Have you noticed how some followers of Jesus seem to have something special when it comes to helping others come to believe in and follow Jesus as Lord? The Apostle Paul was used by God to point thousands of people toward a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As we seek to be disciples who help others to become disciples, this message unveils values that God used in Paul to draw many to become disciples of Jesus. What if we all learned from Paul as he learned from Christ?
Many years ago Saint Augustine wrote, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” In today’s message, we meet Sergius Paulus, a Roman proconsul on the island of Cyprus, who appeared to have it all. Yet he longed for more. Overcoming great distances, a dangerous ocean and discouraging words, God sent messengers…
Why do we still send out missionaries in our contemporary world? Aren’t there enough needs to address locally? Since people’s spiritual framework is intertwined with their culture, isn’t it disrespectful to enter their world for the purpose of influencing their religion? If you ever grapple with questions like these this message will provide three God-centered motivations for followers of Jesus to join our centrifugal God by sending missionaries and/or going ourselves until the whole earth is “filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
Have you noticed how often a difficulty arises once you take a step to faithfully do what God wants you to do? In our passage today, strong opposition came against God’s people when king Herod killed James and captured Peter to kill him as well. If you desire to see God break through like only He can do this message will encourage you to anticipate opposition, pray to our King and know with certainty that He will deliver you in His time according to His plan for His glory and your amazement.
Aspen forests grow as each tree distributes seeds and sends out root sprouts. Similarly, our exalted Jesus expands His Kingdom here on earth in various ways through ordinary people like you and me. In this message by Dean Wertz, united with a God exalting testimony from Uriel Luebcke, founder and Pastor of SkateMinistry.org, you will be inspired to discover, and then remain steadfast to, your divine purpose.
God and His will are unchanging. It has always been His desire that the gospel be nondiscriminatory and that it eventually be received by all nations and all peoples. This was revealed to Peter, yet his Jewish heritage made it difficult for him to overcome his prejudice against the Gentiles. By submitting to God, he was able to bridge the gap with people he despised in order to share the truth and love of Christ. We ought to do likewise.
The pervasive impact of God’s kingdom continues to change lives. Saul has become Paul and instead of breathing murderous threats, he now speaks boldly in the name of the Lord. The book of Acts now picks up again on the mission work of Peter and we see how both powerfully and ordinarily God’s kingdom grows – through the amazing acts of healing and raising the dead, as well as the humble acts of service. In the presence of everyday life, the kingdom comes.
Philip was an ordinary man who had a an extraordinary impact. He sparked disciple-making movements that reached the ends of the earth by impacting one life at a time. Philip was molded by God and then sent by God Himself to multiply his spiritual life. Will you be molded by God so that He can multiply the Kingdom through you? The choice is yours — Bashful bystander or moldable multiplier.
A godly disciple named Stephen has been executed. Authorities have entered the Christians’ homes. Male and female disciples have been dragged off to prison. And the One who said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness” is seated at the Father’s right hand with all authority in Heaven and on earth. What is King Jesus up to? Beginning in Acts 8, through the whole Book of Acts and up to today, we discover that King Jesus is in the process of unleashing the whole church to bring the whole gospel to the whole world. In this message, we are challenged not to waste our lives and trained how to join Jesus in this mission – until He comes again.