Cornerstone Church – Page 23 – Cornerstone Church of Silicon Valley- CCSV

July 14: “The Gentile Pentecost” (Acts 10:22-48)

Gentile mission is initiated by the Holy Spirit. For the first time, Gentiles receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when they believe the gospel message. God doesn’t show favoritism, but accepts people from every nation who have faith in Jesus Christ. The Jews were surprised by God’s grace because their prejudice limited their view […]

July 7: “The Three Advocates for Saul” (Acts 9:1-31)

Saul had a dramatic conversion. He eventually became an apostle to the Gentiles, planting many churches and writing many books of the New Testament. But even Paul needed advocates in his early days as a Christian. In Damascus, it was Ananias. In Jerusalem, it was Barnabas. But the key advocate is the Paraclete, who empowered […]

June 30: “Philip’s Witness in Samaria” (Acts 8:1-25)

When the persecution broke out, Philip, one of the seven deacons, went to Samaria and preached Christ there. Many believed and received the Holy Spirit when Peter and John came from Jerusalem. John is the one who wanted the Samaritans punished when they did not welcome Jesus. But now we see him asking God to […]

June 23: “Stephen the Martyr” (Acts 6:8-15, Acts 7:48-60)

One of the seven deacons the early church elected was Stephen, a Greek Jew full of God’s grace, power and wisdom. He was a powerful witness who reflected Christ in his life and death. In Greek, the word for witness is “martus,” from which we get our word “martyr”. Stephen’s martyrdom affected many people, especially […]

June 9: “A Gospel Community with Ethnic Sensitivity” (Acts 6:1-7)

When the Hellenistic Jews complained against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food, the 12 disciples told the church to elect seven “diakonia” (deacons) to take charge of the food distribution. Surprisingly, the seven elected men were all Hellenistic Jews! The Hebraic Jews, who were the majority, […]