A. Worship is a personal responsibility (1 Corinthians 11:28)
B. “According to the Way” (Acts 2:42)
C. “The God of my fathers” (Acts 22:3)
II. “Believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets”
A. Prophecies of the Messiah (Genesis 3:15; 12:1-3; Galatians 3:26-29; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 52-53)
B. Jesus and His disciples affirmed the prophecies were written about Him (Luke 4:16-21; John 1:45; Luke 24:25-27, 44-45)
III. “I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.”
A. Belief of the patriarchs (Job 19:25-27)
B. The importance of the resurrection (Hebrews 6:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-52)
A. Take care of your conscience (1 Timothy 1:5, 18-19)
B. A good conscience protects against slander (1 Peter 3:13-17)
II. The conscience must be properly trained
A. Can we rely on men to properly train our conscience? (Proverbs 14:12; Jeremiah 10:23; Isaiah 5:20)
B. We must rely on God to train our conscience (Psalm 119:9-16, 59-60; Proverbs 11:20)
III. Violating one’s conscience can endanger one’s soul
A. Numbing the conscience (1 Timothy 4:1-3)
B. The conscience and baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21)
A. How many churches?
1. How many did Jesus say He would build? (Matthew 16:13-18)
2. How many on the Day of Pentecost? (Acts 2:41-47)
3. How many when Paul wrote his epistles? (Ephesians 4:4-6; 1:22-23)
B. What’s the big deal?
1. The church is a part of God’s eternal purpose! (Ephesians 3:8-12)
2. The cost of the church shows the value God places on it (Acts 20:28)
C. Our attitude in reaching out to those in error (2 Timothy 2:24-26)
II. Reaching those who have left the truth
A. Are you spiritual? (Galatians 6:1; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Acts 20:27)
B. Too many have wandered away, and it’s time for them to come home (James 5:19-20)
A. Greek = didaskalos
B. Jesus as God’s spokesman (Hebrews 1:1-2)
C. The authenticity of His teaching (Hebrews 2:3-4)
D. The authority of His teaching (Matthew 7:28-29; John 12:48-50; Hebrews 5:9)
II. “Lord”
A. Greek = kurios
B. Roman Emperors Nero and Domitian (1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Ephesians 4:4-6)
C. Used in conjunction with other terms
1. Christ (Acts 2:36)
2. Savior (2 Peter 3:18; Philippians 3:20)
3. His triumphant return (1 Corinthians 1:7; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:14)
III. How should we respond to Him as “Teacher and Lord”?
A. We should be His disciples or learners (Matthew 11:28-30; John 8:31-32)
B. We should confess Him as Lord in word and deed (Luke 6:46-49; Romans 10:9-10)
A. Paul’s identity and activity (Acts 22:1-5; 8:3; 9:1)
B. What you do against the church, you do against the Lord (Acts 22:6-7; 22:4-5)
II. “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 22:8)
A. The most important question (Acts 22:8; 7:52)
B. Theories of Jesus’ identity (Matthew 16:13-14; Luke 9:7-9)
III. “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10)
A. The second most important question (Acts 22:10; 2:37; 16:30)
B. The answer depends on where you are (Hebrews 11:6; Acts 16:31; 2:38)
C. Jesus used and still uses men to answer (Acts 22:10)
IV. “Why are you waiting?” (Acts 22:16)
A. Ananias (Acts 22:12-15)
B. There is work to be done; you are wasting time sitting here thinking about it! (Acts 22:16)
A. “Pilgrims of the Dispersion” and the “elect” (1 Peter 1:1-2)
B. Christians who have “purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit” (1 Peter 1:22; Acts 2:40; 2:38)
II. The result of obedience: sincere love of the brethren
A. Philadelphia (brotherly love)
B. Sincere – unfeigned (KJV), without hypocrisy (Romans 12:9; James 3:17), genuine (2 Timothy 1:5)
C. Love (philadelphia) leads to love (agape)
D. Fervently – earnestly (Luke 22:44)
E. Having been born again (1 Peter 1:23; 1:3)
III. How do we show love to the brethren?
A. Selflessly elevate one another (Romans 12:10, 15)
B. Defer to another’s wishes or prejudices (Romans 14:1-3)
C. Help spiritually and physically (Galatians 6:10; 6:1-2)
D. Forgive (Matthew 6:14-15; Ephesians 4:32)
A. “Our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11; cf. Exodus 16:4-5)
B. What’s the catch? (Matthew 6:25-34)
C. This does not mean we do not have to work! (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)
II. God provides an abundant life
A. The promise of Jesus (John 10:10b; Ephesians 3:20-21)
B. You cannot outgive God (Malachi 3:8-10; Luke 6:38)
C. In addition to physical blessings, the “abundant life” includes spiritual blessings “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3; Mark 10:29-30)
III. God provides eternal life
A. God’s blessings do not end when this life ends (Mark 10:29-30; 2 Timothy 4:7-8)
B. We can have confidence of this only if we are “in Christ” and “walk…according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1; Galatians 3:27; 5:19-25)
A. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
B. 1 Timothy 2:11-14; cf. 1 Timothy 2:8
II. The wrong questions
A. “Look at my talents and gifts – surely God doesn’t want me to waste those, does He?” (1 Timothy 2:12; Titus 2:3-5)
B. “Why can’t I do this?” (Proverbs 31; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15)
III. The culture has affected too many in the church
A. Digressions from the truth with no Scriptural grounds (Colossians 3:17)
B. Misunderstanding of “spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:1ff; 14:1, 12)
C. What does it mean to be led by the Spirit? (Ephesians 5:18-21; Colossians 3:16)
A. As a humble servant of the Lord (Acts 20:18-19, 33-34)
B. His manner of teaching (Acts 20:20-21)
1. He kept back nothing that was helpful (Ephesians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:2)
2. He adapted his teaching methods (public and private)
3. He did not shut anyone out (Ephesians 2:2:12; Romans 1:16)
4. He taught repentance and belief
C. The foundation laid for the church (Acts 20:22-24) – the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:25-27; Ezekiel 3:16-19)
II. His charge to the elders
A. The value of the church (Acts 20:28)
B. The warning of apostasy (Acts 20:29-31; Revelation 2:2-5)
C. Their love for each other and for the church (Acts 20:32-38)
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12)
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