The Church on the Move Under the Hand of a Sovereign God
Sermon Notes
The Story of Acts (1.8)
• Jerusalem (1.1-7.60)
• Judea and Samaria (8.1-9.31)
• The remotest part of the earth (9.32-28.31)
Maps
1. The church continues to grow in fascinating ways (11.19-30).
Persecution arising from Stephen’s death
Gospel goes out
Phoenicia - Cyprus - Antioch
Men of Cyprus and Cyrene go to Antioch
Many turn to the Lord at Antioch
Barnabas dispatched to Antioch - he recruits Saul
Disciples first called Christians in Antioch
The remotest part of the earth (Acts 9.32-28.31)
2. Herod oppresses and persecutes the church, but God is greater than Herod and He Himself judges him (12.1-25)
• Herod kills James (1-5)
• Herod imprisons Peter, the church prays, and God delivers him (6-19)
- Herod imprisons Peter
- The church prays fervently
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5.16-18).
- God delivers him
• But God is greater than Herod, and He judges him with a cruel death (20-25)
Things on which to reflect:
1. Being filled with the Spirit means that God’s agenda (Christ’s agenda) is now my agenda - pure and simple.
2. He fills me with His Spirit for that agenda to be reflected in everything I do as a way of life
• Meaning church is not a “Sunday” event - church is a 24/7 life event - home, neighborhood, work, school, etc
• Church starts in my heart - being filled with the Spirit - the church grows because of who we are - not because of what we do
3. The church the is the collective “we” - people filled with the Spirit and reaching the world because Christ is in charge of our lives personally and our lives collectively
4. This includes and extends to politics and political systems - Praise God!