acts 2 notes

my acts 2 notes

taken from a sermon from derek taatjes

the early church

the people were devoted to:

Jesus' teaching

the Bible is our way of survival. psalm 19:7 The law of the Word is perfect, restoring the soul.

fellowship

oneness and sharing with brothers and sister of Jesus Christ. we have our passion for Jesus in common. being an a vibrant active community with other followers of Christ.

why are people not in biblical fellowship?

people are busy. the things of the world should not take away from our first love of Jesus. 1 john 2:15 do not love the world or anything in the world, if anyone love the world, the love of the father is not in him.

people have something to hide. hiding a sinful lifestyle. ephesians 4 sin will be exposed by the light. hiding an immature walk with God.

solution is fellowship with Christ and fellowship with other believers. being around brothers and sisters in Christ. everyone is sinful. we all need a Savior.

breaking of bread

all about remembering. remember the cross. remember the resurrection. remember the ascension. remember pentecost.

prayer

the early church's prayer was for boldness to share the gospel and advance the kingdom of God.

prayer is the way we communicate with God. how do i pray? to thank God. to present our requests to Him. to repent, to confess sin.

people don't think they need God, so they don't pray.

the first purpose of the church is to praise God. Colossians 3:17

the second purpose of the church is to edify the body of Christ. Eph 4:12

the third purpose of the church is so the lost will be found. acts 2

does my life glorify God? does it edify the church? is my life involved with the Lord, saving the lost?

how do i get there? how might this be evident in my own life? i want to carry out the purposes of the church. devotion. to attend constantly. not because we have to, but because we want to. because the King is devoted.

devotion .... total life surrender to the One who surrendered for you.

does it really matter?

"Our greatest fear as individuals should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter." T. Kizziar

who are you? and why are you here?

have you ever asked yourself these questions? who are you? what is your purpose? when you wake up every morning, what makes you be able to get out of bed? what motivates you and drives you? do you even have motivation? why are you on this earth? why are you in the city that you live in? why do you spend time with the people that you do? why do you watch the shows and movies that you watch? why do you eat what you eat? why do you buy things that you buy?

these are all questions i am trying to ask myself daily. i don't remember every day, but i want to live a life full of purpose. Ephesians 2:10 says that we were created "to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." i believe that my life and your life was not created by accident or randomly. God had a reason for putting me in the life i am in. i want to be ready and open to what God wants of me every day, in every decision i make. i did not say that i always do this, i said i want to. i desire to give God glory from my words and actions and decisions. God is everything. i believe this and want it to change how i live each moment. God help me not to be selfish, help me not to forget you. I don't want to waste my life. God help me to remember that this life is not about me. this life is about you Jesus.

"what is your life? you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." james 4:14b

Leena Joy

Leena Joy Amey

born December 10, 2010

I love the name Leena. I knew it was her name about halfway through my pregnancy. I saw someone in a movie named Leena and since then i couldn't find another name that i wanted for my baby. My friend commented this to me after hearing Leena's name after she was born: "all God's very best to you as you enter this precious season with a new baby....may Leena (illumination) Joy bring you great joy as you remember the light of the world during every Christmas season that she is with you!" I didn't even think about how the name Leena which means 'light' and joy fit together so well, especially at the time of year (christmas) when she was born. we pray that Leena Joy will bring our family, everyone she knows in her life, and her Savior great joy as she shares with them about the one true light of the world, Jesus!

Her middle name is Joy for many other reasons as well. I like the name Joy because it is the same middle name i have, Lindsey Joy. i hope she can be proud someday to be named after her mommy. i was named after my aunt Lynn, my mom's sister, Lynn Joy. she is someone i really look up to and i love sharing a name with her.the season of life B.A. and i were in during this pregnancy was at times not joyful and seemed hopeless for various reasons. this baby was a glimmer of hope for a joyful future that we eagerly looked forward to. we her middle name to remind us of the past so that we could look back and see the pit we were in and how God lifted us out of it, provided for us, and brought us more joy than we could ever imagine: in our marriage, in our family, in our kids, in our walk with God!

God, thank you for blessing us with this precious little girl! we are your servants and we will care for her and love her with all of our hearts. use us to guide her. God, may her heart truly know you, follow you, pursue you, and love you deeply! thank you for such a blessing....

God you are greater, God you are stronger, God you are higher than any other, God you are healer, awesome in power, our God!

with, mighty, delight, quiet, rejoice

"The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

I don't know about you but for me this is where i find my identity in God.

God, the God who created the universe is with me. All the time. Every day. Every place. He is there. That gives me peace.

He is mighty. God is strong and mighty. He is a protector and will fight for me.

God delights in me. How can that be? But it is true, God finds joy in me. Just like i delight in my kids.

He quiets me with His love. How can His love not quiet me? it is so consuming and deep that if it doesn't make me still i am not really seeing the capacity at which He loves me.

He will rejoice over me with singing. i sing over my kids because of the delight that i find in them. maybe that's what this means. i think it just shows the immense love that He has for his children.

i have to read this verse over and over again because i still don't get it. God please show me Your love. never stop loving me! please fill me so i can pour out Your love to other people. thank you for Your promises.