2024-07-14: Thinking Outside the Walls — Preparing for War

Sermon Audio: Preparing for War
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 2:41-47
Duration: 23:29
Size: 13.9 MB

Thinking Outside the Walls
Preparing for War
Acts 2:41-47

Jesus built His church (not of brick and mortar) but with people like you and me.

Too many churches don’t give a clear call for battle.

In the same way, if you’re gonna be a soldier of the Cross–you need to be here!

Everything we know about Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, Church, Christian living, etc. It’s all in the Bible.

Fellowship is all about creating a church that hangs together, and works together, and understands the goals of the group.

It’s just that when we pray as a group it unleashes power from God in a unique way.

And when we meet to worship God–we talk about the Bible; we do Fellowship; we focus in Communion on Christ’s sacrifice; and we pray. When we do that, we prepare for war.

2024-07-07: Thinking Outside the Walls — Walls Come Tumbling Down

Sermon Audio: Walls Come Tumbling Down
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 2:36-41
Duration: 18:37
Size: 11.2 MB

Thinking Outside the Walls
Walls Come Tumbling Down
Acts 2:36-41

So, Jesus was going to build His church, and the purpose of the church was to attack the gates of hell.

We should all be looking for ways to reach beyond the walls!

Peter had said something that made them question their relationship with God.

Now what that suggests to me is that you can tear down the walls of people’s indifference to Jesus by just asking them a few questions.

Now there’s all kinds of questions you can ask people, but one last question might be: “If you died today…what would happen to you?”

2024-06-30: God’s Holy Spirit — The Spirit’s Personality

Sermon Audio: The Spirit’s Personality
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: John 16:3-13
Duration: 24:59
Size: 14.2 MB

God’s Holy Spirit
The Spirit’s Personality
John 16:3-13

The Holy Spirit is a divine person that works in conjunction with God and Christ.

When our minds are in tune with the Spirit’s mind, we can better understand the deeper matters of God’s will for us.

Bitterness not only grieves the Holy Spirit, but also Christ and God the Father.

There is also an eternal nature to the Holy Spirit, just as there is with God and Christ.

Each one is a divine living being capable of speaking, acting, influencing, blessing, reconciling, transforming, loving, and glorifying.

And today, we have God’s Holy Spirit directing and guiding us in ways that we cannot totally perceive.

2024-06-23: God’s Holy Spirit — A Distinction Between God’s Word and God’s Holy Spirit

Sermon Audio: A Distinction Between God’s Word and God’s Holy Spirit
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: John 3:5-8
Duration: 25:59
Size: 15.1 MB

God’s Holy Spirit
A Distinction Between God’s Word and God’s Holy Spirit
John 3:5-8

God’s Spirit and God’s Word are not always apparent in the lives of believers.

God’s Spirit guides and leads us through God’s Word.

It is through Scripture inspired by God’s Spirit that the Christian is taught, reproved, corrected, and instructed in the way of righteousness.

We experience comfort and encouragement from the Holy Spirit through the application of Biblical doctrine that is assimilated into our lives through the aid of God’s Spirit.

There are many other passages that could be cited, but the significance of God’s Holy Word and His Holy Spirit cannot be understated.

People who are seeking God and things spiritual want to see something in Christ-followers that is real and makes a difference in daily living.

How do we get there…it is not by personal works, not by religious ritual, not by seeking some spectacular supernatural manifestation, not by some deep emotional experience.

2024-06-09: God’s Holy Spirit — The Holy Spirit in the New Testament

Sermon Audio: The Holy Spirit in the New Testament
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Corinthians 12:4-11
Duration: 26:44
Size: 14.9 MB

God’s Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit in the New Testament
I Corinthians 12:4-11

For those who do not embrace God’s gift of salvation, they will be swept up like chaff on the threshing floor and burned in fire.

The Old Testament validated that God’s Word is true and sure and that is why we must rely on God’s inspired Word as the ultimate source of truth.

In the early church, God gave various miraculous powers referred to by Paul as gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The washing, rebirth, and renewal, emphasis clearly falls on the Holy Spirit as the source of the new life God has made available to believers.

God’s Word can open hearts and minds to the things of God but it is the Holy Spirit that moves one to conversion and a life consecrated to Christ.

I think it is obvious that there is a disconnect between the church of today and the church of 2,000 years ago.

In most cases we have not allowed God’s Spirit to work in us or among us.