Philip was an ordinary man who had a an extraordinary impact. He sparked disciple-making movements that reached the ends of the earth by impacting one life at a time. Philip was molded by God and then sent by God Himself to multiply his spiritual life. Will you be molded by God so that He can multiply the Kingdom through you? The choice is yours — Bashful bystander or moldable multiplier.
A godly disciple named Stephen has been executed. Authorities have entered the Christians’ homes. Male and female disciples have been dragged off to prison. And the One who said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness” is seated at the Father’s right hand with all authority in Heaven and on earth. What is King Jesus up to? Beginning in Acts 8, through the whole Book of Acts and up to today, we discover that King Jesus is in the process of unleashing the whole church to bring the whole gospel to the whole world. In this message, we are challenged not to waste our lives and trained how to join Jesus in this mission – until He comes again.
You can sometimes tell a lot about a person, from the way they die. Stephen, the “Jesus is Lord” movement’s first martyr, is one of those cases. The narrative of Stephen in Acts 6 and 7 gives us great insight into someone spiritually mature – someone described as “full of grace and power,” “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,” and wise beyond his peers. So how is it possible that someone like that would drive the leaders of a nation into a mob frenzy that ends up killing him? The answer is a surprising one: because God was looking for someone to deliver a strong message to his leaders (“your God is too small!”), and in so doing plant the seed of a disciple-making movement beyond the understanding of anyone else living at that time.
Description: Do you long for your co-workers, classmates and friends to know and delight in God? Do you want to see fewer homeless, sick, lonely and hopeless people in our city? Do you dream of the day when people around the world know and glorify God? The good news is God desires these realities and He has a plan to bring them about. In a phrase, His plan is for all of us to join Jesus in his mission to make disciples of all nations. While there are many ingredients which our Lord Jesus uses to multiply the number of disciples within a city this message reveals 4 that are indispensable. May God help all followers of Jesus to honor widows, respect His Word, prioritize prayer and mature in Christ for the good of our neighbors, the renewal of our city and the glory of God among all nations.
There are two ways to live life. We can live with God, love one another, love our neighbors and serve according to our divine purpose with joy and peace even in the midst of opposition. Or, we can live with jealousy, fear and anger while still considering ourselves religious. In our message today these two ways are contrasted in the lives of the apostle Peter and the high priest Caiaphas. Why was Peter able to serve with love and joy even when thrown in prison and beaten? The answer to this question is revealed in Peter’s words to Caiaphas. It is also the secret for living the life God created for us today.
Like many people, Ananias struggled with duplicity. Along with a secret desire to impress his friends at church he also had another shameful secret behind closed doors. These two unfulfilled desires made him vulnerable to Satan’s deceptive plan. At a time when the church was unified in witness to their city, Satan found this man to be an easy target. In the shocking events that follow Ananias’ duplicity we discover that Jesus, from His exalted seat at the Father’s right hand, is committed to expose hypocrisy in those who claim to follow Him and to provide an opportunity for us to confess because He is resolute in His promise to build a united community among every nation against which “the gates of hell shall not prevail.”
Discovering the purpose for which God created us is deeply satisfying. Yet, often others will try to discourage us from becoming all that God intends for us to be and do. After healing a lame man and then explaining to the crowd that Jesus was the source of this man’s healing, some people in positions of authority were “greatly annoyed” and “charged” them not to do these things (the exact things that God had created them to do) any more. How these first disciples responded will expand your view of God and encourage you to remain faithful to His purpose for your life no matter what!
Acts 4 picks up the story a few hours after the crippled man has been healed… Peter and John are arrested and detained for upsetting the peace with their “uneducated” teaching, and for convincing people to join the “Jesus is Lord” movement. For the first time, the apostles find themselves in the exact same place Jesus was just weeks prior: in front of the ruling religious council of their day, being strongly questioned. Previously, this environment was the catalyst for Peter’s cowardly denials of Jesus as he observed the hostility and authority of the council to put his master to death. However, in this “second chance,” Peter stays on offense, yet respectfully. Through his response to the council’s intimidation, he provides one of the strongest case studies in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform people fully, into who they were created to be, in the image of Jesus himself.
When the Bible reports a miraculous healing it raises many questions. Why is there so much illness, disease and brokenness in our world? Does God heal today? What is our role in physical and other forms of restoration? Neither this text nor this message answer all the questions. Yet, it is clear that our exalted Jesus is still refurbishing bodies and more,…
Having ascended to the right hand of the Father, Jesus has been given all authority in Heaven and on earth. One of his roles as King of the Universe is to build His church. In this passage we see a beautiful picture of His followers in His young church. They were so hungry to learn, generous toward others, open on the God-ward side and hospitable with neighbors that the Lord entrusted new people to them on a daily basis. This truly is the church as she was (and is) intended to be.