Pastor Reid Olson of Crossroads Church of Greeley teaches on Acts 15.
Tag Archives: church
The Jews demanded that the new Gentile converts to Christianity go through ritual circumcision, and follow the laws of Moses in order to receive faith and be welcomed in. Paul & Barnabas travel to Jerusalem to meet with the Apostles and church counsel to decide what was best. They wrote a letter saying they would do well to abstain from certain things, but circumcision was no longer required for faith. What kind of rules do we place on people before they come to faith today? What sort of expectations do we demand before someone can join our faith fellowship in 2017? Do your rules keep people out, or let people in? How do you show grace to your neighbor and shine the light of Christ?
Stay Committed To Your Faith (Acts 7)
Don’t Neglect Leadership; Acts 6
Pastor Reid Olson of Crossroads Church of Greeley teaches on Acts 6.
A serious issue of favoritism and neglect breaks out in the early church when the widows of one community are being overlooked in the distribution of food. Seems simple enough. The Twelve come together and make a leadership decision that begins a new trajectory in the early Church about how to delegate and choose leaders for a task. How do you choose people to hire in your company? How do you represent yourself when seeking employment? These leadership events that occurred in Acts 6 are enlightening enough to our faith, that they model Godly character for us to live by.Join the conversation. (click the image to listen to the sermon)
When the Spirit of God acts in a way that seems contrary to our human expectations, does the character of God come into question? Humanity has seemed to lose respect for God’s perfect holiness. We have the option to choose life, or choose death. When Peter & John were imprisoned for preaching, an angel of the Lord released them from prison only to tell them to continue to preach about this new life. Death on the front end of Acts 5, and new life at the closing. Which will you choose? Choose life, there is more blessing that way.
Acts chapter 4 is about the beginning of trouble for the disciples. They perform a healing at the temple, and begin speaking about the resurrection. The religious authorities, the Sanhedrin, resist the Kingdom of God moving out through the Church. They tell Peter & John to stop proclaiming the name of Jesus. Peter & John resist. How do you share your faith with others? Will your faith story tell others about Jesus?
The healing of the lame beggar man takes precedent in the narrative, but what happens around the event is astounding. The healing took place “outside” the temple gate. The impact of this means that God’s Kingdom work is beginning to move outside the temple walls. God’s Kingdom is on the move, like lava moving down a mountain; no one can contain it’s flow. We learn through Acts 3 that God’s Spirit is on the move and He brings healing, wholeness and joy as a result. Acts 3:19 says when we repent of our sin, times of refreshing will come from God. I hope you find your times of refreshing when you walk away from your sin-filled life.
