Following Jesus is Hard
Key Point
Following Jesus is Hard. Not all of the time, but there will be times that we will need to make hard decisions or put in difficult circumstances because of our choice to follow God.
Archives: Podcast
Discussion | Following Jesus is Hard
Welcome back to the discussion episode for the story; Following Jesus is hard!
Paul and Barnabas share the message about Jesus in Lystra. Paul, through the power of the Holy Spirit, heals a disabled man. Then everyone is talking as if the two men are Greek gods. They even try and worship them by sacrificing a bull.
Then some Jews from Iconium stir up that same crowd, and they stone Paul, throwing rocks at him until he was dead; fortunately, he survives. After sharing the same message in Derbe, Paul and his companions travel back through all the places they met, encouraging the believers and appointing leaders or elders in each church.
Welcome back to the discussion episode for the story; Following Jesus is hard!
Paul and Barnabas share the message about Jesus in Lystra. Paul, through the power of the Holy Spirit, heals a disabled man. Then everyone is talking as if the two men are Greek gods. They even try and worship them by sacrificing a bull.
Then some Jews from Iconium stir up that same crowd, and they stone Paul, throwing rocks at him until he was dead; fortunately, he survives. After sharing the same message in Derbe, Paul and his companions travel back through all the places they met, encouraging the believers and appointing leaders or elders in each church.
Promote the Message About Jesus
Key Point
So today, we will learn that we ought to promote the message about Jesus.
Last week, we ended the story with Saul and Barnabas set apart to do something for God. Today we are going to learn about what that was! So Today’s story is found in Acts of the Apostles 13:4-52
Discussion | Promote the Message About Jesus
Welcome back to the discussion episode for the story; Promote the Message About Jesus.
In this story, Paul and Barnabas met some who did not want the message about Jesus to be shared. They travelled to the island of Cyprus, where they met a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, who tried to convince the Roman governor to not listen to Paul and Barnabas. Bar-Jesus was struck blind, and the governor and many others believed in Jesus.
They then went to Antioch of Pisidia, where the entire town wanted to hear the message. Some jews got jealous and then got some help forming a mob to drive Paul and his crew out of town.
Welcome back to the discussion episode for the story; Promote the Message About Jesus.
In this story, Paul and Barnabas met some who did not want the message about Jesus to be shared. They travelled to the island of Cyprus, where they met a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, who tried to convince the Roman governor to not listen to Paul and Barnabas. Bar-Jesus was struck blind, and the governor and many others believed in Jesus.
They then went to Antioch of Pisidia, where the entire town wanted to hear the message. Some jews got jealous and then got some help forming a mob to drive Paul and his crew out of town.
Crisis Will Bring Growth
So today, we are going to learn that within the church, a crisis will bring growth.
Read
Acts 11:19-30, Acts 12:25 – 13:3
Key Point
A Crisis Will Bring Growth
Discussion | Crisis Will Bring Growth
A crisis will bring growth. We learned that the Church was growing and that the early Christian church was spending a lot of time with God. Because of all this time spent with God, the Antioch church responded to a famine prediction that would impact the entire Roman Empire. They collected a lot of money to help the believers in Jerusalem and Judea. They then sensed God wanting to send Barnabas and Saul for a special work, which we will find out more about tomorrow.
A crisis will bring growth. We learned that the Church was growing and that the early Christian church was spending a lot of time with God. Because of all this time spent with God, the Antioch church responded to a famine prediction that would impact the entire Roman Empire. They collected a lot of money to help the believers in Jerusalem and Judea. They then sensed God wanting to send Barnabas and Saul for a special work, which we will find out more about tomorrow.
Discussion | To Live is Christ To Die is Gain
Today we learned that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Saul Angered the Jewish Leaders by proving that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jewish leaders got so irritated that they actually tried to murder him. Unbelievably this happened twice in about a week. Once in Damascus and once in Jerusalem. In this story, we see that he is fully living his life for Christ, and if he dies because of it, he will then be in heaven and better off anyway!
Today we learned that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Saul Angered the Jewish Leaders by proving that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jewish leaders got so irritated that they actually tried to murder him. Unbelievably this happened twice in about a week. Once in Damascus and once in Jerusalem. In this story, we see that he is fully living his life for Christ, and if he dies because of it, he will then be in heaven and better off anyway!
To Live is Christ To Die is Gain
Key Point
Last week we were introduced to Saul. He was a persecutor of Christians and worked tirelessly to squash the Christian movement. Before we get into the background of the story, the key lesson for us all to learn today is this “to live is Christ to die is gain” Now that is a direct quote from a passage of scripture found in Phillippians 1:21 ‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’ We are going to learn a bit more about what that means after our story.
No One is Beyond Reach
Key Point
Today’s story teaches us that No One is Beyond Reach. In this case, we are speaking about the love of God and his forgiveness.
I often have friends that would say if they were to enter a church they would be sent away, or told to leave. As if they have done something so wrong or terrible that it is somehow beyond God’s forgiveness. That isn’t true.
God sent Jesus, His only son, to die for the sins of everyone; which includes every single person – past, present and future! This is remarkable. Today we are going to see God reach someone who would have been considered evil and wicked… even by today’s standards,
Discussion | No One is Beyond Reach
No One is Beyond Reach. Today we learned about Saul, God’s forgiveness of Saul’s sins and God’s willingness to make Saul new through the Holy Spirit. We learned that no matter how hurt or broken or sinful we may feel, we are never out of the reach of God’s love!
No One is Beyond Reach. Today we learned about Saul, God’s forgiveness of Saul’s sins and God’s willingness to make Saul new through the Holy Spirit. We learned that no matter how hurt or broken or sinful we may feel, we are never out of the reach of God’s love!