Resuced

Acts 12:1 - 19

The harsh reality of life is that many of us carry around within us things that trap and imprison us - addictions, emotional scars, behaviours, attitudes, temptations that we give into too often.  We try and often/always succeed in hiding this undesirable part of our lives, but they keep us being less than God wants for us, and keep us imprisoned in guilt, shame and unsociable behaviour.  But this is not the way life should be.  Jesus came to “proclaim freedom to the prisoners” (Lk.4:18).  This is more than the physical freedom that Peter experiences in Acts 12.

To achieve this freedom from the internal things that trap us, we first need to admit that we can't do it on our own.  Peter's freedom came through the miraculous power of the Spirit, but was partnered by the church that "was earnestly praying to God for him" (v 5).  Two things to reflect on, to find your own freedom, is there someone you can share with, a person who is trustworthy and mature, and can they and you commit to praying earnestly?

When Peter's release came, he went to the gathered believers who furthered his escape (v 17).  Living in a broken world, means that the temptation and possibility of becoming re-imprisoned is always present.  We need friends around us to help keep us free.  Friends who will hold us accountable, point out blind spots, encourage and distract us. Who are these people for you?

Finally, we need to believe through action that God can release.  The early church didn't do this, they argued with Rhoda that Peter couldn't be at the door.  Too often we miss out on the power of God to rescue us because we think that it can't be done.  Believe and see what he will do.

Acting with boldness

Acts 4:23 - 31

The nanny state and its attendant decline in risk aversion is striking at the very core of what it means to be the church today. Rather than following in the footsteps of the early church and being bold in our willingness to speak out in the name of Jesus (see Acts 4 - 12 for example), we are being people who generally huddle within our church walls, trying to make ourselves as small, minimising the risks that could come our way when we speak about faith, or Christian values in our society.

The early church were able to be bold because they recognised that their number one priority was to be witnesses to Jesus Christ in the world. They let nothing get in the way of doing this (see Acts 4:19). Secondly, they prayed for boldness. They realised that the Holy Spirit could make them bold when they were not naturally bold (see Acts 4:29). Thirdly, they knew that the opposition that came their way was against God, and that they were part of his mission in this world (see Acts 4:25, 26).

Where do you start with being bold? What are the situations that you are in, where empowered by the Holy Spirit, you could speak God's truth and in doing so advance the work of his kingdom?

Just walk across the room

Starting on 25 July our congregation is going to participate in a campaign called Just Walk Across the Room. For many of us, the whole idea of evangelism is a scary concept. It is intended that through this campaign we'll reduce our anxieties about faith sharing and start to realise that it can be as easy as just walking across the room to talk to another person. I hope that you will participate by being part of a week small group and worshipping each Sunday.

Fully devoted

Acts 2:42 - 47

The picture that Luke gives us of the early church is one of people who were fully devoted to Christ and living his life. Amongst many other things, we see that the church was devoted to worship, community, spiritual growth, serving others and sharing faith with others.

These things have continued in the church down throughout the ages, and indeed are reflected in the four focus areas of our congregation's strategic map.

The question for you is not whether you do these things, but what is your level of devotion to them. Jesus commands us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Is that love evident in your life and the devotion you give to God?

Motivated by Grace

Matthew 21:28 - 32

In our Christian lives there are many things that we do - worship, engage in private devotions, serve, share our faith, read the bible, act in particular ways. Why do you do what you do? For some it may be obligation, duty, routine, guilt. But none of these are an authentic life lived in grace.

As we've explored over the past weeks, we are made right with God not on the basis of anything we do or don't do, but purely and solely because of the work of God. Therefore our worship, witness and service is to be motivated by a response of gratitude and reverence for a God who draws us near.

This motivation should actually move us to action. In James 1:22 he writes, "do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Similarly, in the book Discipleship, David Watson writes "Christians in the west have largely neglected what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The vast majority of Western Christians are church members, pew fillers, hymn singers, sermon tasters, Bible readers, even born again believers or spirit filled charismatics - but not true disciples of Jesus". (pg 16)

How are you motivated by grace to act in this world. In what ways does your service for God and others reflect the grace you have received? More importantly, is the life you are living one that is a reflection of the grace you have been received? Does God's grace in your life cause you to act for justice for others and to pursue fairness and equity? Is your life one that reflects the values of Jesus? Do you seek the best for others?

Grace abuse

Romans 6:1 - 10

It is possible to both understand and misunderstand the message of God's grace. The grace is God is such that it washes over anything that we have done or will do, to the extent that it is possible to say, as people have, "I don't need to be good and avoid sin, God will forgive me anyway."

But that is to miss the point of the new creation we become in Jesus Christ as we are dead to sin and alive in Christ. The grace of God changes the very people that we are that sin is no longer attractive to us. We have the ability to sin, and indeed being fallible humans we will sin, but we will not be caught by it, nor desire to engage in it.

It is through our partnership with the Holy Spirit that we are able to grow in holiness. By allowing him to work in us, we will put more of the sinful nature behind us and express more of the spiritual nature in us.

Being transformed by grace

Romans 12:9 - 21

The words that Paul writes in this passage are not simply another list of things for us to be guilty about not doing. In his letter, they come after a long build up of explaining the nature of grace, and a challenge at the beginning of chapter 12 to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. The words that Paul writes here, are therefore a description of a life lived in grace.

I summarise them into two categories:

- be generous with your possessions, your approach to other people, and your life in Christ.
- be reconcilers with your enemies.

It is about living a life big and large in the grace of God, and reflecting the very nature of Jesus in our world.

How different would this world be if we lived in the state of continual transformation by the Holy Spirit to be people who were overwhelmingly generous and who actively sought to be nice to our enemies? Where would you see differences in your approach to others? What would your home, church, workplace, world be like if we were always taking a further step into God's good, pleasing and perfect will as we lived in a state of grace?