Richmond Community Church

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Sermon Audio: Living A Life Of Integrity
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 5:1-11
Duration: 23:23
Size: 11.4 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Living A Life Of Integrity
Acts 5:1-11

As our merciful God is working His goodness into our hearts and lives, He requires sincerity and integrity from us.

I. God Cares about Proper Motives (Generosity or Greed?)
As far as we can tell, they were giving for the right reasons: to honor God and to help those in need.

Nevertheless, greed and pride are sins that can easily sidetrack us from doing what honors God.

II. God Requires Honesty from His People
We do know, however, that he and his wife were in on it together and had agreed on what they would tell anyone who might ask about how much they sold their property for.

III. Personal Sin Affects Those Around Us
The sin I’m talking about is the kind where we make a conscious choice to disobey God and His word, and we really don’t feel all that bad about it; at least not bad enough to repent and turn back to God.

God was not pleased, because He knew that their sin would have a harmful effect on the character and testimony of the church.

IV. God Does Not Want People to Take Him Lightly
These verses show us that fearing the Lord is a good thing. It does not mean that we do not trust Him or love Him.

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Sermon Audio: Life-Shaking Prayer
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 4:23-31
Duration: 23:25
Size: 11.2 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Life-Shaking Prayer
Acts 4:23-31

God will shake our lives in a good way, when we ask Him for courage and power to do His will.

I. Life-Shaking Prayer Recognizes That God is in Control (23-24)
God is our Creator and has power over everything in heaven, on earth, and everywhere in between.

II. Life-Shaking Prayer Understands that God Works Through Opposition (25-29a)
Now, fresh in the minds of the disciples are the names of some current leaders who have tried to oppose God.

God works through opposition! His kingdom will come and what He wants to happen will happen, regardless of the enemy’s efforts to oppose Him.

III. Life-Shaking Prayer Seeks Courage from Above (29)
When Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission to go into all the world and make disciples of people from all nations, He promised He would be with them wherever they went.

IV. Life-Shaking Prayer Believes God for the Miraculous (30)
If they know God is able to heal their bodies, or do other signs and wonders, then they will know He is powerful enough to forgive them and help them in other areas of life.

V. Life-Shaking Prayer Results in Effective Evangelism (31)
There are a lot of ways to do this, but if we try to do it without praying for God’s help, then we will not be effective!

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Sermon Audio: Being With Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 4:13-22
Duration: 22:06
Size: 10.7 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Being With Jesus
Acts 4:13-22

If we will spend time with Jesus, we can boldly go and do His will, facing anything that comes our way.

I. Being with Jesus Gives Us Courage
1. We can walk with Him by reading the Gospels (and the rest of the Scriptures).
2. We can spend time with Him through prayer.
3. We can spend time w/ Him through praise and worship.
4. Another way we can be with Jesus is to understand that He is with us all day long, wherever we go.

II. Being with Jesus Prepares Us for the Extraordinary
He used these ordinary men to work an extraordinary miracle of healing for the lame man.

III. Being with Jesus Teaches Us to Obey God
God does not want to hear how much we love Him unless we are willing to show it by our obedience.

Please understand that just doing good things is not enough to get us into heaven.

IV. Being with Jesus Gives Us Something to Say
As you get to know Him more and watch Him work in your life, you will be able to share that with others.

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Sermon Audio: Disturbing Good News
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 4:1-12
Duration: 21:28
Size: 10.7 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Disturbing Good News
Acts 4:1-12

So, why would we want to talk about something like this? What’s so good about it?

The disturbing good news about Jesus can bring healing and forgiveness to all who believe in Him.

I. Jesus Disturbs Those Who Reject God
Jesus disturbs people because He wants them to realize the truth about themselves and about God.

II. Jesus Changes the Lives of Those Who Trust Him
So, you might say that the disturbing message of Jesus changed them in this way: it made them willing to be disturbed for the sake of Jesus.

III. Jesus Is the Only Source of Healing
Genuine healing only comes from God. Satan will try to imitate God in order to deceive, but His power is limited, and will always take more than it gives.

IV. Jesus Is the Only Source of Salvation
There is not an alternative source for forgiveness or salvation–just as there is no other source for healing.

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Sermon Audio: Times of Refreshing
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 3:11-26
Duration: 20:57
Size: 10.6 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Times of Refreshing
Acts 3:11-26

Well, of all the refreshing experiences we can find, nothing can compare to the renewal of the mind and spirit that is found in the presence of God.

We’re going to look at a few thoughts from our passage that will show us how a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ can bring refreshing to our souls.

I. Turning Away from Sin Brings Times of Refreshing
Let’s repent and turn away from the sin we have allowed into our lives, and the times of refreshing will begin to flow into our lives like cool refreshing water.

II. Turning to God Brings Times of Refreshing
When it is well with my soul, I find myself refreshed because I am doing what I was created to do–that is to live in harmony with God.

III. Staying Close to Jesus Brings Times of Refreshing (It is all about relationship!)
Jesus compared Himself to a Shepherd and said, “My sheep know My voice.” Can you recognize when Jesus is speaking to you?

If we choose to ignore God’s answer for mankind, we are passing up the only way to get right with Him, and to find the refreshing we need in our lives.

Are you willing to let go of what seems so important to you? If you will, I can assure you that God has something 1000 times more wonderful than what you would be giving up.