Roblin Wesleyan Church

Guest speaker Dr. Steve Lennox joins us to discuss how to "Run Through Chaos".

Join guest speaker Matthew McCullough as he discusses the work that God is doing through Celebrate Recovery

Finding Yourself in the book of Acts - Part 4

The Early Church was a Church of Joy, they had glad hearts.

5:50 - Acts 2:46 "Every day they continues to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts."

God's kingdom is a spiritual kingdom 

9:03 - Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

When the Holy Spirit came, there was joy!  There was joy, unity, fellowship, oneness, and power.

12:56 - Acts 4:12 - "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

The early church was a group of people bound together by love.  They needed to have some organization, but the love, joy and filling with power came FIRST.

The call of salvation is a call to embrace Christ, not an organization.

16:39 - Mark 10:15 - "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

How does a child receive the Kingdom?  Through faith, innocence and joy.

Joy sustained the early church in difficulties 

______ - Romans 5:3 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Their joy was contagious (effective witnessing)

_______ - Acts 2:47 "Praising God and enjoying he favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Joy created an atmosphere of true fellowship

_____ - Acts 2:46 "Every day they continues to meet together in the temple courts."

Joy brings delight to the heart of God

_____ - Psalms 147:11 "The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

_____ - Psalms 100:4 "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to hime and praise his name."

The early Church was filled with Joy!  Why joy?  It was because of the Holy Spirit, Salvation, Obedience, Fellowship, and the Hope of Heaven.  They were in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Sprit was in them.

_____ - Romans 14:17 - "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

The ultimate joy factor...INTIMACY.  They were experiencing intimacy with God through His Holy Spirit, and therefore a deeper intiacy with one another through that same Spirit.

_____ - Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

Think about Paul's prayer for the Ephesian Church...

____ - Ephesians 3:14-19 - "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from who his whole famil in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses the knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Intimacy - (In-to-me-see) - loved by God, known by God, accepted by God.  This is the life in the Holy Spirit, this is how we overcome sin!

Finding Yourself in the Book of Acts - Part 3

This week, we continue to explore the book of Acts.  It contains the DNA of our history and our mission to fulfill.  It is our empowerment to fulfill the mission.  Acts is the story of the expansion of the gospel.

We need God! 

10:15 - Revelation 3:17-18  "You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."

13:10 - Acts 1:4 - "On one occasion, while he was eating with them he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about."

The early church - They waited on the gift from God.

13:29 - Acts 1:14 - "they all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers."

Why were they a praying Church? They prayed until the Holy Spirit came, then the Holy Spirit came, and then they continued to pray after the Holy Spirit came.

14:40 - Acts 2:42 - "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

Why did they pray? 

19:08 - Luke 18:35-43 - "As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36  When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.  37  They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. 38  He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told hi to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40  Jesus stopped and order the man to be brought to him.  When he came near, Jesus asked him "What do you want me to do for you?" 41 "Lord, I want to see," he replied.  42 Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight' your faith has healed you."  43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God.  When all the people saw it, they also praised God."

How did they know they needed Jesus?

24:18 - John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Prayer is birthed the moment we realize we can't, but He can!

33:28 - Revelation 22:20 - "He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon" Amen Come, Lord Jesus."

Why did they pray?

Prayer was their connection to the spiritual world (the real world), prayer was their investment in the eternal, prayer reinforced the reality of their treasure in heaven.

We are called to pray. 

Ask God how we can become a praying church and recognize our need for God.

Join us as we continue looking at the book of Acts.

Guest speaker Dr. Stephen Elliott joins us to discuss "But God".

The Book of Acts is vital in understanding why we are here today as a Church!

Acts is a wild, moving, action-packed story.

Called the “The Acts of the Apostles”

Acts is:

Acts is about what Jesus continued to do in His “body” the Church.  These 28 Chapters follow the The First Prophesy in the book to its fulfillment.

Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This prophesy would be the framework for the story of the church for the next 30 years & beyond

Acts is an important model for the church of every generation.

This New Church was:

Six Movements in Acts

Acts is about the spreading of the gospel

Jesus told the disciples to “Go into all the world” Then He said, “Wait” - for the gift my father promised.

We must find our place in Acts:

The International Church

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