Hillside Community Church Podcast
Hillside Community Church will live out Jesus’ life-changing message, seek to love our neighbors well, and develop authentic community where all people are welcome, worthy, and have a place.
Episodes
One of the opportunities we sometimes have is the opportunity to tell others about Jesus. It can be an exciting thing to do, but it can also be scary. This morning we’re going to take a look at one of the most effective ways we can share our faith—we’ll see how Paul simply tells the story of when he met Jesus. As we look at Paul, we’ll all be challenged to think about our story and how we might share it. - Pastor Ron Kool
Paul has been on his way to Jerusalem for quite a while and he’s finally arrived. He’s been looking forward to being in Jerusalem but he also knows that troubles are ahead of him. This morning we’ll see what happens when Paul goes into the city. As too often happens, the first trouble comes from other Christians. - Pastor Ron Kool
Sometimes Christians disagree. One of the things Christians disagree about is the strategy we ought to pursue. We might have the same goal, but we might have different ways of getting there. What do we do then? How do we decide? This morning we’ll look at a situation in which Paul and a lot of his friends disagree and we’ll watch as they figure out what to do. - Pastor Ron Kool
The site of an empty tomb on Easter morning is a symbol of victory. Death has been defeated, the bondage of sin has been overpowered by God’s power and love. But the first time people saw an empty tomb on Easter, they became so scared and confused that they ran off in a silent panic. What could possibly be scary and confusing about Easter + the empty tomb? Well, if Christ is risen and He is Lord, what does that mean about my failur...
As we gather together this evening for worship, we’ll take time to follow Jesus from His arrest to when He died. It is a sad, painful journey. But it also is a journey that leads to life for us. In our meditation, we’ll take a look at the person at the cross who sees most clearly—a Roman Centurion. - Pastor Ron Kool
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but…Most of us know the rest—words will never hurt me. It would be nice if it were true, but it’s not. Words and gestures do hurt us and Mark wants us to know that Jesus faced a tremendous amount of mockery, scorn and humiliation on His way to and while He was on the cross. We'll look at what this has to teach us this morning.
We move ahead to the day that Jesus was crucified. In the early hours of the morning, we see Him at prayer, but this is a different kind of prayer than we have seen before. Jesus is in anguish. He is struggling like never before. And as we realize why Jesus is overwhelmed, we begin to see the pain and suffering He will endure for us. - Pastor Ron Kool
One of the things that was most difficult for the disciples to understand was why Jesus came. They got that He came to save but they didn’t get HOW He would save and what the Kingdom of God would be like. They just didn’t get it. This morning we’ll watch as once again Jesus tries to help them (and us) “get it.” - Pastor Ron Kool
Summary: We want to follow Jesus because at the end of the day we know that the best life, eternal life, can only be found in following Jesus! So if following Jesus offers us the best eternal destiny, why do we find it to be so difficult to follow Jesus as God’s Word tells us? Usually, it’s because we’re still holding onto something. However, new life in Christ and God’s love can only be found when we let go. - Pastor Arek O'C...
It was only two words. Two fairly simple words. But they changed the lives of these fishermen forever. Nothing was the same after Jesus came to them and said these two words. This morning Jesus says the same words to us: Follow Me. The disciples followed. Will we? - Pastor Ron Kool
Many of us don’t like to think of ourselves as leaders. We’re just followers. But for almost all of us we will be, at least for a time, leaders. If we are parents, we are leaders. If we lead a small group, we are leaders. If we are elders or deacons, we are leaders. This morning we’ll take a look at what Paul said to the leaders of the Church in Ephesus and see what it has to say to us as we lead today. - Pastor Ron Kool
The Apostle Paul’s missionary trips are going to come to an end. He’s heading to Jerusalem, and he knows he’s heading for trouble. As Paul begins his trip to Jerusalem, we see him busy with a number of details, putting things in place while he still can. In doing this, Paul teaches us some important lessons about what it means to be in the church. - Pastor Ron Kool
Paul’s time in Ephesus ended with a bang! A large number of people are converted, God’s power is on display, and the people in Ephesus show a radical devotion to God upon their conversion. Time and time throughout Acts we keep seeing that the Gospel always transforms, it often divides, and is never compromised. Is our faith in action a walking testimony or rejection of those truths? - Pastor Arek O'Connell
Paul is going to spend three years in Ephesus planting and growing the church there. The church becomes an important church and plants other churches. What made this church so effective, so dynamic? This morning we’ll look at three marks of this dynamic church. - Pastor Ron Kool
We’ve been following the growth of the early church. It’s been exciting to see the movement grow from a small group in an upper room to a large body of believers spread across a good portion of the world. But wherever there is growth, there are also growing pains—there are challenges that come up. This morning we’ll look at some of these challenges and how the Spirit led the church through these challenges. - Pastor Ron Kool
Sometimes we just get tired. We’ve been going along and doing okay, but things start to catch up with us. We want to keep going, but it’s not easy. We’re worn out. At times like this, we need help from God—help like God gave the Apostle Paul in Corinth. - Pastor Ron Kool
When Paul preaches to the people of Athens, he is dealing with people who do not accept the authority of the Bible. He must find a different point of connection with these folks. As we see what Paul does, we learn important lessons about how we talk about Jesus to our family members, friends and others who do not know Jesus and who do not believe the Bible has authority. Paul ties in to a sense of longing he senses in them and proc...
As we approach a new year, we tend to do two things. First, we reflect on the past year, and we resolve what to do the following year. As you consider what type of year you want 2024 to look like, our text in Jeremiah will encourage us to remember a faithful group of nomads called the Rekabites. Perhaps they will help us all resolve to be faithful!
For many of us, we would rather be on the giving end of gifts than on the receiving end. We like to give to others, and if someone gives us something, we want to be able to give them a gift back. It’s not always easy simply to receive a gift. But at the heart of the Christmas story is a gift from God that we can only receive and never repay—the gift of His Son. The question for us today is this: will we receive the gift of Jesus? ...
At this time of the year, we sing songs that talk about God coming near to us. We sing, “O Come, O Come, Immanuel,” or “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus.” We look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus. But before we get too excited, we need to hear the prophet Malachi. He reminds us that when Jesus comes, it’s not just angels and stars and happy thoughts. Jesus also comes as a Refining Fire. - Pastor Ron Kool
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