Text: Acts 19:8—20:1 | Listen to Message Empty Promises An idol is anything you look to other than God for your ultimate sense of significance, security, or identity. So an idol is not just that statue in a faraway temple you’ll never visit, it’s also that thing you’re convinced you need in order to be happy. It’s money. It’s sex. It’s affirmation. It’s leisure. It’s family. It’s your reputation. It’s your work. It’s love. It’s sport. It’s anything you live for to prove to yourself and to others that your life has value. We’re drawn to idols because they promise...
Text: Acts 18:18—19:7 | Listen to Message Together for The Gospel Throughout the book of Acts you see Christians partnering with other Christians and churches partnering with other local churches to spread the name of Jesus. Paul, arguably one of the greatest missionary church planters the world has ever known, was quick to train his own replacements and to hand over the reigns of leadership to other godly men. The impact of these partnerships was stunning. So why don’t we see more ministry partnerships today – especially amongst Gospel-preaching churches that minister in the same cities and neighborhoods? This is...
Text: Acts 18:1-18a | Listen to Message How does God lead? Corinth was one of the great crossroads of the Roman Empire, a center for commerce, politics, religion, and the arts and entertainment. Corinth was also a notoriously immoral place more interested in sport and sex than in anything spiritual. So when the apostle Paul arrived here on his Second Missionary Journey, he admits he came “in weakness and in fear and much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). He was at an emotional crossroads, having been weakened and discouraged by so much apathy and opposition toward the Gospel. This text is...
Text: Acts 17:16-34 | Listen to Message Who Is God? Athens was the philosophical center of the ancient world – home to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, and Epicurus. It was the cradle of Western civilization, the birthplace of democracy, and a mecca for the arts and sciences. But when the apostle Paul walked the streets of Athens, instead of being impressed, he was discouraged. Everywhere he looked, from the Acropolis to the agora to the Areopagus, Athens was overrun with temples, statues, and inscriptions to idols. And Paul didn’t just pity the idolatrous Athenians; he was perturbed. He was irritated;...
Text: Acts 17:1-15 | Listen to Message Share Your Faith Though most Christians will never preach in the technical or official sense, we’re all called to share the Gospel. But many believers are so intimidated by evangelism, they never really share Jesus with anyone. And, yes, it can be daunting to tell someone about the justice and grace of God, but it doesn’t have to be as intimidating as we make it. Here are five simple ways from our text that you can share the Gospel in everyday conversation: Proclaim: This simply means to announce something. Think of how news...
