Dove Creek Bible Church's Podcast

In Acts 15, certain people suggest that for one to truly be saved they must be circumcised and for one to truly be sanctified they must obey the Law of Moses. The church forms a council in Jerusalem to discuss this matter. Ultimately they decide a supplemented Christ is a supplanted Christ.

In Acts 14, Paul is warned about the possibility of being stoned in Iconium so he escapes and then he is not warned about the possibility in Lystra whereupon he is stoned and presumed dead. Why the warning in Iconium, but not in Lystra? Should we also expect the same shade of grace? Paul was told he would suffer hardship in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles and here in Acts 14 he preaches "Through many hardships we enter the kingdom of God". That's a message that's not getting a lot of play these days now is it? What gives?

Did I choose to believe in Jesus because I became persuaded He was my only hope and source of salvation or did God make me choose to believe in Jesus by divine appointment? Some verses seem to indicate the choice is mine to make; others seem to indicate the choice has already been made for me…before I was even born. Sometimes the two concepts are presented in such close proximity that it is confusing and hard to reconcile. In Acts 13, both salvation by persuasion and salvation by appointment are presented. How can both things be true? Also in Chapter 13 we are told the leaders fasted and prayed. Is fasting a religious or spiritual discipline we should encourage? What's the difference, if any, between fasting and praying and merely praying?

Some people pray for a spouse...a child...a healing...and then they have a dramatic providential story of how that prayer was answered. However, we all know people who prayed just as earnestly and they never found that spouse...never had that child...never received that healing. Answered prayer seems so arbitrary sometimes it's difficult to pray with expectancy...so why should I pray? In Acts 12, the church prays earnestly for the Apostle James and the Apostle Peter, but they receive two different answers. The Apostle James is martyred and the Apostle Peter is released. No doubt they prayed just as earnestly for James to be released as Peter, but James was beheaded. Why did the church receive different answers to their prayers? This sermon discusses the power of unbelieving prayer.

We live in sexually confusing times and the Bible's stance on sex seems very outdated. Why should we live a life of sexual purity? How do we navigate through the treacherous waters of current opinion on sexual matters? This text addresses these issues.

Do you think you have any prejudices? Most of us like to think we have moved beyond prejudice and pride...but have we really moved on? Sometimes the Lord reveals to us, like He reveals to Peter in Chapter 10 of the Book of Acts, that we are not quite as far down the road of tolerance as we like to imagine ourselves to be. Leslie Allen said "A Jonah lurks in the heart of every Christian". Is there a Jonah lurking in your hear and do you have the courage to ask God to reveal to you your prejudices?

Christianity's greatest adversary has now become its greatest ally in the conversion of Saul. Surprisingly, Saul is colossally ineffective when he first sets out to preach the gospel...why? Meanwhile, Peter mistakenly believes he has for the most part overcome his pride and prejudice. Shortly he will discover that is in fact not the case.

The conversion of Saul on the Road to Damascus is a pivotal moment in western history. Why did God choose the legalistic self-righteous Pharisees to become His great Apostle of Faith? What can we learn from God's choosing of the unexpected to do the inexplicable?

Acts 8:26-40 tells of of the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. What do we learn about personal evangelism from this encounter and what does this encounter tell us about those with diminished opportunities of hearing the gospel?

When are people most likely to change? Sociologists say people are most receptive to change during a period of crisis. Crisis forces us out of our comfort zones like nothing else. God allowed persecution of the church because they had grown comfortable in Jerusalem. However, God had commanded them to scatter and spread the gospel. The thing that got them to moving to fulfill the Lord's command was persecution. The church adapted and changed outreach strategies, because it was essentially forced to do it. Why did God scatter the gospel through persecution? Acts 8:1-25 explores why this was necessary.

Acts 6:8-7:60 concerns the martyrdom of Stephen. Stephen's sermon, the longest sermon in the Bible by a person other than Jesus, is not a sermon which calls people to repentance. Instead, his sermon warns of judgment and explains why such judgment is coming. The most remarkable thing about the sermon is the prayer at the end. While in the act of being murdered Stephen prays that this sin against him will not be taken into account by the Lord. Did the Lord answer his prayer? And what flood of grace was released upon the world by this prayer?

Special Sermon from Damon Wamara from Dwelling Places.

Navigating through church conflict is a necessary but wearisome journey. What cause church conflict and how should the leaders of a church approach resolving it? This sermon explains why we have church conflict and why conflict is a natural part of the growing process. Ultimately whether the conflict will be constructive or destructive depends on the attitudes and actions of those involved.

How far are we willing to go to rescue the perishing? Are we willing to endure hardship and risk danger? Why do we often find ourselves with a lack of compassion toward the lost world? The early church built bridges; today's church builds walls. What are we afraid of? Acts 5:12-42 shows just how far the disciples were willing to go to penetrate and impact their culture.

Ananias and Sapphira were the church's first hypocrites. They wanted to appear to be as generous as Barnabas, but unfortunately they didn't want to actually be as generous as Barnabas. Why are we so driven sometimes to appear to be what we are not? To be a hypocrite is to hide behind a mask...what masks do Christians hide behind today and why do we wear them?

When Adam sinned he set into motion three types of death or separations. This caused the fall of all. When Jesus came to earth His mission was to undo all that Adam had done. Therefore, he gives three types of life to counteract the three types of death set in motion by Adam's sin. In the other words the rise of one overcame the fall of all.

What's a Christian to do when God says "do" but some human authority says "don't"? In his epistle Peter said we are to submit to every human authority, but in Acts 4 he does not submit to human authority. Obviously there is an exception to the general rule, but what is it? How do we determine when we should and when we should not submit to human authority?

The people react to Peter's sermon at Pentecost by asking, "What shall we do?" Peter tells them they need to repent and be baptized. What did he mean? The people who accepted his message then devote themselves to four things that became another form of witnessing to the unsaved. The people were in awe that such unity could exist in the midst of such diversity. How is it possible to have unity with such division in our culture? Click here to Reply or Forward