At the end of Acts 4, the early church was putting into practice Jesus's radical redefinition of family from Mark 3.  The believers cared for each other as if they were blood relatives because they were members of the family of God.  In the midst of that, Ananias and Sapphira attempted a deception which strikes us a relatively minor, yet, they were struck down dead.  This came as a reminder that sin, no matter how small, is serious and it is only by God's grace that we are not likewise destroyed.

Peter had embraced the message of Jesus. He gave up career and family to follow Jesus.  When other followers walked away, Peter pointed out that no one else had the words of eternal life.  However, even that level of belief was not sufficient to carry him through Jesus' arrest and trial.  Peter denied knowing Jesus.  However, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter boldly proclaimed Jesus to the same people before whom he had previously denied him.  He had been filled with the Spirit.  His existence was no longer about himself.  It was about Jesus

When Jesus came to earth as God veiled in human flesh, it ushered in a new level of face-to-face communication between God and man.  At the ascension of Jesus, that relationship changed again.  Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would continue to instruct believers in truth which he would take from Jesus himself.  Unlike Jesus who was limited by human body, the Holy Spirit can be within each of us, guiding us all individually 24/7/365.  As Jesus ascended, the angels told the disciples that Jesus would return as he left, ushering in a final, more awesome age of face-to-face communication with God in which no veil or cloud to hide his glory.

When we aren't certain what to do next, human nature is to revert to what is comfortable and easy but that comes with the risk of slipping back into old sinful habits.  We need to keep seeking Jesus, he will guide us into the next new thing in his time.  Following the directions from Jesus, the man on shore, the disciples had a huge catch of fish but that was not the real cause of excitement.  Jesus, the man on shore, was the exciting thing.  My life is not about my ability to earn and provide for my family.  It is about knowing "the man on shore" who is behind all of my abilities.  Our focus should not be on our past failures.  Jesus restores us and calls us deeper into him.  Our focus should not be on what God is doing in others.  He has a unique plan for each of us so our focus should be on the Lord and on helping each other to pursue him - whatever that looks like for each of us.

It is unfair to label Thomas as the doubter.  His doubt is no greater than that of the other disciples or us.  Jesus responds to honest doubt gently and with a call to come and see - check it out.  He is more true than anything in this earth so he is not afraid of honest inquiry.  However, doubt can also arise from hardness of heart, where we really don't want to know the truth.  That doubt is dangerous spiritually.  Doubt is not sin but it is the basis for sin.  The antidote for doubt is to dwell on the character of God, his truth, faithfulness, changelessness.

The Disciples on the road to Emmaus had lost hope and lacked the discernment to understand the scriptures related to Jesus death and resurrection.  As Christians, we need hope, a longing for something better, and the discernment to understand scripture so that we have a bedrock on which to stand.

The resurrection confirms the deity of Christ and empowered the disciples to establish the church, it proves that Jesus sacrifice is sufficient to cover all of our sins, it provides a living advocate for us in the court of heaven and it is the first installment of the ultimate victory over death.

In Gethsemane, Jesus had a real choice: to go through with plan to redeem mankind which would mean suffering and agony to a degree that no one on earth can fully understand or abandon sinful, selfish, ungrateful mankind and return to the glory, joy and peace that he had known from eternity past.  Jesus chose to follow through with the plan because of the joy set before him.  The expectation of what was to come enabled him to endure the suffering in the short term.  What do we expect of God?

Jesus set the example for servant leadership as he washed the disciples' feet.  He calls us to be a church of servants.  After Judas was  sent out, Jesus used Passover elements to talk to his disciples about his coming suffering and death.  Communion is a opportunity to remember his sacrifice for us and also to affirm our commitment to abide in him.

Judas condemned Mary for anointing Jesus with expensive perfume in an act of worship rather than selling it and giving the money to the poor.  God is not worried about scarce resources.  He has abundance.  He is concerned about our worship.  Our decisions show us whether we value Jesus more than all else.