Sermons Contextually Responsive Stephen Bedard, June 18, 2023June 18, 2023 Acts 16:6-10 Introduction Over the past number of weeks we have been going over the markers of a mission edge church. Remember what we meant by a mission edge church: a church that gets onboard with the mission Jesus is already on. While we may not know what that is… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog In Defence of Winsome Christianity Stephen Bedard, June 15, 2022June 15, 2022 Should Christians seek to be winsome in their interactions with the non-Christian world? That is becoming more and more of a debate, partially based around Tim Keller’s thoughts on this. You can get caught up a bit on what Tim Keller says and how his critics have responded here. First,… Continue Reading
Sermons Anatomy of a Church: Witness Stephen Bedard, February 27, 2022February 27, 2022 Acts 2:42-47 Introduction What is the process by which new people come to faith in Jesus? There are accounts of God speaking directly to people by dreams and visions but most often this takes place through the witness of other Christians. Just to give you a very short overview of… Continue Reading
Sermons Anatomy of a Church: Community Stephen Bedard, February 20, 2022February 20, 2022 Acts 2:42-47 Introduction Amanda and I have been part of a wide variety of churches, both in pastoral ministry and as laypeople. One of the things that we have been able to experience is different sizes of churches. The church where both Amanda and I were baptized and where we… Continue Reading
Sermons Anatomy of a Church: Worship Stephen Bedard, February 13, 2022February 13, 2022 Acts 2:42-47 Introduction Some people see the many different denominations within the church to be a major problem. If we all believe in Jesus, shouldn’t there just be one church? Technically there is only one church, that which the Apostle’s Creed calls the “holy catholic church” or universal church. But… Continue Reading
Sermons The Ways to Jesus Stephen Bedard, October 17, 2021December 16, 2021 Acts 16:11-40 Introduction How does one become a Christian? That seems to be a fairly reasonable question. If we claim to be Christians, then we better know how one becomes a Christian. I don’t think that I’m straying into heresy by saying the way to Christianity is through Jesus. There… Continue Reading
Sermons Where is the Spirit Calling Us? Stephen Bedard, October 10, 2021December 17, 2021 Acts 16:6-10 Introduction How many of you like to go on long car rides? This can be especially nice at this time of the year when the leaves are changing and before the snow comes and everyone forgets how to drive. There are a couple of ways you can choose… Continue Reading
Sermons Full Dedication Stephen Bedard, October 3, 2021December 18, 2021 Acts 16:1-5 Introduction How committed are you to the Church? I don’t mean specifically Queen Street Baptist Church, although there is overlap with what I’m talking about. I mean more specifically, how committed are you to being the Church? When I have talked to Christians of older generations about commitment,… Continue Reading
Sermons Messy Relationships Stephen Bedard, September 26, 2021December 20, 2021 Acts 15:36-41 Introduction I want you do something. Without look around the room, I want you to think back. Is there any person who is a part of this church that has disappointed you? Is there anyone who said or did something that really bothered you? Has there ever been… Continue Reading
Sermons The Acts of the Holy Spirit Stephen Bedard, September 19, 2021December 22, 2021 Acts 15:22-35 Introduction When you are reading a story, one of the important steps for understanding is identifying the major characters. This is true whether you are reading William Shakespeare or reading a Superman comic book. It is also true when reading history. I have an interest in reading both… Continue Reading
Sermons Agreeing When We Disagree Stephen Bedard, September 12, 2021December 23, 2021 Acts 15:1-21 Introduction When you think of the different events put on by the church, what is your favourite? Is it the worship service? Bible studies and prayer meetings? Potlucks and other meals? Where do business meetings fit into the ranking? When I was just starting in ministry, I was… Continue Reading
Sermons What Should You Expect? Stephen Bedard, September 5, 2021December 24, 2021 Acts 14:8-20 Introduction Most likely, you have expectations for any situation you are facing. You may not know all the details and your expectations may be wrong, but you do have expectations. At a previous church, one where I was expected to wear a suit and tie to each service,… Continue Reading
Sermons The Ups and Downs of Sharing Faith Stephen Bedard, August 1, 2021December 31, 2021 Acts 13:44-52 Introduction It was approximately thirty years ago. I had just come out of a period of atheism while a student at Brock University. I had come to believe in a God but I had no idea what religion I should follow. Christianity seemed too obvious, being the most… Continue Reading
Sermons Learning From History Stephen Bedard, July 25, 2021January 5, 2022 Acts 13:13-43 Introduction One of my favourite things is studying history. In another life, I could have seen myself as a history teacher rather than a pastor. I like history because it is interesting and often entertaining. But I love history because it is relevant to today. Spanish philosopher George… Continue Reading
Sermons Called By God Stephen Bedard, July 18, 2021January 7, 2022 Acts 13:1-12 Introduction A few months ago, it was the twenty years ago that I was ordained. It was at Queensway Baptist Church in Brantford, and it took place on mystery last Sunday there before starting at a new church. It was a meaningful service but it really was one… Continue Reading
Sermons One God Stephen Bedard, July 11, 2021January 8, 2022 Acts 12:20-25 Introduction I’m going to give you a little bit of insight on how I go about picking passages to preach on. I enjoy preaching a series, preferably on a book of the Bible. I like this because it forces me to get outside my own area of interests… Continue Reading
Sermons When Life is Not Fair Stephen Bedard, July 4, 2021January 11, 2022 Acts 12:1-19 Introduction It does not take us long before we discover that life is not fair. Children at a young age complain that things are not fair. They sense a disconnect when someone gets something good that they didn’t get or if they get punished and someone else doesn’t…. Continue Reading
Sermons The Church Being the Church Stephen Bedard, June 20, 2021January 15, 2022 Acts 11:27-30 Introduction What is the question that the world is asking about the church? Believe it or not, the main question is not about which church is the true church. People are not lying awake at night wondering of the Anglicans or the Pentecostals or the Baptists have a… Continue Reading
Sermons Facing Our Prejudice Stephen Bedard, April 18, 2021January 15, 2022 Acts 10:1-33 Introduction How common would you say prejudice is? We might be inclined to think that we are not as prejudiced as some other people. But then that is a form of prejudice. Here is an example. I find that Canadians point to Americans as people who have really… Continue Reading
Sermons Who Are You Advocating For? Stephen Bedard, March 14, 2021January 19, 2022 Acts 9:19b-30 Introduction Has there ever been a time when you have felt rejected, like the whole world was against you? Perhaps the supports that once been there were now gone. Do you remember what that was like? And have you ever been in that position and someone came forward… Continue Reading
Sermons An Unexpected Christian Stephen Bedard, March 7, 2021January 20, 2022 Acts 9:1-20 Introduction I want you to think about the person you would most be surprised to become a Christian. It could be someone famous, perhaps a musician or an actor or a politician. Maybe it was someone who is a known criminal or is had had a particularly immoral… Continue Reading
Sermons Enabling Faith Stephen Bedard, February 21, 2021January 25, 2022 Acts 8:26-40 Introduction I have often felt like the story of the Ethiopian eunuch is one of the strangest in Acts. It’s not the picture of Philip running alongside the horse drawn chariot, listening to what the man was reading. Nor is it the way the Holy Spirit takes Philip… Continue Reading
Sermons The Church Scattered Stephen Bedard, February 7, 2021January 26, 2022 Acts 8:1-8 Introduction Back when I was in my mid-20s, I went on my first mission trip. It was with the organization Operation Mobilization. I was pretty excited to go overseas and preach the gospel. And I as feeling a bit overconfident as well, if I am honest. The Canadians… Continue Reading
Sermons Filled With the Holy Spirit Stephen Bedard, January 24, 2021January 29, 2022 Acts 7:54-60 Introduction Have you ever thought about what it will be like when you die? I don’t mean passing into the afterlife but in the hours and minutes leading up to it. I know that sounds morbid and yet it is something we will all experience. I have spent… Continue Reading
Sermons Resisting the Holy Spirit Stephen Bedard, January 17, 2021January 31, 2022 Acts 7:51-53 Introduction Have you ever been having a conversation with someone and you realize that you have come to a crossroads? You can see the next thing that you plan to say in your mind. You know that if you say that, there is no going back. Not only… Continue Reading
Sermons Let God Out of That Box Stephen Bedard, January 10, 2021February 2, 2022 Acts 7:44-50 Introduction Many years ago, I was at a revival service here in St Catharines and I heard something that I have never forgotten. Interestingly, it was in his sermon but in his appeal for the offering. As he was asking people to dig deep into their wallets, he… Continue Reading
Sermons Causing Offence Stephen Bedard, November 15, 2020February 12, 2022 Acts 6:8-15 Introduction I want you to think about a time when a person or a group of people were very upset with you. Not just slightly annoyed but downright angry. Now I want you to think about what it was that made them angry. How accurately were they interpreting… Continue Reading
Sermons All Jobs Matter Stephen Bedard, November 8, 2020February 15, 2022 Acts 6:1-7 Introduction With this being Remembrance Sunday, I can’t help but think of conversations I have had in the past with veterans, especially of the Second World War. I was blessed in my previous church to have a good group of WW2 veterans that I was able to get… Continue Reading
Sermons The Church Will Not Be Defeated Stephen Bedard, November 1, 2020February 22, 2022 Acts 5:33-42 Introduction As many of you know, I have a great interest in military history. It is not to glorify war but to learn from what happens to humanity when put in the most difficult situations. There are often practical life lessons, and even lessons for us as a… Continue Reading
Sermons When to Say Yes and When to Say No Stephen Bedard, October 25, 2020February 24, 2022 Acts 5:12-32 Introduction This time of COVID-19 has been a chapter of the church unlike anything that I can remember. It has challenged us to to rethink everything that we have just taken for granted. What does it mean to worship? What does it mean to gather? What does it… Continue Reading
Sermons A Disintegrating Church Stephen Bedard, October 18, 2020February 25, 2022 Acts 5:1-11 Introduction Every once in a while I get the urge to write a devotional on the most disturbing passages in the Bible. There are a number that could be included and one of them would be the story of Ananias and Sapphira. This is the story of a… Continue Reading
Sermons Becoming the United Church Stephen Bedard, October 4, 2020March 1, 2022 Acts 4:23-37 Introduction I remember being at a ministerial and I pointed out that John had been a Baptist. The Nazarene pastor reminded me that John may have been a Baptist but Jesus was a Nazarene. That’s when another pastor stated in heaven, we would all be the United Church…. Continue Reading
Sermons Qualifications for Serving Jesus Stephen Bedard, September 27, 2020March 4, 2022 Acts 4:13-22 Introduction You may or may not know that I took a number of years off pastoral ministry between my previous churches and coming to Queen Street Baptist Church. But of course we still needed to eat and so that meant I needed to get a job. At that… Continue Reading
Sermons Jesus is Our North Star Stephen Bedard, September 20, 2020March 8, 2022 Acts 4:1-12 Introduction I will confess to you that I’m horrible when it comes to directions. Whenever we go on a trip, I completely rely on Amanda. My confidence in her surpasses that of any GPS. If I don’t have Amanda, I definitely rely on the GPS directions on my… Continue Reading
Sermons Blowing the World to Kingdom Come Stephen Bedard, September 13, 2020March 10, 2022 Acts 3 Introduction At some point in 2019, just a few people contracted a virus that we now call COVID-19. At the time it probably looked like a small thing. I don’t even know how sick those first people got. I am sure that if you could go back and… Continue Reading
Sermons Having an Awful Effect Stephen Bedard, August 23, 2020March 22, 2022 Acts 2:42-47 Introduction I want you to imagine you were doing a public performance of some kind. It could be a speech, some music, presenting something you have made, whatever you are passionate about. You present your skills to the public. After the performance, someone comes up to you and… Continue Reading
Sermons Death Defeater Stephen Bedard, August 16, 2020March 25, 2022 Acts 2:22-41 Introduction Have you ever had a recurring dream? It may not be exactly the same dream but it is the same sort of dream or it happens at the same place or it includes the same people. I have had a number of recurring dreams over my life,… Continue Reading
Sermons Where is the Justus? Stephen Bedard, August 2, 2020March 29, 2022 Acts 1:12-26 Introduction I want to be careful in what I predict, but I want to say that I hope that this is my final congregation of my pastoral career. I realize that I still have a lot of time before I retire, but the thought of going through the… Continue Reading
Sermons Can I Get a Witness? Stephen Bedard, July 26, 2020April 22, 2022 Acts 1:1-11 Introduction Have you ever been in the awkward experience of expecting someone to do something and you are not sure if they are going to do it? You are hanging on their every word and action, hoping that that they will get around to what you want them… Continue Reading
Sermons Being a Pentecostal Christian Stephen Bedard, June 2, 2020June 2, 2020 Most of my recent sermons can be found here. However, this sermon was one that I recently preached at Walmer Road Baptist Church and I thought I would share it here. Acts 2:1-21 Introduction I am the pastor of Queen Street Baptist Church. But I am not a lifelong Baptist…. Continue Reading
Sermons Being an Acts Church: Part Two Stephen Bedard, November 21, 2016June 24, 2019 A message based on Acts 2:42-47 and preached at Queen Street Baptist Church. You can watch the video here. Introduction A few weeks ago, we took a trip into the past to observe the activity of the early church. We looked at the way we go over a family photo… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog A Eunuch, A Centurion and the Welcoming of the Gentiles Stephen Bedard, November 18, 2016July 26, 2019 One of the most important events in the history of the church was the inclusion of the Gentiles among the followers of Jesus. Originally, the church was made up of all Jewish believers in Jesus. But by the end of the first century, the church was majority Gentile. When did… Continue Reading
Sermons Being an Acts Church: Part One Stephen Bedard, October 31, 2016December 16, 2019 A sermon based on Acts 2:42-47 preached at Queen Street Baptist Church. You can listen to the audio here. Introduction When my mother was getting near to the end of her life, one of her thoughts was about the things that were going to be passed on to me. To be… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog Do Acts 9:27 and Acts 22:9 Contradict Each Other? Stephen Bedard, May 29, 2016July 16, 2020 Luke records Paul’s conversion three times in the book of Acts. First in the third person in chapter 9 and then twice in the first person in Acts 22 and 26. The problem is that at first glance, Luke seems to contradict himself. Acts 9 says that those with Paul… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog Devotions: Acts Stephen Bedard, December 7, 2014June 25, 2019 A devotion based on Acts 16:30. In this story, God releases Paul and Silas from jail in the city of Philippi. When the jailer discovered what had happened, he was prepared to commit suicide as he knew the punishment he would face from his superiors. He was surprised, therefore, to… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog I. Howard Marshall and the Book of Acts Stephen Bedard, November 26, 2014November 22, 2019 There are certain scholars that I know I can go to their books and find good solid evangelical scholarship. I. Howard Marshall is one of those scholars and his Acts commentary is no exception. The Tyndale commentary series has been out for some time. Because it is a less technical… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog World Upside Down Stephen Bedard, November 5, 2014August 10, 2022 As part of a course that I am teaching on Acts at Emmanuel Bible College, I assigned World Upside Down: Reading Acts in the Graeco-Roman Age by C. Kavin Rowe. While understanding this aspect of context is very important for studying the New Testament, it is especially important for understanding… Continue Reading
Sermons How Do You Recognize a Good Church? Stephen Bedard, August 5, 2014April 22, 2019 A sermon preached at First Baptist Church based on Acts 4:32-35. Introduction Sometimes we have preconceived ideas about what something looks like. I remember the first time I met Mike Allen, the former padre in Meaford. He had read Unmasking the Pagan Christ before we met. The first thing he… Continue Reading
Apologetics and Theology Blog Male-Female Pairs in Luke-Acts Stephen Bedard, October 31, 2012November 12, 2019 One of the things that I like about Luke is that he has a special interest in the role of women. In both his Gospel and in Acts, Luke often pairs men and women, giving examples of similar miracles or other events, each from the perspective of each gender. This… Continue Reading
Sermons Which Way to Heaven? Stephen Bedard, November 21, 2011July 15, 2020 Acts 16:25-34 Introduction There are things about church that you just do not need to know. You do not need to know why churches started using pews or organs or why other churches have stopped using them. You do not need to know all the differences between all the different… Continue Reading
Sermons A Church That Acts Stephen Bedard, January 16, 2011January 29, 2021 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods,… Continue Reading