difficult: even when we pray, we don't know exactly what God will do. Yet we pray, trusting that God will do what is best, and confident in his power. Then, having prayed, we wait expectantly, ready to receive God's blessings when he sends them. Text...

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — Through an angelic message to a Gentile, a mysterious vision, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Peter learned that God does not show favoritism to Jews or to any other people, but accepts—and cleanses—all those who fear him and do what is right. Text: Acts 10

Sunday Sermon by Jim Mendenhall — Jesus described the human heart in terms of soils of varying quality. The kingdom of heaven is in your heart—but is the soil of your heart well-prepared to receive the seed of God's kingdom? Text: Matthew 13:1-23

Sunday Sermon by Jim Mendenhall — Thoughts on the theme of thanksgiving in Paul's letter to the church in Colossae. Text: Colossians

Sunday Sermon by Jim Mendenhall — Another lesson from the life of the great prophet Elijah.

Sunday Sermon by Jim Mendenhall — A lesson from the life of the great prophet Elijah.

This episode covers the third segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). In this lesson, we consider the first recorded encounters of demons with Jesus as he began his ministry, including discussion of what demons are and do. Lesson date: July 7, 2021

This episode covers the second segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). We examine the story of the devil tempting Jesus, with its implications for our understanding of the devil himself, how he works, and how we should respond to his temptations. Lesson date: June 30, 2021

This episode covers the first segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). In it, our Senior Adults and Friends Bible Study considers the appearances of angels surrounding the birth of Jesus.

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — Our God is able to do more than we can ask or even imagine, and he did the unimaginable when he transformed Saul from persecutor of the church to proclaimer of the Christian faith, and when he called Ananias to courageously go to Saul to assist with his transformation. Like Saul and Ananias, we who follow Jesus must also believe God can do the unexpected and mo...

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — We don't know his name, but God did, this man to whom God sent Philip the Evangelist. Though the man was a foreigner and to some degree an outcast, God loved him and wanted him in his family and kingdom. God knows our names, too, and wants us in his family and kingdom whether we are foreigners or natives, insiders or outsiders, near to God or coming from a plac...

Sunday sermon by Kevin Jensen — When Philip proclaimed Jesus in a certain Samaritan city, that city was full of joy! The message of Jesus fills us with joy as it connects us to God. But to keep that joy, we must keep our faith sincere, focused on pleasing God rather than ourselves. Text: Acts 8:4-25

Sunday sermon by Kevin Jensen — The first movement of the story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is all about the terrible evil in this world, the evil that brought about Stephen's death. But in the second movement, Jesus was there! And Jesus' presence when Stephen was killed made all the difference. Text: Acts 6:8 to 8:4