Christ Community Church (Brazil, IN‪)‬ mycccbrazil

If you have ever been a teacher, worked in retail, or worked in healthcare, one thing that all of you have experienced is this... being disrespected.



We all like to be respected. Nobody likes to be disrespected. There are t-shirts that say, “Don’t disrespect me, and there won’t be a problem.”



On the internet there are videos of the disrespect that teachers face from students nowadays, and it is awful. Students cursing and getting into physical altercations with teachers is common practice now. Back in the day... that would have resulted in getting the paddle in school and facing the wrath of the parents at home. Not so much anymore...



Research shows that disrespect in our culture is continuing to be on the rise. Our feeds are constantly filled with people verbally and physically disrespecting each other in stores, on the street, in politics, online and in our workplaces.



And while we could get into many conversations as to what the root cause of all this disrespect is, many people will say that “Respect is earned.”



You see, respect is not a trust we give easily and consistently unless we see qualities that are strong, pure, faithful, and serving.



And when it comes to God, He has these qualities and more. He is the epitome of every good quality. And He deserves our respect.



In this sermon today we dive into Acts 5:1-11. Last week and now this week, Luke (the author of Acts) has brought us inside the huddle of the early church to show us a glimpse of what life in the early church looked like. And it is very easy to look at the early church with rose colored glasses, but the truth is, they were far from perfect. Luke doesn’t ignore the faults of the early church.



And in this sermon, we will read a story that shows that even in the most Spirit-filled congregations, the evil one is at work. We will see two people that did not respect the Lord, and we will see them pay the price for their actions. And what we will learn is that as we GET AFTER IT for the expanding of the Kingdom of God, we must have respect for God.

For those of you that have had kids, how many of you had to train your child on how to be selfish? Newsflash... YOU DON'T!





Our culture actually encourages selfishness... American society encourages people to pursue their American Dream with an individualistic spirit. We are to look out for ourselves. Afterall, nobody is looking out for us, so we have to look out for ourselves, right? According to Pew Research, 68% of Americans describes their fellow Americans as “selfish.”





But when you look at the research, it shows that there is a negative cost to being selfish. Being selfish is correlated with poor psychological well-being, physical health, and relationships. The research also shows that all of these selfish behaviors such as materialism, lead to lower life satisfaction, higher envy, anxiety, and depression.





And when it comes to the Bible, Jesus says that if you desire to follow Him, you don’t indulge yourself... you don’t remain selfish... you start denying yourself! You see... Rather than being selfish in all that we do, God calls us to a life of generosity.





And you know what scientific research says about practicing generosity?





The research shows that generosity impacts our health and well-being in many positive ways. It boosts mood, self-esteem, and our immune system. It also reduces stress, anxiety, and blood pressure. It’s almost like following the teachings of the Bible are good for us... Who would have thought!





In today's sermon. we dive into Acts 4:32-37. What we will learn is that as we GET AFTER IT for the expanding of the Kingdom of God, God has called us to generosity. We will see generosity practiced amongst the early church.

Our culture is on a never-ending pursuit for comfort. We greatly seek out convenience and relaxation. Some people have said that it is no longer “America the Beautiful,” but is now, “America the Comfortable.”



People act like they are going to die if they aren’t able to go sit and do nothing on the beach for a week straight every six months. And do you even want to go to the movies anymore if the seats don’t recline?



And unfortunately... The pursuit of comfort has carried over to the American Church. One of the biggest problems in the American Church is that we are too comfortable. Our worldly comfort has caused us to lose track of the mission that Christ gave us.



It's in the way that we quickly complain when a gathering has gone five minutes too long.



It’s in the way that only 10% of Christians share their faith with others.



It’s in the way that so many Pastors around the nation are scared to confront tough Biblical issues, because they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or cause people to get uncomfortable.



It’s in the way that so many people sit on their gifts and talents that God gifted them with, because they don’t want to be inconvenienced with serving, which Christ called each of us to do!



And lastly, it’s in the way that we center our prayers.



When we pray, our prayers are so often self-centered. Our prayers are quite frequently about God removing obstacles in front of us, to make things in our faith journey more comfortable. So often when we pray, our prayers are all about making our lives easier.



In this sermon today, we dive into Acts 4:23-31. Two weeks ago, we saw the religious leaders that Peter and John preached the Gospel to, perplexed that these ordinary men were speaking so boldly and eventually release them and set them free. Today, we are going to see Peter and John go back to their companions and tell them all that transpired at the Temple.



We will then see the early church come together for a unified prayer. What we will learn is that as we GET AFTER IT for the expanding of the Kingdom of God, and opposition comes, our prayers should not be focused on worldly comfort. Our prayers should be focused on asking God for perseverance and boldness despite whatever uncomfortable things we might face for the sake of the Gospel being spread.



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The defeat of the Roman Empire. The defeat of the Nazis. The American hockey team defeating the Soviet Union for the "Miracle on Ice." George Foreman defeated by Muhammad Ali. Eli Manning and the New York Giants defeat the undefeated Tom Brady and New England Patriots.





All of these were defeats that seemed impossible to some, but none of them compare to the greatest defeat of all time.





Death was defeated by Jesus Christ. The King of kings. The Lord of lords.





In this Easter 2024 sermon, we dive into Romans 5:12-21. And these Scriptures speak to every human being that has ever lived. Whether someone is a devoted follower of Christ, or whether someone only goes to church on Easter because their family makes them come, these Scriptures are for everyone. And these verses are encouraging, because they point to Christ’s triumph over sin and death through His resurrection, and reminds all people of the life that can only be found in Him. What we learn in this sermon is that all of us are either bound by death or alive in Christ. These are the only two options.





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Our culture there for a while was really obsessed with the stories of superheroes.



It seemed like every month a new superhero movie was coming out. You had all the Marvel superhero movies and then all the DC superhero movies. Iron Man, Captain America, Spiderman, Black Panther, Avengers, Batman, Superman, Justice League, the list goes on and on.



Many people love these make-believe stories of these imaginary heroes that have these superpowers, knowledge, or like Batman, who have all the money to buy their superpowers, to do something good. And as a culture, we love to look up to what people would consider the strong, the rich, the educated, and the powerful.



And sometimes we can think that we must be strong, rich, educated, or powerful to do something great. But you know what stories are really great? The stories of ordinary people that do something great.



Like the everyday mom known as Candy Lightner. She stood up against drunk driving. After her 13-year-old daughter was killed by a repeat DWI offender, Candy Lightner founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in her home on March 7, 1980. Before MADD, there were little to no legal consequences for driving while intoxicated; her organization transformed American attitudes about drunk driving and successfully fought for stricter laws across the country.



The best stories are the stories of ordinary people accomplishing something great. And when you look to the Bible you will see that throughout all of history, God has used ordinary people to do extraordinary things for His glory.



In today's sermon, we dive into Acts 4:13-22. Last week we saw Peter and John face opposition after they preached the Gospel. And despite that opposition, they continued to preach the Gospel to the religious leaders that opposed them. Today we are going to see the religious leaders that they preached the Gospel to, perplexed that these ordinary men were speaking so boldly. What we will see is that as we GET AFTER IT for the expanding of the Kingdom of God, God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things for His glory.

Today is St. Patrick's Day. Many people view this day as a day to celebrate Irish culture. And with that comes a handful of things... Many celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by hanging pictures of shamrocks and mythical creatures called leprechauns. Then everyone is supposed to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, or else you are to get pinched.



Many people will pack out the local bars in droves on St. Patrick's Day and drink green beer until they enter their drunken slumber. You could say that St. Patrick’s Day in America is celebrated with the three P’s. Pubs, Parades, and Parties.



What’s sad is that many people don’t fully know the history of St. Patrick, who is the person that St. Patrick’s Day is supposed to honor. St. Patrick was a Christian missionary to Ireland and faced much opposition. He once said, “So at last I came here to the Irish gentiles to preach the gospel. And now I had to endure insults from unbelievers, to ‘hear criticism of my journeys’ and suffer many persecutions ‘even to the point of chains.’… And should I prove worthy, I am ready and willing to give up my own life, without hesitation, for His name…’”



And despite all this opposition, St. Patrick led many to Christ, planted over 300 churches, and it is said that he baptized more than 120,000 people!



And speaking of opposition, in this sermon we dive into Acts 4:1-12. Last week we saw Peter preach the Gospel to the crowd that formed around the beggar that was healed. Today we are going to see a heated showdown between the religious establishment and Peter and John concerning them preaching the Gospel message. We will see Peter and John arrested. What we will see is that as we GET AFTER IT for the expanding of the Kingdom of God, we may face opposition. And just like the early church (and St. Patrick), we must continue to preach the Gospel despite whatever opposition we may face.



Visit Our Website: https://www.christcommunitychurch.org/

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