Valley Alliance (Loving God.. Loving People)

Viewing Life through the Gospel or Philosophy

Times, customs, and cultures change. However, the Gospel remains the same. Continuing in our series, “Through the Book of Acts”, Pastor Shane picks up where we left off last week in Chapter 17. The philosophies present in the hearts and minds of the Athenians can be considered closely analogous to people in our culture today. Philosophy in and of itself is not bad. However, if it stands in the way of the Gospel message, or the way the Gospel is meant to impact our worldview, it is something that needs to be addressed. Valley Alliance 317 Luzerne Avenue West Pittston, PA 18643 570-654-2500 valleyalliance.church

Faith Supported by Reason

Just because you believe in something does not make it true. Pastor Shane in this message presents us with the challenge of being able to reason through the scriptures to support our beliefs. As we continue our journey through the book of Acts, in chapter 17 we find Paul engaging those in the synagogue located in Thessalonica to consider all of the scripture that points to Jesus being the Christ. Although they may have been familiar with all of the miracles that Jesus performed, they required the support of scripture to be able to accept that He is the Messiah. Pastor Shane confronts us with the need to be able to explain the reasons we have confidence in who Jesus is and what He has done.

Living Stones

Jesus is our cornerstone. He is what our lives are supposed to be built upon. Pastor Shane in this message encourages us to listen to God’s word as it is expressed in the Bible as well as it is spoken by the Holy Spirit directly into our hearts. Not only are we to trust God as the very foundation of our lives, but we are tasked with seeking out others who will hear the Gospel and trust in Jesus so that they too can become living stones that God chooses to “build into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Love Your Zip Code: The Mission Starts Here

Taking a break from our series in Acts, Pastor Shane encourages us to take the gifts God has given us and take them into our local community. We are to be demonstrating God's love in practical ways as we share the Gospel with our friends, neighbors, and family.

Prophecy is for Today

Church is not meant to be like a funeral. Jesus is alive! Why do we go to church to just talk about Him like He is not even there? Since He is alive, we can gain His perspective on our lives, both individually and corporately as a church, by talking directly to Him. In this challenging sermon, Pastor Shane explains that prophecy is for today. God can speak directly to us, addressing the specific situation we are in. It is true that He speaks through the Bible, but there are times that we need a word directly from Him. Yes, it is true that we should measure prophecy against the Bible, which no word from God would contradict.