Sunday 06/21/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church
Sermon Title: “A Miracle Turned into a Movement” – “The Power of Transformation” Sermon Series – (Part 6 of 6) – (Father’s Day) - Acts 2:42-47, Acts 9
(Cover
Picture – Dads and Grads Sunday)
For the last five-weeks we
have been walking together through our sermon series, called “The Power of
Transformation.” In this sermon series thus far, we have talked about “When
You’re Stuck in the Cocoon,” “New Life, New Creation,” “The Battle of the Mind,”
“The Spirit’s Work in Us,” and last Sunday, “Putting on the New Self.” When we
come to Christ, as Lord as Savior, we are changed, and we are “transformed.”
Even so, there times in our lives where we may feel “stuck in a cocoon.” There
are also times in our lives of faith, where we will experience “New Life, New
Creation.” There are times in our lives of faith where we will struggle with “The
Battle of the Mind,” as we sometimes can get stuck in our own heads. As we live
the life of faith, we draw upon the Holy Spirit, through “The Spirit’s Work in
Us,” and as we grow closer to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are
called to “Put on the New Self.”
Brothers and sisters, there is nothing more powerful than a
changed life, nothing more powerful than a changed mind, nothing more powerful
than a changed church, or a changed community. In this final installment of this
“The Power of Transformation” sermon series, this morning, I want to discuss,
briefly, “A Miracle Turned into a Movement.” If the goal of the Christian faith
is to know Christ, to be changed by Christ, to follow Christ, and to continue
to become more like Christ, then the question I want us to consider this morning
is this, who is eligible to be a Christian? Who is allowed to be a follower of
Jesus, who is allowed to be in this church, and who can accept and receive salvation
in Jesus Christ? Who gets to continue to pursue Jesus, and who gets to continue
to grow in grace and holiness, to be more and more like Jesus?
The answer to all of these my friends, is every single
person on this earth. Every person in Adams, every person in Jefferson County, every
person in New York State, every person in the United States of America, and every
person in the world. For we are all loved and created by God, and Jesus died
for us all, no exceptions. We all have a share in the grace, the hope, the
mercy, the power, and the transformation through Jesus Christ, if we but turn
to Him.
What some of us might not know though is that in the first 15-20-years
of the Christian faith, the faith was not open to everyone. In fact, the first
Christians were not even called “Christian.” The first followers of Jesus were
called “The Way,” The first Christians were in Jerusalem or within miles of
Jerusalem, and they were a sect of sorts of the Jewish people. They believed in
Jesus as Lord and Savior, but “The Way,” the first believers of Jesus were all
converts or persons within Judaism. The idea that Jesus was for everyone was
not yet a universal belief.
In our reading this morning from Acts 2:42-47 we have a scene
in the early Christian movement. The world “Christian” itself was coined in the
ancient city of Antioch, in Syria, as an insult for these “Christ followers.”
Followers of Jesus Christ, or “Christians,” as we are now called as followers
of Jesus. During the Jewish Passover celebration in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit
moved on the day of Pentecost, the disciples spoke in various tongues our
languages of the people below that came for Passover celebration. The Apostle
Peter comes down from the Upper Room, preaches a sermon for the books, and about
three-thousand people come to Christ.
(Acts
2:42-47- Picture)
In our reading from Acts 2:42-47, we have this scene from
the early church, where the first followers of Jesus. This is what Acts 2:42-47
says once again:
“42 And they devoted
themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread
and the prayers” (Acts
2:42, RSV).
Life
among the Believers
“43 And
fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the
apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had
all things in common; 45 and they sold their possessions
and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. 46 And
day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes,
they partook of 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” (Acts 2:43-47, RSV).
These first followers of
Jesus, or “The Way,” once again, dedicated themselves the teachings of Jesus’s
original disciples or apostles, prayed together, broke bread together, and fellowshipped
together. What about the rest of us though?
(Acts 2:42
Bullet Points- Picture)
How than can the movement of following Jesus Christ, or “The
Way,” becoming something for the entire world? Enter in the “Conversion of Saul
of Tarsus.” Instead of reading all the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, or
first called followers Jesus Christ chapter 9, let me summarize it for you:
(Conversion
of Saul of Tarsus- Picture)
Acts Chapter 9 details the dramatic
conversion of Saul from a fierce persecutor of Christians to a devoted apostle
and showcases two miraculous healings by Peter. It is a pivotal turning point
where the Christian gospel begins to expand rapidly.
1.
Saul's Conversion on the Road to Damascus (Verses 1-19)
·
The Encounter: Saul, armed with authority to arrest
Christians, travels to Damascus. A blinding heavenly light flashes, and he
hears the voice of Jesus asking, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute
me?"
(Acts 9:4 –
“Saul Why Are You Persecuting Me?” – Picture)
·
The Blindness: Saul is struck blind and led into
Damascus, where he fasts and prays for three days.
· Ananias's Obedience: God sends a disciple named Ananias to restore Saul's sight. Though initially fearful, Ananias obeys, lays hands on Saul, and the "scales" fall from Saul's eyes. Saul is baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.
2.
Saul's Early Preaching and Escape (Verses 19-30)
·
Preaching in Damascus: Saul immediately begins boldly
preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God, stunning the Jewish
community.
·
The Escape: When Jewish leaders plot to kill him, his
followers lower him over the city wall in a basket at night.
·
Jerusalem Welcome: Upon arriving in Jerusalem,
disciples are initially afraid of him. Barnabas vouches for Saul, allowing him
to be accepted and preach boldly in the city.
3.
Peter's Miracles in Lydda and Joppa (Verses 31-43)
·
Aeneas Healed: In Lydda, Peter heals a paralyzed man
named Aeneas, leading many in the region to turn to the Lord.
·
Tabitha Resurrected: In Joppa, a faithful disciple
named Tabitha (Dorcas) dies. Peter prays and commands her to rise, bringing her
back to life. This major miracle results in widespread belief across Joppa
(https://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%80%9CA+Miracle+Turned+into+a+Movement).
So,
the first Christians or “The Way” which were converted Jews, a new movement in
Judaism, is now potentially a movement for the whole world. In fact, the first
big church conference or debate was called the “Jerusalem Conference,” because
the Jewish religious leader Saul of Tarsus, who is now the Christian leader called
the Apostle Paul, believes all people, including non-Jews should be able to be followers
of Jesus Christ. So here is what the “Jerusalem Conference” is:
(Jerusalem
Conference – Picture)
The Council of Jerusalem (circa 48–50 AD),
recorded in Acts 15, was a pivotal meeting of early Christian leaders. It
resolved a massive theological dispute: whether Gentile converts needed to be
circumcised and obey the Law of Moses to be saved.
The council concluded that salvation is by
grace through faith, and that Gentiles should not be burdened with the Jewish
Law. To maintain peace and fellowship between Jewish and Gentile believers,
they issued the Apostolic Decree, requesting that Gentiles avoid specific
practices associated with paganism.
The Core Debates
·
The Problem: Certain Jewish Christians (from the
Pharisee sect) traveled to Antioch teaching that Gentiles must strictly follow
the Mosaic Law, specifically circumcision, to achieve salvation.
·
The Defense: Paul and Barnabas argued strongly against
this. Peter also spoke up, referencing his earlier vision and the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit on uncircumcised Gentiles (the household of Cornelius), proving
God accepts them by faith.
·
The Decision: James, the brother of Jesus and a
central leader in Jerusalem, proposed a middle path: do not make it difficult
for Gentiles turning to God, but provide behavioral guidelines to allow both
groups to coexist and share meals.
(https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=ec2bff8bd1e2ef21&sxsrf=ANbL-n6GoDiZ2Pf7EGHNI9_olVyJpXyJpA%3A1781625377219&q=jerusalem+conference+acts).
As a result, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who them
became the Apostle Paul, and the Jerusalem Conference, the whole world can be
part of the Christian faith. Are we willing to offer this hope and love to
world that desperately needs now more than ever?
(The
Transforming Power of Christ – Picture)
Through this “The Power of Transformation”
sermon series, we have discussed ways that we can we struggle or experience set
backs in our lives, but we have also heard about the hope we have in Jesus,
through each other, through great churches like this, through people who
changing the world, and through the fact that Jesus loves everyone! We live
this thing called faith and live out together. The Apostle Paul then, who was
Saul or Tarsus, hate filled and a persecutor of the Christians experienced “The
Power of Transformation.” He had times where he was stuck, where he was
furthered transformed, times where he was stuck in his own head, times where he
experienced the Holy Spirit, and was part of a “A Miracle Turned into a
Movement.” The same Apostle Paul who said that he was the “chief of all sinners.”
Nearly two thousand years later, we are part of the biggest faith in the entire
world, a faith open to everyone, and faith that calls us into “The Power of Transformation.”
We are going to fail sometimes, we are going to fall short sometimes,
but we have the greatest gift that the world has ever been given, named Jesus.
As we continue to grow in faith individually, and as a church, it is my hope
and prayer that we continue experience “The Power of Transformation,” as we
draw closer to Christ and to each other. For brothers and sisters, this is why
Jesus came, and why were not meant to just exist, but to Thrive through Jesus
Christ. Amen.
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