May 31, 2026

Acts 9:31-43

Built Up and Growing Up

Sunday Sermons

In Acts 9:31–43, Luke pauses to take the pulse of the early church, and he reveals a flourishing community: at peace, being built up, walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and multiplying. Then he takes us to two bedsides. In Lydda, Peter heals a paralyzed man in the name of Jesus. In Joppa, a beloved disciple named Tabitha has died, and Peter kneels, prays, and calls her back to life. Two towns witness the power of the risen Christ, and they turn to the Lord.

Join Pastor Tommy as we trace two movements of the Spirit in this passage: a church being built up and disciples growing up. Jesus keeps his promise to build his church, working through Peter and through the quiet, costly mercy of a woman known for her needle and thread. Growing in the likeness of Christ is not something impressive or polished, but a life slowly transformed by walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Speaker

Tommy Bailey

Series

Acts of the Apostles

Go to Series

Scripture

Acts 9:31-43

Topics
Growth & Discipleship Worldview & Culture

Sermon Notes

Acts 9:31-43

Built Up and Growing Up

Pastor Tommy Bailey

The Church in Acts 9:31

  • Spreading beyond Jerusalem:
    • Judea
    • Galilee
    • Samaria
  • At peace
  • Being built up
  • Walking:
    • In the fear of the Lord
    • In the comfort of the Holy Spirit
  • Multiplying

1. The Church Being Built Up

  • Mission of Christ

“Christianity was born in the Middle East, captured the mind and heart of Europe, spread to the Americas, and is now on the decline in the West but rapidly growing in the Far East, Latin America, China, and much of Africa: ‘There are now six times more Anglicans in Nigeria alone than there are in all of the United States. There are more Presbyterians in Ghana than in the United States and Scotland combined. [South] Korea has gone from 1 percent to 40 percent Christian in a hundred years, and experts believe the same thing is going to happen in China.'”
Christopher Watkin, Biblical Critical Theory

The Miracles of Jesus

  • Demonstrate the Authority of Jesus
  • Affirm the Identity of Jesus
  • Reveal the Compassion of Jesus
  • Anticipate the Kingdom of Jesus
  • Inspire Faith in Jesus

“The church–a healthy church–is the hermeneutic of the gospel. It’s the way that the gospel comes to life. It’s the way that people can taste and smell the gospel.
”
Lesslie Newbigin

2. The Disciples Growing Up

  • Maturing in Christ

“But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.”
2 Corinthians 7:6-7

“The task of the church is to make the invisible kingdom visible.
”
J. I. Packer, Concise Theology

“Sanctification, becoming holy, is a recovery of life. It is a recovery of the image of God that we are made in. To be conformed more into the likeness of Christ is a restoration of our humanity.”
Jerram Barrs

Gospel Cadence

  • Walking in the fear of the Lord
  • Walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit

“The gospel is when the firefighter who pulls you out of the fire is also the doctor who saves your life, the plastic surgeon who repairs your scars, the insurance agent who sends the money to rebuild, and the carpenter who builds your new home from the ground up. The gospel is one-way love, without end.”
Russ Masterson, Searching for Grace

Discussion Questions

  • How do we describe the church? How is God continuing to actively build and grow it today for His glory and our highest good?
  • What are the indicators of spiritual health and vitality? Do our lives radiate the evidence of the grace given to us that can then be poured out to those around us? If we find ourselves in a state of spiritual decline, what needs to happen to bring us back to health?
  • What does spiritual maturity look like? Are we actively growing up and growing in grace? Are we bearing the fruit of a life set not on self, but set radically free? Do we yearn for true transformation – a recovery and restoration of the heart?
  • Why is being part of a church community so important both spiritually and practically? What happens when we walk together in a Gospel cadence? Are we committed to a lifetime pursuit of giving up our own kingdoms and instead choosing together to seek His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven?

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs

“Leaning On The Everlasting Arms“ by Elisha Albright Hoffman, Anthony J. Showalter, and Anthony Johnson Showalter
“My Jesus I Love Thee“ by William R. Featherston and Adoniram Judson Gordon
“I Set My Hope“ (Hymn for a Deconstructing Friend) Words and Music by Matt Boswell, Matt Papa and Keith Getty
“The Lord Almighty Reigns“ by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used with permission. CCLI License no. 2003690

Looking for our Hymns of the Week or resources to worship anytime? We’ve curated a playlist of hymns TVC Worship has led on our YouTube Channel!

Call To Worship: Now and Forevermore

Men: The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Women: We dwell in Him and He in us.
Men: Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His name! Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Women: We will sing to Him, sing praises to Him, and speak of all His marvelous works.
All: All praise to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; to whom all honor and glory be now and forevermore. Amen!

Classic Prayer: Johann Arndt

Ah, Lord, to Whom all hearts are open, You can pilot the ship of my soul far better than I can. Do not let me be carried hither and thither by wandering thoughts, but, forgetting all else, let me see and hear You alone. Renew my spirit; kindle in me Your light, that it may shine within me, and my heart may burn in love and adoration for You. Let Your Holy Spirit dwell in me continually, and make me Your temple and sanctuary. Fill me with Your love and light and life, with devout and heavenly thoughts, with comfort and strength, with joy and peace.

Confession of Faith: Treasuring God’s Word

“Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”
Psalm 37:5

Leader: What does the Psalmist mean when he says, “Commit your way to the Lord?”
People: We are invited to give our whole selves to a kind and loving Father. Our desires and plans, our hopes and fears, all may rest in His sovereign wisdom and steadfast love.

Leader: What does the Psalmist mean when he says, “Trust also in Him, and He will do it”?
People: We are invited to give our whole selves to a kind and loving Father. He is worthy of our trust. Because He is faithful and true, we can walk in active obedience to His Word and wait with eager anticipation and confident hope for Him to act in His perfect timing with wisdom, power, righteousness, and love.

TVC Prayer Ministry

TVC Ministry: Servant Leadership Council
Vocation: Music
TVC Mission Highlight: Agape International Mission
Praying for the Persecuted Church: Rwanda

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