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Acts 6:8-15 The Power Of A Single Witness

Last week in Acts 6, we saw the church adapt to the needs that growth brought. They came together and appointed seven men to oversee aspects of ministry in the Jerusalem church. Two of these men, Stephen and Phillip, will be the focus of the next few chapters in Acts. Through Stephen’s brief ministry, his testimony before the Sanhedrin, and his execution, God will propel the church out of Jerusalem to the nations. Although Stephen’s life will be cut short, it would be hard to find one who is more powerfully used by God for His kingdom. Sunday as we read Acts 6:8-15, we will acquaint ourselves with Stephen’s character and his ministry. He stands as an example for the church of one who is full of faith, grace, and the Holy Spirit. He demonstrates the character of one who draws strength from the presence of the Lord which is how he can face false accusations and martyrdom with peace and forgiveness for his murderers. Not only does his testimony and death propel the church outward, but they also have a profound effect on a man named Saul of Tarsus. His relatively short life shows us the power of a single witness wholly surrendered to Christ. No matter what the circumstances or the brevity of life, a single witness full of grace and power from the presence of Christ will resound throughout eternity.

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Acts 6:1-7 Anatomy Of A Growing Church

In the first five chapters of Acts, we have seen the church overcome many different attacks. Persecution from the religious leaders has increased as the disciples have been arrested, threatened, and beaten for teaching in the name of Jesus. We will see that continue in the coming chapters. The church has also been attacked from inside as Satan filled the heart of Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit in an attempt to corrupt the church. But despite all the attempts to silence the church, chapter five ends by saying the apostles continued to teach in the temple and from house to house. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the church continued to grow despite the obstacles.

In chapter 6:1-7, it is that exponential growth that raises another obstacle the church must overcome. The issue this growing church faces is one of division and distraction. Both are serious threats to this new community striving for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because the number of disciples has increased so much, the church must now adapt to more efficiently engage in the ministry to which God has called them. The anatomy of this growing church is one is willing to reorganize and change to follow the ministry needs to which God is calling them, yet to do so without sacrificing the centrality of the message of the gospel and the ministry of the word of God. It is a church that raises up leaders from among it as they all strive together, united in love, to obey every facet of the mission of Christ.

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Back To Bethel - Genesis 28; 35; John 1

as we strive to be faithful to our calling and our mission, we cannot sacrifice our focus on our foundation - the source of our peace, our strength, and our passion in following Jesus - the gospel. The gospel the sinners entrance into relationship with God and it is the foundation of the believer’s faithful walk with Christ. We have been given everything in Christ...and as we engage in Jesus’ commission, we must continually preach this gospel to ourselves and fight to believe it in every situation. Jesus is better than all other things.

Acts 5:17-42 Radical Obedience of His Witnesses

Jesus gave the church her marching orders. The body of Christ is commanded to make disciples of all nations. This involves many several different things, but at its core we are called to be witnesses for Jesus. Disciples are to be His witnesses to the lost as we evangelize and to each other as we strengthen one another through discipleship. And whenever the church is "on mission," faithfully carrying out the will and word of our Lord, there will always be opposition. This is a theme we have seen repeated in the book of Acts. There is opposition from inside, shown in the previous account of Ananias and Sapphira, and there is always opposition from the world outside. Persecution and opposition from religious leaders surfaces again in Acts 5:17-42. Yet as the Apostles are arrested again, and beaten this time, we see what radical obedience to Christ looks like...and what it costs.

As we examine this text, we find that the call to be His witnesses is not without risks and consequences. But ultimately we find that Jesus is better. Jesus is better than our comfort, our ease, our safety. Jesus is better than anything we could hope to gain by running from His calling. When our hearts desire Him more than all things, we obey His command despite the risk - despite the consequences - Not because we are strong but because our hearts have been changed to love Him over anything we might lose in this world.

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Acts 5:1-16 When Sin Enters The Camp

In Acts 5, opposition to the church’s mission doesn’t come from outside forces seeking to kill or imprison the community. This time, opposition attacks the church from within as Satan fills the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira to introduce hidden sin into the community of faith. The account of this married couple’s fate is a disturbing reminder of the seriousness of sin, both for the individual and for the church as she walks out the mission of Christ. 

Though the church is perfectly forgiven and the condemnation of sin is removed by the blood of Jesus, sin is still wicked and reprehensible to God. Therefore, it must be reprehensible to us as well. We dwell in the presence of the Holy One - and He dwells in us. Our hearts and lives are exposed before Him. Not only do we see the seriousness of sin in this account, but we also understand the urgency of repentance. Sapphira is given an opportunity before God and His people to repent of her sin and be forgiven. Although sin is inevitable because we still dwell in fallen flesh, it is never acceptable. So John writes to the church saying, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9) We must walk humbly with our God, admitting our sin and casting our hope upon the death and resurrection of Jesus in order to live out our mission in His power. 

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Acts 4:23-31 Grant Your Servants To Continue...

In Acts 4:23-31, the early church in Jerusalem is notified that the ruling council has banned all teaching and all speech in Jesus’ name. Peter and John responded boldly to the rulers saying, "We cannot help but speak..." but now they return to the body of believers and tell them the command of the Sanhedrin. The church is on notice. From this point on, there will be consequences if they choose to continue speaking of Jesus. In our text for Sunday, we will examine how the church responds the the threat upon their safety. Will they run? Will they fight back? What can they do?

In verses 4:23-31, they do the only thing they can. They go together to the Lord in prayer, and their prayer teaches us so much about how we must respond not only to opposition to the gospel, but to any trial. When we are afraid - when we are weary - when we are worried - when we are hurting - when we feel like we can’t go on anymore - this text shows us how we respond. Although we will learn several things in this passage, the overarching point is, we cannot be faithful in our own strength. We cannot walk out this Christian life under our own steam. In the face of persecution and the threat of death, this church doesn’t beg God to take the trial away. They don’t plead in prayer that they would be physically protected or that the enemies would be destroyed. They pray, "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness..." (v.29). They asked for strength to be faithful to His calling regardless of what comes.

The same faith by which we cast ourselves upon Jesus for salvation is the faith by which we must cast ourselves upon Jesus to live the Christian life no matter what the circumstances.

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Acts 4:13-22 We Can't Help But Speak

Sunday we will finish looking at Peter’s interaction with the ruling council in Jerusalem. (Acts 4:13-22) Peter and John were arrested in the Temple court after they healed a lame man and proclaimed the risen Jesus to the crowd that gathered. After their arrest and questioning, Peter boldly proclaimed Jesus as God’s messiah to the council as well. He told them that there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name given by which men must be saved. This Sunday we will see the response of the council and examine Christ’s witnesses as they are opposed. Jesus has called His disciples to a life that witnesses to His glory and the gospel. This is exactly what Peter and John demonstrate as their boldness is evident to the religious leaders. They spoke with authority and confidence just as Jesus has done before this same council. The leaders could not help but recognize that these men "had been with Jesus." That was the source of their witness...and ours. 

 Peter and John truly believed that the gospel is the power of God. They truly believed that the risen Jesus was with them and therefore, they were not afraid to speak. Even when they were warned to never again speak in the name of Jesus, they respectfully tell the council "we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." This Sunday, we will look at our witness and how we draw strength from being with Jesus, and we will also look at the the obstacles that hinder us from speaking of what we have seen and heard. 

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Acts 4:1-12 By No Other Name

Chapter 4 begins a turning point in the book of Acts. As the disciples obey Jesus’ command to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, opposition to the gospel mission rears its head. In fact, after chapter 3, there are only three chapters in the rest of the book of Acts that do not mention some form of persecution or opposition. This will be a reality in the life of the church until Jesus returns. However, opposition does not hinder the progress of the gospel. Historically just the opposite is true. The church grew most exponentially in the first three centuries under the most extreme persecution. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation even in the face of opposition. Peter’s sermon at the end of Acts 3 was earth shaking for the people in the Temple courts. But as he stood before the crowd, the leaders of Jerusalem appeared to arrest he and John. These are the same men who turned Jesus over to be crucified and declared Him a blasphemer just two months earlier. Yet Luke tells us that despite this show of Temple authority, the gospel message took root in many hearts (Acts 4:4). And Sunday, we will see Peter give basically the same sermon before the Sanhedrin that he gave in the Temple courts. Through this, we will examine why the gospel always bring opposition (both worldly and spiritually) and we will see how we stand faithfully in the midst of it. We also see why we MUST stand faithfully - because "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Subscribe to the Sermon podcast on itunes or search for "jason velotta" in your podcasting app Visit http://www.jasonvelotta.com/for more audio, video, books, and teaching materials https://www.fbcmulvane.com https://www.facebook.com/jason.velotta.1 https://twitter.com/jrv773 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonvelotta/

Acts 3:11-26 The Name of Jesus (Peter's 2nd Sermon)

As the church of Jesus Christ, everything we are and everything we do must be grounded in and focused upon the gospel. What Jesus accomplished for His people in His death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation is the hub around which all of the Christian life turns. The gospel is not just the baby steps of the Christian life. It is everything! We will see this demonstrated clearly in Peter’s second sermon (Acts 3:11-26). Peter stands before an amazed crowd of people in the Temple courts. They are amazed because Peter seemingly just healed a man who had been lame from birth, and now he was leaping, walking, and praising God. Peter will explain to them what this is all about, but instead of focusing on the man’s physical healing, Peter uses the man as an illustration of something much greater. Peter proclaims that Jesus is the glorified Messiah whom God, through Moses and the prophets, promised to sent to His people. He shows the people God’s salvation and calls them to turn to Jesus and receive true healing in His name.

As Peter begins explaining who healed this lame man, he will introduce Jesus by saying, "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus..." (Acts 3:13). When Peter says "glorified his servant," he is referencing the fourth "servant song" in Isaiah. He is claiming Jesus is the suffering servant of Isa. 52:13-53:12. So in addition to reading Acts 3:11-26, I would encourage you to read Isa. 52:13-53:12 as well. This prophecy tells us how the Father "glorified his servant, Jesus."

Peter’s point is that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s purposes in all of history. This is the moment to which all of Scripture has led. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. There is no deeper theology and no higher spiritual level that being "in Christ."

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Acts 3:1-10 Then Shall The Lame Man Leap

As we begin Acts 3, the church in Jerusalem is alive and growing. The Holy Spirit indwelled the disciples and through Peter’s sermon, God saved 3000 people. Last week we saw the discipleship life of the early church as they devoted themselves to worshiping, connecting in discipling relationships, and served one another. Acts 3:1-10 shows us the early church in operation. This section chronicles the healing of the lame beggar at the beautiful gate. Though we will only examine the event itself in the first 10 verses of chapter 3, I would encourage you to read the entire chapter before Sunday. The event of this man’s healing is explained by Peter in his sermon that follows in the Temple court. While the actual healing of this suffering man shows the compassion and the ministry of the church, and indeed, many people have drawn hope from the healing power of Jesus from this text, Peter’s sermon shows us the point of this miracle. The healing of this man’s physical infirmity is a sign that points to a greater reality. This miraculous event demonstrates that because Jesus is the messiah and has fulfilled the promised salvation, the coming kingdom of God is breaking into reality now. His physical healing is a glimpse of what is to come when all things are made new and the Christ who has brought deliverance, comes again in power and glory.

Peter’s sermon emphasizes that this healing miracle should lead the people to trust in Jesus so that their sins would be forgiven and when the Christ comes to restore all the things, they would receive times of refreshing from His presence (see Acts 3:19-21)

The healing of the beggar is not a declaration that all physical infirmities will be healed in this life. It is a preview of the kingdom to come when all sickness, disease, suffering, death and sin will be done away with forever. And that healing only comes by faith in the risen Messiah who is glorified at the Father’s side.

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Acts 2:42-47 The Disciple-Making Church

Peter has just preached his Pentecost sermon, the Holy Spirit moved and three thousand people are converted in a single instant. Now the Jerusalem church is faced with a logistical nightmare. In one moment it time, the church went from 120 people to 3,120. How can all these new Christians grow as disciples? How can the church disciple all these people with no infrastructure or programs? They did so by being devoted to worshiping together, connecting with one another in discipling relationships, and serving one another. That is the pattern of discipleship presented in Acts 2:42-47. The early church met in the Temple courts, and in smaller groups in their homes. They praised God together. They loved and cared for one another when needs arose. And God moved among them, adding to His church daily. Sunday, as we examine this passage, we will see the early church’s method of making disciples and we will see the discipleship that Christ calls for each of us to invest ourselves in.

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