Sunday, April 21, 2024 - Revelation 2:12-17 | The issue of a church’s convictions versus what the dominant society around it believes has existed since the birth of the church in the 1st century. There are some “big ones” we seem clear on, but what about the small compromises that can work their way into the Body here and there? It’s easy to make “small” modifications or accommodations here or there just to keep the peace, but we see a healthy church is one who is willing to test all things against the Word and hold fast to living out their convictions.
Sunday, April 14, 2024 - Revelation 2:8-11 | To fit in the world around us, and more so to get ahead, it would seem the best course of action is just to jump in and go with the current. But when a church starts swimming against the current of the community around them, all sorts of new issues can arise. What to do then?
Sunday, April 7, 2024 - Revelation 2:1-7 | The Ephesian church was passionate about doctrine. They were fierce about defending right beliefs! But what happens when the head stops meeting the heart, and the heart stops moving the hands and feet? Truth should lead to action and the issue of the Ephesian church is they had stopped living publicly for Jesus.
Sunday, March 31, 2024 - Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 – What’s the point of life? What’s the point of this world? If one day we’re just all going to die, what about all this stuff we have around us? Is it really all about eating, drinking, and being merry or is life just about trying to one day make it to heaven? Jesus’ full bodily resurrection proves to us, though, that God loves this world and has amazing plans for us not only for the future but for today as well!
Friday, March 29, 2024 - Matthew 27:45-46 – As God created the heavens and the earth by speaking light into darkness, humanity’s sin and rebellion invited the darkness back in. In the cross, then, Jesus would take that darkness upon Himself in order to defeat death in His Own death.
Sunday, March 24, 2024 - Revelation 2:8-11 | To fit in the world around us, and more so to get ahead, it would seem the best course of action is just to jump in and go with the current. But when a church starts swimming against the current of the community around them, all sorts of new issues can arise. What to do then?
Sunday, March 17, 2024 - Acts 27:1-28:10 | Images and symbols have incredible power across all human cultures, and in the biblical mind no symbols more embody the reality of evil than the sea and serpent. But nothing threatens, let alone stops, Jesus from keeping His Word and bringing the message of salvation to very heart of the kingdoms of this world.
Sunday, March 10, 2024 - Acts 25:1-26:32 – We all want peace and calm in our lives and, therefore, naturally resist anything new that messes with that. The powers of this world feel threatened by the Gospel and attack it. But in front of the kings and rulers of this world, Paul makes the closing argument that the Gospel is good news FOR the world.
Sunday, March 3, 2024 - Acts 22:30-24:27 – An innocent man handed over by the religious leaders to Roman officials for trial, accused of blasphemy and treason. Sound familiar? Paul’s trial in Jerusalem gives him the chance to demonstrate to the powers (and to us) the superiority of the Gospel over all rival claims.
Acts 21:1-22:29 – Ever have those moments where you sense God wants you to do one thing, but logic, experience, or even the advice of others suggest otherwise? While Acts 21-22 may seem like a travel log at first, Paul’s journey back toward Jerusalem provides us a valuable lesson on how to listen for the Holy Spirit and follow in obedience and trust.
Sunday, February 18, 2024 - Acts 20:1-38 – Like a ship without a captain or a plane without a pilot, the church will struggle and fall into disaster without godly leadership who are humbly grounded in God’s truth and ensure the entire body is as well. What should a church expect from her leaders and how can they support them? Paul shows us the model.
Sunday, February 11, 2024 - Acts 18:18-19:41 – It can be easy to treat the Gospel as an insurance policy that covers our eternity or a supplement that is just designed to make our lives a little better. Paul’s journeys to the city of Ephesus show us, however, the fullness of what God has for our daily lives as we see what full devotion to Jesus produces in our homes and in our communities.
Sunday, February 4, 2024 - Acts 17:1-18:17 -Often what stands in the way from growth and learning is that we’re closed off to the possibility of thinking in new ways about ourselves or the world around us. But the Gospel is a direct challenge upon every single one of us, a message that will either bring us closeness with our Creator or judgment and death.
Sunday, January 28, 2024 - Acts 15:36-16:40 - Convinced that God wants him to do one thing, Paul’s journeys take a dramatic turn (literally!) to places, people, and circumstances he wasn’t expecting. And despite personal conflicts and suffering Paul once again experiences the sure victory of the Gospel and its power to grant true freedom.
Sunday, January 21, 2024 - Acts 14:21-15:35 - As modern Americans we take our “rights” seriously and believe my personal freedoms must be protected at all costs. But Paul writes that while all things may be permissible, not all things are beneficial to the life of the church. The Council of Jerusalem, therefore, is a major event in the history of the church as these early believers sought out how to live fully in the freedom of Christ while loving one another inside and outside the church.
Sunday, January 14, 2024 - Acts 13:1-14:20 - As we pick the story back up we rejoin Saul (now Paul) and his call to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We see as he takes his first missionary journey that though the context and locations may change it’s the same message of Jesus that confronts the same idolatry and objections in each of our lives.
Sunday, December 31, 2024 - Philippians 1:3-11 – Sometimes in relationships, whether it be due to exhaustion, hurt, or just apathy, we find ourselves just going through the motions. We’re here, without actually being here. Church can be just the same way, where we’re in the routine, but not actually committed with all our mind, strength, soul, and body. Where do we need to be as Chesapeake Church? Where are we going and how are we going to get there? Let’s find out how to get fully bought in this New Year’s Eve.
Sunday, December 24, 2023 - Luke 1 & 2 – The world is packed full of all sorts of symbols and shows of power. In gender, athletics, politics and more, we see claims of authority and demands for loyalty. But in Christmas, we’re invited into a totally different look, gazing not to monuments or thrones but to a lowly feeding trough and what lies within. This, here, is the true King!
Sunday, December 17, 2024 - Luke 1:39-56 – From wars, famines, natural disasters, economic turmoil, political and social division, the world seems pretty messed up. Very little feels safe and secure and, worst, we feel so helpless and powerless to do anything about it. But God’s promises reveal to us His plans to topple the proud and mighty and exalt the hurting and the lowly. Jesus is coming back to heal this broken world and make all things new, and that is our PEACE.
Sunday, December 10, 2024 - Luke 3:7-18 – It’s said that it’s the most wonderful time of the year and we should all feel joyful, merry, and bright. What is JOY, though, and from where does it come? And what does thinking about the salvation and judgment of God have to do with any of it? Or with Christmas? It turns out that when we fix our eyes on the right things and prioritize the things of God in our lives we might just get a little joyful as a result.
Sunday, December 3, 2023 - Luke 3:1-6 – Faith is a word we hear being used and applied to many aspects of our lives. We are often told to “have faith” or “act in faith.” It can be difficult for us to even define faith, let alone understand how faith is supposed to function in our lives. Fortunately, God shows us through His Word exactly what faith is, and how it is to inform our actions.
Sunday, November 26, 2023 - Luke 21:25-36 – Whether it be because of global events around the world or crises and struggles in our own life, it can be hard to feel optimistic. But the advent season is a time to remember Jesus doesn’t call us to put on a good face or try to find the brightside in life. Rather, we are to remember His promises and His works, having confident HOPE that He is coming back to finish what He started.
Sunday, November 19, 2023 - Acts 11:1-12:24 - Church isn’t always easy or peaceful. We often face both internal and external challenges that can lead us to lose hope, or doubt God’s plan. But by His Spirit, Jesus is always with us and ensures that nothing can stop the flourishing and multiplying of the Kingdom of God.
Sunday, November 11, 2023 - Acts 9:32-10:48 - Just as the world God made is diverse and multicultural, so too the Church has been made to be the same. Through a series of unlikely visions and associations, Jesus makes this very point to Peter, and in doing so carries His mission beyond one ethnic group to the rest of the earth.
Sunday, November 5, 2023 - Acts 9:1-31 - Do you ever feel so sure about something that there’s nothing anyone could do to change your mind? Or the opposite, have you ever had a life-changing moment that shook you to your core and made you question everything? The story of Saul, Ananias, and Barnabas remind us that God can do anything and call us to the same. May we be receptive to His leading and be willing vessels for His service.