Sunday, 24 February 2019
Duration: 37 mins 57 secs
Peter has unlocked the door to heaven for the Gentiles and now Paul and Barnabas continue to take the good news to those who haven't heard. In these two chapters they will face everything thing from a warm reception to being misunderstood, mistreated and even an attempt to take their lives. But they are faithful in sharing the good news about Jesus, that through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. Firstly, we must believe and accept Jesus and secondly we too should be faithful in sharing this good news no matter what is happening around us. Take a step of faith and walk through the door.
Sunday, 17 February 2019
Duration: 35 mins 43 secs
God has always seen, always listened and has always been attentive to what is happening in this world and what is happening to us personally. In this passage we see King Herod and the Jews standing against the church. With Peter's arrest and being put in prison, his future looked bleak, but the church continued to pray earnestly for his deliverence, which was answered in a miraculous way. For us, we can find peace in any situation we face by handing over our concerns to God in prayer. As Peter responded to God's answer through the angel's call and leading, we also need act in response to God's answers to our prayers.
Sunday, 10 February 2019
Duration: 33 mins 17 secs
We see in this chapter of Acts how the Gentiles are being accepted as followers of Jesus, founded on the Word of God. We need to spend time reading God's Word so that our life matches God's expectation for us. The Gentiles were encouraged through Barnabas visiting Antioch and observing the establishment of the church with great numbers of people coming to faith in the Lord. We need to accept, encourage, give and receive for each other as we faithfully serve Jesus.
Sunday, 03 February 2019
Duration: 32 mins 46 secs
Jesus had told His disciples that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This chapter in Acts marks the start of the Gentiles hearing the good news of Jesus. God has prepared Cornelius and now calls on him to act in faith in sending for Simon Peter. Peter has already been used by God in many ways, but there is still more for Peter to learn, and so in the same way as Cornelius, prepares Peter for him to learn more. Both Cornelius and Peter responded positively to God's call. The challenge for us is how do we respond to God's call in our life and are we ready to act on this?
Sunday, 02 December 2018
Duration: 31 mins 43 secs
At this cross road in Saul's life we see God turning his life upside down. He went from someone not believing that Jesus was alive to meeting the risen Saviour. Someone who thought was fighting for God, but was really fighting against him. Someone who was persecuting the church to being persecuted himself. But the greatest thing we see in Paul's life is the Gospel played out in all of its glory. He is saved by God's Grace despite the life of rebellion he has lived.
Sunday, 25 November 2018
Duration: 27 mins 37 secs
Jesus' life on this earth was not one of settling down in one place, but He continued to move from place to place. As followers of Jesus, we are strangers on this earth as we look forward to an eternal life with Him. In this passage, God's church is on the move as the people were scattered but continued to preach the Word of God. Philip had the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with an Ethiopian. We need to take the opportunities that come before us to tell others about Jesus.
Sunday, 18 November 2018
Duration: 23 mins 31 secs
In this passage, Stephen shows us what it means to be faithful in life and death. From Acts 6 we see that Stephen's life was full of faith, full of grace, he had wisdom from the Holy Spirit and had a face like an angel. When Stephen faces death, he gets to see Jesus. Stephen reflected Jesus in his own life. Death comes to this world because of sin, but because of Jesus' victory, we can have eternal life with God if we believe in Him.
Sunday, 11 November 2018
Duration: 29 mins 17 secs
We see in this passage how the apostles are confronted by the religious leaders as they proclaim the good news of Jesus. The religious leaders were at a loss of how these uneducated men had such a following of the people. Peter tells the leaders that they are obeying God and not man - a challenge that continues for Christians today as we live as ambassadors for Jesus Christ. The apostles continued to teach about Jesus using every opportunity given to them. We too are to use every opportunity available to us to tell others about Jesus.
Sunday, 04 November 2018
Duration: 18 mins 52 secs
We see in this passage two types of Christians - faith followers and façade followers. The believers at the time were one with Jesus, unified and generous. An example of this was shown with Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, and the selling off of his property. We need to give willingly and with careful thought. Ananias and Sapphira were hypocritical in their faith by pretending to be more spiritual than they really were and in doing so deceived others and God. As Christians today, we need to be faithful followers of Christ, being careful that our words match our actions.
Sunday, 28 October 2018
Duration: 35 mins 31 secs
In this passage, Peter and John are challenged by the religious leaders of how they were able to heal the lame man. Despite the threats imposed on them by the leaders, Peter and John stood firm in acknowledging the power and authority of Jesus Christ's name. On hearing what had happened to Peter and John, the early Christians prayed for God's help and leading and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. As Christians today, we would accept that prayer is to be an important part of our life. The practical challenge for us is how much is prayer a part of our daily life?
