1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,040
So this morning we are 
continuing in our impact series 

2
00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:07,560
as we make our way, pretty 
slowly to be honest with you, 

3
00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:11,800
through the book of Acts. 
And as we do, I want to share a 

4
00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:16,840
glimpse of what is happening 
right now because there is a 

5
00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,160
unique momentum building in our 
nation. 

6
00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,880
A beautiful, undeniable 
quickening of the Spirit is 

7
00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,960
taking place in our land. 
It's like there is a weight of 

8
00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:33,920
expectation, a long, slow 
awakening. 

9
00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:39,360
It's like when Aslan breathed 
over the frozen statues in 

10
00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:45,440
Narnia and people came back to 
life because the breath of God 

11
00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:50,760
is blowing upon this land, 
fanning a flame that centuries 

12
00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:54,080
of fire quenching buckets failed
to put out. 

13
00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:59,000
Not persecution. 
Not wars, not cynical voices, 

14
00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,360
not the media. 
Nothing has been able to 

15
00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:08,920
extinguish the flame of the 
gospel and it's igniting friends

16
00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,400
like never before. 
Just last month, I don't know if

17
00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,520
you saw it on the news, but 
there were wildfires that 

18
00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:20,320
erupted across Saddleworth and 
Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire 

19
00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,800
where parched conditions, where 
the ground was all very parched 

20
00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,960
and there were strong winds. 
It created this perfect 

21
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:34,840
conditions, I guess for a rapid 
spread of wildfire. 

22
00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:41,520
Friends, we have known parched 
dry ground for a very long time.

23
00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:47,480
But right now, the Spirit of God
is breathing a fresh life into 

24
00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,920
our nation, and the evidence is 
popping up wherever you look. 

25
00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:55,400
Here's what's happening. 
Let me give you a snapshot. 

26
00:01:55,400 --> 00:02:00,640
So Alpha research tells us that 
church attendance in the UK rose

27
00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:06,200
by 25% in 2025. 
The Catholic Church has seen a 

28
00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:11,480
44% increase in adults receiving
communion for the first time. 

29
00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:16,280
And the Church of England has 
reported an 11 1/2% rise in 

30
00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:20,600
adult baptisms, the largest that
they have seen in decades. 

31
00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:26,000
The Bible sales are booming. 
Retail purchases of the Bible 

32
00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,840
has increased. 
Get this by 134%. 

33
00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:38,200
People are hungry for the truth.
Use the praying 42. 

34
00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:44,280
Sorry, 41% of 11 to 18 year olds
now say that they pray. 

35
00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:47,840
And everywhere you look there is
a cultural conversation that is 

36
00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,280
happening. 
From the Bible Brothers at 

37
00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:55,080
Arsenal Football Club to 
podcasts such as Stephen 

38
00:02:55,080 --> 00:03:00,560
Bartlett's CEO podcast where he 
recently interviewed Wesley 

39
00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:05,200
Huff, who is a leading Christian
apologist, to come to Church 

40
00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:10,320
With Me reels and also worship 
reels that are going viral all 

41
00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:15,280
over Instagram and TikTok. 
And here in the Vineyard across 

42
00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:20,600
the UK and Ireland, we've seen a
14% rise in baptisms and an 

43
00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,640
8018% rise in people coming to 
faith. 

44
00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:29,920
Christianity is becoming more 
and more visible in the public 

45
00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:33,400
square. 
And Al Gordon, who's a vicar of 

46
00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,760
Saint Church in Hackney, he 
recently said this. 

47
00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,800
This is definitely not business 
as usual. 

48
00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,000
I have never known a time like 
this where there are signs and 

49
00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,000
wonders, people having dreams in
the middle of the night and 

50
00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,080
turning up to church. 
And hey, you could be here this 

51
00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:51,480
morning. 
And that's exactly what's 

52
00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,960
happened to you. 
You know, it's an acceleration 

53
00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:59,440
of the normal Christian life. 
And we see the blueprint of this

54
00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,040
kind of impact in Acts chapter 
4. 

55
00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,840
And we're about to see how a 
small flame in the hearts of two

56
00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:12,240
ordinary people, Peter and John,
turned into a wildfire that 

57
00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,440
spread throughout Jerusalem. 
Now, to be clear, it did not 

58
00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,880
happen because these people were
spectacular people. 

59
00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:22,960
You know, they were some kind of
superstars. 

60
00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:25,320
It happened because of two 
things. 

61
00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:30,760
The Holy Spirit filled them with
courage and with boldness. 

62
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,840
And I think you'll agree that we
could all do with a bit more 

63
00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:42,000
courage and boldness. 
Holy Spirit, breathe courage and

64
00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:46,000
boldness that sets us ablaze for
the gospel of Jesus, 

65
00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:52,880
transforming us into wildfire 
people, people who carry a hope 

66
00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,960
that is contagious for everyone 
we meet. 

67
00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:02,240
Just like with a flick of a 
match spark, it leaps and it 

68
00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,880
starts to burn. 
Just small at first, just around

69
00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:10,760
the edges, but then the flame, 
it starts to build and it starts

70
00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:15,040
to grow and it's fuelled by its 
environment so that the heat 

71
00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:20,240
builds and and soon the kindling
is being licked up by tongues of

72
00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:25,920
red and orange flame. 
Higher and higher and wider and 

73
00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:30,920
wider it spreads, consuming 
everything around it until this 

74
00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,800
flame has become an unstoppable 
fire. 

75
00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:42,240
That is my prayer for us all. 
I'm talking about unstoppable 

76
00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:47,640
wildfires that sweep this nation
with blessing and healing and 

77
00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,800
transformation. 
Fires that bring life and 

78
00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,400
wholeness and freedom and 
liberty. 

79
00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,720
Fires that bring light into the 
darkest places of society and 

80
00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:02,000
into the blackest of hearts. 
A fire that sweeps through every

81
00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,240
street, every commuter town, 
every village, in our historic 

82
00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:11,040
marketplaces and in our local 
courtrooms and the busy streets 

83
00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:14,080
of our city. 
It's a fire on the parts of our 

84
00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:18,160
parks and in our homes, in our 
nurseries, our primaries, our 

85
00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:21,520
secondary schools and 
universities, in the early 

86
00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,880
morning CrossFit sessions before
work and the pubs and the clubs 

87
00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,920
and the restaurants after work. 
This fire is moving through our 

88
00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:34,720
commuter trains into St. 
Pancras and along the A414 and 

89
00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:38,000
M25. 
It travels down the quiet lanes 

90
00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,120
of the Chiltons and through the 
busyness of Watford and Hemel 

91
00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:47,720
and Hatfield. 
What if the flame within you, 

92
00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:52,760
the spark you carry onto that 
Thameslink or into your local 

93
00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:58,680
coffee shop tomorrow morning, 
turned into an unstoppable fire 

94
00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,520
fuelled flame by the Spirit of 
God? 

95
00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:07,640
What if, just like in Acts, the 
future of the Church here in 

96
00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:12,000
Saint Albans and Hatfield and 
Hemel and Watford and all across

97
00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:17,080
this region was changed forever?
Because there is nothing the 

98
00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:20,800
Lord doesn't want to do in US 
today that He hasn't already 

99
00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,640
done in the book of Acts. 
And it's what I'm desperate for 

100
00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:29,520
in my own life, and it's what 
I'm bursting for, for all of us 

101
00:07:35,180 --> 00:07:39,940
for as a church. 
It's in this chapter where we're

102
00:07:39,940 --> 00:07:45,500
going to see how from a flame to
a fire, wildfire spread. 

103
00:07:46,060 --> 00:07:50,020
And last week, Chuck shared with
us, I bought a brilliant word in

104
00:07:50,020 --> 00:07:54,360
Acts 3 and he shared about how 
the power of God and how it 

105
00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:58,640
broke in and healed this lame 
man at the temple gate. 

106
00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,000
And what happened was the crowd,
they were absolutely full of 

107
00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,160
awe. 
But as we open up Acts 4 today, 

108
00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:08,520
we're going to see the miracle 
didn't just bring about wonder, 

109
00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,240
but it also bought a 
confrontation. 

110
00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,040
And so going to, we're going to 
make our way through the book of

111
00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,320
Acts in chapter 4 today, and 
we're going to make our way up 

112
00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:19,720
to verse 21. 
But we're going to do it in 

113
00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:21,640
chunks. 
So if you've got your Bibles 

114
00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:25,240
with you, we're going to read 
Acts 4 verses one to four first.

115
00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:28,800
It's going to come up on the 
screen and I'm going to read it 

116
00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,480
to us. 
And it's titled Peter and John 

117
00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:36,880
before the Sanhedrin. 
So the priests and the captain 

118
00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,960
of the temple guard and the 
Sadducees came up to Peter and 

119
00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:41,679
John. 
While they were speaking to the 

120
00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:45,680
people, they were greatly 
disturbed because the apostles 

121
00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:48,840
were teaching the people, 
proclaiming in Jesus the 

122
00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:52,280
resurrection of the dead. 
They seized Peter and John. 

123
00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:55,960
And because it was evening, they
put them in jail until the next 

124
00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:58,520
day. 
But many who heard the message 

125
00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:00,840
believed. 
So the number of men who 

126
00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:05,440
believed grew to about 5000. 
Amen. 

127
00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,000
So today we're looking at how do
wildfires spread? 

128
00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:16,000
How do we go from flame to fire?
What is needed to fuel a flame 

129
00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,960
into a fire? 
Number one, our voice. 

130
00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,720
Our voice can turn a flame into 
a fire. 

131
00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,920
Verse 1, The Sadducees came up 
to Peter and John while they 

132
00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:33,480
were speaking to the people. 
Verse 2, they were greatly 

133
00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:37,280
disturbed because the apostles 
were teaching the people, 

134
00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:41,000
proclaiming in Jesus the 
resurrection of the dead. 

135
00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,400
It's hard to believe, isn't it, 
that this is the same Peter, you

136
00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:49,120
know who. 
Only a short time ago there he 

137
00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:53,360
was standing by a fire in a 
courtyard not far away from 

138
00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,200
where Jesus was being questioned
by the high priest. 

139
00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:01,840
Peter loved Jesus. 
He'd spent nearly three years 

140
00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,440
with him. 
Jesus was not only Peter's Lord,

141
00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:10,800
but he was also his friend. 
And in the moment when Jesus was

142
00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:15,280
being condemned to death, Peter,
he disowned Jesus, denying that 

143
00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:19,160
he ever knew him again and again
and again. 

144
00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:26,400
And now here he is, speaking, 
teaching and proclaiming the 

145
00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:30,880
gospel of Jesus, not in 
whispered hushed tones, but 

146
00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:34,880
boldly and confidently. 
What's happened to him? 

147
00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:40,240
He's unrecognisable. 
And I guess in so many ways we 

148
00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:44,120
know what's happened to him. 
He's lived through the most 

149
00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:46,920
dramatic plot reversal in the 
whole of history. 

150
00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:52,160
Right before his eyes. 
Death became new life, and what 

151
00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:57,000
looked like defeat was 
transformed into victory. 

152
00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:03,160
But also, there's something in 
Peter's past that has caused his

153
00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:06,120
voice to be strengthened and 
emboldened. 

154
00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,840
Peter experienced such terrible 
heartbreak when he denied Jesus.

155
00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,720
He was devastated that he had 
disowned him. 

156
00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:20,640
He knew what it meant to carry 
the shame of silence. 

157
00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,600
And I can't help wondering if 
that cold, dark night of 

158
00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,880
rejection and denial was 
actually a catalyst for Peter, 

159
00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:34,120
because it was a moment that he 
never wanted to repeat again. 

160
00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:40,080
And so, fuelled by the grace and
forgiveness of Jesus, early one 

161
00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:44,560
morning on the beach shore over 
a charcoal fire, having 

162
00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:50,000
breakfast together, Jesus made 
space for Peter to speak out his

163
00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,920
love for him and also to receive
Jesus forgiveness. 

164
00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:00,840
What changed for Peter? 
What moved him from fearful 

165
00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:04,280
denial to this bold 
proclamation? 

166
00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:06,880
It has to be something to do 
with this moment, doesn't it? 

167
00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,560
And so here we are. 
The Sadducees thought they they 

168
00:12:11,560 --> 00:12:15,320
had eliminated the Jesus 
movement where a few weeks 

169
00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:21,080
before they crucified Jesus. 
But instead, here's Peter and 

170
00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:24,040
John. 
They are publicly preaching in 

171
00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:29,360
the temple of all places, that 
God has raised Jesus to life. 

172
00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:32,280
And so, of course, the 
Sadducees, they don't like that.

173
00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,720
And they seize Peter and John 
and they throw them into jail. 

174
00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,280
And we see the effect of their 
flame. 

175
00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:47,400
Their voice ignites whoosh into 
a fire where 5000 people turn to

176
00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:53,200
Jesus, 5000 men. 
So actually, if we include women

177
00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:57,440
and children, which we do, it's 
15 to 20,000 people. 

178
00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:02,080
That is some fire, friends. 
That is a wildfire. 

179
00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,760
From the flame of just a couple 
of voices. 

180
00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,800
A mighty fire is spread, 
friends. 

181
00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:14,320
However we feel about this, 
however awkward, however 

182
00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:19,520
embarrassing, however scary it 
might feel, we cannot get away 

183
00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:24,760
from the fact that when Peter 
and John spoke about Jesus, they

184
00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,280
saw thousands of people come to 
faith. 

185
00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:32,760
If there was a time in our land 
when England needed to hear our 

186
00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:37,280
voice, it's now. 
If there was a time when our 

187
00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:41,320
communities needed to hear us 
speak, it's now. 

188
00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,840
If there was a time when our 
friends and our families and our

189
00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:49,960
colleagues are open more than 
ever to the gospel, it's now. 

190
00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:58,320
If there was a time when our our
workmates, the people maybe that

191
00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:03,920
we go to the gym with need to 
hear our voice, bringing a 

192
00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:08,120
different perspective, talking 
about a different way, a better 

193
00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:14,720
way, a higher way, it's now. 
We are living in a season right 

194
00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,040
now where the old answers are 
failing and where hearts are 

195
00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:22,640
wide open, ready to receive the 
truth of Christianity. 

196
00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:25,360
People, people aren't just 
curious. 

197
00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:28,200
They are searching. 
They're searching for a hope 

198
00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,720
that holds a weight. 
And it feels like there is a 

199
00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:36,760
unique ripeness in the air right
now because when the world 

200
00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:41,520
shakes and it feels shaky, which
it currently does very much so, 

201
00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:44,840
people start looking for 
foundations that don't move. 

202
00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:50,240
Friends, there has never been a 
greater openness or more 

203
00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,880
significant opportunity for the 
gospel than the one that is 

204
00:14:53,880 --> 00:15:00,240
standing before us today. 
The hunger is real and the doors

205
00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:04,800
are wide open and yet to meet 
this moment. 

206
00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:11,880
I sense first that there is a 
call for us to take breakfast 

207
00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:15,760
with Jesus. 
Just like Peter. 

208
00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:21,920
I sense for so many of us there 
is an invitation to a breakfast 

209
00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:27,280
on the beach time with Jesus. 
It's an invitation to bring 

210
00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:32,280
before him all the times where 
we've stayed silent, all the 

211
00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:37,440
times when we never said a word,
when we should have spoken up, 

212
00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:41,920
when we should have spoken out, 
or we simply should have just 

213
00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:46,640
spoken about Jesus. 
For all the times our work 

214
00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:48,800
colleagues never knew that we 
were a Christian. 

215
00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,880
For all the times our friends 
didn't know that we go to 

216
00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:58,200
church. 
For all the silences, for all 

217
00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:03,560
the missed opportunities, for 
there is a reinstating and a 

218
00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:08,000
recommissioning that Jesus by 
his Spirit is longing to bring 

219
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,200
us. 
Just as Jesus sat with Peter 

220
00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:15,600
over the fire, He wants to come 
and he wants to speak into our 

221
00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:19,200
hearts today. 
Not to condemn us for the 

222
00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:24,920
silence, but to forgive us and 
to fill us afresh with His love 

223
00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,520
until that love outweighs our 
fear. 

224
00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:35,080
He wants to come and lift the 
shame and say, do you love me, 

225
00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:44,760
do you love me, do you love me? 
Then go again, go again. 

226
00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:50,680
He's ready to reinstate you and 
He is ready to reinstate me. 

227
00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:56,680
He's ready to recommission you 
and fill you with His courage 

228
00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:02,000
and His boldness. 
So Peter and John, there they 

229
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:03,520
are. 
They are bought before the 

230
00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,319
rulers and the elders and the 
teachers of the law after 

231
00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:10,000
spending a night in prison. 
And they asked them, so we're in

232
00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:14,280
verse 7 to 12. 
Now, by what power or what name 

233
00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:18,240
did you do this? 
Then Peter filled with the Holy 

234
00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,359
Spirit said to them, rulers and 
elders of the people. 

235
00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:24,839
If we're being called to account
today for an act of kindness 

236
00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,760
shown to a man who was lame and 
are being asked how he was 

237
00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:33,800
healed, then know this you and 
all the people of Israel, it is 

238
00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:38,640
by the name of Jesus Christ of 
Nazareth, whom you crucified, 

239
00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:41,880
but whom God raised from the 
dead, that this man stands 

240
00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:45,760
before you healed. 
Jesus is the stone you builders 

241
00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,560
rejected, which has become the 
cornerstone. 

242
00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:52,440
Salvation is found in no one 
else. 

243
00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:59,600
Salvation is found in no one 
else, for there is no other name

244
00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:03,680
under heaven, given to mankind, 
by which we must be saved. 

245
00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,680
I love how Peter suddenly turns 
the tables on their heads. 

246
00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,240
Instead of him being put on 
trial, he's put them on trial. 

247
00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:15,520
Peter stands there with this 
unshakable confidence in the 

248
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,360
Gospels. 
He knows he isn't leaning on 

249
00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:24,160
some static, established 
tradition or a set of dry rules.

250
00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:28,720
He knows that the one and only 
power that can overcome and 

251
00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:33,520
transform lives and communities 
and nations is the living, 

252
00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:38,800
breathing power of the gospel. 
See the shift in verse 8 as the 

253
00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:42,400
Holy Spirit ignites a 
supernatural courage within 

254
00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,320
Peter, giving him the exact 
words he needs to face his 

255
00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:49,600
accusers. 
And I absolutely love this 

256
00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:53,720
contrast of Peter's journey 
because I think it offers us so 

257
00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,360
much hope. 
At least it does for me, as we 

258
00:18:57,360 --> 00:19:01,760
see how the fire, how it's moved
from the external to the 

259
00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:04,840
internal. 
From a charcoal fire in a 

260
00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:10,040
courtyard where Peter stood 
shivering in silence, gripped by

261
00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:16,680
the fear of man, to this second 
fire, an internal fire, the fire

262
00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:23,120
of courage, the fire of the Holy
Spirit, an indwelling flame that

263
00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:27,880
empowers him to stand at the 
very seat of power and boldly 

264
00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:33,280
proclaim the name of Jesus 
Christ of Nazareth, The name 

265
00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:38,360
that changes everything. 
See the power equation here. 

266
00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:44,200
Spirit and word, Gospel and 
Spirit equals power. 

267
00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:49,840
You see, when we speak the 
gospel of Jesus, when we tell of

268
00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:53,520
what He has done in our lives, 
when we talk about what we 

269
00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:57,160
believe, friends, we're not just
imparting information. 

270
00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:01,760
We aren't just sharing a story 
or a theory or a set of cold 

271
00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,120
facts. 
God's Spirit, he takes our words

272
00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:08,520
and He makes them hit home in 
ways that we can never have 

273
00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:12,840
dreamt of achieving on our own. 
This is the supernatural 

274
00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:16,640
catalyst of the Book of Acts. 
And it's the most liberating 

275
00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:21,720
news for any of us who feel 
nervous or scared about sharing 

276
00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:23,800
our faith. 
Why? 

277
00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,080
Because it takes the pressure 
off of our shoulders and puts 

278
00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:30,200
the focus squarely on the Holy 
Spirit. 

279
00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:38,120
The Holy Spirit who stands ready
to fill us with a courage that 

280
00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:41,920
is not our own. 
Because we are called to share 

281
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:47,120
the gospel, the gospel that is 
the unbeatable, uncompromising 

282
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:50,320
power of God. 
It seeks no one's approval. 

283
00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,960
It bribes no authority, and it 
makes absolutely no apology for 

284
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,200
its coming. 
It doesn't need to fit in. 

285
00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:01,200
It doesn't need to be liked. 
It is simply the truth. 

286
00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:06,280
And it's hit the Sandrine and 
San can't say it. 

287
00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:08,400
Sanhedrin, Sanhedrin. 
Thank you. 

288
00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:13,240
Counsel straight between their 
eyes and they don't know what to

289
00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:21,400
do because they are trying to 
manage a tradition, yet Peter is

290
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,160
releasing, unleashing even a 
revolution. 

291
00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:30,120
Verse 15 to 16. 
So they ordered them to withdraw

292
00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:32,480
from the Sanhedrin and then 
confer together. 

293
00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:34,720
What are we going to do with 
these men? 

294
00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:37,840
They asked. 
Everyone living in Jerusalem 

295
00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:41,360
knows they have performed A 
notable sign and we cannot deny 

296
00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:44,640
it. 
How do we stop a wildfire from 

297
00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:49,040
spreading well across 
Saddleworth and Marsden Moor in 

298
00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:51,560
West Yorkshire? 
They deployed the fire services 

299
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:56,120
and the emergency services here.
The priests and the Sadducees 

300
00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:00,360
know that there is only one 
thing that could be poured over 

301
00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:03,760
this wildfire from to stop it 
from spreading any further. 

302
00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:11,840
Only one thing, that is silence.
Verse 17 and 18. 

303
00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:16,280
But to stop this thing from 
spreading any further among the 

304
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:21,800
people, we must warn them to 
speak no longer to anyone in 

305
00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:25,160
this name. 
Then they called in Peter and 

306
00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:31,760
John again and commanded them 
not to speak or teach at all in 

307
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:36,200
the name of Jesus. 
The only thing that will stop a 

308
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:41,240
flame from growing and building 
and spreading like wildfires all

309
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:49,280
over this region is silence, is 
our silence. 

310
00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:54,680
You see, Peter and John, they 
were commanded, they were 

311
00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:58,200
ordered, they were harassed, 
they were threatened by these 

312
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:03,400
incredibly powerful people not 
to speak about Jesus anymore. 

313
00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,520
They'd be in silence. 
They'd already been thrown into 

314
00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,200
jail. 
They knew what persecution was 

315
00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:13,480
and they could see it coming 
towards them at a rate of knots.

316
00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:18,560
And yet this is their response, 
verse 19 to 21. 

317
00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:24,280
But Peter and John replied, 
which is right in God's eyes to 

318
00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,960
listen to you or to him. 
You'd be the judges. 

319
00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:33,040
As for us, we cannot help 
speaking about what we have seen

320
00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:36,120
and heard. 
After further threats, they let 

321
00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:38,440
them go. 
They could not decide how to 

322
00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:42,000
punish them because all the 
people were praising God for 

323
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:46,360
what had happened. 
What is compelling Peter and 

324
00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:50,960
John not to be silent? 
What has captivated them to such

325
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:56,040
an extent that they are prepared
to stand in direct opposition of

326
00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,960
what has been commanded over 
them by the most highest people?

327
00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:04,520
What has put fire in their bones
and resolution in their hearts? 

328
00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:09,880
The answer and the key, I 
believe, to this question is 

329
00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:16,160
found in verse 13. 
When they saw the courage of 

330
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,960
Peter and John and realised that
they were unschooled ordinary 

331
00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:26,120
men, they were astonished and 
they took note that these men 

332
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:31,640
had been with Jesus. 
What is needed to grow a flame 

333
00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:37,040
into a fire #2 intimacy with 
Jesus. 

334
00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,960
Intimacy turns a flame into a 
fire. 

335
00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:45,200
The religious rulers, they were 
stunned. 

336
00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,640
Why? 
Because they could see the 

337
00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,600
unmistakable evidence that Peter
and John, they had been with 

338
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:54,680
Jesus. 
Peter hadn't just studied Jesus,

339
00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:59,320
he'd live with him. 
Jesus had called him by name. 

340
00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:03,080
He'd shared meals with him. 
He'd taught him the secrets of 

341
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:05,840
the Kingdom of God. 
He'd loved him all the way 

342
00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:08,680
through his failures. 
He'd challenged his pride and 

343
00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,480
he'd encouraged his heart. 
And he'd commissioned his 

344
00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:14,600
future. 
Jesus said, look Peter in the 

345
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,360
eyes at his lowest point, and he
had restored him. 

346
00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:22,920
Peter had been transformed 
because of the life, the 

347
00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:27,360
presence and the very heart of 
Jesus had rubbed off on him. 

348
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:34,280
There's an old Persian proverb 
that says a lump of clay emitted

349
00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:40,080
a beautiful odour and when asked
for explanation, replied, I have

350
00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:44,360
been near a rose. 
Friends, we are the clay. 

351
00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:51,840
Jesus is the Rose. 
Our fragrance, our courage, our 

352
00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:55,440
peace, our boldness is not 
something that we manufacture. 

353
00:25:56,320 --> 00:26:02,840
It is the result of proximity. 
Intimacy is the antidote to any 

354
00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:06,360
fading flame. 
It's a solution for every dry 

355
00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:09,440
season and every weary moment in
our lives. 

356
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:15,200
And when the enemy comes to 
crush, when the enemy comes to 

357
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:19,360
squeeze the life out of us, 
which he so often tries to do, 

358
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:24,320
when the world tries to blow out
the fire, the flame within you, 

359
00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:30,520
the cure is not to try harder. 
The cure is to be with Jesus, be

360
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:35,560
with Jesus again, to sit with 
him, to linger in his Word, to 

361
00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:40,040
linger in worship, to pray, and 
to be filled by his Spirit 

362
00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:44,640
afresh. 
If we want the fire to grow, we 

363
00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,560
don't focus on the flame, we 
focus on the one who lit it. 

364
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:54,400
And from that intimacy comes 
courage. 

365
00:26:55,320 --> 00:27:03,200
Courage turns a flame into a 
fire that spreads to wildfires. 

366
00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:09,880
In the early 1500s, it was a 
capital crime to translate the 

367
00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:13,320
Bible into English. 
The religious Sanhedrin at the 

368
00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:18,240
time, they believed that the 
common people could not cope 

369
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,920
with the fire of the Word of 
God, and so they wanted to keep 

370
00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,760
it contained in Latin. 
But there was a man named 

371
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:30,120
William Tindall who had been 
with Jesus and through the study

372
00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:33,680
of the Hebrew and Greek 
scriptures and through the Holy 

373
00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,080
Spirit, igniting something with 
him, within him. 

374
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:42,800
He famously said to a 
high-ranking clergyman, if God 

375
00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:48,480
keeps me alive, before many 
years pass, I'll make sure that 

376
00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:52,600
a teenage farmhand knows more 
about the Bible than you do. 

377
00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:58,240
And for years, Tyndall he lived 
as a fugitive. 

378
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:03,200
He moved from city to city all 
across Europe, often cold and 

379
00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:05,600
lonely and hiding in the 
shadows. 

380
00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:10,280
Yet he worked tirelessly, 
smuggling thousands of English 

381
00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:14,880
New Testaments into England in 
sacks of flour and crates of 

382
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:17,720
cloth. 
Because he knew that if the 

383
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:23,040
English people could read the 
Bible in their mother tongue, 

384
00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:26,440
read the name of Jesus, then it 
would be a game changer for 

385
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:28,320
them. 
It would change everything. 

386
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,320
And in 1536, Tyndall, he was 
betrayed. 

387
00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:37,600
He was captured, he was 
strangled and he was burned at 

388
00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:41,120
the stake. 
And as the fire was lit, he 

389
00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:46,480
cried out, Lord, open the eyes 
of the king of England. 

390
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:51,960
And God answered that prayer. 
Within two years, King Henry the

391
00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,920
Eighth ordered that an English 
Bible be placed in every single 

392
00:28:55,920 --> 00:29:01,200
church in the country. 
This man's single flame became a

393
00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:05,960
wildfire that gave us the basis 
for the King James Bible and put

394
00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:11,480
the gospel in front of every 
man, woman and child in England.

395
00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:16,240
Friends, when we are filled with
the Holy Spirit, our life 

396
00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:21,840
becomes a contagion of courage. 
You see the authorities, they 

397
00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:25,720
thought they were putting out a 
fire by burning a man, but they 

398
00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:28,920
didn't realise that Tyndall 
wasn't just a man with a book. 

399
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:33,160
He was a man who was filled by 
the spirit of God and his death 

400
00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,880
was the spark that turned a 
flickering flame into a global 

401
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,400
wildfire. 
And the English language, 

402
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:44,200
English language was forever set
ablaze with the word of God. 

403
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:51,360
Friends of fire that stays 
contained in a fireplace is just

404
00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:56,080
for our own comfort. 
It keeps us cosy, it keeps us 

405
00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:59,920
warm, it keeps us snuggled up 
and it keeps us safe. 

406
00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:08,600
But a spirit fuelled fire, it's 
meant to break out, it's meant 

407
00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:12,120
to become a wildfire. 
And this is what the Sanhedrin 

408
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:15,120
feared the most. 
They weren't just dealing with a

409
00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:19,000
healed man or a clever argument,
they were dealing with a 

410
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:23,600
contagion of courage. 
Peter's boldness was infectious 

411
00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:27,000
because it wasn't from him, it 
was from the Holy Spirit, and it

412
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,120
moved from him to the other 
disciples and eventually it 

413
00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:35,840
swept across the world. 
It was a wildfire that no power 

414
00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:38,880
could quench and no prison could
contain. 

415
00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:46,080
Let us not be people who choose 
to stay warm and cosy by the 

416
00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:50,000
fireplace. 
Let's be people who were set 

417
00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:54,800
ablaze for the name of Jesus 
Christ of Nazareth. 

418
00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:57,960
Amen. 
Amen.