February 8, 2026
Do Not Be Afraid — How to Keep Serving God When Fear Stops You | Acts 18Fear is real — and God knows exactly what you’re afraid of.In this powerful message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel walks through Acts 18, where the Apostle Paul finds himself in one of the most difficult seasons of his life, surrounded by opposition, rejection, and very real threats. And yet, in the middle of that fear, God shows up.If you’ve ever felt too afraid to take the next step in your faith — too overwhelmed to keep going, too beaten down by rejection to try again — this message speaks directly to where you are. God’s word to Paul is the same word he has for you today: Do not be afraid, but go on.Discover three practical, biblical reasons you can keep serving God even when you’re afraid: his presence, his plan, and his power. Learn how to move past fear and rejection in sharing your faith, what it looks like when God shows up in the darkest moments, and why you are never as alone as the enemy wants you to believe.Whatever fear you’re carrying right now — God sees it, God knows it, and God has a word for you.#DoNotBeAfraid #OvercomingFear #BigValleyGrace #FaithOverFear #ActsOfFaith
February 1, 2026
What if the God you’ve been searching for has already been searching for you?In this message from Acts 17:22–31, Pastor Scott unpacks Paul’s bold address to the philosophers and idol worshippers of Athens — and shows why it’s just as relevant today. Whether you’ve been spiritually curious your whole life, walked away from faith, or quietly wondered if God is even real, this message speaks directly to where you are.Pastor Scott walks through three powerful truths from this passage: that we are all searching for something to worship, that God is the creator — not a created thing we can manage or tame — and that God is sovereign and intentionally near, closer than you think and pursuing you long before you started looking for him.Drawing from personal stories and honest humor, Pastor Scott challenges us to examine what we’re really worshipping, confront the idols we’ve built — money, status, family, comfort — and respond to the God who doesn’t just tolerate our searching but invites us into relationship through Jesus Christ.The unknown God of Athens has a name. And today, he is calling you to respond.Watch, be encouraged, and take your next step.#ActsOfTheApostles #TheGodYoureLookingFor #BigValleyGrace #WhoIsGod #Repentance
January 25, 2026
What city are you building your life on? In this powerful message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel takes us through Acts 17:1–15 to reveal three cities — and three very different ways people respond to the Word of God.From Thessalonica’s dangerous resistance to Berea’s noble eagerness, and ultimately to the eternal city of New Jerusalem, this message challenges you to examine the foundation your life is built on. Are you resisting King Jesus, or are you ready and waiting for Him?If you’ve been struggling to find stability, peace, or purpose, the answer isn’t a new strategy — it’s a firmer foundation. This message will show you how daily engagement with Scripture transforms your life from the ground up, and why receiving, examining, and believing God’s Word is the most powerful thing you can do.
Whether you’re new to faith or looking to go deeper, this message offers practical biblical truth on building an unshakeable life, eagerly waiting on Jesus, and finding your eternal home in Him.📖 Open your Bible. Move the ribbon. Build on the Rock.#BiblicalFoundation #ActsChapter17 #ChristianLiving #WordOfGod #BigValleyGrace
January 18, 2026
Are You Truly Available to God? | Being Used by God in Your Everyday LifeWhat does it really mean to make yourself available to God — not just in theory, but in the middle of your busy, ordinary life? In this message, Pastor Ben unpacks the powerful story of Paul and Silas in Acts 16, where two men — wrongfully beaten and thrown in prison — chose worship over self-pity at midnight. What happened next changed not just their circumstances, but an entire household.This message from Big Valley Grace Community Church will challenge you to examine what (or who) is truly the goal and prize of your life. Whether it’s your career, your comfort, your family, or even football — whatever holds the highest place shapes your availability to God.
You’ll discover why being available to God doesn’t require a perfect schedule, why God consistently works through busy people, and how speaking up in someone’s darkest moment can change their eternity. If you’ve ever felt too busy, too ordinary, or too unqualified to be used by God, this message is for you.God doesn’t wait for the convenient moment. He calls us to be ready for the whatever and the whenever.#AvailableToGod #ActsOfFaith #BigValleyGrace #BeingUsedByGod #ChristianEncouragement
January 11, 2026
What has God uniquely called you to — and how does that calling connect to something so much bigger than yourself?In this message from Acts 15:30–16:10, Pastor Joel unpacks one of the most practical and encouraging truths in Scripture: that God calls each one of us individually and together for his glory. Whether you’ve been following Jesus for decades or you’re just beginning to ask what your life is supposed to be about, this message will give you five clear, actionable ways to live out your calling right now.Drawing from the early church’s second missionary journey — and from his own story of raising a family of nine children — Pastor Joel shows how God works through our unique backgrounds, our imperfect teams, and even our failures to advance his purpose. If you’ve ever wondered how to find your place in the church, how to serve where God has gifted you, or how to hear God’s direction when the path isn’t clear, this message will encourage and challenge you to take your next step.You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing.Watch, be encouraged, and take your next step.#BookOfActs #CalledByGod #BigValleyGrace #ChristianPurpose #FollowingJesus
November 30, 2025
What if the clearest picture of God is not a closed door, but a Father opening the way and calling His children home? In this hope-filled message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel unpacks Acts 15 and reveals how God welcomes people by grace, gives them His name, and forms one family from every background.Through Peter, Paul, Barnabas, James, the prophets, and Jesus’ parable of the lost son, we see a consistent biblical truth: God opens the door of faith, lovingly calls the lost, and patiently waits with open arms. This sermon offers Christian encouragement for anyone who feels rejected, far from God, unworthy, or unsure where they belong. You will discover how to respond to God’s call, understand salvation by grace, and embrace your identity as a beloved child of the living God.Pastor Joel also challenges the church to remove unnecessary barriers for people turning to Jesus. If you want to grow in faith, understand God’s heart for the lost, overcome shame, or learn how biblical community welcomes people without compromising truth, this message will help you take a practical next step.The door is open. The Father’s arms are extended. Come home to the God who sees you, loves you, and calls you His own.#DoorOfFaith #CalledByGod #BelongingInChrist #GraceThatWelcomes #ProdigalSon
November 16, 2025
What is actually worth fighting for? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel walks through Acts 15 and one of the most important truths of the Christian faith: we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ for good works.As the early church wrestled with whether Gentile believers needed to follow the Law of Moses to be saved, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and the church leaders defended the truth of the gospel. Salvation is not something we earn through religious performance or good works. It is an undeserved gift of God received through faith in Jesus. And once we are saved, God has meaningful work prepared for us to do.This message explores what the Bible teaches about salvation by grace, the difference between faith and works, how the Holy Spirit confirms saving faith, and why Christians should stand boldly for the truth of the gospel.You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. Your salvation has a purpose, your life has a mission, and God is inviting you to participate in bringing the hope of Jesus to others.#SavedByGrace #FaithInJesus #Acts15 #ChristianSalvation #FaithAndWorks
November 9, 2025
How do you keep going when life gets hard, faith is tested, and following Jesus comes with real opposition? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel teaches from Acts 14:19–23 and shows how Jesus gives His people the peace they need to persevere through persecution, hardship, grief, suffering, and every difficult season.Paul is stoned, dragged outside the city, and left for dead—yet he gets back up, returns to the city, and continues the mission God gave him. His response is not a picture of human toughness. It is a picture of the power of Jesus working through a surrendered life.This message explores how to find peace in difficult seasons, how Christians can persevere through spiritual opposition, what biblical peace really means, and how the Holy Spirit strengthens believers when life feels overwhelming. Jesus never promised a trouble-free life, but He did promise His presence and His peace.If you are walking through hardship, persecution, loss, anxiety, or uncertainty, this message offers Christian encouragement rooted in Scripture: no matter how tough, His peace is enough.#PeaceInJesus #PerseveringFaith #Acts14 #ChristianEncouragement #FaithThroughTrials
November 2, 2025
Who gets the glory when something incredible happens in your life? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, the teaching from Acts 14:8–18 challenges us to examine where we direct our worship, attention, gratitude, and praise.When God heals a man who had never walked, the crowd immediately credits Paul and Barnabas, calling them gods and preparing sacrifices in their honor. But Paul and Barnabas refuse the praise and point everyone back to the living God who created heaven, earth, and everything in them. Their response gives us a powerful biblical model for resisting idolatry and living for God’s glory.This message explores how to recognize idols in your life, how to grow in faith through God’s Word, how to give God credit for His blessings, and how Christians can live with wisdom in a culture filled with competing objects of worship.Whether the temptation is money, success, influence, another person, or even ourselves, God calls us to turn away from empty things and worship Him alone.Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.#GloryOfGod #Acts14 #BiblicalWorship #ChristianLiving #OvercomingIdolatry
October 26, 2025
How can God use ordinary believers to reach their community with the gospel? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel teaches from Acts 13:1–12 and shows how the Holy Spirit equips believers to step into the work God has prepared for them.The church at Antioch worshiped, prayed, fasted, listened to the Holy Spirit, and then sent Barnabas and Saul into mission. Their example gives us a practical model for how to share your faith, how to recognize God’s calling, how to rely on the Holy Spirit, and how to use Scripture in conversations about Jesus.The central truth is simple and powerful: with the Holy Spirit of God and the Word of God, we can do the work of God.This message also prepares Christians for spiritual opposition. When Elymas tried to turn Sergius Paulus away from faith, Paul responded with Spirit-filled courage and truth. Some people will reject the gospel, while others will receive it—but our responsibility is to faithfully proclaim Jesus.If you want to grow in boldness, discover your God-given purpose, overcome fear of sharing your faith, and learn practical biblical evangelism, this message will encourage you to trust God and step into the opportunities He puts in front of you.#SharingYourFaith #Acts13 #HolySpirit #BiblicalEvangelism #ChristianPurpose
October 19, 2025
What do you do when you feel trapped, stuck, or unable to change your situation? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Ben Kelly teaches from Acts 12 and the dramatic account of Peter’s miraculous escape from prison. Peter was chained between soldiers, guarded behind locked doors, and facing execution—yet God stepped into an impossible situation and completely changed the outcome.This message explores how to trust God in impossible situations, how prayer impacts our spiritual battles, and what it means to recognize that God—not us—is the hero of our story. Peter’s rescue reminds us that our lives are part of something much bigger: God’s unfolding story of redemption.Whether you’re facing marriage struggles, financial pressure, addiction, disappointment, uncertainty, or a season where you simply feel stuck, this message offers powerful Christian encouragement for difficult seasons. God sees what you cannot escape, and He is able to work in ways you could never accomplish on your own.Our role is not to become the hero. Our role is to direct people to Jesus, tell others what God has done, and trust Him with the story He is writing.#TrustingGod #Acts12 #ChristianEncouragement #GodsPlan #FaithInHardTimes
October 12, 2025
What’s the difference between religion and true repentance? In this powerful message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Joel teaches through Acts 11:1–18 and the extraordinary moment when the early church recognized that salvation through Jesus Christ was being extended to the Gentiles. The central truth is clear: repentance, not religion, leads to life.Peter’s encounter challenges us to examine whether our faith is shaped by personal experience, religious assumptions, or the truth of God’s Word. When God began working beyond the boundaries people expected, some criticized what they didn’t understand. But Peter’s testimony revealed that God was doing something bigger—calling people to repentance, giving the Holy Spirit, and bringing salvation through Jesus Christ.If you’re wondering what biblical repentance means, how to repent and turn to Jesus, how the Holy Spirit works in believers, or how to follow God when His Word challenges your assumptions, this message provides clear biblical direction and Christian encouragement.God’s grace invites us to turn from sin, believe the gospel, receive forgiveness, and discover new life in Christ. Religion cannot save us. Jesus can.#BiblicalRepentance #Acts11 #SalvationInChrist #HolySpirit #ChristianFaith
August 31, 2025
What’s the difference between religion and true repentance? In this powerful message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Joel teaches through Acts 11:1–18 and the extraordinary moment when the early church recognized that salvation through Jesus Christ was being extended to the Gentiles. The central truth is clear: repentance, not religion, leads to life.Peter’s encounter challenges us to examine whether our faith is shaped by personal experience, religious assumptions, or the truth of God’s Word. When God began working beyond the boundaries people expected, some criticized what they didn’t understand. But Peter’s testimony revealed that God was doing something bigger—calling people to repentance, giving the Holy Spirit, and bringing salvation through Jesus Christ.If you’re wondering what biblical repentance means, how to repent and turn to Jesus, how the Holy Spirit works in believers, or how to follow God when His Word challenges your assumptions, this message provides clear biblical direction and Christian encouragement.God’s grace invites us to turn from sin, believe the gospel, receive forgiveness, and discover new life in Christ. Religion cannot save us. Jesus can.#BiblicalRepentance #Acts11 #SalvationInChrist #HolySpirit #ChristianFaith
August 24, 2025
What happens when Jesus completely interrupts the direction of your life? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel teaches from Acts 9 and the radical transformation of Saul—from a violent persecutor of Christians to a bold follower and witness of Jesus Christ.Saul believed he was serving God, but one encounter with the resurrected Jesus exposed his sin, shattered his assumptions, and gave him an entirely new mission. His story reminds us that Jesus is alive, actively working, and still transforming lives today.This message explores how to recognize God at work, how Jesus exposes sin with grace and truth, how to respond when God calls you to obedience, and how God can use people we might have already counted out. You’ll also discover why your Christian testimony matters and how God uses ordinary disciples to help other disciples grow.Whether you need freedom from your past, courage to obey God, spiritual direction, or hope that someone you love can still change, Saul’s transformation demonstrates that no life is beyond the reach of Jesus.When Jesus becomes our Master, He can change our direction, purpose, relationships, and entire story.#RadicalTransformation #Acts9 #FollowingJesus #ChristianTestimony #LifeChange
August 17, 2025
How is Jesus bringing His power, salvation, and joy into our community today? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel teaches through Acts 8 and shows how Jesus fulfills His mission through ordinary disciples empowered by the Holy Spirit.The early church was scattered by persecution, but what looked like disruption became part of God’s strategy. Believers carried the Word of God into Judea and Samaria, Philip preached Christ in spiritually dark places, people found freedom, and the gospel continued moving toward the ends of the earth.This message explores how to share your faith, how God can use hardship for His purposes, how the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to witness, and why every believer has a role in bringing the gospel into their neighborhood, workplace, school, and community.Acts 8 also confronts false belief through Simon the magician and shows why genuine repentance matters. Then Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian official gives us a practical picture of biblical evangelism: listen, ask questions, open Scripture, point people to Jesus, and respond when God creates an opportunity.Jesus is still bringing salvation, freedom, and joy to people today—and He wants to use His disciples in the process.#SharingYourFaith #Acts8 #HolySpiritPower #BiblicalEvangelism #ChristianMission
August 10, 2025
How do you respond when faithfulness to Jesus brings opposition, pain, or unresolved hurt? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel teaches through Acts 6–7 and the powerful testimony of Stephen, the first recorded Christian martyr after the resurrection of Jesus.Stephen was full of faith, wisdom, grace, power, and the Holy Spirit. When false accusations came against him, God gave him courage to speak truth. Even as he was attacked and killed, Stephen looked toward heaven, saw the glory of God, and responded with extraordinary forgiveness toward the people hurting him.This message explores how to stand firm in your faith, how the Holy Spirit helps believers respond under pressure, how to forgive when there is no apology or reconciliation, and why Jesus is our only hope for salvation, heaven, mercy, and freedom from bitterness.Some wounds in life do not get neatly resolved. But Jesus can still meet us in the pain. His grace is enough, His mercy is enough, and His finished work on the cross gives us the strength to release bitterness and extend forgiveness.#ForgivenessInChrist #Acts7 #FaithUnderPressure #ChristianPersecution #HealingFromBitterness
August 3, 2025
What will you do when obeying Jesus brings pressure, opposition, or persecution? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, the teaching from Acts 5 challenges believers to decide ahead of time where their loyalty belongs: “We must obey God rather than human beings.”The apostles were arrested for preaching Jesus, miraculously released, commanded to keep sharing the gospel, and then arrested again. Yet they refused to be silenced. Their example shows us how to stand firm in your Christian faith, obey God when culture pushes in another direction, share Jesus with courage, and persevere when following Christ becomes costly.This message explores why God’s purpose, design, morality, and Word are better than the systems of the world. It also explains how the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to witness, how Jesus provides forgiveness through His death and resurrection, and why believers can endure opposition with confidence.Whether you’re facing pressure at work, conflict in your family, cultural resistance, or fear about sharing your faith, Acts 5 reminds us that God’s plan cannot be stopped.Obey God. Share Jesus. Persevere to the end.#ObeyGod #Acts5 #ChristianPersecution #SharingYourFaith #StandFirmInFaith
July 27, 2025
What should you do when people criticize, question, or attack you because you follow Jesus? In this message from Big Valley Grace Community Church, Pastor Joel teaches from Acts 4 and shows how Peter and John responded to pressure—not through anger, fear, or self-defense, but through the power of the Holy Spirit.After a man who had been unable to walk was healed in the name of Jesus, the apostles were arrested and questioned about the source of their authority. Their response points directly to Christ: Jesus is alive, Jesus saves, and there is no other name by which we must be saved.This message explores how to respond to criticism as a Christian, how to grow in spiritual boldness, how to share your testimony without making it about yourself, and how prayer equips believers for spiritual battles. Peter and John were ordinary men, but people recognized that they had been with Jesus.When pressure increased, the early church didn’t retreat—they prayed more desperately and asked God for greater boldness.If you need courage, conviction, spiritual strength, or help trusting God in a desperate situation, Acts 4 reminds us that the Holy Spirit can do in us what we could never accomplish on our own.#Acts4 #ChristianBoldness #HolySpiritPower #SharingJesus #FaithUnderPressure