The Book of Acts - Bold

Acts 28:17-30

Sermons to Build a Church On

Our last several posts on Acts have been centered on great sermons that were given while Paul was building the church.  This last passage finds Paul in chains once again, on his way to appeal before Caesar.

We know throughout Acts Paul's message is met with unbelievers.  Even the Jews were sometimes the ones responsible for putting him in jail!

If you read verses 23-30, you'll find some powerful words:

explained

declared

convince

preach

taught

Paul had spent his entire ministry teaching and preaching the good news of Jesus Christ.

  "Boldly and without hindrance 

he preached the kingdom of God 

and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." (v31)

Have you ever examined your life and asked yourself what are you building-within your home, your church and your community?

Are you building a legacy for Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven or a carnal life for this world?  I hope you are building a life for Christ, brick by brick, through grace!

The Book of Acts and a new Resource

One of the great ways to learn and grow as a family is to study God's word together.  As we've been going through the Book of Acts, I recently discovered a website that I want to share with you. 

Scripture Adventures has all kinds of great curriculum for kids to learn the Bible, and its not just for homeschoolers!   They not only have theme studies, but also Old and New Testament studies.  What got my attention was their study on Acts!  They graciously sent me a copy to reviews(its an ebook and was super easy to download), and I absolutely love it!  This book is full of so much information, including maps, charts, and history!  Each chapter guides your child through not only the chapter of Acts, but also the history behind it, as well as cross references and character studies.  I've learned a ton myself!

This is a terrific companion for our study here on Acts and is a great way to involve the whole family.  Go cruise around their website and check out all their great resources.  You'll even find a few freebies!

The Book of Acts

Acts 22:1-21

As we've seen from many of the lessons in Acts, Paul was quite a troublemaker, just be his mere presents.  In today's passage, we find Paul trying to attend church, but others recognize him as the Apostle.  The Jews were very unhappy with the message Paul was teaching, especially to the Gentiles.  A riot ensued as they tried to attack Paul.  But in typical Paul style, as the Roman soldiers literally are bodily carrying him out, he requests to talk with the people.

There is one thing I want to focus on today from this entire passage.  Paul starts by telling his story.  Read verses 6 & 7:

"About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul, Saul, Why do you persecute me?'"

Quite the attention grabber, wouldn't you say?  There was no way Saul could miss God talking with him.  God certainly had his attention.

How does God get your attention?  I know he probably is not sending a bright light from heaven.  Does He have to bring out the heavy artillery like financial problems, sickness, death, loneliness, etc. before you turn to Him?  Can you see Him sitting in your prayer place quietly waiting for you to return to time with Him?  He desperately wants to spend time with you.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

The Book of Acts

Acts 20:13-35

Paul's Sermon to the Ephesian Elders

Paul has been on this journey for three years and he is ready to head back to Jerusalem.  He is bidding a final goodbye to the elders, convinced he will never see them again.  After three years of teaching, his message has been heard.  Now he encourages them to live it! 

He holds up his own life as a testament to living for Christ and asking nothing in return.  He lived for Christ knowing that as he returned to Jerusalem, he would certainly be put back in prison and that many hardships were to face him once again.

Through it all his message is simple:  Hold Nothing Back.  

And I am convicted.

Do I serve as if owned by the Master? (v19)

Do I hesitate to speak truth no matter what? (v20)

Do I proclaim the will of God? (v27)

If you are a believer, your life is your sermon.  Paul taught thousands of sermons, but it was the way he lived his life that spoke even louder.

So for my life to speak volumes, I must keep watch over the small things that separate me from the world.  I must be on my guard and not become complacent against those who wish to distort the truth.  I must commit to God and grow in his Word as to not be caught off guard.

Are you writing a sermon with your life?  Finish the race, Christian, and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given you, testifying to the gospel of God's grace! (v24)

The Book of Acts - God at Work

Acts 15:6-21 The Jerusalem Council

As we continue following Paul through Acts, today we get to listen in at the Jerusalem Council, where 300 early leaders met. Some familiar leaders of the Christian faith are present; Peter, Paul, Barnabus and James, the brother of Jesus.  Wouldn't you have just loved to be sitting in this group of spiritual giants?

They've come to a discussion once again about Jews and Gentiles.  This is taking place about 49AD, so it is amazing to think that after all this time they are still trying to sort out and reconcile in their minds that Jews and Gentiles share the same inheritance of Christ.  James seems to set them all straight when he declares, "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God." (vs19)

I'm wondering if we too make it seem difficult to turn to God.  Do we judge others on their appearance, how they dress, their haircut, or tattoos, and decide they aren't worthy of the grace of Christ?  That they don't fit the mold? OUR mold?

Let's be reminded from Peter, "We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (v11)  We are all saved by grace, and nothing else.  Jesus only looks at the heart, not our outward appearance.

If we are paying attention, God is working in us and through us all the time.   Has someone different than you recently moved to your neighborhood?  Is their a new employee at your company?  Someone new to your church who might stand out a bit?  God doesn't work by chance, He works very purposefully.  Is there someone new in your life that may need YOUR grace and YOUR witness?

God is always at work.  How can you work with Him for the salvation in the lives of others?  You may have a divine appointment with someone new in your life, don't miss it!

The Book of Acts - Paul's Message of Encouragement

Acts 13:13-44

As you might expect, while Paul is traveling and preaching, he stops at quite a few different synagogues to worship.  This week we listen in as Paul and Barnabas are asked to encourage the believers in Pisidian Antioch.  As with many of the sermons found in Acts, because they are in Jewish territory, they recite much history of the church through the Old Testament.  But they are also addressing Gentile believers, so Paul is sure to bring the Old Testament and New Testament together through the resurrection of Jesus.

Paul's good news and encouragement is simple:  all believers are justified through faith in Christ Jesus.

A simple message with profound ramifications.  Justified=righteous, blameless.  When we are standing before the throne on our final judgment day, all Jesus will see is a precious believer, standing in a white robe, singing praises to God at His throne.

Our sin is unseen through the blood of Jesus poured out for all on the day of his crucifixion.  Hallelujah!

The Book of Acts - We Are All Preachers

Stephen's sermon in Acts 7:2-53 is amazing. He's pulling scripture out of all kinds of Old Testament books in an attempt to show them how they have missed Jesus as the Savior.   I think we tend to forget that during these times the apostles and early christians did not have the written word to study and memorize.  Almost all of their teaching was done orally.  Yes some of it was written, but certainly not widely available.

In order for us to witness today we, like Stephen, must know the story!  We need to have scripture memorized and be ready to tell YOUR story that points back to God.  Be prepared to not only tell the story, but show how we are all a part of the story, God's story.

Are you ready to give an account of your faith?  I Peter reminds us to "always be prepared to give an answer" for the hope you have in Christ Jesus.  You never know when you may be called upon to be a Preacher for a day.  Are you ready?

The Book of Acts - Repent

Acts 3:11-26

As Peter is building the first church here in the book of Acts, you might think that he would be careful about his preaching style and the messages he chooses in an effort to gain supporters and lead people to Christ.  But as we know, Peter is pretty straight to the point and he starts listing off all the reasons the Jews need to repent.  

Those in the temple courts are astounded when they see Peter and John heal a lame man.  Peter is surprised that he has to remind them again of the healing power in Jesus name.  But in so doing, he reminds them all that they were responsible for killing Jesus.  He is relentless in his accusations of their actions that led to the Crucifixion of Jesus.

Sometimes it is easy to blame the Jews for their part in Jesus death.  After all, they led the charge against him.  They asked for Barabas to be released, not Jesus.  The shouted "crucify him, crucify him".

Are we free of the guilt?  Not so fast!  Scripture will tell us that Jesus died for ALL mankind.  That means he covered my sins as well as yours when he died on the cross:

"The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God." Romans 6:10

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." II Corinthians 5:14

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit." I Peter 3:18

Repent always sounds like a harsh word, but simply put, we must turn toward God, seek His forgiveness,and be covered with the life giving blood of Jesus.  Peace and joy will follow!

The Book of Acts - The First Martyr, Stephen

The First Martyr-Stephen

Acts 6:8-15 & 7:54-60

If you recall last week's lesson about the first problem to arise in the church, you'll remember that Stephen was mentioned as being one of those who was to be in charge of the ministry of taking care of the widows.  In this minstry, you may not expect his witness to be dangerous.  After all, he's just handing out food to the poor widows.  

The Greek for the word witness is "marturia", which means someone who has a testimony.  We get the word "martyr" from that word, which means someone who dies because of their witness.  Let's listen in:

8 "Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us." 15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel."

1. We see here that Stephen's witness was four fold: through grace and power, wonders and miraculous signs.  The Holy Spirit was clearly with him.
2. As always in Christianity, there will be those who oppose our witness. Notice that they started by arguing with Stephen, but when that didn't work, they moved on to lying with false witnesses and stirred up the people.
3. The Sanhedrin was the ancient court system which dealt with religious and ritual Temple matters.  So Stephen was brought before them because of these false accusations.

54 "When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep."

1. Stephen had just finished a very long sermon to them about their failures through the years to recognize who Jesus was and blamed them for crucifying him.  They were furious and refused to listen.
2. Take note of the craziness of verse 57:  "they covered their ears and started yelling".  Sounds much like a tantrum from a two year old who doesn't want to hear that it is time to go to bed!
3. In the last few verses we witness the courage of Stephen, for as he is being stoned, he prays for those who are killing him.

Do you have a dangerous witness?  In our American culture, your witness most likely won't get you killed, but it certainly does in other parts of the world.  Spend some time thinking about that today.  Can you be more confident about your witness?  Can you be a little more dangerous?  Are you showing your kids a dangerous witness for Jesus?

The Book of Acts - First Problem in the Church

Acts 6:1-7

Well we all know it was inevitable. Once you gather that many people in one place, there are going to be problems!  It is thought that by this time in the book of Acts the first church had grown to somewhere around 20,000 people!  Now THAT is a megachurch!

So we are introduced to the first problem in the early church in verse 1.  We have a disagreement between the Grecian Jews and the Hebraic Jews.  What is the difference?  The Hebraic Jews were those born into it, most likely in Palestine, very authentic.  The Grecian Jews were those living in other areas, most likely speaking many different languages, who came into the faith.  They  are worried their widows are not getting their fair share of the daily ration of food.

Paul first reminds the apostles that they must keep doing what they are doing and do it well!  Preaching the gospel.  They didn't panic and all try to attack this problem on their own.  In verse 3, we see the first delegation of responsibility.  They decide to choose seven men who are well suited for this task, taking into account their spiritual gifts, and they turn over this responsibility to them.  These were men who were qualified through wisdom and the fullness of the spirit to lead this ministry.

This action then enabled the apostles to continue preaching, and we see in verse 7 that the "word of God spread".

It is disturbing that in our culture churches are splitting over the decision of what color the carpet should be in the sanctuary or what kind of music should be played.  Let's concentrate on spreading the word of God instead!

The Book of Acts - First Healing

First Healing
Acts 3:1-10

Although the apostles have been performing miracles, as described briefly in Chapter 2:43, we were never given any details or specific stories.  But in this section of scripture we are given a first hand look at Peter and John  healing a lame man.  Even though through Jesus resurrection the Jews are freed from many of the Old Testament laws, we still see Peter and John returning to the temple 3 times per day to pray.  

This particular afternoon they pass by a lame man who is asking for money at the temple gates.  Of course, he can't go into the temple because he is considered unclean because of his deformity.  Remember, in Old Testament times, if you were afflicted with some kind of illness you were unclean, and were considered to have either sinned yourself or your parents had sinned.  So he is at the gate where he can go no further.  He comes ever day to beg for money to survive.  They've probably passed by him hundreds of times, but today the scripture says in verse 4, Peter and John looked "straight at him".  How many times do we pass by someone in need, but we don't ever make eye contact or stop long enough to help in some small way?  Our society is full of the lame.  Our churches too.

Peter replies to his request for money that he has no gold or silver, but he does have something to share....the healing touch of Jesus Christ.  So in the name of Jesus, he takes the man by the hand and commands him to walk.  The man had been begging for money his entire life, but had he ever asked to be healed?  Do we sometimes pray shortsightedly?   Do we need to pray bigger prayers that go beyond our current circumstance?

He is immediately, instantly healed.  Remember our writer here is Luke, the doctor.  I am sure his amazement is huge watching a man lame from birth immediately get up and not just start walking, but jumping and praising God all the way to the temple courts.  For the first time he can enter the temple courts to praise God like everyone else.

In verse 9, all the people were watching him in amazement.  They had all walked by him hundreds of times too.  They can't believe what they are seeing!  They were "filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him".  Do we recognize the miraculous when we set it?  Do answers to pray happen all around us without receiving the praise they deserve?

Our God is so BIG!  Let's turn our wonder and amazement into praise, thanksgiving, and singing!!

The Book of Acts - Week 2

Acts 2:1-13

First filling of the spirit-the power of the church

As we discussed previously, Luke is the author of Acts.  You might find it interesting that Luke 2 is the birth of Jesus and Acts 2 is the birth of the Holy Spirit.  The Day of Pentecost is upon the disciples and they find themselves gathered together again.

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine. " (NIV)

The wind described in verse 2 uses the Greek work "pneuma", which is the same word used for spirit and breath.  Like the Holy Spirit, the wind is invisible, immaterial and powerful. It shows us the power of the Holy Spirit that cannot be contained.

In verse 6, they began speaking in the native languages of those crowded around.  The Spirit enabled them and gave them the words to say, as none of them knew these languages on their own.  Jews were coming into Jerusalem from all over the nation for the feast.  They were amazed to hear their own languages being spoken.  Note that it says "languages" not just random sounds without meaning.

I love the quote at the end of verse 11  "we hear them declaring the wonders of God".  May we all be so bold as to declare the wonders of God!

The Book of Acts-Week 1

Acts 1:12-26

12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk(about 2/3 of a mile was allowed) from the city.13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.  15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)16 and said, "Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus.17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry."
18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)  20 "For," said Peter, "it is written in the Book of Psalms:
"'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it, and, "'May another take his place of leadership."
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us,22 beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."  23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.24 Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs."26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

This passage highlights one of the apostles first leadership decisions.  Judas has died and they must replace his position among the disciples.  

• They pray!  Note that this is not just the disciples, but also those who are constantly traveling with them.  See it says about 120 people in all.
• They seek scripture! Prophecy had been fulfilled in the Psalms concerning Judas, and a directive given to find a replacement.
• They seek someone qualified.  To be qualified to be a disciple, you must have been with Jesus and around Jesus during his entire ministry.  An eyewitness to his ministry was crucial for those who would go out spreading the gospel.
• Joseph and Matthias fit this criteria.  
• They cast lots.  Since this is taking place in time when Jesus had gone to heaven and the Holy  Spirit had not yet come upon them, lots were used in a way that let the Lord speak through this sign.  They were usually stones marked with each possible outcome.  They prayed beforehand and trusted that the lot that was revealed was the answer from God.

• Interestingly, even though Matthias was chosen, this is the only time in the entire New Testament that either of these two men are mentioned.

 The application to our lives today about making decisions is pretty clear through this passage:

1. pray
2. seek scripture
3. seek the wisdom of someone qualified
4. allow God to show you His choice
5. everyone is important in the Kingdom of God

Thanks for joining me today.  I hope you'll stop back next week for more on the Book of Acts.

The Book of Acts

Our church is beginning a year long study on the book of Acts and I thought it would be fun to share what I am learning each Monday here at Heart and Soul!

First, let's cover a little background about the book.  Acts is kinda like book II, a sequel of the book of Luke, both written by Luke.  He is writing to Theophilus about the spread of Christianity around the Mediterranean, which today would represent Syria, Turkey and Greece.  Luke is the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament.

Luke has shown that he is a lover of facts, and we see that many of his writings come from first hand witnessing of the events, as Luke was with Paul on many of his journeys and jail stays.  The book of Luke is his own account of the time he spent personally with Jesus.  Acts is a continuation of how Jesus work will continue through the acts of the Holy Spirit

Next week we'll dig right in talking about the very first leadership decision covered in Acts 1:12-26.  I hope you'll join me each week on this journey through Acts.