For the next three weeks, we're going to be focusing on Grace. First we'll consider the grace that saves us, then the grace that sustains us, next the grace that we're to share, anf finally the grace through which we serve. This week's sermon is about the grace which saves us.

God gave Paul and his party divine appointments to preach the gospel message. We also have opportunites to help seekers come to saving faith, sometimes when and where we'd least expect it or when circumstances seem disastrous, but we need to stay aware and make the most of our opportunites.

God does things that make us say "I wasn't expecting THAT!"

Throughout the book of Acts, we see that at times Paul and the leaders chose a direction and God allowed them to pursue that direction. At other times, God intervened and choose a different course. Today we'll see that Paul and his ministry team simply obeyed God's direction and went to wherever He instructed them to go.

Even though disputes arose among the leaders of the fledging church, such disputes were carefully considered while the gospel continued to be preached. The furtherance of the gospel was the main thing.

Today we'll see how the early church dealt with conflict: how they identified the problem, the process they used to think the problem through and come up with a plan.

Paul and Barnabus faced intense opposition while preaching the gospel in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. Persecution was not new to Paul, but he and Barnabus were committed to seeing the fledgling church grow. Before we can enjoy the blessings of the kingdom and reign with Christ, we must first face the hardships of this world.

Throughout Acts, Luke reminds us that Paul and Barnabas would go from city to city sharing the gospel with a strategy in place – they always started in the synagogue. We, too, need a strategy when we share the gospel with others. We need to boldly and compassionately share the gospel with them, but this comes after prayer and preparation for the gospel.

Paul and Barnabus preach on the choices one can make after hearing the gospel. Will people reject the opportunity of eternal life? Or will they accept God's offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and be transformed?

In today's passage we'll see how Paul and his companion missions team sought first to understand their audience and adapt their approach where every they spoke to show the relevance of the gospel to those who heard it.