JICF Sunday Sermons

Acts 22:22–23:10 Jesus spent a good deal of time preparing His disciples for how hard it would be to follow Him. It should not take us by surprise that in this world we will have tribulation for the sake of the gospel. It was this type of situation that Paul found himself in our text for today's sermon. How would he respond? How will we respond?

In Acts 22:1–21, Paul shares a deeply personal story — not just of his past, but of a radical encounter with Jesus that changed everything. This is more than a testimony; it's a declaration of God's grace, power, and purpose. Like Paul, each of us carries a story that must be told — a story that speaks of redemption, transformation, and a calling to do the will of God. Don't hide your story — let it point others to the One who rewrites destinies.

Paul came to Jerusalem fully aware that many Jews wanted him dead. Yet he followed God's will, even when it led him straight into danger, because he cared more about others' eternal souls than his own well-being. This week, examine Paul's arrest in Jerusalem and reflect on God's calling in our own lives—and the cost of truly following Jesus.

Where do strength and courage come from in the midst of confusing & difficult times? What does the Lord want us to know? How does He want his children act?

We continue our journey through the Book of Acts by looking at how Paul handled complex cultural and spiritual tensions in Jerusalem. Through his example, we are challenged to live with a mission-minded heart that honors God and builds up His Church.We reflect on three key truths:Celebrate the Harvest—Even When It's Not Yours (vv. 17–20a)Rejoice in how God works through others, even when you're not in the spotlight.Lay Down Our Rights, Lift Up Others (vv. 20b–24)True unity often requires humility and sacrifice.Build Bridges, Not Barriers (vv. 25–26)Seek peace and understanding to foster a united witness for Christ.

In our Christian walk, we often assume that obedience to God will lead to blessing, and it does. But blessing, in the biblical sense, doesn't always mean ease or safety or richness. Sometimes, the path to obedience takes us through storms, trials, and painful goodbyes. And yet, it's in those moments that our faith is most clearly displayed not only to others but also to ourselves.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most pivotal event in human history, especially our Christian faith. What is the significance of it for our belief, behavior, and hope for the future?

We are living in uncertain times. We need to learn to trust God even in these times.

What kind of people did Jesus call to follow Him and why is it good news? Is following Jesus worth it? Come discover these answers as we look at the call of the first disciples of Jesus.

No one escapes trials in this life. Sometimes people attack us. Sometimes situations in the world affect us negatively. Sometimes our own behaviour brings us into terrible hardship. How do we face this kind of suffering? In Psalm 62 David gives us a Spirit-led snapshot of his own cry to God and the confidence he has in the Lord. This is a great opportunity to arm ourselves with the same thinking as we face the realities of living in this world.

God brings about changes in Joseph and Pharaoh, but it all works according to His sovereign timing. We should take confidence in waiting on God to use us to impact others with the gospel.

In Acts 20:17-38, Paul meets with the elders of the church in Ephesus for the last time. Join us as we learn from his powerful advice to church leaders—wisdom that applies not only to leadership in the church but also in our families and every position of influence where God has placed us.

In Acts 20:9 Eutychus fell asleep during Paul's sermon, fell from a third-story window, and died. Paul brought him back to life. It's easy to condemn Eutychus, but what about us? Week after week, we hear the Word, yet how many of us are spiritually asleep? We may be awake physically, but are we truly alive to the Father's business? If not, it's time to WAKE UP! Just as Paul revived Eutychus, God's Spirit is here to awaken us to His purpose and reignite our passion. The time for complacency is over!

Throughout history, we have seen how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is able to transform society. These transformations happened even when faced with great opposition. How can we be used by God to bring about societal transformation? What should we do when facing opposition? And what part does God play in all this? Please join us this Sunday as we look in God's Word for the answer to these questions

How do you perceive evil spirits, sorcery and the occult? Do you underestimate them or even deny their existence? Or do you overestimate and live in fear of their power? Or have you even been involved in them? How do you perceive and experience the power of the name of Jesus over evil spirits? Let us see how God demonstrated His power in the cult and magic center of the Roman world.

All Christians are called to be disciples of Jesus, and we are to be them holistically. What does it look like to be a holistic disciple of Christ? Let's learn by looking at the life of Jesus' disciples in Jerusalem.

In just 12 verses, Luke masterfully weaves intricate details of Paul's journey back to his home church in Antioch. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, these verses hold rich lessons for us—let's uncover them together and reflect on their significance for our own walk of faith.

As a business person or professional, do you feel that you are a second-class citizen in the kingdom of God? Do you feel guilty because you are not employed as full-time Christian worker? Come join us this Sunday as we study Acts 18:1-11 to hear how the Apostle Paul integrated his missionary work with his tent making business - and the reasons for why he did!

In uncertain and challenging times, we may feel despair, lose hope, and wonder if God is still in control. The Christians in John's era faced similar struggles—they were surrounded on all sides, with all the apostles dead except for John, the full might of the Roman Empire opposed them, Jerusalem had been destroyed, and the Jews were deported. It is into this difficult context that a revelation, a message of good news, was given to John. This message of hope and encouragement was not only for Christians then, but for believers in all times

God calls us to move from passive listening to action, living a faith that transforms. Today's sermon challenges us to see ourselves as God intends and lives out our true identity.

Romans 12:1-2 is a challenging passage, yet fundamental to who we are as Christians. Through it God challenges us to consider what motivates us, what defines us as Christians and what distinguishes us from the world around us. May God challenge each of us to live our lives given over to His will and be continually changed, motivated by the incredible mercies God has shown us in Christ.

Happy New Year! As often comes with the New Year, we attempt to start afresh and set resolutions or goals for ourselves. Often, we start off strong and have much motivation, but many times after a month or so we deviate from the resolution or goal. We can become discouraged and lose sight of what we set out to do. Some of this can be from setting ambitions too high, or starting to compare ourselves with others, or just lack of determination and grit.   Throughout the epistle to the Hebrews, the author expressed a concern for the perseverance and “stick-to-it-ness” of the believers he was addressing. He did not want them to lose heart or to find themselves turning from the faith which can save them, nor abandoning the community of believers to which they belonged. The same warning and exhortation apply to us as well. As we begin this new year of 2025, let us resolve to stand firm in our faith and run our race of faith with endurance.

Before Jericho could be conquered, Joshua himself needed conquering. When God calls us to be His disciples and do His work, God first establishes Himself as our leader. In every situation, will you accept divine leadership and let God be God?

To many of us, the emphasis on Christmas is usually about God's love. How loving He is. How forgiving He is. How merciful He is! While that is true, this is not the complete picture. In fact, it is God's holiness that demanded the story of Christmas. The answer lies in understanding God's holiness – a holiness that cannot overlook sin, a holiness that demands justice, and a holiness that provided a way for us to be restored. Matthew 1:21 – “She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

God is on a mission to restore His kingdom on earth. He has called us to join Him in His mission, but He has not left us guessing about how to do this. In fact, the whole book of Acts is about how the early church worked to complete the Great Commission. From Acts 17:1-15 we will learn three ways to fulfill the Great Commission.

The Great Commission! Why don't we carry it out as seriously as the early church did? What paradigm shifts do we need to make in order to carry out the Great Commission?

What is Faith? Can you think of anyone who has inspired you through their example of Faithfulness to God? What did they do? How did they live out their Faith? In this sermon, we look at Hebrews 11 and a number of stories of Faith to inspire us to live out lives of faithfulness and Obedience to our Lord.

God is on the move and is drawing people from the most unexpected places to believe in Him. In the idol worshipping city of Jericho, God made the gospel known to Rahab before she even met the people of Israel. join us this Sunday as we are challenged to go forward knowing that God has worked to prepare hearts before we even arrive.

We are in the middle of Paul's second missionary journey and in today's passage, we find Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke in Philippi. It's a story of how the gospel breaks every kind of chain—spiritual, emotional, and physical. The slave girl was set free from demonic oppression. Paul and Silas were set free from their physical chains. And the jailer was set free from spiritual death and given new life in Christ. The common thread in all these stories is the power of the gospel. The gospel isn't just a message we preach; it's the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. It's the power that breaks chains, opens prison doors, and transforms lives.

The Holy Spirit desires to lead us in every step of our lives, ministry or work. But how do we recognize, be sensitive to and obey the leading of the Spirit? Let us learn from how the Holy Spirit led Paul and his team in Acts 16:6-15

On Sunday, we look at Acts 15:36 - Acts 16:5 as the Apostle Paul begins his second missionary journey. We will learn about Paul's passion, his choice of people and the preparation for his journey - and how these might guide us in the missions in life which God has given each of us.

The gospel message is the heart of Christianity. We are called not just to be experts of the gospel and to communicate the gospel well, but we are also commanded to defend the gospel. Leaders of churches have an even greater responsibility to defend the gospel both from within and from outside of the church. In Acts 15, we will discover how the early church leaders defended the gospel from attacks from people within the church.

In the Book of Acts we see a clear pattern of believers intentionally entering new areas, sharing the Gospel, beginning transformational discipleship, gathering believers into simple house churches, appointing local leaders (elders), and moving on to other areas with the intention of returning to strengthen these new churches as part of the growing multi-ethnic Body of Christ. In Acts 14:21-28 we see Paul and Barnabas returning to the newly established churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch to strengthen the believers and appoint local leaders in the face of heavy persecution. Join us at JICF this week as we take a deeper look at the establishment of leaders in these early churches and how this relates to healthy, biblical forms of leadership in the modern church.

The message of the gospel requires a response from us. What would be a good and bad response? Let us hear what happens in Acts 14:8-20.

As we continue to follow Paul's and Barnabas' missionary journey into the cities of Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, we can extract from the passage that they possess certain characteristics that made them effective missionaries. Let us discover more of what made them effective missionaries.

In Acts 13 we see the first missionary journey. We look at the ways Paul presents the Gospel to those he encounters on this journey and explore lessons we can take away to help us fulfill God's great commission together.

“What is God's will for my life?” is a common question among Christian. How do we figure out God's will? How can we align ourselves with His will? In this sermon, we went through Acts 13:1-12 to find out.

In Acts we have seen many instances of persecution and opposition to the church and the gospel. Sometimes we focus too much on who our earthly opponents are without considering the "puppet master" behind them. This morning we are going to look at who our enemy really is. 1 Peter 5:8-11 gives us some needed clarity and encouragement with regard to this difficult topic, speaking both of who our adversary is and what our defences are against his deception. What is it that God wants to show you through this passage?

The book of Acts is about how Jesus miraculously fulfills his promise to bring the gospel to the end of the earth. There were many insurmountable obstacles to the spread of the gospel. In Acts 12:1-15, one of the obstacles is the government's violent persecution of believers. But God is sovereign and can overcome this seemingly insurmountable obstacle to fulfill his plan miraculously. As result, even believers today can trust God more and continue to share the gospel courageously.

In this sermon, we explore the reaction of the Jewish church in Jerusalem to the news that Peter had reached out to the Gentiles. Do we reach across barriers as Peter did to share the Good News with those who are ethnically and religiously different than ourselves? If not, why not? And if we desire to do so, how?

Psalm 90 is the only Psalm written by Moses as he mentored the next generation to follow God! This Psalm still instructs us today on the most important realities we need to understand in order to successfully navigate all of our challenges today.

(2 Timothy 1:1-18) One of the ways God builds His Kingdom is through mentorship relationships. Through mentorship, people are empowered to discover and use their God-given potential for His Kingdom. Paul sets an example of empowering through mentorship with the people he mentors, like Timothy.

Mentorship does not occur in a vacuum and neither does Christian discipleship. God has given us a community in which we can pursue Christ-like maturity together. This week as we continue our look at the idea of Biblical mentorship we will survey a few passages that give us a vision for what a church culture of Gospel - empowered mentoring could and should look like and how we all have something to contribute as we seek to grow up in the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Up to this point in the book of Acts we have seen Peter in a number of contexts, whether in his status among the apostles as in chapter one, or his gospel ministry in chapters two and three, his boldness before the Sanhedrin in chapter four and five, or his condemnation of sin in chapters five and eight, and his gospel presentation to the gentiles later in chapter 10, but the picture isn't complete until we see the pastoral tone of his apostolic ministry at the end of chapter nine. In this important, touching story we see him doing what he has done up until this point in that God carries out astounding miracles through him, but we also see another side of Peter. A snapshot of how he acts and speaks. This snapshot shows us that he sought to act and speak in a way that drew attention away from himself, so that Christ would be glorified and to act and speak in an intentionally Christlike way. This resulted in many people coming to Christ as the church played their role in witness. How do you come across withing your friendship group and in your workplace? Is Christ seen and heard?

Last Sunday, we witnessed the dramatic conversion of Saul when Jesus appeared to him. What does Saul then share with his fellow Jews - and what was the reaction of those that both rejected and accepted Jesus as the Messiah? How can share our faith today in Indonesia - and what reaction might we expect? And how can we ourselves be a modern-day Barnabas who we read mentored Saul (who we know as Paul) as a new believer who went on to do great things for our Lord.

Speakers: Sandjaja Prawiro & Lee Khen Seng Joshua 24:15 "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." As devoted Christ-followers, parents must have a sense of mission that expands beyond their own lives. The works that Jesus began must carry on until Jesus comes and finishes it Himself. The Christian faith does not just come from us (parents), it should also pass through us. While husbands and wives find themselves facing tremendous challenges trying to build a great marriage, they should never neglect the most important part of their duty as parents, which is to mentor their child(ren).

Follow me, as I follow Christ! Reflecting on my spiritual journey, I see how God has consistently placed individuals ahead of me to guide my growth in Christlikeness. This mirrors the approach Jesus Himself used when He entrusted the ministry of the Kingdom of God to His disciples. Throughout His three years of ministry, Jesus invested significant time teaching and impacting the lives of the twelve disciples. His mentorship equipped them to spread the transformative Good News, ultimately turning the world upside down. We all benefit from Jesus' profound example of mentorship!

It is God's desire for everyone to be saved, regardless of who you are. So far from the book of Acts we have seen how when social, economical, gender and cultural obstacles were addressed and overcome, multitudes were added to the early church. In this sermon, wee address the issue of prejudices against the gentiles and how victory over this obstacle resulted in the gospel being spread to every nation throughout the earth.

What are the characteristics of a true conversion? When the apostles and prophets preached the gospel, many people wanted to believe in Jesus. However, not all were true converts, such as Simon the magician. It is important for us to know the characteristics of a true conversion. We look at the dramatic conversion of Saul and see some of the characteristics of a true convert from Acts 9:1-19a.

This week, millions of Muslims celebrate Eid Al Adha (Feast Of Sacrifice). On this day, they commemorate the devotion of Abraham to sacrifice his son. As Christians, let's use this momentum to learn and apply the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ as the lamb of God that takes away our sin.

On Sunday, we explored Acts 8:26-40, about Philip the Evangelist and the Ethiopian eunuch. This passage highlights the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and the profound impact of sharing the Good News. Come and be inspired by Philip's obedience and the Ethiopian eunuch's pursuit of God.