Acts 15-16 - Second Missionary Journey (notes)

Acts 15-16 - Second Missionary Journey

The Missionary Journeys of Paul…

Are some of the most amazing events in history. The early church was breaking new ground at this time. They have just completed their first Mission Journey and now are ready to start on a new adventure in God’s work.

What is The Spirit Saying To The Church Today?

How we deal with disagreement is very critical to how we represent the Kingdom of God in any situation. Paul & Barnabas have a disagreement about John Mark whom according to Paul had flaked out on him in Pamphylia. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to Cyprus. Paul & Silas went to Syria & Cilicia strengthening the churches.

Acts 15:36-41

What Can We Learn About Disagreement?

Did they handle their differences well? Probably not. Did they handle every situation in the right way? No! How about us, neither do we.

As long as we want to see Jesus glorified we will handle conflict in the right way.

What We Find Here The breakthrough of God in the realm of breaking down wall of differences between cultures, ethnic groups or people groups.

Paul’s Priority Was To See People Saved even when people were preaching the Gospel out of contention with Paul, he said, I don’t care what the motives are, all I know is that the Gospel is preached and people are saved.

The Church Grows in Lystra Paul meets Timothy, who had a Jewish believing mother and a Greek father. Timothy had a great reputation in the church so Paul made him part of his team. As they passed through the cities the ministry team gave the believers the message from the Jerusalem Council. The churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily. This is God’s desire for us, for believers to be saved daily. This will happen through you.

Acts 16:16

The Vision

The team is forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the Word in Asia (Turkey). They visited Mysia and on their way to Bithynia but the Spirit stopped them. They then went to Troas. Paul has a vision of a man of Macedonia pleading with him to come and help.

The Team

• Sets out to sea from Troas through Samothrace and then to Neapolis then to Philippi, the leading city of Macedonia, A Roman colony.
• On the Sabbath they go to the river outside the city and spoke to the woman who was there.
• A woman named Lydia from Thyatira, a business woman who worshiped God was intently listening. Her and her family were baptized. The team stay at her house.
• Was going to prayer when a slave girl with a spirit of divination met the team. Her owners made much money by her fortune-telling. For many days she would say “These men are bond servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” Paul cast the demon out of her.
• Were brought into the market place before the rulers and the chief magistrates. They made some poor charges against them, beat them & threw them into prison.

Paul & Silas

• Are placed in the inner prison (the most secure part) and in stocks.
• At midnight are praying & worshiping God while the other prisoners heard them. Then a great earthquake shook the foundations of the prison and all the doors were opened. The jailer was going to kill himself, thinking they had escaped. Paul tells him not to harm himself. He asks them, “What must I do to be saved?”

The Famous Words

• Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your house. They share the Gospel with them and they believe. The jailer washes their wounds in the middle of the night and he & his family were baptized.
• The jailer took them into his house and offered food to them and the whole house rejoiced in finding faith in God.

The Holy Spirit

• Moved in the early church in amazing ways and wants to move in amazing ways in our lives today. We need to be hungry for God to move like that today. If we are not hungry for a move of God it will not happen to us. It might happen here but those who aren't hungry for God will miss out.
• Don’t miss out on what the Spirit has for you. Be hungry for it and amazing things will happen.

Acts 15-16 - Second Missionary Journey

Acts 15-16 - Second Missionary Journey this message was given on 9-30-12

Acts 15 - Another Gospel (notes)

Acts 15 - Another Gospel

In Every Revival

Legalism raises its ugly head. When God does something great man messes with what God does and messes it up. In Acts 15 we see this. In Acts 2 God pours out His Spirit and the church explodes, goes everywhere preaching the Gospel, missionaries establish churches in the cities where they preached. But back in Jerusalem something happens.

Some Men From Judea

Came to Jerusalem and started to teach a Gospel of performance. “Unless you are circumcised you cannot be saved.” Paul & Barnabas and some other leaders go to Jerusalem and bring correction to the church. They tell the believers how Gentiles were saved.

To Be Saved

All we have to do is confess Jesus and believe that He rose from the dead. With the mouth confession is made for salvation and with the heart we believe and are justified.

Romans 10:9-10

The Early Church Grew Until the enemy started to plant false teaching in the church.

1. You have to keep the Law to be saved.
2. You have to be circumcised to be saved.
3. You have to obey the Sabbath to be saved.

Religion

Is man’s attempt to be justified before God through good deeds, obeying their commandments or following certain rules.

Christianity

Is God sending His only Son to die for our sins and there is nothing else we have to do to be justified, all we do is believe what the Gospel says and we are made right with God.

The Apostles

• Had to make the needed corrections in the early church.
• In any revival God always has to restore to the church what we lose when we get off track. We must keep following the Word of God and what God says so that we don’t get off track.

Acts 15 - Another Gospel

Acts 15 - Another Gospel this message was given on 9-23-12

Acts 14 - Bring In The Harvest (notes)

Acts 14 - Bring In The Harvest

Paul’s Missionary Journeys

• Are some of the most amazing accounts of the expansion of the Word of God in the Roman Empire.
• Are divided into three. The first is found in Acts 13:1 to 15:35. The second is found in Acts 15:36 to 18:22 The third is found in Acts 18:23.

America is Like the Roman Empire was at the time of the early church. Rome was the world’s Super Power just as America is the world’s Super Power. Rome was a pagan nation just like America is becoming a pagan nation. We started as a Christian nation but have become a secular society as we have turned away from God.

What Many in the world do not know is that the church is the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The church is the only pure system in this dark world. Every other system in the world cannot solve the problems in the world only the church has the answer to the problems in the world. As a believer we are connected to the One who knows what caused the problem and how the problem can be solved. God is all knowing and if I am connected to Him I can tap into that knowledge.

The Church Knows

• The answer to the most important questions.
• “Where did I come from?, Why am I here?, And where am I going?”
• We came from God, made in His image and likeness, we are here to know God and If I know God I will fulfill my purpose. I then can lead many to their eternal destiny-Heaven. These are the most important questions.

As We Look At

• The historical record we can apply what God is saying to us today.
• The missionary journeys of Paul & his team were amazing displays of Apostolic authority and ministry. What is the Holy Spirit saying to us through these events?
• The turmoil in the world, the displays of hatred towards America in the Middle East we need to see the spiritual war that we are in. We are not fighting against flesh & blood but with the forces of darkness that are everywhere. The most evil and violent forces in the planet are the religious ones. Look at Ireland, at the middle east, in South America in the 1700s. Many thousands of people have been killed in the name of the different religions over history.

Paul’s Strategy was to always go to the local synagogue first.

1. They go to Iconium and go straight to the synagogue & spoke with such anointing that a  large number of Jews & Gentiles believed.
2. The unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles against the apostles.
3. The apostles spoke the Word with boldness and Jesus confirmed it with signs and wonders.

Acts 14:1-7

The People of the City

• Were divided, some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles.
• Attempted to stone them but the apostles became aware of the plan and fled to Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region and continued to preach Jesus.

In Lystra

• A crippled man is healed as Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet” and he leaped up and began to walk.
• The people of the city looked at the apostles as gods. They called Paul Hermes (the spokesman) and Barnabas Zeus. The priest of Zeus wanted to offer sacrifices to the apostles but Paul rebuked the crowd by explaining that they were just men and to turn from paganism and turn to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jews Came from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowd and stoned Paul, dragged him out of the city and left him for dead. The disciples prayed for him and he got up & entered the city. The next day they went to Derbe where they made many disciples after preaching the Gospel there.

The Apostles

• Returned to Lystra & Iconium and Antioch strengthening the disciples. They appointed elders in every church, prayed and fasted with the believers.
• Passed through Pisidia and Pamphylia then taught the Word in Perga and they went to Attalia. Then they sailed to Antioch (the headquarters church) where they reported what God had done on their journey.

Acts 14 - Bring In The Harvest

Acts 14 - Bring In The Harvest this message was given on 9-16-12

Acts 13 - The Beginnings of the Missionary Journeys of Paul

***Guest Speaker, Jonathan Garcia Spoke Today 9-9-12***

Acts 12 - The Power Of A Praying Church (notes)

Acts 12 - The Power Of A Praying Church

There Are 3 Keys To Unlock The Power Acts

1. The name of Jesus.
2. The Holy Spirit.
3. The Word of God.

• We could add a fourth key (prayer).

King Herod

• Began to mistreat some of the believers by killing James, the brother of John.
• This was popular with some of the people so he arrested Peter during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
• Put Peter in jail and had 16 soldiers guard him and planned to bring Peter to trial after Passover.

The Key Verse 12:5

• So Peter was kept in Jail, but the church prayed earnestly to God for him.
• Prayer is the most powerful weapon the church has to overcome evil and defeat the enemies of the cross.
• Our government is passing more laws against Christianity and many Christians are asleep. This is not the time to sleep spiritually but to pray against the evil spirits that are trying to get out leaders to pass laws that threaten our liberty as Christians.

The Night Before

Peter was going to be put on trial Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. The other guards were guarding the door to the jail. Then an angel of the Lord stood there, a light shined in the cell. The angel struck Peter on the side and woke him up. Hurry! Get up!, get dressed and follow me. The chains fell off of Peter and he followed the angel.  (Acts 12:6-8)

Peter

• Realized that it was not a dream, that the angle of the Lord had rescued him from Herod.
• Showed up at Mary’s house, John Mark’s mom. The believers were gathered there interceding for Peter.
• Knocks on the door and a young girl answered. She recognized Peter’s voice but didn’t open the door and ran and told the group that Peter was at the door. They didn’t believe her and even said she was crazy.
• Continued to knock and finally they opened the door and were amazed.
• Tells them to be quiet and tells them how the Lord had led him out of Jail.
• Leaves. The soldiers were upset and wondered what happened to Peter. Herod looked everywhere for him but could not find him. Herod questioned the guards and ordered that they be killed.

There is A Prayer Movement in The Church Today

• What happens when the church prays?
• The power of prayer is known in Nations which are experiencing revival such as South Korea, Nigeria, Australia, Brazil, Columbia and China. Great manifestations of the Glory of God are being seen in parts of the planet where believers pray.

There is A Shaking Taking place of every institution in the world

• Hebrews 12:25 
• See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from Heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also Heaven.

Things Will Be Shaken

Hebrews 12:27 Now this, yet once more, indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Peter’s Life Was Spared

Because the church prayed when Herod was about to kill him. Prayer is the most powerful gift we can give our families. Our children need our prayers more than money, land or things. When we pray God will put a shield of protection over those we pray for. Our nation needs the church to pray for God’s mercy and favor. Prayer is even more powerful than voting. Prayer releases the angels of God to fight satan & his army.

What Can We Do

• When we stand in the midst of the shaking that will occur?
• Stand firm in the Lord. Eph. 6:10-18
• Pray always. Eph. 6:18
• Recognize we are in a spiritual war. Eph. 6:12-13

God Will Judge Those who mess with the church

• Acts 12:20-25 Herod was out of control, intoxicated with his power and threatened by the explosive growth of the church. He murdered James the brother of John (one of the key figures of the infant church). Peter is next but God intervenes and deals with the King. (Acts 12:23-24)
• The Word of God grew & multiplied.(v. 24)

Acts 12 - The Power Of A Praying Church

Acts 12 - The Power Of A Praying Church this message was given on 9-2-12