Folders – Page 5 – Cornerstone Church of Silicon Valley- CCSV

June 23: “Stephen the Martyr” (Acts 6:8-15, Acts 7:48-60)

One of the seven deacons the early church elected was Stephen, a Greek Jew full of God’s grace, power and wisdom. He was a powerful witness who reflected Christ in his life and death. In Greek, the word for witness is “martus,” from which we get our word “martyr”. Stephen’s martyrdom affected many people, especially […]

June 9: “A Gospel Community with Ethnic Sensitivity” (Acts 6:1-7)

When the Hellenistic Jews complained against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food, the 12 disciples told the church to elect seven “diakonia” (deacons) to take charge of the food distribution. Surprisingly, the seven elected men were all Hellenistic Jews! The Hebraic Jews, who were the majority, […]

June 2: “Learning to Pray Like the Early Church” (Acts 4:23-31)

Where do you turn to when your problem is big? Peter and John turned to their faith community. Then they turned to God together in prayer. Their prayer had three elements: invocation, acknowledgment, and petition. The early church acknowledged God as the God of creation, revelation, and history. As the cross demonstrates, Yahweh is God […]

May 26: “Persevering Witness in Jerusalem” (Acts 2:42-47)

On the day of Pentecost, the church was born as the result of the Spirit’s outpouring. What were the distinctive characteristics of this new Spirit-filled community? They were “devoted” to four things: learning God’s Word, having fellowship, breaking bread, and praying. The Greek expression for “devoted” is “persevering”. These practices of devotion filled them with […]

May 19: “The Outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost” (Acts 2:1-21)

On the day of Pentecost, God poured out His Spirit on the people so they could all be witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. The disciples were enabled to speak foreign languages in order to proclaim the gospel to all nations. Through the Pentecost event, God’s blessing to Abraham will be poured out on all nations. Let […]