Microchurch Minute
Dr. Luke gives us a confident account of Jesus’ time on earth between His resurrection and ascension. Since God is something we do not have the capacity to handle seeing in His entirety, we are so blessed that He chose to send Jesus to earth in human form. Jesus proved to be resurrected, fully man and fully God during His walk among us. Prior to His departure, we were adorned with the promise to receive the Holy Spirit as we prove to be faithful witnesses to our town, city, state and even the world! A lot of modern day western civilization is offput by the front that church goers can put on. We definitely don’t have it all together and should humble ourselves to be accepting of the rest of God’s flawed children. We have a unique opportunity to share our testimony with them, showing where we were and where God showed up in mighty and powerful ways. In this light, it comes so naturally to share the good news! That is what you are called to in this life. While the day of Christ’s return is so beautifully anticipated, what are we doing in the waiting? I continually pray that God reveals to me His plan in my waiting, that He uses me to touch the lives of those around me and allows me to learn what He has intended for me to learn. Let me keep my eyes upon the Lord so that He may elevate me to the path that He is leading me on.
How does that look for us, as a church? We believe in the up, in and out lifestyle. To primarily worship God, while living in community as the spiritual family He has appointed us to be in and being on mission to reach those around us. Our gatherings are based on scripture readings, diving directly into the Word of God through conversation and prayer, both privately and corporately. We must also lean into the responsibility of intercessory prayer. It is such an act of true Christian friendship and devotion to actively pray for one another. When is the last time you prayed for your spiritual family or even an acquaintance? When is the last time you chose to be vulnerable and ask for prayer? Now is the time to rip off the veil of false confidence. My confidence is in God, alone. There is no earthly being that will control, protect and comfort the way that my Heavenly Father will and has proven to time and time again. Trust in Him and allow yourself to be used in the aggressive pursuit of relationship with the community He’s placed you in.
What did we see the early church doing? Prayer and community. We see the disciples gathered together to act in accordance with God’s will. It would have been easy, at the time, to fall away after Jesus ascended and was no longer physically present to hold these men (and women) accountable for the instructions they had been left with to go forth as witnesses to the world. This group refers back to prophecies that needed to be fulfilled. Judas needed to betray Jesus. Jesus needed to be put to death. Judas needed to take his own life for the disciples to replace his spot in the twelve. These candidates didn’t go around campaigning, nor was it a popularity contest. These men were known to be in Jesus’ presence during his ministry and witnessed His resurrection. In the realm of political uproar we find ourselves in currently, isn’t it shocking to see this group of decision makers pressing into the Lord in unity to request His decision and His will be done. Our election season sure would look different if we were taking this approach with our ballots. Friends, I encourage you, even in times of stagnancy, keep pressing into Jesus. Not only for political influence, but that He would use us all in our waiting and allow us to be obedient to Him.
Obedience to Christ also leads us to the act of baptism, and let me tell you, Sunday made my heart sing. We are so grateful for the witnesses present in joining us for Tina’s baptism this weekend. A little over two years ago, I was looking for every excuse not to go to our discipleship group gathering, but I told the enemy he wasn’t going to win and I went anyway. I walked in the door to see this fabulous lady sitting alone on the end of the couch and, for the first time in my adult life, I very clearly heard God say “that’s the one.” I had no idea what that meant, but in true Samantha fashion I ran with it and found my new best friend. God is so good to us as we respond to Him in obedience! Navigating her journey with God has been such an incredible faith building experience, not only for her, but many of us that surround her. She has proven to be such a strong and powerful woman , growing unshakable faith and inspiring many of ears that hear her. The questions she asks press us all more deeply into the Word of God. The spiritual warfare raging against her was clear proof that God had her on the right track, and the enemy was trying a mountain of maneuvers to deter her. Tina, we are all so proud of you and the dedication you have made to Jesus. You are an inspiration to your family and the spiritual body that is blessed to be around you. Keep playing your trumpet!
Microchurch Minute
Good afternoon, everyone. I pray that you are having a beautiful week as you each press into God and allow Him to move mountains through you. That’s a wild thought, moving mountains. I mean, we believe that God can do anything, but can I? I have received and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and in doing so I have inherited the Holy Spirit, whom God works through to do His will. Who can God use to perform signs, wonders and miracles? Anyone He chooses! Do you actively walk with the power that has been bestowed upon you? And even if God doesn’t choose to let you act in ways that you think are miraculous, does the depth of your heart still trust that He can? Better yet, if He does choose to use you to perform implausible acts, who gets the glory?
We started out the 3rd chapter of Acts this week. It’s a fairly familiar story, as Peter tells the lame man to walk, he suddenly gains strength and begins running, jumping and praising in the temple. The power of the Holy Spirit, alive in Peter, gave the crippled man strength to, not only stand, but to do it quickly! Do you recall teaching a toddler to walk? That is no quick process. Yet with confidence in the healing that had been blessed upon him, this man could jump with joy! He didn’t show up asking for a miracle, but when it was offered, we see that he chose to stand (as instructed) and God immediately strengthened him. He had to first stand up, believing that he would receive the miracle that had been spoken. In this instance, I believe that we can all learn quite a bit from Peter as well. He had been so tuned in to God, that he didn’t just walk by the beggar at the gate, he was moved to speak a supernatural act over the man.
We see Peter give glory to God for the act of allowing the lame mane to walk. -the same Redeemer that these people had rejected, denied and ultimately killed. Peter had the boldness to cast appropriate accusations. But notice how his accusations turn to a more kind tone. Peter uses this opportunity to ask onlookers to repent, to turn from the ways of wrongdoings and be forgiven for their sins. We know this to mean a true turning and walking away from sin, it is not a license to sin freely. It’s a staggering look at Christianity as a whole. Christians are called to love people, as Jesus did. When your heart is aligned with God, you will know the divine allowance for calling out sin here on earth. But you will be quick to follow with the invitation of forgiveness through God’s grace.
I pray that our walks with Christ may be a reflection of these two types of belief. First, let us open our hearts to God, so that He may reveal opportunities for us to bless those around us. Ask Him, in your prayers, if you are participating in the world, using your gifts in the way that He has intended for you to do. Submit to God’s plan. Second, may we have the faith of the crippled man, to choose to stand up and accept the blessings that God has so graciously offered upon our lives. This is an act of faith in itself, He will often call us into the unknown. Are you willing to go, trusting in His divine goodness, even when it doesn’t look the way we thought it would look?
Microchurch Minute
Peter, by accessing the power of the Holy Spirit inside of him, healed a crippled man – no one could deny that. What were the officials to do? Condemn him of a good deed? Clearly not. So, their alternative was to forbid Jesus’ from being discussed. In the present day, we see a lot of “separation of church and (fill in the blank)”. Governing officials do their best to keep the Lord out of legal matters and everyday lives. But we are called to bear witness! Our loyalty and duties are to the calling that God has placed on our lives. We answer to our Heavenly Father, because we know that our home is in heaven.
Relative truths are often easier to embrace. It’s easier to believe what you want and give good wishes to those who disagree with you. But, if you have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart, you have accepted that He is the one true way to eternal salvation! And to build on that, once you have truly accepted Jesus into your heart, you have accepted the calling to love people like Jesus did. If I genuinely love someone, do I not want to see them in the mass of believers rejoicing at the throne of God in eternity? If you are simply comfortable accepting that you’ve been saved and are secure if your eternity, while flippantly disregarding the eternal path of those that you claim to love, do you really love them?
Earthly trials and tribulations. We will all face them, God told us it was coming. When you’re in the muck of it, are you praying for God to take it away or are you moved to pray for the boldness to press through it? We just saw that Peter and John were reprimanded for acting in faith and serving the calling God placed on their hearts. Did it scare them into a corner and force them to stop performing miraculous acts in the name of God? It sure didn’t! They returned to their own people and joined together with them to pray and ask for boldness to continue. We can speak with this confidence, as we believe in God, the creator of all things and source of all life.
We’re given this beautiful view into the early church. We are reminded that the community prays together. They surrender earthly goods and share amongst themselves. There’s a whole lot of together-ing going on, and it leads them to a whole heap of God’s grace working through them. We should see that our spiritual brothers and sisters are cared for. We will all go through seasons of being the givers and seasons of needing to be the receivers. But through it all, pray. Continue to speak the truth of God’s goodness in what He has done, is doing and will continue to do.
Microchurch Minute
Hey y’all, let’s jump into Acts 5. We see a warning to the early church regarding regarding the transparency of our hearts and our motives. Ananias and Sapphira seemingly donate proceeds from a sold property to the apostles, but they lied about the amount. Peter confronted them both, and in keeping with their lie, God struck both of them dead. What can look good on surface level, God can see to the heart of. His church is not to be a vessel for our own self-promotion and profit.
Believers continued to meet as the apostles were performing signs and wonders in God’s name. So many people were converting to Christ! All of this success drew criticism from the high priest, who jailed the apostles. But God sent and angel to release them with instruction to continue preaching. How did that go over? Well, as you can imagine the high priest was definitely shocked. The apostles were then brought in for questioning. Peter boldly laid out facts for the council, confirming that they rejected and crucified Jesus – but in return, the Almighty God had used the crucifixion to exalt Jesus and recognize exactly Who He was. They wouldn’t stop preaching the Word of God. Upset at the response, the council beat the apostles before letting them go. So then what did they do? Go on sharing the word of God, just as they were divinely instructed to do – rejoicing as they walked away. Can you imagine rejoicing after a beating? When we suffer for the word of God, we can trust that opposition is coming. Remember, in chapter 4, the apostles were asking for boldness for where their missions would take them. I challenge you to do the same.
Microchurch Minute
Good afternoon, church family. We were blessed to gather and discuss Acts 6, as we reflected on why we worship God. While we recognize there are many reasons, it boils down to the empty tomb. The absolute, foundational truth of Christianity is made evident in the lack of Jesus’ body here on earth. The truth is His resurrection and the fulfillment of prophecies leaves us with no doubt that our Creator is worthy of all honor and worship and glory! Have you found yourself worshipping God in a way that differs from your spouse or loved ones? (hint: do your Sacred Pathways homework to learn more about different styles of worship) God, in His great wisdom, blessed us each with different strengths to be used in the body of Christ and to serve His purpose. As we see in Acts 6, it is wise to recognize these strengths within each other and encourage our spiritual brothers and sisters to embrace their God-given tasks according to their strengths. Be bold in your spiritual gifts. Continue to speak the Good News through earthly opposition. God has enabled and placed you for a reason.
