I am in Acts 22 and I want to talk about Standing Firm.

Here in this chapter, we read of Paul’s standing firm in his defense of the Christian faith.  But there are other times when we also must stand firm

Let me share this with you. Standing firm means to be unshakable in God’s word that regardless of the situation we are going through, that our confidence only rests in God with the strong awareness that ‘He’s got this”…regardless

Let me give you an example:  one too many Christians in times of trouble place their hope is seeing their situations resolve…, for the pain to stop.  Now such hope is not a firm foundation to stand upon…unless God clearly showed You this.  

Just think of those Christians who have walked away from the faith because things did not go according to their hopes!

Friend, thus I am saying that standing firm is to find that place where you are convinced that come what may, God is not only still Sovereign, but that His way IS STILL GOOD….regardlless

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I am in Acts 21 and  we have another  reminder of our own need to hang onto our own lives loosely for the sake of the Gospel.

Friend, one of our basic psychological needs is to survive. We can be aware of this as we recoil from any thought of having any weakness exposed.  If you have ever told someone you are fine when you were dealing with issues, this is but another example where that need to survive kicks in

And, if we are honest with ourselves, our attempts to keep that happy face on is exhausting.  Here, though, we read of Paul being quite willing to face his own death. A very sobering thought!

But to put this another way,  we, like Paul do not need to be looking for ways to die to self, whether literally or figuratively.  Rather, we can be more focused on seeing the brokenness in others redeemed through the power of the Gospel…regardless of the cost.

Have you discovered the  immense freedom in holding onto God more than you hold onto the things of this world?  

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I am in Acts 20 and I will look at Facing  Death

Not a glamorous topic, yet God’s people do not shy from it as seen here in the life of Paul the apostle.

My dear Christian friend, the more that one tries to save their own life from anything like mild disappointments to outright persecutions, the less he will bear witness to the power of the Gospel

Now hear me out:  I am not implying that Christians should not make any plans and should readily seek out harm.  Rather, I am saying that the Christian who resolves to follow God, regardless will not let adversities get in the way of His witnesses to the Gospel

In other words,  the absolutely safest place the Christian has is to be in the center of God’s will.

In closing, now.Maybe you, Christian, are not currently facing large problems.  Then, I greatly urge you to pray your way through those difficulties because when you learn how our Heavenly Father provides in the ‘lesser’ difficulties, it will prepare you in facing larger obstacles with God Himself  

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I am in Acts 19 and the main point I am  addressing is obedience. 

In this chapter, we see, again, how proclaiming the Gospel was fraught with hardships, and these too may well be a part of our lives as Christians.

And there really is no way to prepare for that future probability except to learn and to practice obedience today to our Lord’s call upon our lives.

Basically, walking by faith is uncomfortable at best and hard as nails in the most difficult of times.

Yet, God has given us one another: 

as we have read in this book about the early church gathering together to encourage one another and to pray for each other, we too do well to be in such a Christian community so that our own obedience to the Lord is continually strengthened. 

In closing, think about this:  if how you live is not challenging others to reexamine their own relationship with God, then examine your own level of obedience to our Lord

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I am in Acts 18, and will address  Paul’s vision as written out in the 9th and 10th verses

Friend, the main point here is that not until God’s mission has run its course in our lives will we be called home regardless of Evil’s accusations and persecutions towards us.   

So, let me ask a couple of questions:

Have we yet to discover that proclaiming the Gospel is not so much something we do, but is in who we are:  namely broken people recognizing our need for a Savior 

Do we realize that His protection is not necessarily to keep us from suffering, but it is to make us fully equipped to proclaim the Gospel…even if we have to suffer?

Now, protection and suffering will forever be odd bed fellows until we relinquish our desire to be the hub of life upon which God revolves.

So, in closing, remember this:  even in the midst of our questions and sufferings, God’s Message of Hope is the only answer to man’s quest for meaning 

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Good day, this is Michael De Rosa. We are in Acts 17, and will focus the church’s witnessing 

In this chapter, we will note  that the Gospel was proclaimed regardless of people’s receptivity towards it:  Some were persuaded and drawn to the Message, while others became hostile.

This Proclamation  must, also,  be our main focus. And only when we are motivated by God’s love for broken humanity,  while having experienced the depth of Christ’s forgiveness for our sins, will we be able to resoundly declare the total freedom His Gospel brings

We also see in this chapter the reason for the persecution:  namely, sin was being exposed as people witnessed. 

But do we think too highly of our own lives and, therefore soften our witness so as not to offend others? 

And, why are we complacent to only  recognize the brokenness around us and pray for someone else to go? 

Friend, when we draw back from witnessing by rationalizing that others are better prepared, we have forfeited the gifts that God has given us to see the brokenness around us redeemed.

Therefore, Christian, heed our Lord’s command and GO.

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We are in Acts 16 and I want  us to look at a couple of things

While the proclamation of God’s Good News is meant to both stir within us to motivate and inspire us to witness; it creates discord in those who oppose it 

Now, something I want us to note here is the reliance on the Holy Spirit in directing the proclamation of the Gospel. THIS is so essential my brothers and sisters.  For the size of our church budgets, or the education of our leadership, or the number of worshippers gathered on any Sunday morning is NOT the main thing.

Let’s note, now the opposition that really can get riled up when we witness.  Now, we do not purposefully provoke others, but when the Gospel is witnessed to, it will expose sin which at best is uncomfortable; and, at worst, it is met with persecution. 

So, just realize that being a Christian, though it is a blessed life, don’t become alarmed when adversities come.  Learn and relearn how to rely on the Holy Spirit for living in the difficult situations and through them as well

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We are in Acts 15 

Let’s note, firstly, that  the Gospel is for all people

Now we may gloss over this here, but let’s consider how  the prejudice which the Jew had towards the Gentiles can become our prejudice towards others with whom we are less inclined to share the Good News. Consider these examples:

Secondly, let’s look at the sharp disagreement in verse 39.

Such times are  destructive when they consume our time and energy away from witnessing for our Lord,  but…

… when we recognize that our perceptions of situations are not necessarily shared by others, we can began to more effectively address disagreements.   

So  the real big picture is that God has wonderful trumped our prejudices and perceptions by radically loving us in and through His Son; and when we come to experience His love , nothing can hold us back in sharing the Good news…regardless of the person we meet or the difficulty we are in

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I am in Acts 14 and my focus  in on Facing the Enemy

What we see in this chapter, again, is that the Christian faith is not for the faint of heart.  Rather, it is Truth incarnate, boots on the ground, declaring that Salvation has come and is for all peoples

What we, also, see here in God’s Word is that when Christ calls us, He calls us to come and die to self.  

Listen now:  when sharing the Gospel message becomes our passion, our priorities and affections are immediately aligned with God’s will; and, then, we, like the apostle Paul, will know the power of our Lord’s resurrection the the fellowship of His sufferings.

Now sufferings come in all shapes and sizes, just as miracles and these will be likened to bookends to our Christian witness  So, let’s be ready to pray through with His victory as we experience both. 

So, in conclusion, remember though the Enemy of our Souls will do anything to destroy us and our faith, God promises to be both our refuge and strength as we share the message of salvation with others.

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I am in Acts 13.  And our  focus will be on pray and fasting

Friend, the catalyst of any ministry venture (and it is missions in this chapter) must be, out of necessity, prayer and fasting.  Without that the church, at best, is ineffective;  at worst, it is DOA

Let me call your attention to this:  while this chapter highlights the very first missionary call, the church did not gather for this purpose! Rather, their intent was to pray and fast, and it was THEN at this time that God directed them to send out people to proclaim the Gospel.

What would happen if such prayer and fasting became our churches primary focus 

Fried, God’s gift to us of organization becomes a stumbling block when God is only sought to bless agendas.  

But now, what about fasting.  I think it is a stumbling block to many so let me leave you with this thought:

fasting is a very effective way to know God more because it carves out of our day more time to spend in His presence.  

Now, my brother and sister, consider what God would have you do.

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