Sermon – Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 – They Cast Lots

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 – They Cast Lots

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Seventh Sunday of Easter

May 20, 2012

Since Easter we have been looking at the first church. We have seen how God used miracles to help it grow. We have seen how people have been transformed by the Holy Spirit. The gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is being proclaimed and through baptism the promise of eternal life is sealed. Some 5000 people have joined the church within a few weeks, and they are united by their faith into one mind. With all of this going on we have to ask the question: Who were the leaders of all of this and how were they chosen? We will find this out in today's text, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Acts 1:15-26 15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus-- 17 he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."

21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection." 23 So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs." 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

When Jesus was on earth he was the unquestioned leader of the church. He recruited the disciples, trained them, nurtured their faith, and sent them into the world to accomplish specific tasks. So after Jesus ascended into heaven it would have been logical to ask the question: Who would replace Jesus as the leader of the group? The natural person for this role would have been the apostle Peter. Peter had been part of the inner core of disciples around Jesus and led all the lists that were made of the twelve. So people looked to Peter to find out what would happen next. Peter knew that there was no way that he could replace Jesus. So he decided that the twelve would form a council to lead the church. This was an important decision. It ensured that the church would continue to see Jesus Christ as its leader even though he had ascended to heaven, and Jesus would work through church councils.

Throughout church history there have been attempts to setup individuals as leaders of the church. The medieval church had a structure of priests, bishops and pope for leadership. This structure with Pope on top matched the political structure of the day with King on top. But in the sixteenth century we wanted to reform the church and replace this structure with a series of church councils that would discern Christ's leadership for the church. Our belief was that in a church council we would be more likely to discern God's will for the church. So in the Presbyterian church we did away with the system of priests, bishops and Pope, and replaced it with church councils just like the first church. Our churches are governed not by priests but by sessions made up of ruling elders. Regionally we are governed not by bishop, but by a council of ruling and teaching elders called the presbytery. And nationally ruling and teaching elders come together every two years in a council called the General Assembly. In each of the councils we prayerfully discern God's will for the church.

When the first council met they realized that although Jesus had recruited twelve and this in some way represented the twelve tribes of Israel they were down to eleven because of the death of Judas. They establish criteria for leaders so that they could come up with a list of possible candidates from which they could discern Christ's choice. The criteria was that a new member of the twelve must be a witness of Jesus from his baptism to his ascension. The apostles had to be witnesses because it was through their testimony of Jesus Christ that others would come to faith.

We have similar criteria for leaders today. Of course no one alive today was living during Christ's life on earth. So the criteria has to change a little. Today we look for leaders who from their discipline of regular, daily prayer, worship and meditation on scripture have come to know our Lord Jesus Christ and have developed a relationship with him. So whenever we join together in a church council, whether that be as the congregation or session to select leaders we must always select those among us who have developed the deepest spirituality through their daily devotions.

The first council found two people who met the criteria they had set, Joseph and Matthias. Both had been with Jesus since his baptism in the Jordan. But they needed some way to find out which one God wanted to serve. To do this they did two things, they prayed and they consulted scripture.

Prayer is essential when determining who God wants to lead the church. Whenever church nominating committees are looking for people to serve on our boards or a pastor nominating committee is looking to a pastor they must always start in prayer. Prayer is how we make ourselves receptive to hearing from God. We usually think of prayer as our way of telling God what we want or need. But in reality prayer is a conversation, we talk to God and God talks to us. Listening for God in prayer is a skill we need to practice. It is important every day to meditate on scripture and ask God to speak to you through it. If you spend enough time in prayer you will begin to hear God. And through this God can reveal who His leaders are.

The first council also consulted scripture to determine who God was calling to be one of the twelve. In ancient times, the high priest would put the Urim and Thummin in his breast plate. Whenever the high priest needed to discern God's will he would use the Urim and Thummin. We don't know exactly what they were, but they seem to be something like dice that would be thrown to discern God's decision on some matter. The first council adapted this idea for their own use and cast lots to select Matthias.

Today we don't cast lots. Rather we use Robert's Rules of Order and votes where the majority rules. Sometimes this process can discern God's will in some matters. This is especially true when the vote is overwhelming. When the nominating committee's slate of candidates for session receives a unanimous vote of the congregation we should rejoice because God has spoken. But when votes are close to 50-50 I'm not sure we can say God has spoken. When a group of people prayerfully asks God to settle a question and 49% think God has spoke one way and 51% think that God has spoken another way then I think that maybe God has not spoken at all. In those times we should wait before acting until we have a clearer picture of what God wants. You would never select a pastor with just 51% of the congregation's support. So I hope the Presbyterian church can find a way to not make major decisions when we are so closely divided.

One last thing I would like to talk about today is the selection of Matthias. His name is mentioned nowhere else in scripture. We know all about Peter and Paul, but nothing about Matthias. I think Matthias is one of those Christians with strong faith who work so hard for the church. They plant bushes, or prepare a reception after a memorial service. They serve on committees, teach children, or sing in the choir. They are the unsung heroes who are vital for the ministry of the church. Their work goes on behind the scenes often unnoticed. But God notices what they do and is pleased. We don't know what happened to Matthias except the church tradition teaches that he went to Ethiopia to continue the work of building the African church.

The first church has left an enduring legacy for the Presbyterian church. It has taught us to do our work in councils and rely on prayer. It has shown us to find leaders who have developed a relationship with Jesus Christ though daily prayer and meditation on scripture. And it has taught us to rely on volunteers who do the work of Christ without fanfare but with God's approval. Let us pray.

We thank you O Lord for the councils that govern our church, our presbytery and our denomination. Bless them, as you bless the first council of the church with your spirit. Give us people who will lead us to Jesus Christ. And bless all the unsung heroes who do so much for the church. This we pray in the name of the leader of our church, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sermon – Acts 10: 44-48 – The Holy Spirit Came

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Acts 10: 44-48 – The Holy Spirit Came

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 13, 2012

Since Easter Morning when we heard the proclamation that Jesus rose from the dead and the promise of eternal live we have been on a journey with the first church who activities were recorded for us by Luke in the Book of Acts. And we have been hearing some unusual stories that are nothing short of amazing. Who would have expected a diverse church of different languages and cultures coming together in one mind and with one accord? Who would have expected a fearful fisherman who had already denied that he even knew Christ stand before the Sanhedrin and boldly proclaim that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Who would have expected a man lame from birth being healed and 5000 people joining the church? None of these things were expected, and they all indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit acting in and through the first believers. 

 This is the same Spirit acting in a through us transforming us and this church into what God wants us to be. Today we will hear about the most unexpected thing that happened, something that was truly unbelievable, but did happen. And we will find out exactly how the Holy Spirit works. But first, let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Peter was a Jew. The first church was made up entirely of Jews. Jew was their identity. You were a Jew if you met three conditions. First, you had to be a descendant of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You lineage determined your ethnicity and only ethnic descendants of Jacob were identified as Jews. So you had to be born as a Jew. The second requirement for being a Jew was behavior. All Jews were expected to obey the Law of Moses as contained in the first five books of the Old Testament. There were hundreds of laws a Jew was expected to keep. One of the most important of the laws was that all male Jews must be circumcised as a sign and seal of their inclusion as the people of God. And the third requirement in being a Jew was belief. All Jews were expected to believe in Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

All members of the first church were Jews. And the question facing them was, “Would the church of Jesus Christ be limited to only Jews, or would non-Jews, Gentiles, be allowed in?” We know that the church of Jesus Christ was made up of people who heard the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. They were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, sealing upon them the promise of eternal life. So far they happened to be all Jews. But what if a non-Jew, a gentile heard the proclamation of the good news? What if a gentile believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God? What if a gentile wanted to be baptized in the name of the God of the patriarchs and Father of Jesus Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ, and in the name of the Holy Spirit, and receive the promise of eternal life? What would the church do if a non-Jew wanted to be a follower of Jesus Christ? These were questions were far from the mind of the first church until the Holy Spirit started doing things no one expected. Here is what happened.

At Caesarea the was a gentile named Cornelius, a Roman centurion. We are told that he was a God Fearer. This meant that he believed in God, the God of the Jews, and tried to follow God's law, except for circumcision. Because Cornelius was not a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he could never be a Jew, he was a gentile. But God wanted him to hear the proclamation of the resurrection and receive the blessing of eternal life. So God sent a angel as a messenger to tell Cornelius to send some men to Joppa where they would find Peter and bring him back. Cornelius did as he was told. The Apostle Peter was in the port city of Joppa staying in the home of a tanner named Simon where he had a dream. God sent a messenger to Peter in the dream with a vision of animals that Gentiles ate and Jews did not. God told Peter to kill and eat indicating that God wanted Peter, a Jew, to accept Gentile eating practices in apparent violation of God's own law. God explained that all of these animals had been created by him and so none of them should be considered “unclean”. In the same way Gentiles were also created by God and could not be unclean simply by their ethnicity. With these two visions God had prepared both Cornelius and Peter to cross ethnic barriers they never expected to cross.

Several years ago I visited Mendenhall Mississippi and met Dolphus Weary the President of Mission Mississippi. Rev. Weary's ministry in Jackson Mississippi is to help white Christians and black Christians to develop relationship and worship together. He does it in this way. Each month there is a prayer breakfast hosted by a church in Jackson. The hosting church is then invited to attend future monthly breakfasts. In that way the groups grows. Each month the breakfast alternates between a white church and a black church. Because of this there are many months when whites will enter a black church for the first time, or blacks will enter a white church for the first time. Rev. Weary's ministry of hospitality welcomes everyone and racial barriers break down.

This is what happened in the first church. A group of Cornelius' men arrived at the house where Peter was staying. No gentile had ever been invited into this house. But because of the work of the Holy Spirit, Peter invited them in and they spent the night. The next day Peter went with them to Caesarea. Peter had never been in the house of a Gentile. But he was invited into Cornelius' house and he went it surprising a large group of Gentiles who had assembled. Peter heard Cornelius' testimony faith and the vision of the angel, and Peter realized that God wanted the church of Jesus Christ to be open to everyone not just Jews. So Peter proclaimed to Cornelius and the other Gentile the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and the promise of eternal life. And this brings us to today's scripture.

Acts 10:44-48 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

So how did the Holy Spirit bring Gentiles to faith in Jesus Christ? According to this scripture the Spirit prepared them with dreams and visions and then used the proclamation of the goods news of the resurrection and promise of eternal life to enter them through the words that were being spoken. This is what happens whenever we worship. If the preacher faithfully proclaims the Word of God in worship the Holy Spirit uses those words to bring the congregation to faith in Jesus Christ. Your faith does not depend on what I say. Rather the Holy Spirit uses what I say, transforming it into what you need to hear to produce faith.

This work of the Holy Spirit is not limited to church services on Sunday mornings. It can happen any time when faith is shared. Whenever you talk with someone about your faith and how God has blessed you, the Holy Spirit uses your words and transforms them into what the hearer needs to hear to come to faith. We can see all of this in our first reading this morning. Timothy came to faith from the words spoken by his “grandmother Lois and ... mother Eunice.” And so mothers, just like preachers, speak the word of God that through the work of the Holy Spirit brings people to faith.

I can remember my own mother teaching me how to pray and encouraging me to read scripture. She had me pray for everyone in the family every night before going to sleep. She taught me the Lord's prayer and the 23^rd Psalm. She took me to Sunday school classes every week. And through here efforts the Holy Spirit was able to bring me to faith. This is what we celebrate on Mother's Day, the gift of faith our mothers and grandmothers have passed to us.

The example of the first church directs us to share our faith with people beyond our own ethnic group. The Holy Spirit has enabled us to give our testimonies and express our faith to people who have come to the Eastern shore. There are Hispanics, Asians, and other ethnic group living nearby whom we can reach out to. This is already happing. Two Korean chicken farmers attend our Friday prayer breakfasts.

Right now as I proclaim the Word of God the Holy Spirit is taking the words I speak and transforming them into what you need to hear. This is what will bring you to faith in Jesus Christ with the promise of eternal life. You then will share you faith with others allowing the Holy Spirit to transform your words into some they need to hear so that they too will be blessed with faith. This is how the Kingdom of God grows.

Father in Heaven, we thank you for the words written in scripture and the words spoken in worship and testimony. Help our words to be instruments the Holy Spirit can used to bring others to faith. This we pray in the glorious name of your son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sermon – Acts 8:26-49 – Explain It To Me

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Acts 8:26-49 – Explain It To Me

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 6, 2012

On this fifth Sunday in the season of Easter we are still looking at the first church. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, and faithful preaching of the resurrection of the dead and the promise of eternal life this church has flourished. After God caused a lame man to be healed in a very public miracle the numbers of church members quickly grew to over five thousand. This required them to setup more structure for the church. The Apostles continued to study scripture and proclaim the good news of resurrection. A board of Deacons was formed to care for the the congregation. And as we will see today specialized ministries were formed to take the good news to the end of the earth. We will look at one the earliest foreign missionary, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

The idea of foreign mission work came from Jesus who said, (Acts 1:8) ...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” So far we have seen the first church obey the command to evangelize Jerusalem and the region around it, Judea. But it wasn't until official persecution started that the church was forced to flee to Samaria. There, one of the Deacons, Philip began to preach the gospel, cast out demons and heal the sick. By doing so he caused a lot of excitement in the region. Many of the Samaritans came to faith and through baptism received the promise of eternal life. Despite persecution, the church continued to grow.

But God had something else in mind for Philip. And so we have this amazing story in the eighth chapter of Acts. Here is how it begins.

Acts 8:26-27 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road-- the desert road-- that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out,

This is how foreign mission gets started. It all begins with a call from God. We engage in daily prayers and meditation on scripture and listen for God's voice. Eventually God tells us where we are to go. God spoke to me calling me to short term mission work through the voice of a man I greatly respected. His name was Don Kruse. Don had been a foreign service officer for the United States government and had served for five years in Israel and Palestine. While serving the country in this far off and dangerous place Don developed relationships with Christians and churches of the Holy Land. Whenever Christian pilgrims came from America he would encourage then to meet and develop relationships with Palestinian Christians. Sadly, few people took him up on this offer. So he decided that in retirement he would work within the Presbyterian church to encourage relationships between American Presbyterians and Arab Christians. I never dreamed that I would one day go to Israel and Palestine, see the places where Jesus went, and worship with an Arabic language church, but with Don's encouragement that is exactly what I did. I responded to God's call.

Let's keep going with Philip's encounter with someone from a far off land.

Acts 8:27 ...and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

So Philip encountered someone very unusual, an ambassador from the Queen of Ethiopia. This man was powerful and extremely rich. And we are told that he had already been in Jerusalem for worship. This is a very important point about foreign mission work. God is already there preparing the mission field before we even arrive. The Holy Spirit is already working in the hearts of non-believer around the world, and just needs us to come along with the proclamation of the resurrection from the dead and the promise of eternal life. This is what make our mission work so effective. Let's keep going with the story.

Acts 8: 28 … and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.

This is where the story gets amazing. This Ethiopian ambassador already has a Greek translation of the Old Testament and is reading it out loud trying to make sense of it. You see many people already know about Jesus. They might have heard some stories about what he did. Maybe people have heard that he was a great teacher or even a prophet. Even Muslims are taught this. And this gives us a great opportunity to tell people what Jesus is really all about. The church I visited in Palestine operated a Christian school. Because this school was better that the Muslim public schools many Muslim parents sent their kids there. It is illegal for Christians to evangelize Muslims in Muslim countries and a Muslim could be shot for converting to Christianity, but it's ok for a Christian teacher sin a Christian school to teach Muslim kids about Jesus. And this school would love to have Americans come in the Summer to teach the Palestinian kids English and share our stories of Jesus. Let's get back to Philip.

Acts 8: 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31 "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

People around the world are hungry for information about Jesus. In many places this information is blocked. In some places it is illegal to openly talk about Jesus. I have a friend who works for a mission organization in California. This organization recruits Christians in America and teaches them how to teach English as a second language. Many countries around the world want their people to learn English because it help them in business. They want Americans to come and teach English to their kids. So they welcome the English teachers from this organization. But all of their teachers are Christian and even though they are not supposed to teach Christianity it is impossible to teach English without sharing your faith and witnessing to what Jesus has done for you. This is a way to get Christian missionaries into places where they could not otherwise go. So let's listen in as the Ethiopian official and Philip have their conversation.

Act 8: 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Philip explained to this official that Jesus Christ did not just come our of thin air. Rather he was predicted by the ancient prophets. This proved that Jesus was who he said he was, Jesus is the messiah, the Son of God. Whenever we do foreign mission work we have to be very clear about who Jesus is. There will be those who want us to water down the good news so that it will be palatable to those of other faiths. But Christian evangelism is based on the promise of eternal life for all who belief. So to believe in Jesus as God is crucial for those who desire not to perish. And so we have to maintain the integrity of the gospel we proclaim so that the Jesus people believe in is the one who promises eternal life. Let's finish our story.

Acts 8: 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 37 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

In the space of a few hours the church in Africa was born. One conversation about Jesus with someone who was made receptive by the Holy Spirit was all it took. Church tradition tells us that this official started the first church in Ethiopia and this spread throughout the continent. Today the churches of Africa are rapidly growing. Many of them are made up of the very poorest of people in their communities. They are struggling to proclaim the good news of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life. But they do so with joy because God is with them.

I have recently met some African Christians students at UMES. They are extremely faithful and passionate about evangelism. Their strong desire is to help the American Church regain our passion for the gospel. One of them told me that if we developed a relationship with an African church by just sending them letters and praying for them they would be overjoyed.

Today there are several ways to participate in foreign mission. We can support missionaries of the PCUSA. We can send our own missionaries. David Holland, a child of our church, is preparing to go to China and will be here next week to tell us about it. We can start new churches for people who have come to the Eastern Shore from foreign countries. This church supports my wife, Grace, in her efforts to develop a multicultural church in Princess Anne. A foreign mission experience is available to you by driving fifteen minutes on a Friday evening. By be a part of the Presbyterian Church we also have opportunities to participate in mission work in foreign lands. New Castle Presbytery has a program to help churches here form relationships with churches in the Congo. Presbyterian are sinstalling water filtration systems in Central American churches. Presbyterians are providing disaster relief to tornado victims in Kentucky. So you can see that by being connected we can join with other Presbyterian to do mission work around the world. Let's pray.

Father in Heaven, we thank you for the work of Scottish missionaries who founded and grew our church. Bless us with knowledge of your will for how we can continue the mission work started by Philip. Bless us with the ability to reach out to cultures beyond are own. This we pray in your son's name. Amen.

Sermon – Acts 4:5-12 – By What Power?

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Acts 4:5-12 – By What Power?

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 29, 2012

In this season of Easter we have been looking at the formation of the church as told to us by Luke in the book of Acts. God used the miracle of the healing of a man lame from birth to draw people into the church. The church had preachers who proclaimed the resurrection of the Jesus Christ from the dead. This proclamation combined with the work of the Holy Spirit brought some 5000 people to faith. They professed their faith through baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, which sealed upon them the gift of eternal life. This was an exciting time, but problems were just over the horizon because the church had come to the attention of the very people who tried to stamp out the whole movement by crucifying Jesus. We will look at this today, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

You would expect that with the healing of a man who had been lame from birth the whole city of Jerusalem would be rejoicing. This was a clear sign that God was near. People should have been overwhelmed with joy. But while Peter was speaking to the crowd drawn to the temple gate Luke tells us that the religious leaders of the temple along with the captain of the temple police were greatly disturbed by what was going on. They had been collaborating with the Roman occupying government. This allowed them to keep their wealth and power. Their job was to maintain the Pax Romana, the peace of Rome in Jerusalem. It worked for everyone involved expect the people who were suffering under tyrannical rule. The church of Jesus Christ was a threat to the peace of the city and the power of it religious leaders. Therefore it had to be stopped. Peter and John were arrested and spent the night in jail while the leaders figured out what to do. When the sun rose here is what happened.

Acts 4:5-7 5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"

The Sanhedrin, the ruling council in Jerusalem had convened in an emergency session. The High Priest has brought virtually his whole family. Something big is about to happen. They know that their power rests in the Roman Legions just outside the city gates. Their authority is in the name of Caesar. So they have asked Peter and John, a couple of illiterate Galilean fishermen, for the source of their power and their authority to disrupt the peace of the city as they have done with this miracle and their preaching about resurrection. Listen to how Peter answers their question.

Acts 4:8-11 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

The source of the church's power is the Holy Spirit. The church derives its authority from Jesus Christ, who God raised from the dead. Today, some two thousand years later we still act under this authority and with this power.

Just a few weeks before the apostle Peter, fearing the power and authority of Rome denied that he knew Jesus. But now, empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter has repented, changing from fear to boldness. He is still subject to the power of the Roman legions, and the authority of the emperor, but now he no longer fears them because he knows of the greater power of the Holy Spirit and the ultimate authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have increasingly become concerned that people in America are becoming fearful of the government's power and authority. I have heard board members of Christian organizations who are primarily concerned with protecting themselves from financial liability and government enforcement action. Will the natural resource police arrest us for cutting down a tree? Will we be sued if a car carrying children to Bible study is in an accident? Will we lose are farms if something spills into a stream? Sometimes questions like these paralyze us and we are unable to advance the Kingdom of God as we are called to do a Christian leaders. Like Peter we face a government which, at times, is hostile to religion. Like Peter we fear what a powerful government can do to us. But like Peter we can experience the power of the Holy Spirit and repent, changing our allegiance from government to Jesus Christ.

Peter realized that the only thing the Roman empire could do to him was to put him to death. They could crucify him just as they had crucified Jesus. But if resurrection is true then death is no longer something to fear. And if people no longer fear death then the threat of death no longer intimidates them. The Jewish leaders thought that they could intimidate Peter and John with the threat of death. But this threat no longer worked.

What if we acted as if it didn't matter if we lived or died? What if we could no longer be intimidated with the threat of death? What could we boldly do if we no longer feared anything? What would happen if we insisted, right now, without fear, that the Kingdom of God would be established in Pocomoke, that God's law would be kept, and we would learn to love one another just as God loves us? Our community would be transformed. And this is exactly what happened to those five thousand people who joined the church in those weeks after the resurrection. They were of one mind, and shared what they had. They feared nothing and followed Jesus Christ as Lord.

Luke tells us that the religious leaders were astonished by what Peter told them. They remembered that these were the unschooled fishermen who had come to town with Jesus. But the leaders didn't know what to do. And they didn't know how to handle the lame man who had been healed. So they decided to say nothing and asked Peter and John to leave the room while they deliberated. They decided to tell Peter to stop proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and teaching that the Hebrew scripture had predicted all of this.

Peter's response was extraordinary. He told them that he had been called by God to make this proclamation. And he asked them a simple question. Should he obey God, with the power of the Holy Spirit under the authority of Jesus Christ, or should he obey them, who only have the power of a roman legions and operated under the authority of the Emperor? The question Peter posed to the religious authorities was whether we are all to follow God or something else. The religious leaders could not answer this. They knew that they had to follow Rome for their own protection. But they saw the miracle of a man who had been lame for forty years now walking. They saw the excitement that was building in the city. But, they didn't know what to do. So they made some empty threats and released the apostles.

Peter and John went back to the church and told the people what happened. They decided to gather together in prayer. Here is how they prayed.

Acts 4 24-30 ...“Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:

‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’

For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

With this prayer the whole church was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and began to boldly proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead with the promise of eternal life. My prayer this day is that Beaver Dam/Pitts Creek church will be filled with boldness, that our fears would be washed away and that we would boldly march in our community claiming this part of the Eastern Shore for Christ. Let us pray for the sick with confidence that Christ can and does heal. Let us proclaim a resurrection from the dead for all who believe. Let us invite others into the faith with the promise of eternal life. And let us proclaim our total allegiance to our risen savior filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let's pray. Father in Heaven we ask this day that you purge from us our fears of the principalities and powers that seek to intimidate us. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Inspire us to act in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and the promise of eternal life, and establish you kingdom here in Pocomoke. This we pray in your son's name. Amen.