It started with 100-to-one odds. In 1987, the Minnesota Twins were the biggest underdogs in baseball — outscored during the regular season, dismissed by every expert, and picked by nobody to win. They won the World Series anyway. Lead Pastor Jon Stoe opens part three of Acts: To the Ends of the Earth with that story to set up something even harder to explain: how a small group of ordinary people with no Bible, no building, no army, and no institutional backing turned the entire world upside down.

Jon takes us into Acts 2 to look at the origins of the early church — what they were actually devoted to, how they lived together, and why it worked. Along the way he doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. He names church hurt directly, calls out what happens when a church loses its way, and then brings it back to Jesus's one command that was supposed to prevent all of it. The local church, Jon says, is the hope of the world. There is no plan B. And whether you love the church, left it, or aren't sure what you think about it, this message is worth your time.

Litchfield Church of the Nazarene is a welcoming, bilingual community of faith in Litchfield, MN, whose mission is to produce fruitful disciples of Jesus Christ. We gather every Sunday at 10:45 AM. New messages drop on the podcast each week. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. Learn more at litchfieldnaz.com.