When it seems like our life is spiraling out of control into chaos, where should we look for help? Fortune tellers, astrologers, mediums, and new age gurus promise us all kinds of answers. Listen to this lesson to learn what happened to King Saul when he went to the Witch of Endor for help. Find out the difference between demon influence and demon possession. Discover how God is always in control and we should never be afraid of the powers of evil.

Demons! Fortune tellers! Witches! Are they real or just something in scary movies, TV shows, and books? Listen to this lesson in Acts to learn how the Bible describes a very real spirit world and God's warning against the occult. Find out how worshiping anything in creation rather than the Creator opens us to demonic thoughts and influences. Discover God's assurances that He is in control and we have nothing to fear.

Dreams and visions sometimes gave the Apostle Paul his marching orders on his second missionary journey. Can we depend on them to give us a helping hand? Listen to this lesson to learn how direct revelation has ceased but how the Bible has all the answers we need now. See how the Holy Spirit made it possible for a wealthy businesswoman to understand the good news of the gospel. Find out about Paul's run-in with a slave girl and a demon and how demon influence can impact all of us today.

Had Paul lost it and was he out of his mind when he had Timothy circumcised? Hadn't he just argued successfully that circumcision no longer mattered? Listen to this lesson and follow the timeline of Paul's thinking. See how Timothy having a Jewish mother was important in Paul's decision. Learn the significance of circumcision to God's covenant with Abraham and how it has ethnic and cultural values today, but never for salvation or spiritual life.

My way or the highway! Is that your attitude when you disagree with someone? Listen to this lesson to learn how to be gracious to others and seek the absolute best for them even when they don't deserve it. Discover five spiritual skills you need to practice so you can love others as Christ loves you. Find out how the early church handled people problems and how even a sharp controversy between Barnabas and Paul was handled graciously.

How did the early church use the Old Testament to settle disputes about the Gentiles' role in the body of Christ? James in Acts 15 goes to the book of Amos and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit uses a "fuller sense" of the text to apply to the Church Age. Listen to this lesson to learn how Christ now being seated at the right hand of God instead of on David's throne means the church does not replace God's promises to Israel. Find out how the Masoretes translated the scriptures in the early centuries to leave out any references to the Messiah.

Knockdown, drag-out fights make rousing TV shows but don't do much to change opinions. When the early church began to have verbal brawls over the role of Jewish rituals, they decided to convene a council in Jerusalem to resolve the issue. The Pharisees had forgotten to check their rules at the door when they became believers and they wanted to impose them on new converts. Listen to this lesson to learn the different approaches Peter and James used to arrive at the conclusion that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone. Find out about the four rules decided upon to bring goodwill between Jewish and Christian believers.

After we're saved, do we have to work our heads off and follow a lot of rules to please God? This was the burning question being debated in the early church. Many of the Jewish-background believers demanded that new Gentile converts be circumcised and follow the Mosaic Law. Paul stood his ground, keeping his eye on the central issue of grace for both salvation and spiritual life. Follow the chronology of Paul's trips to Jerusalem and see the development of this issue as it is resolved. Understand the difference between legalists performing certain rituals to give them special standing in God's eyes and legitimate practices that lead to spiritual growth.

Paul's first missionary journey ignites an explosion of new believers in Jesus Christ across Asia Minor. Not willing to leave these converts in their "diapers", he and Barnabas face extreme danger as they go back and teach doctrine to start these "baby" believers on the road to maturity. Meanwhile, some Pharisee believers insist that the Gentile believers must be circumcised. Listen to this lesson to see how Paul demonstrates the role of a pastor and how circumcision was not just a religious ritual but was an act of patriotism to the Jews. Find out what the political landscape was like in the 1st century and follow the dynamic timeline of the early church.

The Apostle Paul's first missionary journey ends with an exhibition of sheer spiritual courage. He and Barnabas endure the wild swings of the pagan crowd in Lystra as they first yell out their adoration of them as gods and then erupt in a wild rage. After stoning Paul, they drag him out of town, but rather than lying low and hiding out, he and Barnabas continue on to Derbe before retracing their steps to teach and encourage the new converts. Explore the role of repentance in salvation, how God blesses all through common grace, and how to witness to those who have suppressed the truth.