Local Church St. Pete Podcast

Hypocrisy from within the community of Jesus’ followers threatened to undermine everything they were about while opposition outside the community wanted to silence them. It was a mess! God answered this hypocrisy and opposition in a shocking way reminding us he’s not ours to control but he is ours to trust.

Understanding who we are, having a clear grasp of our identity, impacts how we live. Followers of Jesus throughout history have discovered they have a “double identity” – they are called outand sent in. But called out of what? And sent in where? The answer to those questions shape Local Church St. Pete in every way. 

Imagine if every professing follower of Jesus had a genuine faith. A faith that yearns for and trusts God's leading. A faith that responds to the brokenness in the world with compassion and generosity. A faith that doesn't quit but perseveres and fights when things get tough. A faith that knows following Jesus will cost everything but Jesus is better than everything we have. What would the church look like? What kind of impact would we have in the world? James 1 and 2 call us to this reality! Followers of Jesus have a genuine faith that demonstrates itself in our lives. 

Jesus’ First Followers responded to persecution and threats with prayer. They didn’t ask for personal safety or even for the threats to stop. They asked for something better. What could be better than safety? What could be more important than personal comfort? 

Have you ever been told by someone, “Just mention my name…tell them I sent you, and they’ll take care of you.”? Once you mentioned the person’s name everything was different. Acts 3-4 shows us what it looked like for Jesus’ First Followers to teach and minister in his name. It meant hope and joy for many but was a threat to anyone clinging to their own authority and power. Come explore what “in the name of Jesus” means for us here and now, and why it’s more relevant than ever.  

How would you describe the church? What should matter most to a community of people who claim allegiance to Jesus? Acts 2:42-47 presents a stunning portrait of the early church; a window into the daily lives of Jesus’ First Followers. What were they devoted to? It’s a portrait that impacts Local Church St. Pete and the things we’re devoted to.

The time has finally come! Jesus pours out his Spirit on his disciples and the place erupts with noise! Something like wind and fire fills the room where they were waiting. A crowd gathers quickly because each one hears the disciples speaking in their own native tongue. Some think the followers of Jesus are drunk while others ask “What does this all mean”? Never before had the climate of expectations and anticipation been so high. What does it mean? That’s what we’ll explore.  

Eagerly waiting for something they knew was going to happen. That’s where we find Jesus’ First Followers. But what were they waiting for? What did Jesus promise? Where did Jesus go? And what does it mean for our lives here and now?  

No more pain. No more tears. No more death. What’s been broken will be repaired, what’s been wrong will be made right. One day everything will be restored. Until then we wait. Like waiting for a loved one to come out of surgery or like a child waits on Christmas Eve. But what does waiting involve? How does the end of the story impact the way we live today? 

God created, and it was good. Humanity rebelled, bringing sin and chaos. What will happen? Will things ever get better? Will people ever change? Will evil ever end? So, we enter into the main plot line of the Bible’s Story: Rescue. God has done in Jesus what we could never do for ourselves! Be warned, truly trusting in Christ to rescue you will change who you are and what you do

Every person who ever lived has felt and continues to feel the effects of The Rebellion found in Genesis 3. A lot of questions might fill your mind when you read the story: Where did the serpent come from? How did the serpent turn evil? Where did evil come from? Why is the serpent talking? Did Adam and Eve have a belly button? These are real questions the story doesn’t set out to answer. But what does it say? And how does it answer some of life’s toughest questions?  

We’re going back to the start, to the place of “beginnings.” That’s a very helpful thing to do when you’re trying to understand something. There we find a true story told artistically. Genesis celebrates the fact that God made the world, but it doesn’t feel the need to explain all the details or answer all our questions. What it does say about God and man has been foundational to the Christian faith. If creation is actually a thought-out, large-scale work of art AND humankind is the masterpiece of that good creation, what’s it all mean and how does it pave the way for what’s next in the storyline?  

Ever think to yourself, “Their life always seems so much better than mine. If only I had _________ THEN I would be happy! A better job, a child, a younger wife, more money, a smaller nose, a newer car - THEN I would be happy!” We see a picture, remember a conversation, take a slice of someone else’s life and compare it with ours and we conclude, “They have it SO much better!” What does the Bible say about this? Where can we go to find rest?