Hillside Church's Podcast

The early Christians had some great successes.  They also faced some very serious threats.  This morning we’ll look at one of those threats and see that from a human standpoint, the threat can do serious damage and seems overwhelming. But when we put God into the equation, we see that He and His church will not be stopped. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

We’ve seen God at work throughout the book of Acts. This morning we’ll watch as God does some “set-up” work—bringing the right people to the right place so something really good can happen down the line. Like a chess grandmaster, God is always thinking many moves ahead. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

We’ve been talking about the story where Cornelius and those closest to him become Christians. It’s great news and something to be celebrated.  But it’s also something that raises a question—one that the church is going to struggle with for some time. The question is this: What expectations should be made of Gentiles who are becoming Christians? How much of the Jewish faith do they need to adopt as followers of Jesus? - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

I don’t know if Peter ever got over it.  What an amazing day.  Gentiles—Pagans—filled with the Spirit.  Praising God. Speaking in tongues.  Who would have guessed this could happen?  This morning we’ll be reminded of just how far the love of God goes. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

We’ve all had that experience of feeling like we’ve been “accepted” into a group but we still feel a bit like an outsider.  Maybe we don’t wear the right clothes or have the right political opinions, but we don’t quite feel like we really belong.  This morning we’ll start looking at a story that would force the early church to think deeply about who really belongs. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

There has been a whole lot of action recently with the early church! Samaritans and Ethiopians are being saved! The greatest persecutor of the church became God’s chosen instrument to grow the church! This week we’re going to see a little break from the “big headlines” and see how even in times of peace, the Spirit is still active and ahead of us and calling us to be “meanwhile missionaries.” - Pastor Arek O'ConnellSupport the show

Last week we saw that the biggest enemy of the church (Saul), became a Christ-follower with a significant calling.  As Saul begins his life as a Christian, he finds himself unsure of where he will fit in.  His new community—the church—is reluctant to embrace Him too quickly and his old community—Judaism—will not accept him any longer.  This morning we’ll think about this question: What does it take for Saul to find his place in the new community? - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

He hated Christians with a holy fire. He wanted nothing more than to wipe these people out. But then it happened. Saul was stopped in his tracks by Jesus. And nothing was the same for Saul for the rest of his life. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

One of the main themes of the Book of Acts is that we are to tell others about Jesus. For many of us, this can be a bit scary. We worry about what to say and what not to say.  We worry about whether the person we’re speaking with will get angry.  This morning we’ll take a look at a story that reminds us that the Spirit is always going ahead of us, preparing us and preparing those with whom we’ll be speaking. Knowing that the Spirit is doing the hard work can help us relax and not be afraid. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

This morning we’re going to learn a lesson that will set the tone for the rest of Acts: God's Spirit is active and ahead of us… all the time. As the Spirit continues to grow the church, one thing we’ll constantly learn is that we can’t control the Spirit! All we can do is catch up and keep in step. - Pastor Arek O'ConnellSupport the show

A Higher CourtStephen is on trial and it’s not going well. The deck is stacked against him.  But just as people in the courtroom erupt and begin to attack him, Stephen is given a gift. He has a vision of another courtroom, a higher courtroom.  Stephen lost his case in one court. But he didn’t really care because he knew he won in the court that really matters. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

Stephen's Defense - One of the scariest things we read when we study the Bible is that God’s people are amazingly able to miss what God is doing. Time and time again it seems that those who should be most ready to see what God is doing miss what He is doing. This morning we’ll listen as Stephen continues to give examples of how our fathers in the faith missed God’s work. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

New things can be scary for all of us.  They certainly were for the Jewish religious leaders during the days of the early church.  This “new” teaching of the Apostles and others both scared these leaders and made them jealous.  Today we’ll see that the “new” teaching of Jesus as the Messiah was something these leaders just couldn’t handle. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

It was a small thing. A little spat between two groups in the young church. But little things have the potential of becoming big things and causing big troubles.  This morning we’ll look at what the problem was and how the Apostles handled it. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

As we return to our series in the book of Acts, we get to see the early church filled with the Holy Spirit back in action! As they continue to share the new life they’ve received in Jesus, they continue to experience persecution. Some people just don’t want to receive new life… but even when people are resistant to the Gospel message, we don’t ever stop sharing new life. - Pastor Arek O'ConnellSupport the show

We saw last week that most of the followers of Jesus were really slow to understand and believe in Jesus’ resurrection. This morning, Luke will tell us about two more who didn’t catch on very quickly. Thankfully, Jesus is full of grace and takes the time to help them (and us) understand and believe in Him. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

As Luke tells us about Jesus being raised from the dead, it’s interesting to notice how slow the followers of Jesus are to understand and believe this great news. This morning we’ll take a look at that and ask, “Why is that?  Why were the disciples of Jesus so slow to celebrate His resurrection?” - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

We take some time to focus on one of the main events of our faith—the crucifixion of Jesus. In Scripture and song, we will walk through the final eighteen hours of Jesus’ life, from His arrest to His death on the cross. While this is a sad journey, this is also a journey that brings us life—we will finish by recognizing that Jesus is the hope of the world. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

This week we’ll take a look at a parable Jesus told—and it was an explosive one.  Jesus has been challenging the religious leaders ever since He set His face to go to Jerusalem, but now He tells a story that they know is aimed right at them—and they are not happy. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

As Jesus continues to keep His face set on Jerusalem, He must confront a real and credible threat to His mission. In the face of even death itself, we see that Jesus loves all His little ‘chickens’ and will do anything to protect them from the ‘foxes’ of our world. - Pastor Arek O'ConnellSupport the show