Acts: Paradigm Busting

Reflections on Chris’s dad & nephew; Julian Dabbagh.

Death has a way of busting our paradigms about control, priorities, & what life is really about. God is continually doing that kind of stuff in Acts, all the way through to today with us.

We want to be a people who get the story of the Bible into our bloodstream.

God is active. In fact he’s usually ahead of us in surprising ways (God speaks to Cornelius before Peter).

Jesus is still speaking to us through the Holy Spirit - not WWouldJD but WWillJesusSay!

God is in control.

We are to follow. T-shirt slogans – ‘Second place is the first loser’; advertising tag lines - Audi: ‘Never Follow’.

This is not the military – this is family - He is our Father.

God does all He does because He loves us.

Acts 10 Cornelius. Peter eventually baptizes the Gentiles! “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized.”

Acts 11- “the circumcised believers criticized him.” Peter doesn’t get defensive but instead recounts how God spoke to him, as well as to Cornelius.

We are to meet & share these kinds of stories with our soul friends, our kingdom friends, & the church around us to help us interpret & also learn from what God said to us.

Bless everyone, everywhere you go.
Listen to God, don't just talk!
Eat with someone. “Following Jesus moves at the speed of friendship, so expand your circle of friends.”
Study Jesus, make it a serious matter.
Serve sacrificially, from the church facility to the soccer field.