The will of God is accomplished in our lives even through injustice. That means God works his plans for good, for you, even when doors are slammed in your face by other people, when people hold you back, even when people make life really hard or painful for you.

There is a real and great danger of looking for or settling for a convenient Christianity. For a Christianity of convenience is no Christianity at all - it is devoid of Jesus altogether.

Being disciples of Jesus means we are disciples of Jesus in the moment, right here, right now, when we walk out of here, on our way home in the car. He is there, beside us, and we are his disciples or his students.

To live a life of obedient, Spirit-empowered, faith-filled service to Christ to the end, you will need courage.

Many see Jesus as a part of life, but not as a the one, all-sufficient answer to life.

This morning we come to a story in Acts where we see the Holy Spirit speaking through believers, by the gift of prophecy, about Paul’s future. This story helps us see what New Testament prophecy is.

How do you want to be remembered when you are gone? Have you ever thought about that? In this farewell address, Paul reminds believers from Ephesus how he lived among them. He left the kind of legacy in Ephesus that every genuine Christian also wants to leave.

In Real Church there is responsiveness to church leaders! There is responsiveness to teaching and encouragement, and even to appeals to come together! Verse 1 says, “After the uproar had ended, Paul SENT for the disciples”. Paul left Ephesus after the riot in the theater, but he wanted to give a final word of encouragement to the believers. So he sent for them to come!

When Christians are changed by the gospel in a deep way, it will do three things. They will experience spiritual renewal. They will experience trouble. And they will have a broader impact.

To become a Christian is to come out of Satan’s kingdom, and to come into God’s kingdom. It is to come out from Satan’s power and to come into God’s power. It is to come out from under Satan’s rule and come under the rule of God.