Sermons

At the end of Acts 4, the followers of Jesus were living a radical, new life of generosity, selflessness, and compassion for one another.Barnabas is set out as an example of this type of living. However, the enemy attacks the believers by appealing to the sinful flesh and raising up greed, pride, and deceit.  God’s swift and righteous judgment reminds the believers that sin is serious and that he has saved us to live a new life.

In Acts 4, Peter and John face political consequences as a result of their healing ministry and their preaching ministry. When faced with persecution, these disciples have a chance to evaluate their relationship with the politics of the day. In this evaluation, they respond with perseverance, with prayer, and with bold proclamation of the gospel.

As Peter and John enter the temple courts, they encounter a man who knew that he was broken and in need of redemption. God uses these men to not only heal his physical body but also to heal his sin-diseased soul. When we are truly honest about how unwell we are, we can truly experience Christ’s healing, and we can share that healing with others.

Today we finish out chapter two in our sermon series in the Book of Acts. As a result of the coming of the Spirit, we now find the people of God seeing through new eyes, and experiencing the fullness of the not so common Spirit-indwelled life that God has called his people to — the committed life of Christian fellowship that overflows into evangelism and mission.

In Jewish tradition, Shavout is the day the Torah was given to Moses. In the New Testament, Shavuot is the giving of the Holy Spirit. Same day and no coincidence! While many believe Acts 2 is the birth of the Church the disciples understood that what happened to them there was equal in importance to what happened on Mt. Sinai. It was the empowerment by the Holy Spirit that gave them the revelation to preach the gospel for the first time to Jewish people, in the Temple courts, in Jerusalem! Today, the Holy Spirit still empowers followers of Yeshua to turn from our sins, lead us to better living and save us from judgement.