The Story: Early Church - Now What?

Focus passage: Acts 1-8 April 3, 2016

Easter is over – Now What? Acts 1:6 The disciples followed Jesus for forty days after Easter. It was like old times. He taught them and he did miracles before them. Yet, it was different. He walked through walls, he didn’t need to sleep. Before Easter, they thought that they knew what the ministry was about. Now they were not sure. Curious, they asked him what came next. Is this the time that you are going to restore the Messianic Kingdom? What do you want us to do in this new kingdom? They didn’t realize the wave that was about to come. The early chapters of the book of Acts are a call to arms and a pattern for the church to get on fire. 

A. Power: Getting ready for God’s commission Acts 1:8 What was to come next was to be witnesses to Easter. Jesus had opened the door to heaven and established a relationship with God, but if no one knew about it, it would have little effect. To accomplish that, they would be given power from the Holy Spirit. He would come on them mightily on Pentecost. In preparation for that day, the people would pray constantly for ten days. They would open themselves up to the Spirit’s power for they knew that something big was happening. Prayer shows the vitality of a church. A church that prays had great power.

B. Witness: Telling what you have seen Acts 2:32 It was the dawning of a new day. The tongues of fire showed the gift of the spirit. Jesus whom many of the people in the crowd had seen crucified was alive. Having received power from God, the disciples simply told what they had seen and heard. The Holy Spirit worked upon the hearts of those who were present for the festival of Pentecost. 3000 people came to faith that day because Peter spoke what finally made sense to him. Let the Spirit explode though us so that this city might hear what Jesus has done for them. If they can reach 3000, can we reach 30?

C. Power: Constant recharging with Bible study, prayer and fellowship Acts 2:42 Prayer was not a onetime event, it was ongoing in the church. Like rechargeable batteries, they had to recharge the power if they were going to witness in touch times. They devoted themselves to Bible study and prayer letting the power of the Lord fill their lives. Here is a model for the church. It is to be a people connected with the Lord. Life doesn’t go well when you have no energy. How long will you survive without food? How long do you think people survive without spiritual food?

D. Witness: Overcoming resistance by being witnesses Acts 4:19-20 Thousands had become Christians and the Jewish leaders were worried so they arrested Peter and John and told them to stop preaching about Jesus. Having just healed a crippled beggar, Peter declared that it was by the power of Jesus that this man could walk. When the power comes on God’s people, they don’t just do witnessing, they become witnesses. Their whole life is about the wonder of the cross. They talk about it. They live it by showing kindness to others like the disciples did. Everyone knows who they belong to and where they stand.

Easter is over – Now What? First, you have to recharge your spiritual batteries. You are worthless to yourself and to others if you have no Godly power in you. You will have little ability to protect yourself from Satan’s temptations and no power to be a witness to others. Commit yourself to daily time in prayer and Bible study. It is something that you see again and again in the book of Acts. And as you are being fed, let your light shine. Not every one of us is a natural evangelist, but we all should have the light. Live in such a way that people see your good works and give glory to God in heaven. Live in such a way that people know you are a Christian and ask you to pray for them. Easter is over - Now what? The answer is simple. Live in the light of Easter as you power up through bible study and prayer so that your life doesn’t have to be ruled by the darkness. Then let your light shine so that Easter can dispel the darkness that has taken over the world.

Faith's Challenges: Fighting Worry

Focus passage: Matt 6:25-32

We build our society on things that are not guaranteed. We want health, wealth, and happiness. From our early days, we often chase them only to find that we built a life of straw that can easily be blown away in a strong wind of change. Commercials promise that their pill or their financial knowledge can guarantee the life that we want. Yet we know that it may not work and so we get trapped in a cycle of worry. I admit to fighting worry all the time, but I also know that it helps to look to the things that the Lord guarantees in scripture. There are treasures that the Lord will bring to my life if I just keep my eye on Him. I am not free from worry, but it does help. Here are my four reasons to seek God instead of worrying so that you and I might have real happiness.

God can be trusted v. 25 The crowd stretched out on the hillside before Jesus was large and they lived in hard times. They hardly made what we would call a living wage today, but rather spent all they made on food, clothing, housing and taxes. Yet, Jesus’ message was to trust in the Lord. Keep close to the Lord and ask Him to provide what we need because God can take care of what we cannot manage. The world is uncertain, but God’s love is sure.

Worry hampers your valuable work today v. 26 Worry damages us as it takes away the time we have to help others or help ourselves. Worry can control us. It can dominate our feelings and rob us of the time that we need to do fruitful things. The wise man will do his work and trust the Lord for the things that he cannot control. He plans his day and tries to do the things that will make a difference, but doesn’t worry about the things that he can’t control. Such work gives us joy as we help others.

God cares for those who depend on Him v. 30 Sitting on a grassy hillside, Jesus may have gestured to the wild plants around them that are dependent on God for their future. Our focus should be on the Lord as well.  Those who build a relationship with the Lord and depend on Him will have an abundance that others will miss. Christians have an ace in the hole that no non Christian can match. We have a Lord with bountiful resources and the power to change anything.

Worry keeps you from realizing your future v. 33 Simply put, worry wastes time. God has a future for each of us and He promises to take care of earthly needs like food and clothes so that we can live with joy and do ministry for others. God says “seek first” his stuff and let him take care of the rest. You will make a difference in others lives by the power of God instead of getting trapped in the stuff you have no control over. You will make your world better instead of always worrying about what happens next.

The cure for worry is to look upward. Jesus calls us to store up treasures in heaven as we trust our Lord. There are no guarantees here on earth. You can’t guarantee your health or your finances. All you can do is worry when things start to fall apart. You can only seek the Lord and the spiritual things that are guaranteed. Trust in the Lord and ask Him to care for the things in life that you cannot care for. Place yourself in His hands in the battle against worry. 

Overcoming Problems: Planning - It Takes Time

Focus passage: Nehemiah 2:1-10

Our family motto for vacations is “We plan to be spontaneous”. It is our way of saying that we plan out the details of a vacation so that we can be impulsive if we see something that we really want to do or make changes if the weather doesn’t cooperate. We like to have reservations for our campsites and a plan of what we might do at each place we plan to stop at on any vacation. Prayer can be a great time to plan how you are going to tackle a problem or make the most of an opportunity. If you ask questions of the Lord, He will help you see details you might have missed or have everything ready if you get the right break occurs. The planning that Nehemiah prepared him to take a once in a lifetime opportunity. He needed three things if he was going to rebuild the walls.

Overcoming Problems: Planning - Active Expectation

Focus passage: Nehemiah 2:1-10

For the want of a burger and fries, Ted missed his plane. 

He was, after all hungry, and so he decided to grab a fast lunch when the woman at the gate said that their flight would be delayed because of a minor mechanical problem. He returned 15 minutes later to see his plane pulling away from the gate. Sometimes, you have to act like you expect a solution any minute. Nehemiah believed that the Lord would rescue the Jewish people. He prayed with confidence and was ready when the opportunity for a solution presented itself.

Overcoming Problems: Compassion - Attitude

Focus passage: Nehemiah 1

With God, attitude is everything. 

I think of the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican in Luke 18. One man came before the Lord boasting about his stature before God, the other man came with head bowed to humbly seek his Lord. I have watched people in trouble shake their fist and pray to the Lord as if He owed them answers. I have seen people come meekly before the Lord knowing that they don’t deserve His help, but that this loving God will come to their aid. Nehemiah is a man who has stood near the glory of God. He comes humbly to God, but also is confident that God’s character and promises will drive the Lord to help His people. He shows the right attitude for overcoming problems.

Overcoming Problems: Compassion - Approaching God

Focus passage: Nehemiah 1

One of the most compassionate things that you can do is to pray for others. 

The question for many people is “what do I pray?” I remember talking to a member of my congregation whose best friend was in the hospital. She desperately wanted the Lord’s help for her friend, but she didn’t know where to begin. Nehemiah gives us some direction on compassionate prayer. Overwhelmed by the problems that the people of Judea were facing, he turned to the Lord. He makes the problems of the Jews his own and reaches out to a God who he knows well. His prayer gives us a pattern for turning to the Lord when problems occur.

Overcoming Problems: Compassion - A Caring Heart

Focus passage: Nehemiah 1

The worst sin is not to hate, but to be indifferent to everyone’s pain. 

In small town America, a fire at a neighbor’s home was to topic of discussion for weeks. In the big city, a murder in the next block might not even be noticed.  I do think we find it harder to be compassionate. We touch too many lives to grieve for them all. We hear of so many deaths on the television every night that we become callous. They are people we don’t know and places that we seldom visit. Yet, I know that God calls me to care about the people around me. I need to let my heart be broken by the concerns of others. Nehemiah shows me what compassion is. He shows me a caring heart.