 Daily Devotional – Wednesday, August 17, 2022 “Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.” (Acts 8:3, NLT)
Saul was determined to honour God yet found himself fighting against him instead. He was a Pharisee and had studied under the very wise and persuasive Gamaliel (Acts 5; 22:3); he knew the Scriptures and had a determination to see God’s Word upheld. How could a man so dedicated to God’s cause end up rejecting the very Messiah he had been waiting for? Because Saul, like so many others, was under the impression that he knew God (as much as is humanly possible), understood his promises and was confident he could recognize God’s hand at work…as well as all counterfeits. As much as he professed his dedication to God, his fullest confidence was in himself. e
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 Daily Devotional – Wednesday, August 10, 2022“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36, NLT)
Jesus’ earliest followers understood that he wasn’t just using a rhetorical question for dramatic effect when he challenged them, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul?” Not only was it a call to reprioritize so that their spiritual health took precedence over physical comforts, but he was in fact warning his followers that they should be willing to lose everything for the sake of their souls, including their lives. His was an invitation for all to follow him, but he was being clear about the cost. Jesus warned the crowd that to be his disciple was not for the faint of heart, but would require a willingness to lose everything for his sake.  Daily Devotional – Wednesday, August 3, 2022“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16, NLT)
Have you ever noticed that, no matter how large a congregation is, most of the work is done by a relatively small group of people? There can be multiple reasons for this. It may be that there is an expectation that the paid staff are to do the work…after all, what are they paid for? However, it can also be due to the fact that an established group has taken over ownership and, to ensure that things are done their way, newcomers are not given opportunities. Of course, there are also those who are simply content to enjoy the benefits of being part of the group without making any personal contributions. HOPE CHAPEL - Sunday, July 31, 2022Youtube link... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNbyI1MbJFU
Teaching Series - “Doing Life with Jesus" Weekly Topic - “Sharing the Work” Texts – Acts 6:1-7; Ephesians 4:11-16; Ephesians 2:10 The early Church grew rapidly and was initially located in Jerusalem. Some of the pilgrims who had travelled from their homes in other locales to worship at the Temple came to believe that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. Many decided to remain in the city with the other followers of Jesus and this swelled the numbers of the Jerusalem Church into thousands. As their numbers grew, so did the number of people in need and in particular, widows who had no other family to support them. The Church eagerly took on the role of supporting one another, including these women, but a rift soon developed.  Daily Devotional – Wednesday, July 27, 2022“Encourage each other and build each other up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11a, NLT)
Many of us could stand to be a little more like Joseph, nicknamed ‘Barnabas,’ which means ‘son of encouragement.’ Acts 4 records how Joseph generously sold a piece of property he had and brought all the money from the sale to the apostles for the care of the poor in the Jerusalem church. His act of generosity was notable enough to be recorded by Luke. It was truly the act of a faithful follower of Jesus and his gift is a challenge to modern day believers…would we ever choose to be so generous? Does the nickname ‘Barnabas’ apply to us?  Daily Devotional – Wednesday, July 20, 2022“The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.” (Acts 5:41, NLT)
The apostles found themselves imprisoned. Their crime? Of healing people. Of spreading the word about Jesus. Of gaining a rapidly growing following that caused concern and jealousy amongst the very group that had overseen Jesus’ execution. Eliminating Jesus appeared to have only poured fuel on the fire…with 5,000 men now counted among the believers of Jesus as the Messiah. The apostles’ obedience to God resulted in their arrest and an imminent trial where their guilt was assumed by those presiding. HOPE CHAPEL - Sunday, July 17, 2022outube link...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amlCAy4ICDw
HOPE CHAPEL - Sunday, July 17, 2022 Teaching Series - “Doing Life with Jesus" Weekly Topic - “Dealing with Opposition” Texts – Acts 4:1-31, 5:12-42 We’re going to begin our subject today with an incredible story from Acts 3. Acts 3:1-20 – “Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. 2 As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. 4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 7 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. 8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. 9 All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10 When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11 They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. 12 Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? 13 For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. 14 You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact! 16 “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes. 17 “Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. 18 But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. 19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.”  Daily Devotional – Wednesday, July 13, 2022“All the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.” (Acts 2:44, NLT)
The picture that Luke paints of the early Church is one of family—sharing everything, spending time together, making memories. They were a supportive community that not only enjoyed being together, but spent their time trying to ‘do life with Jesus.’ They put their belief in Jesus at the center of everything they did, their attitudes toward one another and their hope for the future. Jesus had told them he was coming back and they lived with a tangible expectation that he could return at any moment. HOPE CHAPEL - Sunday, July 10, 2022 |
