As Stephen stood before the council accused of speaking against the holy things of God, he spoke for Jesus of Nazareth who is the Righteous One sent by God and announced by the prophets. He then brought a charge against the members of the council....
The account of the accusation, defense, and martyrdom of Stephen is long enough for us to consider in three weeks. Today, we introduce Stephen as a man filled with the Holy Spirit. Through Stephen's life and death, we see a God who carries out his...
This episode in the life of the early church shows us the priority work of the church is the ministry of the word of Christ, and the fruit of the Spirit in the church is the meeting of real needs. The early church found a...
The apostles of Jesus Christ show us what it looks like to suffer with joy for faithfulness to Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit in their lives shows us how we come to love Christ so deeply that we are honored to be dishonored...
Acts 5 gives us a glimpse of the Sovereign God moving redemptive history along despite the persecution of the church. It also gives us insight into the power of sin and grace in human hearts that are part of history. We are called to hope...
We have seen the threat to the early church from the religious leaders who from the outside tried to stop the apostles from speaking in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Today we see another threat that comes from within. When the impurity of...
The preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ is met with both unbelief and belief. Unbelief in Jesus is more than indifference, it is opposition to him. Genuine belief in Jesus leads to faithfulness to him. Acts 4 exposes unbelief and calls for repentance. It...
Jesus taught the disciples that the Holy Spirit would be given to bear witness about him (John 15:26). That day has come. Acts 3 begins with a healing miracle, but quickly turns into a sermon about Jesus of Nazareth. The Holy Spirit is active in...
The preaching of the gospel of Jesus and the reception of that message by the repentant crowd led to a gathering of new believers filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately they devoted themselves to congregational life that built them up and continued the witness of...
The message of Jesus as Lord and Christ, and the realization that it was this Jesus that they crucified, landed on the hearts of the people of Jerusalem with the force of cutting conviction. They knew they were guilty. What should they do? This Jesus...
