Ada Presbyterian Church Pulpit Podcast

If you've been in a self-driving car, you know it's a little unsettling at first; some mysterious force takes the wheel; you see it turn, but you're not in the driver's seat. It's unnerving yes, but it's also something we could get used to--it'd be nice to let go of the stress of a long drive and just rest.  Grace too, can be a bit unsettling at first--you mean I can't get myself right with God by my own actions?  I have to just trust him to save me?  Yes--it's a bit counter-intuitive, especially in our world of achievement and self-made people.  But it's also something that is deeply refreshing and hopeful.  God must save and God alone.  Join us for today's message as we learn about the movement of God towards us to save, along with all that he does to accomplish it.

We may not think of religion as a way of turning from God, but religious people can act with hypocrisy, and they can start to rely more on their religious practices to think they're OK with God, even if their hearts are far from him.  Join us today as we learn the way that even religious people can turn from God and be deceived by sin.  It's not just pagans who need a savior--so do church people, maybe more than they realize.

As we continue our overview of Romans today, we learn that even though we know the right destination in life is one that has God at its center, we tend to deviate from that path.  We turn to idols.  Modern idols may not be made of wood and stone, but they still exist:  money, power, sex, political ideals, and technology can all become driving forces that capture our hearts, dictate our time, and direct our financial resources.  When we turn from God, we don't stop worshipping.  We start worshipping something else with devastating consequences.  Join us today as our Romans overview continues.

We begin a 12-week overview of the Book of Romans this week.  Think of your life as traveling along a road towards a certain destination.  It's a trip we can't stop.  We will live one life, and that that life will inevitably stop.  But where will you arrive?  What will drive you along the way?  For the Apostle Paul, he was driven by the gospel--he is not ashamed of it, but he perceives in it the power of God for salvation.  Join us today as we think about the drive and destination of our lives.

We wrap up our study of Acts this week. It might seem anticlimactic, because we don't learn what happened next to Paul in Rome--did he ever stand before Caesar himself?  What was the outcome of the trial?  But a closer look at Luke's purpose shows us that he was more interested in the message of the gospel than the messengers.  And on that score Acts goes out with a bang:  the message was preached "boldly and unhindered" in Rome, and we have confidence and hope that the good news of Jesus Christ will continue to ring out in our world today.

Travel plans don't always go as planned--neither does life.  But that doesn't mean God has lost sight of us.  Join us today to see how the Apostle Paul experiences God's goodness after a shipwreck on the island of Malta. 

Stories at sea, and more specifically, stories of shipwrecks and the struggle against the sea, stir something primal in us; the spirit of adventure, of the unknown, of life and death struggle, stir the imagination.  And so it's not surprising that the Bible contains some of the world's greatest shipwreck stories--we think of Jonah in the Old Testament, and Paul in Acts chapter 27.  These are great stories on their own right, but they also reveal something about the heart of God for the world.  Join us today as we take a deeper look at God's love for the world revealed in the shipwreck stories of the Bible.

God calls us to courage, but the truth is, there are many times we'd rather play it safe.  The call to courage in the Christian life though, isn't about digging down deep to overcome our fears.  It's more about leaning into the strength that God provides.  Join us today as we continue our Acts series and learn about the pillars of courage in the Christian life.

Paul is intent on traveling to Jerusalem--much to the consternation of his friends, who know that hardship and persecution is waiting him there.  But Paul is desperate to go because he wants to strengthen the ties between the Jewish church and the Gentile church.  He longs to see the unity of the church expressed.  Upon his arrival though, his dream for the church runs into the harsher reality of the facts on the ground, which aren't favorable for him.  Join us today as we learn about the unity of the church and how to handle the disappointment of a church that doesn't always live up to its ideals.

It's easy for churches to allow their leadership teams to devolve into a "board of directors" model, concerned only with the bottom line.  But the Bible sees elders more as shepherds of people, caring for them as Christ loved his own.  Join us for today's message as we learn about the role and responsibilities of elders in the life of the church.