The Book of Acts
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As we draw near to the end of the book of Acts, the story of Paul just seems to intensify! At this point Paul has been arrested and is being transported when his ship encounters a terrible storm. Luke writes in Acts 27:20 that, "all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned."
Have you ever found yourself in a public debate with an Atheist? I found myself in one just the other day. A video I made with Biblical teaching was shared online by an atheist so that he could mock what we believe and make his points. I jumped at the opportunity to share the truth with him.
There are many places in the world today where it is dangerous to be a Christian. But how did Paul respond to danger? There were instances, like when Paul was in Ephesus, where he had to flee for his life. But in this story his response was different.
In Acts 18 we get introduced to a man named Apollos. He was a well educated man and he knew about Jesus, but his information was incomplete. Fortunately for him, there were people listening to his message and willing to share more about Jesus.
I was recently in Asia and there were several instances when I saw people bringing sacrifices and incense to lay before their idols. When I saw that I could not help but think of Paul in Athens as he looked on the idols of that city.
I like to define discipleship as helping people take the next step in following Jesus. How do we help others to take that next step? Let's look at the example of Philip in Acts 8:26-40 to learn some helpful tips. What did Philip demonstrate?
It is remarkable to think that the first person to die for their faith in Jesus Christ was not one of the disciples. It wasn't the Apostle Paul. It wasn't a missionary or a pastor. It was a waiter... a simple servant. His name was Stephen.
Many people are familiar with the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. This is a story which often gets oversimplified. Ananias and Sapphira lied to God and they dropped dead. While that statement is true, there is a lot more that we can learn from their mistakes.
In Isaiah 44:6 God said, "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god." There is no other god... period. Yet all around us are people who have put their faith in other gods. Some people follow the gods of false religions.
Have you ever looked at someone who has a need and felt like you didn't have anything to help them? It would be easy to pass by a great opportunity because we fill like we don't have anything of value. That wasn't the case with Peter and John and it's not the case with us either.
How we spend our time is a great indicator of what we value. When you read about the birth of the church in Acts 2, you can see exactly how they spent their time. It's clear that the church was devoted to some pretty important things.
When you think about the day of Pentecost you probably think about the moment when the Holy Spirit filled the disciples and they began to speak in tongues. This truly was an amazing moment in the history of the church!
There is this great moment in Acts 1 where Jesus ascends into heaven and his disciples are all standing around staring at the sky. Afterwards two angels show up and one of them asks the question, "why do you stand looking into heaven?"
This year we are going through the book of Acts in chapel. In the opening of the book of Acts, Luke makes a reference to his first book (the Gospel of Luke) and says that in it he "dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach."