Commitment verses Comfort. Acts 17:1-15

Transcription

1 Commitment verses Comfort Acts 17:1-15

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3 John Powell Fully Human Fully Alive Fully alive people are those who are using all of their human faculties, powers, and talents. They are using them to the full. These individuals are fully functioning in their external and internal sources. They are comfortable with/and open to the full experience and expression of all human emotions. Such people are vibrantly alive in mind, heart, and will. There is an instinctive fear in most of us, I think, to travel with our engines at full throttle. We prefer, for the sake of safety, to take life in small and dainty doses.

4 2 Cor 11: Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

5 What Drove Paul 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (Philippians 3:8-10)

6 To have an impact in our city for Jesus we must pursue a commitment with Christ not a comfortable Christianity

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8 Point One 1-When we Preach an Accurate Gospel Some will Come

9 1 Corinthians 1:23 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

10 Mark 8:35 35 For whoever would save his life(your agenda) will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake (Gods agenda)and the gospel's will save it

11 Romans 1:16; 10: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:13-17 )

12 2 Categories of Defense APOLOGETCIS-providing a defense for what you believe about the gospel Muslim believes one God antagonistic to Trinitarianism, Jehovahs witness doctrine of Jesus believe Jesus a created being NOT divine Ravi Zachariah, James White, Sye Ten Bruggencate, Matt Slick, C hris Rosebrough POLEMICS-polemics is the arguing against the truth claims of another. Polemics negate or disaffirm the false teachings of those inside or outside Christianity Prosperity Kenneth Copeland,Antinomianism Joseph Prince, easy believism/properity Joel Osteen,Rachel Held Evans, radical feminism

13 D A Carson a mature grasp of the potential of polemical theology wants to win and protect people, not merely win arguments

14 An enemy/adversary 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1Peter 5:8-9 )

15 1-When we Preach an Accurate Gospel Some will Come 2-When we Preach an Accurate Gospel we will face opposition

16 1 Peter 5:10 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

17 Apostles Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

18 Ecclesiastes 8:12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him

19 Acts 17:11 Noble- originally meant high born but came to have a more general connotation of being open, tolerant, generous, having the qualities that go with good breeding Received-open to accepted, convicted and approved of what Gods word said ALL Eagerness-exceptional interest in being of service, willingness, readiness, goodwill there was the absence of prejudice in their response Examined-to engage in careful study of DAILY---not a Sunday thing

20 Point 3 1-When we Preach an Accurate Gospel Some will Come 2-When we Preach an Accurate Gospel we will face opposition 3- When we Preach an Accurate Gospel We will touch many lives