Dove Creek Bible Church's Podcast

Peter's sermon in Acts 2:14-36 tells how God authenticated Jesus as both Lord and Christ. Peter stands up and proclaims that what the crowd was observing was a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy concerning the last days. Now that Peter and the others had been baptized and filled with the Spirit they discovered that being Spirit-empowered could overcome their natural limitations and frailties...they were no longer timid and afraid, but filled with the Spirit they were bold and confident.

The Book of Acts is a book of transitions. Change occurs in almost every chapter. The Old Covenant Way of living life is fading and the New Covenant Way of living is being established. Chapter 2 brings the biggest change of all...the promised gift of the Holy Spirit arrives and what a difference He would make upon arrival. Of course, not everyone is in agreement about the way the Holy Spirit would empower believers and this sermon discusses the various interpretations of several theologies prevalent today.

Jesus told His disciples to wait in the city until they were clothed with power. While they were waiting Peter decides they should pick a replacement for Judas. Did they do the right thing in picking Matthias to replace Judas as one of the Twelve? And how could Judas have spent three years or more with Jesus and be so completely unaffected by Him? Has anyone ever had greater opportunity than Judas? What happens to those who have had greater opportunity than others to know Jesus? How should we handle it when people like Judas deceive us? Should we be extra careful before trusting someone else again? In this sermon we explore all of these things.

Jesus knew His disciples needed more than the responsibility to witness, they needed the ability to witness. This was going to be provided in the gift of the Holy Spirit. The disciples are going to discover two things are needed to be an effective witness: the enlightened mind and the burning heart. Jesus had enlightened their minds; now the Holy Spirit would provide the passion of the burning heart.

In Ecclesiastes 12, the Teacher comes to the conclusion that your present choices are shaping your tomorrow just like your past choices shaped your today. God's Word helps shape your present choices by acting as a goad on some occasions to get you moving in the right direction and as a nail on other occasions to secure you from drifting away from the truth. In the final analysis the Teacher concludes it is best to "fear God and keep His commandments".

Are you a risk-taker? How often do you try to sanctify your lack of trust by garbing it in the dress of wisdom (i.e. try to convince yourself, you're not afraid it's just you're wise to be cautious)? In Ecclesiastes 11, we explore what's wrong with playing it safe all the time and how taking a risk is a sign of trust.

The Teacher says "Think Before You Act, Think Before You React, Think Before You Speak, and Think Before You Lead." Why? Because wise people anticipate; fools react.

We all have a common destiny but we do not all have a common eternity. One day death is coming, what do we do in the meantime?

If I do the right things am I guaranteed the right results? Is there a "Law of Linearity" which confirms if you do "A" you will automatically get "B"? Or is this a false hope? Are there actually no guarantees in this life? This is what the Teacher explores in the second half of Ecclesiastes 7.

In Chapter 7, the Teacher gives several comparative couplets about how and why some things are better than other things. Ironically some things that seem like bad things can often end up being the better things in the long run. The Teacher also instructs us that we will never move forward by looking backwards.

The Teacher continues to warn about the meaninglessness of wealth without satisfaction and work without gratification. What are the essential things we need to enjoy life?

The Teacher ponders the mystery of oppression in the world. He notices there is a lot of oppression going on, there are a lot of tears being shed over oppression and that little seems to be done about it. He also notices that many people choose achievement over contentment, competitive rewards over beneficial relationships and popularity over influence. This the teacher finds is another way of chasing after the wind.

The Teacher of Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything and that God will make everything beautiful in its time. This is sometimes difficult to accept, but we must learn to look at our life as a tapestry that God is weaving over the course of our life. On our side of the loom it often seems a confusing mess, but on God's side of the loom He sees how he has woven these changing seasons of our life into a beautiful tapestry.

Does life under the sun offer any lasting satisfaction? Which path will lead us to contentment? Pleasure? Knowledge? Wealth? Or none of the above? How can I find purpose if life is absurd and nothing I do will be remembered? What is the Paradox of Pleasure?

Our world is on the path to self-destruction…it is getting nowhere fast. It is filled up with people who are fed up and feel their existence is filled with meaninglessness, insignificance, alienation and uncertainty. The Book of Ecclesiastes assures us this is nothing new…that eventually everyone discovers there is no satisfaction under the sun, there is nothing new under the sun, and no one is remembered under the sun. If this is true then my satisfaction must lie elsewhere...somewhere beyond the sun.

In this sermon Pastor Jeff shares his personal testimony with reference to his call into the ministry and his planting of Dove Creek Bible Church.

Jacob, Leah and Rachel modeled unhealthy family traditions in front of their children due to Leah and Rachel's sibling rivalry. Even so God's grace is present in the midst of all this dysfunction. Leah seems to have grasped when she finally decided to accept the grace offered and stop pursuing the grace denied.

Elijah went from the mountain of victory to the valley of despair in the blink of an eye. The reason was he was physically and emotionally spent. In this lesson we explore what leads some of us into depression and how we can deal with depression.