January 28, 2024 • Pastor Jerome Gay Jr. • Acts 4:32–37
Here are a few things to ponder on over the week:
1. Bold Community: Drawing from the early church's example in Acts, we must intentionally and lovingly access the community and support provided by the Holy Spirit.
2. Koinonia and Community: Exploring the biblical call to fellowship and the "one anothers," we must overcome personal barriers to embrace the church as our family.
3. The Danger of Isolation: The story of Ananias and Sapphira serves as a warning against superficial involvement in the faith community and how isolation from the community of faith is plot of the enemy to attack the unity of the Body of Christ.
4. Kingdom vs. Cultural Community: as believers we embrace interdependence over independence as we know that God chooses the members of the Body of Christ as it pleases Him.
5. False Doctrine and True Generosity: prosperity theology misuses the act of dropping money as the apostles feet and attempts to present godliness as a means to financial gain, but Barnabas, who demonstrated genuine generosity within the Christian community shows us holistic generosity and stands in contrasts to Ananias and Sapphira and the false doctrine of the prosperity gospel.
6. The Heavenly High Priest: Barnabas was a Levite which reminds us of the priesthood and Christ in our High Priest who sacrificed His life to make us sons and daughters.
Bold Prayer
January 21, 2024 • Pastor Jerome Gay Jr. • Acts 4:23–31
Prayer is communicating with God. It is a direct address to God. It is the interaction of humanity with the Lord who is the Creator of the body and soul. Prayer is the primary way for the believer of Christ to vocalize their emotions and desires with God and to fellowship with God.
We studied four different mechanics of prayer this week:
- Brought to God in faith (James 1:6).
- Open to God’s plan and method (John 16:23).
- Led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26).
- Done constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
Bold Rebellion
January 14, 2024 • Pastor Jerome Gay Jr. • Acts 4:13–22
During Pastor Gay's sermon this week, we saw the incredible courage of Peter and John as they stood before the religious and political authorities. Their story isn't just a lesson from the past; it's a call to action for all of us to live bravely for the Gospel. We were reminded of the necessity of spiritual exclusivity in our relationship with God, likening it to a committed relationship. We learned the difference between the indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit. There's one indwelling for salvation and there are multiple fillings for mission.
Bold Faith
January 7, 2024 • Pastor Jerome Gay Jr. • Acts 4:1–12
Our theme for this year is https://visionrdu.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=38b225582ed69766208fdf9a6&id=8a318af55d&e=892855c997 and it comes from the book Acts.
There are essentially two types of boldness:
- Secular Boldness
- Spiritual Boldness
As we meditate on having Spirit-filled boldness let's remember that Christ’s bold display of forgiveness should lead us to bold displays of faith.
