Warehouse 242 : Sunday Talks

Jesus pursues the blind man and heals him, interrupts religious systems that often isolate people, invites us to see in a whole new way, and offers good news. 

Why is this concept of neighboring so intimidating? Is the potential outcome for our city worth the potential risks? What underlying fears (fences) need to be addressed and torn down in order to pursue my neighbors?

The biggest obstacle to taking the great commandment seriously is time. When we say; “I don’t have time to get to know my neighbor”, what we are really saying is “I don’t consider getting to know my neighbor as important as everything else that I do.” We live in tension between the urgent and the important. When our priorities are determined by the urgent, our lives won’t match up with our values.

The power and genius of The Great Commandment is that it’s so simple and yet extremely powerful when acted on. One of the most important things we can do collectively to live out our mission and impact our city is to actually live out Jesus’ command to love our neighbors, beginning with the neighbors next door.

At the end of the passage we’ve been exploring, there’s a humbling and energizing statement about God adding people to the church as they are being saved. This message covers two simple points: that God is the one who does the saving, and that salvation is not just a past event we leave behind but an ongoing work of God in the present.

The Acts of the Apostles embodied good news as a community practicing resurrection, bearing witness to Jesus with awe (wonder/ astonishment), praise, and favor (grace) in the midst of suffering. Today, we’ll unpack how wonder informs the kind of people we’re meant to become.

Joy is a uniquely Christian attitude. Since we live in a world in which Jesus has risen from the dead, we can have deep joy. Because God in Christ has given us everything we need to be his companions, we can be joyful people. What does it look like to rejoice always, even in the midst of hard circumstances?

Acts 2 speaks of gathering in the Temple daily and praising God.  What is there to learn from this habitual pattern? What does it look like for us to communally praise God?  What is the natural outcome of time spent worshipping God and how does that impact the Kingdom of God? 

When the church was devoted to the apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer, the natural outflow of this devotion was radical generosity. While the church has a different social makeup today, how can this pattern of generosity inspire us toward similar lifestyles of generosity today. How is the Spirit leading us to give ourselves, our things, and our money to those in need?

A 2:42 - prayer.  What does it mean to be “devoted” to prayer (and the other components)?  The language of Acts 2 speaks to radical transformation of “being” and prayers as a habitual exercise