Sermons on Acts (Page 4)
We have a responsibility to communicate the gospel effectively. That means that we need to use whatever method is most effective whenever we are sharing the gospel. In our text this morning, we will see that the Apostle Paul used at least three methods for communicating the gospel. The Bible relates the responses to the gospel message too. We need to imitate the Bereans in the way we approach the teaching and examination of God’s Word.
We cannot forget that there is immeasurable power behind the message of the Gospel! The same power that was at work in Philippi is the same power that is at work in and through us. There is power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must be careful not to box God in by our cynicism and lack of faith. Our faith in God rests in the power of the gospel—“for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘the righteous shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:17).
When thinking about the ways in which God leads His people, R. Kent Hughes said, “God can use unhappy, perplexing failures to bring fresh purpose and direction to our lives… Even when we are at fault, God will use our failures to bring greater blessing… God will lead us according to his own perfect plan for our lives and ministries. We must be careful not to box God in by our prior experience. The most important thing by far is our attitude… We need to yield to his caring hand.”
Bryan Risner and his family are the newly elected missionaries to the country of Romania. Listen to him share God’s mission and vision for their lives.
Paul and Barnabas are nearing the end of their first missionary journey. As in all the previous cities on their journey, they meet up with some stiff opposition—resulting in the stoning of Paul in Lystra. Left for dead, Paul had a decision to make…
There are some preachers and teachers in Christendom today that would have you believe that Christianity is all about health and wealth. While this may sound good—and sell a lot of books—it is unbiblical. Over and over again, the Bible asserts that believers will go through difficult circumstances in life—this is God’s work in us to conform us to the image of His Son. As Paul and his companions continue on their first missionary journey, they experience both good and bad along the way. It is important for us to follow the example of Scripture in how we respond to both good and bad fruit in life.
As we learned in the previous study, the church at Antioch of Syria follows God’s leadership by setting aside Barnabas and Saul as missionaries. In the process of beginning his missionary career, Saul transitions to being known as Paul. As the missionary band…
“Adversity strips away all of our half hearted commitments and beliefs, exposing what we honestly want to hold onto.”
What are you holding onto, that’s holding you back?
The situation facing the church in Jerusalem was seemingly hopeless. King Herod had just executed the Apostle James, and Peter was in prison awaiting execution as well. The church was praying for his release, but they really didn’t think it would do any good. How would they continue without Peter and James? Is there really power in the prayers that we pray? Can we really trust that God hears us and acts upon our prayers?