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Jews for Jesus
Acts 13:13-43 What makes the difference between a boring sermon and one that strikes like lightning? On a more personal level, how do you have a significant encounter with people who are well versed in religion and already have their minds made up? In this week’s text, Paul and Barnabas travel north through the Taurus Mountains and enter the city of Pisidian Antioch. On the first Sabbath day after their arrival they are invited to give a word of exhortation to the congregation. For three hundred years Jews in the Diaspora have been reading the Scriptures and listening to countless sermons exhorting them to remain faithful to the law. But never have they heard a sermon like this with such good news, declaring God has fulfilled all of Israel’s longings and is on the move, doing revolutionary things where new life is breaking out for whole world and nothing is going to remain the same. And unless you jump in with both feet, you are going to be left out! So don’t you be left out.
The Wind Blows in Cyprus
Acts 13:4-12 In this week’s text we come to a historic moment in the history of the church, when Paul, Barnabas and John Mark set sail for Cyprus on the first missionary journey. Up until now evangelism was the spontaneous, less-systematic work of individuals. But now the task of missions will be intentional and strategic, following the lead of the Spirit coupled with wise strategy. Straight away we will discover the pattern of outreach that will be repeated in place after place. We will see the power of prayer to open doors, the approach Paul takes with politicians, the inevitability of fierce and sometimes violent attacks, and the relentless power and authority of the Holy Spirit to overcome all opposition. As Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction”. (1 Thes 1:5)
Acts of the Body
As we have been learning in our studies of the Book of Acts, Stephen and Philip were engaged in social ministry caring for the poor and the marginalized before their evangelism ministry (6:8-15; 8:5-40). Barnabas and Saul followed the same pattern, demonstrating their godly character by caring for needy disciples before being sent out on their mission of evangelizing the greater world. In the last few weeks God has done wonderful things among our people through the ministry in King City and Service Sunday. This Sunday we will have the privilege of hearing testimonies from you, those in our body, on the work God has done in you and through you. So come prepared to share. We will conclude our time with the feast of the Lord’s Supper.
Setting Our Sails into the Wind – Part 2
Acts 12:25 – 13:4 This week we begin an eight-week series following Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey in the book of Acts. It is a historic moment in the history of the church. As Luke has shown how God was faithful to his promises by restoring a faithful Israel in Jerusalem, now in the person of Paul, he demonstrates how God is calling out for himself a people from among the nations – the ultimate goal of salvation history. As we travel along with Paul and Barnabas, I have three goals in mind:
That we have a greater appreciation for our apostolic foundation and the price they paid that we might be full heirs of the gospel of Christ
That we will come to understand the vital role of the Spirit for mission and personal evangelism
That our hearts be transformed to have a passion for God’s mission for the world
Resurrected Life
This week Christians all over the world will remember the last days and hours of Jesus’ earthly life. Some will act out the events of the passion on Good Friday. Others will gather at sunrise on Sunday to rejoice in the resurrection. Even non-believers and non-churchgoers will be reminded that it is Easter weekend through the programs on television, signs they see in front of churches, or relatives who invite them to church. Most people know that Easter is not about bunnies and egg hunts.
On Friday night, we will gather to read the story and sing the hymns reminding us of Jesus’ suffering and death. And then on Sunday we will gather to rejoice in the resurrection. Both events are crucial to the Christian faith. Death and resurrection are the story of Jesus, and they become our story as well because we have been united with Christ. We surrender our life to be raised to new life. Even though we are in our earthly body we live a resurrected life now. Hallelujah!
Be Better, not Bitter
1 Pet 5:6-14 I recently watched the film “Silence” about two Portuguese priests who traveled to Japan during a time when the Catholic faith was forbidden. The movie depicted many scenes of believers suffering and even losing their lives for their faith. These scenes inspired me and made me think: how do I react when I face suffering or loss? I realize that I often respond in the flesh; I may complain, get anxious, blame others, or worse. In this final passage of his letter, Peter gives us succinct and helpful exhortations to help us overcome the tendency to respond in the flesh and how to resist the devil during trials and temptations. As this passage brings us to the end of the epistle, I will also give a thematic summary of the whole book of 1 Peter.
Elders, Younger Ones, Everyone
1 Pet 5:1-5 What is the role of elders in a local church? More specifically, who are the elders at PBCC and what do they do? We’ll answer these and other questions this Sunday as we look into 1 Peter 5:1-5, Peter’s exhortation to the elders. What underlies church leadership is the humility and servant leadership exemplified by our Lord Jesus. There are lessons here for all of us, whether or not we are elders. Jerry Tu will be preaching and will be joined by the whole board of elders during the service. See you there!
Life Together
1 Pet 4:7-11 How important is the health and unity of a local church congregation? According to the apostle Peter, the health and unity of a church body are vital in withstanding the hostility to the gospel coming from outside the church, and they are essential if the church seeks to influence the world with the message of God’s grace. But this runs so contrary to the individualistic Christianity prevalent in the United States today. This week we focus on Peter’s word for living in the household of God. Peter mentions four key aspects for the local church: prayers, love, hospitality, and service. God calls us to be intentional in building healthy, caring relationships for the sake of Jesus and his kingdom because the end of all things is near.
Persevering in Faith
1 Pet 4:1-6 The journey for believers is not an easy one. We all face a battle against our temptations and areas of weakness. We want to avoid the extremes of plunging ourselves into human passions or isolating ourselves from the very people we want to influence for Christ. What is required? In a word “perseverance,” neither a giving in or a giving up, even if it entails suffering. This week we will look at how Peter encourages us from two perspectives, from the life of Jesus in the past and our eternal destiny in the future.
Doing Good Even When Suffering
1 Pet 3:13-22 Living in an environment hostile to the Jesus of the gospels is no picnic, as the Christians in the first century experienced. What would it be like to be called an evildoer and hated for being a follower of Christ? How are we to respond to this kind of suffering? How are we to respond to suffering in general? Peter has a simple word for all of us: if you suffer, suffer for doing good rather than evil and even when you are suffering, continue to do good. Much easier said than done. What can encourage us? The simple answer is Christ and what God accomplished through him. We will explore the depth of this answer on Sunday.
Words That Bless
1 Pet 3:8-12 We return to our series in 1 Peter this Sunday and the reminder that his audience had little or no power to change their less than ideal circumstances. So Peter turned their focus to the one thing they always had control over: their words. Words are a powerful force that have the ability to unify or divide. They can either strengthen or damage one’s witness for Jesus. Peter issues the challenge to his readers to always use their words as instruments of blessing. It seems fair to say the same challenge could be issued to us today!
Sacred Order
Exod 31:1-18 The tabernacle gave Israel a sacred geography. The Sabbath gave it a sacred calendar. The two tablets of the law gave it a sacred ethic. In these three ways the Lord gave his people order after the harsh disorder of slavery in Egypt. Freedom was not freedom from order, but order itself: order in space, order in time, and order in life. How should we understand sacred space, sacred time and sacred ethics today? Do we have a sacred order that gives us freedom?