Luke 19:28-44

Palm Sunday marks that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the waving of palm branches and the shouts of "Hosanna" welcoming him as God's anointed King. Yet, rather than bask in the praise of this "triumphal entry," Jesus' sheds tears as he weeps over the rejection of his own people who were blind to the true peace he came to bring. This Palm Sunday we look at the tears of the King and seek to have our eyes and hearts open to terms of peace he comes to offer.

Acts 19:11-41

When the gospel begins to take hold in peoples' lives, it has a profound impact not just on individuals, but on entire cities and cultures. Such was the case in the great city of Ephesus where the apostle Paul spent several years in proclaiming the truth about Jesus. When God's people boldly witness in the powerful name of Jesus, we should expect it to upset the status quo on both a personal and a societal scale. Here we look at Acts 19 and see the power of the gospel at work through miracles, magicians and mobs.

Acts 18:24-19:10

There is a saying that is used when someone "almost" wins a contest or is "close" to getting a right answer that goes: "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades." In other words, with many things, being "close" or "almost right" doesn't cut it. This is certainly true when it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Luke's account of the gospel coming to Ephesus, he records a couple of encounters that show us that being close or almost there when it comes to understanding and believing the gospel is not good enough. We continue in our study of Acts and see the importance of sound teaching and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in getting the gospel right.

Acts 18:1-22

When we are faithful to our call to be Christ's ambassadors, there will be times where we will find ourselves overwhelmed, fearful and perhaps wondering how we will go on. That is likely how Paul felt as he arrived in the sin-saturated city of Corinth, tired, alone, afraid. Yet it's at those times that we often experience God's providential power to persevere in a mighty way that enables us to see that the gospel of Jesus Christ truly is the power of God at work both in and through us. We look now at how God gives us the power to persevere when we find life and ministry overwhelming.

Acts 17:16-33

Several descriptive titles come to mind when we think of Paul, including apostle, prisoner, and evangelist, and we’ve seen him fulfilling all of these roles thus far in our study of the Book of Acts. Now in chapter 17, having been ushered away from Berea in a haste, we now not only find Paul in the city of Athens, but we find him taking up a new descriptive title: intellectual warrior. Here we consider Paul’s interaction with the academic elite of this city and learn how, like him, even we can make a compelling case for faith in Jesus Christ with those in our day who might assume intellectual superiority but in reality only wallow in ignorance.

Acts 17:1-15

You cannot hear the good news of the gospel and consider the claims of God's Word regarding Jesus without having your world shaken up. The gospel changes everything. Indeed, as Paul and his companions continued to reason from God's Word and proclaim the gospel of Jesus, they were accused by their opponents of turning the world upside down. Here we consider the world-shaking and life-changing importance and impact of reasoning from and responding to the gospel in God's Word.

Acts 16:16-40

Taking up the work of Christ here on earth is sometimes accompanied with intense persecution. This is a reality that was not lost on Paul and his companions, particularly in Philippi. Having liberated a slave girl from spiritual bondage, Paul and Silas now find themselves beaten and imprisoned, standing accused of public disturbance and unlawful practices. Here we learn of God’s liberating power that can not only set people free from earthly captivity, but also deliver them over to gospel freedom.

Acts 15:36-16:15

As the apostle Paul gets ready to set out on a second journey with the gospel, he faces some unexpected obstacles including the disagreement of team members and the deterrence of God's Spirit. However, these obstacles turn out to be opportunities which the Lord uses to gather new team members, guide to new territories, and to gain new disciples. Now we continue in the thrilling story of the early church in Acts and see how the Lord continues to open doors and open hearts to the good news of Jesus.

Acts 15:1-35

As the gospel goes forth and the church spreads to people of different backgrounds, beliefs and cultures, there are inevitably certain controversies of faith and practice that arise as a result of those differences. One of the first major controversies faced by the church as the gospel spread from Jerusalem out to the Gentiles was how should these non-Jewish believers now relate to the law of Moses and Jewish customs. Acts 15 records this watershed moment in the history of the church as this controversy was considered and concluded by the first church council in a manner that reflects the true unity the gospel brings. Today we see what we can learn from the controversy and conclusion of the Jerusalem Council.

Passage: Acts 14: 1-28

As a church that is committed to send and support missionaries taking the gospel to other places, we look forward to hearing updates on how God is working through their endeavors. And it should not surprise us to find that God's work involves both triumphs and tribulations. Such was the case with Paul and Barnabas as they returned from their first missionary journey. We continue in our series on Living Sent from the book of Acts, and see what we can expect to encounter as we engage in God's gospel mission.