Proposed by-law changes and budget Q and A Meetings
Sunday, January 22nd after second service
The Bridge Church Reno - Learning Center
We will be voting on several different items as well as some changes to our by-laws at this year’s annual meeting.  If you are a voting member please plan on attending one of the two informational meetings.  There will be a Q and A meeting on Thursday January 19th at 6pm in the learning center.  There will also be a Q and A meeting on Sunday January 22nd after second service.
 
Starting Point Class
Sunday January 29th @ 11:45a

The Bridge Church Reno - Learning Center
If you are new to The Bridge Church this is a great place to learn all about our mission and vision and why we believe God has placed us here in this neighborhood.  You will learn all about how we are reaching our community and world, you will also have the opportunity to become a member. Please use the connection card on the website or app to sign up and let us know you will be joining us.
 
Annual Business Meeting
Sunday, January 29th @ 5:00p
The Bridge Church Reno
On the last Sunday of January we will have our annual business meeting and potluck. We will look back at 2022 and take a look forward at 2023 as well as vote on the budget and board of trustees as well as several other items of importance.
 
Mexico Mission Trip Taco Feed Fundraiser
Sunday, February 5th after second service
The Bridge Church Reno
We are having an event to raise funds for our Missions team.  This spring we have 15 people headed down to visit our mission partners Buky and Theresa at Mexican Medical Missions. The team is raising funds for their trip.  For a ten dollar donation per person you can come and eat Cowboy Tom’s famous tacos after second service in the Kids Kingdom.  Bring the whole the whole family!

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 

Peter? Peter the guy who was always getting it wrong, Peter the guy who was always sticking his foot in his mouth? Peter the guy who denied Jesus three times, when he swore up and down he would never do that? Yes, that's the guy. Peter now has the Holy Spirit, and by yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit even Peter could now be used by God in such an amazing way to deliver this first message of the gospel. 

Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

Jesus authority was proven by the miracles and signs and wonders he performed. That's where his accreditation came from. No one else could do the things that he did. He fed thousands, he healed hundreds, he walked on water, he raised the dead. And Peter ends this verse with “as you yourselves know.” because these people knew about these things. They were either physically present when these signs and wonders happened or they had heard a first-hand account of an eyewitness. And he wants to remind them of that. “You yourselves have seen exactly what this man Jesus did.” 

This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 

Now Peter is telling them this was meant to happen, this was no accident.  We have a saying “Accidents happen.”  That’s what we say when something unexpected (and usually not good) happens. But that's just the opposite of what Peter is saying. This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan. This was no accident, God actually planned for this to happen. This is what God intended all along.

God has raised this Jesus to life and we are all witnesses of it.

Peter is saying Listen, we saw this with our own eyes. This isn't some story, this isn't some fairy tale, this isn't a fable, or a parable, or a representation, or something we are hoping for. It happened and we saw it with our own eyes and heard it with our own ears and experienced it as a reality. We touched Jesus with our hands and it was real.

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

How do we respond to this?  Number one, repent. Repent means to turn around or turn away. Number one, repent.  Turn around, go the other direction. Turn away from the world and sin and move towards God. specifically for these people that Peter is talking to, he is saying, stop trying to follow your man-made rituals to try and please God. Stop trusting in yourself for salvation and trust in Jesus.

Number two, be baptized. In other words tell the world. Show the world that you are now rejecting everything else and putting your trust in Jesus. that's what we believe about baptism, we believe that scripture teaches that baptism this is a response to saying yes to Jesus. It is an act of obedience and an act of outward expression of telling the world I am going under the water to die to this life and coming out of the water to be resurrected in a life that is solely focused on following Jesus and bringing glory to him.

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.