October 22, 2023
Good News | Acts 13:4-12
Against The Darkness
We’ve heard great stories of the Holy Spirit at work in exceptional ways. The church in Antioch felt the Spirit prompt them to do something intentional and put a plan together. The plan was to send out two of their number to let the wider world know of the good news of Jesus. Planning is important but executing the plan is at least as important. Having the strength and capacity to carry on with the plan, through thick and thin, is the story we now find ourselves in. Barnabas and Paul show us what it looks like when Christians begin to intentionally share their faith.
Songs for this week: Spotify
- Have you ever been on a Mission trip? What was that like? Were things planned? What happened that you were trained for? What happened that you weren’t trained for? What was the state of your soul (agitated, anxious, exhilarated…) during the trip?
- “Stay together, start simple, keep moving.” Which of those 3 points do you need to hear right now? Explain.
- Having eyes to see into the spiritual realm (like when Saul called Elymas a child of the devil) sounds like a superpower. Have you or someone you know experienced seeing things about a situation or a person that was revealed to you by God?
- Sergius Paulus was intelligent, but his intelligence almost worked against him. What strength do you have that could work against you if you were to build your ego and confidence around it?
- What does the term ‘spiritual warfare’ mean to you?
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Recent Sermons
James 4:6-10 -James knows that the heart of the Christian message is grace. God gives us good that we couldn’t ever deserve. The truth is that we earn and deserve justice and punishment. Thankfully, Jesus took both of those for us and gave us the good he deserved. As powerful as grace is, there is one thing that can re
James 3:1-18 -James is at it again! He has a real concern for the words that Christians use on themselves, with each other and with the world. Our tongues (James' favourite image for our words) can cause such destruction, and they are nearly impossible to control.
James 2:14-26 -James continues to press deep into the muscles and tissues of our faith. Is your faith doing what it was designed to do? Just like you might go to the doctor for a physical check-up, James offers a self-administered faith check-up in this passage. Where do you see signs of life in your faith?
James 1:19-27 - James is direct: angry words, thoughtless words, and religious words don’t have a place in a life of faith. Our words don’t work … but God’s word does! Our job is simply to cooperate with his word.
James 1:1-8 - James gets right down to business! For everyone not currently soaking in a hot tub, suffering is a first order of business. In just a few verses, James explains how trials can grow maturity, how wisdom helps the journey, and how to avoid wasting a suffering experience.
Empowered Baptism is recognized throughout the Church as the beginning of a ‘God thing.’ John’s baptism was a visible demonstration of the start of a new life — clearing out the junk to prepare for what God was about to do. Jesus’ baptism reveals the true heart of baptism: God’s desire to bless and express His delight. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the start of the Kingdom. Ordinary women and men were now filled with the Spirit of Jesus to continue on the ministry Jesus started.
