1. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 1 Welcome to the Tithebarn Centre This is the home of Northolt Grange Baptist Church We hope you feel relaxed and ready to encounter the living God! Stick around for coffee n cake afterwards Creche available during the sermon for tinies and Kids Church (upstairs)

2. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 2 Come on and celebrate His gift of love, we will celebrate The Son of God who loved us and gave us life We'll shout Your praise, O King You gave us joy nothing else can bring We'll give to You our offering In celebration praise Come on and celebrate, celebrate, Celebrate and sing … To the King

3. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 3 Come, now is the time to worship. Come, now is the time to give your heart Come, just as you are, to worship. Come, just as you are, before your God. Come. One day every tongue will confess You are God. One day every knee will bow. Still the greatest treasure remains for those Who gladly choose you now.

4. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 4 He is Lord, He is Lord He is risen from the dead and he is Lord Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess That Jesus Christ is Lord

5. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 5 Father God I Wonder how I managed to exist without the knowledge of Your parenthood and Your loving care Now I am Your son, I am adopted in Your family and I will never be alone 'cause Father God You're there beside me I will sing Your praises (x2) I will sing Your praises for evermore(x2)

6. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 6 When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of Glory died My richest gain I count but loss And pour contempt on all my pride See from his head, His hands, His feet Sorrow and love flow mingled down Did e'er such love and sorrow meet Or thorns compose so rich a crown Were the whole realm of nature mine That were an offering far too small Love so amazing so divine Demands my life, my soul, my all

7. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 7 The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty Let all the earth rejoice All the earth rejoice He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide …And trembles at His voice (x2) How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God Age to age He stands and time is in His hands Beginning and the end, Beginning and the end The Godhead Three in One Father Spirit Son The Lion and the Lamb (2) How great… Name above all names, Worthy of our praise My heart will sing How great is our God

8. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 8 What’s happening? Grab a Bulletin Rotas (So you want to be a willing volunteer?!)…“fellowship” in cooking n cleaning PICNIC tomorrow at Gerrards Cross leaving at 11am (-4.30pm) AREA PRAYER @ GBC on 14 th May QUIZ NIGHT @ NPBC on 17 th May FAMILY SERVICE & FELLOWSHIP MEAL on 18 th May. Invite your friends…. Church Meeting 21 st May

9. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 9 Set my heart on fire Set my spirit free Jesus my desire is to worship thee Set my feet a’dancing In perfect liberty The kingdom is advancing When we worship thee And there’ll be showers of blessing, showers of blessing on me…..

10. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 10 Looking at Acts 1 Getting ready for Pentecost

11. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 11 Looking at Acts 1 Luke’s “former book” to “Theophilus” (“lover of God”) (v1a). Jesus “began” something in his own life and continues it in the lives of his disciples… (and that means us!) (v1b). He was “taken up to heaven”. What does that mean? He gave “instructions through the Holy Spirit”

12. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 12 What were those“Instructions through the Holy Spirit”? (1) V3a Proof of the Resurrection and indication of its meaning…. The KINGDOM ENABLED (2) V3b Forty Days of teaching about the nature of the kingdom of God… The KINGDOM TAUGHT (3) V4 A command to wait for “the gift my Father promised… The KINGDOM PROMISED (4) Answering a stupid question: "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" ….The KINGDOM? (NOT!)

13. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 13 Two opposite errors Don’t worry (V7) about “the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” –God has his agenda. Don’t dabble! But (v8) “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” –Power to witness. Don’t hang back!

14. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 14 The ascension of Jesus V9 “He was taken up.” Simple and profound. There is a problem of too much piety (“Why do you stand here looking into the sky?) There is a problem of too much worldly thinking (“This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven”).

15. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 15 A conference of believers An interesting group: –v13 “Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James”. –V14 “along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers”. –V15 Plus the “believers:” altogether “about a hundred and twenty.” A word on Judas: –He was a “guide for those who arrested Jesus” –He was “one of our number” –He “shared in this ministry." –But he “went where he belongs.”

16. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 16 Preserving the Twelve Why did they want a replacement for Judas? –Scholars say: Twelve tribes of the new Israel? –Peter says: “It is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us… One of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” Two nominations: Justus and Matthias. And a throw of the dice to see who God chose??

17. Sketching the life of the Earliest Christians 17 What is God saying to us? Jesus began something in HIS life that he continues in ours… That “something” is related to the Kingdom of God… It is enacted through the Spirit of God… And you will be witnesses of it… EVERYWHERE!! And even man’s failure cannot thwart God’s action…. Just get in the position of being able to receive.