Power for the Task
Acts 1:8, John 14:15-23, and 16:6-14 I: God’s Plan to Evangelize: 1. Ye shall receive power. This isn’t a human task to be done by Man’s Power. 2. “Ye shall be witnesses.” No option. If we have the power to be witnesses. 3. The task to begin at home. If 1 can’t be a good witness at home, he will not be 1 away from home. 4. To the uttermost part of the Earth: If our compassion and witnessing stops at home, we don’t have God’s plan in our hearts. 5. The equipment for the task would be the Holy Spirit. II: The Day of Pentecost. 1. A red letter day in the Church. 2. God demonstrated His power to use the Christians and convict the Sinners. 3. Pentecost is the beginning of the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. 4....
Paul’s Darkest Night
Acts 21:15 – 23:12 I: Paul’s Return to Jerusalem. 1. A Bearer of good news. 2. A Bearer of Financial Help from the Gentile Churches. 3. “The brothers gave us a warm welcome.” 4. The Jude an Christians Hostility. 5. They gave Paul his greatest hostility. 6. Prejudice was the weakness of the Jerusalem Church. II: “Israelite s to the Rescue!” 1. They jumped to a conclusion. (Their favorite exercise). 2. A wild tumult followed an attempt to kill Paul. 3. The Roman Commander, Claudius came to the rescue. 4. Paul felt again the breath of Death and Jail. III: Paul and His Circumstances, (Night in Jail). 1. The failures of the day. 2. His claim of sincerity insulted. 3. His testimony rejected. 4. A band of 40 men bound by oath to kill...
Paul in Athens
Acts 17:16- I: The City and People of Athens: 1. Her greatest Creative Age was in the past. 2. She continued to hold her place as the “Intellectual and Artistic capital of the World.” 3. It was a free and Federal City. 4. In the home of men of Philosophy were found idles made by hand. Philosophy couldn’t deliver from Corruption. 5. The city was crowded with Temples, Shrines, Altars, Images, Mercy, Shame, Rumor, and Energy. 6. The People were always in search of News and some new thing to discuss. 7. In Athens it was easier to find a God than a Man. II: What Paul Saw in Athens: 1. Paul saw a city given over to “Novelty Seeking.” 2. They greeted one another. “What is the latest news?” 3. “Any man could get a hearing...
Joy in Qualifying
Acts 2:41-47 I: Every Organization has Some Qualifications: 1. U.S.A 5 yrs. residence, proof of character, study of Government, Elements of our Language. 2. Trade Guilds have rigid standards. 3. Men willingly strive to qualify for membership in that they prize high. 4. No Organization will cherish the Member that joins with no respect of Faith in its Membership. II: Qualifications of A New Testament Church: 1. Does any Membership compare with that of a New Testament Church? 2. There is no cheap and easy way. 3. It offers privileges unparalleled in this World, Opportunity, and Satisfaction. 4. The Apostles recognized no qualifications for membership which didn’t begin with repentance and faith. Romans 5:1-2 To fail here robs of true joy in belonging. 5....
Infalliable Proofs
Acts 1:1-3, Cor. 15:1-8, and Luke 24:36-48 “In many proofs.” This spoken of the Resurrection and by a doctor. Of all the followers of Christ, Luke was the best qualified to say there was infallible proof that Jesus lived after dying on the Cross. I: The Proof of History: 1. We know when he lived between 5 & 6 B.C, and 30-32 AD 2. We know where he was born: Bethlehem, a real town. 3. We know where he spent most of his life, in Nazareth, far north in Galilee. 4. We know his early occupation to be a Carpenter. 5. We know many of the Characters of his day from Literature apart from the Bible; Herod the great, his son Herod Agrippa, Pontius Pilate, Tiberius Caesar, Felix, Festus, etc. 6. Every history of the 1st Century is compelled to say...