The Well Church Edmond

The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch feels a little bit like it’s stuck awkwardly into the the middle of the narrative of Acts. This passage is only 13 verses long- But it contains the heartbeat of the book.

We see a Jesus Follower, empowered by the Holy Spirit- taking the gospel out into the Gentile World.

AND We see an OUTSIDER included and brought into the family of God.

in 2024- How much is our faith strengthened and authenticated when we see people the church deems unworthy come to faith anyway?

That’s the far reaching, radically inclusive, REAL love of Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, we don’t get to decide to decide who’s inside and who’s outside of God’s family.

It’s GOD’S family.

And God has already decided that ALL people are welcome.

God desires that all people would be saved and would come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

This is truly good news for all people!

Join us as we read, reflect, and worship continuing our study through Acts.

Join us as we reflect on the story of Ananias and Sapphira from Acts 5, and discuss the hypocrisy and integrity within the early Christian community. We see their genuine acts of charity alongside their deceitful attempt to appear more generous than they were. The narrative serves as a caution against using faith for personal gain and emphasizes the importance of authenticity, warning against becoming "whitewashed tombs"—outwardly righteous but inwardly decayed. How can we examine our own lives for traces of hypocrisy and to live with true integrity?

At Pentecost, the Spirit of God transitioned from being present in a single place to being present with all believers. All anyone had to do to receive it was choose to follow Jesus. And then- they could carry it with them wherever they went. And they could share it- they could be witnesses to other people- beginning in Jerusalem, moving out to Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Pentecost is powerful picture of the new story Jesus followers were now part of. At a festival that connected them to their roots- God showed them the way forward. The believers put this new way into practice by loving one another well in community, sharing what they had with one another, eating meals together, and enjoying the favor of the other people around them.

After Jesus' death and resurrection, his disciples were bewildered. Because of his life, death, and resurrection - nothing would ever be the same. They weren’t sure how to continue the story that he began.

In the book of Acts- We see Jesus' followers take their first tentative steps into the post-resurrection future. Acts 1 sets the stage for the global movement that would span centuries and change billions of lives. Jesus ascends to heaven to sit at God's right hand. This leaves room for the Holy Spirit to rush in and empower the disciples to witness on the road ahead. With the selection of Matthias, they present a unified front as the new Israel. Though they were uncertain at times, the Holy Spirit inspired them to make the road by walking.

Why does the 10th commandment tell us not to covet? When we find ourselves so consumed with others and what they have, get, or receive we miss out on the blessings God has for us. Jesus is taking us all on our own journey and when we focus our attention on him, we realize that we are released from the desire to covet our neighbor. "Thou shall not covet" becomes more of a reward than a command. Follow along as we see how Peter finds himself on this very path.

Stop to consider that when Peter denies Jesus just before his crucifixion, it's out of fear that he never really knew Jesus the way he thought he did. A big part of Peter's journey has been rethinking what God is doing in the world. Maybe there is something to be gained by allowing the tension to exist in our faith– that wresting with your faith isn't just allowed, but invited. We are left with two important questions: What does it really mean to deny Jesus and are there any versions of Jesus I have been taught that need to die?

As we continue Peter's journey with Jesus in Matthew 16:13-26 we see that he and the others expected the Messiah to be one of force, but instead Jesus came with love and self-sacrifice. When Jesus says "Get behind me" we learn its true meaning of being a stumbling block. Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him, honoring the humanity of others, rather than leading by force in a world that is so tempting to seek retribution for those who believe or behave differently than our convictions.

In the ancient mind, the sea was a terrifying, untamable force that was to be feared. Jesus walking on top of a raging sea calls back to a lot of notions of God and power that are deeply embedded in Jewish consciousness. So when Peter attempts to walk on water and Jesus saves him, maybe Peter's problem is not that he takes his eyes off Jesus – it's that he wants Jesus to prove that he's there at all. Maybe faith is actually the ability to surrender control over the things we never had control over in the first place.