Acts 25:1-27 We live with our feet in two worlds. We live in America, but we also live in God's kingdom. How should we balance these two things? St. Augustine wrote a classic book on this very topic called the City of God roughly 1500 years ago. He described the reality of living with dual citizenship. Paul found himself wrestling with this very same idea in Acts 25. Paul knew that God was his ult...

Acts 24:1-27 How much do you value truth? Are you willing to speak it, stand up for it, and suffer for it? Paul consistently did all three of these things during his lifetime. Paul found himself imprisoned for two years in Caesarea. The reason for this lengthy prison stay was largely Paul’s unwillingness to back down from the truth. Paul’s first appearance before Felix is summarized for us. We see...

Acts 23:11-35 What brings you courage? Courage is defined as "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear." Can you face the most difficult/painful of circumstances and say that you are able to do it without fear? This is what God tells Paul to do in the face of his imprisonment and death threats. He tells him to "take courage" and not t...

Acts 22:17-23:10 Do you ever feel like your past keeps you from serving God in the present? Do you ever feel like you have committed too many sins to be used by God? The life of Paul is a powerful reminder that your past never disqualifies you from living for Jesus in the present. In recounting how Jesus transformed his life, Paul does not whitewash any of his past. He told the crowd of how he had...

Acts 21:37-22:16 Every moment is an opportunity to share Jesus with someone. Whether you are in line at the grocery store, sitting on your lanai, on a walk with friends, or for Paul even immediately after being arrested, it is never a bad time to talk about Jesus. So, how often are you talking about him?We have seen people use a number of different methods to share Jesus throughout Acts. Stephen r...

Acts 21:18-36 When a friend shares good news with you, what is your response? Do you celebrate with them, give them a hug or high five, or to be honest, maybe you just kind of shrug your shoulders? When Paul came to the church in Jerusalem, he shared what God had done among the Gentiles and their response was to praise God.When the church heard good news, they praised God. They recognized that eve...

Acts 21:1-17 How do you discern God’s will? When you do not know what to do, what is your decision-making process? We often equate God's will with the path of least resistance. If it seems easy, then this must be what God has for me. Though this may sometimes be true, we see in the life of Paul and the early disciples that this is often a lie. Paul was told that traveling to Jerusalem would lead t...

Acts 20:1-38 Where are you intentionally serving? Where are you using your gifts to advance God’s kingdom and with whom are you serving? When we look at the pattern of ministry in Acts, it is normally a community of people serving God together. Do you have that in your life? Acts 20 describes Paul traveling with Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus. Luke is not m...

Acts 19:13-41 Do your ever trivialize God? Do you ever forget his true power, greatness, and glory? Many in our culture minimize God by using his name in vain or thinking of him as simply some distant, unconcerned deity, if he even exists. It is critical that we always remember God’s power and that he is not to be used for our own purposes.The seven sons of Sceva loved to impersonate the apostles ...

Acts 18:23-19:12 The examples of Peter, Paul, Silas, Barnabas, Phoebe, and others in the book of Acts are people who are ecstatic about Jesus and sharing him with others. So, how excited are you to do this? Acts 18 introduces us to Apollos. He is a man identified by two important characteristics. First, he had a heart for truth. He is described as having a “thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.” H...

Acts 18:1-22 What causes you to be quiet when you have an opportunity to share Jesus? Are you worried about what people might think, feel like you do not have all the answers, or something else? We need to get to a place where we see every conversation, every relationship, and every moment as a great opportunity to share Christ. Paul’s mentality is described in Acts 18:5. “Paul devoted himself exc...

Acts 17:1-34 Twice in Acts 17 we are told that Paul “reasoned” with people and particularly his statements in Athens provide two helpful pointers for us as we share our faith. Paul began his conversation in Athens by finding common ground with his audience. They were religious, acknowledged the existence of gods and recognized their need to worship something greater than themselves. After starting...

Acts 16:16-40How do you respond to hardship? Do you see it as an opportunity to serve God and mature, or something to flee? Paul and Silas continued their ministry in Phillippi, where they were identified as God’s servants by a demonpossessed slave woman. After driving out the spirit, they were thrown in prison after false accusations from the woman’s masters. Savagely beaten, tightly bound, and u...

Acts 15:36-16:15 Much of Acts describes Peter and Paul evangelizing the Middle East. Yet Acts 15-16 reminds us that their goal was not simply to make believers but to make disciples. They were seeking to make fully committed followers of Christ in every city they visited. This is the same mission which God has given every believer. To be disciples who make disciples. This is our calling and our pu...

Acts 15:1-35 All we need for salvation is Jesus. Yet so often we think this is too simple. We think that faith in Jesus seems too easy and there must be something more. Do you ever feel that as well? Many people think one needs faith in Jesus plus baptism, a high level of morality, tithing, or any number of other things to be saved. There were many in the early church, like those in Acts 15:1, who...

Acts 14:8-28 Following God is not always easy. The example of Jesus was one of faithful obedience even to death. Most likely ten of the original twelve disciples were martyred for their faith. We can easily think that following Jesus will make our life easy, happy, and worry free; but though it will fill our lives with joy, peace, and eternal life, it will not always be pain free.How do you feel a...

Acts 13:42-14:7 We have seen throughout the New Testament that God is the sovereign king of the universe. At the same time people have free will. When we think about God's sovereignty and human freedom, it inevitably ends with some level of mystery. How do you put these seemingly contradictory ideas together? Look at Acts 13:48, "All who were appointed for eternal life believed" and 14:1, "A great...

Acts 13:16-41 God is the sovereign king of the universe. There is nothing which happens outside of that which he allows. Look at Acts 13:16-41 and underline everything God did. For example, God “chose our ancestors” (v.17), “he endured” (v.18), “he has fulfilled (promises) for us” (v.33) and God was patient for forty years as “he endured their conduct in the wilderness” (v. 18). He slowly, patient...

Acts 12:24-13:15 Do you ever feel like Jesus is losing? Do you ever wonder whether the church is going to last against the pressures of our culture? Thankfully, these are not things we have to consider or worry about because Jesus is victorious, and his church will prevail. We live in a broken world, but a world that is saturated by the presence of God. Therefore, there are constant hardships and ...

Acts 12:1-23 What is your initial response when life gets hard? Where do you turn when you face difficulty? In Acts 12 the church found themselves under intense persecution; James had been killed and Peter was next on the docket for death. Their response was not to freak out—instead, to pray. How closely does this parallel your response to hardship? Verse 5 says the church was "earnestly praying t...