Last week we saw Jesus heal a crippled beggar at the gateway into the Temple courts, through the Apostle Peter. That healing created a ruckus. Everyone knew that old crippled man and were shocked that he was walking around on strong legs. As a crowd gathered on a covered porch in the Temple called Solomon’s Portico. The once shy Peter stood and preached his second sermon in Jerusalem since the Holy Spirit came on the Apostles in power. This passage is that sermon. In it we see the overwhelming centrality of Christ and understanding who Jesus is, along with a beautiful promise and assurance to us through Him.

This passage transitions us from the day of Pentecost to the earliest days of this newly formed, Spirit-empowered community. A shocking event occurred one day in the Temple courts, as Peter and John strolled through the gate into the Temple grounds. Peter healed a crippled beggar in the name and by the power of Jesus Christ. This surprised everyone who saw it, just like it would surprise us today. So, we will spend time together exploring miracles and healing. The same Spirit who worked through the Apostle Peter is at work through God’s people today.

This passage is absolutely foundational for us as a church. It is referenced in every Foundations Class we have ever taught, and shaped our longings and vision from the earliest days of planting Redemption Hill. It shows us what the earliest church devoted itself to, and how it was shaped by the gospel into a new family and community. It also shows us the incredible impact that a gospel-shaped community can have.

This Sunday we had the privilege of hearing from Tony Wee. Tony is a long-time member of RHC. It was exciting to have him lead us and inspire us to join God’s work through evangelism.

As the first Christian sermon concludes, Peter’s hearers were “cut to the heart” and asked what they should do. Their sin was exposed. Peter’s call was to repent and be baptized. This is the normative pattern in the New Testament: God’s Word is proclaimed, people are cut to the heart, they repent, and they are baptized. We will take time to explore what real repentance is and why baptism is important.

In the first Christian sermon, Peter established that Jesus the man is the Savior we need. He didn’t stop there, though. He went on to proclaim the powerful reality that Jesus is the King we need as well. He came in the line of David, anticipated by David’s own Psalms, and Jesus is the ultimate King that was promised to David. The implications for us are massive, not only individually, but on the whole of how God’s people think about the role we play in this world corporately.

After the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in power, just like Jesus promised, the Apostles spilled into the streets of Jerusalem speaking in tongues. The crowds responded with wonder and amazement, while some mocked them and thought they were drunk. Peter stood up and delivered the first Christian sermon. The same man who had denied knowing Jesus just a couple of months earlier now stood with boldness, beautifully applying the texts and prophecies of the Old Testament and pointing the the supremacy of Jesus the Christ. 3,000 people were saved that day. This Sunday we begin a 3-week look at Peter's sermon, and we will see that Jesus is our Savior.

The waiting finally came to an end on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit filled the Apostles and worked in power in Jerusalem. Christianity swept through the Roman Empire and on across the world in the most unlikely of ways. This passage is what started it all. Join us as we take a look at how to recognize the movement of the Spirit of God in our own lives and church.

The Apostles and their friends, 120 total people, followed Jesus' instructions after His Ascension and headed back to Jerusalem to wait. This passage shows us what they did in the interim. I'm not good at waiting. Most of us aren't. Living in a city exacerbates that whole problem. Everything is fast-paced all the time. This week we are going to see what it actually looks like to wait on the Lord to move and act.

The book of Acts details the first days of the early church, the beginning of God's movement to form a people for His glory from all the peoples of the earth. It shows how the Word of God advances and spreads in the most unlikely of ways, through the most unlikely people. As we begin a new year together, we will see new beginnings through Acts 1-7. This Sunday we begin with Acts 1:1-11, the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.