We continue our look at what the church at its best looks like and what the priorities, and focus might be. Acts gives us a clear picture to illustrate those things. Last week we talked about unity and the value of that oneness. The book of Acts describes people who were full of the Holy Ghost. There are many churches full of things, but not the Holy Ghost. Many are full of themselves, full of programs and full of entertainment, but they are lacking the most important thing. There were 120 in the upper room, but only one when Peter met the eunuch on the road. It is not about numbers, but about a spirit of unity and a fullness of God. The church is at its best when it is hungry for more. After the day of pentecost, the bible tells us that they sought more and more about God. Tonight we explore a little more. The book of Acts demonstrates that the life of Jesus did not end with the ascension. The ministry and the miracles continues on through the life of the apostles and lives on today. The Holy Ghost and the operation of the spirit was to become the dominant reality of the early church. There are over 40 mentions to the Holy Ghost in just the first 13 chapters of Acts.

When the Church is at her best, she allows the Spirit to dictate the agenda, not man. How much more effective would we be if we yielded more to the Holy Ghost? How much more effective would we be if we would be sent, not just go. Sent implies being on a mission. It is very tempting to act within our own abilities and skills. What we need to be is effective by letting God lead and orchestrate our efforts.

The church is at her best when she is being a true witness until Him. Witnessing implies a verbal message. A witness is one that says what he knows, not what he has heard. A true witness has experienced it, not just heard about it. We have to get back to a personal experience with Jesus in order to be a true witness. The second aspect of a witness are the actions. It is more than just words. Our lives are a witness of who we are. Our message to others is conveyed through our lives and actions more than through our words. We cannot promote the truth of Jesus and who He is and live a life that is contradictory to that message. We cannot preach that which we do not live. Living a life that is inconsistent with the teaching of jesus is the largest power drain on the Church.

The church is at is best when her message reaches the heart. The message of the early church stirred the whole world. Many churches have flawless and technical perfect services, but they do not reach the heart. The preaching of the message in Acts 2 pricked them to the heart. This is not a show or a performance. This is a place where God can touch a heart and turn it toward Him. They may not be able to explain what they see, but they cannot deny what they feel.

We continue our look at what the church at its best looks like and what the priorities, and focus might be. Acts gives us a clear picture to illustrate those things. Last week we talked about unity and the value of that oneness. The book of Acts describes people who were full of the Holy Ghost. There are many churches full of things, but not the Holy Ghost. Many are full of themselves, full of programs and full of entertainment, but they are lacking the most important thing. There were 120 in the upper room, but only one when Peter met the eunuch on the road. It is not about numbers, but about a spirit of unity and a fullness of God. The church is at its best when it is hungry for more. After the day of pentecost, the bible tells us that they sought more and more about God. Tonight we explore a little more. The book of Acts demonstrates that the life of Jesus did not end with the ascension. The ministry and the miracles continues on through the life of the apostles and lives on today. The Holy Ghost and the operation of the spirit was to become the dominant reality of the early church. There are over 40 mentions to the Holy Ghost in just the first 13 chapters of Acts.

When the Church is at her best, she allows the Spirit to dictate the agenda, not man. How much more effective would we be if we yielded more to the Holy Ghost? How much more effective would we be if we would be sent, not just go. Sent implies being on a mission. It is very tempting to act within our own abilities and skills. What we need to be is effective by letting God lead and orchestrate our efforts.

The church is at her best when she is being a true witness until Him. Witnessing implies a verbal message. A witness is one that says what he knows, not what he has heard. A true witness has experienced it, not just heard about it. We have to get back to a personal experience with Jesus in order to be a true witness. The second aspect of a witness are the actions. It is more than just words. Our lives are a witness of who we are. Our message to others is conveyed through our lives and actions more than through our words. We cannot promote the truth of Jesus and who He is and live a life that is contradictory to that message. We cannot preach that which we do not live. Living a life that is inconsistent with the teaching of jesus is the largest power drain on the Church.

The church is at is best when her message reaches the heart. The message of the early church stirred the whole world. Many churches have flawless and technical perfect services, but they do not reach the heart. The preaching of the message in Acts 2 pricked them to the heart. This is not a show or a performance. This is a place where God can touch a heart and turn it toward Him. They may not be able to explain what they see, but they cannot deny what they feel.

Human love is something with which all of us can identify. We have all experienced it in some way. But divine love is different. Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus, was trying passionately to reach them about the love of God. The text appears to show that he struggled to find the right words to put some human definition to the love of God. He desperately tries to get them to comprehend this concept. If they could just get it. How many times is God trying to get through to us and sometimes we just do not get it. He further desires that we know the love of God. The word for know here is the same use for an intimate relationship between a man and wife. This passage is like a man jumping up and down waving a flag trying to get our attention. Like Paul, Bro. Hughes is trying to get our attention. We have been so busy with life, we have been so stressed about life that we have lulled to a sense of distraction. In this state we cannot fully enjoy what God wants for us. The love of God has been sent to us today to embrace us. Paul tries to get us to comprehend that we cannot measure the length, breadth, height or depth of God’s love The bible says that even if we make our bed in Hell, God’s love will be there. We cannot go so low that God’s love will not be under us. There is something so powerful about the love of God that we cannot understand it, but it reaches to all.

Human love is something with which all of us can identify. We have all experienced it in some way. But divine love is different. Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus, was trying passionately to reach them about the love of God. The text appears to show that he struggled to find the right words to put some human definition to the love of God. He desperately tries to get them to comprehend this concept. If they could just get it. How many times is God trying to get through to us and sometimes we just do not get it. He further desires that we know the love of God. The word for know here is the same use for an intimate relationship between a man and wife. This passage is like a man jumping up and down waving a flag trying to get our attention. Like Paul, Bro. Hughes is trying to get our attention. We have been so busy with life, we have been so stressed about life that we have lulled to a sense of distraction. In this state we cannot fully enjoy what God wants for us. The love of God has been sent to us today to embrace us. Paul tries to get us to comprehend that we cannot measure the length, breadth, height or depth of God’s love The bible says that even if we make our bed in Hell, God’s love will be there. We cannot go so low that God’s love will not be under us. There is something so powerful about the love of God that we cannot understand it, but it reaches to all.

The world may be at its worst right now. The prophecies in the bible are being played out before us in our time. Scripture paints a vivid picture of what the end days will be like. Many of the physical signs referenced in Matthew and Luke are being played out on the evening news. Wars, , nation rising against nation, natural and weather phenomenon and other signs are evident. Paul goes even further and depicts spiritual signs of the end times. He describes perilous times. In his letters to Timothy Paul says that people will be lovers of themselves, Godless, hateful and have no self control.

The question Bro. Hughes asks is this: Is the Church at our best? This will not be an easy question to answer. We do not want to be critical or find fault, but we must take a realistic look at where we are and how we are meeting the need of our world. To answer that question, we have to first take a look back at a time when the church was at its best. The book of Acts chronicles the birth and growth of the church at a time that was just as wicked as any time that we can describe. The first century church literally changed the world as they knew it. What does the church look like at her best? How does she function? What are her priorities? To begin this journey, Bro. Hughes challenges us to read and re-read the book of Acts. For the next three months, read the book of Acts each month.

Before the day of Pentecost happened, the believers were together in the upper room praying on one accord. In this atmosphere, the bible says Suddenly there was a sound like a rushing mighty wind. Before the suddenly, there was a unity and a prayer in unity that set the stage for the power of God to move. Prayer is the priority.

The church is at her best when there is a hunger for more. When we tell God that we need more of Him. When we pray more because we want a greater outpouring of His spirit.

This Summer we will be taking a journey through the book of Acts to discover what the church looked like at her bes

The world may be at its worst right now. The prophecies in the bible are being played out before us in our time. Scripture paints a vivid picture of what the end days will be like. Many of the physical signs referenced in Matthew and Luke are being played out on the evening news. Wars, , nation rising against nation, natural and weather phenomenon and other signs are evident. Paul goes even further and depicts spiritual signs of the end times. He describes perilous times. In his letters to Timothy Paul says that people will be lovers of themselves, Godless, hateful and have no self control.

The question Bro. Hughes asks is this: Is the Church at our best? This will not be an easy question to answer. We do not want to be critical or find fault, but we must take a realistic look at where we are and how we are meeting the need of our world. To answer that question, we have to first take a look back at a time when the church was at its best. The book of Acts chronicles the birth and growth of the church at a time that was just as wicked as any time that we can describe. The first century church literally changed the world as they knew it. What does the church look like at her best? How does she function? What are her priorities? To begin this journey, Bro. Hughes challenges us to read and re-read the book of Acts. For the next three months, read the book of Acts each month.

Before the day of Pentecost happened, the believers were together in the upper room praying on one accord. In this atmosphere, the bible says Suddenly there was a sound like a rushing mighty wind. Before the suddenly, there was a unity and a prayer in unity that set the stage for the power of God to move. Prayer is the priority.

The church is at her best when there is a hunger for more. When we tell God that we need more of Him. When we pray more because we want a greater outpouring of His spirit.

This Summer we will be taking a journey through the book of Acts to discover what the church looked like at her bes

In life, most of us learn to never say never. Before children, many people say that they will never do things that the do indeed do after having children. If we declare that we will never do something in life, we can exclude a special opportunity from God. The events in Acts chapter nine changed the whole course of the church. For a man like Saul to experience such a change in his life was beyond anyone’s scope of thinking. Paul, as Saul came to be known took the Gospel message to the entire world. When Saul was converted, there was great skepticism. Finally Ananias went to Saul. If left to humanity, Ananias would have done like many of us and avoided Saul with distrust. What Ananias found was a man humbled and broken and at his weakest. Saul had persecuted the church and been its worst enemy. What Analisis did was walk up to this man and refer to him as Brother Saul. Under the circumstances, there were no greater words or actions that could have been spoken. The laying of hands, and the words were an expression of inclusion and forgiveness. By calling him Brother Saul, Ananias confirmed upon Saul admission to the family of God. This is the language of the church. It is a language of welcome. It doesn’t matter what you have done, what you have said, or where you have been, the church should be a welcoming place. When someone walks through the church door, we do not know how hungry, how blind, how lost they may be. The language of the church is to make all who walk through the door welcome.

In life, most of us learn to never say never. Before children, many people say that they will never do things that the do indeed do after having children. If we declare that we will never do something in life, we can exclude a special opportunity from God. The events in Acts chapter nine changed the whole course of the church. For a man like Saul to experience such a change in his life was beyond anyone’s scope of thinking. Paul, as Saul came to be known took the Gospel message to the entire world. When Saul was converted, there was great skepticism. Finally Ananias went to Saul. If left to humanity, Ananias would have done like many of us and avoided Saul with distrust. What Ananias found was a man humbled and broken and at his weakest. Saul had persecuted the church and been its worst enemy. What Analisis did was walk up to this man and refer to him as Brother Saul. Under the circumstances, there were no greater words or actions that could have been spoken. The laying of hands, and the words were an expression of inclusion and forgiveness. By calling him Brother Saul, Ananias confirmed upon Saul admission to the family of God. This is the language of the church. It is a language of welcome. It doesn’t matter what you have done, what you have said, or where you have been, the church should be a welcoming place. When someone walks through the church door, we do not know how hungry, how blind, how lost they may be. The language of the church is to make all who walk through the door welcome.

We spend a lot of time talking about what we do not know. Bro. Hughes is more concerned about the things that we do know, that we are not doing. The bible defines this as a sin.

There are five elements listed in our text that, if incorporated into our live, are the key to a successful spiritual life. Peter begins with verse 6 by saying that we must humble ourselves. Pride is one of the areas that the Devil uses to undermine man. It has a way of lulling us into a false sense of security. Pride leads us to believe that we are doing better than we are. Pride will cause us to take credit for our success rather than giving the credit to God. By humbling ourselves and allowing God to steer our live, we set ourselves up for success.

The second element is serenity. Peter says in verse 7 that we are to cast all our cares on Him. By casting our cares, worries and troubles on God, we allow Him to take care of the problems that life will bring. We do this, because we know that He cares about us. He wants our fears and worries so that He can show us that He is bigger than our problems.

Third Peter admonishes us to be sober and vigilant. If we are to be overcomers, there has to be a sense of awareness and alertness about the things in our life. The word sober is usually related to alcohol, but it is possible to be intoxicate about things in life. Pride for instance can produce a high that is addictive. We must remain vigilant and not let down our guard. When we become distracted or complacent, we open ourselves up to spiritual danger.

The fourth thing is found in verse 9 where Peter says we should resist the Devil. The Devil wants to destroy our life and he will never quit working on that. For a soul to be saved, we have to fight that effort every day. This is how we resist the Devil. Peter says it in the text: The way we resist is to stand steadfast in the faith. Our human nature is to fight the devil head on, but the way to fight the devil is to praise God and stand fast and consistent in our faith.

Finally, the fifth element is found in verse 10. This is the most difficult element to understand for most people. It is understanding the role of suffering in our life. Many believe that living for God means that life will always be good. That is not the case. Often the pain and suffering that comes into our life is God trying to take us to a next level. Many people spend a life wasting their sorrows because the fight back against what God is trying to do. One of the things that suffering does is that it resorts and mends what has been broken in life. Suffering is designed by God to establish us, not to destroy us. God does not allow us to suffer to find our breaking point, but to demonstrate to us what our strengths are. Suffering is designed to strengthen. It enables us to become stronger. Suffering is to show the Devil that he cannot destroy a child of God. Peter says that suffering will settle us. What God is doing through our suffering, is to remove from our life all the things that do not matter.

These five simple concepts that are decisive elements of a victorious life.

We spend a lot of time talking about what we do not know. Bro. Hughes is more concerned about the things that we do know, that we are not doing. The bible defines this as a sin.

There are five elements listed in our text that, if incorporated into our live, are the key to a successful spiritual life. Peter begins with verse 6 by saying that we must humble ourselves. Pride is one of the areas that the Devil uses to undermine man. It has a way of lulling us into a false sense of security. Pride leads us to believe that we are doing better than we are. Pride will cause us to take credit for our success rather than giving the credit to God. By humbling ourselves and allowing God to steer our live, we set ourselves up for success.

The second element is serenity. Peter says in verse 7 that we are to cast all our cares on Him. By casting our cares, worries and troubles on God, we allow Him to take care of the problems that life will bring. We do this, because we know that He cares about us. He wants our fears and worries so that He can show us that He is bigger than our problems.

Third Peter admonishes us to be sober and vigilant. If we are to be overcomers, there has to be a sense of awareness and alertness about the things in our life. The word sober is usually related to alcohol, but it is possible to be intoxicate about things in life. Pride for instance can produce a high that is addictive. We must remain vigilant and not let down our guard. When we become distracted or complacent, we open ourselves up to spiritual danger.

The fourth thing is found in verse 9 where Peter says we should resist the Devil. The Devil wants to destroy our life and he will never quit working on that. For a soul to be saved, we have to fight that effort every day. This is how we resist the Devil. Peter says it in the text: The way we resist is to stand steadfast in the faith. Our human nature is to fight the devil head on, but the way to fight the devil is to praise God and stand fast and consistent in our faith.

Finally, the fifth element is found in verse 10. This is the most difficult element to understand for most people. It is understanding the role of suffering in our life. Many believe that living for God means that life will always be good. That is not the case. Often the pain and suffering that comes into our life is God trying to take us to a next level. Many people spend a life wasting their sorrows because the fight back against what God is trying to do. One of the things that suffering does is that it resorts and mends what has been broken in life. Suffering is designed by God to establish us, not to destroy us. God does not allow us to suffer to find our breaking point, but to demonstrate to us what our strengths are. Suffering is designed to strengthen. It enables us to become stronger. Suffering is to show the Devil that he cannot destroy a child of God. Peter says that suffering will settle us. What God is doing through our suffering, is to remove from our life all the things that do not matter.

These five simple concepts that are decisive elements of a victorious life.