EASTER THEN AND NOW

Acts 2:42-47: “They devoted themselves to the apostles'

teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and

to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were

done by the apostles. All the disciples were together and had everything in common.

Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 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. And the

Lord added to their number daily those who were being

saved.”

This passage tells of another miracle established by the

resurrection

a church made up of ordinary people that God used to

change their world.

These new converts didn’t believe that Jesus was who

He said he was until they saw how it affected His disciples’

every day life.

They were: committed to the teachings of Jesus; loved to fellowship with each other; loved to pray; filled with an

awe for their great God; miracles were happing in

their lives;

crazy generous to help one another materially; faithful to

go to worship; joyful; genuine; and loved to praise God-in

and out of worship.

No wonder people were joining every day.

Hoosiers

But the reality is that God still wants to do these things this

Easter!

Do we need some help?

JESUS, the crucified Son of God who was resurrected from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit is our only

hope!

Everything they had, we have.

1. They had the teachings of Jesus.

2. They were eye witnesses of the resurrection.

3. They had the power of the Holy Spirit.

Could it be that Jesus is saying to Ridgecrest today,

“You have everything they did so your life can be radically changed like theirs, and you

can radically change your world like they did!”

If we submitted our lives to Jesus and relied on His power and His wisdom what would

our church look like?

He would change us into people who:

-are committed to the teachings of Jesus

-love to fellowship-love to pray

-are filled with an awe for our great God

-see miracles happing in our lives -are crazy generous -are faithful to go to worship-are joyful-are genuine-love to praise God-in and out of worship.

And the world around us would have the same

response as back then. People still need all of these

today.

Here are our two Scriptures for the future:

Zechariah 4:6 declares, “Not by might, nor power but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty”.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and

lean not on your own understanding; in all your

ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

In other words we are to be disciples not just converts.