Local stories are stories of God's grace at work in the lives of those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete. We want to highlight his activity and celebrate his grace.

The early church is often described as being “filled with the Spirit.” Whether after opposition or before a big decision, the result is almost always an unusual courage and joy. That’s what we see happening in Acts 4:23-31. It’s a story of overwhelming circumstances that lead to honest prayer, and Spirit-empowered boldness. This unusual boldness is exactly what the Spirit has been producing in followers of Jesus ever since. As we celebrate seven years of Local Church St. Pete, I can’t think of a more important prayer to adopt as our very own.

Maybe you’ve heard or used the phrase “in the name of Jesus” at the close of a prayer. Like anything we get used to, it’s easy to forget the significance of what we’re saying. When you do something in someone else’s name, you act in their authority and as their representative. In Acts chapters 3-4 we learn that a Spirit-empowered life includes speaking and living in the name of Jesus - in his strength, as his representative and for his glory. While that means hope and joy for many, it is also a threat to anyone clinging to their own power.

Local Church receives an update on Ekklessia Jax from Cedric Lauchner.

Jesus never expected you to do it alone, to somehow find the strength within yourself to obey his call on your life. He never intended you to share his love and grace or make disciples without the promised Spirit. Acts chapters 1 and 2 is the story of the early church receiving the empowerment Jesus promised - an empowerment that has been on repeat ever since.

Ever watch a potter center a lump of clay on the potter’s wheel? It’s crucial for the clay to be centered or the entire vessel will be lopsided or fall apart. In one of the most beautiful poems written about Jesus, Colossians 1:15-23 has a centering effect on all who read it. We need to be centered again and again so we will treasure Jesus more and more. We’re all tempted to try and earn, add to or pursue something beyond him. When we begin to believe he isn’t enough, will we allow this breathtaking description of Jesus to re-center us?

Why did Jesus come into the world? Who did he come for? Luke 2 answers with an unexpected announcement to the despised of society – to lowly shepherds just trying to make it through the night. And with an anticipated gift to the forgotten of society - to a dying man and elderly widow holding onto old promises and refusing to let go. What does a story involving the despised and forgotten have to do with Jesus’ birth? Everything. It’s what Christmas is all about.

Do you ever feel spiritually exhausted? Like you’re living in a desert wasteland? It could be due to devastating news, unexpected conflict, unrelenting sorrow or just the weightiness of life’s circumstances. It’s from that place of weariness that Psalm 63 was written. The heartbeat of this song isn’t a change of circumstances but a declaration of confidence in God’s extravagant, self-giving love. A love that satisfies and sustains, so much so the psalmist says it’s better than life itself. He wants you to say it too.