Park Hill Church Podcast Park Hill Church

As part of our year in Acts, we are looking at eight different practices from Jesus that shaped the life of the early church. In this teaching, Dan Braga walks us through the third practice: silence and solitude. Jesus was shaped by his rhythmic practice of being still and embracing isolation in order to commune with the Father through the Spirit. So as Jesus followers, we are invited to do the same. But what should our practice of silence and solitude look like in our noise-saturated age?

Rachel Hughes visits Park Hill Church with a timely message for many. Rachel and her husband Tim are pastors of Gas Street Church in Birmingham, UK. Today, Rachel unpacks the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 and 2. The story of Hannah is a beautiful example of what we as God's children are invited to do with our unfulfilled longings. Rather than engaging in spiritual bypassing or caving in to discouragement, Hannah chooses to "stand up" and walk through her unfulfilled desires, fully trusting God with the outcomes.

From our series "Acts." Acts 6-7 are two chapters almost entirely focused on the life of one person: Stephen. He's not a full time pastor. He's not one of the Apostles. He's not one of the professional church people. He's a normal church member who becomes one of the most extraordinary lives in the history of the Church. He's also the first Christian martyr. What is the secret of Stephen's power and influence? Whatever it is, it's something available to everyone in the church, not just the professional Christians. 

From our series "Acts." As the church continues to grow, problems start to arise. In Acts 6, the Greek-speaking Jewish Christian widows are getting overlooked by what is likely the majority culture (Aramaic-speaking Jewish Christians) within the church. But the Holy Spirit begins moving in this new church, and the result is beautiful. Because the whole church has the power of the Spirit, they are free to give away their own power for the sake of the vulnerable just like Jesus did. This story has so much relevance for our time. 

It's Easter 2024. We are continuing in our series "Acts." Here in Acts 5, the connection to the Easter story is too good to miss. The apostles are in prison for preaching the resurrection. They've been publicly shamed by Jewish leaders. These apostles have every reason to be crippled by fear of the unknown. But they aren't afraid. It's as if they're expecting a heavenly being to pass through their locked doors and lead them into God's future hope. Why were they so secure, confident, and settled amidst their suffering? The reason goes back to a similar event they experienced on the first Easter morning.

Matt Pursley gives a teaching at our special Palm Sunday gathering for all ages.