The Orchard Owasso

10/29/2026

The sermon walked through Acts 19, tracing the founding of the church in Ephesus and what it can teach us about what it means to be the church today. Paul arrived in a city dominated by idolatry, magic, and spiritual darkness, and yet over the course of two years, all of Asia heard the word of the Lord. This did not happen because every person walked through one door. It happened because the people who encountered the gospel went out and shared it with everyone they knew. The passage also draws a sobering connection to Revelation 2, where Jesus writes to the very church Paul planted and calls them to return to their first love - the confessing, repenting, all-in faith they had at the beginning. The challenge for us is clear: could we be that church in Owasso?

The gospel spreads through people, not just programs. Reaching our city means taking the gospel with us into our neighborhoods, workplaces, and relationships - not waiting for the lost to find their way through our doors.

Confession and repentance are not signs of weakness - they are marks of a healthy church. The church at Ephesus began with believers coming together, confessing their sins, and disclosing their practices openly. God has given us one another for exactly this reason, and we are strongest when we bring our struggles into the light rather than hiding them in shame.

Going all in means holding nothing back. The new believers in Ephesus burned their magic books - items worth fifty thousand pieces of silver - because following Jesus cost them something real. We are challenged to ask ourselves honestly: Our finances, our habits, our phones, our schedules? Jesus is calling us back to a faith that surrenders everything.

As your pastor shared, "If we can be a church that comes together, confessing and repenting of sin, bringing sin in... and then if we all can go all in as a church for Jesus, we can give him everything, full trust, full dependency, full everything, on the one we can trust... the word of the Lord can spread and prevail in our town."

That is the vision. That is the call. And we believe it is possible - not because of who we are, but because of who He is.

10/27/2026

The early church in Ephesus did not grow because everyone came through the doors. It grew because believers took the gospel into the streets. Acts 19 shows us that over two years, all of Asia heard the word of the Lord -- not by sitting still, but by going out.

The church in Ephesus started with something powerful: people coming together confessing sin, disclosing their practices, and going all in for God. They burned their books. It cost them something. Jesus later reminded them in Revelation 2 to return to that first love.

What are you holding out of the water that God cannot have? What sin are you trying to fight alone? We were never meant to do this by ourselves. The cross has already outed all of us as broken people in need of a Savior -- and God has given us each other to fight, confess, and grow together.

Come as you are. Leave different.

10/26/2026

10/22/2026

The sermon explored Acts 18:22 through 19:7, focusing on what gospel-driven discipleship looks like in the lives of real believers. Through the examples of Paul, Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquila, we examined how encouraging one another, giving and receiving correction with humility, and boldly sharing the gospel are not optional extras but central to what it means to follow Christ. We also sat with the sobering question Paul asked the disciples at Ephesus - not whether they had prayed a prayer, but whether they had received the Holy Spirit - and what that question means for how we examine our own faith.

Spiritual growth is the metric that matters most. Paul's first act in his third missionary journey was to go and strengthen the disciples. As a church, we are called to prioritize one another's growth in Christ above attendance numbers or outward appearances of success.

Discipleship requires both the courage to correct and the humility to receive correction. Apollos was a gifted and educated man, yet he received instruction from Priscilla and Aquila with grace and responded by going to work with greater passion. We are called to do the same.

You are God's plan for the people in your life. The Great Commission is not a job title reserved for pastors or church leaders. God has placed you exactly where you are - at that job, in that family, in that neighborhood - so that the gospel can go out through you to people who need it.

As you head into this week, take a moment to examine your own faith honestly and ask where God might be calling you to encourage someone, speak truth in love, or simply share what he has done in your life. The city around us needs what you carry.

10/19/2026

You are God's plan for the people in your life. Not your pastor. Not your church. You.

In Acts 18-19, Paul did not measure success by crowds or budgets. He measured it by spiritual growth. He strengthened believers, corrected false teaching with humility, and asked the hard questions that matter most -- not "did you pray a prayer?" but "do you have the Holy Spirit?" (Romans 8:9)

64% of people in Owasso do not go to church. God has placed you right where you are, at that job, in that family, on that street, to be part of watching him bring the dead to life. Do not settle for Sunday morning attendance when he is calling you into so much more.

We are walking through the book of Acts together. Come grow with us.

10/17/2026

See you at 10am tomorrow!

10/14/2026

The sermon explored the close of Paul's second missionary journey in Acts 18, tracing his path from Athens to Corinth and beyond. Paul arrived in Corinth weak, fearful, and worn out -- a reality he himself described in 1 Corinthians 2:3. Yet in the middle of that exhaustion, God provided real, tangible encouragement. Through the companionship of fellow believers Aquila and Priscilla, through the freedom to live out his God-given calling, and through a direct word from the Lord in prayer, Paul was strengthened to press on. The sermon challenged us to recognize that God uses these same means to encourage us today -- and that isolation, distraction, and prayerlessness are the enemy's tools to keep us from receiving that encouragement.

God encourages us through the saints around us. When life is hard, our instinct is to isolate -- but that is exactly where the enemy wants us. The local church is not a place to show up when we have it all together. It is the place God has given us to carry one another's burdens, pray for one another, and speak encouragement into each other's lives. Do not pull away from community in your hard seasons. Lean into it.
Encouragement is found when we live on mission for God. Paul was encouraged when he was freed up to do what God had called and gifted him to do. In the same way, when we occupy ourselves with the things of God -- sharing the gospel, serving others, engaging with Scripture -- we find a kind of life and energy that comfort and distraction can never provide. The things of this world leave us tired. Living for God gives us life.
Prayer is where the Lord reminds us that He is near. Jesus spoke directly to Paul in a moment of discouragement and said not to be afraid, because He was with him. That same God is near to us. When we set aside real, intentional time to pray -- not just a quick word before a meal, but genuine, devoted prayer -- we are reminded of how close He is. Write your prayers down. Record what you are thankful for. Watch how the Lord answers over time. It will change your perspective.

10/12/2026

Paul walked into Corinth tired, fearful, and worn out. Sound familiar? Yet in the middle of his exhaustion, God provided exactly what he needed -- fellow believers, a renewed sense of purpose, and a direct word from Jesus himself: "Don't be afraid. Keep speaking. I am with you." (Acts 18:9-10)

The same God who met Paul in his weakness meets us in ours. He provides saints to walk alongside us, a mission that gives us life when we live it out, and the nearness of his presence when we pray.

You were not meant to isolate when life gets hard. You were made for this -- the body, the mission, the prayer. Come as you are. The Lord has many people in this city, and he wants to use you.

Join us Sunday as we continue through the book of Acts together.