Victory Church Providence

Go Home to Your People

A Sermon by Rev. Douglas Ahamefula and Brenard Rowe Elders of Victory Church in Providence, RI.  

 

Testify of your blessings

• Choose to love people
• Choose to be a blessing

A Woman of Courage

A Sermon by Rev, Jacqui Strothoff, Founder of In His Presence Ministries.

Character Sketches: Esther: A Woman of Courage

• A woman of favor
• A woman of fragrance
• A woman of fortitude
• A woman of courage

A Man After God’s Heart

A Sermon by Pastor Richard Sfameni, Lead Pastor of Victory Church in Providence. RI

Character Sketches: King David

Acts 13:22

He Loved God with all his Heart

He loved God's Word

He had Faith and Trust in God

He had Respect for those in Authority

He was willing to Repent when he Failed

Living a Life That Matters

A Sermon by Pastor Richard Sfameni, Lead Pastor of Victory Church in Providence, RI.  

Character Sketches: King Josaiah

• Seek after God
• Commit to living Godly
• Take care of God’s house
• Read and respond to God’s word

II Chronicles 34:1-33

Josiah Reigns in Judah

34 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ² And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

³ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. ⁴ They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶ And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes. ⁷ When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

⁸ In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. ⁹ When they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and which they had brought back to Jerusalem. ¹⁰ Then they put it in the hand of the foremen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of the Lord, to repair and restore the house. ¹¹ They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for beams, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. ¹² And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise. Others of the Levites, all of whom were skillful with instruments of music, ¹³ were over the burden bearers and were overseers of all who did work in any kind of service. And some of the Levites were scribes, officers, and gatekeepers.

¹⁴ Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. ¹⁵ Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. ¹⁶ So Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. ¹⁷ And they have gathered the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” ¹⁸ Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

¹⁹ Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. ²⁰ Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, ²¹ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

²² So Hilkiah and those the king had appointed went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke to her to that effect.

²³ Then she answered them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, ²⁴ “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah, ²⁵ because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place, and not be quenched.’ ” ’ ²⁶ But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard— ²⁷ because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord. ²⁸ “Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king.

Josiah Restores True Worship

²⁹ Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ The king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord. ³¹ Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. ³² And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. ³³ Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.

Fully Filled

A Sermon by Pastor Mike O'Brien, Associate Pastor and Director of Student Ministries and Communications at Victory Church in Providence, RI.  

 

John 14:15-17

⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Recalibrate Your Life

A Sermon by Reverend  Peter DeArruda, urban missionary with the New York School of Urban Ministry.

1. Be steadfast
2. Be unmovable
3. Always understanding what God wants you to do

I Corinthians 58:55-58

⁵⁵ “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

After The Storm is Over

A Sermon by Dr. Michael Caparrelli, Founder of UnMuted.

Michael Caparrelli was born and bred in Providence, Rhode Island, a troubled kid who squandered his adolescence in institutions such as juvenile jails and psychiatric hospitals. When he was 18 years old, his life was transformed by the power of Jesus Christ, and he was fathered by Pastor Pat Manzo, the current Superintendent of New England and New Jersey Teen Challenge.

In 2004, he graduated from Zion Bible College with his Bachelors Degree in Biblical Theology and was appointed the Ministries Director and later on, Ministries Pastor, under Pastor Manzo's leadership as well as Pastor Tony Palow at NPAG. Under his oversight, he started over 25 support groups and small groups within that congregation that focus on subjects such as addiction recovery, anger management and other relevant subjects.

From 2006-2008, he served as an instructor at Zion Bible College; teaching classes in performing arts - acting, writing and directing plays. He also wrote, directed and produced 10 drama productions that were showcased in 8 different venues throughout New England, New York, drawing audiences of thousands of people.

In 2009, he graduated from Liberty University with his Master's Degree in Education. In that same year, along with 25 people, he started Sacred Exchange Fellowship as a church plant under North Providence Assembly of God covering. The vision of that church plant was to become a spiritual hospital for the spiritually sick. From 2009 to 2019, it has grown from 25 people - nearly 300 people with two services every Sunday morning.

In January 2020, he finishes his PhD in Behavioral Science with an emphasis upon Addiction Psychology. His doctoral dissertation is entitled, 'The Impact of Involvement With the Evangelical Church upon the Recovery Journey of People with Chemical Addictions". Currently, he’s a keynote speaker in churches, schools and other venues across the nation on subjects such as depression, addiction, grief, early childhood trauma, etc.

His non-profit organization, UNMUTED, is geared towards giving those who were victimized by traumatic experiences their voices back. In January 2020, his book entitled, "Pen your Pain Into Parables: a therapeutic tool for those recovering from trauma" will be released along with an accompanying journal.

Mark 4:39-40 NIV

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? 

Getting Dressed For Battle

EPHESIAN 6: 10-20

VS 14: The Belt of Truth

            The Breastplate of Righteousness

VS 15:  Feet prepared with the Gospel of Peace

VS 16:  The Shield of Faith

VS 17:  The Helmet of Salvation

             The Sword of the Spirit

 

Going From Strength to Strength

A Sermon by Pastor Richard Sfameni, Lead Pastor of Victory Church in Providence, RI.  

Luke 11:11-13

¹¹ If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Getting Back to the Roots

A Sermon by Pastor Mike O'Brien, Associate Pastor and Director of Student Ministries and Communications at Victory Church in Providence, RI.     

Helping us get back to our roots, being led by the Holy Spirit, so we can fulfill the work Jesus is expecting of us. With examples from Acts 1 and the life of Anne Askew.

Acts 1

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, ² until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

⁴ And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³ And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

¹⁵ In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, ¹⁶ “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. ¹⁷ For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” ¹⁸ (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. ¹⁹ And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ²⁰ “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

 “‘May his camp become desolate,

and let there be no one to dwell in it’;

and“‘Let another take his office.’

²¹ So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—