Ranch Church

The Way of Freedom Show and Tell       The problem: then and now                                  Acts 6:1-7 But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The  Greek-speaking believers  complained about the  Hebrew-speaking believers … being  discriminated  against…So the Twelve called a meeting…teaching the word of God, not running a food program. Acts 6:1-2   ·    ...

The Way of Freedom Living God's Story Intro: 1) Facing the challenge - Where do I resist God? - Do I have what it takes? - Who is my authority?  Acts 4 : 23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God : “ O Sov...

Parable of the Lost Son 11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living....

The Way of Freedom Living God's Story 1) Living God's story Acts 3 Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. 2 As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple.  But I’ll give y...

The Way of Freedom Living God's Story Introduction: 1) Power of the new kingdom. Acts 2:42 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper*), and to prayer.  43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in o...

The Way of Freedom Living God's Story 1) I am a witness.  I am a messenger with a message. Yeah! ,  Whoah... , Yeah!   Acts 2:14 - 39 14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in...

The Way of Freedom Living God's Story 1) Wait for it Acts 1:4-5 4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with* water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 2) Our Identity = Witness Acts 1:6-8  6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they ke...

The Way of Freedom Living God's StoryIntro:"We are a redemptive community on an adventure with Jesus as He transforms the world"1) Acts 1Acts 1:1-3In my first book* I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after h...

The Way of Freedom.  Living God's story  1) Saying yes to the adventure. Exodus 19:5-8  5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. 6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”  7 So Moses returned from the mounta...

God’s Ingenious Design for “Community”I. The Striking Distinction of Soul-Connected Community The wonder of “koinonia” All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, pra...

The way of freedom - Living Gods story Intro: The way of freedom is through __rescue____Exodus 1:8-118 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. 10 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they...

The Way of Freedom Living Gods Story Intro:1) Knowing the promises of God Genesis 49:1-4 So Jacob* set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. 2 During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called. “Here I am,” Jacob replied. 3 “I am God,* the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be a...

Intro: What would you do? Genesis 43: But the famine continued to ravage the land of Canaan. 2 When the grain they had brought from Egypt was almost gone, Jacob said to his sons, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”  23 “Relax. Don’t be afraid,” the household manager told them. “Your God, the God of your father, must have put this treasure into your sacks. I know I received your payment.” Then...

Intro: "Faith is believing something is so even when it doesn't  Not seem so because God said so." Will I trust God? 1) People of faith  We can be people of faith because God ____provides a way_____ .  Genesis 7:18 spread over all the land.  18 As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. 19 Finally, the water covered even the highest...

Intro 1) A Life of Faith "Faith is believing something ___is __so even when it does __not__seem so because ___God__ said so."Genesis 41Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. 2 In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. 3 Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from t...

Intro: Remain faithful with the little things. Genesis 39:21-2321 But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. 22 Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 23 The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything...

1. God Is Sovereign In Every SeasonGenesis 39:2-6 2The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 4This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everythin...

Joseph  I can't, but God can. Genesis 38:1-2 About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he stayed with a man named Hirah. 2 There he saw a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her... 1) Downward Journey   "Hiding from community is the first step to hiding from God."  Genesis 38:11-14 11 Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Go back to your...

Relentless JoyBy Pastor Prashan De VisserReclaiming the Unshakable JoyJohn 15:9-11“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

JosephI Can't, But God Can. Intro:1) Where is God in all this? Genesis 37 5 One night, Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 6 “Listen to this dream,” he said. 7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” 8 His brothers responded, “So you...

Intro:  Genesis 37:2-4 2 This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.  3 Jacob* loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to...

JosephI Can't, But God Can. Intro: How should we read the story of Joseph? Luke 24:44-4944 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die...

The Wisdom of Wonder Intro: Creating an anxiety-resistant life. Matthew 6:25 - 3425 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far m...

My Anxious Thoughts: Forgiveness How do you settle relational accounts? Jesus says…forgive Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed...

My Anxious Thoughts Intro: Thankful for moms! Philippians 4:4-74 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. *6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anythi...