Paul and the elders of the community wept when it came to saying goodbye. Why? A deep connection with each other and a concern that believers might drift from what bring life to the full. When you gather with people do you long for the best in others? If so then your approach to authentic community will change and you might even weep.

Something more to chew on. This is a new thing we are doing to take the Sunday teaching a step further and so we will see how its goes. If you like it leave us some feedback by subscribing to the podcast and give us a rating and review. This helps others find it as well. Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r3aag869Tg

Your presence is all I need

It's all I want and all I seek

Without it

Without it there's no meaning

Your presence is the air I breathe

The song I sing and the love I need

And without it

Without it I'm not living

So I will exalt you, Lord

So I will exalt you, Lord

There is no one like you God

So I will exalt you, Lord

So I will exalt you, Lord

No other name be lifted high

And there will be no one like you

And no one beside you

You alone are worthy of all praise (lift your voice, sing out loud)

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Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

Here in Acts 19 a riot breaks out! The riot starts because a silversmith named Demetrius is livid that the movement of Jesus followers is diminishing his sales because fewer people are worshipping the goddess Artemis. The Gospel has disrupted the economy but not on purpose. What this points out is the dependency people have to money. We can be slave to many things. The Gospel shows us there is freedom. Practically speaking, Jesus teaches his followers to discover what it means to have enough. Enough in Jesus. He promises to show us what it means to find contentment and life to the full. Jesus is enough for all your needs and desires.

Leo Tolstoy says; “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.”

Everyone wants to abound but very few want to do the personal work of abiding in Jesus. Leadership is the same. Our missional leadership will only be as effective as the amount of time we spend learning from Jesus. What would our lives look like if were an abiding people?

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." It not clear who originated this quote but the heartbeat of it reflects what Paul was teaching as we dig into Acts chapter 17. What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. Love takes action.

What do you default to when you have free time? Changing what we default to when life circumstances hit us is key to life.

“We have to think differently about how we do church.” -Alan Hirsch. This chapter in Acts the early church was figuring out how to operate. What rules matter. What laws don't. They have some heavy discussions and land on what matters most; helping people encounter God in life-giving and meaningful ways. So they tell followers of Christ to be careful about food and sex. You'll have to listen to the teaching to get the full story. Essentially rules and discipline help us find freedom. Just ask Jocko Willink about that.

The trials Paul and Barnabas encounter are fueled by two things. Their faith and the relationships they have as a community to press on. Acts 14 has some great insights into how God used Paul and Barnabas to speak into both Gentile and Jewish communities and bring a clear picture of the Gospel.

Set apart! You are set apart for a purpose. Discovering the call God has on your life can be difficult but when we discern it through community, prayer and worship we gain clarity. God doesn't intentionally make it difficult for us but rather we need to make intentional effort toward listening to the still small voice that calls us to life to the full. We gave a few questions to help you on the journey of listening to the call God has on your life...

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

How is God been speaking to you through Scripture? Write it down.

How has God been calling you beyond yourself through Scripture? Write it down.

How has God been calling you through prayer? Write it down.

How has God been calling you through the needs of others? Write it down.

What are your areas of giftedness and your areas of weakness? Write it down.

Read Acts 13:1-3

To actively participate in prayer and maintain a healthy prayer life and perspective can be complicated but hopefully in the message we can be reminded of its power, its simplicity and how can approach it as seen in scripture.