Preaching has always been one of the primary ways God speaks to His people. God commands that His Word be preached. God's will is for us to experience Him in preaching so that people are born again, sanctifed, and strengthened to persevere in the faith.

The first time the gospel was preached by the early church, it had a profound and life-altering impact on those who heard. In light of their repentance and baptism, those first believers in Christ knew that they couldn't go back to life as usual. There was a sense of "what now?" once the gospel had shaken their world. Thus, the first Christian community was formed in Jerusalem, a community that we can still look back on to.

This week we wrap up our "Summer on the Mount" sermon series with a message on Jesus concluding instruction, "build your house upon the rock"