Living In & Living Out the Gospel!
Acts 6:1-15
Purpose: To solve conflict and prioritize biblical teaching, ensuring the church’s continued health and growth
- Defined by Christ, not Conflict (Acts 6:1-6)
Apostles Devoted to God’s Word!
Deacons Designed for Unity!
This is living in the gospel!
- God-Given Growth (Acts 6:7)
The Pattern of God-Given Growth
when the Church is Faithful
(Acts 2:41) 3,000 faithful to repentance and
baptism at Pentecost
(Acts 2:46) adding to their number as they do
church together
(Acts 4:4) number grows to 5,000 due to faithful
gospel preaching in spite of prison
(Acts 5:14) multitudes added after ethical issues
are upheld in the body
(Acts 6:1, 7) great increase
This is living in and living out the gospel!
- Witness to the World (Acts 6:8-15)
Guard the Unity Within
Expect Opposition from Without
This is living out the gospel!
Living in and living out the gospel takes God-given unity, prioritizes God-given teaching, and results in God-given growth.
Integrity for Gospel Advance!
Acts 4:32-5:16
Purpose: to uphold integrity in the church for the sake of gospel advance!
- Unity that Glorifies Jesus (Acts 4:32-37)
- Selfishness that Threatens Ministry (Acts 5:1-10)
- Sin Corrected Restores Integrity, Advancing the Gospel! (Acts 5:11-16)
The church must uphold Christian integrity so that the witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is unstained, and so that the message of salvation powerfully advances!
Jesus Christ Is Alive!
1 Corinthians 15:1-19; 50-58
Purpose: to believe in the risen Lord Jesus Christ, the foundation of our faith and the hope of our salvation!
- Believe in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ! (1 Cor 15:1-11)
- What if? (1 Cor 15:12-19)
- The Hope of Our Salvation: Death is Swallowed Up in Victory! (1 Cor 15:50-58)
The risen Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith and the hope of our salvation!
Exalting the One True Creator and Savior Together!
Acts 4:13-31
Purpose: to trust the Creator God above all others as we proclaim Jesus the Savior and King
- Collaborating Conspirators in the Courtroom (Acts 4:13-17)
- Courageous Non-Compliance (Acts 4:18-20)
- Phenomenal Proof (Acts 4:21-22)
- Power-Filled Praise (Acts 4:23-28)
Creator: Exodus 20:11; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 146:6
King: Psalm 2:1-2
- All Culminating in Confident Proclamation (Acts 4:29-31)
When we proclaim Jesus Christ to the world, we are exalting the Creator-Savior-King!
The Miracle, The Question, & The Answer
Acts 3:11-26
Purpose: Jesus is exalted by God as the way to salvation (Acts 3:15, 19)
1. God Gathers His Audience with a Miracle (Acts 3:11)
2. The Question that Must be Answered! (Acts 3:12)
3. The Five-Fold Answer:
1. God Glorified Jesus, Raising Him from the Dead (Acts 3:13-15)
2. Dead Men Don’t Do Miracles (Acts 3:16)
3. Repent, Return, be Restored (Acts 3:17-21)
4. A Long-Awaited Promise Fulfilled (Acts 3:22-24)
– Fulfilling Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, 19
5. God’s Covenant of Salvation in the Risen Jesus (Acts 3:25-26)
– Fulfilling Genesis 22:18, 26:4; and see Galatians 3:8 with Genesis 12:3
“Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19)
Holy-Spirit-Empowered Church
Acts 2:37-47
Purpose: to see how the Holy Spirit gives life to the believer and to the church!
- Holy-Spirit-Empowered Gospel Preaching
- The Gospel of the Risen Jesus Christ (Luke 24)
- The Promised Holy Spirit Arrives (Acts 1-2)
- Holy-Spirit-Empowered Gospel Preaching
- This Jesus is the very one you crucified! (Acts 2:23, 36)
- But God raised Jesus up again! (Acts 2:24, 31, 32)
- God made Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36)
- The People Respond to the Preaching (Acts 2:37-41)
- Repentance (Acts 2:38)
- Baptism: 3,000 added! (Acts 2:38, 41)
- Salvation and Receiving of the Holy Spirit
- Holy-Spirit-Empowered Gospel People (Acts 2:42-47)
1. The Word: Continual Devotion to the Apostles’ Teaching (Acts 2:42, 43)
2. The Fellowship (Acts 2:42)
3. Hospitality: Breaking of Bread (Acts 2:42)
4. Prayer (Acts 2:42)
5. Meeting Needs Ministry (Acts 2:44)
6. Worshipful Unity:
1. Public Worship in the Temple (Acts 2:46)
2. Family Fellowship House to House (Acts 2:46)
3. Praising God (Acts 2:47)
7. Favorable Witness (Acts 2:47)
“And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47)
Holy-Spirit-Empowered Gospel Preaching Begets Holy-Spirit-Empowered Gospel People!
Jesus’s gospel saves people, giving them the Holy Spirit, and brings them together in the body of Jesus Christ, the church! Individual faith is inseparable from corporate faith!
The church is built upon the gospel of the risen Jesus Christ, is empowered by the Holy Spirit, and added to by the Lord. From beginning to end, the church is a creation of God Himself!
God’s Power to Proclaim
Acts 2:1-13
Purpose: To join God in what only He can do, the salvation of the nations!
- The Promise Arrives! (Acts 2:1-4)
- The Preaching Begins! (Acts 2:5-11)
- The People Respond! (Acts 2:12-13)
Holy Spirit power to preach Jesus Christ to all nations is a miraculous reversal of the Babel curse (Gen 11:9), God’s salvation is now open to all, and we must take our place in His work!
Witnesses Of the Risen Savior
Acts 1:1-11
Purpose: to take our place as Jesus Christ’s witnesses for the salvation of the nations!
- It All Begins With the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44-53)
All the OT is Fulfilled in the Gospel Event of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44)
Scripture-Saturated (Luke 24:44-46; 3X)
Gospel-Centered (Luke 24:46; 1 Cor 15:1-4)
Mission-to-the-Nations (Luke 24:47)
Apostolic Witness (Luke 24:48)
The Promise of Power (Luke 24:49)
Ascension and Worshipful Abandon! (Luke 24:50-53)
Sin paid for, death defeated, Satan shamed, God glorified above all!
- It All Culminates in Our Witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:1-11)
Orders Given (Acts 1:3)
Jesus is Alive! (Acts 1:4)
Holy Spirit Promised Power (Acts 1:4-5)
Kingdom Confusion (Acts 1:6-7)
Kingdom Clarity, the Great Commission in Acts (Acts 1:8)
Between Two Events/Advents! (Acts 1:9-11)
- Promise Kept!
All of Acts is a Result of the Gospel of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24)
All of Acts is a Fulfillment of the Prophecy of Jesus Christ (1:8)
Jerusalem (1:6-6:7), Judea & Samaria (6:8-12),
Remotest Part of the Earth (13-28)
All of Acts is Empowered by the Promised Holy Spirit (1:8)
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit on Mission through His Church to Save All Nations!
God calling His church into existence for Worship, Discipleship, and Mission
The Book of Acts is all about the Father and the Son brining salvation to all nations of the world through Holy Spirit empowered witness that Jesus Christ is alive! All who repent and believe in the risen Lord Jesus are saved to the
glory of God!
Living In. Living Out.
The Book of ACTS
Purpose: To see how we put the gospel in action
- Living In, And Living Out Acts.
- What is a New Testament Church?
- We exist to glorify Christ in Worship, Discipleship, and Mission.
- One time, All-time, Our time
- The Gospel In Action
- Where we have been
- Where we are going
- Being An A.C.T.S. Church
- A Church That … Spreads the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)
- A Church That … Seeks the Lord in Prayer (Acts 1:14)
- A Church That’s…Spirit-Led (Acts 1:5, 8, 16; 2:1-4; 13:2)
- A Church That … Surrenders
- A Church That … Studies God’s Word (Acts 2:42)
- A Church That … Sends (Acts 1:8; 13:2-4)
- A Church That … Stands Up to Earthly Judgment (Acts 22-28)
YHWH, LORD of All!
Chapter 1
Purpose: To trust the LORD in all things.
- The LORD Controls Nature (Ruth 1:1-7)
- The LORD is Worthy of Worship (Ruth 1:8-18)
Dialogue in Moab
What does Naomi want her d’s-in-law to do? (vv. 8-13)
Why? – Kinsman Marriage (see Deut. 25:5-10)
How does the writer of this book want us to view God?
What is Ruth doing in going with Naomi? (vv. 14-18)
- The LORD, Our Only Hope (Ruth 1:19-22)
Returning to Bethlehem
What do verses 20 and 13 have in common
What does this say about the writer’s concern?
What does this say about Naomi’s view of God
The beginning of the harvest! (v. 22) Why is this important?
- Character Studies in Ruth Ch. 1
Naomi – 1:13, 20
Destitute – no family = no
inheritance/welfare/health care/social security
Widowed, depressed, and hurting, has the LORD left her?
“Bitter” is the same word used in 13 and 20
Ruth – 1:18; Matthew 1:5
Moabite
Widowed (same position as Naomi) – she could have gone back to family
Personal commitment and sacrifice – 1:16-17
To whom is the commitment and sacrifice
What does it cost her?
What does Ruth believe about God?
How would you describe Ruth’s character/behavior?
YHWH LORD – 1:1, 6, 8, 9, 13, 16, 17, 20, 21
In full control of famine and food in the ‘natural realm’
In full control of hardship and blessing in the ‘human realm’
How is our God referred to here?
Any miracles performed, religious activity done, prophets speaking for God?
Does God act in this way (i.e., vv. 13, 20) in people’s lives? (See Job 2:10)
When we believe in Jesus Christ, we are believing in YHWH, the LORD of all creation and providence in our lives!