Gospel: The Foundation of the Church

Good morning everyone. Excellent. What an encouraging and exciting morning. John and I, our summer project for this year was Delve and we are so excited about it.

Regardless of whether there was a PowerPoint or not, John had fireworks and stuff coming up. I saw it earlier. He was gutted he didn't get that PowerPoint.

Delve, get involved. It is excellent. Fantastic to get reading Mark's Gospel together. Get involved. Pick up your copy before you go this morning.

Continuing on with the excitement, we are starting a new series this morning that's going to take us the next three Sunday mornings.

Looking at this thing that we call church.

One of you have ever asked yourself that question, why do we do this thing on a Sunday morning?

What does it mean to be part of a church?

With that in mind, why don't you turn to Acts, the book of Acts chapters 1 and chapters 2.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

And let's pray.

And let's ask that God would help us this morning as we turn to his words.

Let's pray together.

Father God, we love you.

And we thank you for our time together this morning.

And we ask now that as we turn to your words, the Bible,

as we think about this thing called church, that you would teach us by your spirit.

Would you give us ears to hear?

Would you give us minds to learn?

Would you give us hearts to absorb and to love you more?

And we ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So you've been quiet this morning.

Why don't you turn to your neighbor just before we kick this off for 30 seconds.

What brought you to church this morning?

30 seconds.

Go for it.

Okay, excellent.

Going to rattle on this morning.

I would love to know what you said.

Maybe you're a student here this morning.

I do look around and I see students.

Normally they're over here, but I see them branching out over this way.

It's great.

Did you come for the free lunch?

Maybe.

Maybe you came because you love the singing.

The band were great this morning.

I loved it.

Maybe you came because you like the teaching.

Maybe you came because you like the sense of community.

Your friends are here.

Or maybe this is just something, church, that you've always done.

What is this thing called church?

And as we turn to Acts chapter 1 and 2, so this is the story of the early church.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

That's the question we're going to ask these people that we meet.

What is this thing called church?

What does it mean to them to do church?

Here's the thing for us this morning.

You speak to these early Christians.

They're not talking about coffee or cake.

Right at its core.

The reason that they meet together is to celebrate the fact that there was a man who lived and a man who died and a man who rose again.

Certified dead on the third day.

Smashed death to smithereens.

And that changes everything.

Everything.

Life as they know it, flipped upside down.

Jesus is the reason.

Not that they go to church.

It's not something that you go to.

Jesus is the reason that they are church.

And here's the big idea for us this morning.

The gospel.

So there's good news about Jesus that we'll come on to see what it is.

The gospel births the church.

Church isn't a social club.

It's not a time for a get together for a jolly sing song on a Sunday.

Church is about Jesus.

You see, the elders of this church, we didn't wake up one morning and have an inclination to meet together publicly.

No, not a chance.

The church is a people that God has birthed through the gospel.

Here's what we're going to do this morning.

We're going to go on a whistle-stop tour of Acts chapter 1 and 2.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

And I want us to see this.

And I want us to love this.

So this is going to require us to have eyes wide open.

Fingers at the ready.

A bit of a paper chase.

But here's what's going on in Acts chapter 1 and chapter 2.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

The book of Acts, written by Dr. Luke.

The sequel to his gospel.

And it's really the story of all that Jesus continued to do after his resurrection.

It's the story of the unstoppable gospel as it reaches and it grips the world.

Here's what happens from verse 1.

Look with me.

Verse 1.

In my former book.

So there's the sequel thing, right?

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proof that he was alive.

He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

So who is this book of Acts about?

It's about Jesus.

Jesus, who suffered, says Luke.

Did you notice that?

He suffered.

He was certified dead.

But he presented himself alive.

And convincingly so.

He is not dead.

He's alive.

And it wasn't a magic trick.

It wasn't a delusion.

It was convincing.

This is what Luke is saying to this man, Theophilus, who he's investigating all this stuff for, that he's looked into this.

That he's asked people.

And it wasn't a one-off appearance.

Jesus appeared.

Many proofs over 40 days.

Theophilus, we're not dealing in the realm of ideas here.

We are dealing in the realm of fact.

Here's the thing.

Jesus is still dead.

If you can go to Jerusalem somewhere and you can find his skeleton,

then church as we know it, Christianity stops here.

Stone dead.

Killed.

But Jesus is alive.

And that changes everything.

Let me ask you this morning.

What do you make of that?

Jesus is alive.

I remember when I was a teenager.

When I was thinking through all of these things.

This is what it rested on for me.

Thought through it.

If Jesus, regardless of what he did, if he claimed to be the son of God,

and if he said he was going to defeat death and he didn't,

then he isn't a wise teacher.

He's an absolute fraud.

He's not worth following on Twitter, let alone with my life.

But, but if he did rise from the dead, then I concluded two things.

Firstly, it's got to be worth my time to look into it and investigate it.

Consider the evidence.

Secondly, if that is true, if he did rise from the dead, my life can't remain the same.

It just can't.

How could my life remain the same?

If Jesus holds the keys of death and life in his hands,

then I need to hang all of my life on every word that he said.

Friends, where are you with this this morning?

Do you see, regardless of what you think, that you cannot remain neutral to this news?

Here's what Tim Keller writes.

Guy I love to read, a Christian author.

He says this.

If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said.

If he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said?

The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching,

but whether or not he rose from the dead.

So do you see what Luke is saying here?

Theophilus, Jesus is alive.

And Jesus talked to his disciples.

What does Jesus tell them to do?

We'll look at verse 8.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you,

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria

and to the ends of the earth.

So Jesus says to these men who have seen and heard,

go and tell.

Now remember who Jesus is talking to here.

He's talking to the disciples, which would be the 11 of them at this point.

And see the thing is, as you read through the gospel accounts of Jesus' life,

these are not men with spine, right?

As you read it through, looking at Peter for example,

in terms of his standing up for Jesus,

the slightest interrogation of a little girl,

and he falls to pieces, doesn't he?

See, if I was to pick my dream team for world domination,

this would not be my starting 11.

They just wouldn't.

Now as a boy, I remember I used to play top trumps.

Someone else used to play top trumps as a kid?

Come on, show me your hands.

We're not embarrassed here.

Excellent.

So this is what used to happen with top trumps.

Your card,

your character on the card,

had certain attributes out of 10,

and you had to beat your opposition with your,

you had to trump them, you get the idea.

I like to think of the disciples like top trumps.

They would have the lowest stats possible.

You'd be gutted when you flipped that over.

Think about it, right?

Bravery, 1 out of 10.

Faith, 2 out of 10.

Anticipation, 0.5 out of 10.

I mean, you're losing all the time with these guys.

So when Jesus says,

go, knowing what I know about them,

I'm not that optimistic for them.

But what does Jesus say to them?

Look at this carefully.

This bunch of unspectacular men.

Where's the power going to come from?

It's not going to come from them.

It's going to come from him.

Jesus will send his spirit.

The spirit will give them power.

And the spirit will enable them,

give them boldness to speak.

And they will be his witnesses.

Now working in the legal profession for a few years,

I love the term witness.

I know what it means.

We all know what it means, doesn't it?

It means to tell what you've seen.

It's basically what it is.

Tell what you know.

And that's what Jesus is saying to his disciples here.

Go and witness.

Go and make me known.

And notice where they are to do this.

Jerusalem.

And in all Judea and Samaria.

And to the ends of the earth.

In other words, where they are,

the regions round about them,

and as far as they can possibly go.

This thing is going global.

The news that Jesus is alive is for everyone.

What happens next in the narrative?

Jesus ascends.

And Jesus sends his spirit.

And we get that scene at Pentecost.

Halfway through chapter 2,

God's spirit falls on them.

And speaking in different languages,

they declare the mighty works of God

to the watching world.

And Peter stands

and addresses the confused and mocking crowd.

And he delivers what I guess is the first distinctly

Christian sermon.

Look at it from verse 22.

Remember this guy who fell to jelly?

He's now addressing a crowd.

What a difference.

Here's what he says.

Fellow Israelites,

listen to this.

That's brave, isn't it?

Listen to this.

Jesus of Nazareth was a man

accredited by God to you by miracles,

wonders and signs,

which God did among you through him,

as you yourselves know.

This man was handed over to you

by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge.

And you, with the help of wicked men,

put him to death

by nailing him to the cross.

I mean, he's pulling no punches there,

isn't he?

No punches.

This guy who turned to jelly

is now accusing the crowd

of crucifying Jesus.

Jesus, this man that you saw,

you saw him do miracles.

You've heard about him.

You killed him.

And hang on a second, Peter.

Put yourself in the crowd at this point.

Hands up if you would have objected

to what Peter said there.

I would have objected massively.

And do you know why?

Because I wasn't in the crowd.

I didn't kill Jesus.

Did everyone who was in that crowd

physically kill Jesus?

Did they all physically drive the nails

into his hands and his feet?

Some of them weren't even on town

probably on that day.

And yet what does Peter say?

You crucified him.

Now how does that work?

How does that work?

Well, the Bible would say

that you and I are sinners.

That you and I are guilty

of falling short of God's glory.

By our very nature,

we are in rebellion against him.

We don't want anything to do with him.

We don't want anything to do with him.

We want everything to do

with ourselves.

Now I wonder if you know

that's true in your life.

I was reminded of it this week.

Here's how this worked out in my life.

I study two mornings a week.

Many of you won't know this.

I study two mornings a week

at Edinburgh Theological Seminary.

The artist formerly known

as the Free Church College.

Two mornings a week I do that.

And BBC Alba,

so the Gaelic TV channel.

How's your Gaelic this morning?

Mine's not very good.

BBC Alba did a documentary

on our class last year.

And they did a documentary

specifically focusing

on the free church candidates

that were going through the system.

BBC Alba produced this documentary.

It went out a couple of weeks ago.

There's four of them.

Four half an hour episodes.

They got that much out of our year.

Four half an hour episodes.

And on these episodes,

when I watched it,

my classmates,

as they're being interviewed,

are pouring out their lives

in front of the camera.

Really interesting.

My family have suffered

because I've decided to do this.

Financially,

I've suffered

because I've chosen

to take a step out of work

and pursue God's calling.

I mean,

this was really emotional stuff

on this camera.

But here's my question for you.

As they followed us

around the classroom,

these boys around the classroom,

who do you think

I was looking for

the whole time?

Go on.

Me.

Right?

I love me.

My back of my head

made two appearances

in those four episodes.

And here's the thing.

Each time I was watching

it on my laptop,

I paused it

and I shouted through to Alex,

Alex,

I'm on the telly.

Every time,

back of my head.

I don't even speak Gaelic.

Chloe told her,

our little seven-month-old daughter,

wasn't that fussed.

But do we not know that

to be true in our lives?

Think about your own life.

Think about the orbit

of your own life.

Who does it revolve around?

Are you like me?

We're all like me.

Aren't we all the same?

Does our lives not orbit

around ourselves?

Are we not infatuated

with ourselves?

We love us.

We do not love God.

We are sinners.

And that sin

has separated us from God.

And that is serious.

And if it wasn't true,

friends,

this morning,

then Jesus wouldn't have

had to come

to earth

and to die.

It was our sin

that put him there.

Now many of you

will remember,

maybe,

Mel Gibson

had a film out

a few years ago,

I think it was

maybe ten years ago now,

called The Passion of the Christ.

I wonder if you've watched it.

I remember going to the cinema

and it's one of only two films

I can remember in my life

where it stopped

and nobody's moved

at the end of the film.

Passion of the Christ.

Mel Gibson directed it.

He wasn't in one single,

he wasn't in many scenes,

but he was in one scene.

He,

it was his hand

that drove the nail

into Jesus' hands

in the film.

And he wanted to make

a statement

as if to say

he had some responsibility

for what happened

at Calvary.

Friends,

it was our sin

that put him there.

And the cross,

it finds us out.

And I find that truth

to be so liberating

and here's why.

I remember when I was

saving up for an engagement ring.

Alex had been going out

with her for a year

and she's far too good for me.

I was punching a well

above my weight.

I decided this is a deal

that I want to seal.

And I looked

at an engagement ring

and I booked

at the price

of an engagement ring.

And not long after

coming out of uni,

I decided that I was

going to have to make

some cost-cutting measures

in my life.

And one of the ways

that I was going to save money

was that I was going

to cut my own hair.

Has anyone tried that before?

Cutting their own,

not get someone else

to cut your hair,

cutting your own hair.

Genius, I know.

And here is what happened.

I lived my life

at work.

I lived my life

with my friends

and nobody ever

commented on it.

But secretly,

I gasped.

It was a state.

Now I wonder if you've

ever had an experience

like that.

You've tried to apply

mascara at about

six in the morning

and just forgot about it.

Big streams down

your eyes.

Maybe this is what

happens to me all the time.

With a little girl,

I find breakfast,

her breakfast,

randomly on me.

This is what happens.

Now what do you need

if you know what that's like?

What do you need

in that situation?

You need somebody

to lovingly

point it out.

Don't you?

Somebody to lovingly

point it out.

Here's what happened

to me when this happened.

I turned up to meet Alex

after I cut my own hair

a few times

and she looks at it.

One look.

It's all she needed.

One look.

That looks ridiculous.

If this is going to work,

that's going to change.

She didn't put it like that.

But do we not know

that to be true?

We need somebody

to tell us the truth.

I need the truth.

I don't need sugar coating.

I've got a sweet tooth

enough as it is.

I need somebody

to tell me

exactly how it is.

I cannot work

with a lie.

But the truth,

regardless of how

soul destroying it is

and how much your pride

is affected,

the truth,

you can work

with the truth.

truth.

And that's why

I love the Bible.

It's why

I love God's Word

because God's Word

gives us the ultimate

reality check.

We've used that phrase,

don't we,

all the time in our culture

if somebody gets

a reality check.

If you're English here

this morning,

you'll know that your

rugby team got one

a few weeks ago.

And speaking as a Scot,

you'll know that Australia

are about to get one

this afternoon.

A reality check.

That's what God's Word

gives us as we come to it.

That I am not an accident.

I am not the product

of an impersonal universe.

I, you and I,

are fearfully

and wonderfully made.

We are valued.

Why?

Because we were made

in God's image.

We are loved.

I am more loved

than I am ever capable

of grasping.

But here's the thing.

At the same time,

I am more broken

than I ever think

I'll realize.

My sin has separated

me from God.

That sin needs dealt with

and that's a massive

reality check.

I am beautifully made

but I am broken.

And God,

in His grace,

offers the solution.

Do you not know that

to be true

in your own life?

I know that to be true.

I found this so liberating

at the time.

I know my tendency

to selfishness.

I know my thoughts.

I know my hearts.

And as I come to God's word,

God's word puts all the cards

on the table.

It says,

I am beautiful

and yet I am broken.

And I found that

the most liberating truth.

That God knows

what's going on

inside of me.

He knows the numbers

of hairs on my head.

He knows the depths

of my heart.

And He loves me enough

to point it out.

my sin

put Jesus there.

How does that make you

feel this morning?

Isn't it not massively

interesting

when we compare

what God's word says

to what our culture says?

We hear this stuff

all the time

that you and I,

we can define ourselves.

We can just live

how we want.

We can be who we want

to be

and it's okay

that we deserve

the best,

that nobody should stand

in the way

of our personal happiness.

And friends,

my question to you

this morning

is which voice

are you going

to listen to?

The flattering one

or the honest one?

God's word

tells us

what it's like.

It gives us

the ultimate reality check.

It gives us

the diagnosis.

But praise God,

He also gives us

the prescription.

Back into Acts,

look at verse 24

of chapter 2.

This is still

Peter going at it here.

What does he say?

But God raised him

from the dead,

freeing him

from the agony

of death

because it was

impossible

for death

to keep its hold

on him.

What's this book about?

Who is this book about?

Jesus,

the risen champion.

How does that

make you feel?

Given everything

that we've seen before,

how does it

make you feel?

Well,

let's look at

the crowd's reaction.

How did they feel

when they hear

this message?

Verse 37.

When the people

heard this,

they were cut

to the heart

and said to Peter

and the other apostles,

brothers,

what shall we do?

Peter replied,

repent

and be baptized

every one of you

in the name

of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness

of your sins

and you will receive

the gift

of the Holy Spirit.

The promise

is for you

and your children

and for all

who are far off,

for all

whom the Lord

our God

will call.

How did they feel

cut to the heart?

And do you see

how they do not

remain neutral

to what Peter

has been saying?

They do not sit

on the fence.

They repent.

What it means

is just in their life,

they did a 180.

They acknowledged

their failings

before God.

They stopped

walking their way

and they started

walking His way.

And Peter uses

two words here

that I think

are so wonderful.

Two words.

First word,

forgiven.

That is what God

is offering,

that is what God

was offering

that morning

and that is what

God is offering

this morning.

Forgiveness.

This isn't cheap

forgiveness.

This is extremely

costly forgiveness

through the blood

of Jesus.

forgiveness.

Now friends,

we need to see

what is driving

the cross,

the great love

of God for us.

Because He could

have quite justifiably

left us on our own.

We rejected Him.

He could have chosen

to have nothing

to do with us.

And yet,

He sent His Son

who went

to the cross

paying the penalty

that you and I

deserve to pay

for our sin.

Jesus gave it

all for us.

second word

that Peter uses,

gift.

This is not about

us earning

God's love.

This is all about

God's grace.

God giving us

something that we

do not deserve.

The gift of the Spirit.

This is what happens

as men and women

come to put their

faith in Jesus.

That God sends

His Spirit,

His real presence

to live in their lives.

so that we no longer

remain detached

and separated

from God.

We become His.

No longer orphans

but adopted

as His children.

Reconciled.

Put right with God.

The God who created us.

Friends,

you were not made

by accident.

You were made

for a relationship

with the God

who created you.

How do you get there?

Through the gospel.

The offer of the gospel

is God Himself.

That is the sermon

that Peter preaches.

And look at what

Luke tells us

at verse 41.

How did this message

go down?

Well, those who accepted

His message

were baptized

and about 3,000

were added to their

number that day.

So the ESV,

if you've got an ESV

with you,

it uses that word

souls.

And I'll admit

I love that word.

Because these are

real people.

These are real

confessions.

These are real baptisms.

And 3,000,

that's a real number.

3,000 people respond

to what Peter

has been saying

and put their faith

in Jesus.

They trust in what

Jesus did,

that He paid their debt

and His victory

has become their victory.

His perfect obedience,

His righteousness

has become their righteousness

and Jesus has reconciled

them to God

and the resurrection

proves that it's all true.

It's the gospel.

It's the new life

that you and I have

because God

has given us it

in Jesus Christ.

Now here's the thing.

Do you see

this message,

this gospel message,

it births

the church.

It births the church.

This isn't our doing.

This is all

God's doing.

God saves a people

through the gospel.

He redeems men

and women

and creates

a people

for Himself.

This message

is glorious.

It's glorious.

No other message

works.

No other message

could work

and that's why

we as a church,

we stand on this message

because it's the power

of God

unto salvation.

It's the centerpiece

around everything

that goes on here.

The gospel is glorious.

And look what happens

naturally

as a result of that.

Look what the gospel

creates,

verse 42.

This is what Luke

tells us

about this group

of people,

this group of Christians.

They devoted

themselves

to the apostles'

teaching

and to fellowship,

to the breaking

of bread

and to prayer.

Everyone was filled

with awe

at the many wonders

and signs

performed by the apostles.

All the believers

were together

and had everything

in common.

They sold property

and possessions

to give to anyone

who had needs.

Every day

they continued

to meet together

in the temple courts.

They broke bread

in their homes

and ate together

with glad

and sincere hearts

praising God

and enjoying

the favor

of all the people.

So they repent

and they believe

the good news

as individuals.

But do you see

how quickly

Luke begins

to talk of them

as a collective group?

Now if you just look

at those verses there,

how often he uses

the words together.

Together.

That's not an accident.

That is emphasis.

These people

were together.

This new community,

this community

of Jesus'

living people

had been brought

together

through their

common faith

in Jesus.

And that common faith,

the gospel,

shaped their community.

And I think

there are two

really quick marks

of this community

that Luke draws

their attention to.

First mark,

devotion.

Did you notice

that word

as we went through?

Devoted to what?

Well three things.

Devoted to the words.

That is the apostles

teaching,

what they heard

from the apostles

about this man Jesus.

Devoted to fellowship.

Do you see that?

That they're looking

out for one another.

They're meeting needs

that arise

in their community.

They're eating together.

They are together

in their homes.

They've got everything

in common.

And they are devoted

to,

can anyone guess it?

Prayer.

Devoted to prayer,

to seeking God,

to humbling themselves

and asking for

his help and power.

As they seek

in their community

to impact it

with the good news

of Jesus.

Here's my question

for us this morning.

As a church,

as individuals,

are we devoting

ourselves to these things?

That's where

our three things

come from

in our transformation

statement.

I'm pointing at the wall

because it's over there.

Okay,

I've not lost it.

It's over there.

Prayer,

word,

fellowship.

These are the things

that we devote

ourselves to.

And we've not just

got that out of thin air.

This is where

we've got it from.

Are we devoting

ourselves to God's words?

Are we committed

to one another

because we are

connected in Christ?

Are we,

as a family

of God's people,

are we devoting

ourselves to prayer?

They are a devoted

community.

Second mark

of this community,

praise.

Do you see that?

That they attend

the temple together.

Look at the description

of these people.

Praising God

with glad

and sincere hearts,

giving thanks to him

for what he's done

for them in the gospel.

Do you see that

there's a distinct

sense of joy

as we read

about them here?

This joy inspired,

given by the Holy Spirit.

And notice that phrase

at verse 47.

Back in the text,

what does it say?

We're almost done.

Verse 47,

they enjoyed favor

with all the people.

So what is going on here?

The outside world

is looking at

what's going on

in this community,

this transformed community,

and they are dumbfounded.

The way that these people act,

the way that they speak,

the way that they live

their lives,

the way that they witness

for Jesus,

clearly caused

the watching world

to see something different.

What a challenge

is that is

for us this morning.

Think about the circles

that you move in.

Think about the people

that are in and out

of your lives every day.

The office,

the classroom,

the lecture hall,

the sports team.

Do people see

something different

in us?

Are our neighborhoods

here at Brunsfield,

are they thankful

that we are here?

Do we enjoy their favor?

Why?

Because they know

that we are people

who deeply,

deeply care.

See,

this news about Jesus,

it has transformed

and it has created

a people individually,

but it has created

a people corporately.

This is the church,

God's people

who has transformed,

this community

of cross-shaped people.

They are not

a perfect people.

Do not fall into the trap

of romanticizing this.

You just look at

Acts chapter 5,

Acts 5 · chapter mention

okay,

a few more on.

Look at the book

of 1 Corinthians.

This early church,

they do not have it sorted.

But there are two marks

that I think

we should be seeing

in our community

as we look at this.

A people marked

by devotion

and a people marked

by praise.

The gospel births

the church.

And just as we close,

look at the end

of verse 47.

We'll just look right.

And the Lord

added to their number

daily

those who were being

saved.

The gospel message

went forth.

It continued

to transform lives.

God continued

to give his spirit,

his power,

so that this thing

would go global

and it would hit Jerusalem.

It would hit Asia.

It would hit Europe.

This thing went global.

And 2,000 years later,

it continues

to transform lives today.

Here's some stats

as we close

that I read

on the Bible Society's

website this week.

Here's what's going on

in our world today.

This gospel is still

transforming lives.

In China,

thousands are turning

to Christ

every single day

with 500,000

baptisms

every year.

Get your head around that.

500,000

baptisms.

That's bigger

than our population

of this city.

In Nepal,

the church in Nepal

has grown from zero

to over 2 million

in 65 years.

In Cuba,

people are now free

to attend church services

where they hear

the gospel,

they hear God's words,

and churches are flourishing

and more and more people

daily are coming

to faith.

In Cambodia,

1970s,

Christianity

almost wiped out.

Now,

the church is expanding

at an extraordinary rate.

Here is a quote

from a young woman

in Cambodia.

She's receiving her first Bible

through the Bible Society.

Here's what she says.

I've been waiting

for the Bible for a year

ever since I became

a Christian.

We have no money,

just enough for food

and sometimes

not even enough for that.

I am so happy

about getting a Bible.

I am so excited.

Do you see it?

That the gospel,

this message,

2,000 years ago,

transformed this community.

Life's God won them

through the gospel.

He saved a people

and it still transforms

lives today.

Friends,

we are here

because the gospel works.

We are here

because God chose

to save us

through this message.

The gospel

forms the church.

Now,

here's what we're going to do

just before we pray.

I want you to turn back

to that neighbor

that you talked to

two seconds,

about 30 minutes ago.

It wasn't two seconds,

was it?

Turn back to that neighbor

and in light of what we've seen

in Acts chapter 1 and 2,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

why did you come to church

this morning?

And then we'll close in prayer.

Why don't you talk

to your neighbor

and then we'll close.

Okay, let's pray.

Father,

we are so thankful

for our time together

this morning

and we thank you

for the church.

We thank you

for Jesus.

We thank you

for the gospel message.

We thank you

for the wonderful news

that he is not dead,

that he is alive

and reigning in heaven.

Father,

I pray that you would help us

to know that this week.

Help us to live

as people

whose lives

are marked

by love

for people

and for him

in everything

that we do.

And this is our prayer

in his name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.