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_outlineSEEING CLEARLY: Then + Now
- Scandal of Idolatry - Then - Acts 17:16 we read that Paul was in Athens and was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 1 Corinthians 10:20 Paul writes that the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And in Romans 1:22-23 “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles.”
- In Athens life revolved around the idols. Sampling:
- Festival of Athena
- Festival of Apollo
- Festival of Demeter
- Festival of Poseidon
- Festival of Dionysus
- Festival of Zeus
Now - Today we need to have our eyes opened to the idolatry of this age. The worship of things and self.
- Reason vs Ridicule - Then - Acts 17:17-18 Paul reasoned in the synagogue and the market place to both Jews and God-fearing Greeks regarding idolatry. Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. They accused him of advocating foreign gods because he was preaching the good news of Jesus and the resurrection - something they had not heard before.
Now - Today there are many who ridicule the Christian faith so it is important to reason with them and to bring into their lives the truth of what the scriptures say. (See 1 Corinthians 1:21)
- Tyranny of Fads - Then - Acts 17:19-21 - Paul is taken to a meeting of the Areopagus (legislative body) where they question Paul about what he was teaching. They were interested in new ideas, interested in going with the latest fad. However the good news of Jesus is not a fad and in Romans 12:2 we are encouraged to not conform to the patterns of the world.
Now - Today we are called to be grounded in the word of God, to be transformed by it and not follow the ways of the world.
- The Unknown is made Known - Then - Acts 17:22-25 Paul stands up and addresses the group saying that he sees they are “very religious.” He had observed their objects of worship and told them they were ignorant and then he reveals that God who made the world and everything in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built by human hands. He told them that God gives life and breath and everything else.
Now - today just like then, many have heard of God but they do not know Him. (See 1 Timothy 6:15-16) Paul seeks to communicate who God truly is: all powerful, all knowing and good.
- The Priority of Repentance - Then - Acts 17:26-30 - Paul tells them of the one true God who made nations from one man. “For in Him we live and move and have our beings.” He goes on to say that since we are God’s offspring, we shouldn’t think that God is like an idol of gold or silver. God commands all people to repent.
Now - today - we too are to repent. To turn around, change our direction and return to God.
- Resurrection of Christ - Then - Acts 17:31-33 - Paul tells of the day that the Lord has set to judge the world with justice by the One who God Himself raised from the dead. (Jesus - Redeemer, Deliverer) When Paul talked of the resurrection of the dead, some sneered, but others wanted to learn more.
Now - today - the resurrection of Christ is the key biblical teaching and the heart of the New Testament teaching. By human standards, Christ’s resurrection seems ridiculous - unless it’s REAL! And that is precisely what the scriptures declare AND what the evidence points to! 1 Corinthians 15:20 tells us that Christ has indeed been risen from the dead! And that news can change even the most devout skeptic.
Pastor shares the story of a cold case investigator, detective and atheist, J. Warner Wallace. Using cold case investigation tools and tactics Wallace uncovers compelling evidences for Christ’s resurrection, yet he still chose to ignore what he uncovered and chose NOT to see clearly. However, that’s not the end of the story. Pastor closes class with how it all ended for J. Warner Wallace and how it ends for all of us.
God has set a day when He will judge the world - Thus we need to repent - because God has raised His Son from the grave and He IS coming back!
This week’s READING ASSIGNMENT:
Acts chapter 17-18.
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