Advertise on podcast: Awakening Church

Pastor Jordan Boyce is continuing our Acts of the Apostles series with The Unknown God, preaching from Acts 17:22–34. Paul walked into a city searching for God without truly knowing Him and declared that the God they were looking for was closer than they thought. Wherever you’re watching from, join us as we look to Jesus, the One who makes the unknown God known. Paul stood in the heart of Athens surrounded by altars, idols, philosophy and religion, yet the people still did not know the God they were searching for. Pointing to their altar “To the unknown god,” Paul proclaimed that the God they were reaching for was not far from them. God uses the world around us to point us toward Jesus, and through Jesus, He reveals Himself. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. If you want to know what God is like, look to Christ. And the ultimate assurance of who Jesus is comes through the resurrection. Christianity ultimately confronts each of us with the same question Jesus asked Martha: “Do you believe this?” Key Highlights: • The Athenians knew gods, religion, philosophy and worship, but they did not know Jesus. • Creation points to the Creator, art points to the Artist and the shadow points to the One casting it. • God meets people in ways they can recognize. Our passions, relationships, creation, joys, struggles and questions can all point us toward Him. • Paul declares that God “is actually not far from each one of us.” Like feeling your way through an unfamiliar room toward the door, God is closer than we may realize. • The goal is not simply to know about God, but to know Him and be known by Him. • Jesus is the Man who makes the unknown God known. He is “the image of the invisible God.” • If you want to know the personality of God, look at the person of Jesus: the Father who runs toward the prodigal, the One who touches the leper, lifts the paralyzed and opens the eyes of the blind. • Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” • Pilate presented Jesus to the crowd and declared, “Behold the Man!” The question for us is: Have you beheld Him? • When you are stung by sin, bitten by betrayal or caught in the stranglehold of shame, look to Jesus. • Paul points Athens beyond philosophy and religion to the resurrection. God has given assurance of who Jesus is by raising Him from the dead. • Christianity ultimately comes down to more than believing Jesus was a good man, moral teacher or prophet. Do you believe He is God? • Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life,” and then asked her, “Do you believe this?” That same question remains for us today. • Jesus died, was buried and rose again. The resurrection changes every decision that follows. • If the tomb is not empty, we are fools. But if it is empty, we are free indeed.Scripture References: Acts 17:22–34, Colossians 1:15, John 14:9, John 19:5, Zechariah 12:10, Hebrews 12:2, John 11:21–27, Psalm 34:8

Every person was created with the purpose to worship God. The question is not whether we will worship, but what we will worship. In Athens, Paul encountered a city filled with idols and proclaimed the one true God who made heaven and earth. Humanity’s problem is that we exchange worship of the Creator for created things, placing our trust, identity and devotion in things that were never designed to sustain us. Idols promise fulfillment but ultimately produce emptiness and bondage. Jesus breaks the power of idolatry, tears down the altars that have taken God’s rightful place and sets us free to worship the Lord truly and rightly.🕊️ Key Highlights:• Every generation builds altars and idols. Ours may look like stadiums, screens, stock tickers, careers, possessions and ourselves.• We were created as image bearers of God, for relationship with Him, His glory and His delight.• Worship is more than music. It is the posture of a life oriented toward God as worthy of ultimate allegiance, trust, value and service.• We do not choose whether we worship. We choose the object of our worship.• Idolatry is exchanging worship of the Creator for worship of the created.• Whatever you worship becomes your master. Idols can only take and ultimately lead to bondage, never freedom.• Every idol asks you to climb up and prove yourself worthy. Jesus did the opposite: He came down to us.• Like Gideon tearing down the altar of Baal, Jesus tears down the idols in our lives and leads us into true freedom.• At the cross, the exchange is reversed: instead of us exchanging the Creator for the created, the Creator gave Himself for us.• An idol is a broken cistern that cannot sustain you. Jesus is the fountain of living water who gives true life.📖 Scripture References: Acts 17:22-31, Romans 1:22-25, Romans 12:1, Psalm 95:6, Jeremiah 2:13, 2 Peter 2:19, Genesis 1:26-28

Pastor Jordan Boyce is preaching on Investing Into the Next Generation.📝 Notes: In Acts 16, Paul encountered a young woman being exploited by people who saw her as a source of profit rather than someone worth protecting. Paul was so deeply troubled by what he saw that his grief moved him to action, even knowing it would come at great personal cost. The same challenge stands before us today: the enemy hopes to gain FROM the next generation, but the Church is called to invest INTO them. Jesus values children for who they are right now, and we have a responsibility to protect them, disciple them, and create places where they can be formed by truth. Today, Awakening Church continues its legacy of investing into the next generation through the launch of Awakening Christian Academy.🕊️ Key Highlights:• Jesus values children not simply for who they will become, but for who they are right now.• Innocence, wonder, and joy are qualities Jesus tells us to recover, not qualities children need to outgrow.• Paul was deeply troubled by the exploitation of the young woman, and his grief overflowed into action.• Many times, doing the right thing is also doing the costly thing.• Don’t just complain or campaign. Sacrifice. Act. Protect.• The enemy can claim territory wherever he is not challenged. Whatever you don’t contest, you concede.• Education is territory worth fighting for. We need godly teachers, Christ-centered ideas, and unashamed Christian young men and women.• The enemy hopes to gain FROM our children. We are called to invest INTO them.• Awakening Christian Academy continues a long legacy of investing into the next generation from this house.• Our goal is to raise $250,000 to help launch the Pioneer Year through classroom construction, scholarships, teachers, curriculum, security, and facilities.• Investing in the next generation is investing into eternity.📖 Scripture References: Acts 16:16-20, Proverbs 22:6, James 1:27, Matthew 18:3, Psalm 68:5, Acts 20:35, Matthew 6:19-21

Pastor Jordan Boyce is preaching on Discerning Right Decisions.📝 Notes: Acts 15 gives us a picture of how believers can approach difficult decisions with wisdom and discernment. When the early church faced a major question, they gathered together to consider the matter, looking at what God had chosen, what God had already done, and what God had written. Good, godly decisions are not simply about choosing between right and wrong. They require wisdom, surrender, Scripture, prayer, and trust in the Holy Spirit. Decisions determine direction and influence destiny, and when we learn to discern God’s will, we can move forward with humility, unity, and peace.🕊️ Key Highlights:• Anything worth committing to is worth considering. Decisions determine direction and influence destiny.• The Pharisees said, “It is necessary.” Jesus said, “It is finished.” Salvation rests in what Christ has already accomplished.• Peter reminds us to trust what God has chosen instead of fighting or comparing ourselves with His plan for our lives.• Comparison gets you off course. You cannot focus sideways and make progress forward.• Paul and Barnabas looked back at what God had already done. Former faithfulness is a sign for the future.• If He did it then, He can do it again.• James looked to what God had written. Do not make a big decision without knowing what Scripture says.• Seek the Holy Spirit in connection with the written Word, consider God’s providence, pray, and surrender your preferred outcome.• Like Peter, trust God’s choices. Like Paul, recount His hand. Like James, know and apply His Word.• “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” Godly discernment leads to humility, harmony, and settled peace.• Good, godly decisions lead to a healthy, flourishing life of faith.📖 Scripture References: Acts 15:1, Acts 15:6-7, Acts 15:10, Acts 15:12, Acts 15:15, Acts 15:19, Acts 15:28, Proverbs 4:7, Psalm 103:2-5, Romans 12:2, Colossians 3:15

Pastor Jordan Boyce is preaching on Divine Orchestration: When God Answers Prayer Through People.📝 Notes: Acts 10 marks a turning point in the story of the Church. For generations, God’s people had been separated from the nations, but through the prayers of Cornelius and Peter, God orchestrated a divine appointment that opened the Gospel to the Gentiles. While Cornelius prayed in Caesarea and Peter prayed in Joppa, God was already arranging the right people, in the right places, at the right time. Prayer didn’t simply change circumstances—it positioned people to participate in God’s greater plan. When we pray, God orchestrates, and His grace reaches farther than we could ever imagine.🕊️ Key Highlights:• God often moves His Church forward by first finding praying people.• Cornelius “prayed continually,” reminding us that prayer is meant to be a lifestyle, not just a response to crisis.• Prayer invites God into every area of life and positions us to recognize His direction.• While Cornelius was praying and Peter was praying, God was already coordinating their paths behind the scenes.• God has the right person, in the right place, at the right time, to answer the right prayer.• Peter’s vision challenged years of tradition and revealed that God’s grace was for every nation, not just Israel.• Sometimes God’s will confronts our own preferences before it changes our perspective.• Prayer prepares us to answer God’s call when opportunities unexpectedly arrive.• The Gospel tears down walls of hostility and turns strangers into family through the blood of Christ.• God’s grace is never meant to stop with us—it is meant to flow through us to others.📖 Scripture References: Acts 10:1-35, Philippians 4:6, Matthew 7:7, Acts 10:9-18, Acts 10:35, Ephesians 2:14-17

Pastor Chad Veach from Zoe Church in Los Angeles is bringing a timely message to Awakening Church, The Time Is Here.📝 Notes: God is the author of time. While we cannot know the chronos—the clock time—of Christ’s return, we are called to recognize the kairos moments, the appointed opportunities when God is moving. Jesus entered Jerusalem not simply on a timeline, but at the perfect appointed time. Throughout Scripture, God accomplishes extraordinary purposes through ordinary people and ordinary things. He relentlessly pursues humanity, continually sending messengers and ultimately His own Son. As we await Christ’s return, our calling is not fear, but faithful readiness—living spiritually awake, prayerful, and prepared.🕊️ Key Highlights:Chronos is clock time—minutes, days, months, and years. God is sovereign over time, but no one knows the chronos of Christ’s return.Kairos is God’s appointed opportunity. Luke 19:44 reminds us not to miss “the time of God’s coming.”Jesus’ triumphal entry fulfilled God’s perfect timing as the King arrived exactly when the Father intended.God often works through borrowed and ordinary things: a borrowed colt, borrowed bread, a borrowed upper room, and even a borrowed tomb.God delights in doing extraordinary things through ordinary people who simply say yes.Throughout Israel’s history, God repeatedly sent prophets—including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Zechariah—to call His people back to Him.God’s persistence reveals His relentless love. Even after generations of rejection, He sent His beloved Son.Jesus is the rejected stone who became the Cornerstone—the foundation of our faith and salvation.The signs Jesus described point toward the nearness of God’s kingdom, but His message is not panic—it is preparation.The greatest preparation for Christ’s return is cultivating a life that stays spiritually awake, prayerful, undistracted, and ready to stand before the Son of Man.Don’t simply count time—recognize God’s appointed moments and respond when He is moving.

Pastor Jordan is preaching on Hidden Friends in Hard Times as we continue our Acts of the Apostles series. 📝 Notes: Saul set out for Damascus breathing threats and murder against the Church, but instead of judgment, he encountered Jesus. Blinded and helpless, Saul entered one of the darkest moments of his life. Unknown to him, God was already preparing Ananias to receive him. Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly provides hidden friends in our hardest seasons. Just as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus stepped forward when every public disciple had fled, God has people in reserve who will carry us when we have no strength left. Even when life feels like a crucifixion, the Lord is always working behind the scenes. 🕊️ Key Highlights: - God often meets us in our most undeserving moments with grace, not condemnation.- Saul’s blindness reminds us that God sometimes removes our vision before revealing His purpose.- Every believer will face seasons of carrying a cross, where God uses suffering to transform us.- In our darkest moments, God sends hidden friends who are already prepared for the assignment.- Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus quietly stepped forward when the public disciples fled, proving that faith often becomes bold in difficult moments.- Hidden friends are sent by God, willingly bear the cost of loving others, and carry us when we cannot carry ourselves.- Sometimes we survive because someone else’s faith is stronger than ours for a season.- Ananias greeted the former persecutor as “Brother Saul,” demonstrating the power of grace and reconciliation.- God sets the lonely in families, and Jesus remains the Friend who never leaves or forsakes His people. 📖 Scripture References: • Acts 9:1-19 • Proverbs 18:24 • Mark 14:50 • Isaiah 53:3 • Psalm 22:1 • Psalm 22:22 • Matthew 16:24 • John 12:32 • Mark 15:43 • 1 John 1:7 • Matthew 27:60 • Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 • Psalm 68:6

Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin, the most defendant-protective court in the ancient world, a court that had just thrown out every one of its own protections to kill him. As the stones fell, Stephen did not cry out for vengeance. He cried out for forgiveness. That single prayer, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin,” marks the moment the new covenant broke the old cycle of compounding vengeance and introduced a gospel of extreme, unreasonable forgiveness. And watching over the coats of the men who killed him stood a young man named Saul, the very man that forgiveness would one day reach.🕊 Key Highlights:• The Sanhedrin was built to protect the accused, yet for Stephen every protocol was abandoned.• Stephen is the only other person in the New Testament besides Jesus to use the title “Son of Man” for Christ.• Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance. Stephen’s dying prayer cried out for forgiveness. That is the difference between the old covenant and the new.• Cain’s line multiplied vengeance sevenfold, then seventy times sevenfold. Jesus reversed that math when He told Peter to forgive seventy times seven.• Stephen’s final words were not prayed to the Father like Jesus on the cross, but to Jesus Himself, one of the first recorded prayers directed to Christ as God.• Saul of Tarsus stood at the stoning, likely overseeing it, and became the unmerited recipient of Stephen’s forgiveness.• Jesus is seen seated everywhere else in the New Testament. Here, uniquely, He stands, rising to testify for Stephen before the court of heaven.• The court of men said guilty. The court of heaven rose to its feet and said chosen, redeemed, mine.📖 Scripture References: Acts 7:54-60, Acts 6:8-15, Genesis 4:8-15, Matthew 18:21-22, Luke 23:34, Luke 23:46, Deuteronomy 17:7, Hebrews 12:24, Hebrews 10:12, Matthew 10:32✞ Learn more about Jesus: https://awakeningchurch.org/🎓 Get On-Demand Christian Discipleship & Training: https://awakeningchristianacademy.org/

📝 Notes: Stephen stood before the highest religious court in Judaism, surrounded by false witnesses, powerful accusers, and a verdict that seemed decided before the trial began. Yet, Scripture tells us that his face was like the face of an angel. True, untouchable peace does not come from our circumstances, our strength, or our ability to keep it together. It comes from a life hidden in Christ, guarded by the peace of God, and filled with the Holy Spirit. When we live close to God and keep our attention fixed on Him, we can face injustice, accusation, and difficulty with a peace that lies cannot shake, accusations cannot dismantle, and injustice cannot destroy. 🕊️ Key Highlights: • Opposition is not always a sign that you are doing something wrong. • Sometimes faithfulness is exactly what draws opposition. • When people cannot win against truth, they often attack character instead. • Stephen knew his life was not in the hands of his accusers, but in the hands of Christ. • True peace does not come from our circumstances, possessions, relationships, status, or success. • Our lives are hidden with Christ in God, beyond the reach of anything this world can take away. • The peace of God surpasses human understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. • True peace is not produced by willpower. It is fruit produced by the Holy Spirit. • The face Stephen carried in the crisis was formed in the ordinary days before it. • We need proximity to God if we want our lives to reflect the peace of God. • You do not need Stephen’s courage. You need Stephen’s God. The same Spirit who filled him is offered to you. 📖 Scripture References: • Acts 6:8-15 • 2 Timothy 3:12 • Leviticus 24:16 • Matthew 26:59-61 • Colossians 3:3 • Philippians 4:7 • Galatians 5:22 • Exodus 34:29-30

Pastor Jordan Boyce is preaching on Raising Up Christian Leaders. 📝 Notes: As the early church grew, so did the needs of the people. The apostles recognized that healthy growth required faithful leadership, so they appointed Spirit-filled, wise, and trustworthy men to serve the church. God’s desire has always been to raise up ordinary people with extraordinary character who will lead their homes, serve His Church, and represent Christ well. The Church grows stronger when every believer steps into their God given calling and serves together as one body. 🕊️ Key Highlights: • Growth is a blessing, but it also brings greater responsibility. • Healthy churches require both spiritual leadership and practical organization. • God calls every believer to use their gifts to strengthen His Church. • Christian leaders are recognized first by their character, not their position. • A good reputation reflects consistent godly character over time. • We cannot fulfill God’s calling apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. • Wisdom is applying God’s truth to everyday decisions. • The Church functions best when every member serves together as one body. • God is raising up men and women to lead both their homes and His house with virtue, wisdom, and spiritual discernment. 📖 Scripture References: Acts 6:1-7 James 1:27 Exodus 18:17-23 Ecclesiastes 4:9 1 Corinthians 12:12 1 Timothy 3:7 2 Corinthians 5:20 John 15:5 Galatians 5:16, 1 Kings 3:9 Proverbs 4:7

Pastor Jordan Boyce is preaching on If It Is of God. 📝 Notes: The apostles found themselves standing before the Sanhedrin, facing opposition, threats, and persecution because they refused to stop proclaiming Jesus. Yet in the middle of the conflict, Gamaliel spoke a profound truth: if something is of man, it will fail, but if it is of God, it cannot be overthrown. God’s plans are unstoppable. Throughout history, God has accomplished His purposes through ordinary people who chose obedience over comfort and faith over fear. Opposition is often part of the process, but it cannot stop the work of God. The invitation is to discern where God is moving and faithfully join Him. 🕊️ Key Highlights: • God has a good plan, and nothing can stop what He has purposed. • The Church of Jesus Christ is God’s plan for reaching the world. • Momentum follows the work of God, and opposition often follows momentum. • Adversity is not always a sign that you’re off course; sometimes it’s evidence that God is at work. • If God is for us, no opposition can ultimately prevail against His purposes. • Passion, promise, and position help us discern whether something is truly from God. • Nehemiah didn’t pray for an easier assignment—he prayed for stronger hands. • God often uses opposition to deepen our faith, strengthen our character, and increase our dependence on Him. • A transformed life is one of the most powerful testimonies to the reality of Jesus. 📖 Scripture References: • Acts 5:27-41 • Romans 8:31 • Matthew 16:18 • Isaiah 55:11 • 1 Corinthians 16:9 • Nehemiah 6:9 • Nehemiah 1:3-4 • Isaiah 8:20

Awakening Church is preaching Giving God’s Way.📝 Notes: The story of Ananias and Sapphira reminds us that God is not after our money—He is after our hearts. Giving was never meant to be a transaction, a way to gain status, or something done out of compulsion. It is an act of worship. The issue was not the amount they gave, but the deception in their hearts. God desires a people who honor Him with sincerity, generosity, and reverence. Every act of giving tears down the idol of mammon and declares that God alone is worthy of our trust, devotion, and worship. Healthy fear of the Lord produces wisdom, sets healthy boundaries, and leads us into a life that honors Him.🕊️ Key Highlights:• Giving God’s way is worship, not a transaction. We give because He is worthy.• Money is not the currency of the Kingdom—faithfulness, service, forgiveness, and faith are.• Every act of generosity breaks the grip of mammon and strengthens our trust in God.• God cares more about the condition of the heart than the size of the gift.• Giving should flow from conviction, not compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.• Healthy fear of the Lord leads to wisdom, spiritual protection, and a life aligned with God’s purposes.• The question is not how much you give, but whether your heart fully belongs to God.📖 Scripture References: Acts 5:1-11, Proverbs 9:10, Luke 22:25-26, Matthew 6:24, 1 Timothy 6:10, Mark 12:41-44, 1 Samuel 16:7, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Romans 1:22

Awakening Church is preaching Common People, Astonishing God with Pastor Jordan Boyce.📝 Notes:In Acts 4:13, the religious leaders were astonished by Peter and John. They saw boldness they couldn’t explain, recognized that these were ordinary men, and realized they had been with Jesus. The same transformation that changed the disciples is available to us today.The cross changes you.When we place our faith in Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit, God gives us a new identity, a new source of courage, and a new purpose. The disciples were not extraordinary people by the world’s standards. They were fishermen, workers, and everyday men. Yet through the power of Christ, they became bold witnesses who helped change the world.A transformed life is marked by courage that comes from conviction, purpose that reveals God’s power through ordinary people, and a relationship with Jesus that leaves a visible impact on everyone around us.🕊️ Key Highlights:• Our courage comes from an inner conviction in Christ, not confidence in ourselves.• The Holy Spirit transforms fear into boldness and uncertainty into conviction.• Salvation gives us a new spiritual identity that is greater than our old limitations.• God specializes in using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary purposes.• There is no such thing as “just” an ordinary person in the Kingdom of God.• God often chooses the weak, overlooked, and unlikely so that His glory is unmistakable.• The everyday parts of our lives can become acts of worship when surrendered to God.• Who you spend time with shapes who you become.• Walking with Jesus leaves a visible mark on your life.• People should be able to recognize Christ through the way we live, speak, and love.💬 Key Quote:“The cross changes you. Walking with Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit transforms ordinary people into powerful witnesses for Christ.”🙏 Salvation Invitation:Have you been with Jesus?Transformation begins in the soul before it changes the mind and the life. Jesus came to bring us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Today, you can experience forgiveness, new life, and a completely new identity through Him.📖 Scriptures: Acts 4:13, Acts 4:10, Joel 2:28, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Isaiah 6, Exodus 4, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, Psalm 118:23, and Romans 12:1-2.

Pastor Nate Kosiba is preaching on being Carriers of the Name and Presence! 📝 Notes: The church’s greatest gift is not what it accumulates, but what it carries, the power of Jesus’ name and presence. In Acts 3, Peter and John encounter a man lame from birth, surrounded by the beauty and wealth of the temple, yet still broken. The world is full of resources, yet still in need. What the church carried then, it still carries today. This moment was not chance. It was the result of a lifestyle. Carriers of the power of Jesus live with rhythm, awareness, and bold faith. They position themselves in prayer, stop for people, know what they carry, and refuse to take credit. 🕊️ Key Highlights: • Carriers of the power of Jesus maintain a consistent habit of prayer and position themselves to receive from God. • Faithful rhythm creates space for God to move, and often the miracle happens along the way, not because it was pursued. • To carry the presence of God, we must be willing to stop, see people, and not rush past need. • Before anything changes, someone has to be seen, because seeing people matters before speaking into their situation. • The church does not exist to offer temporary solutions, but to bring the lasting power of Jesus that truly heals. • As believers, we must understand what we carry, the authority, power, and presence found in the name of Jesus. • Faith requires action, and we are called to speak and step out before we see the evidence. • When the power of Jesus moves, it brings complete transformation, restoring body, soul, and access to God. • Carriers of the presence always refuse the credit and point people back to Jesus. 📖 Scriptures Referenced: • Acts 3:1–12 • Acts 2:43 • Acts 4:22 • Psalm 5:3 • John 19:30 • Isaiah 35:6 • Philippians 2:9–11 • 1 Peter 3:15

Awakening Church is preaching: Together, Filled, Rested. 📝 Notes: In Acts 2, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit did not happen in isolation; it happened in unity. The disciples were together in one place, postured in obedience and expectation. In that environment, the Spirit of God filled the house and rested on each of them. God moves powerfully where there is unity, hunger, and availability. We are reminded that gathering matters, being filled is ongoing, and true rest is found not in striving, but in the presence of God. When we position ourselves together, the Spirit fills and rests on us, empowering us to live from overflow, not exhaustion. 🕊️ Key Highlights: • They were all together in one placeUnity creates space for God to move • You heal best when you are not aloneWe are called to rejoice and weep together • Gathering is essentialFaith was never meant to be lived in isolation • God wants to fill and refill youBeing filled with the Spirit is ongoing • Stop striving and start receivingBe ready for His Spirit • The Holy Spirit is looking for a place to restAre you open and available 📖 Scriptures Referenced: • Acts 2:1–4 • Psalm 133:1–3 • Romans 12:15 • Ephesians 4:3 • Hebrews 10:24–25 • Ephesians 5:18 • Joel 2:28 • Matthew 11:28 • Psalm 23:2–3 • Exodus 33:14–15 • 1 Peter 4:14