Well-Versed

~ Enter God’s presence for a few minutes before hearing what He has to say to you ~ Acts The Great Commission by Luke After His death, Jesus appeared to the apostles for 40 days, which proved His rebirth. He commissioned them to receive the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses to the ends of the Earth. After that He was taken up majestically before their very eyes, until a cloud hid Him. On Pentecost a sound like violent wind came from Heaven and tongues of fire rested on them. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in tongues, which drew a bewildered crowd. Each one heard them declaring the wonders of God in their own language out loud. Peter reminded them that Joel predicted God would pour out His Spirit on all people. He’d show wonders in Heaven and on Earth; everyone who called on Him would be His temple. Peter explained that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised by God to save His people. The Israelites could not deny that the miracles He performed were real. But Jesus was handed over to them by God’s plan and they put Him to death. They nailed Him to the cross and watched Him take His last breath. God raised Jesus to life, as they witnessed, and exalted Him to His right hand. Now He has sent the promised Holy Spirit, as they could see and hear in their own land. Then they realized they had crucified God's Son and everything Jesus said was true. They were cut to the heart and asked Peter what they should do. He told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. For when they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit their brand-new life begins. About 3,000 people responded to Peter’s message and were baptized that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and began to pray. They broke bread in fellowship, gave to anyone in need and became role models. Everyone was filled with awe as many wonders and miracles were done by the apostles. Day by day, the Lord increased the number of people being saved. The Jewish rulers commanded them to stop sharing about Jesus, but it was God they obeyed. Stephen was persecuted, Peter was imprisoned, Saul was converted and preached to his Jews. The Jews rejected God’s Word so he turned to the Gentiles, who welcomed the Good News. Reason The Great Commission- Jesus Christ told His disciples that they would be empowered by the Holy Spirit and commissioned them to share the gospel with all nations. That’s exactly what happened and is still happening today. He equipped them with the Holy Spirit to go, make disciples, teach and baptize. He entrusted them with continuing the work He initiated by His sacrificial death for humanity's redemption. He’s asking you to do the same. What happened after Jesus’ death? What was Pentecost? What did the prophet Joel predict? What did Peter tell people they had to do to receive the Holy Spirit? Who welcomed the Good News? Call to action: Repent. Get baptized. Let your brand-new life begin. Fellowship with other believers. Spread the Good News Reflect Awareness: What does God make you aware of in Acts? Date__________ Acceptance: What do you need to accept? Reset Putting Wisdom Into Practice Action: What will you do differently? Pray for the courage to change: What first step will you take? ~ Enter God’s presence for a few minutes before hearing what He has to say to you ~ Romans Good News by Paul The Good News is there’s salvation for everyone who believes that Jesus Christ is divine. We’re saved by grace through faith, not by being a good person, by God’s design. Righteousness comes through faith as we’ve all sinned and fall short of God’s glory. We’re justified by the grace that comes through Christ’s redemptive story. We’re saved by faith, not by obeying the law, but because of faith we uphold it. Blessed are those whose transgressions He’s willing to omit. Since we’ve been forgiven, we have peace with God through Jesus. We’ve gained access by faith into His truth which frees us. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God and in our sufferings, which teach us to cope. Suffering produces perseverance, which produces character, which produces hope. Hope doesn’t disappoint as God pours out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He demonstrated His love by having Christ die for us while we were still sinners without merit. He conquered sin for all time so if you offer yourselves to God, sin shall not be your master. You’re no longer under law but under grace which can save you from disaster. You’ve been set free from sin to explore righteousness, which leads to holiness. The result of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life with Christ’s forgiveness. Our present sufferings aren’t worth comparing with His glory which will be revealed. In all things God works for the good of those who love Him and yield. If God is for us, who or what on this Earth could possibly get to us? Jesus died and rose again to intercede for us, which was His sole purpose. Nothing can separate us from the love of God when we confess that Jesus is Lord. If you believe God raised Him from the dead, you’ll be saved and restored. Faith comes from hearing the message through Christ’s Word. Don’t conform to this world but be transformed by what you’ve heard. Then you’ll be liberated to do God’s will, which is to live in harmony. Jews and Gentiles alike practice kindness, graciousness and hospitality. Begin by accepting your neighbor even when it’s hard to love one another. Christ accepted you because love is the fulfillment of the law of His Father.