I want to encourage you to keep your Bibles open. I’ll be going through a lot of these verses very directly.
In fact, if you don’t already know, Acts is somewhat of a part two of the Gospel of Luke. It shares the same author. And Luke, in his gospel, does this amazing thing. He’s a historian and a theologian. He teaches us about God and specifically Jesus Christ, but he also gives a very good historical record of what Jesus did on earth.
But what’s so cool is in Acts, Luke shares what Jesus continues to do after his ascension—through the church. And so this fits so well with our sermon series as we share the vision behind our discipleship pathway, because it’s exactly what God is doing through us here at Messiah: the work that Jesus Christ continues through us, His body.
It’s kind of amazing because even as difficult as it may seem in our culture and context today, what we’re trying to accomplish here—specifically through our discipleship pathway—is exactly what Luke captured in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”
It’s an amazing mirror of the early church, and I see it here too. We see a church that was growing. We see people who were learning and growing in how they loved God, loved others, and shared Christ. And God’s Word was what was growing them. Without His Word, this growth was not possible.
Luke also puts us in the middle of Peter’s sermon on Pentecost. Remember Peter? That fisherman who became an ambitious follower of Jesus? The one who so proudly committed to protecting and following Him, yet kept falling drastically short? He wanted so badly to believe, but in the face of trials, his faith often failed. But that was part of his growth. It was his journey to becoming a preacher and confessor of Christ. And he became so good at preaching that his words could “cut hearts,” opening eyes and ears to hear about Jesus. That’s what happens in Acts 2. It’s one of those sermons that cuts hearts. Peter doesn’t just use his own words, though—he uses the words of another broken man: David.
David was the shepherd boy who killed Goliath, the king who sinned deeply, confessed, was forgiven, and became both psalmist and prophet. And Peter reminds the crowd that David foresaw and spoke about the Messiah. David wasn’t the Messiah—his tomb was right there. David needed a Savior, too. But God promised that from David’s line would come One whose kingdom would never end. And Peter boldly proclaims that this promise is fulfilled in Jesus: “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). That’s when the people were cut to the heart and asked, “What shall we do?”
Growth is an amazing thing, but it’s not easy. Often something in us has to stop—or even die—for new growth to occur. The world encourages fight or flight, but God calls us to humility, confrontation with His Word, and transformation by His Spirit.
And every bit of growth begins at the cross. And the cross is never easy.
So let me ask you:
- When is the last time you heard God’s Word truly shape your life?
- When is the last time your decisions—about your job, your health, your family—were guided by His voice, not your own?
- When is the last time you were so struck by Scripture that you paused and asked, “What shall we do?”
The good news is that God has a pathway. He doesn’t leave us guessing. Last week, we began this sermon series with worship and baptism—the place we start. But that’s just the beginning of what God has planned for you. We see it in Peter. We see it in David. We see it in Paul, who wrote: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4–5)
God loves, saves, grows, and calls His people. Peter, David, Paul—all were broken, yet transformed. And the same is true for you. The best part of their stories is this: after they were changed, all they wanted to do was share it. And so should we. God is still at work today—loving you, saving you, growing you, and calling you. So keep your Bible open. Keep your heart open. And let’s grow together in Christ.