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

Daily Dose of Hope

November 19, 2025

Scripture - Acts 3

Prayer: Almighty God, We come to you today with humble hearts. We are broken and we need you. Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you this morning. Help us set aside distractions so we might hear your voice. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us just focus on Jesus...In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. This week, we have just started the book of Acts, after walking through all the Gospels. What a great spiritual journey this has been and I'm so glad you have joined us! Today, we walk through Acts 3.

The chapter starts with Peter and John heading into the temple in the afternoon. There is a disabled man there, who could not walk, and was brought into the temple every day to beg for money. This passage always makes me smile. Peter says something like, "Look, we don't have any money but we have something better." And he heals him. The man wasn't expecting it at all. He was expecting more of the same – begging, barely making it, having no dignity, simply existing. And what Peter and John offered him, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was so much better. The man jumps and leaps throughout the temple courts and praises God. People are standing there, jaws dropped, shocked. They recognize him as the same man who used to beg at the temple gate, and now they are filled with wonder and amazement.

And then the two men use this as an opportunity to preach about Jesus. Peter says, "Why does this surprise you?" He talks about Jesus. He makes sure the people don't think this is a magic trick or something that happened by Peter's own power. This is totally, completely, a result of the power of Jesus Christ.

What I find interesting is that Peter tailors his witnessing to the people around him. These are Jewish people. Thus, he goes way back to the Jewish fathers, explaining how Jesus was always part of God's plan. Yet, he was killed and then resurrected. Peter continues by telling them that Jesus is the one God sent, Jesus is the one that the prophets were speaking of, Jesus is the one you should have recognized! It's really fascinating to me that Peter, throughout Acts, does such a great job, balancing human culpability for the death of Jesus with the inevitability of Jesus' death as part of God's plan. This death was necessary and God knew it had to happen. Prophecy said it would happen. But, at the same time, it only occurred because human beings sinned and ensured that it would happen. God didn't force anyone's hand. He didn't make anyone do anything.

One aspect of Peter's message that is critical is repentance. I don't think we talk about repentance enough. Let's look at verse 19, Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord... Peter tells the Jews who are listening that, regardless of what has come before, regardless of the mistakes of the past, it is time to repent. Now is the time to turn to God and allow him to cleanse your sins so that you can be refreshed and be made white as snow.

Life is different with Jesus. Allow him in and experience new life.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki