October 2018
Such A Time As This
In this message, as we continue our study through the book of Esther, we dive into what is arguably the most commonly quoted chapter of the book, Chapter 4. As news of Xerxes’ edict, which has condemned all the Jews to death, spreads Mordecai mourns bitterly, and Esther becomes aware that she is uniquely well-positioned […]
A Certain People
In this message the plot will thicken as we continue our study through the Old Testament book of Esther. In our study of chapter 2 we witnessed the unlikely rise to prominence of Esther, a Jewish orphan girl who is chosen by King Xerxes to become the next Queen of Persia. God had a lot […]
Beauty and the Beast
In the previous message we dove into the book of Esther by unpacking chapter 1 together. In some ways that chapter reads like something that happened long, long ago in a kingdom far, far away, but in other ways it seemed ripped right out of today’s headlines and our own life experience. There was much […]
When God is Invisible He is Still Involved
This Sunday, as we worship God through the study of His Word, we will be jumping in to the first chapter of Esther. Chapter 1 is kind of a dark way to begin this story. Neither God nor God’s people are in view and all of the brokenness of the fall is on full display […]
September 2018
An Introduction to Esther
In this message we launch into our new study through the Old Testament book of Esther. In Acts 20:27 Paul told the Elders of the Ephesian church, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” God’s people need the whole counsel of God, and this is one of the biggest […]
Flowing Out
For the past four Sundays we have been unpacking each of the four things found in Acts 2:42 that the early church had devoted themselves to. In this message we wrap up our series through these verses by looking at what flowed out of that devotedness by taking a look at what to protect ourselves […]
Devoted to the Prayers
I love the change in seasons. Skeins of geese are heading south. The mornings are feeling crisp. The apple trees are hanging heavy with fruit. Every once in a while, I will see the earliest leaves beginning to change. Fall marks the beginning of a new season of ministry at State Road also. Sign ups […]
The Breaking of Bread
There is disagreement among Bible scholars about what precisely Luke meant when he wrote in Acts 2:42 that the early church devoted themselves “to the breaking of bread.” In some instances, Luke uses this expression to describe a shared meal, but at other times he seems to be using it as a reference to the […]
August 2018
Devoted to the Fellowship
“Fellowship” is a word that is used by Christians a lot, but its common meaning has strayed somewhat from what the Biblical writers first intended. Listen in as we try to recapture a deeper, fuller understanding of what it means to have fellowship with one another. What is koinonia and why do some feel no […]
Authority and Truth
In the last message we were introduced to Acts 2:42-47, which provides a snapshot of the early church in those heady days when thousands came to faith in Jesus following Pentecost. These verses describe a rare kind of church community that few of us have ever experienced personally, but which stirs in us a longing […]