In the 7/15/18 sermon, Elder Mike Gowens looks at Paul's Damascus Road encounter with the risen Christ, recorded in Acts 9:1-9. After working through the details of the narrative, Gowens highlights the expression at the end of verse 5, "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks," showing that depraved sinners, like Saul, are involved in a long war against the God of heaven. This spirit of resistance and rebellion against the Lord, however, is no match for the supernatural power of Divine grace. The story of everyone who has been conquered by such power, whether or not they share an experience as dramatic as Paul's, is "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."
Length 48 mins
On Sunday 7/8/18, Elder Michael Gowens looks at Acts 7:54-60 and the account of Stephen's dying testimony. In the middle of the greatest trauma of his life, Stephen found help and strength by means of a special blessing. He was granted a sight of the risen Christ in His ascended glory and majesty, and the triumphant reality he witnessed so completely superseded the tragedy of his present circumstances that his presence was almost angelic. Subsequent accounts of faithful martyrs in Christian history duplicate Stephen's narrative so that we may safely say that Christ gives special assistance to His people when the world turns against them.
Length 51 mins
Pastor Michael Gowens looks at 1 Corinthians 13 in this 7/1/18 sermon. More than a mere feeling or emotion, biblical love is a way of behaving toward another person. Paul's divinely inspired description of charity, or love in action, stands in stark contrast to the way the Corinthians were behaving toward each other. If we want fulfilling, lasting and God-honoring relationships, whether in marriage or in the church, it is imperative that we rediscover the priority of Biblical love.
Length 45 mins