"The Wise Warnings of the Holy Spirit" | Acts 21:1-16

In our study of the book of Acts this week, the apostle Paul is getting closer and closer to Jerusalem. His days as a free minister of the gospel will soon come to an end. Before long, Paul will be calling himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 

In Acts 21:1-16, we are told repeatedly that the Holy Spirit is warning the people that if Paul goes to Jerusalem, he will be imprisoned for the gospel. Paul’s friends plead with him not to go. Yet, Paul is resolved to go to Jerusalem even though he knows that he will be arrested. What is the point of the warnings of the Holy Spirit if they aren’t to protect Paul from being arrested?

As we study God’s Word this week, we will see that warnings are not always meant to keep us from suffering. Rather, warnings prepare to suffer in ways that honor God and advance the gospel. This is helpful to us when we read warning passages in the Bible. What do we do with the warnings of the Holy Spirit? Thank God the Holy Spirit warns us of the dangers of following Jesus faithfully so that we will keep following faithfully. He does so to equip us to follow with hope and encouragement.

As we study The Wise Warnings of the Holy Spirit.  Let’s pray that the end result would be that each of us would have a stronger and clearer resolve to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Looking forward to worshipping King Jesus with you all. Invite your friends.

This Sunday, we dove into one of the apostle Paul’s most heartfelt moments in Acts 20:17-38. Paul gathers his dear friends from Ephesus for one last, powerful lesson at a turning point in his journey—from traveling evangelist to ambassador in chains. Paul is being sent by God into the heart of Jerusalem and ultimately, the Roman Empire. The only way that’s possible is as a prisoner for the gospel. For his friends, this is a troubling time, but for Paul, it’s a divine calling. He encourages them by showing that he doesn’t view his life as something to preserve and to protect. He is to be poured out on the altar for Jesus.

Our sermon is titled, The Freedom of an Expendable Life. Ask yourself: Am I more focused on preserving my life, or pouring it out for God? Are we investing more emotional energy in securing our future, or in becoming living sacrifices? Much of our anxiety comes from trying to save ourselves when our true eternal safety is already secure in Christ. Jesus didn’t hold on to His life—He gave it freely for us, so we can joyfully follow His example for the sake of others.

Let’s pray that we might learn the joy and freedom of having an expendable life. Looking forward to worshiping each Sunday. Come and be encouraged and bring a friend!

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Tim Keller once said a true friend is someone who “lets you in” and doesn’t “let you down.”

As we continue our journey through Acts, we see just how much the apostle Paul depended on friends who were willing to stand with him when following Jesus became dangerous. In Acts 20:1–16, a real assassination plot forces Paul to change his plans—but what stands out is not fear, it’s faithfulness.

Friends step up. They stay close. They share the risk. Our sermon this week, “Friends That Stick,” reminds us that we all need relationships that hold fast when life gets messy—and in Christ, we are called to be those kinds of friends for one another.

Acts shows us a diverse people united in one mission, bearing the load together for the sake of the gospel. J

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Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

This sermon is entitled “When God Benches You,” drawn from Acts 19:21–41. It’s a dramatic scene. The gospel is having such a powerful impact in Ephesus that the city erupts in chaos. A riot breaks out. Two of Paul’s companions are seized and dragged into the theater, their lives suddenly in danger. Paul is ready to rush in and help—but those closest to him stop him. It’s too dangerous. Stepping in could make everything worse.

For Paul, this meant taking a backseat—and that couldn’t have been easy. Paul was not someone who sat well on the sidelines, especially when he felt responsible for what was happening. And yet, this moment reveals something crucial: this was never Paul’s ministry to manage or rescue. It was the Lord’s.

Friends, there are seasons when God does the same with us. Like a wise coach, He sits us on the bench at the very moment we want to be in the game. He removes the situation from our hands and gently—but firmly—reminds us that we are not the Savior. He is.

Are you there right now? Do you feel sidelined in a ministry, a relationship, or a situation that matters deeply to you? Is it especially hard to let go when the people involved mean so much? This passage reminds us that real peace doesn’t come from trying to save the day—it comes from trusting the One who already has.

Whether you feel benched by God or not, be reminded afresh that God knows exactly what He’s doing—and that He can be trusted, even when we don’t understand. Pray that God would prepare your heart to receive fresh strength and wisdom from His Word. 

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This Sunday, our sermon is titled Confident Christianity. One of the most compelling qualities of the apostle Paul is his unshakable confidence that God’s purposes will never fail—that God’s plan for His people and His mission to the nations cannot be thwarted. Writing to the deeply troubled church in Corinth, Paul boldly declares that Jesus “will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That promise is given to a church riddled with moral and relational dysfunction—yet Paul is utterly confident in God’s faithfulness.

From a Roman prison, with the real possibility of death looming, Paul writes to the Philippians, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” He continues, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” and concludes with the triumphant assurance, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” This is prison-born optimism. Death-defying hope. Gospel-driven confidence.

Do you have this kind of confidence—for yourself, for the church, and for our calling in the world? In Acts 19:1–20, we will see where true Christian confidence is forged. Let’s pray that God’s Word would prevail among us, filling our hearts with hope and grounding our minds in gospel truth. If your faith needs strengthening or your passion for God needs rekindling, this passage reminds us that if God is for us, nothing and no one can stand against us.

See you Sunday—and bring a friend who could use encouragement in their faith.

This Sunday, our sermon is titled Confident Christianity. One of the most compelling qualities of the apostle Paul is his unshakable confidence that God’s purposes will never fail—that God’s plan for His people and His mission to the nations cannot be thwarted. Writing to the deeply troubled church in Corinth, Paul boldly declares that Jesus “will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That promise is given to a church riddled with moral and relational dysfunction—yet Paul is utterly confident in God’s faithfulness.

From a Roman prison, with the real possibility of death looming, Paul writes to the Philippians, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” He continues, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” and concludes with the triumphant assurance, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” This is prison-born optimism. Death-defying hope. Gospel-driven confidence.

Do you have this kind of confidence—for yourself, for the church, and for our calling in the world? In Acts 19:1–20, we will see where true Christian confidence is forged. Let’s pray that God’s Word would prevail among us, filling our hearts with hope and grounding our minds in gospel truth. If your faith needs strengthening or your passion for God needs rekindling, this passage reminds us that if God is for us, nothing and no one can stand against us.

See you Sunday—and bring a friend who could use encouragement in their faith.

This Sunday morning, we will conclude our Christmas-season study of Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. In Luke 2:22–38, we meet two faithful elderly saints, Simeon and Anna. Simeon is described in verse 25: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Anna, an eighty-four-year-old widow, is described in verses 37–38: “She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel.”

“And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host praising God saying, ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.’” (Luke 2:13-14).

Join us this week as Dr. Brian Thomas guides us through Luke 2:1–20 in his sermon, “Good News of Great Joy for Those in Darkness.”

In Luke’s Gospel, the Good News of Christmas is set in the real world, which is often quite dark. The angels’ announcement of Christ’s birth comes to humble shepherds and brings them joy and peace to the glory of God.