Answered Prayer
Pastor Hamilton
After the first sign of persecution, the believers met to pray as one to the one true Ruler (4:24). The thing they prayed for was not God’s vengeance, but for the opportunity to “continue to speak.” God delivers and protects not so that we can go silent, but so that we can proclaim widely (5:30–32).
Faith Proclaimed in All the World
Pastor Hamilton
What God provides must be received by faith. What is received by faith must be announced in faithfulness. Only as this gospel is proclaimed and the Lord opens the eyes of the lost are people converted. The power is not in our presentation, but in our Savior.
The Real Deal
Pastor Hamilton
Satan not only tried to attack with threats from outside the church, but from corruption from within. Persecution could scatter a community of believers, but wrong teaching or values could fracture an assembly. The purity of the church is important to God.
Right Response to Wrong Treatment
Pastor Hamilton
When persecuted, the church gathers with the company of saints (v. 23) and gives thanks to the God who is working through it all (vv. 24–31).
The Ugly Side of Religious Unbelief
Pastor Hamilton
The greatest opposition you will face in giving the gospel may not be from secular sources, but from those who are devoted to a dead religion. This chapter tells Christ’s body what they can expect and how they are to respond.
The Exuberant Witness
Pastor Hamilton
The same Jesus the Jews delivered to die was raised by the Almighty and must be believed by every sinner.
Public Speaking (about Christ)
Pastor Hamilton
Like Peter, we must know who we are witnessing to, Who we are witnessing of, and what the goal of this witnessing is.
Stewardship and Contentment
Mark Perry
Our morality is founded on our theology. What we believe determines how we act. How can we please God with the money and resources which he has entrusted to us? Two biblical principles can help us please God, and they stem from two of God’s attributes: his sovereignty and his goodness.
Flee Immorality
Mark Perry
Those whom Jesus Christ has redeemed find their satisfaction in Him, glorifying God by maintaining moral purity. Immorality is to be avoided, not simply for its own sake, but as the very premise of sanctification: we are separated from sin and to God. Our bodies were not created by God for our pleasure, but for his. […]
God’s Grace to the Church
Mark Perry
This passage reminds us of God’s grace. While the previous two chapters describe God’s great grace shown to us in salvation and including us in the body of Christ, this section reminds us that grace is always undeserved, that God is sovereign in the administration of his grace, and this grace is a great motivation […]
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