The God of Acts 5:1-11 feels foreign and even offensive to many. And if you were reading your Bible at home, you might just rush past that feeling as quickly as possible. But we won't be rushing past anything this morning because we need to know God for WHO HE IS, not who we imagine Him to be.

And in our text this morning, we get a snapshot of the early Church persevering and thriving as they met the challenges that came their way.

And in our text this morning, we get a snapshot of the early Church persevering and thriving as they met the challenges that came their way.

The Sanhedrin has issued their warning- If you keep speaking about Jesus, we're going to do to you what we did to your King. The Apostles have drawn their line in the sand- We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. The church is about to feel the wrath of the world. How will they respond--

The Sanhedrin has issued their warning: If you keep speaking about Jesus, we're going to do to you what we did to your King. The Apostles have drawn their line in the sand: We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. The church is about to feel the wrath of the world. How will they respond?

Our passage this morning is the second half of the story that we considered last Sunday - Peter and John and the healing of the man lame from birth. The lame man is dancing, Peter is preaching, and the crowd is repenting and believing- Our text this morning picks up in the middle of that scene where we discover that the religious leaders in the temple are fuming. Peter response as only someone filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit can.

Our passage this morning is the second half of the story that we considered last Sunday – Peter and John and the healing of the man lame from birth. The lame man is dancing, Peter is preaching, and the crowd is repenting and believing! Our text this morning picks up in the middle of that scene where we discover that the religious leaders in the temple are fuming. Peter response as only someone filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit can.

Our passage this morning begins to recount how the Apostles engaged in the first stage of their four-part assignment - the witness to Jerusalem.

Our passage this morning begins to recount how the Apostles engaged in the first stage of their four-part assignment – the witness to Jerusalem.

In our passage this morning, we find a summary of how the church engaged with stage one - their ministry in Jerusalem. They were a healthy church - and their neighbours were compelled by what they saw.