FOCUS ON GOD AND OTHERS, NOT SELF! But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. —Acts 20:24             We understand a few things about Paul from this verse.  He Did not account his life of any value Did not account his life as precious to himself Desire to finish the course received from Jesus Desired to finish the ministry received from Jesus Desired to testify to the gospel of the grace of God Paul did “nothing…

BE BUILDING ACCURATELY, NOT IN VAIN! Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.  Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. —Acts 17:11-13 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly…

OUR NATION NEEDS TO COME TO ITS SENSES AND THINK RIGHT! For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” —Acts 15:28-29 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household…”  Then he brought them up into his house and set food…

PROCLAIMING JESUS WILL BRING CONFLICT When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. —Acts 13:6-8 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be…

THE PROTECTIVE HAND OF OUR LORD! If it had not been the LORD who was on our side— let Israel now say—if it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters.  Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth!  We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we…

NOBODY IS RIGHTEOUS EXCEPT BY CALLING ON JESUS TO SAVE THEM So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him… To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. —Acts 10:34-35. 43 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. —Psalm 143: 2              David describes himself as a servant of our Lord.  Yet he also acknowledged that “no one living is righteous before you.”  No one is righteous in…

RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water,…

BE FAITHFUL WITH HIS HELP! “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree…”   Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. —Acts 5:28-30. 41-42  I lift up my eyes…

WITNESSES, WE WHO LOVE JESUS, ARE TO BE The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. —Acts 3:13-15 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when…

BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR CALLING! Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. —Luke 24:45-49 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea…