As the new converts were believing and belonging they were becoming the presence of Christ. They were marked by three qualities. The first quality was internal joy. “…and shared their meals with great joy and generosity” (Acts 2:46b, NLT). They were characterized by a sense of true joy that was deeper and more profound that…
Month: July 2010
The Normal Christian Life: Belonging
The second stage of the process in Acts 2:41-47 is belonging. The passage continues, “Now all the believers were together and had everything in common. So they sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. And every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the Temple…
The Normal Christian Life: Believing
My hunch is that no passage in Acts has been taught or discussed more than the summary that concludes chapter 2. Rick Warren has made a mint from this paragraph in his Purpose Drive Church and Purpose Driven Life, creating a philosophy of ministry and an approach to life through worship, evangelism, discipleship, ministry and…
What is Gospel Preaching? (part 4)
One person (Jesus) made provision for our salvation through two events, the crucificion and resurrection. Through those two events God makes two promises to people. In Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, he elaborated by saying, “Repent…and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins, and you…
What is Gospel Preaching? (part 3)
The gospel is about a person, Jesus Christ. In Peter’s gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he went on to describe how this person made provision for our salvation through two events: the crucifixion and the resurrection. Peter elaborates in Acts 2:23-24, “But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried…
What is Gospel Preaching? (part 2)
What are the significant elements of the gospel? Looking at Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, the first element of the gospel we see is Jesus. Acts 2:22 reads, “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know” (NLT). The gospel is about…
What is Gospel Preaching?
When I served in south St. Louis, our church was located at the beautiful intersection of Tower Grove and Magnolia Avenue. For nine years I would arrive at church prior to the 8:15 a.m. service, driving past two Sunday morning fixtures. The first was a man I affectionately called “pretzel man.” Pretzel man had a…
Summer of Love Video
Click on the video to get the full screen version. Great work!
Stewardship Thought for the Week
“Then someone called from the crowd, ‘Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.’ Jesus replied, ‘Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?’ Then he said, ‘Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.’ Then he…
Crow Creek
This weekend several from our church made a quick run to Crow Creek Reservation in Ft. Thompson, South Dakota, to recognize Jason Yates and Dustin Miller for their two years of service with the Harvest Initiative (HarvestInitiative.org). Dustin wasn’t able to be there, but we were able to celebrate with Jason and his wife Betsy….