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Acts 9 31-43 I Will Build My Church

It’s easy to look at all the news of the day and lament our world’s seemingly endless descent into darkness. The fallen nature of our world and our flesh is a continual reminder that things are not the way they should be. Whether we are talking about worldwide conflicts, a degrading sinful culture, or the ordinary trials and tribulations each of us experiences in this life, things are not the way they should be. 

In Acts 9:31-43, now that Saul has been shipped off to Tarsus, Luke turns our focus back to the Apostle Peter and the continuing works that Jesus is doing through him. The end of Acts 9 records two seemingly isolated miracles that eventually lead Peter to preach to Cornelius the Roman Centurion (in chapter 10). Acts 9:31-43 show us a paralytic being healed and a woman who passed away being raised back to life. We will examine these miracles and ask, "Why are they here?" "Why does the Spirit inspire Luke to record these specific miracles for the reader?" As we examine the text, we will see that Luke’s point is to show us how the church was being built up and multiplying (Acts 9:31). The response to both miracles is that many people believe in Jesus and turn to the Lord. Acts 9:31-43 teaches us something that we desperately need to remember in troubling times. Jesus is still working through His people and the kingdom of God is indeed breaking in. Despite the fallen world and the ever growing darkness, the words of Christ are true today: "on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell won’t prevail against it." The kingdom of God is here - and it is also coming in its fullness. Jesus is building His church and the instrument He has chosen to use...is you! 

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Habakkuk 3:1-15 Habakkuk's Song of Faith

Habakkuk prays in the form of a Psalm recounting God's past acts in delivering His people from oppression. This strengthens His faith for God's future faithfulness

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Acts 9:19-31 A Life Transformed By Christ

Sunday we are back in Acts 9. When we left this chapter two weeks ago, Saul of Tarsus, the great persecutor of the church had an encounter with Jesus on his way to Damascus. His encounter with Jesus changed everything! He was left helpless, broken, and blind. Jesus sent Ananias to lay his hands on Saul in order that his sight would be restored and he would be filled with the Holy Spirit. From that moment, Saul’s life was transformed. As we examine Acts 9:19-31, Luke shows us the depths of the transformation that has taken place. Saul’s heart has been changed to serve the one he once persecuted and fellowship with those he once hated. As Saul repeatedly bears witness now plots and opposition are formed against him, and the church (whom he once hated) repeatedly aids in his rescue. 

In this text, we will stand amazed at the tenacity, the resolve, and the exploits of this new man - Saul of Tarsus. In fact, throughout the rest of the book of Acts, he will be a beacon for the gospel and a powerful instrument in the hand of Christ. But Luke goes into great detail here in Acts 9, not to teach us to "go be like Saul," or "work harder" or "do better" in following Saul’s example. Luke records this section to show what Jesus Christ has done in the heart of Saul. It is Jesus’ work in him that has transformed him into a witness, a warrior, an ambassador for Christ. It is Jesus that has made Saul a new creature and now fills his heart with a desire to witness, to worship with the church, and follow the commands of Christ. Luke has this section here to show us that even the hardest of hearts is changed completely by an encounter with Jesus. The question we must ask is not "am I doing as good as Saul?" The question we must ask is "has Jesus changed my heart like this?"

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Acts 9:1-23 An Encounter With Jesus Changes Everything

But as we will see in Acts 9:1-23, an encounter with the risen Jesus changes everything! The conversion of Saul is one of the most important events in Acts. It is so important that Luke recounts the event three times in the book. In Acts 9 he describes the event and then Paul testifies to what happened in Acts 22 before a crowd and in Acts 26 before King Agrippa. It is here that Jesus breaks one who’s heart seems unconquerable. It is here that Jesus calls an unexpected instrument for His glory. And it is here that an uncompromising disciple of Jesus is born. Although you may have never physically seen the risen Jesus or been blinded by the light of God’s glory, Saul’s conversion accords with every person who has experienced the risen Jesus as the Spirit Himself convicts the soul and comes to dwell in the heart changed by the gospel. This is also why our mission to point people to Jesus and say "look to Him, run to Him, and walk with Him," because an encounter with Jesus changes everything.

Psalm 111 - I Will Thank The Lord With My Whole Heart

Before we return to our study through the book of Acts, it is fitting that we step back and stand in awe of our God and the works that He is doing among us. If we reflect on God’s presence and works among us over the last two years, I don’t think we can help but be amazed at His mercy and goodness towards us at First Baptist Church. I remember standing in front of a camera in our worship center during the month of March two years ago, unsure of what was about to happen. The world was shutting down because of Covid and for a time, we had to move to online services only. I remember the stress and worry of it all. But through that time God just affirmed over and over again that He is working through it all. I remember saying to the camera, FBC is not just going to survive this, we are going to thrive through it...and by God’s grace we did! Even more than any of us could have imagined. 

And last Sunday as we kicked off our pledge campaign, God made His will for us known so decisively that it amazed us all! God is so good! And more than everything else, God has sent His Son to pay for our sin and draw us to Himself. He has forgiven our sin! He has given us the ministry of reconciliation as we proclaim the good news to others! God deserves our praise and worship! He deserves to be worshiped with our whole heart! He is God alone and He has poured His grace out upon us in Jesus Christ. And even in our sufferings, He allows us to cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us!

So before we move back to Acts, this Sunday we will examine Psalm 111, and use this song of ancient Israel to declare our praise and thanksgiving to the Holy One who is so good to us! I hope you will read this psalm with an eye toward all that God has done - and is doing - in your life, and make it the prayer of your hearts. 

Psalm 111:1 - Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

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2 Corinthians 8-9 Kingdom Giving

Over the last few weeks, as we move closer to our pledge Sunday on February 27th, we have been working our way through Nehemiah. In this book, we have seen principles for following God’s call as Nehemiah steps out to build the walls of Jerusalem. This Sunday, I planned on continuing in Nehemiah 4 and examining several forms of opposition the builders face as they strive to follow God’s will. However over the last few weeks, many have expressed questions about how someone can "know" what God is calling them pledge. A heart wrestling with this question is a good thing. This is a question that is relevant in all of the Christian life, not just in a building campaign.

So this Sunday, instead of continuing in Nehemiah 4 (which we will do after our pledge Sunday), we will look at portions of 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. You may have noticed that many of the verses in our "22 days of prayer" brochure are from this section. Here, Paul encourages the Corinthians to fulfill their pledge by completing the collection to help the struggling, impoverished church in Jerusalem. Paul exhorted them to begin this collection in 1 Corinthians 16:1-5, and in chapters 8-9 of 2 Corinthians, he urges them to complete their giving. While Paul is certainly not calling the believers to give in order to build a church building, he does give principles regarding the model and method of giving from the heart that are applicable and necessary in all of the Christian life. I hope you will read 2 Co. 8-9 as you prepare to worship on Sunday.

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Nehemiah 2:1-8 Stepping Out In Faith

As we look toward our pledge Sunday on Feb. 27th, this Sunday we will continue in the book of Nehemiah. In chapter 1, we saw Nehemiah burdened for the name and the people of God as he hears about the broken down walls of Jerusalem. And in chapter 1, we saw that all Nehemiah’s efforts, strategies, and actions began with burdened, faith filled prayer. There we saw that we must be people of prayer, not just in building campaigns, but in every aspect of our life as we live for Christ’s name. Dependence upon Christ is essential for the mission of making disciples. For months Nehemiah prayed. And in the beginning of chapter 2, we will see the time comes for Nehemiah to step out in faith as he risks everything to follow God’s call. Nehemiah 2:1-8 shows us what "stepping out in faith" looks like. It isn’t just shooting from the hip or flying by the seat of our pants, hoping everything works out.

Nehemiah, as so many others in Scripture (including Abram, Noah, Moses, David, Esther, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego...the list goes on) steps out in faith, risking whatever circumstances may come in order to be faithful to what God calls him to do. When God opens the door, Nehemiah steps through it. As the writer of Hebrews says, "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). This is the epitome of the Christian life.

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Nehemiah 1 - Prayer: Building From Our Knees

Nehemiah is burdened by the news of God's people and God's name suffering shame. This burden breaks forth into a faith-filled prayer as Nehemiah worships His God, confesses sin, and calls upon God's promises. Prayer is the foundation of walking in the will of God.

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Acts 8:37 Can We Trust The New Testament?

As we finished Acts 8 last week, we came across Acts 8:37 which is either missing or bracketed in most of our English Bibles. Whether removed or bracketed, your bible will have a footnote explaining that some manuscripts don’t contain this verse. Using situations like this, some people claim that we cannot trust the New Testament because it has been copied so many times down through history that the original message has been lost. It is commonly put forth that there is no way that we can no for sure that the Bible we have in our hands today is what the Apostles actually wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Sunday we are going to show that this assertion is demonstrably false. We will explain how the text of the New Testament has been transmitted to us and show some examples of how we can be assured of its accuracy. We will use Acts 8:37 as a test case and show you all the information the "scholars" use examine its history of transmission. And we will even look at a few manuscripts. 

I know this kind of presentation is a different than a normal Sunday for us. We are committed to expositing the Bible verse by verse and section by section through scriptural books. That is not going to change. The preaching of the word is the central element of the church’s worship. However, as we have come across Acts 8:37, this is a good time for us to back up and also examine God’s work in preserving and transmitting His word to us. We can have assurance (from the evidence) that what we preach from every Sunday, what we read from in our devotion time with God, and what we live by as the sole infallible rule of faith and practice for the church - is God’s word accurately transmitted through time from the pen of the Holy Spirit inspired apostles!

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