A. Learning is where faith begins (Genesis 1:27; 1 Timothy 6:7; Rom. 10:17)
B. The more we want to learn, the more we can learn (Mt. 5:6; 1 Tim. 4:13)
II. The power to teach
A. Jesus taught the apostles who taught others who taught others who taught others… (2 Timothy 2:2; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 5:42; 8:4; 20:20)
B. We must be willing to guide those who want to learn (Acts 8:30-31)
III. The power to live the Christian life
A. Walk the walk (Ephesians 4:1-3; 1 Timothy 6:11-12)
B. In all that we do (Colossians 3:17), always abounding (1 Cor. 15:58)
A. Rapid growth caused neglect (Acts 6:1)
B. The apostles’ priorities (Acts 6:2)
II. The solution
A. Delegate responsibilities (Acts 6:3; Exodus 18:17-18, 21)
B. Let someone trustworthy handle “that” so we can focus fully on “this” (Acts 6:4)
III. The result
A. The church was pleased (Acts 6:5-6)
B. The church grew even more because “the word of God spread” (Acts 6:7; Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:15; James 1:21; Acts 5:28; 8:4; 17:6)
I. The adjective “Holy” describes all three Persons of the Godhead
A. The Father (Exodus 15:11; 1 Samuel 2:2; Psalm 103:1; 105:3; 106:47; 111:9; 145:21)
B. The Son (Luke 1:35; Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27; 3:14; 4:27, 30; Hebrews 7:26)
C. The Spirit (it’s in His name: the Holy Spirit!)
II. “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:13-16)
A. The children of Israel (Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; Deuteronomy 7:1-6)
B. Christians (1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1; 1 Peter 2:9; Romans 12:1; Ephesians 1:3-4; 5:27; Colossians 1:22)
C. It is a daily decision (Colossians 3:12-13)
D. Imitating our High Priest (Hebrews 7:26)
1. Harmless (Matthew 10:16; Philippians 2:14-15)
2. Undefiled (Psalm 119:1)
3. Separate from sinners (1 Corinthians 15:33-34)
A. “Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 16-18; 21:43-45)
B. Strength comes from God and is found in Christ (Romans 8:1; James 4:7; Philippians 4:13, 19)
II. “Put on the whole armor of God…” (Ephesians 6:11)
A. Spiritual armor (Romans 13:12-14; John 8:12; 2 Corinthians 6:3-7)
B. “Wiles” = schemes, tricks
III. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood…” (Ephesians 6:12)
A. Do not underestimate the devil’s smarts (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 4:2; 2 Timothy 3:7)
B. Do not underestimate the devil’s strength (1 Peter 5:8)
A. Arrested for preaching (Acts 5:17-18)
B. Miraculously released to continue preaching “the words of this life” (Acts 5:19-20; John 6:66-68)
II. Continued boldness
A. Swift obedience (Acts 5:21a; 16:32-33)
B. Jewish reaction (Acts 5:21b-28; Matthew 27:22-25)
C. The apostles refuse to back down (Acts 5:29-32; Deuteronomy 21:22-23)
III. The council’s decision
A. They “plotted to kill them” (Acts 5:33)
B. Gamaliel’s advice (Acts 5:34-39; Jude 3)
IV. The apostles’ response
A. Rejoiced at suffering (Acts 5:40-41; Matthew 5:10-12)
B. “They did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42)
A. They were not interested in Him as the Messiah (John 6:26-27)
B. The work of God is that you believe in Him whom He sent (John 6:28-29; Hebrews 11:6)
II. Jesus’ works vs. Moses’ works
A. They wanted physical bread (John 6:30-33; Nehemiah 9:15)
B. Jesus challenged a higher focus, a deeper discipleship, an active faith (John 6:34-40)
III. The rejection of the Jews
A. Offended at the suggestion of eternal existence (John 6:41-42)
B. Jesus required 24/7 spiritual devotion (John 6:43-59)
C. “This is a hard saying”…too hard for some (John 6:60-66)
D. There is no alternative to Jesus (John 6:67-69)
A. The effort to keep the church pure does not drive people away – it draws people in (Acts 5:13-14)
B. If we are serious about growing, we must be serious about sin (1 Corinthians 5:1-7)
II. Power demonstrated through the gift of the Holy Spirit
A. Unusual miracles (Acts 5:12, 15-16; Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 6:56; Acts 19:11-12)
B. Always successful (Acts 5:16)
III. The purpose of miracles
A. Confirm the Word (Mark 16:17-20; Acts 3:9-11; 4:4; 5:12, 14)
B. Why don’t we have miracles today? (1 Corinthians 13:8-10; James 1:25)
A. “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”
B. God sees things differently than man (1 Samuel 16:6-7; Luke 16:13-15)
II. Galatians 6:3
A. Context (Galatians 6:1-5; cf. Romans 3:23)
B. How should the Christian think of self? (Mark 12:31; Romans 12:3; 6:18)
III. James 1:21-25
A. If we are going to wear the name “Christian,” we must have the attitude of Christ
B. How important is it to do what we hear? (Matthew 7:24-27)
IV. 1 John 1:8
A. By recognizing sin in our lives, we give ourselves the opportunity to make it right with God (1 John 1:9)
B. Contrast between light and darkness (1 John 1:5-6; Romans 6:16-18; 6:1-2)
I. The selfless nature of the early church (Acts 4:32-37)
A. All things in common (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35; 6:1)
B. The grace of giving (Acts 4:33; 1 Corinthians 8:1-8)
C. The example of Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37)
D. Was the early church a form of communism? No! (Acts 4:32, 34; 2 Corinthians 8:2; 9:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Acts 12:12; 1 Timothy 6:17-19)
II. The deception of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)
A. Their sin was deception: “You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:4)
B. Attributes of God on display in this account
1. Omnipotence (Acts 5:5, 10)
2. Omnipresence (Jeremiah 23;23-24)
3. Omniscience (Acts 5:4; Jeremiah 17:9-10)
C. Punishment similar to Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2) – “Both make the point: God’s Word and His spokesmen must be taken seriously” (Copeland)
A. “God is our refuge and strength” (Psalm 46:1a; Philippians 4:13; Jeremiah 10:23)
B. “A very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1b)
C. God alleviates our fear (Psalm 46:2-3; 2 Kings 19-20)
II. God is in the midst of His people
A. “There is a river…” (Psalm 46:4)
B. “She shall not be moved” (Psalm 46:5a; 2 Corinthians 13:5)
C. Immediate help for His children… (Psalm 46:5b)
D. …against the kingdoms of this world (Psalm 46:6)
E. Assurance for those who abide in God (Psalm 46:7)
III. Demonstrations of God’s power
A. Over the forces of nature and the armies of men (Psalm 46:8-9)
B. Relax and trust Him (Psalm 46:10; Romans 13:1)
C. “The God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:11)
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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