Daily Dose of Hope

November 24, 2025

Scripture - Acts 5:1-16

Prayer: Almighty God, As we move into a new week, we pray that today will be a day that we see glimpses of your glory. We need you, we yearn for you. Lord, help us set aside our distractions and settle our scattered thoughts so we can focus on you and you alone. In the next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers... In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. We are currently walking through the book of Acts. Today, we are staring Acts 5, specifically the first sixteen verses.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is kind of disturbing. But keep in mind that this is happening within the context of the new church community. This is a community in which people are selling all their possessions and living in unity, of the same mind and spirit. Then, Ananias and Sapphira, in contrast, tell everyone they are selling a piece of land and giving all the profit to the church. But they secretly keep a big chunk for themselves. This is the thing – if they had been honest and said they were splitting the proceeds and keeping some for themselves, it would not have been a big deal. Afterall, it was their property and their money. They could decide how to use it. The issue was in the deception. Rather than being filled with the Holy Spirit (as we see in the rest of the community), they were filled with a spirit of evil.

Here is an interesting question – were Ananias and Sapphira true believers? They probably were. Their story is told in the context of the actions of "all the believers" in Acts 4. They knew the Holy Spirit. It's possible that Ananias may have earlier promised to give the whole amount of the sale of the property to the church and then they changed their mind and decided to be deceptive rather than truthful. Maybe the best evidence that they were believers is that they were disciplined for their actions. They wanted attention and accolades but they lied to get it. They were even given a chance to fess up but they stuck to their lies. As a result, they died.

It shows us that believers can be led into bold, obvious sin. And really, don't we see this often in the church? A respected church leader falls from grace – the inappropriate relationship, embezzled funds, something is just not right. Satan is active and at work in our lives and we have to be on guard, prepared with the full armor of God. You guys, spiritual warfare is real.

If this story seems harsh, it is. You are totally right. I've thought about this. The church was young. They were really setting boundaries. The apostles were establishing their own leadership. This was a warning to the church as a whole. Deception and evil will not be tolerated. We are not to look like the culture at large. We belong to Jesus. We reflect Jesus.

Does New Hope reflect Jesus? What can we do better? What can you do better?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 21, 2025

Scripture - Acts 4:23-37

Prayer: Almighty Father, You always know what is best for us. Thank you for that. We are sorry for the ways that we resist. Help us to want what you want for us. Help us to want to be patient, to want to be kind, to want to be obedient. Conform our will, Lord, In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a devotional and podcast that goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. Happy Friday! We are so glad you have joined us today. We have been doing an intense deep dive into the Gospels and Acts. We have made it to the book of Acts and today, we are finishing up Acts 4.

The Jewish leaders had threatened Peter and John not to preach and teach Jesus. Peter and John knew that was not going to be possible. So what do they do? They immediately gather with other believers for a time of prayer. They pour their concerns out before the Lord. They proclaim the majesty of God's greatness and power and they ask him to give them more boldness.

I want you to adequately grasp this. They don't hide. They don't cower. They don't pray for protection. They pray for boldness. They never had any intention of backing down, but they do know that they will need Spirit-filled courage.

Think about the situation in your life right now that is causing the most stress and anxiety. How can you reframe it like these disciples? It's not about backing down. It's about God giving you the strength, courage, stamina, and wisdom to face it head-on. Please use good sense here and proceed with prayer. But don't let fear make you make down. Were Peter and John scared? Probably. They were human beings. But they surrounded themselves with believers to pray over them and build them up with the strength of the Spirit. What a great model!

I want to jump down to the end of the chapter. The believers are together and share all they have. They are of one mind. They sell their possessions and lay them at the apostles' feet. They are filled with grace in a powerful way. This is the way the church began. Do you think maybe we have gotten off course a bit? The reality is that a lot of history has occurred between the church of Acts and today.

But what do you take from this passage? What elements of the church might we need to bring back to right now to be more in line with the teachings of Jesus?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 20, 2025

Scripture - Acts 4:1-22

Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord,
by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit
help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We have been doing a pretty intense walk through the Gospels and Acts. Today, we begin Acts 4.

Peter and John have been brought before the Sanhedrin. Why? Because they were preaching Jesus crucified and risen. Peter has spoken as one filled with the Holy Spirit and it is powerful! Many were coming to belief in Jesus. These Jewish officials felt threatened. And yet, they couldn't deny that the man had been healed. The officials ask Peter and John by what authority they are preaching and teaching. What do they say? They state clearly that they are preaching by the authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

What was kind of fascinating and also kind of sad as I was doing research for this Scripture was the number of academics who struggled with this passage. They struggled with the exclusivity of Peter and John preaching Jesus and only Jesus. Peter is clear – it is by Jesus this man was healed and it is only by Jesus that we are saved. And here we are 2000 years later and all kinds of academics can parse words and want to make the speech different. Yet, Peter was clear. He says this in verse 12, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

My favorite line from the chapter is, When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. This is always such a humbling verse for me. Do others look at us and know we've been with Jesus? It didn't matter that Peter and John hadn't had proper schooling, whatever that is. They might not have even been literate. But here they are, filled with the Spirit of the Living God, and it is obvious. Everything about what they spoke, how they looked, and how they behaved, made it so evident that they belonged to Jesus.

And that begs the question --- could people say the same for us?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki