In Acts 21, when Paul tried to preach Christ to the Jews in Jerusalem, there was such an uproar over his presence there, that He was attacked and and nearly killed by his detractors. Paul had to be whisked away by a Roman Commander and his soldiers because the violence of the mob was so great. When the Roman Commander tried to take Paul into the barracks, Paul appealed to him to plead his case. The commander let him, and Paul took a moment to confront the smears and reflect on his background, his encounter with Jesus Christ, and the transformation in His life that followed. Paul only had a moment to share Christ, and he took that moment. We have the same opportunity to take a moment and share Christ with others today.

There is a transcendent reality that largely goes unrealized when it comes to go out and proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ. The reality is this; there is a risk involved in loving people. When you consider what Paul was going through in Acts 21, he was being accused and smeared by his detractors, who in turn stirred up crowds against him and put his life in danger. The lesson here is this; it is a risk to love others who might reject us, hate us, and attack us. And to think that the Gospel, and our rescue from Hell, wouldn't exist if God didn't love us, and empower people like Paul to obediently spread that message makes it clear that love drives people (like Paul then and us today) to give it up, take the risk, pay the cost, and despite the cost and obstacles stacked against us, reach out to people anyway. This in turn adds greater power, in a convicting way, to what Jesus talked about when he said to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)."

When Paul evangelized to the Jews, they rejected him and his message as they saw him as a heretic. When he evangelized to the Gentiles, the Gentiles received the Gospel better, but came under intense persecution from the Jews and the Law. So how could Paul evangelize without the many laws, rules, and regulations that the law (outside the Ten Commandments) carried? The truth is, he didn't need them. When Jesus was on earth, He gave us principles to live by because He lived by them. Christ met people where they were and became all things to all people, and that's exactly how Paul evangelized. And so, we need to love people where they're at so that they can see the love of Jesus, and let the power of His message, presence, and Word, grow and bring forth life from there.

In this special presentation, we celebrate the life, memory, and faith of Carol June Billow, who went home to be with the Lord this last December. Carol is the mother of Pastor Troy Billow of Living Faith Community Church, and wife of Pastor Emeritus John Billow, who serves as the assistant pastor.

We all need good examples in our lives. We need people who have wisdom and set good examples through action. In this message, we see how Paul not only set the example despite hardships, persecution, and difficulty facing him in his time, but also set the example for all followers of Christ for all ages. As Paul was committed, focused, and diligent, we as followers of Christ we need to follow that example as well. It is by doing this, people will be able to see Christ in us, just as they did in Paul when he was spreading the gospel in his day.

The Apostle Paul had a message for the church of Ephesus that continues to this day. The Gospel of Christ was built to last. That said, we as followers of Christ are built up in the Word of Grace, which means that we are built up in knowledge, built up spiritually, built up in encouragement, peace, and joy, and have an internal inheritance waiting for us the moment we pass on from this life. Paul knew the vital importance of these things when he spread the message of the gospel throughout the world. Paul took the message of the gospel so seriously, that he didn't want to be responsible for the eternal death of anybody. That said, Paul sacrificed his prestige, power, position, and taste for nice things (which he had) to bring the plain truth of this message to the world. When you think of the benefits of the gospel of Christ, you will see that the rewards you reap are due to the very Spirit, drive, conviction, and motivation that led Paul to act, and because of that, we now have an array of Christ led provision, benefits, & a relationship that was established to build us up and last forever.

As the darkness surrounds us daily, with the intent to disrupt and discourage our lives, the vitality of effective leadership is most critical in offering people a way to transcend its subjective pull. What does that mean? The Apostle Paul reveals to us that preaching the Kingdom of God is serious business, especially when you consider that our access to it was purchased with the blood of Christ to free us from every form of darkness. And yet, the power of conveying these realities relies heavy on how serious we take the scriptures, and communicating its truth (regardless of what people may think) in order to truly free people from the thoughts, actions, burdens, and griefs that the enemy bombards us with every day.

The world we live in these days is deep in chaos, confusion, turmoil, and death. Despite these things, it does not want anything to do with Christ. Cancel culture attacks anything and everything that does not toe the line to the forces that control it. Persecution is on the rise. Sound doctrine is even being rejected by some Christians. And that's not all. Despite these forces and influences, God wants to give His people guidance and motivation to preach the Gospel, especially in these last days. The Holy Spirit has our direction and our destiny set, like a GPS, and He is the one who compels people to serve Him. The question is; do we have our "Spiritual GPS" on, and are we following it to the direction that the Spirit has set for us? In this message, we see how Paul allowed himself to be led by the Holy Spirit, and why it is so important for followers of Christ to do the same today.

A Gallup Poll released in March of 2021 stated that church membership has fallen below the majority for the first time ever, since they started taking score in 1937. Today 47% of adults in the U.S. currently belong to a church, a synagogue, or a mosque. This has created a situation where our own backyard has now become a mission field where a broad number of Americans do not know Christ. In this message, Pastor Troy Billow takes Paul's example of addressing this matter. Paul had passion and was stirred up to preach the gospel, and God uses people like that. In other words, then, like today, God enables and empowers people who are in ACTION.

Pastor John Billow elaborates on the metaphor Jesus gave on "the vine and the branches" in John chapter 1. How important is it for a believer to remain in Christ? What does it mean to "bear fruit?" What does it mean to "prune" the branches? What does Jesus mean when He says "If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned," and proclaim eternal security? Join us as we delve deep into the meanings behind this analogy.