Passage: Acts 1:1-11; Acts 2:1-13 Guide for Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Sermon Overview Like the first disciples, we can often feel ourselves ill-equipped for the mission of Jesus. Because of Jesus’ ascension, however, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we are more than equipped to play a fruitful and fulfilling…
A body of many parts In thinking about Night to Shine, my mind often turns to Paul’s teaching in I Corinthians that the church is one body, made up of many parts, all doing what each does well. In chapter 12, verse 18 he says, “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the…
Passage: Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:1-11 Guide for Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Sermon Overview After Jesus rose from the dead, he did something surprising—he left. Why did he do this, and what does this mean for us today? First, Jesus’ ascension was more than simply his leaving the earth—rather, it marked his taking up the…
Passage: John 20:19-23 Guide for Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Sermon Overview One of the many breathtaking effects of Jesus’ resurrection is the fact that we can now have deep and durable peace. This is the peace that Jesus extended to his disciples, when he appeared to them on Easter morning, and it’s the same…
Passage: John 16:16-33 Guide for Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Sermon Overview On Jesus’ final night, when all seemed grim, he pointed his disciples towards a new and indestructible joy that would soon be theirs. Though they would soon “have sorrow”, he told them, “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and…
Passage: John 16:4b-15 Guide for Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Sermon Overview On Jesus’ final night, he told his disciples that “it is to your advantage that I go away” (16:7). How could this be? How could the disciples possibly be better off without Jesus’ physical presence with them? Jesus could speak this way because…
This is the fifth post in a series aimed at continuing to increase our clarity around what it means to grow as Jesus’ disciples. You can read parts one , two, three, and four here. It’s Organic: Gospel Hearts, Gospel Storied While our church has sought greater clarity by describing 5 “marks” of growing disciples, it…
Passage: John 15:18-16:4a Guide for Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Sermon Summary During Jesus’ final night, he sought to prepare his disciples for the hard reality that soon awaited them: that they would be “hated by the world” on his account. The more their lives were transformed by Jesus, the more out of step they…
