By Acts 6, as the church began to grow, problems emerged — not just from outside, but from inside as well. But they didn't sweep the issues under the rug. They dealt with them head-on, providing us with a model of faith-filled problem-solving!

We all go through hardship. Jesus said it would be that way, and our life experience has proved it over and over. So resiliency is critical! While we do get knocked around, getting knocked out doesn't have to be our story. Let's discover what roles hardship plays in our lives and how we can rely on Jesus to see us through.

At the end of Acts 4 and the start of Chapter 5, we find three important truths about generosity and how it marked the early church — as well as two things that went terribly wrong! But through all this, we discover why the church was known as a community where, "No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, so they shared everything they had." 

For a deeper dive into the topic of generosity, follow this link to find the series, "Resurrecting Generosity" — https://sm4.org/series/res-gen  

Jesus is a miracle-working God. His miracles display God's breakthrough grace, and point to His limitless and unrivaled power. And the church is to carry the expectation that God will pour out His miraculous power on them, so they can share it with the world. From Acts 3, we learn how to press into God's grace — not only by believing in God's power, but by living into our faith. If you need a miracle, this is for you! 

If the church is to be a community, what kind would it be? The story of Acts points toward something more than a group of people committed to God. They were also known by their love for each other. The church has always been called to be a covenant community, devoted both to God and to the other. When this breaks down, there is no mission — but when it flourishes, redemption flows.

The church discovered on day one it was a proclaiming community — dedicated to declaring the good news of Jesus! We get to echo the words of Peter in Acts 2: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!"

In Acts 2 God sends the promised Holy Spirit to empower His newly formed church! There's the sound of wind, the sight of heaven's fire, and the believers spoke in unknown tongues — all ways God was showing His mighty power. And the results were immediate: an incredibly diverse group of people, representing languages and ethnicities from around the world were united in Jesus. That's the same legacy we can experience when we rely on the Holy Spirit to empower our church and our lives. 

Near the end of this message, Pastor Tim also shares some thoughts on the amazing gift of speaking in tongues. 

Today we begin a new series, diving into the Book of Acts to discover — along with the first followers of Jesus — what it means to be "the church." In Acts One, the disciples find that Jesus had no intention of backing their political, nationalistic agenda. Jesus tells them that instead of providing political freedom for ONE nation, He would be empowering them to provide spiritual freedom to ALL nations! The first lesson for the church: you must be a missionary community. 

As we continue to pray and seek God on behalf of our nation and world, this week it is very appropriate that the second part of our two-week series, Finding Faith In Jesus, is all about the restoration and hope that's only possible because of Jesus: our healer, and soon coming King!

In this two-week series, we're looking at four powerful spiritual realities of those who put their trust in Jesus. Today, Pastors Tim & Kaelyn Mossholder look at the first two: new life and spiritual empowerment.