Park Hill Church Podcast

How to Deal With Unfulfilled Desires (Hannah's Story)

Rachel Hughes visits Park Hill Church with a timely message for many. Rachel and her husband Tim are pastors of Gas Street Church in Birmingham, UK. Today, Rachel unpacks the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 and 2. The story of Hannah is a beautiful example of what we as God's children are invited to do with our unfulfilled longings. Rather than engaging in spiritual bypassing or caving in to discouragement, Hannah chooses to "stand up" and walk through her unfulfilled desires, fully trusting God with the outcomes.

The Extraordinary Life You Long For

From our series "Acts." Acts 6-7 are two chapters almost entirely focused on the life of one person: Stephen. He's not a full time pastor. He's not one of the Apostles. He's not one of the professional church people. He's a normal church member who becomes one of the most extraordinary lives in the history of the Church. He's also the first Christian martyr. What is the secret of Stephen's power and influence? Whatever it is, it's something available to everyone in the church, not just the professional Christians. 

Who's Missing at Your Table?

From our series "Acts." As the church continues to grow, problems start to arise. In Acts 6, the Greek-speaking Jewish Christian widows are getting overlooked by what is likely the majority culture (Aramaic-speaking Jewish Christians) within the church. But the Holy Spirit begins moving in this new church, and the result is beautiful. Because the whole church has the power of the Spirit, they are free to give away their own power for the sake of the vulnerable just like Jesus did. This story has so much relevance for our time. 

Easter 2024: Love That Passes Through Locked Doors

It's Easter 2024. We are continuing in our series "Acts." Here in Acts 5, the connection to the Easter story is too good to miss. The apostles are in prison for preaching the resurrection. They've been publicly shamed by Jewish leaders. These apostles have every reason to be crippled by fear of the unknown. But they aren't afraid. It's as if they're expecting a heavenly being to pass through their locked doors and lead them into God's future hope. Why were they so secure, confident, and settled amidst their suffering? The reason goes back to a similar event they experienced on the first Easter morning.

Palm Sunday Family Gathering

Matt Pursley gives a teaching at our special Palm Sunday gathering for all ages.

The Fruit of the Fear

From our series "Acts." For many Bible readers, Acts chapter 5 is famously considered one of the most troubling texts in all of scripture. In this narrative, a couple named Ananias and Sapphira die... seemingly, for lying. But things are more than they seem. And the result of this tragic moment in church history is that the "fear of God" grips the hearts of the whole church, which in turn leads to miraculous healings, salvation, and power flowing through the early church out into the world God so loves. So, what do we make of this story today as San Diegans in 2024? And what do we make of "the fear of the LORD"? The Holy Spirit wan't to bring about great fruit in our lives today. But it turns out, we can't have the fruit without the fear. 

Living Well in the Tension

From our series "Acts." In the unfolding events of Acts 3–4, we witness the first significant conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. Peter and John are interrogated by the authorities for preaching the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. How they respond to their earthly authorities (and how their Church community responds to their response) reveals much about how followers of Jesus are to live in the world today. As citizens of God's kingdom first, what should our "allegiance" be to our worldly government and culture? And what should we do, practically, when those two kingdoms come into conflict? The Spirit-led Church in Acts 4 points the way forward.

The Practice of Fasting

As part of our year in Acts, we are looking at eight different practices from Jesus that shaped the life of the early church. In this teaching, Evan Wickham walks us through our second practice: fasting. The spiritual practice of fasting from food played a crucial role in the launching of Jesus' ministry as well as the most important moments of key decision-making in the early church. So, this raises the question, why is fasting such a forgotten practice for Christians in our time and place today? In our relatively affluent culture of extra, more, and mine, fasting might be the most relevant practice for followers of Jesus. We are called by the living God to live holy lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. And one of the primary ways we get to live into that holiness is through the practice of fasting-with-prayer in community. 

No Other Name that Heals

From our series "Acts." As the disciples proclaim Jesus’ name with power and authority, the religious leaders recognize that although the disciples were uneducated, ordinary men, they had obviously been with Jesus. They were beginning to talk like him, act like him, and do the miraculous things he did.
As Jesus' disciples today, we are called to impact our world the same was his first disciples did. We do this by being with Jesus. In other words: we must be filled with the Spirit.

Does God Still Heal Today?

From our series "Acts." Here in chapter 3, we read the account of the first miraculous healing in the early church. Peter and John see a man unable to walk from birth, and they proceed to heal the man by God's power in Jesus' name. This story raises so many questions for us—namely, does God still heal like this today? Did Jesus really command his followers to continue doing all his healing work that he did? The answer is just as shocking for us today as it was for the first witnesses of the miraculous healing of Acts 3.