Today we recognize the importance of mothers in producing the sense of community we enjoy in God’s Church.

“I am convinced!” quickly becomes, “We are convinced!” As God creates and strengthens faith in individual hearts, he also connects us with other believers. The conviction of one person encourages the faith of another. The support that they give each other enhances their ministry to serve more people with God’s Word in new and exciting ways. Jesus lives! And each time the Holy Spirit gives faith to an individual, he adds that person’s, “I am convinced!” to the ever-growing church that says, “We are convinced!”

In our last series, “My Next Steps”, did you notice that all those steps brought you more and more into community and fellowship with others? That isn’t a coincidence. That’s how God designed it. As we grow stronger in our conviction, as we build our own family churches, as we express our commitment to Christ, all of those things bind us closer and closer to other Christians. Those steps bind us into gatherings, a congregation—our church!When we live according to God’s plan, what we do as individuals and what we do as a church are very similar. God uses the same steps that move us forward and help us grow as individual Christians to make us a faithful and vibrant church. We are convinced! We are a community! We are committed! Praise God that he has accomplished this in our own hearts and in our church! We are Convinced We are a Community We are Committed www.stpaulmuskego.org

The martyrdom of Stephen was a display of commitment that God used to change the Christian church and the world. It was the watershed moment between a local religious group and a worldwide church. But that commitment didn’t just happen in a moment. And it didn’t come from just one man. Look at all the displays of commitment in this reading. The church was committed to serving the members of its family. The Apostles were committed to the ministry of the word. The deacons stood up and made a commitment to doing their duty. God didn’t have one committed follower, he had a committed church that cultivated and prepared a committed man. Then God gave him the opportunity to show the ultimate commitment.  Every day we have opportunities, large and small, to live our commitment to Christ. Don’t underestimate the importance of the small commitments! Every small step you don’t take prepares you to not take the big step that could be coming. But in every small step you take God is training you and preparing you for joy and service and an eternity that is more rewarding than anything in this world.

Doesn’t the description of the Jerusalem church sound wonderful? People eating together, sharing with each other, hanging out together, showing love and respect to each other—people outside the church love it too and want to be part of the group. Where does that kind of community come from? It comes from repentance—the whole process of repentance. The Jerusalem church had a vivid awareness of their sinfulness, and a joyful appreciation of the forgiveness they had because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Sin and grace, law and gospel—this is where their joy came from. And then they put it into practice. They met together. They spent time together. They ate together. They loved each other. And while they did all that they continued to praise God and pray and speak God’s wonderful rescue story to each other. It was a cycle of joy and encouragement and rejuvenation. A cycle that God is also working in us as we build our community. 

Doesn’t the description of the Jerusalem church sound wonderful? People eating together, sharing with each other, hanging out together, showing love and respect to each other—people outside the church love it too and want to be part of the group. Where does that kind of community come from? It comes from repentance—the whole process of repentance. The Jerusalem church had a vivid awareness of their sinfulness, and a joyful appreciation of the forgiveness they had because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Sin and grace, law and gospel—this is where their joy came from. And then they put it into practice. They met together. They spent time together. They ate together. They loved each other. And while they did all that they continued to praise God and pray and speak God’s wonderful rescue story to each other. It was a cycle of joy and encouragement and rejuvenation. A cycle that God is also working in us as we build our community. 

Peter was not content to merely know what he had seen. He repeatedly refers to other witnesses. He reviewed the testimony of the Old Testament. He was determined to not only know that Jesus rose, but to strengthen his conviction with proof after proof.  Let us not be content with knowing that Jesus rose, or hearing about it once or twice. Instead let’s intentionally strengthen our conviction. How? By examining all the witnesses in scripture we can find. By talking about Jesus’ resurrection with fellow Christians. That is how the Holy Spirit works. That is how conviction grows stronger. 

Jesus walked his earthly life with direction and purpose. Every step led to his final steps, carrying his cross, and our sins to Calvary. And then, on Easter morning, he breathed again, he stood up from the cold stone and took his first steps out of the tomb. We watched him take his final steps to the cross for us. We celebrated his resurrection, his life, his first steps out of the grave! So now what? What’s next? What are my next steps? If you have ever heard about the amazing things Jesus has done and wondered, “So, what should I do?” this series is for you. You can take your cue from the first followers of Jesus. They took steps. Jesus’ work had an impact on them and their lives. It made a difference—an observable change in them and in their behaviors. You can take these next steps, too. You will strengthen your conviction, build a community, and live your commitment. These are not just stories or concepts. No, conviction, community and commitment are my next steps. Sermon series through April 30th - www.stpaulmuskego.org

Together the witnesses shout to us, “Easter is real! The Lord’s gracious forgiveness of sins is real!” Jesus made that crystal clear when he sent Mary with a message for his “brothers.” Even the greeting was pure grace for those who had scattered like scared rabbits into the night outside Gethsemane only days before. There is the same pure grace for us too who sometimes get stuck in our Good Friday nightmares. Because, you see, the writer to the Hebrews assures us that the risen Lord is not ashamed to call us his “brothers” either (Hebrews 2:10-15). That is why he came. That’s why he took every one of his final steps to the center cross on Calvary. And that’s why his first steps led outside his tomb!

Together the witnesses shout to us, “Easter is real! The Lord’s gracious forgiveness of sins is real!” Jesus made that crystal clear when he sent Mary with a message for his “brothers.” Even the greeting was pure grace for those who had scattered like scared rabbits into the night outside Gethsemane only days before. There is the same pure grace for us too who sometimes get stuck in our Good Friday nightmares. Because, you see, the writer to the Hebrews assures us that the risen Lord is not ashamed to call us his “brothers” either (Hebrews 2:10-15). That is why he came. That’s why he took every one of his final steps to the center cross on Calvary. And that’s why his first steps led outside his tomb!