God made Saul new. Text: Acts 9:1-19 Acts 9:1-19 is one of the most dramatic and well-known moments in Acts. As Saul heads to ravage the church in Damascus, Christ confronts him with a bright light and asks him Why are you persecuting me? As blindness sets in and Saul sits, fasts, and prays, another person is introduced: Ananias. In many ways, Ananias represents active Christians, challenged by their enemies' conversion. He has the same hesitancy that we might, yet he never q

How do we proclaim Christ? Text: Acts 8:25-40 After an incredible evangelistic moment, God calls Philip to go to a desert road. This is a surprising move, but Philip is obedient. On that road, Philip meets an Ethiopian Eunuch, a man who ran the royal treasury. This is a fascinating moment in the history of the church. What is most notable is that, despite being an outsider, the man also seemed to be a devoted believer. As we see how God works through Philip, it is clear that

Grace is free, but it is costly. Text: Acts 8:9-25 This week's lesson is incredible. As Rev. Nninda pointed out last week, we are starting to see the Great Commission truly fulfilled. As the Christians are scattered, Phillip, one of the seven deacons, makes his way to Samaria. Samaria was Israel's estranged cousin, somehow worse than the Gentiles. At one point, John even asked if Jesus wanted to see one of their cities destroyed, yet they received the gospel. But there was a

Text: Acts 8:4–8 Driven from Jerusalem by persecution, the early Christians did not abandon their mission: wherever they were scattered, they continued proclaiming the gospel. Philip carried the good news across cultural and religious boundaries into Samaria, demonstrating that the gospel is for every people and every nation. The same Holy Spirit who strengthened the first believers continues to lead Christ’s Church beyond comfort, fear, and weakness. As Christians go in the

The light of Christ overcomes every darkness. Text: Acts 7:44-8:3 This week, we will see Stephen's death. Stephen is the first recorded martyr of the church. What is most striking about this account isn't Stephen's death itself, but the sharp contrast between man's rage and sin and God's glory and grace. It is unclear exactly who drags Stephen out to be killed - but they are described as being enraged, stopping their ears, dragging, and stoning. These are violent, even frenzi

God is always with his people. Text: Acts 7:44-53 In this sermon, we end Stephen's sermon. For the last several weeks, Stephen has been showing how God was with his people in unusual places, yet they rejected him, his servants, and his works. This week, we end with Stephen showing that God persisted with his people, traveling with them, that even though the temple was good, it was not God's home, and that the end goal of God's covenant with the Israelites was a converted peop

Christ is the only way, truth, and life. Text: Acts 7:35-43 In Acts 7:35-43, Stephen challenges the religious leaders' perception. His sermon reaches a climax as he points out that the people God called to be his own rejected God's prophet, Moses. Rejecting Moses was on par with rejecting God himself. But Stephen does something more - he points to foreshadowing the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus fulfilled what Moses was a shadow of, and, as such, the Sanhe

What if you're missing the greatest gift of all? Text: Acts 7:23-34 One of the interesting things about this passage is that while Stephen was given a chance to defend himself, he took the opportunity to exalt Christ and indict the Sanhedrin. In this passage, we take a closer look at Moses as he rejects his royal place, defends his people, and then flees to another foreign land. In that foreign land, Moses experiences God's holiness. At first glance, it seems like the two eve

Will God really deliver us? Text: Acts 7:17-22 As we look at this passage, we see how God often works in unexpected ways, preparing us, using adversaries and challenges, and unexpected means to bring us through our trials and into his glory. Much like the Sanhedrin, we often want God to do things just so, but this is not always his will. It is encouraging to know that we have a heavenly father who loves us enough to bring us through even the most challenging times, and that h

Joseph reminds us that God redeems those who seem wholeheartedly unredeemable in surprising ways. Text: Acts 7:9-16 In this sermon, we look at the second section of Stephen's sermon. Here he turns his focus to Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, the patriarchs of Israel. Stephen draws on the image of Joseph to show that God redeems people who often seem unredeemable, and he does it in ways that are often unexpected. But we'll also see that Joseph is a shadow of Christ, fores

God always fulfills his promises. Text: Acts 7:1-8 In this sermon, we start looking at Stephen's sermon. The sermon is a Biblically rich rebuke of the religious leaders of his time. The overarching argument is that it should be no surprise that the people mistreated Jesus as they have routinely mistreated God's prophets and servants. But this week, we lay a foundation - God is a faithful God, he will complete that which he promises. Stephen shows this by looking at Abraham's

Are you on the way of God or man? Text: Acts 6:8-15 We now turn our focus to Stephen, sometimes called the proto-martyr (or first Martyr). It is the first time in the book of Acts that we turn our focus away from Peter, John, and the other apostles. But Luke shares this moment for another important reason. In it, we see two very different ways - the way of Christ and the way of man. The contrast couldn't be more stark. The way of man is one of deception and pain, while the wa

What do you do when you don't know what to do? Text: Acts 6:1-7 In Act 6:1-7, we see the Devil's third attack on the church. This time, he attempts to distract and divide the church through controversy. What has arisen was no small problem, but the Apostles also recognized it could easily distract them from the primary mission: prayer and the ministry of the word. Through the Holy Spirit, the apostles recognize a wise solution, and the church actually becomes stronger. The De

Acts 5:17-42 reveals what it looks like to be obedient to man or to God. Text: Acts 5:17-42 In this passage, we see two types of obedience: the first stems from the fear of man and self-made obedience, the second stems from knowing God. In this passage, we learn how Christ has fulfilled our obedience for us, and from that, we get to do because God has already redeemed us. This distinction makes all the difference; the self-made obedience leads to horrible destructions - jealo

Why did God give the early church such incredible signs and wonders? Text: Acts 5:12-16 This passage allows us to ask the question, why were the signs and wonders given? And as we look at the passage, we see that they revealed God's power, his goodness, and mercy towards humanity. While we don't always see such incredible signs in our day and age, as we contemplate our salvation, we realize that it is a testimony to God's goodness and power in its own right. The passage invit

What does it look like to live in unity? Text: Acts 4:32-5:11 This lesson starts with this beautiful picture of unity, where nobody wanted because everyone cared for one another. People were sacrificing their own property so that others might have what they need. Then we meet Ananias and Sapphire, and something shifts within them. At first glance, it almost seems as though there's a sense of severity and cruelty in the church. But if we read the text carefully, we realize tha

Prayer is powerful because it depends upon God, not our own strength. Text: Acts 4:23-31 We often define our lives and service to God by what we cannot do. But prayer changes that; instead of depending upon our own strength and our own courage, in prayer, we experience the power of God. In Acts 4:23-31, we meet the apostles as they left the Sanhedrin. They report to their friends what has occurred, and then they pray. In this prayer, they praise God, ask for boldness, and the

Is God the authority of your life? Text: Acts 4:5-22 There's a level of indignation as the Sanhedrin asks Peter and John by what power they healed the lame man. This stems from a desire to protect what they believed was the truth, yet they had missed all the signs that Christ was God, taught with God's authority, and had, by the power of the Holy Spirit, given to the apostles and his church. The whole passage is about the interplay between temporal authority and the authority

The gospel is so much better. Text: Acts 3:17-4:4 We often expect a certain kind of blessing, or that our lives will turn out in a specific way, but God's plans are not always what we expected, but always infinitely better than we could imagine. Peter tells his audience that they are ignorant of the reality of who Christ is and what he has done. He goes on to note just three of the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection. When we put our faith in Christ, our sins are wipe

Come ye weary hearted Text: Acts 3:11-16 In the second of Peter's sermons, we hear another incredible gospel proclamation as people are amazed by the healing of the lame man. Yet again, he reveals the people's sin and shows them that Jesus is the one who can take it away. But it is particularly poignant that Peter makes sure the people know that the healing doesn't happen because of his or John's power or piety. It is in Christ alone that we find healing from our sin, from th