Reality Boston

Arrest. Trial. Threats. This is the reality of Peter, John and the early Church for healing and proclaiming the Good News. Upon their release, they return to the community of believers and pray -- not for safety but for boldness. As followers of Jesus, we will be called to heal and to speak truth to power. We will be judged and threatened in spaces beyond our competency and influence. In these moments of confrontation and intimidation what will our response be? Will we turn inward, or will we run to our community of faith and collectively pray for BOLDNESS? Will we continue the work of restoration and reconciliation? "Speaking holy words has serious consequences." - Willie Jennings

In life it's so easy to fall into the trap of showing the best version of ourselves. This can also be true of our approach to God in prayer. In Luke 18 Jesus contrasts two different people and their posture to prayer, and in this parable, he points out that the calling of prayer is about brutal honesty with who we really are in the light of God's presence, and our great need for HIm. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

There are few things we despise more in life than being asked to wait. Proverbs 13 says that hope deferred makes the heart sick. Throughout the scriptures and in our own experience we find ourselves and others waiting on God. Waiting is such a common part of life, but how, as followers of Jesus, do we wait well? In Luke 2 we are introduced to Simeon and Anna, two godly people who show us a path for what it looks like to wait faithfully upon God. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

When it comes to asking God for forgiveness, many doubt that God is willing to forgive them. Not only that, we likely mistake worldly sorrow with Godly sorrow and true repentance. From Psalm 51, a prayer of repentance from King David, Ruthie Kim shares about how passionate God is about forgiveness, and true intimacy with Him. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

What do you do when things in life seem to have taken a turn for the worse? God oftentimes strategically places us in a particular time and place to stand up in prayer and to petition the things that counter His kingdom. Nehemiah here in chapter 1 was in a time and place where he had the opportunity to stand in the gap for the people of God who were being exploited and oppressed. This Sunday we will explore how God's restoration in the world is released from a place of compassion, courage, and prayer. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

When we hear the words, "the last shall be first," it sounds like a promise that won't come to pass in our lifetime, or a platitude. In the Old Testament, the story of Hannah shows us something different-- God hears, and answers the prayers of the lowly, and it seems that he is very much so interested in raising us up from the ashes and restoring our joy. While the Lord will allow deep pain into our lives, he will also develop our character by showing us more of his character. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

We cannot talk about prayer without looking at the lives and prayers of those who came before us. In Exodus 33 we find Moses praying to God on behalf of the people of Israel, not for things, but for God's presence. Pastor Rashad explores this prayer and how God longs for us to desire Him. The shape and direction of our prayers ought to be rooted in presence, because that's the goal. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

Throughout scripture, God's word commands us to pray. When we consider how our relationship with the Father directly influences our prayer life, we see that the beginning stages look very different from the latter years as maturity comes. Our desires begin taking on the shape of the Kingdom, and our requests begin to look different as we surrender our lives to Christ. From Luke 22:39-46, Jon Tyson walks us through what it looks like to grow in prayer as children of God. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

Intercession is the action of intervening on behalf of another before God in prayer. How do we stand in the gap for a world ravaged by sickness, injustice, oppression and death? Hebrews 11:22-28 describes our perfect intercessor, Jesus Christ. We need him to show us how to pray and how to stand in the messy middle of our world. As we pray for people around us, is it possible that our perfect intercessor is acting on behalf of our prayers all while doing a work of transformation in our own heart? For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

Throughout the Bible, God uses weak people for great works. In 1 Corinthians 1 we see that God uses the weak and foolish things of the world to bring to nothing the wise and powerful. In this message Austin Baten explores how the seemingly upside-down ways of God should lead us deeper into prayer and dependence on Him as we seek to engage in our world. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

Prayer was an integral part of Jesus' ministry and how he related to the Father, because Jesus knew who he was in relation to the Father. Rashad Clemons will teach from Hebrews 3 and explore our primary identity of being God's sons and daughters, and how our understanding of that will unlock the posture in which we approach God. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

Pastor Larry Kim preaches on the story of Noah’s Flood and encourages us to remain faithful and not lose hope even when things feel desperate. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

Right before Pentecost in Acts chapter 1, we find Jesus leaving his disciples, ascending to heaven, and promising them that they would be his witnesses. Jesus said he would send them his Spirit, and all they had to do was wait and receive. Through this text, we discover that waiting on God often precedes glory, and that Jesus sends all of us on 'mission' from a place of prayer and dependency. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

The end of Luke and beginning of Acts give us overlapping accounts of Jesus' final post-resurrection, pre-ascension appearance to his disciples. This is by no means the end of Jesus' work, but the beginning of a new way (a new body) through which He will work. He instructs the disciples to wait for the Spirit which will empower them to continue the work of Jesus even after he is physically gone away. In this final appearance, we discover with fresh clarity the resurrection purpose (mission) for ALL who are part of this resurrection culture. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

The resurrected power of Jesus appears to us in our greatest moments of need with more than enough provision for us to live out our calling. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

In John 20:26-29 we see Jesus once again appearing to his disciples huddled behind locked doors. As Thomas enters the story, he confronts the disciples with doubt of the resurrected Christ. We are immediately invited to witness Jesus engage Thomas' unbelief with the scars of his suffering. What if we trusted our community of faith with our doubt more than the locked rooms of isolation and fear? What if our skepticism was met with the grace of examine over debate? Jesus' encounter with Thomas' unbelief shows how resurrection responds to doubt in community. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

What if you lived as though the resurrection of Jesus were a Reality, today? What affect would it have on you, right now, in the midst of pandemic? From Luke 24:36-49 and John 20:19-22, Al Abdulla explores what often gets in the way of us living as though the Resurrection is a reality, as well as what can begin to make that shift in our lives. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

When tragic events happen in our world it can be hard to imagine a better day, or that anything good could come from it. This perspective was likely true for the disciples of Jesus— they thought that the crucifixion of Jesus meant the end of God's redemption plan. In Luke 24:13-32 we find 2 disciples in the midst of a long walk discussing the disappointment of their shattered dreams, and Jesus joins them and gives them a renewed perspective on the events that just occurred. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

We continue our sermon series in Eastertide focusing on the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection, and we find that the followers of Jesus are skeptical about this news. Not only that, they were not expectant, and certainly not filled with wonder. From Luke 24:9-12, Rashad Clemons talks about what it means to live in awe and wonder of God, knowing that Christ is still risen, no matter the circumstances. For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.

Things often don't go as we expect. The same could be said for the disciples, though Jesus foretold about His death, burial, and resurrection. Like the disciples, we often experience disappointment and failed expectations in life, and often believe that this is just how things will be. But if we view the events of life through the prism of Jesus' life it might just wake up the Resurrection Hope within us. From Mark 16:1-8, Rashad Clemons teaches that disappointment and failed expectations don't have the final word, because 'He is Risen!' For sermon slides, visit realityboston.com/teachings.