Christ Church MN Sermon Blog

  What if following Jesus was never meant to be something we do alone? In Acts 2, something remarkable happens. The Holy Spirit falls at Pentecost, Peter preaches Jesus, and about 3,000 people respond to the gospel and are baptized. But what happens next may be just as important as the miracle itself. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” — Acts 2:42 The first Christians didn't simply believe the same things. They became a people together. That word " devoted" carries the idea of being persistently engaged—giving yourself continually to something. This wasn't a church community they participated in when it was convenient. They gave themselves to one another as a way of life. That is why small groups matter. We Need More Than Rows The early church gathered in the temple, but they also gathered from house to house. They worshiped together, learned together, ate together, prayed tog...

  Unglued by Jesus Acts 1:1-14 We all get stuck. Sometimes we get stuck in unbelief. We know what we have been told about Jesus, but we struggle to believe it for ourselves. Sometimes we get stuck in loss. Someone or something we love is taken from us, and suddenly the future looks darker than it did before. And sometimes we get stuck in uncertainty. We don't know what comes next, so we don't know what to do next. Acts 1 begins in exactly that kind of moment. Jesus has risen from the dead. For forty days, he appears to his disciples, giving them convincing proof that he is alive and continuing to teach them about the kingdom of God. Then, as they watch, he ascends into heaven. And the disciples are left staring upward. But Jesus doesn't leave them stuck. When we're stuck in unbelief, Jesus provides witnesses. Christian faith isn't built on rumor. The disciples had seen Jesus suffer and die. They saw him alive after the resurrection. Jesus deliberatel...