Hillside Church's Podcast

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

In our story today, someone tells Jesus about a tragedy that happened in the Temple in Jerusalem—people were killed by governmental assassins. The people talking about it wanted to know if Jesus thought it was a sign of the times.  Jesus’ answer has some very important lessons for us. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

At a certain point in His life, Jesus knew that it was time to go to Jerusalem. He knew what would happen there—He would be beaten and crucified.  That didn’t stop Him. Because He loved us, He “set His face” to go to Jerusalem. He would not be stopped. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

Last week we saw that the early church was threatened by some of the local religious and political leaders—a threat from “outside.”  This week, the church will face an even more dangerous threat—a threat from within as two members lie to the others. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

Whenever God is at work, there will inevitably come opposition. How do we respond? We see from the early church and the apostles that when opposition came, they were courageous and bold, but not for the reasons we would think. They confronted opposition with the name of Jesus as their only defense and we are called to do the same. - Pastor Arek O'ConnellSupport the show

Sometimes we don’t know what we really need. We think we need money to pay the bills, but in reality, we need something else. This morning we’ll look at the story of a beggar who got much more than he bargained for. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

The early church just had a mountain-top experience. The Holy Spirit came and 3,000 new believers were baptized—in a single day! When those mountain-top experiences are over, we often want to just move on to the next mountain-top.  But that doesn’t always happen. Usually, we have some (often quite a few) “normal” days between these spiritual highs. This morning we’ll look at what the early church did in the “normal” days. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

As we study the book of Acts, one of the things we’ll notice is that about one-third of the book is made up of speeches or sermons.  There’s a lot of action, but preaching is also a big deal in the book of Acts. This morning we’ll look at the very first Christian sermon—the one Peter preached on Pentecost—right after the coming of the Holy Spirit. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

The stage is ready. Jesus has given the church promise, power, and purpose. The early church overcame their first challenge by replacing Judas and making the Apostles whole. Now the Spirit is going to light the flame and call the church to praise, pursue, and proclaim! - Pastor Arek O'ConnellSupport the show

As we look at the beginning of the church, it doesn’t take long for a problem to arise. The disciples had to figure out, “What do we do about Judas?”  Judas had betrayed Jesus and was now dead. What do we do? Try to cover it up? Replace him? Pretend it didn’t happen?  This morning we’ll think about how the disciples handled this “problem.” - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

As we begin the Book of Acts, Jesus is getting ready to leave His disciples.  He’s got forty days for final instructions and encouragements.  Ready or not, the disciples are going to have to take the lead. This morning we’ll take a look at three gifts Jesus gives to His disciples before He ascends into heaven. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

Sometimes when we look at something we wonder, “How did that happen?” We see a turtle on a fencepost and we wonder, “How did that happen?” We see two people who are really different get married and we wonder, “How did that happen?” We see someone who was really wild in High School become a teacher and we think, “How did that happen?”  This morning we’re beginning a new series on the book of Acts.  When we look at who and where Jesus’ followers were in the beginning of the book and then look again at the end of the book, we have to wonder, “How did that happen?”  In the book of Acts, Luke tells us how it happened. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

Today we will look at the somewhat mysterious characters of the Magi. Were they really anything like we often think? Why did Matthew include them in his Gospel and what was the message he was conveying in so doing? The sermon will look at and seek to answer these questions and see what the message of the Magi may mean for us also today. - Pastor Scott HoezeeSupport the show

There are so many good things about Christmas. The music, the lights, the presents, the food. So many good things. But sometimes we can get so busy with the good things that we miss the best thing about Christmas—that God’s grace has broken through to us in Jesus.  When we know that grace, we can know that it’s all right, even though it’s all wrong. - Pastor Ron Kool(Titus 2 11-13)Support the show

As we get closer to Christmas things get busier for many of us. We have more presents to buy, more decorations to put out, and more parties to attend. In the midst of all our running around, God promises us an amazing thing through His prophet Micah. Peace. That’s something we can all use. - Pastor Ron KoolSupport the show

As we get closer to Christmas, everyone expects there to be joy in the air! But is it always appropriate to have joy when the world and our lives are a mess? Zephaniah says we can by fixing out eyes on The Day of the Lord. - Pastor Arek O'ConnellSupport the show

John the Baptist is a necessary figure in Advent and yet somehow we don't often include John much in our Advent and Christmas reflections.  Who was John?  Why was he necessary to appear before the arrival of Jesus and what can we still learn from him today?  In today's sermon we will look at Malachi's prediction of this necessary messenger and then Luke's presentation of John the Baptist's ministry.- Pastor Scott HoezeeSupport the show

Advent is a time that the Church can grow deeper in confidence by looking back to see how God's Word came to fulfillment with the birth of Jesus Christ. It was a birth of great anticipation even through challenging times. This sermon series will look at some key Old Testament passages where God gave a word of Hope during difficult times. Calvin Theological Seminary President, Jul Medenblik, will help us hear God's promises as found in Jeremiah 33. The people of God were about to go into exile, but God promises there is something more and better that is coming for them because of His love and faithfulness. - Pastor Jul MedenblikSupport the show