Hope Hell's Kitchen

This podcast features the special guest preaching of Jordan Varghese, a ministry intern at Hope Church NYC. Jordan preaches from John 20:19-30.

This podcast features the audio of Pastor Ronalda's sermon on John 20:1-18.

This podcast features the special guest preaching of Jordan Varghese, a ministry intern at Hope Church NYC. Jordan preaches from John 15:1-17.

This podcast features the special guest preaching of Pastor Cathy Bruce. Cathy preaches from John 14:1-7.

This podcast features the special guest preaching of Jordan Varghese, a ministry intern at Hope Church NYC. Jordan preaches from John 8:2-20, exploring how Jesus reveals Himself through the text.

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda Nicholas' sermon on Luke 4:1-13.

This podcast features Mama Esther Morales' sermon on Exodus 34:29-35.

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda Nicholas' sermon on Luke 5:1-11.

This podcast features Pastor Florita King's sermon on Jeremiah 1:4-10.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 28:16-31. This marks the final sermon in Hope Hell's Kitchen's yearlong study in the book of Acts.

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda's sermon on Acts 28:1-15, as well as a testimony from Justine Zwicker.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 27:1-44.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 26:1-32. This is the Fourth Sunday of the Advent season.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 25:1-27. This is the Third Sunday of the Advent season.

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda's sermon on Acts 24:24-27. This is the Second Sunday of the Advent season.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 24:1-23. This is the First Sunday of the Advent season.

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda's message on Acts 22:30-23:35.

This podcast features Pastor Mark Atkinson's sermon on Acts 22:1-29. Mark was our special guest preacher and continued our yearlong sermon series in the book of Acts as he unpacked Paul's speech in Jerusalem. Mark's message was powerful as it directed us toward confronting reconciliation in three unique ways: Reconciliation with God, reconciliation with ourselves, and reconciliation with others. As Mark said, "The gospel story is a reconciliation story. It's a story about righting the relationship that we have with God, but not just with God, with ourselves, and with others. With the very environment we live in. It is to right all wrong relationships. The gospel is a mechanism of reconciliation that rights the wrongs in our relationships."

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 21:15-40, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Table. In this message, Chuck focuses on "the unthinkable": The unthinkable reality that the Holy Spirit could join people and communities together not in parallel lives, but in joined lives. Jerusalem thought this was unthinkable, but Paul never wavered, even as he followed in Jesus' bloody, painful footsteps.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 21:1-14, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Supper. While it may be tempting to focus on the geography of Paul's journey, Chuck turns our attention toward what it means for Paul to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit; not that he is simply gritting his teeth and preparing for pain and suffering, but that he is a co-laborer and traveler with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is a co-laborer and traveler with Paul.

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda's sermon on Acts 20:17-38. She pushes us to understand that our lives are worth something for others. We don't live for ourselves, but we live for others, and that is how God forms us. "Building a house is a long, slow process," she says. "Until Jesus comes, we're going to be continually under construction." But we shouldn't be dismayed, because the Holy Spirit is with us every step of the way.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 20:1-16. Chuck focused us on verses 7-12 and encouraged us to look at this passage not just as a glimpse of a first-century worship gathering, but also as a warning for what happens when we place our witness above the safety of those around us. You might be Paul in need of this word, and you might be Eutychus in need of reminding that the saving power of God never leaves; whatever God's placed on you, there is hope in the reality that the Holy Spirit is always at work.

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda's sermon on Acts 19:21-41. Ronalda led us through this passage by pointing us toward God's shepherding work happening behind-the-scenes. She asks, "Where is God in all of this," and she shows us. God is a good shepherd. He is always aware. He is always active. We see that in these verses, and we see that in our lives today.

This podcast features Pastor Kim Wright's sermon on Acts 19:1-20. Pastor Kim serves as the senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection and she is a beloved friend and sister of Hope Hell's Kitchen. In this message, she pointed us toward the present work of the Holy Spirit, both in this passage and in our lives today. "Jesus didn't die to just give us salvation," she said, "but He came to give us life." We not only look ahead with expectant hope for when Christ will return, but we must ask the question, "What about right now?" How does the promised return of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit change how we live at this very moment?

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda's message on Acts 18:12-28. "The Holy Spirit is working in each of us," she proclaims, and she then shows us how the Spirit moves in these verses, and why something different happens.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 18:1-11 as well as his preparation for communion. As we continue to have front row seats for Paul's growth on his missionary journey, in this passage we see what happens when frustration, anger, sorrow, and a general feeling of being overwhelmed culminate in his ministry. And in this experience, we center ourselves around the words and guidance of Willie James Jennings: "Love will sometimes threaten to abandon...but it never does. Paul is caught in the threat of an action that God will not follow. God does not follow abandonment, because God has brought abandonment into the divine life. The abandoned now have a home in God if they want it."

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's message on Acts 17:16-34, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Table. In this sermon, we rest on Paul's speech at the Areopagus, and what it meant for someone like Paul to enter into the stories of the Athenians. Chuck used Willie James Jennings question—“What do you say to those radically outside yourself, radically different from you? What do you say to those whose religions and rituals you have been trained to loathe?”—to encourage us to consider what it might look like for us to enter into the stories of those around us, too.

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda's message on Acts 17:1-15, as well as Pastor Chuck's preparation for the Lord's Table. In her sermon, Ronalda exhorts our church to truly embrace what it means to be a witness of the Kingdom of God. We hear Jesus tell his disciples that they will witness to the ends of the earth in Acts 1, and throughout our journey in this book, we've seen his disciples do just that. It's not always easy, and it almost always results in conflict and hardship, but they never cease witnessing. What can we learn from their example for our lives today? Ronalda shares her heart with us on this very question.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's message on Acts 16:25-40, as well as Pastor Ronalda's preparation for the Lord's Supper. You might not be able to tell from the audio, but this is also Hope Hell's Kitchen's first-ever in-person worship service! In this message, we see how the Holy Spirit responded to the imprisonment of Paul and Silas, and how Paul and Silas responded to the movement of the Spirit. We are surrounded by the pain and suffering of the prison, and we see privilege leveraged for the sake of justice.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's message on Acts 16:19-24, as well as Pastor Ronalda's preparation for the Lord's Supper. In this message, Chuck encourages us to pause and reflect on this passage and consider what it means for God's people to face persecution, even as the Holy Spirit guides them. We look at this passage through the eyes of the disciples who are thrown into prison as well as through the eyes of the oppressors whose power is threatened.

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda's message on Acts 16:9-19, as well as Pastor Chuck's preparation for the Lord's Supper. In her sermon, Ronalda encourages us to consider what it means to truly speak about Jesus, and pushes us to remember that no matter what we may say or do, it is Jesus and Jesus alone who opens hearts.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 16:1-8, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Table. Rather than looking at this passage through the eyes of Paul, Chuck, with the help of Dr. Willie James Jennings, encourages us to consider it through the story of Timothy. What does it mean for Timothy to be circumcised and join Paul on this journey, and how does that speak to us today?

This podcast features Pastor Ronalda Nicholas' sermon on Acts 15:35-41, along with Pastor Chuck's preparation for the Lord's Table. Ronalda serves as the Pastoral Resident for Hope Hell's Kitchen, and this marks her first sermon with the church, but as you can tell, she is a seasoned minister. In this short passage, she unpacks the complexities of conflict, and encourages us to view conflict through the lens of God's good work.

This podcast features the special guest preaching of Michael Gonzalez, a leader at The Table Philly. Michael continues our yearlong sermon series in the book of Acts as he looks at Acts 15:1-33, a sermon he calls, "Becoming the Disciple Who Joins." Following Michael's sermon, Pastor Chuck prepares our church for the Lord's Supper.

This podcast features the guest preaching of Rev. Susana Rivera Leon. Pastor Sue serves as the Senior Pastor of Sanctuary Church in the Bronx and also sits in the CEO chair of the Latino Pastoral Action Center. She led Hope Hell's Kitchen through Acts 14:19-28, drawing our attention to the persistency and consistency of Paul in this passage. Following her message, Pastor Chuck prepared the church for the Lord's Table.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck Armstrong's sermon on Acts 14:1-18 as well as his preparation for the Lord's Supper. As we continue to journey with Paul and Barnabas, we see the Spirit guiding them more and more into conflict. At times, they flee, and at other times, they run toward it. But regardless, they are constantly following the Spirit. What would it look like if we embodied a deep reliance on the Holy Spirit in our own lives?

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 13:13-52, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Table. In this message, Chuck considers the power of Paul and Barnabas shaking the dust off their feet, and why that serves as a sign of their strength and courage that is found in the power of the Holy Spirit. How might we similarly rely on the Spirit in our lives today?

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 13:1-12, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Table. In this sermon, Chuck follows the guide of Willie James Jennings, who reads these verses and says, "Wherever women and men give themselves to the disciplines that attune the body to its hunger for the Spirit they will find themselves receptive to the voice of God, and they will hear the Spirit speaking and offering guidance … we have a communion-bearing, community-forming God who speaks in the midst of the multitude and makes known where we must go to follow the Spirit's movement."

This podcast features Jonathan Walton guest preaching for Hope Hell's Kitchen, as well as Pastor Chuck's preparation for the Lord's Supper. As our yearlong sermon series in the book of Acts continues, Jonathan picks up at Acts 12:1-25, and he takes us on a journey that explores the power of empire, the freedom—and tension—of Juneteenth, and the sovereignty of God. Trust us when we say there is a lot of truth revealed in this message.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's message on Acts 11:19-30 as well as his preparation for the Lord's Supper. Chuck takes a look at this passage—which Justo Gonzalez warns can incline us toward boredom—and pushes us to consider what it means for us today. How might we embrace joy, gladness, and faith to compel us to act toward justice?

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's message on Acts 11:1-18 as well as his preparation for the Lord's Supper. In this sermon, Chuck considers the power of Peter's testimony, the distraction his fellow believers focus on, and what it means to stand—or attempt to stand—in the way of God.

Mark Charles joins Hope Hell's Kitchen again as we continue studying the book of Acts. In the previous week, he opened up chapter 10 and now, he wraps it up by taking a closer look at Peter and Cornelius. This podcast also includes Pastor Chuck's preparation for the Lord's Table.

Mark Charles joins Hope Hell's Kitchen to continue our sermon series in the book of Acts. He begins by walking us through the first 20 verses of Acts 10, opening with the foundational statement, "I will say many things that will be disruptive to your faith. We need to learn to not be afraid of that." The rest of his message pushes the hearer to begin to consider the power and the role of the Holy Spirit, and he leaves us perplexed and troubled. But don't worry: he'll address that as he closes out Acts 10 on May 30, 2021. This podcast also includes Pastor Chuck's preparation for the Lord's Table.

With Saul in Tarsus, Luke takes us to two towns to witness miraculous events, but we would be wise to not rush past how the Holy Spirit moves in between these events, too. This podcast includes Pastor Chuck's sermon on the text, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Supper.

After seeing Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus last week, now we confront the reality that his life will forever be wrapped up in a question: What happened? Who are you? This podcast includes Pastor Chuck Armstrong's sermon on the text, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Supper.

Hope Hell's Kitchen's yearlong study in the book of Acts continues with Acts 9:1-19. This podcast includes Pastor Chuck Armstrong's sermon on the text, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Table. We continue to consider the question from Dr. Liz Rios' sermon on April 25: When you come to your borderland moment, will you play your part? In this passage, Saul plays his part, as does Ananias.

Dr. Elizabeth Rios joined Hope Hell's Kitchen as our very special guest preacher to lead us through Acts 8:26-40. This podcast includes her sermon as well as Pastor Chuck's preparation for the Lord's Table. Dr. Liz looks at the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch and asks the church, "When you come to your borderland moment, will you play your part?" It's a powerful word!

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 8:3-25, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Supper. The message unpacks the ramifications and consequences of Saul's ravaging of the church, and considers what it means for God to not simply be present in the midst of pain and suffering, but to be equipping his people to change the world.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's sermon on Acts 7:1-8:2, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Supper. In this sermon, Chuck asks the question, "What will the story of Hope Hell's Kitchen be?" *Please note, there is a short "glitch" during the Scripture reading resulting in a moment of silence.

This podcast features Pastor Chuck's Easter Sunday sermon on Acts 6:1-15, as well as his preparation for the Lord's Supper. In this sermon, Chuck looks at the justice and truth found in these verses, and encourages the church to consider the cost of the community of God.

Dr. Soong-Chan Rah joined Hope Hell's Kitchen on March 28, 2021 as we continued our yearlong sermon series in the book of Acts. Dr. Rah preached and taught on Acts 5:18-42. This podcast includes his sermon as well as Pastor Chuck's preparation for the Lord's Supper.