Downtown at Austin Christian

Has anyone else noticed how much Thanksgiving has been sidelined? Overtaken by Christmas and Black Friday sales, most of the thoughts toward Thanksgiving are focused on what we are going to put on our plates first. But maybe there is more to Thanksgiving than that. The Bible certainly has a lot to say about gratitude and giving thanks, but why is it so important? Today we take a brief detour and t...

It is easy when we are surrounded by our own worries and problems to stay focused on ourselves. But as christians, we know we've been given a mission to spread the gospel to the rest of the world? How can we make sure we see the doors that God is opening around us? This Sunday, our guest speaker Moses Kalala shares stories from the church in Kinshasa, DRC as he reminds us that Jesus has opened...

Complacency doesn't usually strike us as the worst thing in the world, yet in Jesus' letter to the church in Sardis, he seems to take it pretty seriously. Today we look at the history of Sardis and discover why complacency was an issue there and how to deal with complacency in our own lives today.

Compromise can be a good thing. Rather than have to choose one or the other, why not have both? But in the case of the church in Thyatira, this was the issue Jesus pointed out in his letter. There are some things that we simply cannot afford to make compromises. How do we hold on to our convictions when the world around us is trying to sell us on compromise?

Today it can become harder and harder to tell what is real. This isn't a new problem. The Christians in Pergamum were dealing with false doctrines and teachings coming into the church. As they lived with the reality of being ruled by the Roman Empire, temptation to compromise their convictions for the sake of even being able to make a living was very real. How do we draw lessons from the churc...

What is worth dying for? It is an intense question, but it is a critically important one, because it determines our priorities and therefore how we make decisions and choose to live our lives. The church in Smyrna was faced with this question on a daily basis. Would you be willing to give up your life? Or would you give up your faith instead? Though we don't often have to face this choice here...

What would Jesus say to us if he visited our churches today? Are we on track? Have we lost our way? Today we start our series Letters & Lampstands. We look at the seven letters Jesus wrote to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation and see if there are any points we can consider for ourselves today. Ephesus was a wealthy port town saturated with idol worship. The church had endured hardship a...

We've all done difficult things before. We subject ourselves to hardship and suffering in pursuit of a higher goal. Whether it is enduring school to get a better job, or long nights as a parent to raise our children, we all understand choosing the more difficult path in service of the greater good. So when it comes to our discipleship, to following Jesus, are we also willing? God calls us to b...

Join us as Austin Christian Church celebrates our 30th Anniversary! Today David talks about crossroads moments. The Israelites stand on the edge of taking the promised land. Before those fateful steps across the Jordan River, Joshua calls the people to prepare themselves. As we stand at crossroads moments, as a church and in our own lives, how do we take those first steps of faith into the unknown...

As followers of Christ, we are called to give. "Not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver." But how do we get there? What happens if our hearts aren't in the space to give? How do we become cheerful givers? Often times we just feel guilted into giving, but that isn't what God wants for us! Today we dive into the heart behind giving and the incredible...

When difficult times come, we know we are supposed to trust God, but how do we actually do that? Why is it something that is so difficult? Today we look at the story of Joseph and try to find out how he was able to trust God through all the ups and downs of his life. (Sorry the first 5 minutes were lost due to audio issues!)

As we head into the fall season, things can get so busy that we often lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish or what we want to focus on. That is why it is so important to maintain clear vision. But beyond what our vision for the fall or even the rest of our lives might be, what is God's vision for our lives and for His people?

Today Allan dives deeper into the story after Jesus' resurrection from the grave. What details have we missed in reading the story? What implications do those details have for us today?

What is so good about the Good News? How can we help others learn about it? John follows Paul's journey through the book of Acts and highlights the ways that we, as Followers of Jesus should share and respond to the Good News of Jesus.

We appreciate our freedom and we celebrate it each year. We know freedom wasn't free, but as followers of Christ, what are we supposed to do with our freedom? As we look today at the story of Paul, Silas and the Philippian Jailer, we see hints of what we are called to use our freedom for. Not for ourselves, but for others.

Taking a break from our Transformed Series this week. It is important to take time to stop, reflect, and recalibrate. Often times we can feel ourselves becoming so busy that, despite the best of intentions, we make choices that don't actually reflect what is best. Today we look at the a story during Jesus' life where he challenges one of his followers to choose what is best. This is a call...

What happens when we make one to many mistakes? Is it still possible for God to use us? Is it true that we can be "too far gone"? Today we look at the story of Paul's conversion and how Jesus was able not only to redeem him, but to redeem his story as well and use it as a powerful testimony for God's redemptive work. Not only that, but we will also take a look at the role of beli...

The Christian walk is not a singular moment of transformation. Rather it is a continuous process. It isn't pleasant but how do we lean into the process rather than shy away from it? Today, we look into the interesting story of Simon the Sorcerer, and try to answer the question of how do we continue to lean into the refining process.

Obedience is not a word that is very popular today. Living in a country where we love to be our own boss and freedom is paramount, how do we as Christians balance living free while still living in submission to our Lord? Today we dive into the challenging topic of obedience, especially when things don't make sense or are difficult.

As we continue our series, Transformed, we dive into the story of Stephen, a christian who was chosen to wait on tables, but became the symbol of courage and faith in the face of persecution. What drove him to stand up for his faith, even in the face of certain death? How can we be transformed to have the same level of courage?

Everyone who encountered Jesus was transformed. Pentecost was one such event where many people were dramatically changed after turning to Jesus. But what does that mean for us today? Christian talks about how we can experience our own drastic transformations today.

We hear a lot about hell and about earth, but how often do we actually talk about Heaven? Is it just a place to sit on clouds and float around all day? Is it actually a better place? Allan shares today about what he's been learning about Heaven and why it is a place that we should all be looking forward to.

Part of learning to be more like our Rabbi means answering the call to follow Him. But that doesn't always lead us to places we want to go or to do things that we want to do. How do we reconcile these challenges and follow Jesus anyways?

When Jesus called his disciples, he asked them to follow him. How do we live this out today? Jesus described himself as the vine and that we are to abide in Him. What does that look like and how do we do it?

What does it mean to be a a disciple? According to the rabbinical tradition during the time of Jesus, it meant something quite different than what we might think it means today. What does it look like to follow Jesus today?