What makes a man like Stephen face suffering with such incredible poise, courage, and grace? It is a vision of Jesus. This morning we begin our new Advent series to see that a glorious vision of Jesus at the right hand of God would not have been made possible if Jesus hadn’t come the first time. Let’s begin to unpack this incredible moment in the history of the church, in the life of Saul, and hopefully for us too this advent season.

The passage in Acts today is really a primer on how to handle internal conflict and growth in the church. This morning, we will look at the challenges that it highlights and the solutions it proposes for service in the church.

Everybody loves a good hero story. We like to see our heroes snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. But what is it about the NAME of Jesus that gave the disciples such heroic courage to remain faithful in the face of danger? Let’s find out by looking at three pillars of courage.

Guest Speaker: Mark Smith

What makes the disciples, in the face of impending suffering, become more bold to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection and exceedingly generous? We want to follow in the early disciples' footsteps by looking at their pattern of RUNNING to the Lord, REHEARSING God’s sovereignty, and RE-EXPERIENCING his powerful presence.

Guest Speaker: Mark Smith

The miracle and the message go together here. While the miracle was meant to combat the suffering of the lame man, and blessed him greatly, it pointed to even more than the healing itself. It pointed to the Messiah’s Glory,  The Moment to Come, The Greater Need, The Grief of the Suffering Servant. Let’s look at these four truths by connecting the miracle to the message.

It is hard for us to understand how different and radical the early church looked in their culture because we have inherited their world. And yet, rather than sacrifice, service and loving our enemies, we seem to be returning to a world where might makes right, where power is everything. This morning, we are reminded WHAT DEVOTION to Christ is to look like, and HOW DEVOTION is possible. 

This Sunday, we look at Peter's first sermon, where he explains what is meant by this outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Peter gives a Christ exalting clear sermon that interprets the Old Testament with a decidedly Christological exegesis. We now live in the long age of opportunity between Christ’s two comings, where we are called to live in His powerful PRESENCE as faithful WITNESSES.

This Sunday we look at the day of Pentecost which was the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit would come. Let’s look at the three accompanying miraculous SIGNS and how they empower God’s people to be a GOSPEL OUTPOST for the nations.