Restoration Community Church

The First Christians - The Birth of the "Christian"

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale continues our sermon series, "The Way of Jesus: The First Christians." This week we see the first mainstream inroads of the gospel to the Gentile community. Faithful disciples who labored in obscurity, planted the church in Antioch. Out of this growth in Antioch, the label "Christian" was first applied to these Jesus followers. While that label was originally used in a condescending manner towards the disciples, it has become a badge of honor where we seek to orient ourselves as "little Christ's."

Passage: Acts 11:19-30

The First Christians - Breaking Down Barriers

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale continues our sermon series, "The Way of Jesus: The First Christians." Last week we encountered Saul who had a worldview-shifting experience with Jesus Christ. Saul had to reorient his vertical understanding of what it meant to love God. This week we look at the apostle Peter, who also has a reorientation experience, but this time with the horizontal plane of loving neighbor.

Passage: Acts 10:1-33

The First Christians - The Conversion of Saul

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale continues our sermon series, "The Way of Jesus: The First Christians." Saul, the man responsible for persecuting the church, is on his way to arrest more Christians when Jesus intercedes. Saul's entire worldview changes as he recognizes the truth that Jesus Christ is alive. Can Saul's conversion experience serve as a model for how we come to faith, and are sustained in faith, by Christ?

Passage: Acts 9:1-33

The First Christians - The Church Scattered

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale continues our sermon series, "The Way of Jesus: The First Christians." Saul continues to apply pressure to the church, increasing persecution until the believers in Jerusalem flee from from the city. They do not go as refugees, but missionaries. Through the scattering, the believers maintain their call to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others, and bridge the gospel to the Gentiles.

Passage: Acts 8:1-8, 12-17, 26-40

The First Christians - Faith Under Fire

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale continues our sermon series, "The Way of Jesus: The First Christians." Last week we saw the increasing hostility brought against the church from the religious authorities. Here we see that escalate, culminating in the death of Stephen. This week, we look at character, and the place of suffering in the life of the believer.

Passage: Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-8:1

The First Christians - Signs, Setbacks, and Civil Disobedience

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale continues our sermon series, "The Way of Jesus: The First Christians." Many of the religious authorities felt threatened by the growth of the early church. We see in this message, the cycle the church lived out. Signs, working miracles in the name of Jesus. Setbacks, persecution from the authorities. Civil Disobedience, a drive to continue with the message God entrusted to them, regardless of the consequences.

Passage: Acts 3:1-10, 4:7-22, 5:12-16

The First Christians - Radical Community

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale continues our sermon series, "The Way of Jesus: The First Christians." As the church grew, they needed to learn how to live together in unity. The book of Acts shows a powerful example of Christian support and unity, virtually eliminating poverty in the church. But even this idealized church community still was not perfect.

Passage: Acts 4:32-5:11

The First Christians - Where the Spirit Moves, Redemption Follows

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale continues our sermon series, "The Way of Jesus: The First Christians." Just as Jesus promised, the power of the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples during the feast of Pentecost. When the Spirit moves, redemption follows. Here we see the undoing and redeeming of a curse from thousands of years before, the tower of Babel.

Passage: Acts 2:1-13

The First Christians - Carrying the Mantle

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale begins our new sermon series, "The Way of Jesus: The First Christians." In this encounter, Jesus meets with his disciples before he ascends to heaven. He commands them to wait in Jerusalem until they receive power from God. Namely the baptism of the Holy Spirit. With this power, they will be witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the earth.

Passage: Acts 1:1-9

Enemies Will Oppose His Arrival

Pastor Chris Ansell of CityReach Church Swissvale shares of the fallout after the magi visit the boy Jesus. King Herod, sensing a threat to his rule, attempts to squelch this new king by slaughtering the boys in the village of Bethlehem. Pastor Chris investigates why this barbaric story is included in Scripture, and what lessons we can learn about ourselves from it.

Passage: Matthew 2:13-18