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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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Acts: Diverse Global Family

**1. ONE FAMILY IN ADAM

1. ONE FAMILY IN CHRIST
2. THE MANIFOLD WISDOM OF GOD
3. ACTS IS WHERE WE SEE THE CHURCH BURST FORTH
4. THE DIVERSE, GLOBAL FAMILY IS HERE**

Link to Video: Church planting in rural Guatemala

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Acts 2:38–39
Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.

1 Corinthians 15:22 again:
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

John Calvin
It is a requirement for certainty of faith that everyone is fully convinced that he is included with those to whom God is speaking. This is the rule of a genuine faith; then I am sure that salvation is mine because this is the promise offered to me.

Ephesians 2:11–13
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ

Ephesians 2:16
that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross

Romans 8:29-30
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Ephesians 3:8–10
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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Acts: Gospel Clarity

1. ONE QUESTION

2. SEVEN PROCLAMATIONS
   a. Acts 2:22ff
   b. Acts 3:12ff
   c. Acts 4:8ff
   d. Acts 5:30ff
   e. Acts 10:39ff
   f. Acts 13:26ff
   g. Acts 17:29ff

3. FOUR OBSERVATIONS
   a. God-centered
   b. Audience-conscious
   c. Christ-focused
   d. Response-expectant
   e. (bonus) BOLD

4. SINGULAR CLARITY

Luke 12:11–12 Jesus says …
And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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Acts: Church PlantingCHURCH PLANTING IN ACTS
1) Acts begins with Jesus
2) Jesus has established the core of the church
3) The Holy Spirit enables a great gospel proclamation
4) The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have mightily established the church in worship, discipleship and mission
5) Apostolic witnesses go with news of this gospel and the church it establishes.

THE CHURCH PLANTED AT CROSSPOINTE COAST
1) We came from a church plant
2) We are a church plant
3) We are a church
4) We are a church planting church
5) We are a member of a diverse global family

Acts 29 | A diverse, global family of church-planting churches
The first and last of the five distinctives of Acts 29.
1) We are passionate about gospel centrality.
5) We embrace a missionary understanding of the local church and its role as the primary means by which God chooses to establish his kingdom on earth.

FOUR THINGS TO CELEBRATE WITH ACTS 29 IN 2019
1) 800 Churches
2) 52 Countries
3) 31 Languages
4) 82 Churches Planted in 2018

TWO PRAYER REQUESTS
1) Aaron Proffitt at Aletheia in Tampa
2) John Menton and Grace Bible Church in East London, South Africa**

TWO PRAYER REQUESTS
1) Aaron Proffitt at Aletheia in Tampa
2) John Menton and Grace Bible Church in East London, South Africa

We cannot understand the church or its mission if we do not first understand Jesus and his gospel.

Acts 6:7
And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly

Acts 1:1
I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

Acts 1:2
… until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 2:22–24, 38
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” … And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 2:42, 46–47
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. … And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 9:31
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Acts 28:30–31
He lived there [in Rome] two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

John Piper
I think we have enough churches being planted by means of music, drama, creative scheduling, sprightly narrative, and marketing savvy. And there are too few that are God-centered, truth-treasuring, Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting, cross-focused, Spirit-dependent, prayer-soaked, soul-winning, justice-pursuing congregations with a wartime mindset ready to lay down their lives for the salvation of the nations and the neighborhoods. There is a blood-earnest joy that sustains a church like this, and it comes only by embracing Christ-crucified as our righteousness.

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Matt Hardy
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Paul In Rome

*1) God is Sovereign and will accomplish his will *
a) The spread of his word
b) The salvation of his people
c) The glory of his name

2) There is no promise that life will be pleasant for us here
a)  This is not your best life now
b)  Sorry Joel Osteen Everyday is not a Friday
c)  Jesus, Paul, Peter, Stephen, all the disciples
d)  The Millions of martyrs around the world since

*3) We are called to endure *
a)  2 Timothy 4:6-8

4) Acts is a story about God
a)  Not about Peter, Paul, or Stephen
b)  God Alone is faithful and good

5) A call to the faithfulness of the ordinary by example of the extraordinary
a)  We are called to obedience in the everyday

Philippians 1:12-13
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

Acts 23:11
_11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” _

Luke 17:20-21
_20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” _

Matthew 13:31-33
_31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” _

2 Timothy 3:16
_16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, _

Abraham Kuyper
_“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” _

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Preacher: Miguel Medina
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**Suffering Breeds Servanthood

1. CONSEQUENCE
2. COMFORT Paul was able to comfort his co-travelers because: * 1. He sought God’s presence at all Cmes * 1. He knew to Whom he belonged * 1. He lived to serve his Savior * 1. He trusted God’s faithfulness
3. COUNSEL

R. Kent Hughes “ACTS - The Church Afire”
“Paul was mature in Christ but was still being shaped through trials. We are often objective-oriented but God is process-oriented. We just want to get to Rome, but God is even more interested in how we get there.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that Sovereignty will sanctify them.”

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Preacher: Mark Schledorn
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**1. What is Paul’s goal?

1. How does he achieve that goal?
2. From where does he get the power to achieve his goal?**

Reasonable proof

• Jesus performed myriad miracles
• Jesus appeared to many following His resurrection, including more than 500 at one time
• Many of Jesus’ followers were martyred for their Gospel proclamation

1. What is Paul’s goal?
To share the Gospel with everyone with whom he comes into contact.

2. How does Paul achieve that goal?
By identifying with the lost and appealing to their reason.

3. From where does he get the power to achieve his goal?
From the knowledge that he forgiven, accepted and adopted into Christ. He knows to whom he belongs.

Acts 26:6-7
“I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which the twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by the Jews, O king! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?”

Ephesians 2:1-7
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 7:7-11
“If it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known  what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin,  seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. 
For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law,  but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment  that promised life proved to be death tome. 11 For sin, tseizing an opportunity through  the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”

Acts 26:29
“Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am — except for these chains.”

C.S. Lewis, “The Weight of Glory”
“The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some chasm that yawns between us and reality, is part of our inconsolable secret. And surely, from this point of view, the promise of glory, in the sense described, becomes highly relevant to our deep desire. For glory means good report with God, acceptance by God, response, acknowledgment, and welcome into the heart of things. The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last.”

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Preacher: Joel Fair
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I. Paul before the Council/Sanhedrin 22:30-23:11
II. The Lord reveals himself to Paul again 23:11
III. A Plot to Kill Paul and God’s Rescue 23:12-35
IV. Paul and the Governors 24:1-25:12
V. Application
A. Compelling Story But how does it Apply to Me?
B. God is Sovereign and in Control
C. As We Proclaim the Truth of God’s Word We WILL Experience Trials
D. Be Glad and Rejoice

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

2 Corinthians 11:23-28
Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.  And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

Philippians 2:14-18
Do all things without grumbling or disputing,  that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.  Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.  Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Tony Merida Exalting Jesus in Acts
“The names of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit aren’t mentioned in these verses—it’s a notable absence that reminds me of the book of Esther. In that book, too, the name of God is missing, but his fingerprints are everywhere within the story. God works in various ways to accomplish his purposes, even when we can’t see him. In this passage the same Lord who promised that Paul would get to Rome works through people and circumstances to accomplish his agenda. We sometimes think God isn’t working when we don’t see visible signs of his sovereignty. But never mistake the lack of the spectacular for the inactivity of God. His quiet, invisible hand is always at work.”

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Preacher: Joel Fair
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Acts 21:37 - 22:29 Pauls Identity as a Witness to the Gospel
We are witnesses who both observe and proclaim.
Acts 1:8

Paul uses his identity as a Jew to create an avenue to proclaim his identity as a Witness

Paul Confirms his Identity as a Witness of Jesus
Like many other cases in the Gospels and Acts the healing from the blindness was the proof of the spiritual healing
Matthew 9:4-8

Paul is Given the Will, Voice and A Sight of the Righteous One
Colossians 1:13-14
1 Timothy 1:12-17

Paul Embraces the Call to Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus
Romans 9:30-10:4
I often ask why I do not proclaim Christ with this same conviction?
It is because I do not believe the Gospel that I am sharing.

Paul did not deny his identity but leveraged them for the telling of the Gospel.
Jew of Jews / Greek / Educated / Roman
All of these were used so that he would be able to Proclaim the Gospel.
Witness was his greatest Identity.
Galatians 2:20

What identities do we have that we, like Paul, can leverage for the Gospel?
Some examples could be:
-Education
-Nationality
-Economic Status
-Race
-Job Title/Position
-Heritage
-Neighborhood
-Stage of Life

Have any of these titles taken a priority over my identity as a Witness to Jesus Christ?

In my life, have I let my identity as dominate my identity as Christian.

All of these are good identities but they serve my greatest and eternal identity.

If the Bible is true then these other identities will pass away and forever we will continue to be witnesses to Jesus and his Glory and Majesty.
Revelation 4:9-14

This was Paul’s greatest identity and it is the greatest identity we have.

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Preacher: Joel Fair
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Question #1 What is the title of our series through Acts?
WITNESSES
Question #2 What were the apostles in the book of Acts?
WITNESSES
Question #3 What are we called to be in the world today?
WITNESSES
Question #4 Whose gospel are we called to be a witness to?
JESUS

Acts 1:8
Matthew 28:18-20

Five things to look at in the passage that Paul is revealing in his missionary life and his address to the elders at Ephesus
Remember the Encouragement Paul gave
Remember the Example Paul Set
Remember the Gospel He Preached
Protect the Flock
Do it all in Relationship

I. Paul’s Encouragement - Vs 1-12
A. Vs 1 - After encouraging them
B. Vs 2 - Given them much encouragement
C. Vs 7-11 - The sovereignty of God to save and resurrect (Same sovereignty throughout all of Acts to both give and take life)
1. Remember Peter raising Dorcas from the dead in Acts 9
2. Ananias & Sapphira were killed in Acts 5
3. Even the air we breathe is a gift we think we are entitled to
D. vs 12 - Not a little comforted
E. Vs 13 - 16 Pauls travels from Troas to Miletus

II. You have seen the life I have lived because of the Gospel - Vs 18 - 20 & 33 - 35
A. Consistent
1. Spent three years with them in Ephesus
2. From the first day
B. Serving
C. Humble
D. Bold
E. Not coveting but content
1. 2 Corinthians 12:9&10
F. Laboring
G. Working Hard
1. 1 Thessalonians 2:9-10
H. Helping the Weak
I. Giving, Not Receiving

III. You have heard the Gospel (Repentance & Faith) I have proclaimed - Vs 21 - 27 & 32
A. Repentance toward God
B. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
1. Ephesians 2:1-10
C. Testified to by the Holy Spirit
D. Gospel of the Grace of God
E. Proclaiming the Kingdom
F. Boldly declaring the Whole Counsel of God
G. Word of the Grace of God
H. Inheritance of those who are Sanctified
1. Ephesians 1:13-14

IV. Pay attention & Be alert - Vs 28 - 30
A. Pay careful attention to yourselves
B. Pay careful attention to the flock
C. Care for the Precious Church of God - Purchased by His Blood
D. Protect from Fierce Wolves
E. Twisted Things drawing away from the Gospel
1. How can good things become twisted things?
a) Partial Truth - NOT the whole counsel of God
b) Wrong motivation
(1) Revelation 2:2-5

V. All of this is given in the context of relationship - Vs 17 & 36 - 38
A. Called and They Came
B. Praying Together
C. Weeping Together
D. Showing Great Affection
E. Sorrow in the Sending & Leaving

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
What the passage tells us:
• The Effectiveness of John the Baptist’s ministry
• Necessity that Jesus is the Christ.
• Relationship between the Holy Spirit and faith in JESUS as the Christ.
The passage raises a few questions:
• What is the difference between the baptism of John and the Baptism of Jesus?
• What is the relationship between the timing of these disciples’ belief, their baptism and the Holy Spirit coming on them?
• Is the Holy Spirit coming on them in this way something that should always happen when a person believes?

2. INTRODUCTION TO THE RIOT

3. NO LITTLE DISTURBANCE
• This line of business of ours will come into disrepute
• The temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing
• Artemis is about to be brought down from her grandeur

4. GREAT IS ARTEMIS OF THE EPHESIANS
5. PAUL WISHED TO GO
6. THE TOWN CLERK
7. THE GOSPEL CONFRONTS CULTURE

Are there any teachings in the scriptures that you need to allow to interrupt and confront the normal flow of your life?

David Peterson (Pillar)
These colleagues acted with a measure of independence, standing in for Paul in some contexts, so that, ‘for all his heroic stature in Acts, Paul does not stand alone’. Once more, an implicit ecclesiology[that is, teaching about the church] is indicated by Luke.

Pillar - David Peterson
Christianity had the potential to change the culture of the city, but would it succeed?

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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**1. PRISCILLA AND AQUILA

1. PRISCILLA AND AQUILA WITH APOLLOS
2. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES?
3. CORE-TIME CHRISTIAN MISSION**

1 Corinthians 3:6
I, [Paul], planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Romans 16:3
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus

1 Corinthians 16:19
The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.

2 Timothy 4:19
Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.

Skye Jethani, wrote an article entitled “Mission and Recession”
1) It would mean helping people to see the missional dignity of ordinary work; communicating that their jobs matter to Christ and his kingdom, not just what happens within the walls of the church.

2) It would mean elevating the role of family and household relationships as vehicles for spiritual growth and missional engagement.

3) It would mean not extracting people from their lives and communities to engage in church programming, but equipping them to live in communion with Christ within the context he has placed them.

4) It would shift the focus of Sunday worship away from mission and outreach to a time of celebration and encouragement for Christians who are engaged in mission the other six days of the week.

5) It would mean an adjustment in what the church counts as growth-not only institutional expansion or programmatic growth, but stories of ordinary people, faithful to Christ, at home, at work, at school and everywhere life happens.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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**v16-21 - A CITY FULL OF IDOLS
v22-28 - YOU ARE VERY RELIGIOUS

1. God does not live in temples
2. God made the nations
3. God made mankind for himself v29-31 - GOD IS NOT US THE REALITY OF RESURRECTION**

Colossians 1:15–16
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Kent Hughes
The Epicureans believed that everything happens by chance, and death is the end—extinction with no afterlife. They believed there are gods, but those gods have nothing to do with the world. They were practical agnostics who believed pleasure is the chief end of man and that a simple lifestyle is the most pleasurable. The Stoics were pantheists, believing that everything is god and that whatever happened to them was their destiny. Consequently, they sought to live with apathy and detachment—fatalistic resignation. Together, these two philosophies represented the popular pagan alternatives for dealing with the plight of humanity apart from Christ. Epicureanism? Simple lifestyle. Stoicism? Apathy.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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THE STORY
THE GOSPEL
THE NOBILITY

They received the word with eagerness
They examined the scriptures daily
They believed

Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son …

1 Corinthians 15:17–19
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Mark 16:6
At the tomb they found an angel who said: Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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**1. THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY

1. GOD PLANTS HIS CHURCH
2. CHURCH PLANT CORE TEAM
3. WHEN PREACHING CONFRONTS CULTURE
4. WHAT MISSIONARIES DO IN DISTRESS
5. THE OUTWORKING OF GRACE AND FAITH
6. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES**

Philippians 4:4–7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:8
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God

2 Timothy 1:12
… But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed

Philippians 1:3–5
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. v1-5 - ANOTHER TRIP TO JERUSALEM
2. v6-11 - EXPLAINING THE ISSUE
3. v12-21 - THE RESOLUTION OF THE CHURCH

Ephesians 2:19–22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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**THE MIRACLE & THE MESSAGE

BLASPHEMY

ZEAL FOR GLORY: Paul and Barnabas’ Reaction
CONFRONTING THE CULTURE**

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. THE GOSPEL of Jesus, Peter, Stephen, and Paul
2. TRAVEL NARRATIVE
3. THE HISTORY OF THE MESSIAH
4. THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION
5. THE GOOD NEWS IN THE SCRIPTURES
6. BLESSED FRUIT
7. GROWING CHURCH AND GROWING CONFLICT
8. Do you know the gospel?
9. Do you believe the gospel?
10. Do you continue on in the grace of God?

To summarize Paul’s preaching of the gospel:

1. The gospel is according to the scriptures.
2. The gospel is forgiveness by faith alone.
3. To reject the gospel is to reject the work of God.

Hebrews 3:7–8
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,

Acts 2:23
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed

Apostles’ Creed
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. Serving
2. Seeking
3. Sending
4. Implications: a. Prayer b. Fasting c. Work

Acts 14:26–28
[They returned to Antioch], where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples.

Acts 9:15
he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

John Calvin
The question of building the kingdom of Christ among the Gentiles was such an important matter that the teachers of Antioch had good reason to ask God earnestly to make them equal to the task.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. THE GENTILES ARE CLEAN
2. THE GENTILES HEAR THE GOSPEL
3. THE GENTILES BELIEVE
4. THE CHURH REJOICES

Ephesians 3:6
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Acts 10:28
You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

Ephesians 2:14 says that Jesus …
… came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Isaiah 55:6–7
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Galatians 3:2
Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

Pillar Commentary
However, the challenge remains in every local context to express the reality of that fellowship by abandoning every form of prejudice, and adopting habits such as sharing food and hospitality, which practically demonstrate the unity which the NT proclaims.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. THE HEALING OF ANEAS
2. THE RAISING OF TABITHA
3. THREE IMPLICATIONS a. The Call to Compassion b. The Mission to Go: Ongoing movement of the gospel deeper into more cities. c. The Encouragement of Growth: In both passages the theme is the people turning to the Lord in faith

Mark 2:9–11
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. REMEMBERING ACTS
2. REMEMBER SAUL OF TARSUS
3. THE CONVERSION OF SAUL
4. THE GRACE OF GOD APPEARED
5. WHY ARE YOU PERSECUTING ME?
6. SAUL IS SENT TO THE CHURCH
7. SAUL IS SENT FOR THE CHURCH
8. SAUL PROCLAIMS JESUS SAUL WREAKS HAVOC

R. C. Sproul:
The theme of Acts is this: the church’s obedience to Christ’s commission and commandment to be His witnesses as the ascended King, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Titus 2:11
For the grace of God has appeared …

Acts 8:3
… Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Acts 26:16-18
_But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ _

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. THE SPIRIT IS THE EVANGELIST
2. v30 - DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
3. v31 - HOW CAN I?
4. v34 - ABOUT WHOM?
5. v36 - WHAT PREVENTS ME? WHAT PREVENTS YOU?

The Holy Spirit sends.
The church preaches.
The nations hear.
And out from among the nations, a redeemed people believe.

John 16:13 says
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth …

Romans 10:14–15
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. THE GOSPEL GOES TO SAMARIA
2. WHO IS SIMON?
3. WHAT DOES SIMON BELIEVE?
4. PETER’S REBUKE
5. SIMON’S UNBELIEF

Acts 1:8
_But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” _

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. v1 - SAUL APPROVED
2. v1 - ON THAT DAY
3. v1 - THROUGHOUT JUDEA AND SAMARIA
4. v4 - THE WORD IS SCATTERED
5. v8 - MUCH JOY

1 Peter | God is not preparing this generation to be successful or affluent, but to endure; and to endure in such a way that we proclaim and take hold of the excellencies of Christ.

The WORD, that is the gospel about Jesus the Christ, is the ever present character that runs like a thread through the fabric of the establishment and spread of the church.

What if generosity,
toward one another,
toward our community,
toward the mission of the church,
and among the missionaries of the world,
a. … becomes a means by which God would
remove the deceitfulness of riches from us
b. … that we would be prepared and
engaged in the proclamation of the
excellencies of Christ no matter where w
are scattered.

Acts 7:58
Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Acts 7:54
Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 2:41
So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Acts 4:4
But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

Acts 4:29
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness …

Acts 6:4
But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

Acts 6:7
_And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem _

Genesis 12:2–3
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Mark 4:19
… but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
​

1. v2-8 - Choosing Abraham
2. v9-16 - Joseph’s Arrival in Egypt
3. v17-34 - The Raising Up of Moses
4. v35-43 - Rejecting the Messenger and Promise
5. v44-47 - The Temple “Made with Hands”
6. v48-53 - The Failure to Live in the Presence of God
7. The Stoning of Stephen
8. Know the Story
9. Know Jesus

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
​

1. A healthy church maintains the word and prayer at the center of its ministry.
2. A healthy church ministers in both word and deed.
3. A healthy church appoints ministry leaders for the right reasons.
4. A healthy church equips and empowers the saints for the work of ministry.
5. A healthy church displays the power of the gospel through unity in diversity.
6. A healthy church embraces change when needed.

Pillar, Peterson
Most importantly, however, the present context suggests that, if decisive action had not been taken to deal with the social issue disturbing the church, ‘growth’ of the word may not have continued.

Steve Timmis
I think success [in ministry] is … seeing the Word of God taken by the Spirit of God in the lives of the people of God and just changing them, making them more like Christ, and [non-believers] being attracted by the kind of corporate life [of the church] and seeing the Gospel as the only explanation for what is going on and them responding in repentance and faith.

1 Corinthians 13:1
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

What wisdom the disciples had on this day to maintain the centrality of the ministry of the word, while also maintaining the integrity of that ministry by seeing to its necessary implications.

James 1:22:
_But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. _

James 1:27:
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Acts 6:7
And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Pillar, Peterson
… the church which is the creature of the word grew.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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v12–16 - THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH IS A MESSAGE
v17-21 - THIS MESSAGE IS ENTRUSTED BY GOD
v21b-32 - THE COMMAND TO PREACH THIS MESSAGE SUPERSEDES EVERY OTHER AUTHORITY
v30-32 - THE MESSAGE WHICH THE WITNESSES PROCLAIM

1. God raised Jesus
2. God exalted Jesus as Leader and Savior
3. Jesus gives repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins
4. We are witnesses

When the Spirit’s wind blew, the apostles’ proclamation of the death and resurrection of Jesus became the abundant and substantial fuel source such that the fire is still burning in our hearts and in our community to this day!

I look at the church and I wonder if our greater problem, even in the present cultural moment, is not external authorities, but internal priorities.

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

1 Thessalonians 2:2–4
But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

Acts 3:13–15
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

Calvin Christian School in Coalhurst, Alberta
If it comes down to a choice between Minister Eggen who says I cannot use the words male and female in my policy, or Jesus Christ who said from the beginning of creation, he made them male and female. If we need to line up with Minister Eggen or with Jesus Christ, the choice is very clear.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. THE FIRST IMPLICATION OF THE GOSPEL: Generosity
2. v1 - Ananias, with his wife Sapphira
3. v2 - kept back … brought only part
4. v3-4 - did it not remain your own … was it not at your disposal?
5. v4 - you have contrived this deed in your heart
6. PROBLEMS WITH ANANIAS (along with his wife, Sapphira) He is a legalist. He is a hypocrite. He is a lover of money. He is a functional atheist.
   1. Jesus and …

I wonder, how many here squirm a bit at this story, not because of the shocking death of Ananias and Sapphira, but because you identify with their pretension?

The legalist always looks at religion as transactional.

Because the legalist believes he can perform his way into the kingdom in his pride he begins to believe he can also pretend his way into the kingdom.

The legalistic hypocrite spends his day testing his heart against his own thoughts about himself and his perception of what others think of him.

Joshua 7:21
when I [Achan] saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.

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Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe
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1. v2 - GREATLY ANNOYED
2. v3 - THEY ARRESTED THEM
3. v4 - MANY OF THOSE WHO HAD HEARD THE WORD BELIEVED
4. v7 - “BY WHAT POWER OR BY WHAT NAME …”
5. v8 - FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
6. v9 - EXAMINED CONCERNING A GOOD DEED
7. v10 - LET IT BE KNOWN
8. v12 - THERE IS SALVATION IN NO ONE ELSE
9. v13 - THE BOLDNESS OF PETER AND JOHN
10. v14-15 - THEY HAD NOTHING TO SAY IN OPPOSITION
11. v16-18 - WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THESE MEN?
12. v19 - LISTEN TO YOU RATHER THAN TO GOD?
13. v20 - WE CANNOT BUT SPEAK
14. BOLD PROCLAMATION
15. CLEAR PROCLAMATION
16. SINGULAR PROCLAMATION

To be saved under the name of Jesus is to abandon all other names and every other hope.

John 15:18-20
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

Matthew 10:19–20, 22
When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. … you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.

Psalm 118:22–24
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is the LORD’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe

1. v1 - Going to the Temple
2. v1 - Peter and John
3. v2 - A Beautiful Gate
4. v4 - Peter Directed His Gaze
5. v6 - What I Do Have I Give to You
6. v8 - Walking and Leaping and praising God
7. What does the healing of this crippled man have to do with the gospel?
8. v10 - They Were Filled with Wonder and Amazement
9. w
10. v12 - Why Do You Wonder At This?
11. v16 - by faith in his name
12. v18 - What God Foretold … he thus fulfilled
13. v19 - Repent … That Your Sins May Be Blotted Out
14. v21ff - God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets

Luke is reinforcing a vivid point that he has been making since the beginning of this book:

The apostles teaching didn’t originate with the apostles.
The power and authority of the apostles’
preaching doesn’t reside in the apostles
themselves, but in the Holy Spirit, who alone
brings forgiveness and salvation.

Psalm 36:7–9
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.

Mark 2:3-11
And they came, bringing to [Jesus] a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe

1. DEFENDING THE WORKS OF THE SPIRIT
2. JESUS: ATTESTED, DELIVERED, CRUCIFIED, RAISED
3. THEY WERE CUT TO THE HEART

What is the result of this most amazing manifestation of the Holy Spirit of God?
1. A clear, reasoned, biblical, impassioned declaration of Jesus and a call to repentance and faith.

Numbers 11:29
But Moses said to him, “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”

1 Corinthians 12:13
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Luke 1:3–4
it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

R. C. Sproul
[Peter] did not ask people to circumvent their intelligence, because the gospel that moves the heart gets to the heart through the mind.

R. C. Sproul
That is my dream—a laity empowered by God, one that is not satisfied with hiring professionals to do the work of ministry but will come when their neighbor is in need and pray as priests for their friends.

Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe

1. The Spirit of God upon the people of God declaring the Gospel of God
2. THE SPIRIT FILLS THE HOUSE 1. v1 - When the day of Pentecost arrived 2. v1 - they were all together in one place 3. v2 - And suddenly there came … a sound 4. v3 - tongues as of fire 5. v4 - began to speak in other tongues
3. TWO AMAZEMENTS 1. v7 - Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 2. v11 - the mighty works of God 3. v13 - But others mocking said …
4. THE CHURCH AND ITS MISSION BELONG TO GOD

Martyn Lloyd-Jones
It seems to me to be simply ludicrous to suggest that such men, without learning, without any influence or authority, without any money behind them, with none of the means of propaganda that we are familiar with today, that such men by their own efforts and abilities could succeed in doing what we read of in the pages of this book. How did it come about? There is only one answer. The world was turned upside-down not because of what they did, but because of what God did to them, in them, and by means of them. And that is the essential message concerning the Christian church—her meaning, her function, her message, her purpose.

Calvin
There is nothing, no matter how full of wonder, that may not be turned into a joke by men and women who are indifferent to God.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Any notion that Christianity is mainly the result of something that we do is always completely, fatally wrong.

Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe

**1. THE LORD SENDS AND THEY GO

1. THE LORD SAYS AND THEY DO**

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God

R. C. Sproul
The theme of Acts is this: the church’s obedience to Christ’s commission and commandment to be His witnesses as the ascended King, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

John Calvin
… certainly if we are to call God our Father, it is essential that we should be brothers and agree together as brothers.

Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe

**1. JESUS: RISEN (v1-3)

1. JESUS: REDEEMER (v4-5)
2. JESUS: REIGNING (v6-11)**

The purpose of the distinction between baptism with water and baptism with the Holy Spirit is to be careful to distinguish the external sign (administered by a mere human using earthly means) with the inward result of salvation (administered by Jesus, the Redeemer, using Spiritual means)

Luke 1:1–4 ESV
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Hebrews 8:1–2 ESV
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.

Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist says …
I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

R. C. Sproul:
The theme of Acts is this: the church’s obedience to Christ’s commission and commandment to be His witnesses as the ascended King, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. If you wonder why the first-century church turned the world upside down and why we do not, it is because they preached the kingdom of God, and we do not.

John Calvin summarizes:
Christ spoke chiefly about the corruption of human nature, the tyranny of sin—whose slaves we are, the curse and judgment of eternal death—to which we are all bound, the receiving of salvation, the forgiveness of sins, self-denial, spiritual righteousness, the hope of eternal life, and so on. If we wish to be taught the Christian faith and understand it correctly, we must apply ourselves to these things.

John Calvin
It was appropriate that the apostles should be the first to get in the habit of obedience, for they were soon to lay Christ’s yoke upon the neck of the world.