Alan Smith‘s Podcasts

What can the Apostle John teach us about sharing our faith when we may be the last person someone hears testify about Jesus? In Lesson 132 of this study of Acts 20 and Paul's writings, Alan Smith traces John's later years in Ephesus and considers the lasting influence of his witness. The lesson connects John's relationship with the Ephesian church to the importance of both Scripture and the testim...

What did Paul charge the elders in Ephesus to protect, and how did the church respond years later? This lesson follows Acts 20 through Paul's farewell, the grace of God, and the lasting witness of the early church. In Lesson 131 of A Study of the Book of Acts with Paul's Writings, the teaching examines Paul's warning about false teachers and his charge to care for the church with integrity. Acts 2...

What does it mean to be called into ministry, and how can believers recognize false teaching? In Lesson 130 of this study through Acts 20, Alan Smith examines Paul's warning to the Ephesian elders and applies it to the church today. This teaching begins with the calling of every believer to serve in ministry. The church is encouraged to recognize, pray for, and support the different ministries wit...

What did the Apostle Paul mean when he warned the church about "grievous wolves" and false teachers? In Lesson 129, Alan Smith examines Acts 20 and connects Paul's warning to the dangers of teachings that place believers under spiritual bondage. The study begins with Jesus' words in John 8:31-32: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." From there, the message contrasts bibli...

What makes biblical truth come alive in everyday life? In Lesson 127, Alan Smith continues the study of Acts 20 and Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders, focusing on the difference between knowing God's Word intellectually and receiving its truth through spiritual impartation. This message examines how faith becomes visible through obedience and action. Alan explains why believers must a...

What does it mean to pledge allegiance to God's Word, and how can Christians recognize false teaching? In Acts 20, Paul gives the Ephesian elders a serious farewell message about faithfulness, spiritual deception, persecution, and the responsibility to guard the church. In this lesson, Alan Smith examines the Pledge to the Bible, built from Psalm 119:11 and Psalm 119:105: "I pledge allegiance to t...

What does it mean to pledge allegiance, and how should that commitment shape a Christian's life? In Lesson 125 of the study of Acts and Paul's writings, Alan Smith examines the history of the Pledge of Allegiance and its connection to Baptist pastor Francis Bellamy, the author of the pledge and an early leader in the development of Vacation Bible School. The lesson follows the pledge through its m...

Paul's journey through Troas brings Acts 20:6-12 to life, from long nights of apostolic teaching to the dramatic raising of Eutychus after his fall from a third-story window. In Lesson 124 of A Study of the Book of Acts with Paul's Writings, Alan Smith examines Paul's travels from Philippi to Troas, the early church gathering on the first day of the week, the breaking of bread, and the importance...

What does the Apostle Paul's journey in Acts 20 reveal about the Holy Spirit, Christian fellowship, and the responsibility believers carry when they gather? In Lesson 123 of A Study of the Book of Acts with Paul's Writings, Alan Smith examines Paul's travels through Macedonia and Greece, his decision to travel back through Macedonia after a plot against his life, and the team of disciples who acco...

What does it mean to be a righteous person after failure? In this lesson on Acts 19 and Paul's ministry, Alan Smith examines the difference between falling and refusing to get back up. As Paul faces opposition in Ephesus, the message of God's grace reaches the center of the teaching. A just man may fall, but he rises again. Failure doesn't have the final word when repentance, grace, and the suppor...

What do open doors, difficult trials, and spiritual maturity have in common? In Acts 19, the Apostle Paul faces opposition, public unrest, and the threat of legal trouble, yet God uses the rule of law to protect Paul and his companions. In Lesson 121 of A Study of the Book of Acts with Paul's Writings, the teaching examines the riot in Ephesus, the role of the town clerk, and the conflict between...

Acts 19 comes alive in this lesson as Alan Smith walks through Paul's ministry in Ephesus, the open doors God gives, and the weight that comes with influence. This teaching connects the Bible text to everyday Christian living, showing why access is never the whole story. Once God opens a door, accountability follows, and the real question becomes how that door is stewarded. This message also ties...

In this lesson from Acts and Paul's writings, the focus lands on divine protection, open doors, accountability, and how God leads His people with truth that keeps unfolding. This message moves through Charles Finney, the Second Great Awakening, and the shift away from rigid Calvinism toward the clear call of the gospel. It also covers progressive revelation, the law of last mention, and why Script...

Welcome to Lesson 118 in this study of the Book of Acts with Paul's writings included. In this message, Alan Smith walks through Acts 19:30-41 and draws out a hard truth many believers miss, people often pray for an open door, but few are ready for what comes with it. The lesson focuses on Paul's courage, the counsel he received from unexpected sources, and the chaos that can follow when a crowd l...

Paul's message in Acts 19 brought a city to a standstill, and this lesson shows why. In Lesson 117 of A Study of the Book of Acts with Paul's Writings, Alan Smith teaches through the uproar in Ephesus, the clash with idol makers, and the power of the gospel to confront culture, profit, and pride. This teaching keeps the focus on a simple but hard truth, the gospel changes people, and changed peopl...

A clear, direct study of Acts 19, the Great Awakening, and the power of a transformed life. In this lesson, the focus moves through Paul's work in Ephesus, the conflict around idol worship, and the role of the town clerk in calming the crowd. Along the way, the message turns to Gilbert Tennant, the First Great Awakening, and the urgent call for real conversion, not just religious knowledge. This t...

In this lesson from A Study of the Book of Acts with Paul's Writings, the focus is on Acts 19, spiritual push back, and Michael the Protector. Alan Smith teaches on the pressure believers face when the gospel confronts false ideas, pride, and resistance, both in the natural world and in the unseen realm. The message calls Christians to stay teachable, stay humble, and keep faith in Jesus Christ an...

Join us for Lesson 114 in our study of the book of Acts, as we look at Paul's writings and the pushback that comes when God is moving. This message begins with a powerful look at George Whitefield, the Great Awakening, and the way preaching was taken outside the walls of the church. From prison cells to courthouse steps, Whitefield's ministry showed how the gospel can reach a crowd when the Word o...

Join us for Lesson 113 in A Study of the Book of Acts with Paul's Writings, where Paul, Acts 19, and the trouble around "our craft" come into sharp focus. This Sermon looks at Acts 19:23-41 and the uproar that broke out in Ephesus when the gospel started colliding with money, idols, pride, and power. The message connects the story of Paul with the real battles believers face today, then pushes the...

Lesson 112 in our study of Acts takes us into Acts 19 and the uproar in Ephesus, where Paul's preaching collided with idol-making, greed, and spiritual resistance. This teaching follows the gospel as it spread beyond the synagogue, into the school, and then across the city, bringing real change and real conflict. Alan Smith walks through the silver-smiths' riot, Demetrius' reaction to lost profit,...

Join this study in Acts as Alan Smith continues Lesson 111, Chapter 19, Part 4, with a clear look at Paul's journey, the revival in Ephesus, and the clash between the gospel and the city's idol trade. This message moves through Acts 19 and shows how the preaching of Jesus brought real pressure to the status quo. The silversmiths in Ephesus pushed back because the gospel changed lives and hurt thei...

In Acts chapter 19, the gospel hits Ephesus with real force. This lesson on Paul and the early Church looks at reverential fear, public repentance, and the power of Jesus' name. Today's teaching opens a new series called "Cathedral" and ties it to the symbols God uses all around us. A cathedral is more than a building, and the same is true of the believer. Scripture says your body is the temple of...

What happens when the name of Jesus is spoken without a real relationship with Him? In this lesson from Acts 19, the story gets sharp, serious, and very personal. Lesson 109 in this study of Acts with Paul's writings follows Paul in Ephesus and focuses on the "special miracles" God worked through him. This message also moves into one of the most striking moments in the chapter, when the sons of Sc...

What happens when the gospel meets public opposition, daily teaching, and a city ready to change? In this lesson from Acts 19, the focus turns to Paul in Ephesus, where bold preaching, steady discipleship, and the power of Jesus begin to reach an entire region. Lesson 108 follows Paul as he starts in the synagogue, then moves to the school of Tyrannus after resistance rises. That shift matters. It...