Acts - The Story of the Church

DATE: June 18, 2023

THEME: Through the Lens of the Gospel

SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:26-31

Saul's perspective, the way he viewed the world - reality itself, had drastically shifted and was made completely new! This is what God does when we profess our faith in Him. Our entire life changes and it transformed; some more dramatically and quickly than others. Faith in Jesus also changes the perception others of us. How does the Holy Spirit desire to transform your lens to shift your perception to view this life through the lens of the gospel of grace?

DATE: June 11, 2023

THEME: The Revelation of Jesus Christ

SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:19-26

After his conversion, Saul spent 3 years in Arabia, receiving his gospel supernaturally from Jesus Christ Himself. He describes his experience with Jesus and the origins of his gospel in Galatians 1, saying they are not of human origin and elaborating on his experience in Arabia that sit into the narrative here in the middle of Acts 9. His experience is reminiscent of Jesus' mountain top experiences when He would also go away to an isolated place to pray and spend time with His Father. They remind us that we also need these times of retreat and solace with our heavenly Father.

DATE: June 4, 2023

THEME: Come & Die...to Live!

SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:1-19

The narrative of Paul's (Saul's) conversion is told 3 times in the Luke's work of Acts, and in keeping with Luke's method of telling a narrative, he gets his accounts from the eyewitnesses themselves, so Paul's narratives are of his own words. The conversion of Saul illustrates for us in three ways the call of our Christian faith to come and die, so that we may truly live.

DATE: May 28, 2023

THEME: Eyes Fixed on Jesus

SCRIPTURE: Acts 8:26-40

When Philip met the Ethiopian Official on the road to Gaza, he was following the direction of the Messenger of Yahweh and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He was able to engage and conquer the darkness and confusion in the Ethiopian's life with the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

DATE: May 14, 2023

THEME: Never Too Far Gone

SCRIPTURE: Acts 8:17-25

This discourse between Simon (Magus) and Simon (Peter), shows us that hard words bring new direction and life to even the more lost and wicked mindsets. It shows us that no one is too far gone for the grace of Christ to change their minds and shift their life's trajectory. We can learn a powerful lesson from the Bonsai artists about the heart and care people take in "rebuking" a Bonsai tree.

DATE: May 7, 2023

THEME: Holy Spirit is Better

SCRIPTURE: Acts 8:9-17

Spiritual Warfare is a very real part of life and reality, especially for the life of the Kingdom Heaven. The strategy often feels like it ought to be to attack and lash out at those who are cultivating godlessness in our world or to mock, put down, belittle, berate, rebuke, and refute those who we disagree with or who stand opposed to the Kingdom of Heaven and the Way of Christ. When in reality, we don't war against people/humanity, but we war against their captors, we wrestle against the spiritual realities in the unseen realms. As we see from the narrative about Simon the Sorcerer, the way in which we war in this life is through signs and wonders and through proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven.

DATE: April 30, 2023

THEME: Our God is Greater

SCRIPTURE: Acts 8:9-13

SPEAKER: Amberlyn Felts

Simon the Sorcerer was powerful and recognized as representing the great power of the gods...but he encountered the power of the Holy Spirit of the Living God and was blown away by the GREATER power of Jesus! We encounter the power of God everyday and He wants us to know that He is more powerful than anything and everything in this life that would set itself against the power of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

DATE: April 23, 2023

THEME: God Can Save Anyone

SCRIPTURE: Acts 8:4-8

THE GOSPEL GOES TO SAMARIA...to those who were hated and unwanted by the Israelites, including the early Saints. Philip's journey to Samaria was to fulfill the call Jesus had placed on the Church in Acts 1:8, and evidence that the Church was being intentional with the rest of their lifetime they had left on earth.

DATE: April 16, 2023

THEME: God Can Use Anyone

SCRIPTURE: Acts 8:1-4

We are introduced to Saul of Tarsus, who would be better known later as Paul the Apostle. The crowd that executed Stephen threw their cloaks at Saul's feet. We see this man who was so hard against the Church, BUT GOD chose him to be a mighty instrument and loving brother in Jesus Christ. God can use anyone to spread the gospel.

DATE: April 2, 2023

THEME: Nothing Can Separate

SCRIPTURE: Acts 6:8-8:1

The LOOOOONGEST sermon in the New Testament is Stephen's defense before the High Priest and the council of the Sanhedrin. He turns their accusations of him and aims them back at the Chief Priests. Stephen's defense is a fulfillment of Jesus' prophetic words that His Holy Spirit would be with them to give them the words to speak when they were brought before councils and religious leaders. Beneath his sermon is a powerful encouragement that God will never forsake His beloved people, whether it be Israel or Church.