Acts 22:30-23:35: Paul is brought before the Sanhedrin, the same high council that condemned Jesus 27 years earlier. He opens with, "I have lived my life before God in all good conscience." The high priest orders him struck. Paul fires back: "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall!"Realizing the council is divided between Sadducees and Pharisees, Paul cries out: "I am on trial for the hope of the resurrection!" Chaos erupts. The tribune rescues him again.That night, Jesus stands by Paul. "Take courage. As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."A conspiracy of 40+ men vow not to eat until Paul is dead. But Paul's nephew overhears. The tribune deploys 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen to escort Paul safely to Caesarea.Our call: Suffer well and trust the Lord. A ship in harbor cannot be steered. Get moving. Trust God to direct your steps.#Acts23 #SufferWellAndTrustTheLord #TakeCourage #JesusIsWithYou #ConqueredCommissionedKept #ShipInHarbor #RedemptionHillChurch0:00 - Welcome: Week 64 in Acts1:00 - Scripture Reading: Acts 22:30-23:358:00 - The Acts of the Risen Lord (Not Just the Apostles)10:00 - Nebuchadnezzar's Lesson: "Look What I Have Done"12:00 - Romans 7-8 + Galatians 2: Not Me, But Christ16:00 - Paul Stretched Out for Flogging (The Gray Poupon Moment)19:00 - The Sanhedrin: Same Council That Condemned Jesus21:00 - "I Have Lived in All Good Conscience" (Then—SLAP)23:00 - Saul vs. Paul: The Transformation the Council Saw27:00 - "God Is Going to Strike You, You Whitewashed Wall!"28:00 - They Broke the Law to Judge Him (Deuteronomy 25)32:00 - The Real Issue: The Resurrection of Jesus34:00 - Sadducees vs. Pharisees ("That's Why They Were SAD, You See")36:00 - Tribune Rescues Paul (Third Time!)37:00 - Acts 9:15-16: Paul Must Stand Before Kings39:00 - When You Feel "Arrested" in Life41:00 - Jesus Stands By Paul (Overshadowing Him)43:00 - "Take Courage—You Must Testify in Rome"48:00 - God's Sovereign Orchestration (The Nephew, The Romans)51:00 - The Holy Spirit Gives Words in the Moment52:00 - A Ship in Harbor Cannot Be Steered55:00 - Angels Guarding Paul (Psalm 91)57:00 - Suffer Well and Trust the Lord (1 Peter 4)1:00:00 - Closing Prayer: Get Moving and Trust

Week 63 in Acts.Acts 21:39-22:29: Paul stands on the temple steps, bloody and battered, and asks the Roman tribune for permission to speak, not for release, not for water, but to address the mob that just tried to kill him. He speaks in Hebrew, which stuns them into silence, and shares his testimony.Paul's testimony: He was zealous. He was religious. He was highly educated under Gamaliel. He was persecuting Christians. But Jesus hunted him down on the Damascus road. He was blinded, then given sight. Conquered by grace. Commissioned by grace.The crowd listens, until Paul says the word "Gentiles." Then they explode: "Away with such a fellow from the earth!"Three big truths:Your testimony is not the gospel. Jesus is the hero.The spectacular testimony isn't a better testimony, just a different one.We are responsible for faithfulness. God is responsible for results.Paul was conquered by grace. Commissioned by grace. Kept by grace.#Acts22 #ConqueredByGrace #CommissionedByGrace #KeptByGrace #PaulsTestimony #DamascusRoad #JesusIsTheHero #YourTestimonyIsPowerful #RedemptionHillChurch

0:00 - Welcome: Week 63 in Acts1:00 - Scripture Reading: Acts 21:39-22:29

7:00 - Recap: The Riot in the Temple11:00 - The Roman Tribune Protects Paul (Providentially)13:00 - Tarsus: "No Obscure City" (Wealth, Position, Free City)15:00 - Paul's Surprising Request: Let Me Speak to Them18:00 - He Speaks in Hebrew (Stunning the Crowd)19:00 - Paul's Testimony: Conquered by Grace21:00 - Hebrews 1: Paul Had the Puzzle, Missing the Center22:00 - You Can Be Sincere and Sincerely Wrong24:00 - Your Testimony Is Not the Gospel (Jesus Is the Hero)26:00 - The Gospel Is What JESUS Has Done28:00 - More Mercy and Grace in Jesus Than Sin in You30:00 - The Spectacular Testimony Isn't a Better Testimony33:00 - Conquered by Grace = Commissioned by Grace37:00 - Paul Hoped for Conversion—Got Rejection39:00 - The Word "Gentiles" Explodes the Crowd42:00 - When Sharing the Gospel Hurts (Rejection Is Real)44:00 - The Same Sun That Melts Ice Hardens Clay46:00 - We Plant Seeds—God Gives the Increase49:00 - Paul Kept by Grace (Roman Citizen for Such a Time)52:00 - Closing Prayer: Conquered, Commissioned, Kept

Acts 21:27-39: The storm has arrived. Paul is in the temple completing the Nazarite vow when Jews from Asia (specifically Ephesus) spot him. These are the same people who nearly killed him in Ephesus. They stir up the whole crowd, laying hands on Paul and crying out, "This man teaches everyone everywhere against the people, the law, and this place!" They also assume he brought Trophimus the Ephesian into the temple.

The city is in an uproar. The whole crowd tries to kill him. The Roman tribune rushes down with soldiers, arrests Paul, and binds him with two chains. Paul has to be carried up the steps because the mob is so violent.

But God is at work in the chaos. What the enemy means for evil, God uses for good. Paul—a Roman citizen from Tarsus, "no obscure city"—will now stand before governors, kings, and even Caesar himself. The gospel will advance through his chains.

Don't shadow box. The victory is already won in Christ.

#Acts21 #EnemyMeansForEvil #GodUsesForGood #PaulArrested #DontShadowBox #VictoryInChrist #RedemptionHillChurch

Week 61 in Acts.

Acts 21:15-26: Paul arrives in Jerusalem. James and the elders receive him warmly. He gives an account of God's work among the Gentiles, and they glorify God. Then comes the sensitive matter: thousands of believing Jews are zealous for the law and have heard rumors about Paul teaching Jews to forsake Moses.James proposes a solution: Take four men under a Nazarite vow, pay their expenses ($4,500-$5,000 in today's dollars), purify yourself with them, and show that you also live in observance of the law.

Paul complies. Not for justification before God (Christ finished that), but for justification before men, for the sake of the gospel and the weaker brothers."

Not all Scripture is equally inspiring, but all Scripture is equally inspired." Even the "calm before the storm" passages carry treasure. Older saints are a blessing. Fellowship binds hearts. Paul was justified by faith, but showed his faith by works.

All things count for nothing if not for the sake of the gospel.

#Acts21 #CalmBeforeTheStorm #JusticationBeforeMen #ForTheSakeOfTheGospel #NazariteVow #RedemptionHillChurch

0:00 - Welcome: Week 61 (Two Degrees Cooler!)1:00 - Scripture Reading: Acts 21:15-264:00 - Charging Toward Paul's Passion (Like Christ's)5:00 - Eyes Set Like a Flint for Jerusalem7:00 - "Let the Will of the Lord Be Done" (Faith Not Sight)10:00 - Paul Enters the Proving Fire14:00 - Not All Scripture Is Equally Inspiring (But All Inspired)17:00 - The Ordinary Days of Devotion20:00 - The Beauty of the Ordinary (Fold Your Laundry, Pray)23:00 - Behold the Glory: Changed From Glory to Glory26:00 - Paul's Companions Go With Him (Lord of the Rings Commitment)30:00 - Mnason: Honor Older Disciples (Blessing, Not Burden)35:00 - Ask an Older Christian to Pray for You38:00 - Paul & James: No Division (Reception of Word/Doctrine)39:00 - "Look What God Has Done" (Soli Deo Gloria)40:00 - Paul vs. James: Justification Before God vs. Men43:00 - The Shadow vs. The Substance (Christ)50:00 - Nailing the Ceremonial Law to the Cross (Colossians 2)56:00 - Tetelestai: School Is Out Forever1:00:00 - Paul Complies: For the Weaker Brother's Sake1:03:00 - The Warning: Don't Create Your Own Legalism1:07:00 - Closing Prayer & Communion

Acts 20:13-38: Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders at Miletus. He's hastening to Jerusalem for Pentecost. He can't stop in Ephesus, but he sends for the elders, because he loves them too much to skip them.Paul gives his testimony. His character. His teaching. His warnings."I did not shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God." "I coveted no one's silver or gold." "I served with humility, tears, and trials."The same gospel for Jews and Gentiles. Everyone called to repentance. Everyone called to faith in Christ alone.His warning: "Fierce wolves will come in among you," from outside AND from within. Elders must protect the flock. Take care of yourselves so you can take care of everyone. Follow me as I follow Christ.Don't neglect the weak. Don't forget the marginalized. The world should say, "Nobody takes better care of people than the people of God."Your testimony is powerful. Don't discredit the work God is doing in your life.Grace has brought us this far. Grace will take us home.#Acts20 #FarewellToEphesus #GraceWillTakeUsHome #WholeCounselOfGod #FollowMeAsIFollowChrist #YourTestimonyIsPowerful #RedemptionHillChurch

Acts 20:1-12: After the riot in Ephesus (Demetrius the silversmith and the "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians" mob), Paul sends for the disciples, encourages them, and departs for Macedonia. He continues into Greece, where a plot against him forces him to change plans. He travels with a diverse team, men from Berea, Thessalonica, Derbe, and Asia. Different backgrounds, one mission.At Troas, Paul preaches all night on the third floor. Eutychus, a young man in the window, falls asleep during the long sermon and plummets three stories to his death. Paul goes down, lays across him (echoing Elijah and Elisha), prays, and Eutychus is raised.Two big themes:God preserves His church, through riots, plots, and travel. The same God who preserved them then preserves you now.Don't just go through the motions. Eutychus isn't shamed for falling asleep, but the passage warns us against spiritual drowsiness. Awake from your sinful slumber and come to life in Christ.

Acts 19:11-20: God is doing extraordinary miracles through Paul in Ephesus. Handkerchiefs that touched his skin bring healing. Evil spirits flee. The word spreads.Enter the seven sons of Sceva, itinerant Jewish exorcists trying to invoke Jesus' name like a talisman. "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims." The evil spirit answers: "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" The demon-possessed man leaps on them, overpowers them, and they flee naked and wounded.Two massive truths:There is no spiritual neutrality. You're either with God or against Him. There's no spiritual Switzerland. Do not play games with witchcraft, occult, or magic.There is no secondhand faith. You can't borrow someone else's faith. Not your parents', pastor's, or grandma's. You must know Jesus for yourself.Fear fell on Ephesus. Believers burned their magic books (50,000 pieces of silver). The word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.Has hell heard your name?#Acts19 #SevenSonsOfSceva #NoSpiritualNeutrality #SpiritualWarfare #WhoAreYou #NoSecondhandFaith #JesusIsWorthIt #BurnTheBooks #RedemptionHillChurch

0:00 - Welcome: Week 56 in Acts2:00 - Scripture Reading: Acts 19:11-204:00 - Paul's Heart: To Greatly Help Those Who Believed8:00 - Recap: Paul in Ephesus (Two Years at Hall of Tyrannus)10:00 - The Lion Enclosure Story (Some Ideas Are Really Bad)19:00 - This Is a Supernatural Book About Supernatural Things23:00 - The War Is Made Up of Many Smaller Battles24:00 - God (Not Paul) Is Doing Extraordinary Miracles26:00 - 2 Timothy 2: Vessels for Honorable Use30:00 - Repentance = Change the Environment33:00 - Evil Spirits Are Real (No Spiritual Neutrality)35:00 - Don't Play Games With the Occult36:00 - 1 Corinthians 10: Food Sacrificed to Idols40:00 - Horoscopes, Fortune Tellers, Ouija Boards46:00 - The Seven Sons of Sceva (Snake Oil Salesmen)48:00 - "Jesus I Know, Paul I Recognize, But Who Are You?"50:00 - NO SECONDHAND FAITH (You Can't Borrow Someone's Faith)55:00 - Filled With the Holy Spirit = No Room for Anything Else59:00 - Have They Heard of YOU? (Are You a Threat?)1:02:00 - Every Turn Toward Christ = Battle Won1:06:00 - Fear Fell + Name of Jesus Extolled1:07:00 - They Burned Their Books (50,000 Silver)1:11:00 - Stand Firm: Put on the Armor of God1:13:00 - Closing Prayer

Acts 19:1-20 (Part 1): Paul finally arrives in Ephesus, the gateway city to Asia. He finds disciples who only knew John's baptism. "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They hadn't even heard of the Holy Spirit.

Paul explains: John pointed to the one coming after him, that is Jesus. They're baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul lays hands on them. The Holy Spirit comes. They speak in tongues and prophesy, about 12 men in all.

This is the fourth and final Pentecostal outpouring in Acts: Jerusalem (Jews) → Samaria → Cornelius (God-fearers) → Ephesus (ends of the earth). The sign gift confirms the gospel is universal, for every people on earth.

Paul reasons in the synagogue for three months. When opposition rises, he withdraws to the Hall of Tyrannus and teaches daily for two years. All of Asia hears the word.

Ephesus becomes one of the most important churches in the New Testament. Mary, Timothy, and John the Apostle would eventually minister there.

Return to your first love. (Revelation 2:4)

#Acts19 #Ephesus #HolySpirit #EndsOfTheEarth #HallOfTyrannus #ReturnToYourFirstLove #JohnsBaptism #Pentecost #RedemptionHillChurch

Week 54 in Acts. Baptism Sunday!

Acts 18:18-28: Paul is "in transit," traveling from Corinth through Ephesus, Caesarea, Antioch, and back through Galatia. A bridge text. But Luke is showing us something profound: discipleship in motion.

Paul takes Aquila and Priscilla with him. He greets the church (encouraging them with stories of God's faithfulness). He strengthens disciples wherever he goes. "He greatly helped those who through grace had believed." What a tombstone epitaph.

The Great Commission isn't just about making converts, it's about making disciples who make disciples. A renewal of the creation mandate: not just multiplying people, but creating worshipers of God who bear His image.

You are the link in a chain of God's grace extending to someone else. Not might be. Not maybe. ARE.

Apollos preaches eloquently but incompletely. Aquila and Priscilla take him aside with compassion. They disciple him. He goes to Corinth and likely disciples Sosthenes, who becomes co-author of 1 Corinthians.

Paul planted. Apollos watered. God gave the growth.

#Acts18 #MakeDisciples #GreatCommission #Apollos #AquilaAndPriscilla #PassTheTorch #RedemptionHillChurch

Week 52 in Acts! Halfway through the book.Acts 18:1-17: Paul leaves Athens and arrives in Corinth—a city so steeped in debauchery that "to live like a Corinthian" became Greek slang for moral corruption. The church wasn't planted in a place that degenerated—it was planted in the cesspool itself.There Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla, the New Testament's most beautiful picture of unified marriage. Always mentioned together. Tentmakers by trade, missionaries by calling. Their tent-making fueled their mission—not the other way around. Your work is sacred when done unto the Lord.But Luke's bigger purpose? Verifiable historical details. Claudius (4th Roman emperor, AD 41-54), expelled the Jews from Rome in AD 49 (confirmed by Suetonius). Gallio (proconsul of Achaia, AD 51-52, brother of Seneca the Younger). These timestamps anchor the gospel in real history.Luke 1:1-4: He wrote so you would have certainty (asphalion = locked-down assurance) in what you've been taught. The gospel either happened or it didn't. If it did, Jesus is the Messiah.#Acts18 #Corinth #AquilaAndPriscilla #UnifiedMission #Certainty #LockedDownAssurance #ChristAndHimCrucified #WorkIsSacred #RedemptionHillChurch