Here’s a summary of this week’s sermon:

• The passage from Acts 7 describes the defense of Stephen before the council, which ultimately leads to his death. The talk challenges the idea of a Christ-belittling Christianity that focuses on the potential side benefits of following Jesus, rather than the sacrifice and suffering that come with it.

• Christians throughout history have been willing to give up everything for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus, and the talk encourages listeners to embrace this perspective, rather than seeking a comfortable, self-obsessed Christianity.

• Pete argues that we should envy Stephen's deep satisfaction in having just Jesus and finding joy even in death. The testimony of Stephen and the consistent testimony of scripture teach that Christ is all-satisfying and supreme over all other loves.

• The vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God sent the high priest and council over the edge and reminded them of passages from the Old Testament that speak of judgment and the coming of Jesus as a judge.

• While our culture promotes self-love and prioritizing individual happiness, true happiness and fulfillment can only be found in God. Self-love must be rooted in loving others as ourselves and seeking our ultimate happiness in Christ.

• On the day of judgment, we will either bear the wrath of God ourselves or flee to Jesus who bore it for us, and being in the presence of the exalted Jesus will be our greatest joy. Only Jesus can satisfy the infinite longing in our hearts and make us right before God.

💬 CONVERSATION STREET --

Dan + John discuss:

• How is Pete’s talk serious and sobering in today’s scenario?

• Why does Stephen call the religious leaders stiff-necked people?

• How can we find true satisfaction in Jesus alone and not in other things?

• How do we as Christians make sure that we keep our focus on Jesus and don’t go off-track pursuing nice things?

• How is the effort of grace to surrender?

• When Stephen sees heaven opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, what can we infer from the fact that Jesus was standing and not sitting in that moment? How is it significant?

• Why can’t we tag Jesus along with all the other gods of other religions?

RECENT EPISODES

RECENT LIVESTREAMS

More from this series

At Crowd Church, we are committed to creating a space for you to explore the Christian faith, regardless of where you are on your faith journey.

What happens at Crowd Church?

Every week we livestream our online church service and release a new story on What’s The Story Podcast. We have weekly online community groups that meet up and all of that good stuff. You can find out more about everything that goes on at Crowd by browsing through this site, and you can reach out to us via our contact page.

Come and Join In!

Are you interested in joining in with what is happening here at Crowd? We would love to meet you!

• Join in with the Church Livestream

• Subscribe to Crowd Church Podcast & What’s the Story Podcast

• Follow us on Instagram

• Subscribe to the YouTube Channel

• New to church? If so - check out the New Here link.

Any questions? Please connect with us via our Contact Page, or via WhatsApp: +44 7984 530 429