A Look Back at Sundays Sermon: Repentance & Baptism (Acts 2:36-41) Acts 2:36-41 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?

search=Acts+2%3A36-41&version=NIV The service on Sunday was a special one because the church had the WOW Preschool parents and family there for the Pre-K graduation. These events allowed the church to partner with the preschool and brought unity amongst the two ministries. It also allowed the church to come alongside the preschool parents to love and support them as they continue to raise their children in a Godly manner. For the past couple weeks Pastor Danny has been preaching on the desire of Jesus to send the church his Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit gave Peter the great confidence to speak in front of many people and give us the good news for the first time; that Jesus lived, died and the most important part was the he rose again from the dead. We do not have a God that is dead or whose tomb we can find. We have a living God that can relate to us. Jesus is alive-Pastor Danny Martinez. When speaking to the crowd, Peter was very blunt in saying that they were the ones who crucified Jesus but that it was ok because it was part of the plan all along. Peter is also speaking to todays Christians. The world needs a savior because people are lost in their sins and own agendas. God is not thought about often. People today are more interested in what the stars are wearing then having a relationship with God. Pastor Danny said, We have gotten away from knowing and experiencing what a godly life is. A lot of people think is a bunch of things you can and cannot do. However, Jesus has left his Holy Spirit to dwell inside of each of us. You can call that a conscience. I call it Gods voice. He is always with us. When was the last time you said I am a child of God? People know that Jesus was a great man but some dont know what it means to follow Jesus in their daily life. Its hard and challenging and it is a sacrifice. Being a follow of Christ is not just thinking he is a cool teacher and how nice that he died for me. It means that you are in an agreement to continue to learn about him and love your neighbor. This also means that you lead your children by example to a relationship with Christ. That you treat your wife and husband with respect and care just like Jesus did for the church. That you love and

discipline your children at the same time as teaching them about life and the many things that Jesus said in the Bible-Pastor Danny Martinez. How do you get started? First Peter says that you need to repent and be baptized. Repentance means changing your mind about sin. Christians call this accepting Jesus into your heart. Baptism means to give a public announcement that you are a follower of Jesus. Because you are not perfect, nor should you pretend to be, you need to ask Jesus for help to be a witness. When you do this you receive forgiveness of your sins. Pastor Danny Martinez said, Some people live their entire lives without knowing true forgiveness. They carry the weight of their guilt around, when Jesus promises to take that away, because you cant do anything about it. What does this mean as parents? Parents worry about their children and try to protect them sometimes from the harsh realities of life. They can try to put their child in a protective bubble but eventually they are going to have to learn to live just the way they did, by making mistakes and learning from them. That is why it is important to teach them the Christian principles when they are young so when the time comes they will know what to do and can rely on God to guide them. You do the best you can as parents and leave the rest up to God, but that requires faith and that comes from hearing the Word of God. If you have a church, great! Continue to be faithful there. If you dont, find a church that can be your family of faith for you and your whole family. The last verse of this passage says: The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far offfor all whom the Lord our God will call (Acts 2:39). The promise is for you, your children and everyone else. Some people have been hurt by the church. Not necessarily this one, but the many churches in the world. Some people dont go to church because of misunderstandings or sincerely because church is full of broken people. God is calling you in spite of all of this to be a community of faith that loves each other and cares for the little ones, and those who cannot defend themselves. It does take a village to raise a child.- Pastor Danny Martinez.

In His Love, Nicole