The Journey of Discipleship (Acts 18:24-19:20)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
The Journey of Discipleship (Acts 18:24-19:20)
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This is the 30th sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

Sermon Outline:

  1. Apollos’ discipleship journey (18:24-28).
  2. “Disciples” in Ephesus and their journey (19:1-10).
  3. Spiritual warfare, total surrender, and the discipleship journey (19:11-20).

Discussion Questions:

  • As you reflect on the past few months, how has Jesus worked in you? How has Jesus worked through you?
  • Which of the discipleship journeys that we studied today most connects with you? Why?
  • Why is the combination of gifting and humility (i.e. Apollos) so rare? How can we cultivate humility in our own lives?

Experiencing Jesus’ Presence in Our Mission (Acts 18:1-23)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Experiencing Jesus’ Presence in Our Mission (Acts 18:1-23)
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This is the 29th sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

Sermon Outline:

  1. Presence in friendship (18:1-3).
  2. Presence in conversions (18:4-11).
  3. Presence in reminders of sovereignty (18:12-17).
  4. Presence in spiritual disciplines (18:18-23).

Notable Quote:

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled…let not one go unwarned and un-prayed for.”         —C.H. Spurgeon

Discussion Questions:

  • Does evangelism/mission scare you? If so, why?
  • Have you ever felt depleted in ministry or your walk with Jesus? How would experiencing the presence of Jesus impact that? 
  • What means of grace, or spiritual disciplines, has Jesus used to show you that He is with you?

With Paul in the School of Missions (Acts 17:16-34)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
With Paul in the School of Missions (Acts 17:16-34)
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This is the 28th sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

Sermon Outline:
1: Paul’s motivation for and method of evangelism in Athens (17:16-21).
2: Paul’s presentation of the Gospel in Athens (17:22-31).
3: The Athenians’ response to the Gospel (17:32-34).

Discussion Questions:
– What brokenness do you see in your community? What sometimes keeps you from seeing it?
– Answering honestly, how do you typically feel when you see brokenness? How can we grow in compassion?
– In what ways is it easy to speak the Gospel to our particular culture? In what ways is it difficult?

A Church, if You Can Keep It (Acts 17:1-15)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
A Church, if You Can Keep It (Acts 17:1-15)
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This is the 27th sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

Sermon Outline:

  1. The foundation of Gospel-ministry (17:1-4).
  2. The fruit of Gospel-ministry (17:5-9).
  3. The furthering of Gospel-ministry (17:10-15).

Discussion Questions:

  • Where might Jesus be leading your personal world to turn upside down? What tangible steps can you take this week?
  • How could the Gospel turn Falcon upside-down? What tangible steps can our church take?
  • What are your scripture study habits? Is it a daily practice? What tools have you found helpful?

The Gospel Comes to Europe (Acts 16:11-40)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
The Gospel Comes to Europe (Acts 16:11-40)
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This is the 26th sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

Sermon Outline:

  1. A missionary seeks out Gospel-expansion (16:11-15).
  2. A missionary enters boldly into warfare and difficulty (16:16-24).
  3. A missionary joyfully proclaims the need for belief in Jesus (16:25-34).
  4. A missionary lays down his or her comfort for further Gospel-expansion (16:35-40).

Discussion Questions:

  • What are the ministries God has called you to?
  • How is suffering and spiritual warfare a part of those ministries??
  • What does joy look like in the midst of those ministries?

The Gospel Comes to Europe (Acts 15:36-16:10)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
The Gospel Comes to Europe (Acts 15:36-16:10)
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This is the 25th sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

What Must We Do To Be Saved? (Acts 15:1-35)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
What Must We Do To Be Saved? (Acts 15:1-35)
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This is the 24th sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

Sermon Outline:

  1. The threat against the Gospel (15:1-5).
  2. Peter’s response (15:6-12).
  3. James’ recommendation (15:13-21).
  4. The Council’s ruling (15:22-29).
  5. The Church’s rejoicing (15:30-35).

Discussion Questions:

  • What do you need? If Jesus stood before you and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” how would you answer?
  • If you are honest, what are you tempted to think you need to do in order for Jesus to truly be for you? How is grace better?
  • Family question: What is grace? What is faith? How does Jesus save us?

A Blueprint for a Faithful Ministry (Acts 14:1-28)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
A Blueprint for a Faithful Ministry (Acts 14:1-28)
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This is the 23rd sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

Sermon Outline:

  1. If Jesus is with you, you are able to do ministry amidst difficulty (14:1-7).
  2. If Jesus is with you, you don’t need from people what God alone deserves (14:8-20).
  3. If Jesus is with you, you can encourage others because Jesus is with them too. (14:21-28).

Discussion Questions:

  • What are the ministries (Areas God has given you opportunities to exert influence for the good of the Kingdom) you currently have? How does this passage encourage you in those works?
  • In Acts 14:27 the church gathers to celebrate all that God has done through Paul and Barnabas during their 2 year journey. What can your table celebrate regarding all that God has done in the last 2 years?

The Gospel Comes to Galatia (Acts 13:13-52)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
The Gospel Comes to Galatia (Acts 13:13-52)
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This is the 22nd sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

Sermon Outline:

  1. How Paul and Barnabas ended up preaching in Galatia (13:13-15).
  2. What Paul chose to preach in Galatia (13:16-41).
  3. How the Galatians responded to Paul’s sermon (13:42-52).

Discussion Questions:

  • If it wasn’t for Jesus and His Gospel, what would you look to in order to assure yourself that you and God were cool? Or, what aspect of your life are you tempted to put trust in apart from Jesus?
  • Who are the people religious Americans would consider outsiders? How does the Gospel Paul preached challenge that categorization? How do you need to apply that to your own life?
  • As you evaluate your personal history, what are some of the waypoints that you can identify that led you to Jesus (or, led you here this morning)?

Healthy Mission Flows From a Healthy Church (Acts 13:1-12)

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Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Acts: Jesus Builds His Church
Healthy Mission Flows From a Healthy Church (Acts 13:1-12)
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This is the 21st sermon in our series Acts: Jesus Builds His Church.

Sermon Outline:

  1. A picture of a healthy church (13:1-3).
  2. A picture of a healthy mission (13:4-12).

Discussion Questions:

  • Spend time at your table praying for the Holy Spirit to lead each of us as individuals, and all of us as a church, into the ministry He is calling us to.
  • Pray that the barriers we are encountering (as individuals and as a church) that prevent us from engaging mission would be overcome by the power of the Spirit and the beauty of the Gospel.