Dig Deeper - Acts Chapter 19: Did You Receive the Holy Spirit?
Awake Us Now
Let’s did deeper into the first few verses of Acts chapter 19. Acts 19:1-3 Paul arrives in Ephesus, finding some disciples and asks them if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They respond that they had not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit and that they did receive John’s baptism. So these are followers of John the Baptist but did not have the full picture. (That the coming the Messiah had come in the person of Jesus who was crucified for our sin, raised on the 3rd day, seated at the Father’s right hand, and returning. And that Jesus brings...
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Daniel: When Kingdoms Collide (7) - Babylon's Last Supper
Awake Us Now
Belshazzar celebrated his reign in pride and mockery of God... and lost everything. But to those who approach God in humility, repentance, and belief, God offers everything worth having: forgiveness and eternal life!
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Daniel: When Kingdoms Collide (6) - Testimony
Awake Us Now
King Nebuchadnezzar gave powerful testimony to the One God, but only after God first leveled his pride and then restored him to the kingship. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we in the 21st Century are often blind to our own sins of pride, lack of mercy, and moral failure. What will it take to make us see them as God sees them?
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GOT ACTS! (Chapter 19) - Who is Worshipped
Awake Us Now
Pastor opens with Who and what was worshiped then: Athens - Athena - Knowledge Corinth - Aphrodite - Sex Ephesus - Artemis - Money Rome - Emperor - Power As we look at this list, all of the what’s still apply to us today. Pastor’s question now becomes personal: “Who or What do you worship? What is at the heart of your life?” Acts 19:1-8 - Then - Paul goes to Ephesus and for 3 months speaks in the synagogue boldly arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God - God’s rule in the lives of true believers. Today we too need to hear about the kingdom of...
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Armor of God #1 - Be Strong!
Awake Us Now
It is by God's power, it is by being strong in Him, it is in using the armor of God that you and I can not only stand against the devil's schemes, but also witness to others whom God is leading out from the power of the devil. Pastor Dodge also shares a personal testimony of spiritual warfare that shows the power of God to defeat the enemy, because God IS stronger! Ephesians -11
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Daniel: When Kingdoms Collide (5) - In the Fire
Awake Us Now
Salvation in Jesus Christ is free - but there is a cost to discipleship. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to follow me, let that person take up his or her cross and follow me daily." Daniel and his companions remind us the the cost can be huge, but the reward is far greater!
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Daniel: When Kingdoms Collide (4) - Tough King Meets LIVING GOD
Awake Us Now
In today's message, we see that it was God who gave Daniel the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream -- a dream sent to show that God alone knows the future and that though empires crumble, God's Kingdom will be established forever over the entire earth!
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Daniel: When Kingdoms Collide (3) - God Reveals
Awake Us Now
Jesus never promised His followers an easy journey. What He does promise is a great destination, and He assures us of the presence of His Holy Spirit to uphold, to guide, and to reveal, so that His people may be equipped to lead the nations back to Him!
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Dig Deeper - Acts Chapter 18: Coworker Apollos
Awake Us Now
After 18 months in Corinth Paul, Aquila and Priscilla sail from Corinth to Ephesus and Paul goes on to Antioch. Luke picks up the story in Ephesus. Acts 18:24-26. We are introduced to Apollos, who had been instructed about the Lord and taught accurately about Jesus. Priscilla and Aquila heard him speaking boldly in the synagogue and graciously invited him to their home and taught him even more. Acts 18:27-28 Apollos then wanted to go to Achaia and they encouraged him and wrote to disciples in that town to welcome him. When Apollos arrived in he was a great help and...
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Daniel: When Kingdoms Collide (2) - Mixed, Not Melted
Awake Us Now
God calls His people not to blend in to society, but to stand out, to reflect the mercy and goodness of God, so that He may be exalted through all the nations!
info_outlineActs 16: 2,500 years ago, the Holy Spirit gave a prophetic word to several Hebrew prophets. It is a word that began to be fulfilled in a dramatic way at the time of the book of Acts, and continues to be dramatically fulfilled in our day in ways that seemed impossible generations ago. “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord just as the waters cover the sea.” We will see in this chapter a dramatic example of how that prophetic word was fulfilled at the time of the early apostles. We will also see how that speaks to us today as that word is being fulfilled in ways they couldn’t even conceived of 2,000 years ago.
Is the Book of Acts History or Theology? It is both!
Is it descriptive or prescriptive? It is both!
THEN and NOW:
Walk by the Spirit - Vs 8-9 - Paul receives a vision of a man in Macedonia. Paul and his companions conclude that God had called them to preach the Gospel there - so they followed the prompting of the Spirit. (See Galatians 5:16, 25)
Point to Jesus Christ - Vs 14 -15 - They go to Philippi in Macedonia via the Egnatian Way (Road). They go to the river to find a place of prayer and they meet several women there, meeting Lydia. They share the Gospel message with the women. Lydia responded to Paul’s teaching, inviting them to her home. God is moving! (See Philippians 2:9-11)
Spiritual Warfare - Vs 16 - 18 - Paul and Silas are followed by a female slave with the Python spirit for several days. Paul gets annoyed and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And at that moment the spirit left her. The word of Jesus has power!! (See Ephesians 6:12)
Rejoice in the Lord - Vs 19 - 25 - The slave’s owners realized that their opportunity for making money on the slave was lost, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the authorities saying that they were Jews causing an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for Romans. Paul and Silas are stripped and beaten with rods and thrown in prison with feet fastened in stocks. But Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God and the other prisoners were listening. They were rejoicing even in their difficulties. (See Philippians 4:4-6)
Assurance of Salvation - Vs 26 - 34 - Suddenly there was a violent earthquake and prison doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer saw the prison doors open and was about to kill himself assuming the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouts, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer runs to Paul and Silas, trembling, he asked what he needed to do to be saved. They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to jailer and to all the others in his house and the entire family was baptized. The jailer was filled with joy.because he had come to believe in God - he and his whole household. (See Philippians 1:6)
Vs 35-39 The authorities realize they beat Paul and Silas who were Roman citizens and no roman citizen is to be beaten and flogged so they release them.
Encourage One Another - Vs 40 - After being released from the prison, Paul and Silas go to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them and then they left. (See Philippians 1:27f)
No matter what the future may hold, we know Who holds the future!
This week’s READING ASSIGNMENT:
Acts chapter 16-17.
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