The reputation of your church and of Jesus is whatever your reputation is. Is it one of integrity? Is it clean or is it off-color? Is it humble or is it power hungry and racing for another rung of the ladder? The church of the first century had fakes . . . but God saw to it that they didn't last long!
Stephen and Scott discuss questions phoned in by listeners. Please note that there is NO transcript available for this program. Due to production restraints, this program is a repeat of QA13 which originally aired November 2015.
False religion, as impressive and wealthy and powerful and magnificent as it may look and sound, is a facade of spirituality that cannot stand even the slightest exposure to truth. It is helpless before the simple testimony of a transformed life. Peter proves this in remarkable fashion.
Lame men are jumping for joy around the streets of Jerusalem! Blind men are seeing again. Deaf men are hearing. The work of God through the Apostles is evident. This organism called the Church which has sprung up almost overnight is growing by the thousands. You want to see what spiritual revival looks like? Read Acts 3!
What happens when a Church loses sight of its ultimate goal? It seems a bit too easy nowadays to just go to church on Sunday, listen to a sermon, sing songs, and go home--all the while forgetting why God called us to meet in the first place. In this message we visit the first-century Church for a reminder of what corporate worship is all about.
The First Sermon ever given in the Church age illustrates the Gospel so clearly and reminds us that becoming a Christian is a transaction. Sanctification takes a lifetime; conversion takes a moment.
Have we bought into the truth that the Holy Spirit really did descend? Do we really believe that the third Person of the Trinity really does permanently indwell every believer? And does it show in the way we live?
Like drawing straws or picking a hand, we sometimes seek God's will like it's a game of chance, don't we? But the tools for discovering God's will are not mystical. So throw the dice away and join Stephen in this message as he give you the proper tools for discovering the will of God.
A person's last words are his or her most important. That's why Jesus' challenge before He ascended into heaven is called the "great" commission: "Go and make disciples of all men." Are you obeying His last command?
It is a shock for most today to discover that the power of the Holy Spirit was never intended to be an end in itself. The Holy Spirit was given to us to sanctify us -- to set us apart. But people miss this all the time. People treat Him like some sort of energy source. They try to tap in to Him. In this message Stephen takes us back to the book of Acts to clear up some of the lingering confusion regarding the Spirit's work in the Church.
In Extravagant Grace, Part 2 (Philippians 4:4–5), Stephen Davey teaches that believers are called to display grace in a disappointed and self-centered world through two qualities—a resolution to be joyful and a reputation for gentleness. Joy, he explains, is not dependent on circumstances but flows from the Holy Spirit, the gospel, and trust in God’s sovereignty—even in suffering. Gentleness, often misunderstood as weakness, is strength under control—a willingness to yield, be courteous, and respond to hostility with grace. Using vivid examples from history, culture, and personal experience, Davey challenges believers to demonstrate joy and gentleness as living testimonies of Christ’s presence. Because “the Lord is near,” Christians can embody supernatural calm and kindness, showing a frustrated world the reality of God’s transforming grace.
In Extravagant Grace, Part 3 (Philippians 4:6–7), Stephen Davey teaches believers how to conquer anxiety through prayer and trust in God. He compares worry to a deadly anaconda that strangles faith, urging Christians to “be anxious for nothing.” Instead of allowing fear to consume them, they are to replace worry with prayer—bringing every concern to God with gratitude. Davey explains that worry pulls believers apart, while thankful prayer realigns their hearts toward God’s power and presence. The result is a supernatural peace that “guards hearts and minds in Christ Jesus,” a peace flowing directly from God’s own character. This peace doesn’t come from understanding circumstances but from trusting the God who controls them all. Through continual, thankful prayer, believers display the extravagant grace of God by living free from fear and full of peace.
In Father Abraham, Part I (Romans 4:1–3), Stephen Davey introduces Abraham as Paul’s prime example of justification by faith, not works. He explains that Abraham lived 2,000 years before Paul, proving that salvation by faith is not new but has always been God’s plan. Abraham, the forefather of Israel and “friend of God,” was revered for righteousness, yet Scripture reveals his flaws—fear, deceit, and unbelief—showing that his justification came by faith alone. Davey warns against relying on human reasoning or cultural religion, urging believers to ask, “What does the Bible say?” Like Abraham, sinners are declared righteous not by merit but by trusting God’s promise of redemption through Christ. God credited righteousness to Abraham’s account by grace, illustrating the same salvation available to every believer today.
Stephen Davey’s sermon “Reconcilable Differences” (Philippians 4:2–3) explains that real church and family life are messy, which is exactly where extravagant grace must be practiced. Using humorous and honest stories, he shows that grace is more than a doctrine we receive from God—it’s a costly, deliberate way of stooping low in attitude and action toward difficult people. Paul’s appeal to Euodia and Syntyche models gracious confrontation: he names them, refuses to take sides, reminds them of their shared labor in the gospel, and urges them to “live in harmony in the Lord,” enlisting a trusted “true companion” to help them reconcile. Stephen Davey draws out principles that disagreements are inevitable, even mature believers don’t always disagree agreeably, and small conflicts—if unchecked—can damage an entire church. Instead of taking sides, spiritually mature believers should step in to untangle issues and protect the unity of the body, remembering that everyone’s name is written in the book of life. He concludes with the example of a Christian bus driver whose daily, practical kindness creates a community of grace, urging believers to let that same grace characterize their relationships in the church.
In his sermon on Ecclesiastes 7:1–14, Stephen Davey explains how Solomon shifts from raising life’s troubling questions to offering God-given wisdom for living well. Davey highlights four truths Solomon teaches: contemplate your mortality, because facing death cultivates serious thinking and a life of purpose rather than pretense; choose wise companions, since the rebuke of the godly is far more valuable than the shallow laughter of fools; cultivate godly character, resisting the pull of anger, corruption, impatience, and nostalgic fantasies about “the good old days”; and consider your Creator with humility, recognizing that God ordains both prosperity and adversity, the straight paths and the crooked ones, to deepen trust in Him. Davey concludes that Solomon’s inspired counsel urges believers to live with sober perspective, intentional relationships, steadfast integrity, and humble dependence on the God who shapes every season of life.
