Through Many Tribulations
Acts 14:1-28 | Did you know that the Bible talks about suffering, hardship, persecution, trials, and tribulations as normal for the Christian life? And it talks about these things a lot.
As you read what scripture has to say about tribulation as normal for those who follow Christ, it seems so different from the many titles you see as you stroll the "Christian Living" section of the bookstore.
This week, we come across this statement, "...through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." This week we seek to unpack this idea. Why do we enter the Kingdom through many tribulations? Why is this worth it? Why should I expect this as more of the norm in my life of following hard after Christ?
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Acts 14:1-28 | Did you know that the Bible talks about suffering, hardship, persecution, trials, and tribulations as normal for the Christian life? And it talks about these things a lot. As you read what scripture has to say about tribulation as normal for those who follow Christ, it seems so different from the many titles you see as you stroll the "Christian Living" section of the bookstore. This week, we come across this statement, "...through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." This week we seek to unpack this idea. Why do we enter the Kingdom through many tribulations? Why is this worth it? Why should I expect this as more of the norm in my life of following hard after Christ?
Acts 14:1-28 | "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now am found T'was blind but now I see" Grace is amazing...but sometimes as we begin to walk with Christ for awhile, we can lose the awe and forget how amazing grace really is. As Paul makes his way to Pisidian, Antioch this week, he is going to preach a message laced in grace. And this message is a message we need. The Spirit of God is going to renew the awe and amaze us again with the greatness of the grace of God.
Acts 13:1-12 | Last we heard about Saul and Barnabas, they were down in Jerusalem serving the church. This week, we’re going to see them back with the church in Antioch worshipping, praying, and fasting. We see in this church an insatiable desire to be with God. To pursue Him. They're hungry for the presence and power of God in their lives and in their church. And this hunger to be with God sets off a series of events that will change not just an island and the people on it, but literally the course of human history.
Acts 12:20-25 | We were made for glory. We were made to give glory. Our lives exist for the purpose of God getting more glory. Sometimes, though, we want glory for ourselves, but God tells us He will share His glory with no one. This week's passage reveals to us an attempted glory robbery. Herod wants glory due only to God, and God deals with Herod in a startling way. In this message we will learn more of God's glory and receive a powerful reminder of the dangers of attempting to rob God of glory that is due only to Him.
Acts 12:1-19 | In every great movie, there is always an unexpected plot twist. In fact, would you agree, that the more inconspicuous the twist is, the better the movie? Isn't it interesting that we think completely different when it comes to real life? Most of us would rather things be smooth, calm, and even slightly predictable. Perhaps we might prefer an occasional lapse of judgment just for fun, but nothing too "out of control".
But what do you do when everything goes awry? When your plans go up in smoke and you find yourself in a genuine crisis? An unexpected trial that renders you completely confused?
That’s what we find happening in this passage in Acts. But, what God does in the middle of a crisis is sure to leave you amazed, breathless, and filled with faith.
Acts 11:1-30 | This past Fall Amazon announced it would be building a second headquarters somewhere in North America. They outlined the criteria they would use in making this decision. With the release of this criteria, cities were immediately unleashed into a fierce competition to land this HQ2 of one of the world's most influential companies. In Acts 11, we will see God establish an HQ2 of His own. This HQ2 that is established will be the sending base hub of the missional advance of the gospel to the Gentile world. What can get lost in this, though, is God's simple plan for the building blocks of this HQ2 missionary hub: People. But what kind of people? As we seek to be a sending base church, we will see this week "How God Builds a Sending Base". As we study this, we will know the key building blocks God uses to build a church that will be greatly used to build The Church.
Acts 10:1-48 | One thing that cannot be denied is that the early church lived with a consuming passion to see the message of the gospel of Christ spread across the world. This mission defined everything about how they lived. The moment a heart had embraced the gospel for themselves, they were launched on a missional life of taking the gospel to others. This week we will see that no matter what sacrifice God may call us, taking the gospel message to the lost will always be worth it. What would it look like for us to re-arrange the priorities of life around living as a missionary in our everyday life? How do we grow in an all-consuming desire to see the gospel go to everyone, everywhere? We believe that Acts 10 will be an instrument in God's hands to ignite a passion to live a missional life for the spread of the gospel and the glory of God.