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For those who pastor or are in a church leadership role – Christmas is a time to make a memorable and influential ministry impact.  Yes, Christmas is a time of “good tidings and joy to all people.” The beginning of the incarnation happened at Bethlehem. 

Would you rather be "loved" or "respected"? A comedian is liked. People laugh. Is he respected? Respect is earned by loving people AND treating them with merciful and kind respect. 

Depression has been called the mental and emotional common cold. Depression is common. However, many people remain unaware. They also remain unaware that depression affects people from the most successful – to the unknown.

The disciples already had His promise of a SPIRITUAL return to be IN them, but this was different.  The angels speak of another PHYSICAL return of the Lord.

Ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things because the Spirit of God was at work in their lives.  The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity 

Pentecost changed the entire outlook of these men.

Peter and apparently his peers felt it was important to have twelve ordained workers. This was about staffing the mission.

Do Christian leaders occasionally make the mistake of trying to bring people to a place of participation they are not ready for. People should be rooted in the church as well as rooted in the Word of God to be productive.

Jesus was both a “doer” and a “teacher.”  Teaching without action is philosophy. Those who “do” without having instruction usually end up taking that is unfocused or do things the hardest way possible. As leaders we must “do” and “teach.”

The four gospels funnel into Acts. Acts is then a too oft ignored bridge from the life of Christ into practiced and practical Christianity.

In each age, the church must be redefined by the Bible and Holy Ghost. If this redefining does not happen, the church gets lost in the wrappings of the contemporary culture. 

With Jesus there was action and doctrine. A bird must have two wings in order to fly. The church must also have the two wings of “action” and “instruction.” Seek balance – “to do and teach.”  Both are necessary. To be over-balanced toward one or the other leaves the church weak.

Imagine them thinking and talking among themselves, ”You know that resurrection was a pretty neat trick, but I wonder when He is going to take care of the ‘main’ thing, the business of restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

The book of Acts covers approximately thirty years. Understanding the time involved gives a sense of the time in Paul becoming a convert, a disciple, and then a student of the scripture. It helps see the development of Peter as the apostle preaching the first gospel message to the Jews and nine years later to a Gentile.

 

Acts contains an experiential theology of salvation whether dealing with those who conspired to commit murder (Acts 2); a prayerful and honest-hearted Roman military official (Acts 10), or an Ethiopian who had traveled to Jerusalem to worship (Acts 8). How to be saved is found in the book of Acts!

 

Step by step the gospel message moves from Jerusalem to Rome. The missionary effort was not easy. Persecution, personal disagreements among leaders, and people backsliding did not stop the missionary effort.

The church in the book of Acts is shown as a spiritual entity. At their best, the Christians in Acts were indwelt, empowered, and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Acts has much divine activity. God was breaking in on people of various cultures and backgrounds. Luke was especially concerned that his readers understand this.

 

The Acts of the Apostles continues in the same vein of the gospel of Luke as Luke (the author) begins to share the "teaching" and "doing" of the followers of Jesus.

Lot positioned his wife for failure. Actually, Lot positioned his entire family for failure.....