This morning we looked at the story of the call and conversion of Saul (apostle Paul). Specifically, we tried to see what this story is really about: how great Jesus is.
Sermon Audio: Acts 9:1-31.
Notes and Audio from Wednesday and Friday Classes
1. A Guided Tour of the Old Testament: Reading the OT as Theology
Notes: 2012.OT.section01.Lesson03
Wednesday Lecture: 2012.OT.Session1a.Lesson03
Friday Lecture:
2. How to Pray: Sad Psalm Prayers
Notes: 2012.Prayer.Section01.Lesson03
Wednesday Lecture: 2012.Prayer.Session1a.Lesson03
Friday Lecture:
Acts 8:1-40.
Jerusalem? Samaria? The ends of the earth? Check.Check.Check. The mission of God, the kingdom of Jesus, is succeeding; spreading throughout the world. And that’s just by Acts 8!
How does God’s glory spread? By the Holy Spirit.
What do we learn about the Holy Spirit here? We want the Spirit to bring God’s goodness into our lives, so how does that happen?
The Spirit, we learn, can only be received. The Spirit cannot be earned, worked for, traded for. The Spirit is the gift of God, the life of God purchased by the death of God. There is nothing that must be done by us to receive it, nor that can be done by us to earn it. It is Gift.
The Spirit, also, can only be related to. That is, we must treat the Spirit as a person. And only by relating to the Spirit do we truly receive the Spirit. The Spirit is not an insurance policy, or a jar of miracle ointment, or a double-barrel shotgun hung over the fireplace, or a special sauce. The Spirit is a person; the third person of God, to be exact. And so we must relate to the Spirit. If we are not relating to the Spirit, then in what sense have we received this Person and the relationship receiving a person implies?
Sermon Audio: Acts 8:1-40.
Notes and Lectures for both the Wednesday and the Friday classes:
1. The Old Testament as Historically, Geographically, and Culturally Located
NOTES: 2012.OT.section01.Lesson02
Wed Class: 2012.OT.Session1a.Lesson02
Fri Class: 2012.OT.Session1b.Lesson02
2. Prayers of the Old Testament (Non-Psalms)
NOTES: 2012.Prayer.Section01.Lesson02
Wed Class: 2012.Prayer.Session1a.Lesson02
Fri: Class: 2012.Prayer.Session1b.Lesson02
Acts 6:8-7:60.
A sermon in three parts:
1. Stephen’s Story. Point: God’s Spirit lives in God’s Man. You can ONLY get God’s life from Jesus.
2. Story about Stephen. Point: Fearlessness and Power come from knowing the story about Jesus.
3. Story of Stephen. Point: As the Holy Spirit’s work increases, so too does resistance to the Spirit’s work.
Wrapped-Together: Want Life? Get Spirit…Only Place: Jesus. Want Jesus? Know Him and His doings in His Story/Bible. Got Life and sense of Jesus-With-You? Fear nothing and Feel power. And expect Resistance. Then what?
Point: We meet resistance by returning to Jesus.
RETURN TO JESUS. re- re- reTURN.
Sermon Audio: Acts 6:8-7:60.
Included below are the Notes and Audio for both classes, both times.
1. The Old Testament as Literature. Notes: NOTES 2012.OT.section01.Lesson01.
Wednesday Class: 2012.OT.Session1a.Lesson01
Friday Class: 2012.OT.Session1b.Lesson01
2. Prayer: Basics of Prayer. Notes: NOTES 2012.Prayer.Section01.Lesson01.
Wednesday Class: 2012.Prayer.Session1a.Lesson01
Friday Class: 2012.Prayer.Session1b.Lesson01
We’re starting a project at Fellowship Bible Church. Because we value simplicity and an unhyped approach to life, this project is called, simply, CLASSES.
Nine classes in all, spread over three years, for the purpose of encouraging spiritual growth, repairing spiritual deficiencies, and preparing the saints for the work of ministry.
Year One: A Guided Tour of the Old Testament; A Guided Tour of the New Testament; How to Pray.
Year Two: Church History; Biblical Theology; Being and Doing Church.
Year Three: Biblical Counseling, part 1 and part 2; Biblical Peacemaking.
BackStory: Pastor David has been at FBC for almost Four Years! And during that time there has been a small, dedicated group of Bible Study attendees. But four years later, how much better equipped are they for the work of ministry (Eph 4)? And whose fault is that? It’s mine (David’s). And so several months ago I began to pray and to plan so that when the next three years go by I will be able to say, at least this much: I have begun to intentionally do what Jesus called me here to do. And who knows what else will result from this? God loves nothing more than to surprise people by doing great things with less-great people. And while our church is filled with great people, we are not what the world would consider to be “great.” We are small. But that doesn’t bother God.
If you are in the area of Palmyra, WI, on either a Wednesday evening or a Friday afternoon, swing on by! The Old Testament class is on Wednesday at 6:30pm and is also offered on Friday at 1:00pm. The Prayer class is on Wednesday at 7:45pm and is also offered on Friday at 2:00pm.
Hope to see you there!
If you have any questions, please email me at: fbcpalmyra @ gmail .com
How the Holy Spirit wants to bring the life/love/light of God in Jesus to THOSE PLACES in our lives. You know what I’m talking about. The mess. The pain. The anger. Those places.
The Holy Spirit will change them from sources of complaint, from objects of neglect, into places of beauty and life.
Let the Spirit work.
Let the Spirit put up a Holy Spirit Structure.
Sermon Audio: Acts 6:1-7.
Happy New Year!!
…or not…
You down? Up? Down/Up? Up/Down?
Acts 5 gives us good news: up or down, listen: God is Working!
And because God is working, we can have joy (even when we’ve been beat down) and we can get to work with confidence.
God is Working!
Sermon Audio: Acts 5:12-42.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks to everyone who showed up this morning. We had a great time singing praise to Jesus and meditating on the Gift of God.
Paul tells us in Philippians 2:16b-18 to join him in pouring ourselves out and entering the Joy of God.
The problem with this–beside the fact that it’s crazy–is that we’re already exhausted. What’s going wrong?
Like Christmas tells us: first, we need to RECEIVE.
From Fellowship Bible Church to you: Merry Christmas; may your life crack open and make space for the Gift of God so that you may enter and enjoy the love/life/joy/peace He is and always has been trying to give you.
Sermon Audio: Philippians 2:16b-18.
