Crossroads - Weekend Messages

There is nothing that followers of Jesus like to discuss less than persecution. For those of us in the West, that’s because we value comfort and security, and because we have never experienced governmental attacks and destruction like what we see in the Bible. But we are a minority. Across the globe, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing brutal persecution, even as we read this. There is much that we can learn from our text this weekend as we see the church endure tremendous hardship and also miraculous deliverance.

One beautiful thing about the body of Christ is that we are diverse! Each and every one of us have grown up with different worldviews, perspectives, and concepts that impact who we are as individuals and how we view our circumstances. Though we all have differing perspectives of what we believe is normal, today’s message will show us that if we aren’t viewing things through the lens of Christ, it can actually hinder our relationship with Jesus and with others. May this message encourage you to see everything through the finished work of the cross, understanding that the goal is not to do this perfectly but purposefully.

Acts chapter 10 is a monumental moment in the life of the church. God is pushing Jewish believers to reach out to the Gentiles. He takes a good old Jewish boy, Peter, and places him in the family room of a Roman officer. The exhortation from the Lord is to not consider someone common whom He has cleansed. We see very clearly that God doesn’t play favorites. He has an open invitation to all who will believe in Jesus.

There was something undeniable about the early church. People who knew the apostles and the early followers of Jesus saw that their lives were different. And not just a little bit different either! Their lives were unique displays of God’s presence and power. We see normal and average people, like you or I, involved in displays of transformation and power that could only be the handiwork of God. And what’s amazing is that God is still working like this today!

Every follower of Jesus has a ‘conversion’ story. It’s the story of how they met Jesus and what Jesus did in their life. In this weekend’s study in Acts 9, we will see possibly the most famous of all conversion stories–the Apostle Paul on the Damascus road. When Saul of Tarsus meets Jesus, literally everything changes. And by Paul’s life and ministry, the world has been extraordinarily impacted.

God works in mysterious ways. That is not only a pithy phrase. It is a biblical reality. We are continually reminded that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and that God’s ways are better than our ways. Now imagine if you were Philip, the great evangelist of the early church, and the Spirit invited you to leave a revival in Samaria to head out on a desert road. Would you protest? Would you doubt? Would you question God? This is exactly what we see in our study this weekend in the book of Acts. Prepare to be amazed!

There is absolutely no one like Jesus. In every aspect of character, Jesus stands alone. Only Jesus is Lord, Savior, Messiah, King of kings, and Lord of lords. Only Jesus is Emmanuel (God with us) and the Prince of Peace. And only Jesus can offer humanity the Unique Assurance it craves to live lives to the full. As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this Resurrection Sunday, we will look at the uniqueness of Jesus.

Two thousand years ago, when Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on a humble donkey, everything was about to change. Something was about to happen that would radically transform literally everything. Looking back on that fateful day, we now commemorate it as Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. This Easter season at Crossroads is going to be special as we reflect on the Unique Assurance of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

As we bring our study in the first section of the book of Acts to a close, we focus our attention on three very different people. Each person is unique and in a unique situation. No one is the same. Yet, for each person, God has a plan. What we will learn from this powerful section of Scripture is that God is always working. Not only in the good and beautiful things but also in the horrible situations of life.

In our lives, we often want to have things all figured out, and we can even take this mindset into our relationship with God. We want God to work in ways that we can expect and understand. Stephen’s speech is a reminder that God has never really fit into the box that people create, and the story of Israel proves it. Reflecting on that story is an opportunity for us to think about our own expectations, shift the way we look at our own circumstances, and truly see God at work in our midst.