Day of Praise

Sa, 05/24/14, Easter Day #35, "Day of Praise"

Acts 7:55 - "But [Stephen], full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."

A number of people have asked for sermon notes from last Sunday and Wednesday's sermons, both of which were about the faith story of Stephen who was killed for his faith in Jesus, according to Acts 7:55-60. The Sunday sermon was basically entitled, "Learning from Stephen: How to Tell a Faith Story (What Stephen did, and how he did it)" - Acts 7:55-60.

Here are some sermon notes from this past Sunday's sermon. I pray they're a blessing to you.

WHAT Stephen DID to share his faith story.:
1) He looked up, took a deep breath of the Holy Spirit, and invited others to do the same.
2) He cast a vision by telling them what he saw God doing and invited them to look and see it too.
3) He was prepared for their resistance and attack because casting God's vision will always run counter to what despairing sinners see.
4) He entrusted both his own life and also the others into God's power to make things right.

HOW Stephen WAS ABLE TO DO 1-4:
5) He regularly stopped to both spend time with God and also remember how God had acted mightily and graciously in his own life.
6) He was at peace because, in stopping regularly, he was able to both turn any ill-sentiments against others over to God and also remember his purpose in life to reflect God's might and grace, which he did by praying for God to forgive the very ones who were killing him.
7) He was hospitable to God's word and all that it commands because he knew that God only asks us to do what we will need God's strength to do which increases our faith, brings us closer to God, and unveils our eyes of the heart so we can see God!

May God bless you as you share your faith story!!!!

Praise God!


Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson