Waterbrooke Church

This Sunday, we looked at Acts 22:30-23:11, where the apostle Paul faces intense hostility—yet God uses that very pressure to grow Paul’s character and advance the gospel mission. Scripture reminds us that our trials are not accidents; they are “necessary” moments where God strengthens our faith and shapes our witness. Just as Paul’s opposition became a surprising doorway for gospel opportunity, o...

This Sunday we looked at “The Power of Our Testimony.” Every one of us carries a story of how Jesus met us, changed us, and is still changing us—and those stories matter more than we often realize. In Acts 21:27–22:29, Paul stands before a crowd that is anything but friendly. They’re angry, suspicious, convinced he’s corrupting true worship. But instead of defending himself or matching their hosti...

This Sunday, we stepped into Acts 21:17–26, a passage that beautifully shows Paul navigating the tension between gospel clarity and cultural difference. It raises an important question for every believer: How do we hold fast to the uniqueness of the gospel while celebrating the beauty of the diverse peoples Christ redeems? Scripture gives us a breathtaking picture of this. In Revelation 21, John s...

"The Wise Warnings of the Holy Spirit" | Acts 21:1-16 In our study of the book of Acts this week, the apostle Paul is getting closer and closer to Jerusalem. His days as a free minister of the gospel will soon come to an end. Before long, Paul will be calling himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus.  In Acts 21:1-16, we are told repeatedly that the Holy Spirit is warning the people that if Paul goes to...

This Sunday, we dove into one of the apostle Paul’s most heartfelt moments in Acts 20:17-38. Paul gathers his dear friends from Ephesus for one last, powerful lesson at a turning point in his journey—from traveling evangelist to ambassador in chains. Paul is being sent by God into the heart of Jerusalem and ultimately, the Roman Empire. The only way that’s possible is as a prisoner for the gospel....

Tim Keller once said a true friend is someone who “lets you in” and doesn’t “let you down.” As we continue our journey through Acts, we see just how much the apostle Paul depended on friends who were willing to stand with him when following Jesus became dangerous. In Acts 20:1–16, a real assassination plot forces Paul to change his plans—but what stands out is not fear, it’s faithfulness. Friends...

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days...

This sermon is entitled “When God Benches You,” drawn from Acts 19:21–41. It’s a dramatic scene. The gospel is having such a powerful impact in Ephesus that the city erupts in chaos. A riot breaks out. Two of Paul’s companions are seized and dragged into the theater, their lives suddenly in danger. Paul is ready to rush in and help—but those closest to him stop him. It’s too dangerous. Stepping in...

This Sunday, our sermon is titled Confident Christianity. One of the most compelling qualities of the apostle Paul is his unshakable confidence that God’s purposes will never fail—that God’s plan for His people and His mission to the nations cannot be thwarted. Writing to the deeply troubled church in Corinth, Paul boldly declares that Jesus “will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of ou...

This Sunday, our sermon is titled Confident Christianity. One of the most compelling qualities of the apostle Paul is his unshakable confidence that God’s purposes will never fail—that God’s plan for His people and His mission to the nations cannot be thwarted. Writing to the deeply troubled church in Corinth, Paul boldly declares that Jesus “will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of ou...

This Sunday morning, we will conclude our Christmas-season study of Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. In Luke 2:22–38, we meet two faithful elderly saints, Simeon and Anna. Simeon is described in verse 25: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Anna, an eighty-four-year...

“And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host praising God saying, ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.’” (Luke 2:13-14). In Luke’s Gospel, praise erupts in heaven and on earth—angels rejoicing above, shepherds celebrating below. Christ the Savior was born! Hope slipped quietly into the world as God Himself came to rescue...

Join us this week as Dr. Brian Thomas guides us through Luke 2:1–20 in his sermon, “Good News of Great Joy for Those in Darkness.” In Luke’s Gospel, the Good News of Christmas is set in the real world, which is often quite dark. The angels’ announcement of Christ’s birth comes to humble shepherds and brings them joy and peace to the glory of God. 

Last Sunday, we saw that one of Luke’s clear themes surrounding the birth of Jesus the Christ is “great joy.” Another one of Luke’s repeated descriptions of people’s reactions to the coming Jesus is wonder and amazement.  Isaiah prophesied that the Christ’s name would be called “Wonderful”.  When all the people hear that Zechariah and Elizabeth were going to be calling the name of their son John,...

Over the next couple of Sundays, as we lead up to Christmas, we are going to focus on the praise that happens surrounding the announcement and the arrival of the Messiah. This week, we will look at Mary’s praise. Next week, we will look at Zechariah’s. Then, on the 22nd, Dr. Brian Thomas will focus on the praise of the angels and shepherds in Luke 2.   One of the most beautiful experiences that we...

One of the most powerful statements that someone can ever say to us is “I am with you.” It is infinitely more powerful when that person is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. In this passage that we are studying today (Acts 18:1-17), the Lord Jesus appears to Saul at Corinth in a dream and tells him: “‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you...’”.  This is exactly w...

This Sunday, we studied the apostle Paul’s encounter with the major philosophers of his day in Athens. He encounters a myriad of Greek religious and philosophical ideas. How does he effectively engage them with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our study will be taken from Acts 17:16-33 and it is entitled “Now is the Appointed Time.” I don’t know if you have ever thought about the question, “If...

This Sunday, we studied Acts 17:1-15. In this section, Luke makes a clear distinction between the Jews in Thessalonica who heard Paul reasoning from the Scriptures and the Jews from Berea. He writes, “Now these Jews (the Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were true.”  Our message this...

This sermon was taken from our passage of Scripture that we are studying this week in Acts 16:16-40. In Acts 16:30, a Philippian jailer cries out to Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved?”  It’s a desperate cry that comes from someone who suddenly has an acute awareness that he cannot save himself. He thinks that his life is over. Yet, it is about to just begin.  As we study this passage of...

Proverbs 16:9 says this: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”  One of the great encouragements for us as believers is to know that God is providentially orchestrating all the events of our lives for His glory and for our good. Ultimately, that’s good to know, although it is not always easy to embrace. Faithfulness to God and his mission requires that we as Christia...

In Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew writes, “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” The command of Jesus to ma...

This Sunday, studied one of the most important moments in the entire book of Acts. It is the very first church council that was ever held to establish clarity around the gospel. Regularly in the New Testament, controversies arose about whether or not Gentile Christians had to become adherents to the Old Testament regulations of circumcision, Sabbath keeping, and the commands of the Law of Moses. U...

This Sunday, studied Acts 13:13-52. The apostle Paul is invited to give a message of encouragement at the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia. What makes this sermon especially noteworthy is that Paul is speaking immediately after something very disappointing happens to his missionary team. Sometimes God calls on us to encourage others when we aren’t feeling so encouraged ourselves. In His kindness, G...

This Sunday, our sermon was entitled Victory Over Darkness. It is a common experience for missionaries moving into unreached people groups to discover rather quickly that one of the great challenges to the advance of the gospel is spiritual warfare. My wife, MariAnne, works for a mission agency that provides resources for the under-resourced churches around the world. One of the churches that her...

This Sunday, we returned to our study of the book of Acts, Luke’s second volume in the New Testament. As we return to the book of Acts, I want to remind you of a key truth this morning. Luke is recording for us the activity of the Triune God in advancing His mission through his church. This is not merely the story of a remarkable human religious movement. Luke does not want us to read the book of...