The first part of Acts is the first stage in the growth and the expansion of Jesus’s church, first in Jerusalem but then to the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria. What kinds of struggles did the early church face, how did they overcome, and which of their attitudes and characteristics should we be emulating?
(Preaching on the early church. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on October 26, 2025.)
As we transition out of the Gospels in our reading into the story of the early church in Acts, it can be helpful to be able to visualize what you are reading. Of course, you can find many versions of these kinds of maps online, but I hope these can be helpful to you.
I found a version of this chart in Stan’s evangelism files. I have no idea where he found it, and I couldn’t find the original online. I remade it in my own style for a class on evangelism at church, and thought it might be helpful for people thinking about how to talk to others about Christianity.
A basic apologetic consideration of the historical reliability of the Gospels (and indeed the broader New Testament) breaks down into two main lines of reasoning: arguments based on history and how we know things, and arguments based on psychology and human nature. This is a very brief overview of a defense of the Gospel accounts, and if you want to know more please let me know!
(NOTE: Similar to Sunday morning, the audio cuts in and out a bit at the beginning. One of our microphones is apparently dying. Preaching on the the Gospels. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on October 12, 2025.)
Mark’s Gospel is a good one to use as a base for digging down to the core Gospel story; the part of the good news of Jesus’s life that all four Gospel writers included in their accounts. The list is surprisingly short, and while everything each writer wrote is essential for all Christians, considering the story in its most basic form powerfully confirms the simplicity and communicability of the Gospel story.
(NOTE: The audio cuts in and out a bit at the beginning. Sorry. Preaching on the Gospels. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on October 12, 2025.)
The “kingdom” is an especially important theme in Matthew’s version of the Gospel story. Jesus’s work was not disconnected from the story of Israel in the Old Testament; it was a fulfillment and continuation of God’s plan to establish his eternal kingdom, promised to David and Daniel. How does Matthew explore the importance of the “kingdom of heaven” in the life and teaching of Jesus?
(Preaching through the Gospels. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on October 5, 2025.)
Matthew’s gospel is the most closely connected to the Israelite story in the Old Testament. He connects these stories in two main ways: the fulfillment of prophecy, and the continuation of the kingdom. First, we will consider how Matthew addresses prophecy in the life of Jesus. How does Jesus fulfill all the promises of God in the Old Testament, and what does it mean for the modern reader?
(Preaching on the gospels. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on October 5, 2025.)
In addition to a heavy emphasis on Old Testament prophecy, Matthew also keys in on the idea of the “Kingdom.” This is an extension of two foundational Old Testament promises, one to Abraham and one to David. While Matthew really highlights Jesus’s teaching about what his new kingdom will be like, the New Testament writers as a whole connect Jesus to these ancient promises and emphasize that the kingdom of Jesus is the culmination of God’s redemptive work.
Matthew focuses on the Jesus the Jew more than the other gospel writers, especially in the way that Jesus is the culmination of so much Old Testament Hebrew prophecy. While Jesus fulfills more prophecy than just the ones listed on this chart, these are some of the most explicit references in Matthew, along with some overarching prophetic themes.
We begin our foray into the New Testament with the Gospel of John; not the first gospel in most English Bibles, but the one that most closely parallels the beginning of the Bible in Genesis. What is different about John’s version of Jesus’s story, and what does he emphasize more than the other authors?
(Preaching on the gospel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 28, 2025.)
Watts in the Word 