Access Point Church

As we celebrate various life stages, this week we look at Proverbs 22:1-6 and see that a Godly reputation--a life spent on pursuing Christ--is more valuable than any amount of wealth this world can offer. We also see that the responsibility to raise children to love and pursue God falls primarily on parents, and that, generally, when parents model the Christian life for their children, the children will follow. We pray this message is an encouragement to you regardless of your stage of life!

This week, we look at Paul's dependence upon the Holy Spirit for direction. Even though his plan seemed good and right, when faced with hindrances and closed doors, He submitted to God's leading. Often, we get bogged down with the question: What is God's will for my life? But in reality, Scripture reveals God's will for us. More important than specific details of our lives, God calls us to live in a way that loves and trusts Him while serving others regardless of our location. We pray this message is helpful for you!

This week, as we honor our mothers, we take a look at Proverbs 31 where King Lemuel's mother gives him advice on what to look for in a godly wife. We see that a virtuous woman is rare and has deep character--she is hard-working, full of integrity, trustworthy, upright, has a good reputation, and fiercely provides for those under her care. Ultimately, we see that this woman is desired because she fears and worships the Lord. We pray this message is an encouragement to you today!

As a result of the stoning of Stephen (the first Christian martyr), the early church is forced to spread geographically. Boldly carrying the Gospel with them, Christianity begins to spread to the ends of the earth. In this account, we zoom in on Peter's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch to see how God, in His sovereignty and wisdom, opens doors and creates opportunities for His people to share the Gospel message, if we are committed to Him and reliant on the Holy Spirit. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

When faced with overwhelming opposition and persecution because of preaching the name of Christ, Peter and John boldly maintain their stance and commitment to proclaiming the Gospel, knowing that nothing they would face was outside of God's sovereign control. In fact, they prayed that if more persecution would glorify God, that it would come to them, being confident that He would be with them through it all. This is a powerful encouragement for us as those who are called to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth today!

On the day of Pentecost, the promised Holy Spirit was poured out the people. And as a result, they were empowered to declare the pure Gospel with boldness and clarity. The people of Israel, upon hearing this proclamation, were convicted by the Holy Spirit and asked, "What can we do?", to which Peter said, "Repent and be baptized." Here, we are reminded that only the Holy Spirit can change hearts. Therefore, we do not need to pursue ways to attract people to the church, but rather to be empowered by the Holy Spirit so that we can boldly share the hope of the Gospel. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

Following on the heels of His resurrection, Jesus tells His disciples to wait for the Spirit to empower them to carry out the mission He has given them. Just as He told them that the Spirit would compel them to be witnesses to the ends of the earth, when we surrender our lives fully to His leading, He will give us the boldness and power to share His good news with those that we encounter!  

As we celebrate our Resurrected Savior, we take a look at the most powerful demonstration of love ever shown: the cross. Jesus, the perfect and sinless One, took our sin, our filth, our shame upon Himself so that we could be clothed in His righteousness. We see that because God the Father is Holy, He could not look upon the Son as He bore our sin, and so Jesus was forsaken by the Father for our sake, so that we could be welcomed in. Ultimately, on the third day, Jesus rose from the grave conquering sin and death, giving us eternal hope of life beyond the grave. While we wait for His return, we will proclaim His Gospel to the ends of the earth!

On this Palm Sunday, we pause to remember that Jesus came to earth, fulfilling all prophecy about Israel's coming Messiah, including riding into Jerusalem on a young donkey. He came to earth with His eyes fixed on the mission--to save mankind from their sins. As the people welcomed Him into Jerusalem, they thought He was coming to deliver them from the power of Rome; however, He had come to deliver them from a greater problem: their sin. In Jesus' story, we see the ultimate picture of love and sacrifice, even for us in our rebellion and stubbornness. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

In our final week in Jeremiah, we see that Jeremiah has faithfully declared God's Word to the Israelites for 40 years--a message of judgment and declaring their hypocrisy. In this passage, we see God's mercy and grace extended to Israel as Babylon (where they were captive) was destroyed and they are restored as His people to their land. The return to their land is inseparably linked to their return to Yahweh. We pray this message helps you to see God's sovereign hand working behind the scenes to accomplish His purposes, while showing his abounding love and mercy towards His own!

In this passage we see that the exile that the Israelites were experiencing was a result of their sin. Although they were still God's chosen people, they were experiencing this corrective discipline as a direct consequence of their failure to worship Him wholeheartedly. As Christians today, even though there is no condemnation for those in Christ, sin still often has consequences that God uses to instruct and discipline us as His children. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

In this passage, we see the Israelites (who are in exile in Babylon) longing for their exile to be over. But Jeremiah writes them a letter with the words of God telling them that they are to seek the peace and prosperity of the place they are in at the moment. Often times, we are like the exiles and we look so forward to a coming milestone, or even eternity, that we forget to live in the right now and seek the welfare of our community! We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

In this week's passage, God charges Jeremiah with the task of rebuking the people of Israel for their hypocrisy. They were simply going through the motions of worship, performing rituals without engaging their hearts or living transformed lives. Often, we are guilt of the same things--acting one way on Sunday while at church, but living a different life throughout the week. Here, we are reminded that true worship is a lifestyle of repentance and surrender. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

As we begin this series, we learn that just as God had a plan for Jeremiah's life, he has a plan for each of us. We often feel weak and inadequate, but God does not respond to those feelings with affirmations of our strength, but with the promise of His presence--that no matter what opposition or difficulties we face, He will be with us. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

So often our relationship struggles, both with God and with one another, are the result of a failure to simply communicate. We live in a world full of distractions and we often fall prey to them, forgetting to give our undivided attention to those closest to us. Looking at Proverbs 15, we see that knowing what to say (and what not to say), and when to speak (and when not to speak) are key. Our relationships on this earth flow from our relationship with Christ. We pray that this message helps you to prioritize a life of prayer, so that you can communicate well with those closest to you!

This week, we take a look at pride and how it damages our relationships--both our relationship with God and our relationships with others. Paul sets Jesus before us as an example of how to live humbly. He came to the earth as an innocent baby, emptied himself of His rights as God, and died a criminal's death on the cross for us. We are to imitate Jesus' humility by putting the needs of others ahead of our own. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

Our culture constantly tells us that we need the latest and greatest things in order to be happy, but the problem is that these things never really satisfy. True contentment is not found in earthly riches, but in Christ alone. Paul shows that we are to pursue Godly things and give generously, mirroring God's generosity towards us. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

As humans, it is our nature to always be seeking satisfaction. But often we look to the things of this world to satisfy us--and though they may temporarily, it will never last. By looking at the account of Jesus hanging on the cross with criminals on each side, we learn something about the nature of true satisfaction. Ultimate satisfaction is found in Christ alone--in a relationship with Him where we are assured of our complete forgiveness through His death in our place. We pray this message is an encouragement to you!

In this passage, God is teaching the children of Israel who they are and showing that He has led them this far and will lead them on. From it, we see that when we are humbled, tested, or disciplined, it is always for a purpose--namely, so that we will know and remember who God is. We pray this message is helpful in your walk with the Lord!

As we begin our 8th year as Access Point Church, we take some time to look back at the model of the early church and what marked them. We see that they were a people marked by devotion, unity, generosity, sincerity, and salvation! We long to be a church that embodies these same qualities as we live out the Gospel in our community!