Afleveringen
-
What makes a disciple of Jesus? It is not a quality that can be purchased, as Simon discovered. He had come to follow a different path, but he did not want to do the work of transformation before he started being a miracle worker. The Apostles certainly did their time in transformation, and the struggles they had suffered made them ready for the job.
-
Stephen is definitely stoking a fire. Talking about rebellion among the people, he now turns to the Jewish leaders and says, "you did this too, to Jesus." They respond with violence, the opposite of the message of Jesus. As Martin Luther King said, "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy."
-
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
-
The story of Moses and the patriarchs is prelude to the story of Jesus, which is why Stephen includes it. Not only was Moses an outcast as Jesus was, but he was also revered, and trying to separate the New and Old Testaments would have lost his Jewish audience. Indeed, the new covenant is a fulfillment of the promises being made through Jewish history.
-
As the gospel came into conflict with the old system of Law, Stephen becomes the person who works out the differences in public. God was doing a new thing, a continuation of the work that had been going on since creation, and Stephen opens with showing how many twists and turns had happened in that story up to now, when the twist of Jesus came into reality.
-
The measure of success in the early church was measured by Gamaliel, one of the most revered teachers of the day: "If their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." A good reminder that the establishment of the church was. not only a place for people to learn behavior modification, it was also a partnership with the author of life.
-
Sharing of possessions was necessary in the early church for both practical and spiritual reasons. As people came into this new community of Christ, many were poor, and the gospel was one of loving others. Working that out in life, meeting needs was also living up to promise of the gospel message.
-
This is a pivotal moment in the history of the Church. Peter and John and standing before the very people who were instrumental in Jesus's death, and they are standing beside a man who has been given back his life. The unveiling of what God is doing could not be more perfectly illustrated than that.
-
It's a fun comparison between these Old and New Testament passages. Ecclesiastes talks about making investments, and it seems that Peter makes a New Testament-style one: investing in the lame man, giving him back a life. That investment is what Jesus also made in us, giving us the ability to be whole and at one with God.
-
In the second section of the sermon from Peter, it's an interesting exercise to remember that this is the same man who denied Jesus three times. When he talks about the importance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the need for repentance, this isn't just a story. This is what brought him to this sermon.
-
Pentecost Sunday is just behind us, but we find ourselves back here in the regular flow of the reading plan! Perhaps this quick reminder is a good one: the Gospel has been brought to all people, not to just a select few. God is the God of all, and the Son died for all.
-
Interesting that even the actions of Judas are tied to the work of God. This moment in the history of Jesus's kingdom could have been devastating, he has left the work to a group of men who almost universally deserted him. Luckily, God allows comebacks.
-
It's interesting that, even at Jesus's ascension, the apostles still don't understand what power really is. They are looking for a restoration of their nation, but Jesus is offering them a new Kingdom. Perhaps discipleship is a journey that never ends until we live in that newly established Kingdom.
-
Theology, humility, and hospitality are all hallmarks of the body of Christ, and especially for us to show to one another. In this little pastoral letter, a selfish person who denies fellow believers, choosing instead to promote himself. This should not be our way.
-
The spreading of the Gospel is the work of God, and Pentecost is one of the events that sound the great work of God. The message is God's, and we are carriers. The future we have in Jesus is indeed good news, and it was very much worth getting to everyone.
-
This is a pretty important foundation, though in current times it is less disputed: Jesus is God, and our life is grounded in him. In the first century, when the reality of Jesus coming, dying, and rising from the dead was a little more debated, this would have been critical for the young church to know. It remains as important to our reality today.
-
Love and fear cannot coexist. Loving others means we do not fear them, and we have no reason to. God has sealed us eternally as his own, so we are free to love as only Jesus could.
-
The trademarks of love and of the Spirit are shared with our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. This is both because we should share that love with our spiritual family, but also because that shared loves gives our family the kind of attraction that makes others want to be part of it.
-
The children of God, living in the Kingdom of Jesus, look different than those around them. The undercurrent of love and the work of the Spirit holds us together, but our lives also show the important of things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. The way we treat one another, and the attention we give to following Jesus ourselves, is important.
-
Loving like Jesus is hard to do, but it is one of the most important things that sets apart followers of Jesus. We need our spiritual families to learn it better, and those families need to listen to one another, listen to the Spirit, to learn how to do it better. This is discipleship.
-
What brings us together in the community of Christ is not our own perfection, but our following of Jesus. Of course, we are not Jesus, so we are not without mistakes. When we fail, it is the redemption of Jesus that also binds us together.
- Laat meer zien