Austin Chinese Church

When we were young, worship was fun, loud, and full of movement. Somewhere along the line, it's evolved into something that's more meditative, introspective and reverent. Both are good, but when we lean too much one way, we often lose sight of the other beautiful facets of God's character. God's call for us is to engage Him with every part of our hearts. - Pastor Patrick Yao

A key aspect of what makes church a community of faith is our desire to ascribe greatness to God alone. Our worship of him acknowledges that there is no other gods like him. Let's reset our understanding of what church is by demonstrating powerfully our worship of him - ascribing to the Lord the glory due his name. - Pastor Arthur Hsu

The end of the book of Revelation is especially important for the believer because it gives us a glimpse of what God's ultimate plan looks like. It gives us hope especially when we are languishing in our present world, circumstances and relationships. Sometimes our brokenness and confusion tempt us to fall into despair. But God Himself speaks and assures us in Rev. 21:5, "I am making all things new". What will that look like? Even more importantly, what does the mean for us today in how we should live? - Pastor Gaylord Tsuei

As a community of faith, the church is nurtured by God. How so? In his mercy. In his grace. He is a God that does not keep his anger forever. A God that abounds in steadfast love. In response, let us become a church that nurtures others in the ways of the Lord, so that people will have the opportunity to respond to Jesus in faith. - Pastor Arthur Hsu

Our natural tendency is to forget what God has done for us. We had a broken relationship with God and broken relationships with other people. In fact, we were enemies. “But God” intervened (Ephesians 2:4), and provided the way for each of us to experience reconciliation, both with Him, and with others, so that peace replaces brokenness. How will we respond to His work in our lives? - Pastor Gaylord Tsuei

The church is the gathered disciples of Jesus who exemplify the work of the Trinity. In this the church is one body who exercise spiritual gifts that magnify God and draw people into relationship with Jesus. What ties such unique gifts together on mission for God is his church abiding in faith, hope, and love, the greatest of these is love. How can we grow as a church where love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things? - Pastor Arthur Hsu

Most of us desire to live our lives in a way that results in healthy growth and activity. One could argue that God desires that for us also! However, how well do we live when it comes to taking care of the Body of Christ? In today's text, the importance of EVERY person in the church as a body part cannot be denied. How can we be a healthy and growing Body of Christ? It requires all of us to show up and to embrace our God-given roles. - Pastor Gaylord Tsuei

The beauty in diversity comes when we take parts that don’t seem to work together and unite them in a way that works harmoniously. How can we be a church that displays such unity in our diversity? What if we turned our diverse spiritual gifts and used them to serve God, bless others, and proclaim the Good News of Jesus? - Pastor Dominic Chan

As the church of God, we move through the direction of the Holy Spirit. For it is through the Spirit that God reveals his thoughts to us. In contrast to the world, the Holy Spirit casts a different light that draws people to God in spirit and in truth.  - Pastor Arthur Hsu

Do we experience "cheap worship?" That is, worship that is not great quality, didn't cost us much, and is "easy come, easy go?" As we read about Jesus' attitudes and actions in the temple we can learn how He desires for us to view worship. If Jesus came to worship with us...would He sense zeal and passion? - Pastor Gaylord Tsuei

We don't normally witness the entire world come to a standstill. The pandemic did that. But, God did not remain still; he continues to move in his redemptive purpose to draw all people to himself. We get a precious gift out of this pause - we get a reset. It's a reset that reminds us again why we exist as a church - to worship God, to be in community with faithful believers, and to be on mission to reach the lost with the good news of Jesus Christ. When we embody this fully, our English ministry will witness the greatness of God bring spiritual rebirth and restoration to all. - Pastor Arthur Hsu

Most people are clear on what the main verb of Matthew 28:19 is: "Make Disciples." A command that is crystal clear and loaded with promises and encouragement to those of us who profess to be Christians. But there are challenges along the way and we sometimes are distracted, discouraged, or disobedient to this high calling. For many, the question boils down to, "Why is it so hard to GO?" - Pastor Gaylord Tsuei

Packing for a trip means being prepared for the circumstances you’ll face. When Jesus asks us to pack the bare minimum, what is he really asking from us and what is he asking for us to do? - Pastor Dominic Chan

Recently an article came out that stated, "We think of awe as an emotion reserved for the most extraordinary moments – summiting a mountain, the birth of a child, an exquisite live performance. But researchers who study awe say the emotion shouldn't be associated only with rare events. Daily experiences of awe, they argue, should be a regular part of the way we engage with the world." In today's passage, three people were highlighted. One experienced great awe and it led to a powerful response. Another person in the story experienced very little awe, and therefore the response was underwhelming. The third person in the story was Jesus... - Pastor Gaylord Tsuei

It's been over a year since we last worshiped together live in this sanctuary. This calls for a mighty celebration, a joyful noise, shouts of exaltation to our God! It's a new day, ACC. A day of gladness. A day of praise. A day of proclamation that he is our God and we are his people. Let's live for his honor and let's live for his mission - to make disciples who make disciples.  - Pastor Arthur Hsu

There are sacrifices to be made if we truly live out God's mission on making disciples who make disciples. According to Jesus, whoever hates his or her life in this world will keep it for eternal life. To fall and die is an integral component in following Jesus fully. What does life look like when we die to self? - Pastor Arthur Hsu

Dinner parties are usually fun, festive, and food-centered. Jesus regularly joined people at their homes and he was often the guest of honor. But something profound comes to light when one goes below the surface to see Jesus' motivation. Why did he join these meals? Who was invited to these meals? Who should we invite into our lives today? - Pastor Gaylord Tsuei

What does it mean to be part of the family of God? Is it blood or bond? Is the nuclear family important? What does it take to be in Jesus' circle? When it comes to being in Jesus' circle and discipleship, we see it boils down to one thing. - Pastor Patrick Yao

We are consumed by the many identities the world has to offer. But, there is only one identity God offers to us, to be his disciple. For that to happen, we must deny or release the very identities we treasure and become the disciple he desires us to be. Then, and only then, can we live out our true calling to make disciples who make disciples.  - Pastor Arthur Hsu

Some things will never happen if something else doesn't happen first. One can't lose weight unless eating and exercise habits change. You can't wake up if you don't go to sleep first. People can't be comforted unless they are first sad. You won't pass a challenging final exam if you don't first make the time to study effectively and efficiently. You can't follow Jesus...if you don't leave some things behind... - Pastor Gaylord Tsuei