Peter is called to a room where a woman named Tabitha lay dead. She is surrounded by mourners who, as they cried, showed off the clothing that she had made for them. There isn’t much we know about Tabitha other than she appeared to touch the lives of others with her service and that she was raised back to life to the glory of God. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. We too can affect people in a great way as we serve them. We will look at what a servant of the gospel truly is and ways that we can serve others.

If Saul of Tarsus who imprisoned and killed Christians can meet Jesus and have his life radically changed, then anyone can-- no matter what their past is like! Saul, who was once deceived, now sees clearly. Both physical and spiritual scales fall from his eyes. That day, blinding light pierced into darkness. Saul is the greatest picture of an enemy of God becoming the friend of God and in many ways his conversion and the details contained within scriptures parallel the path to conversion every man must walk down.  In this message we will look at those parallels and rejoice in the salvation of God.

The Captivity of Sin - In this story we see a very popular man, Simon the Sorcerer, attempt to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit.  Peter uses the phrase, "For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."  What caused Simon to be 'captive to sin and full of bitterness'?  In this message we will explore the captivity that sin can hold us in and how we can break free of these chains.

Our aim should be to emulate Stephen; a man (or woman) “full of God’s grace and power”. This description is not merely philosophical or even theological-- it is a way of life, tested greatly by people attacking him. Stephen did not have a life or ministry where he skated through unscathed, quite the contrary. When confronted with adversity, opposition, and false accusations; Stephen responded by resting in the presence of the Lord and not retaliating. Stephen pointed to the reality of God found throughout Scripture and that they were in fact, resisting the Holy Spirit! (Acts 7:51).

The "good news" can only continue to be just that when we understand why it is good news and that it is a present tense reality for those who do not know Him AND for those who do. When the Sanhedrin wanted to put to death the apostles, a Pharisee named Gamaliel spoke up and prevented it. He reasoned with them that if it was of human origin then it would fail. If it is from God, you aren’t able to stop it and find yourself fighting against God Himself. When we look for things to save us or to worship that are “of human origin” we have ceased to be transformed by the Gospel.

One of the ten commandments is to honor the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.  In the modern church that commandment is rarely spoken about and it seems we have lost or chosen to forget the true meaning of that day.  So many Christians treat Sunday as an 'optional...what do I want to do today...day'  They treat Sunday as if it were 'THEIR day...not GODS day'.  As with our tithe where God only asks for 10% of what we earn to come back to Him, God is asking us to just set aside one day to dwell with Him, focus on Him, and with the family of God.  As believers we need to rethink our view of the sanctity of Sunday and make a decision to rededicate that day back to God versus considering it a 'snow day' where we focus on us and what we do what we want to do.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira makes us very uncomfortable with today's popular "feel good" theology.   God's character has not changed from the Old Testament to the New.  He is an awsome God who demands holiness, righteousness, discipline, and obedience to His commands.  While He is gracious, kind, and loving, He is also a Holy consuming fire.  His mercy is longsuffering, however He will bring discipline to his children who walk in open disobedience. This message talks about finding a balanced and accurate view of God's character as Father.

After being miraculously freed from jail, John and Peter were reunited with the brethren where they celebrated the providence of God.  When they did this an amazing thing happened...the Holy Spirit showed up!  Testimonies of the works of God in our lives seem to be a way to usher in the presence of God into a group of people.  Also in this message we celebrate God’s providence by giving testimonies of his great providence and praise; worshipping the God who watches over and provides for His people.

One of the principal messages the early church proclaimed was resurrection. There is the promise of eternal life after our physical death for all of those who put their trust in Jesus. Resurrection, however, is not just concerning the future. We can experience resurrection from the death in us and around us now! “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Peter and John, going to a prayer meeting, encounter a crippled man in the midst of their regularly scheduled events of the day. They are suddenly presented with an opportunity to glorify God and radically transform not only the crippled man’s life, but also the life of the community. They ministered to him out of what they had (the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit). His Spirit was manifested and the man was healed on the spot. The ministry gift of healing is a powerful demonstration of the presence of God, not of our own power or godliness. Jesus promised that healing would take place through our hands as we touch the sick, this was among the “signs that will accompany those who believe” (Mark 16:15-18).

The second half of Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost is one that stands as a model for all those who preach the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Peter talks about what it means to be saved and repentance is pivotal in this process.  In this message Pastor Scott focuses on what true repentance is and how repentance plays a continual role in the life of the believer even after their initial repentance and acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice.

Matthias is chosen from the group of disciples to take Judas’ place among the apostolic leaders. A replacement was sought to fulfill prophecy as well as a void. We will look at what an apostle is and how they function. Not everyone is an apostle, but everyone can be apostolic. The Holy Spirit is an apostolic Spirit and the Church therefore needs to be an apostolic Church if it is to fulfill its mission.

Most every church going Christian knows what the great commission is. At the end of the book of Matthew we read the simple and concise commission Jesus gave to His disciples and in turn all of us as part of the Church. In these first eleven verses in the book of Acts we a wonderful lesson in what exactly that means through a beautiful metaphor. Luke describes the scene of the disciples staring upwards at where they had just seen Jesus go and then being corrected by the two angels to focus rather upon what Jesus has told them to do....the great commission.
In the Church today many are 'treading water' or simply keeping the status quo while waiting for Christ's return. Yet maybe the very reason He has not returned is because we have not been fulfilling this great commission in the way that Jesus intended for us to be fulfilling it....going into the world walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and all that means and proclaiming that today is a day of salvation for all!