Springbrook Community Church

The baby born of a virgin would be a mighty and peaceful ruler to bring light to the world. From Isaiah 9:1–7 we find that if we will let Christ rule our hearts that He will be our counsel, peace, and strength during dark times.

God brings a miraculous sign of his faithfulness through a virgin birth that would heal a dark world. From Isaiah 7:1-17 we find that we can in fact place our trust in God’s miraculous power in times of trouble and doubt.

James 1:12–18 reminds us that we can praise God because he does not change, even though our circumstances do. We can be confident that God will bring us through our difficulty knowing that He will finish the work in us that He started.

Something that we don’t really like, but find to be true according to Scripture and our experience, is that suffering is an inevitable reality in our lives. In Romans 8:18-30, we find three promises that give us hope no matter our circumstances.

In Genesis 3:14–21 we find that even in the upending of God’s good plan for the world and in the most dire circumstances, God provides His grace and makes a way for our hope and for us to be thankful.

The mission of Acts comes to a completion at the end of the book… or does it? The Holy Spirit has succeeded in bringing witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the known world. Luke doesn’t see this as an end, however, because the churches who will read Luke’s account must take up the mantle of the mission to be witnesses until the return of the resurrected king.

“You are out of your mind!” If you heard these words from someone who held your fate in their hands, you might be frightened. Paul is emboldened in his proclamation of the gospel, desiring that his captors come to know the resurrected king in the same way Paul does, except for the chains.

How do you proclaim the Word of God to a people who assume they are their own gods? When Paul found himself in a city overwhelmed by idol worship, his heart burned to see them come to know the resurrected king. See how Paul took their known world and filled it with the good news of Jesus.

Have you ever asked someone to share something, only to realize you wish you hadn’t? The synagogue rulers of Antioch know how you feel. When Paul and his companions start their first missionary journey, they are given the opportunity to share in a synagogue, and the aftermath is a city in chaos and a new group of disciples.

A devout Jew would never eat anything that was not kosher, and the early church was made up of such men and women. These barriers prevented the gospel from spreading to people dwelling right next to the former Jews. What is the Holy Spirit’s solution? To offer Peter bunnies, bears, and bacon.

How does the Holy Spirit respond to the world’s opposition? When Christians are forced to flee Jerusalem, the end result is the gospel reaching Judea and Samaria. Come see how the Holy Spirit carries out the mission of Jesus in the face of opposition.

The radical way of living that characterized the followers of Jesus was made clear through their unity of heart and soul. They were willing to give of what they had to support the needy, building up a community where all were united in their love of God and neighbor. This week we will look at the selflessness of the early church and the tension created by those unwilling to follow wholeheartedly.

Before Jesus ascended, the disciples assumed the next item on the agenda would be to overthrow Rome and restore Jerusalem and Israel to the Jews. Instead, Jesus promised the disciples the Holy Spirit and sent them on a mission that would cover the globe. Join us as we begin our Witness series to see how the Holy Spirit worked in Acts and continues today.

Jesus proclaimed a kingdom that turned the values of the world upside-down, but should it have been so revolutionary? The answer to this question comes in Luke 24, where we see Luke's account of the resurrection. Join us as we look at the final teachings of Jesus from Luke.

The entirety of the Old Testament points to Jesus as the hope for the Jews (and all nations), so why did they have so much trouble with what Jesus taught when he came? The truth is, the kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom when compared with the values of any kingdom in this world. Join us for a two week series covering the big ideas of Luke, starting with the teachings of Jesus in Luke 6.

As the people of God once again got back to work on rebuilding the temple, a critical error had crept in unnoticed: the people slowly began to feel that because they were working on something holy, it made them holy and entitled them to God's blessing.

Sermon from 8/16

Sometimes our lives take our focus off of God and His glory, and it is not until the circumstances of our lives leave us no choice but to be drawn to or return to Him. The worship of God requires us to honestly evaluate our hearts and our priorities.

In the end, God wins. We will reap all the benefits of God’s victory if we walk in the new life He gives us in Christ.

There is an important difference between empty religious activity and authentic life change.

God can restore what has been destroyed by sin if we turn and live for Him wholeheartedly.

Like Joshua, we are justified and cleansed because of God’s grace, and Satan’s accusations against us are rendered powerless.

All that is necessary to be near to God is repentance, and God’s nearness is our good.

Zechariah’s message to a discouraged Israel was simple: God is faithful and He is in charge. When we are reeling after a difficult season, these same truths give us a firm foundation on which to stand.

Reconciliation often involves two dimensions, personal and material. In most cases, it is best to use a cooperative approach which seeks to find mutually beneficial solutions, but as we find in Philippians 2:1-18, sometimes the best approach is a simple willingness to put the interests of others first.