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ATTENTION MEN: Tuesday Morning Prayer 6:30 am in the Welcome Center. Calling all men to join together each week to pray and encourage each other.
Starting Point Class - Today
Sunday April 2nd at 11:15a
The Bridge Church Reno
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. Sign up at thebridgereno.com/startingpoint.

Discovering My Ministry Class - Today
Sunday April 2 at 11:15a
The Bridge Church Reno
If you have said yes to Jesus and have started a relationship with Him then you have been given at least one spiritual gift. This class focuses on discovering that gift as well as how you can use your talents, abilities, and past experiences all together to serve God. In this class, we will develop your personal ministry profile and work towards discovering how God has uniquely shaped you to further His Kingdom. Please sign up using the Connection Card.

Blood Drive - Today
Sunday, April 2 at 9:00a - 12:00p
The Bridge Church Reno
Please consider giving blood. Your blood donation means everything. To the emergency team working around the clock. To the loved ones anxiously waiting for news. To the patient desperate to recover.  Be a hero a donate blood. To schedule an appointment visit thebridgereno.com/donateblood.  If you have not made an appointment that is okay.  Just head out to the truck and they will let you know what times are available.

Baptisms
Sunday, April 2
The Bridge Church Reno
Sign up at thebridgereno.com/baptism If you would like to be baptized.

Good Friday/Easter Sunday
Friday April 7th and Sunday April 9th
The Bridge Church Reno
We will have a Good Friday service at 6pm and one Easter service at 10am. Please pray for opportunities to invite friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers.  Our world is in desperate need of hope and Easter Sunday will be a great time to remember where our only real home comes from.
 
Help with Easter basket giveaway
Going on now through April 8th 
The Bridge Church Reno
Once again The Bridge Church has partnered with Thomas Hill and we are planning on giving away over one thousand free Easter baskets to children in need.  There is a need for help assembling the baskets as well as handing them out. If you are able to help with this please coordinate with Tom (cookies4kindness@gmail.com).

Message Notes

Surprised by God

Pastor Phil Burdoin
April 2, 2023

The church in Jerusalem was under heavy persecution.
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
Acts 12:1-4

Both the controlling Roman powers and the Jewish leaders are adamantly against this group of people who are claiming that this Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead and that he was in fact the promised messiah of the old testament.

Herod had James put to death. This was James the son of Zebedee, James the apostle, Not James the brother of Jesus.  This was James the brother of John, referred to as James and John the sons of thunder in Mark chapter 3.  He was one of Jesus’ inner circle.

This pleased the Jews so much that Herod decided to go after another one of Jesus’ inner circle, Peter. On the eve of his trial Peter is in jail, guarded by 16 soldiers, but the church was praying for him.

After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
Acts 12:4-5

We need to pray earnestly. Deeply, sincerely, strongly, intently.  That is how Peter’s friend were praying.  
The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.  They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
Acts 12:6-11

Peter was miraculously rescued from the jail by and angel, but he wasn’t even sure it was real.
He goes to Mary’s house to share the good news and this is where it gets a little funny.

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Remember the church is earnestly praying for Peter.  “Lord rescue our brother Peter, please do something Father.” 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

We need to pray with expectancy.
They were so shocked that Peter was alive and free they didn’t know how to respond.  Were they praying with the expectancy that God was going to answer?

“God will only give you what you would have asked for if you knew everything he knows” 
- Timothy Keller

Prayer can be difficult because we don't know everything God knows and that's what makes prayer somewhat mysterious. However, one way we get to know more about God is communicating with him. 

We need to pray extendedly.
In other words keep praying.  Don’t stop.  Don’t say, “I’ve prayed about that God didn’t answer me.” Keep praying, don’t give up. Don’t stop. Keep going to God, keep talking to him, keep communicating with him.

Because: God wants to hear from you
Why is it so special when a baby says their first words, why do we celebrate when a child speaks the first sounds.  Because we want to communicate with our child.  We love them and want to hear from them.  God loves you and wants to hear from you.
Previous Messages Can Be Found Here

Small Groups Talk About It

Watch the latest Message Summary:

Discussion Questions:
  1. What is your favorite movie or book that has a surprise ending in it?  What happened in the   ending, and how did you respond to it?
  2. Share a time when you were surprised by how God answered your prayers.
  3. Read Acts 12:1-5. What do you know about King Herod? What was his intentions towards the church? What was his intentions towards Peter?
  4. Explain what you think it means to “pray earnestly.”  Describe what it looks like to “pray earnestly.”  Share a time when you have prayed that way and the outcome.
  5. Read Acts 12:6-11. Why do you think Peter was able to sleep so soundly in the midst of this dark situation? Why do you think God used an angel to help Peter instead of just releasing him from the chains and having him walk out on his own?
  6. Read Acts 12:12-16. Discuss this situation, and why it is humorous. If they were all praying for Peter, why were they so surprised to see him?  Does that show a lack of faith on their part? Explain why or why not.
  7. Explain what praying with expectancy looks like?  Has there been times when you have prayed and expected God to answer?  Share that story?  How do we learn to pray with more expectancy?
  8. Who are you praying for right now to come to faith?  Make a list of people that you WILL invite to church for Easter. 

Dig Deeper: as we approach Easter let’s prepare by studying Jesus’s final hours.

Monday: Read Matthew 26:17-35
What are they celebrating?
What significance does this have on the eve of Jesus’ sacrifice?

Tuesday: Read Matthew 26:36-56
Why is Jesus overwhelmed?  
What is he facing?
Verse 41: Where do you see this in your life?

Wednesday: Read Matthew 26:57-75
Why do they need false witnesses in order to condemn Jesus?
Why do you think Peter was unable to stand up to temptation?

Thursday:  Read Matthew 27:11-31
Why do the Jewish leaders bring Jesus to Pilate?
How did Jesus respond?  (Study Isaiah 53 to find the prophecy of this)
Who in these verses believes Jesus is innocent?

Friday: Read Matthew 27: 32-56
Why did Jesus accuse the Father of forsaking Him?
What was the significance of the temple curtain being torn?

   

Previous Messages Can Be Found Here