Second Thoughts with Austin Gentry

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Acts 12 features a duel of power between good and evil, God and Satan, Peter and Herod. In Herod, Satan tries to stomp out the gospel through unchecked power and sinister strength. But in Peter, God advances his Kingdom through trust, prayer, weakness, silence, and invisibility. The weakness and foolishness of God overturns what the enemy meant for evil, for good (1 Corinthians 1:25-30; Romans 8:28). 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | God brings Peter to Cornelius, and Cornelius gathers a crowd for Peter, so that God can declare the good news to the Gentiles. Acts 10 marks what may be referred to as the 'Gentile Pentecost,' which mirrors in many ways the first Pentecost in Jerusalem for the Jews. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | As Peter moves throughout the Mediterranean, he has two miraculous interactions - one with a paralyzed man, and another with a deceased woman - that replicate and repeat Jesus' own ministry. This story tells us something about apostolic authority back then as well as Jesus' heart for us today.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Acts 9 marks a milestone moment in the early church and also in the history of the world: the dramatic conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Even though Saul wasn't looking for God, God sought him out. And the ways God brought Saul to repentance and salvation is oftentimes how God brings us into the fold as well. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | In Acts 6, the church faces a new type of opposition. It's not external (like persecution or imprisonment) nor is it internal (like corruption or temptation); this time, it's somewhat 'passive opposition' where no one is necessarily at fault; there is natural dissonance, natural conflict, compounded with the stress and strain of natural growth pains in the church. Stephen, in particular, serves the needs of the church that he is aware of; and also evangelizes to others he is not even aware of - all through a faithful, faith-filled life. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Acts 5 features a cultural and spiritual war taking place between the establishment of Israel and the up-and-coming early church. As Satan takes extreme measures to stop the message of the gospel and salvation from spreading, God ensures that the Truth is preserved and people are brought into His Kingdom. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | In the first 4 chapters, the book of Acts shows how the church originated, operated, continued in the ordinary, and faced opposition. So far, the only opposition was external, i.e., physical harm and imprisonment. However, this type of opposition doesn't thwart the growth of the church; in fact, it enhances it all the more. At the turn of Acts 5, Satan changes his opposition from attacking them with external forces to now crafting insidious, internal acts, hoping to crumble the church from within. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | In Acts 4, the Sanhedrin arrests the apostles for healing and teaching in Jesus' name - which was not a violation of the law, only the Sanhedrin's perceived sense of power. In the Sanhedrin, we can see a profound picture of ourselves and the culture around us: the priority of self, and Jesus' authority interrupting our autonomy and authority.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | As the church continues in their regular routines and rhythms of life, their ordinary obedience to God gives way to extraordinary events. As they follow God each day, He directs their paths... to the right people... at the right place... for his perfect will. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Acts unfolds in an action-packed way: the apostles receive the authority of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost, many in Jerusalem repent of their sins and follow Christ, and the first church is born. But now what?  At the end of Acts, we see 5 defining characteristics of this new church, marking its health, structure, and lifestyle.