Acts 13 - 14 (21st November) - Madeline

I shall name these 2 chapters... The life of a missionary...

Acts 1-3
Antioch becomes the center from which the missionaries Barnabas and Saul are sent out.
Who sends the missionary? God sends the missionary through two essential and complementary means: the personal, inward call to the individual and the outward confirmation through the church.The church releases the missionary (see vs 3)

Acts 13:4-13
Encounter with deceitful man - Elymas. Paul , being filled with the Holy Spirit, was able to discern and he rebuked Satan with the power of God.

Acts 13:14-37
When we come together to worship God, we must do it, not only by prayer and praise, but by the reading and hearing of the word of God. Every thing is touched upon in this sermon, to receive Christ as the promised Messiah. Paul passes from David to the Son of David, and shows that this Jesus is his promised Lamb, a Saviour to do that for them, which the judges of old could not do, to save them from their sins. Our complete separation from sin, is represented by our being buried with Christ. But he rose again from the dead! : this was the great truth to be preached.

Acts 13:38-52
The Jews opposed the doctrine the apostles preached; but the missionaries became bolder. And guess what? When the missionaries are persecuted and expelled from the region, they left happily! (see vs 52 - And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. )

Take a deep breath, lets move on to Acts 14.

Acts 14:1-7
P & B spoke so effectively that many believed... Still, there were many unbelievers. The missionaries persevered and continued to preach the good news.

Acts 14:8-18
They performed miracles - healing. The crowd treated them like gods. Again, they were persecuted.

Acts 14:21-26
The journey continues and they continued to preach the Good News... on and on... on and on...

Food for thots...
Their "never-say-die" spirit, perseverance, patience, intimacy with the Holy Spirit, wisdom, boldness, willingness, faith, love for God, love for people...

Can we be missionary for God?

I'm excited about 2nd Dec where Nick is coming to church to preach. I believe his testimony will touch the hearts of many. Let's invite our friends and love ones ya...