Acts 8:5-8 NIV

5) Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6) When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7) For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8) So there was great joy in that city.

 Acts 7:59 - 8:8 NIV

59) While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60) Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

1) And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2) Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3) But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4) Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5) Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6) When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7) For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8) So there was great joy in that city.

TAKEAWAYS

1. The Church Persecuted, v1a

2. The Church Scattered, v 1b

3. The Church Caring, v2

4. The Church even more on Mission, v4

Acts 7:54-60 NIV

54) When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55) But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56) “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57) At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58) dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59) While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60) Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Evil Enemies

2. The Exalted Jesus

– Jesus is the Living comfort

– Jesus is our Dying comfort

3. Example to us and Saul

Act 6:8-15 NIV

8) Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9) Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10) But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. 11) Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12) So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13) They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14) For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” 15) All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Stephen’s preaching ministry.

2. Stephen’s powerful opponents.

3. Stephen’s saintly character.

Judges 16:4-6; 20-31 NIV

4) Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5) The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” 6) So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” 20) Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21) Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. 22) But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 23) Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” 24) When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.” 25) While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, 26) Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” 27) Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28) Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29) Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30) Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. 31) Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.

TAKEAWAYS

– Sampson’s hair is growing again: The loss of strength was debilitating. It was disastrous. Through disobedience, ourselves much sorrow. But the source of his strength is returning.

Colossians 4:2-6 NIV

2) Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3) And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4) Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5) Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6) Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Pray With Devotion
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Vs. 2

2. Pray For Open Doors That The Gospel Is Shared Clearly
“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains” Vs.3

3. Pray For Wisdom
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Vs. 5-6

Mark 10: 17-31

17) As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18) “Why do you call me good? ”Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.19) You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20) “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21) Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack, ”he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22) At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23) Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24) The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26) The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27) Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28) Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29) “Truly I tell you, "Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30) will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31) But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”


TAKEAWAYS

1. It's right to approach Jesus, but he's more than a moral teacher.
2. It's right to approach Jesus, but not claim our own righteousness.
3. It's right to approach Jesus, but we do not dictate the terms.

Deuteronomy 6:1-2  NIV

1) These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2) so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3) Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4) Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6) These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7) Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8) Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9) Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 10) When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11) houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12) be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Context (v 1-3)
2. Key Verses
3. Application
4. Outcome

Act 6:1-7 NIV

1) In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2) So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3) Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4) and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5) This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6) They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7) So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

TAKEAWAYS

1. The problem- division

2. The solution was practical and spiritual

3. The aim is the spread of the gospel and the health of the church (v 2)

4. The outcome

Act 5:33-42 NIV

33) When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34) But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35) Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36) Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37) After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38) Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39) But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 40) His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41) The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42) Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

TAKEAWAYS

1. The good of Gamaliel

– Gamaliel calmed hot heads down

– Gamaliel talked of the progress of God

– Gamaliel was 50% correct- maybe the church would be OK

2. The Sin of Gamaliel

– He did not believe and commit to the message preached

– He allowed the apostles to be punished

– He participated in the decision to ban the apostles’ preaching

3. The Good of the apostles

– They never stopped.