Higher Aim With Dr. Curt Dodd

There is nothing like praise and worship. The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Worship is not a passive thing; it is an active function that is to be focused on the Lord Jesus and on Him alone. Worship is not about a praise team or a band. It is about the throne of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we continue our study of Acts chapter 2, we see powerful nuggets of truth that can be applied to our lives today. The last portion of Acts chapter 2 tells us what it means to be an Acts 2 believer and an Acts 2 church. One of the clearest lessons is this: God wants us to be the Church. The church is not a building; it is the “ekklesia,” the called-out ones. People are not looking for a relationship with a location; they are longing for God to give them what they need through people who are connected to Him and to each other.

When I was in seminary, I took a trip to New Mexico and decided to go snow skiing for the first time. I had all the right gear, looked like I knew what I was doing, and skipped the lessons, but as soon as a young student asked if I was the ski instructor, I fell flat on my face. I looked like I could ski, but I had no stability whatsoever. Today, I want to talk about developing stability in your life, balancing your life, using Acts 14 as our guide.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, He had a handful of faithful followers. Their interaction with the resurrected Lord changed them and totally rearranged them. Their lives would never be thesame again. Jesus does not want to be number one in your life; He wants to be your life. If you are wondering what New Testament Christianity looks like, go back to Acts chapter 2 and use this as an example. The Holy Spirit came for the first time to indwell believers, and the sound of a rushing wind drew the crowd. People from all over the world heard the Gospel proclaimed in their own language, thousands came to Christ, and it turned Jerusalem upside down.

We have been examining Simon Peter’s sermon step by step, and Acts chapter 2 is quite a chapter. When the sound of the rushing wind got their attention, Simon Peter provided an answer. The followers of Jesus were publicly declaring Jesus in different languages. Acts says that Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd, explaining what was happening and why. What a sermon, what a message, what a response, and what a beginning of the first church. The first church was a mega church of 3,000 people, and because they did not count women and children, some Bible scholars believe that the number who gave their lives to Christ was about 10,000. It was the beginning of a church that has continued to this day. Jesus said that the gates of hell will not stop the church. His kingdom will continue, and regardless of how people respond, God has a plan for humanity that centers on the Messiah. We need to be men and women who align our lives with Christ to become Acts chapter 2 believers.

We have been spending some time in Acts, unpacking Simon Peter’s message at Pentecost. The Scripture tells us that he exhorted the people, and his words grabbed the hearts of the people and brought great conviction. Thousands came to Christ in this one event. Today, we are looking at verses 14–40, where the Bible is very clear about the essentials of what Simon Peter taught. If we are going to become Acts Chapter 2 believers, we need to learn how to share our faith, and we need to be Scripture saturated just as Simon Peter was.

We are spending some time in Acts Chapter 2. It is important for us to take all the time necessary to unpack what the Scripture says concerning what it means to be an Acts Chapter 2 believer and an Acts Chapter 2 church. This is the model we need to personally emulate, not only in our sharing of Christ but also in how we live. It affects how we look at our church and what we want our church to be in the future. Even in the middle of uncertainty, we can depend upon our Lord to remain stable. We cannot control anything: the weather, natural disasters, political climate, or our economy. However, we can be assured of one thing: Jesus is in charge, and He has a plan. That is why we must look at Acts 2 seriously, because it provides great guidelines.

Acts 2 is one of those foundational chapters in Scripture. It tells the story of Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit) and reveals what it truly means to be an Acts 2 believer. We have already covered four characteristics, and today we add two more.

We are continuing our series called “Becoming an Acts Chapter 2 Believer.” As we pick up where we left off, we take one more step into studying what God's Word has for us and apply it in our lives. Acts 2 tells the powerful story of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, when believers were gathered together in one place, waiting on the promise of God. This chapter reveals several key characteristics of what it really means to be an Acts 2 Believer. These principles help us align our lives with the Spirit of God, experience revival, and live in unity as the early church did.

You might have a great-looking car with leather seats and every feature imaginable, but if you don’t have a battery, you’re not going anywhere. Without power, you’re stuck in the driveway. Many believers today live the same way, disconnected from the true power source. In Acts 2, we see the “Battery Chapter” of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit came and revolutionizedeverything. Pentecost was the moment when the church was born, and when God’s power filled ordinary people to do extraordinary things. If we want to become Acts 2 believers, we must connect to that same power source. And that begins with one key principle.

We have been looking at the Seven Mile Walk to Emmaus, one of Jesus Christ’s post-resurrection appearances. This Scripture passage provides great principles from the Word of God that teach us what we need to know for our spiritual lives. Luke 24:33–53 shows how the risen Christ revealed Himself to His followers, opened their understanding of Scripture, and commissioned them to share His message. This passage teaches us several powerful principles that shape how we live as believers today.

Today, we will take another step in the seven-mile walk of this post-resurrection appearance of Jesus in Luke 24. Jesus showed up and came alongside two of His followers who did not recognize Him initially. We will draw some principles from these 40 verses on what we need to know about navigating our lives.

In Luke Chapter 24, we see “The Walk to Emmaus,” a lengthy narrative that dovetails with many of the post-resurrection appearances. Jesus not only appeared to the women at the garden tomb, but He later appeared to His disciples. Multiple accounts show Him in bodily form over forty days. Without the resurrection, the cross has no validation. Because Jesus rose again, it validates what He did on the cross. As these two followers walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they learned critical truths we also need to understand about Jesus.

If there was ever a story that could teach us how to navigate uncertainty, it is the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The disciples experienced a week of unbelievable confusion and instability. Though Jesus warned them of His arrest, death, and resurrection, they did not understand. Easter caught them by surprise when it should have been expected. Many of us, like them, face uncertain times. But today’s passage reminds us: we serve a risen Savior who guides us through life’s unknowns.

Easter is the one day throughout all Christendom when millions will come to worship the Lord. Next to it is Palm Sunday, an often underrated Christian holiday. This is the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Many events happened during the week leading up to Easter. We could talk about the upper room, the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter’s denial, or Pilate turning Jesus over to be flogged. But as I prayed through different passages for this message, I was drawn to Matthew 21. There is no better case study about making a commitment to Jesus than Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. When we come to the Word of God, we are invited to make a commitment. Either we will be committed to Christ, or we will not be committed to Christ. There is no in-between.

Today we are talking about real life—the disconnect between what we want God to do in our lives and what is actually happening. Many of us wrestle with big issues: sexuality, addictions, wayward children, frustration in our relationships, and the reality that what we sing about on Sunday doesn’t always match how we live at home. Too many believers become disappointed, step back, and give up. But the problem is not with God—it is with us. If you are a believer, you have turned from sin and placed your faith in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. Yet many have not tapped into His power. You are trying to live the Christian life on yourown strength, and it isn’t working. The Holy Spirit is not an “it.” He is a person, the third member of the Trinity, and He dwells within you to give you power. Today, we will look at what the Holy Spirit does both for unbelievers and for believers.

In this week’s message, we are continuing our conversation around forgiveness, discussing the steps we can take to forgive those who have hurt us and seeing what we can learn from the life and teaching of Jesus about Christlike forgiveness.

The story in today’s key passage of Scripture is a tough one. Forgiveness is always a tough subject in this broken world of ours. But as Jesus addresses this issue, He was being tougher on the person who withheld forgiveness than the person who committed the offense. Why would Jesus do that? That’s what we’re going to look at in today’s message. As we do, we need to ask and answer three specific questions. We’ll answer the first one today and then we’ll dive into the other two next week.

As we continue our discussion on the names of God, we’re going to look at two more names that reveal more of God’s goodness and character to us. Let’s dive in together.

In today’s message, we are going to continue our study of the names of God. Specifically, we’re going to talk about how God is our shepherd and how He takes care of us no matter what we’re walking through. Let’s dive in.

In this series called, “What's In a Name?” we are looking at the different names of God. We have already looked at 6 of the 12 names. Today, we will take another step and look at some morenames that will help us gain a better understanding of God. If there was ever a time when we need to understand who God is, it is now. Our world is so unstable with all kinds of thoughts, ideas, and philosophies around who God is. So as His followers, we need to be rooted in the character of God and what God reveals about Himself through His names.