Do you want to be fenced or do you want to stay near water?

Today, we heard a pastor preach on Acts 2 and 3.  How did Peter help the early church go from a few hundred to several thousand?  He said it is the difference between fences (the Pharisee/ the law) and water (Jesus/ grace/ mercy).   He said in America, farmers use fences to keep the cattle confined to a certain area....some times the fence is electric or barbed.   In Australia, the land is too large for fences, so how do the farmers keep the cattle close by?  Water.  They place a well in the center of the property.  He said churches try to be like the American farmers...just placing fences (focusing on the law)..instead of being like Australian farmers.... give them water... just getting people to fall in love with Jesus (just wanting to stay near the water).  He said if people understood their need for a savior, the ugliness of their sin, their inability to keep the law (even though too many of us try to fake it to look "righteous".. there is NO one righteous..only Christ).  So what do we do?  Our churches should look like Christ (Philippians 2)- humble, consider others BETTER than ourselves, SERVE others... pour out your life for others!  People would be KNOCKING down the church's doors if we would get this right more often!  How do we do this?  How do we get the water?  How do we fall in love with Jesus?  We must keep looking at the GOOD news..the gospel.  What is the gospel?  According to the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology edited by Walter Elwell, "the gospel is the joyous proclamation of God's redemptive activity in Christ Jesus on behalf of man enslaved by sin."    God's good gift that NONE of us deserve.  If we get this...really get this... service and love are not only easy...but logical.   
Learning with you,
Rachel

Acts 2
 ⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 3

Acts 3

Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar

¹ One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks to the Onlookers

¹¹ While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. ¹² When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. ¹⁴ You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. ¹⁵ You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. ¹⁶ By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
¹⁷ “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. ¹⁸ But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ^[a] would suffer. ¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. ²¹ He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. ²²²³ Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’^[b]
24 “Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. ²⁵ And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’^{[c] 26} When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”