FPC Douglasville

First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Join us for reflections on scripture, spiritual practices to help you grow as a disciple, and conversations about what it means to follow Jesus. Sunday's sermon will be uploaded each Tuesday morning. Enjoy the podcast from First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville, GA.

  1. 5d ago

    What is the Church? | Acts 2 | First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville

    Pastor Scott York explains what it means to live as a church from Acts 2: 42-47. The church is one of the most misunderstood concepts in modern Christianity, often reduced to a building, a social club, or a weekly obligation. But Acts 2:42-47 paints a radically different picture. The early church was a covenant community of people who had experienced God's grace and were committed to sharing that grace and with the world. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, lived in genuine fellowship (what the Greeks called koinonia, meaning sharing in common), distributed resources to those in need, and wove one another into the rhythm of daily life. This was not occasional community. It was a shared life. Jesus did not save us to live independently. Mankind's original problem was the desire to go it alone, and we made a mess of everything. Jesus stepped in, died on our behalf, and reestablished the covenant people of God, making a way back to Him through faith. Yet so often after receiving that grace, we turn around and resist depending on anyone else. That posture misses the point entirely. Living as the church means committing to three things: a shared faith that goes beyond Sunday morning, shared resources marked by generosity and radical hospitality, and shared rhythms that make room for other believers in your actual daily life. Whether you are an extrovert or an introvert, the call is not out of your personality. It is out of isolation. The church is not a building. It is a people, united by one Spirit, one faith, and one Lord, and that community is available to anyone willing to step into it fully. Plan a visit to FPC Douglasville for Bible-focused worship, preaching, teaching, and a great community for adults, teens, and children! www.fpcdouglasville.org/planavisit

    What is the Church? | Acts 2 | First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville

  2. Sep 22

    What is election or predestination? | Romans 8:26-30 | First Presbyterian Church Douglasville

    What does it mean to be chosen by God? Election and predestination are two of the most searched and most misunderstood topics in Christian theology. Many people find these words unsettling or overly abstract, but Scripture presents them as deeply personal, profoundly comforting, and practically life-changing. This teaching walks through what the Bible actually says about election and predestination, starting in the Old Testament and moving through the New Testament. God calling Abraham, Moses reminding Israel they were not chosen for their size or strength, Jesus affirming that all the Father gives Him will come to Him, and Paul laying out the full chain of salvation in Romans 8:29-30. These are not isolated verses. They represent the consistent witness of the whole Bible. Romans 8:29-30 outlines five key steps: foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. Each one is unpacked in a way that is clear and accessible. Foreknowledge is not God simply looking ahead to see who would choose Him. It is a deep, intimate knowledge rooted in love. Predestination means God set a course toward salvation. The call is the moment of spiritual awakening. Justification means the debt of sin is fully cleared through Jesus Christ. And glorification, though future, is written in the past tense by Paul because it is that certain for those who are in Christ. Beyond the theology, this teaching connects the doctrine of election directly to everyday life. Where does your true sense of value come from? Do you live with genuine assurance that God is holding onto you? And how does understanding salvation as a free gift change the way you engage with people around you who are far from God? Topics covered include: what is election in the Bible, what does predestination mean, Romans 8 explained, the golden chain of salvation, what does foreknowledge mean in theology, how does predestination relate to evangelism, Christian assurance of salvation, Reformed theology and the gospel, what does it mean to be chosen by God, and how to find your identity in Christ. Whether you are new to these concepts or have wrestled with them for years, this is a grounded, pastoral, and encouraging look at one of the most important doctrines in the Christian faith. Plan a visit to FPC Douglasville for Bible-focused worship, preaching, teaching, and a great community for adults, teens, and children! www.fpcdouglasville.org/planavisit

    What is election or predestination? | Romans 8:26-30 | First Presbyterian Church Douglasville

  3. Sep 15

    How does the Holy Spirit work in us? | Philippians 1 | First Presbyterian Church Douglasville

    How does the Holy Spirit work in our lives? And how does God continue to grow our faith? In this sermon from First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville, Rev. James Harper explores Philippians 1:3–11 and what this passage teaches us about the Spirit at work in the lives of believers. Paul's words remind us that our faith is not something we are expected to develop on our own. God is actively at work in us, growing our love, deepening our knowledge and discernment, and helping us become more like Christ. As we explore The Essentials: The Spirit at Work, we consider what it looks like to recognize God's work in our lives and trust Him as He continues the work He has begun. In This Sermon How the Holy Spirit works in the life of a Christian What Philippians 1 teaches us about spiritual growth The connection between love, knowledge, and discernment How God continues His work in us What it means to grow in faith together as a Christian community Scripture Philippians 1:3–11  Speaker Rev. James Harper Sermon Series The Essentials: The Spirit at Work About First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville is a welcoming church in Douglasville, Georgia, where people of all ages can worship, grow in faith, serve our neighbors, and follow Jesus together. Whether you're looking for a church in Douglasville, GA, exploring Christianity, or simply looking for biblical teaching and encouragement, we would love to welcome you.  Learn more about FPC Douglasville: https://www.fpcdouglasville.org/ Plan a Visit: https://www.fpcdouglasville.org/plan-a-visit Listen to the FPC Douglasville podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4AMyRMxIKhe9FElM9hHUGQ?si=9d1cb5c2c47d4ce5 #FPCDouglasville #HolySpirit #Philippians1 #ChristianSermon #BibleTeaching

  4. Sep 8

    The Essentials: The Way to Eternal Life

    Few claims in all of Christianity are more debated or more foundational than this: Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. This is not a fringe idea or a modern invention. It runs consistently through both the Old and New Testaments, from Peter's fearless declaration before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4 to Jesus' own words in John 14:6, where He said He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Passages in 1 Timothy, Colossians, Romans, and 1 Corinthians all reinforce the same truth. If the Bible is the foundation of Christian faith, there is no ambiguity on this point. Common objections to this claim deserve honest engagement. The idea that all religions basically teach the same thing does not hold up under examination. Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity hold fundamentally different views of God, humanity, and salvation. The argument that every religion sees part of the truth but none sees all of it actually requires someone to stand above the situation and declare what others are missing, which is itself an exclusive claim. And the charge that believing Jesus is the only way is arrogant contains its own absolute conviction. Every position requires faith in something. Accepting the exclusive claim of Jesus has real implications for daily life. It brings genuine assurance, because salvation is a gift received through faith, not a performance to be earned. It also carries a responsibility. If Jesus is the only path from spiritual death to spiritual life, then every follower of Christ is called to share that truth with others. That does not mean being harsh or presumptuous about who is in or out. God works in people's hearts on His timeline, not ours. Our role is to point toward Jesus. The invitation to come to Him is open to everyone, regardless of background, history, or past failures.

  5. Sep 1

    The Essentials: A Broken World

    Something feels deeply wrong with the world, and that feeling is more significant than it might seem. If life were simply the product of impersonal forces with no design or purpose, there would be no reason to expect anything to be good or to feel that things should be different. That inner sense of wrongness is actually a fingerprint of God on the human conscience, pointing toward the truth that the world was not meant to be this way. The Bible names the problem directly. Romans 5 traces it back to Adam, whose choice to disobey God in the garden did not just affect him personally. It infected all of creation and every generation that followed. Sin is not simply inherited as a concept. It shapes the human condition from the inside out. The depth of the problem is easy to underestimate. Most people think of sin as the obvious wrongs they commit, but it runs much further than that. It includes the good things we know we should do but avoid out of discomfort or inconvenience. It includes the self-interest quietly woven into even our most generous acts. And it includes the blind spots we carry without awareness, the faults in ourselves we are remarkably slow to see while noticing the same faults in others with sharp clarity. The consequence Paul describes in Romans 5 is spiritual death, not merely physical, but a severing of the relationship with God that human beings were created to enjoy. The solution Paul offers is as sweeping as the problem. Just as one man's failure brought brokenness to all, one man's perfect sacrifice makes restoration available to all. Jesus, fully righteous and without sin, died as a substitute, taking humanity's guilt upon Himself and crediting His righteousness to those who trust in Him. This is why self-righteousness is so dangerous. Any standing before God belongs entirely to Jesus, not to us. The right response to this truth is threefold: honestly professing our need for a Savior, practicing genuine humility that has no room for comparison or pride, and seeking forgiveness regularly through confession, not to earn God's love, but to restore the closeness that sin disrupts.

  6. Aug 25

    The Essentials:Jesus the Incarnate God

    The Incarnation, the truth that God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, is the central miracle of the Christian faith. Every other doctrine, promise, and miracle in Scripture flows from this one reality. Jesus is not simply a wise teacher or a moral example. He created all things, sustains all things, made purification for sin, and now reigns with supreme authority at the right hand of the Father. His claims demand a response, and every person must eventually decide what they will do with Him. The historic Christian position is that Jesus is 100% God and 100% man at the same time, always. These two natures exist without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation. This is difficult to fully explain, not because theology has failed, but because finite creatures are attempting to describe an infinite God. What we can know with confidence is what we must not believe: that Jesus was ever less than fully God or less than fully human. This truth has direct implications for everyday life. Because Jesus is fully God, your life is not a cosmic accident. He created you intentionally and redeemed you purposefully. Because He is fully man, He entered into human suffering personally. He knows hunger, fear, betrayal, and grief. He does not look at your pain from a distance. He says, with full understanding, that He will not leave you there. And because He rose from the dead and now reigns over all creation, every promise He made is backed by His authority. The story did not end at the cross. It ends with resurrection, ascension, and a living King who intercedes on your behalf.

  7. Aug 18

    The Essentials: Creation and Providence

    God is not only the Creator of the world but its ongoing Governor, actively sustaining everything He made with love and purpose. Because every person is made in the image of God, every human being carries a value so great it cannot be fully calculated. This truth has real consequences for how we treat others, especially those we disagree with or find difficult to love. God did not create the world and walk away. His providence means He is still at work, still present, and still guiding creation toward the end He intended. The invitation for us is to stop trying to control the future or relitigate the past, and instead to live fully in the present with God. His steadfast love fills the earth today, and the only question is whether we will slow down enough to experience it.

  8. Aug 11

    The Essentials: The Trinity

    The Trinity, one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is not just a theological concept. It is one of the most personal truths in all of Scripture. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have existed together in an eternal community of love since before creation began. Through faith in Jesus Christ, believers are invited into that community. The Father chose you before the world was formed. The Son paid the price to make that choosing possible. The Holy Spirit seals your salvation and guarantees it will be fulfilled. You are not loved by one, but perfectly by three.

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About

Join us for reflections on scripture, spiritual practices to help you grow as a disciple, and conversations about what it means to follow Jesus. Sunday's sermon will be uploaded each Tuesday morning. Enjoy the podcast from First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville, GA.

Information

  • Creator
    First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021, First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville, GA
  • Show Website
    FPC Douglasville

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