Cross Church Winnipeg Sermon Podcast

Do you remember the vicious Saul? He seems to have the upper hand. Persecuting. Spewing hatred. Imprisoning believers. But then Jesus appears to him. As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me? “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”* The murderous Saul is converted and becomes Paul the mighty Apostle. God reveals Himself as Sovereign, merciful and full of grace. Paul’s story gives us all hope.

Mysterious and thrilling things happen in the days of the early Church. Philip, one of the men appointed along with Stephen to care for the needy widows in Jerusalem, is forced out of the city. As so often happens, after the appointment, God has other plans. Philip is called to preach the Gospel to an Ethiopian Eunuch, servant of his Queen, who is returning home after worshipping God in Jerusalem. He just happens to be reading Isaiah 53 out loud on his journey when Philip asks if he knows what he is reading. Philip has the privilege of leading the man to Christ and baptizes him right on the spot. Philip goes down in history as Philip the Evangelist. And this Ethiopian takes the Gospel with him back to Ethiopia. Ethiopia becomes the first country to adopt Christianity as its national religion.

After Stephen was stoned to death, Luke records the following: Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. It looks like Saul may have the final word about the future of the Church. Luke says, *A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.* However, the Church is not stopped, rather, the spread of the Gospel is accelerated all over Samaria! Philip, one of the men appointed along with Stephen to care for the needy widows in Jerusalem, is used by God to preach throughout Samaria. Also, Peter and John stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.

The blind beggar could not be shaken. He had encountered God in Jesus Christ. John records what happened next: ***24** So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” **25** “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” **26** “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” **27** “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”*

Pastor Andrew Sapozhnykov My Story - Part 3: Ignore the Doubters How easy it is to be overcome by doubt and especially by doubters. Who hasn’t faced this? 17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?” The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.” 18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?” 20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”

What do you do when Jesus saves you? You boldly share your testimony. Listen to what John records about the man born blind: "His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!” They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” The boldness of this blind beggar is inspires us all to tell what Jesus has done for us, for he kept saying, “Yes, I am the one!”

*As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. **2** “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” **3** “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God (WORKS OF GOD) could be seen in him. **6** Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. **7** He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” So the man went and washed and came back seeing!* For this man, his blindness led to his salvation. He would say, “Thank God I was born blind!”

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.  4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.” 7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too. All of this was made possible because of the appointment of the first Elders and deacons. Deacon means servant. When you serve at Church, you help advance the Kingdom of God.

Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed. The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!” When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end. Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!”

This is one of the most frightening passages in scripture. We read in Acts 5, *But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Sadly, his wife Sapphira went along with her husband’s deception, Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.

The leaders in Jerusalem freed Peter and John after their arrest, 23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

Whenever we preach the Gospel, we will face severe and angry opposition. While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000. The leadership tried to stop the disciples, but the Holy Spirit emboldened Peter and John said, *“Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more th

A crippled beggar cried out to Peter for help. But Peter had neither silver nor gold. What he was far greater. He offered the man Jesus. Instantly the man was healed. 11 A crowd rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. 12 Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? 13 For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants[f] all the families on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”

The Firstfruits of the Gospel were 3,000 converted men and women on the Day of Pentecost. The first thing they did was form a community of Believers. We call this community, “The Church.” Over the years, Cross Church has tried to imitate the first Church. Here is what they did: ***42** And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. **44** And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. **46** And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, **47** praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.*

The transforming power of Jesus Christ is truly on display in the lives of those who have traded self-ishness for self-lessness. In 1 Peter chapter 4 (10-11) we read "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms." Peter is telling all followers of Christ to recognize that we are speaking and serving others on behalf of God, we are Christ's ambassadors. What a privilege! And it is God Himself thru the power of the Holy Spirit that gives the ability and strength for us to do so. What a blessing! When we direct any glory towards God instead of accepting it for ourselves, we move in the complete opposite direction from those who's M.O. is simply "what's in it for me?". That difference in our lives causes people to examine the life-changing nature of a relationship with Jesus Christ. It validates our faith to those around us. In Romans 12:1 Paul says, “Dear brothers and sisters,[[a](https://www.bi

There is no doubt that poverty is both widespread and devastating, especially when we understand the level of poverty around the world compared to what we are blessed with here in Canada. As Christians, we cannot be indifferent toward those in need, because God's expectations for us in regard to taking care of the poor are seen throughout the Bible. Listen to God’s words about the goodness of King Josiah in Jeremiah 22:16: “He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me, declares the LORD?” Moses also instructed the Israelites to treat the poor and needy well: “Give generously to [them] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this, the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to” (Deuteronomy 15:10). The heart of God is perfectly captured in Proverbs 14:31: Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy, he truly honors The Lord God.

The Day of Pentecost reflects the Jewish celebration of Shavuot, meaning "weeks". Fifty days after Passover, the Jewish population would come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks, which was the season of the wheat harvest, and a time of giving thanks for the harvest of God’s provision. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost also marked the first harvest of souls. After Peter preached his first Gospel sermon, Luke records the following in Acts 2:41: Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. And so today marks a good day to give thanks for the Holy Spirit and for the harvest of souls.

Peter tells us of the coming of the Holy Spirit, quoting Joel 2:28-32. Peter says in Acts 2:17-21 reads, ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy. 19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ This is what happened on the day of Pentecost!

Acts 1:14-15 reads*, “They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus. **15** During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place.”* These first Believers were known for their prayer. But it must be noted that this prayer was not just private prayer. We notice several things about these praying disciples of Christ. This prayer was constant. This prayer was *with* the other Believers. This prayer was offered in *unity* among the Believers. And finally, this prayer was in response to Jesus’s instructions to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit that was to be poured out on all Believers. Prayer is critical to the life and advancement of the Church.