The College Church

As the gospel spreads out from Jerusalem we hear a story about bearing and losing power. The story of Simon the Sorcerer challenges us to consider the power we have and how we use it for God's glory or sell it for our own gain. 

After Stephen was stoned to death, it became untenable for Jesus' followers to stay in Jerusalem, and so they became scattered throughout the surrounding regions.  This sermon explores how the Holy Spirit redeems evil, calls and equips believers to leave their comfort zones so that we can witness to the reality of the Kingdom, in word and in deed.

Pastor Pierre explores the story of Stephen, who is the first martyr (witness) of the New Testament Church. His bold rebuke of the religious leaders of his day results in his death, and reveals some important lessons for the church today. 

Growing pains. Every family, church, organization, company and nation experiences them. As much as the early church was a family and a movement, it also had to figure stuff out. It had to create systems and structures and teams. It had to solve problems and make sure people didn't fall through the cracks. In this sermon, Pastor Bill examines how the Apostles and the church responded to a problem v...

The gospel changes everything, including how we navigate danger, how we use power, and how we fulfill our vocations.  In this sermon, Pastor Bill shows how the gospel triumphs amidst adversity, and how Jesus' followers can be faithful witnesses, even and especially during fearful times.

A couple lies about a donation and drops dead.  This is one of the most challenging and upsetting passages in the New Testament.  Pastor Bill explores what this reveals about God, about us, and about how churches can weather the storms of human selfishness.

How can we walk by faith and not by sight, especially when we are anxious, afraid or overwhelmed by circumstances beyond our control?

Immediately after healing the man born lame, Peter and John are called onto the carpet by the religious leaders.  "By what name did you do this?"  Their arrest sheds light on some of the temptations leaders face.  Their response is a beautiful example of courage and faithfulness under fire.  

This week Luke presents the church in action, as Peter and John heal a man on the temple steps. This first miracle of the disciples after Pentecost paints a picture of a church that is not only concerned with loving one another, but with loving those around them as well. We will examine what it means for the church to be the True Temple, mediating God's presence in the world. 

The first Christian communities were filled with awe, joy, gladness and praise.  God's grace and power were powerfully on display through their relationships with each other.  Listen as we peer into these communities together, and ask ourselves, "to what extent do we resemble them in our own day?"

After the Holy Spirit is poured out on Jesus' followers, the crowd begins to wonder if some of the Apostles are drunk.  Peter gets up to explain what's happening, why it's happening and how the crowd should respond.  Both Peter (chapter 2) and Paul (chapter 17) provide beautiful (and very  different ) examples of what faithful Christian witness looks like...and we can learn a lot from them today. ...

Pentecost marks the birth of the church.  Listen as Pastor Bill unpacks the meaning of that day and its implications for our lives.

The Book of Acts is the story of how the Holy Spirit empowered a rag tag group of mostly uneducated blue collar workers to lead the world's first multi-ethnic, global religion.  Pastor Bill helps us to find our bearings in this strange and wonderful book, which repeatedly insists that the incarnation continues, mysteriously and powerfully, through the Spirit-filled people of God.

Jesus is Risen!  How does the resurrection speak to our fears, disappointments and confusion?

In this sermon, Pastor Bill looks at two VERY different portraits of prayer, that on their faces, seem to contradict each other.  And yet, they hold together because of who God is, and who we are, in relation to Him.  Prayer is fundamentally about communion with God, and that communion with God is what ultimately transforms us.

This week’s sermon is a call to slow down, notice the movement of the Spirit, and pray not just as a last resort, but as a way of life. Renewal is possible—in our hearts, our families, and our church—if we’re ready to make room for it.

We know what to do when our houses get cluttered, but what happens in a cluttered soul? How does Jesus interact with His people and His church when we need some serious spring cleaning?

What happens when the flame of your faith grows dim?  When disappointment, complacency or trials dampen your passion for God?  In this sermon, Donnell Turner invites us to reflect on scenes from the lives of King David and the Apostle Peter and experience God's renewing grace so that we can rekindle the fire of our faith. 

God wants to bring deep healing and renewal to our souls to prepare us to fulfill the purposes He has for our lives.  This kind of deep, interior work can only really be done in the starkness of silence and solitude, as we make space for Jesus to give us rest, heal our souls and guide our steps.

Spiritual Renewal is rooted in the response of God's People to God's Presence. In this sermon, Pastor Pierre Willems explores the various ways that God makes his presence known, and how we can prepare ourselves to recognize, receive, and respond to Him.

Spiritual Renewal often comes through a crisis that brings us to the end of ourselves and fills us with a desire for God's presence.  In this sermon, Pastor Bill unpacks the Renewal Pattern that we see throughout the Bible and through history, and invites us to contend with God for supernatural transformation.

The story of the Tower of Babel is often misunderstood.  It is much more than an explanation for why so many languages exist.  It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of trying to domesticate God, and gathering a crowd to seek its own glory.

After the Flood, God enters into a covenant, not just with Noah, but with all of creation.  Why does He do this?  What does it mean?  And what does it reveal about God and how He relates to His creatures?

The Flood is  NOT  a children's story!  It is a terrifying story about human corruption, and God's settled opposition to sin and its destructive effects.  But it is also a story that invites us to explore dimensions of God's character: namely, His pathos, His justice and His grace.

Our family stories are often beautiful and broken.  In this sermon, Pastor Bill examines the family stories of Cain and Seth, and invites us to examine our own family stories, and how they can be healed and redeemed by Jesus and His Family.