Preached by Chris Broom, 11/19/2006
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Acts, Part 2: People, Passion & Persecution - Outline

Acts 8:1
- Jesus and Saul both see Steven’s martyrdom. Saul approves for the wrong reasons. Do you think you are on God’s side, but you are really against him?

Acts 9:1-16
- Jesus appears to Saul.
- Ananias is leery of helping in Saul’s conversion at first (v. 13).
- Why did God choose Saul? Saul had zeal and commitment, but Saul needed truth.
- Serving God involves suffering (v. 16). Jesus was “familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3).
- When we become a friend of the world, how does that make God feel?

Ecclesiastes 12:1
- Remember your creator in your youth. Don’t wait for days of trouble.
- Work for God now.
- Have a cutting-edge work ethic.
- If we can spend twelve hours on a Playstation, then we can spend twelve hours serving God. Trouble will come later. So serve God.
- Trouble calls for perseverance, which leads to growth in character and hope (Romans 5:3-4).

Acts 9:20-22
- Preaching to the lost is a factor in growing “more and more powerful.”
- If you’re a disciple, study with someone this week. Don’t be timid.

Acts 9:26-31
- Saul and Barnabas team up. Persecution comes.
- Fear God.

Acts 11:27-30
- Disciples are helpful and sacrificial when they see sister churches in need. We are not autonomous.

Acts 12:24-25
- Saul and Barnabas take John (Mark) with them.

Acts 13:4-5
- John (Mark) is still with them.

Acts 13:6-12
- When you preach the word, there will always be people that oppose you and try to turn others away from the faith.
- Still reach out to prominent people (the proconsul).
- Be ready to lay it out and then let your listeners decide what is right.

Acts 13:49-52
- Spread the word throughout region.
- Persecution should not slow down your faith. Move on, joyfully.

Acts 14:19-20
- People come from another town just to cause trouble for the disciples.
- Don’t let that make you quit.

Acts 15
- No autonomy

Acts 15:36-41
- Barnabas and Paul have a sharp dispute over the commitment level of John (Mark).
- Paul was passionate and uncompromising about preaching the word.
- Why did John (Mark) desert them earlier? Maybe he missed his old relationships.
- In Lystra when Paul was stoned, those on the mission team understood that a disciple must be willing to die for the mission (Acts 14:19).

Colossians 4:10
- Barnabas is John’s (Mark) cousin. Barnabas loved up on John (Mark).
- We need people in the church who love up on people.

1 Peter 5:13
- John (Mark) is Peter’s son in the faith.
- Later, John (Mark) becomes a preacher.
- John (Mark) ultimately did not quit. He wrote the book of Mark. God is the God of second chances.

2 Timothy 4:6-11
- Paul writes that John (Mark) is useful to him.

Philemon 1:23-24
- John (Mark) is a co-worker of Paul.

Acts 13:36
- David didn’t die until he was done serving God’s purpose. If you’re not dead, God is not done with you.
- You can have dreams for your generation: to evangelize the world.
- We need to be people of great passion for Jesus.
- With great passion comes a great price to pay: persecution.

Categories: First Principles