God is sovereign over everything and everyone. This truth is meant to free us from the fear of what is happening in the world around us and to help us speak the word of God boldly to those who do not yet know Jesus! God in his sovereignty brought about the death of his son Jesus, so that his plan of salvation would come to pass. Nothing can stand in the way of our God!

Acts 4 introduces us to a new era in the early church – an era marked by persecution, suffering, and opposition. However, at the moment that we would expect their momentum to slow, we discover the opposite. The gospel advances, God’s people are emboldened, and more people come to know Jesus than ever before. Here’s the lesson: only the gospel can turn a trial into a pulpit!

Biblical Soul Care, a ministry of Gospel Life Church, provides a compassionate environment to help

individuals navigate their sin and suffering biblically by applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to their

lives by faith. We believe that the Bible’s model for discipleship is in relationship and through the

local church, and that requires us as believers to be willing to walk in the light and be known, sharing

our sufferings and comforts with one another and pointing one another to Christ who suffered and

was raised from death.

The good news of Christmas is not found in our holiday parties, Christmas movies, or eggnog. Instead, the good news of Christmas is found in the celebration that Christ came to heal us and Malachi 2:17-3:4 prepares the hearts of God’s people for the Son of God that will rise with healing in His wings!

The people and the priests in Malachi's day had forgotten the might, majesty, and mercy of the Lord of Hosts. They were offering God their left-overs and their half-hearted worship. They had lost their fear of the Lord. The same thing happens in our lives today. Thank God for Jesus, who was sent to suffer and die for our sins of dishonoring God and to restore the reverence, honor and awe that God deserves, into the hearts of his people!

When we think about the story of Christmas we think about mangers and shepherds and wise men, not sunrises, but that’s exactly what the close of the Old Testament wants us to think about. In the midst of the darkness of sin, Christmas declares that the Son has come to bring light and healing to us, and the opening of Malachi declares that when our doubting is loud, God’s love is louder. 

A miracle happens in Acts 3, but it isn’t the main event. The miracle points to the gospel, celebrates lives changed by the gospel, and opens the door for people to repent and believe. In this, Acts 3 shows a gospel demonstration followed by a gospel explanation that leads others to a gospel invitation, and through Peter and John we learn that faith in Jesus shines bright for Jesus!

Acts 3:1–10 shows that Jesus, after his death, resurrection, and ascension, continues to bring outsiders into the presence of God through the power of His name.

There are a lot of things we can be devoted to in this life, a thousand things we can give our time, energy and commitments to. In Acts 2 we see the very first Christians in history devoting themselves to 3 main things. They were continually: Devoted to Gods Word. Devoted to Gods people. Devoted to worshipping God. This created a community that put the love of Jesus on display for one another and the world around them.