Trusting God in Difficult Times

Mark 5:21-43

This text looks at two desperate lives; both find their answer in Jesus. No matter what we face, he is, indeed the answer.  

We are glad to welcome Chuck Lawless to the pulpit this Sunday, good friend of Preston Pearce. 

Dr. Chuck Lawless currently serves as Richard and Gina Headrick Senior Professor of Evangelism and Missions, Dean of Doctoral Studies, and Vice-President for Spiritual Formation and Ministry Centers at Southeastern Seminary, in addition to serving as Team Leader for Theological Education Strategists for the International Mission Board (IMB). He previously served as a Vice-President for Global Theological Advance for the IMB. Prior to that, he was dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also served as Vice President for Academic Programming and the Director of Professional Doctoral Studies. He received a B.S. degree from Cumberland College and M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees from Southern Seminary. He is the author or co-author of thirteen works, including Spiritual Warfare in the Storyline of Scripture and The Potential and Power of Prayer and has written numerous articles. He and his wife Pam have been married for 33 years and reside with their dog, Max, in Wake Forest, North Carolina, USA.

We are glad to welcome Will Brooks to the pulpit this Sunday, good friend of ICP's own Preston Pearce. Will Brooks (Ph.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, USA) lives in Southeast Asia with his wife and three children. (more about Will can be found at the end of the description).

Do You Do Well to be Angry?

Jonah 4

God is faithful and merciful, always fulfilling his promises. But what happens when God works in unexpected ways – or in ways that don’t align with the purposes or causes that we hold dear? Or what about when we are faithful and obedient to his word, but God desires to show favor to someone else? How do we respond to God in such situations?  

Will Brooks is the Provost and Director of the Doctor of Missiology and MA in Intercultural Studies programs at Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of Love Lost for the Cause of Christ (2018), Interpreting Scripture across Cultures (2022), and the co-editor of World Mission (2019). Will is an avid runner and has completed multiple ultra-marathons and endurance obstacle course events.

We are glad to welcome Avi Snyder to the pulpit this Sunday, good friend of ICP's own Mastona Khalilova. Avi currently serves as the European Ambassador of Jews for Jesus. He came to faith in Jesus in 1977 with the help of a Jews for Jesus tract and the forthright witness of Christian friends. (more about Avi at the end of the description)

Romans 1:15-16

In his epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul wrote, “So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:15-16).” In those two brief verses, Paul tells all of us who are sincere followers of Yeshua (Jesus) at least five crucial truths. He tells us what we must proclaim (the Gospel); he tells us how we must proclaim (without shame); he tells us why we must proclaim (because only the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation); he tells us to whom we must proclaim (to the Jew first and also to the Greek); and he tells us when we must proclaim –now (with eagerness).  

 After pioneering the work of Jews for Jesus in Ukraine and Russia, Avi and his wife Ruth launched the German and Hungarian works of the ministry as well. Avi received his theological training from Fuller Theological Seminary, the School of World Mission, and he’s written two books: Jews Don’t Need Jesus – and Other Misconceptions, and Never Ashamed – Stories of Sharing Faith with Scoffers and Skeptics. You can feel Avi's passion for Jewish evangelism in Central and Eastern Europe when he says, “For us Jews to proclaim God’s message of eternal life in the countries where so many of us died – that’s a redemption of history. That’s life from the dead” (Romans 11:15). For more information, click here.

Acts 10

The visions of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 are together a significant moment in the spread of the gospel. While there have been a few individual instances of gentiles (non-Jewish people) putting their faith in Jesus before this point, it is here that the door is opened wide for the gospel to be spread to all peoples of the earth. Again we see how the gospel breaks down barriers between people, as God tells Peter "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean" (Acts 10:15).  

Acts 9:1-22

The story of Saul's (soon to be the Apostle Paul) conversion is Acts 9 is one of the better known stories in scripture. A zealous persecutor of the early church, Saul's life is completely turned around when he has an encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus. From that moment Saul's life is committed to the spread of the gospel so that others might come to know Jesus as he has. 

Acts 8:26-40

As the gospel continues to spread, opposition grows against the early church until Stephen is killed and the other believers begin to be persecuted for their faith. But even as they are scattered across Judea and Samaria, they carry the gospel with them and more people come to faith in Jesus Christ. This week's passage recounts the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian. As Philip explains the scriptures to him, the Ethiopian comes to faith and is baptized, becoming another follower of Jesus Christ, who then carries the gospel home with him. . 

Acts 5:12-42

In this week's passage the apostles find themselves right back in front of the council, once again on trial for spreading the good news and teaching people about the new life available through him. The council is ready to take drastic measures to stop them, but the wisdom of Gamaliel prevails when he tells them that if the work of the apostles "is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God" (Acts 5:39). We see in these verses the apostles' unwavering commitment to telling others about Jesus even in the face of opposition, and the power of God at work to fulfill his purpose for them. 

Acts 4:1-22

The events of Acts chapters 3 - 5 are all set up by the healing of a paralyzed man by Peter and John, which leads to their trial before the Sanhedrin. In this passage we see the Holy Spirit continue to heal and empower people to speak boldly in Jesus's name. And while the gospel is finding opposition from many, more than that it continues to spread and change lives as people put their faith in Jesus of Nazareth, the one name under heaven by which must be saved.

This week we welcome Tim Anderson to the pulpit as our guest preacher. Tim served as the pastor of ICP from 1996-2001 after several years of missionary work in Central Europe. Since then he has served as the pastor of Calvary Chapel Burbank in Southern California. We are glad to have Tim and Laura back with us!

Acts 2

The Holy Spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost in a powerful way, leaving the people there amazed and asking the question "What does this mean?". By pouring out his Spirit in this way, God was not only giving his followers the gift of his power and presence, but he was creating a new community of people, one whose life together was (and still is) centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

Acts 1:1-14

This week we begin our sermon series in the book of Acts which will carry us through the summer. The sequel to Luke's gospel, Acts recounts the birth and spread of the early church as the gospel begins to spread "to the ends of the earth." What we'll see is that this is the continuing work of Jesus Christ through the power of his Holy Spirit. We begin with a look at Jesus' ascension, and consider how it is a source of great encouragement in our life of faith.  

Colossians 1:9-20

Before we begin our series in Acts next week, we're taking a break from Luke's writings to look at a passage from the Apostle Paul considering the cosmic significance of Jesus Christ and his supremacy over all things, and how we are called to live in response to Him.

Luke 24:36-53

This week we come to the conclusion of Luke's gospel as the resurrected Jesus appears to his disciples again and gives them a new role - to be his "witnesses". This is a role his followers are still called to play.

Acts 16:11-15, 40

This Sunday our guest preacher is Simon Marshall, International Director of European Christian Mission International. Simon and his family were part of ICP for several years when they lived in Prague and he is the brother of current elder Trevor Marshall. We look forward to him sharing God's word with us this week. 

Luke 24:13-35

When the Risen Christ met two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus on the first Easter they did not recognize him. They were downcast because their expectations for Jesus and what he would do had not been met. This is true for many of us in life. There is often a disconnect between what we think God should do for us and what he actually does. Yet as Jesus reminds these men, God fulfills what he has promised, and in Christ has given us all that we need. 

John 20:19-31

Sometimes when our trust in Christ is tested, we are tempted to think, “if only God would ___, then I could trust him.” In Thomas’ encounter with the risen Lord Jesus, he learned that he didn’t really need what he thought he needed. And this story helps us see what we really need to move from unbelief to belief in Jesus – not only to receive forgiveness and everlasting life, but also to continue to trust him, and to help others come to faith in Christ. 

Luke 23:13-49

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, three days after he was crucified, is the event that that gives us our eternal hope. It tells us that sin and death, both so prevalent in this life, do not have the final say, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ does. It is the best day! 

Luke 23:13-49

This Sunday we'll be looking at Luke's passion narrative. Jesus's death on the cross is what his life and ministry have been building to, and it is the ultimate example of God's faithfulness to us. As Jesus takes our sin upon himself, he fullfills his mission "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10). 

Luke 22:66-23:25

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he shared a meal with his disciples. It was a meal rich with symbolism and significance, pointing to God's saving work in Israel's past. Jesus also used it to point to the saving work God was about to do through him. We still take part in this meal today in remembrance of him. This Sunday we'll look at the significance of this sacrament, how we might approach the table, and how God uses it to strengthen our faith. 

Luke 22:1-23

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he shared a meal with his disciples. It was a meal rich with symbolism and significance, pointing to God's saving work in Israel's past. Jesus also used it to point to the saving work God was about to do through him. We still take part in this meal today in remembrance of him. This Sunday we'll look at the significance of this sacrament, how we might approach the table, and how God uses it to strengthen our faith.