Park Hill Church Podcast

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

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.  

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, David Wade walks us through the first practice: reading scripture. The Bible tells the story of God’s acts through history to save and rescue a people for himself. Not only is the Bible this kind of story, but it's also a living word, alive and powerful, that actually shapes God's rescued family more and more into the image of his son Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, how do we practice reading scripture in order to experience transformation? Listen along and find out.

This is a live recording of our final House of Learning event from 2023 (Nov 26). When Park Hill leadership asked our people what areas of the Christian faith they would most like to learn about, several responded: “Church history.” So, this final House of Learning is entitled "Christian History Before Power.” The goal of the night was to share a meal and humbly learn from the first 300 years of church history all about what it means to love and follow Jesus. How did the first Jesus followers answer Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" Join us and find out.

From our series "Acts." Acts chapter 2 shows us what happened the day the Church was born, and the apostle Peter gives the first sermon in Church history. His message: The long-awaiting Day of the Lord has come! Now the power of heaven is unleashed on earth, creating new ways of being human, leading to the complete restructuring of human society around King Jesus. So rethink everything! This is what the first century Jews were waiting for. And it's what every human heart today is longing for as well (whether we know it or not). We long for the world to be set right, where there's no more sin and death, and injustice is no more. This is what Jesus came to do. The question is, will we respond by repenting and trusting in him as the rightful king of the universe? This might require us to rethink everything...

From our series "Acts." Acts chapter two is one of the most well known parts of the Bible, and for good reason. It's the moment the entire Old Testament was longing for: When God's personal presence comes to rest within the hearts of everyone, from every nation and culture, who pledges allegiance to Jesus as king. But when the Holy Spirit comes, what's the first thing he compels the first Christians to do? The answer is just as shocking to us today as it was to those who witnessed the first events of Pentecost.