Acts 17:13-17

In Acts 17 Paul is whisked away from Berea to Athens where he waits for the rest of his friends to join him. Here Paul has a chance to see one of the most wondrous cities in the world - a cultural, religious and academic epicenter. But as Paul sits and takes in this great city, he isn’t filled with wonder but concern for their lostness and idolatry. Are you stirred for your city? What does your conviction compel you to do?

Acts 17:10-12

In our story, Paul and the missions team journey to Berea, a town just west of Thessalonica. Here they meet a group of Bereans who listen to their gospel message but rather than accepting it outright, take the time to study God’s word to discern whether or not the message was true. The Berean’s are an example to us of how to become discerning in a world of mis-information and lies.

Acts 17:1-9

Paul, Silas and the team leave Philippi to go preach the gospel in Thessalonica. After they preached, a group of frustrated antagonists make a very unique claim against them, “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also”.

Part two of this message focuses on the need for the church, it takes team a collection of courageous believers to turn the world upside down.

Acts 17:1-9

Paul, Silas and the team leave Philippi to go preach the gospel in Thessalonica. After they preached, a group of frustrated antagonists make a very unique claim against them, “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also”. Our question today is, how do we personally live a life that has the power to unsettle the entire world with the gospel.

Acts 16:24-38

Paul & Silas have prayed and praised in their hour of need and now the doors have been opened. The next question is what to do? Do they take the way of escape or do they enter the open door, a spiritual opportunity to share the gospel with a man who is desperately in need of salvation? Do we put greater focus on negotiating the difficulties of life than on ministering the gospel?

Acts 16:22-26

Last week we found that in order to have an unshakeable faith that it will require us to accept persecution as a fact and believe the promises of God (Mat 5:11,12). This week we find Paul and Silas beaten and bloody in a prison cell…the average person would be at their breaking point but these men choose to worship. We learn this week that an unbreakable, unshakeable believer is a person yielded to the joy and discipline of prayer and worship.

Acts 16:18-24

The gospel has a way of unsettling the worldly institutions around us, when that happens, we are bound to face persecution. This week we see the ramifications of Paul gospel ministry in Philippi. When the world’s cultures and systems accuse us and are hostile towards our faith, how do we stand strong?

Acts 16:16-18

In this week’s story from Acts, the team of missionaries meets another influential woman of Philippi, a soothsayer. Like Lydia, this woman had power and influence but proved to be a threat to the ministry. Today we look to Paul to help us answer, “How do I deal with people and messages that seem to distract from the mission?”

Acts 16:11-15

In our story of Paul and his journey into Europe, the team discovers a woman named Lydia and her friends worshipping the God of the Bible. In this lesson, we learn the value of spiritually-minded female leaders as well as what it means to use your sphere of influence for the gospel's sake.

Acts 16:9-10

Today we celebrate the graduate from the High School Ministry who are joining the ranks of the College & Young Adults ministry. We look at Acts 16 where Paul receives a vision of a Macedonian man calling him to “come and help”. This same calling applies to all those who are joining our ministry, getting discipled and surveying what God is doing in our church - - please come help us reach our city.

Acts 16:6-10

In todays message we witness how the Apostle Paul’s plan alters course again and again at the leading of God. How do we deal with changes in our plans? How do we know that we are hearing from God? We learn all that this week in our study of Acts.

Acts 16:1-5

In todays message the Apostle Paul heads out on his second missionary journey where he discovers a faithful young man named Timothy. Should he invite him to join the missions team? All big decisions involve risk, do we have faith to count the cost?

Acts 15:36-41

In this message we watch two of the greatest men in scripture argue, then divide as the result of minor disagreement. How do we protect ourselves from creating divisions in our church family? How do we promote unity?

Acts 15:6-30

In this message we watch the debate at the Council of Jerusalem unfold. In one corner we have Paul and Barnabas who just spend a year and a half leading Gentiles to Christ. In the opposite corner we have the Judaizers who hope to add to the gospel the need to obey the Mosaic Law. The question, how does one receive salvation?

Acts 15:1-6

In this message we are introduced to the Judaizers, people who sought to convince the new Gentile converts that they needed to follow the law of Moses to be saved. They are described as causing dissension and dispute at the church in Antioch where Paul and Barnabas were. Today we ask the question, how should we handle dissension and dispute in our church?

Acts 14:21-28

As we close out chapter 14 of Acts, we are forced to confront the reality of what it means to be a missionary. When you consider your life, do you exist for the mission? Paul and Barnabas model 9 unique functions that ought to be indicative of every Christians life.

Acts 14:21-23

We take a look at the persistence and perspective of Paul and Barnabas as they wrap up this first missions journey. Their shared love for the gospel and their obsession with souls inspired adaptation in seasons of hardship, for the sake of the kingdom. Does the persistence of your witness prove your love for souls?

Acts 14:19-20

While in social isolation, we all came together online to reflect on how Paul dealt with his own hardships. In our story, Paul is stoned and drug outside of the city. As the meager crowd of newly converted disciples gather around him, he suddenly rises up and walks right back into the city where he was abused. Where does this type of fearlessness come from? How do we live fearlessly as ministers in the midst of our odd social reality?

Acts 14:11-20

This message continues in our story about Paul and his response to the people of Lystra seeking to worship him and Barnabas as the gods Mercury and Jupiter. What is the relationship between the false worship in this story and the Great Commission?

Acts 14:8-20

On the heels of being kicked out of Iconium, Paul engages the people of Lystra. In the series of strange events that follow, we learn about where to put our faith and where to direct our praise. It is easy to misdefine faith, placing it in abstract and superstitious religious notions. It is easy to receive honor and accolades from people to the neglect of God. We discover in this message how the mature minister elevates faith and honor toward God.