All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others

This is how it all started.

Listen along here: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/1e2adc37/this-is-how-it...

It is so interesting to look back and see how Christianity took root, just what happened after Jesus ascended into Heaven those many years ago. Think of it – when Jesus was arrested on that Thursday night in the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples ran for cover. In fact, though Jesus had warned him ahead of time that he would do it, Peter denied him—three times in one night. And as Jesus was crucified the next day, John alone was near the Lord--John, who cared for Jesus’ heartsick mother, Mary.

And yet after Jesus walked out of the borrowed tomb, he saw all of them, (except for Judas who had taken himself out). But maybe most importantly, the disciples saw Jesus! He who had called them to follow Him . . . Jesus Christ, who lived, loved, taught like no other – had done the miraculous – why, he did what he said he would do! Jesus defeated death and lived again. The disciples saw him indoors and shared a meal with him¹; they saw him on the shore of the Sea of Galilee² (we will be on that very beach in May!) And then when they made their way back to Jerusalem, they watched as Jesus ascended into Heaven before their eyes³, recorded in the first chapter of Acts, written by Luke.

As Jesus instructed them, his disciples walked back into Jerusalem, stayed together, and prayed. And as promised, 10 days later, the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Father came: flames of fire could be seen, the rushing wind felt, the disciples speaking out the gospel in the native tongues of those who passed by outside,⁴ in town to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. The Christian church was birthed right then, right there.

And as if greater evidence was needed, Peter the denier, stood up and unashamedly preached the gospel, and 3000 men believed in Jesus Christ that day.⁵ These Spirit-filled followers of Jesus met and prayed together, they shared meals and material goods with one another. This is how the church started!

We watched then as Peter and John spoke boldly about Jesus, even healing people in His name. And just as with Jesus, the Jewish leaders were threatened by the influence the gospel message had on the people, so they began to prosecute and persecute the disciples, especially Peter and John. They were undaunted.

->This is important—no one wants to suffer, no one wants to be tortured or imprisoned; all of it would have stopped for Peter, John, James and those early church leaders if they just stopped talking about Jesus. They would not because they knew that what Jesus said about himself was true—I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.⁶ They would die before they would lie about what they had seen and experienced of Jesus; matter of fact, they did. Every single one of the disciples died a martyr’s death except for John.

Starting in Acts chapter 8, we see how the Gospel spread out from Jerusalem, partially because persecuted believers began to move into other regions. Remember too that the Jewish pilgrims who heard the gospel that Pentecost morning —first from the Upper Room and then from Peter’s compelling sermon—returned to their homes, changed by the gospel.

And then, Luke pivots in chapter 9. The spotlight picks up one righteous Jew, a proud, intelligent Pharisee, hellbent on wiping out those who would dare to take away from the Law he revered, the tefillin he wore, Saul of Tarsus.

As I write, I remember standing at the Golan Heights, looking East into Syria; I can picture an impassioned Saul on his way to Damascus to apprehend more of the followers of The Way, but God….

->Note: any time these two words come into play, but God, look for a move of Almighty God. I think of the trajectory of some things that have occurred in my life that appeared to be disastrous, but God had another plan. I think right now of people I know headed for destruction, but God rescued them, set them free; of people who were sick unto death, but God healed them.

God intersected Saul’s journey on the Damascus Road, Jesus spoke directly to him, and he was forever changed. Meanwhile, Peter stepped to the fore again, (Acts 10) when God gave him a vision about the gospel also being meant for Gentiles. For the first seven or eight years, the early Church was comprised of Jews only. Hmmm… but God spoke to Peter and let him know that

the gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God,

who died on the cross for the sins of mankind, was freely offered to all,

when we repent of sin and surrender our lives/wills to Him.

And the Church grew and with it, persecution under the heavy hand of Rome.

In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit said ‘“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”⁷ For the rest of the book of Acts, we follow behind Saul, who we mostly know by his Greek name Paul. What a force of nature was this man! We can learn so much from him and how he engaged the culture, particularly the Athenians in Acts chapter 17.

You know, in the last several days I posed the questions of ‘does God still speak?’ and ‘if so…how?’ Here is the clearest, most direct answer to those questions: Yes, God speaks--but it is most often through Scripture, His Word--it is the permanent address at which the voice of God may be found.

In this book of Acts, we see the very heart of God –

that all may know him and have relationship with Him;

that we would then be in community with other believers, and

share the life-changing message of the Gospel with others.

We are meant to play a part in the on-going story, and Man, is it exciting!

LISTEN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gklJ2XZwDHc&list=RDgklJ2XZwDHc&a...

Time in the Word is never wasted.

Christine

PastorWomen.net

1 – Luke 24.30

2 – John 21.1

3 - Acts 1.9