Awake Us Now

Let's did deeper into the first few verses of Acts chapter 19.   Acts 19:1-3   Paul arrives in Ephesus, finding some disciples and asks them if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They respond that they had not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit and that they did receive John's baptism.   So these are followers of John the Baptist   but did not have the full picture. (That the co...

Pastor opens with Who and what was worshiped then:   Athens - Athena - Knowledge Corinth - Aphrodite - Sex Ephesus - Artemis - Money Rome - Emperor - Power   As we look at this list, all of the what's still apply to us today.     Pastor's question now becomes personal: "Who or What do you worship? What is at the heart of your life?"   Acts 19:1-8 - Then - Paul goes to Ephesus and for 3 months spea...

After 18 months in Corinth Paul, Aquila and Priscilla sail from Corinth to Ephesus and Paul goes on to Antioch.     Luke picks up the story in Ephesus. Acts 18:24-26. We are introduced to Apollos, who had been instructed about the Lord and taught accurately about Jesus. Priscilla and Aquila heard him speaking boldly in the synagogue and graciously invited him to their home and taught him even more...

What do the Scriptures teach us about anxiety and worry? Today we will  See God's Provision in difficult and fearful times. Acts 18:1  Paul has traveled to Corinth and is worried about what God has in mind in bringing him to this ungodly city.    FACING FEAR   Strategic Friendships Then:  Acts 18:2-3 Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla.  Now:  God will bring just the right people into our lives as wel...

Pastor Dodge opens today's teaching with a quote from St. Augustine, "The New is in the Old concealed, the Old is in the New revealed."   Meaning what the New Testament teaches is already in the Old Testament scriptures and the Old Testament scriptures find their fulfillment in the New Testament. The Old Testament isn't to be sloughed off, it is at the heart of the New Testament teaching.   In ord...

SEEING CLEARLY: Then + Now   Scandal of Idolatry - Then - Acts 17:16 we read that Paul was in Athens and was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 1 Corinthians 10:20 Paul writes that the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And in Romans 1:22-23 "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made...

We explore an action the Apostle Paul took. Was Paul compromising what had been decided at the Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15) when he circumcised Timothy?   Chapter 15 was about the question of Gentiles needing to be circumcised to be a genuine follower of Jesus. The Council at Jerusalem's unanimous decision was no - that salvation is though faith in Christ Jesus alone. But now in Acts 16 the ques...

Acts 16: 2,500 years ago, the Holy Spirit gave a prophetic word to several Hebrew prophets. It is a word that began to be fulfilled in a dramatic way at the time of the book of Acts, and continues to be dramatically fulfilled in our day in ways that seemed impossible generations ago.   "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord just as the waters cover the sea." We will...

Acts 15:36-41.   Paul and Barnabas, after having been partners for a lengthy time, have a sharp disagreement over staffing with Barnabas wanting to take John Mark with them and Paul not wanting to. They have such a strong disagreement they part company.   Colossians 4:10 we see the relationship of Barnabas and John Mark, that John Mark is the cousin of Barnabas.   Barnabas heads out one direction...

Acts 15: This chapter deals with Entrance Requirements for entering the Kingdom of God.   Acts 15:1 tells us what some people are saying in order to be saved: you had to be circumcised according to the custom taught by Moses.     THEN and NOW:   Proclaim God's Goodness -   As we continue on with the next verses we read that Paul and Barnabas dispute what these people are saying. So they head to Je...

In Acts 14:19- 22, Paul is stoned in the city of Lystra. Those stoning him thought he was dead; they dragged him outside the city, but the disciples gathered around Paul and he got up and he and Barnabas left for the town of Derbe.   It's easy to look at this story and in a human sense say, "Well, that didn't turn out well," when actually some amazing things went on there in Lystra.   In Galatians...

Acts 14 is a lesson in church planting. It is a lesson on how God's people are called to call others into a relationship with Jesus, and to build congregations in homes, in unusual places, underground in some parts of the world, wherever the Spirit of God is moving.     God gives to His people strength, guidance, direction and power to carry out the mission Jesus has given us in making disciples o...

Acts 13:6-11 - is the story of the blinding of the false prophet. Paul uses tough words against the false prophet with the intent to heal, not destroy.   Who else do we know was blinded?   Paul himself had been blinded by the Lord in order that he would then see the truth of who Jesus is.   At the root of this event of blindness on the false prophet is God's same desire - to use it to bring the fa...

Chapters 1-12 the focus has been on the Jerusalem believers, Apostle Peter Chapter 13 and onward will be focused on the Apostle Paul (also known as Saul) and the church at Antioch. In the book of Acts Paul travels 12,000 miles (20,000 kilometers) to bring the message of Jesus to people who had never heard of Him.   Acts 13   THEN + NOW   Seek and heed the Spirit. In the first 3 verses of this chap...

Herod Agrippa I Ruled 41-44 A.D. Grandson of King Herod the Great Imprisoned Peter during Passover in 42 or 43 A.D. He died before Passover of 44 A.D.   Herod went from Judea to Caesarea following Peter's angelic escape from prison. Herod was quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They joined together asking for an appointment with Herod requesting for peace as they depended on Herod for th...

God's word brings light into our lives, gives us direction and points us to Jesus showing us where our hope and strength are found. Today's story demonstrates this truth. Join us!   Chapter 12 is about some of the persecution Peter experienced and we will look at Peter's writings in 1 Peter in conjunction with this story in Acts chapter 12 for additional insights.   THEN + NOW Persecution - Acts 1...

In Acts 11:26 we read that the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. "Disciple" is the most used word in the New Testament to describe followers of Jesus. It is used 261 times. The word "Christian" is used only 3 times in the New Testament. Brothers and sisters, believers, followers are also used but "disciples" is Jesus' favorite word to describe His followers.   Matthew 29:19-20 - t...

God's Gospel Goes Global   After Peter told the story of his vision and going to Joppa to the home of Cornelius, we read in Acts 11:18 that "… the believers in Jerusalem had no further objections and praised God saying, 'So even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.'" And now the barriers that had existed between the Jewish world and the non-Jewish world are down in a single m...

Using the Bible and Roman sources, Pastor teaches us about Centurions.   In Sunday's message we met the Centurion, Cornelius. (See teaching here https://youtu.be/yjK_CB20Fk0 ) Acts 10:1-2 Cornelius was a centurion in the Italian Regiment.     What we know about Centurions Backbone of the Roman Army Tested and dependable leaders Commanded 80-100 soldiers - 6 Centurions to a Cohort (600) and 10 Coho...

Day 1 of our story Today's story takes place in Caesarea - Acts 10:1-8. Cornelius, a Roman soldier, a Centurion, lives there. (Pastor shares pictures of this city, still visible today!) Cornelius was one who worshiped the God of Israel but was not a full convert. He and his family were devout and God-fearing.   Then he receives a vision of an angel. The angel tells him to bring a man from Joppa na...

We dig into Acts 9:15-16: "But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."   This isn't about Saul being punished for who he used to be, but rather there is a cost to following Christ, but we see Saul understanding it is worth every penny of the...

This is a question Pastor has received over and again throughout the years, "Will our bodies be resurrected?" The answer is "yes!" Even through there is biblical teaching and a recognition of the resurrection by believers throughout the centuries, there are still many questions from believers and non-believers when it comes to the future resurrection.     Resurrection: Doubt and Denial existed amo...

This is a controversial topic. The Shroud of Turin is the most studied, most scientifically tested artifact in history. It has been subjected to literally hundreds of thousands of hours of intensive study by people of multiple disciplines.   What do we know for certain…. The Foundation:   1 Corinthians 15:1-5 "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which y...

Today's class is about how God Himself moves things, moves people, moves history, moves events to accomplish everything He desires, to fulfill His plan of winning the world into the knowledge of Living God and today we will see an amazing part of that plan coming to fruition.   Today's story is truly a story of how God ACTS - how He acts in the heart of Saul, a persecutor of followers of Jesus, wo...

The Shroud of Turin is a relic housed in the cathedral in Turin Italy and claimed to be the burial cloth of Christ.   The Gospels give us some details: Matthew 27:59-60 ESV "And Joseph (of Arimathea) took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away."   Mark 15:46...