Disciples Church Sermons

Saul (who became Paul) and Barnabas were two of the most prominent missionaries in the New Testament Church. And yet they spent a whole year in Antioch (of Syria) making sure those who responded to the Gospel stayed true to the life transforming power of the Gospel.

We have to watch that we don't put up barriers for not-yet-believers that God doesn't put up. We shouldn't, as Jesus told Peter, call unclean what God has made clean. If we do, it will hamper the mission of the Gospel and turn the church into a club for the 'righteous'.

Jesus saves us, Jesus changes us and Jesus calls us into His mission of making disciples. We see this clearly in the conversion of Saul.

God's Mission centres on people coming to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Whether it is mass evangelism or one-to-one evangelism, the goal is to see people "saved." Philip is great example for us, encouraging us to be aware of the "God-appointments" in our lives.

When things are going well, we get complacent. So it is little wonder that growth, either at a personal or corporate level, happens as a result of hardship or persecution.

The speech Stephen gave before he was stoned to death is the longest speech recorded in Acts. It is a pivotal event in the history of the early church, marking the beginning of open persecution. It also introduces us to Saul - who became Paul - the worst of sinners, who was saved by grace.

Experiencing relational difficulties is not a fail for a church community. But it is a fail if those difficulties are not handled in a wise and godly way by the church's leaders.

The resurrection of Jesus means that Christians can live with the sure hope that their future is certain. In Jesus Christ they have a perfect priest whose sacrifice was sufficient and who lives forever interceding on their behalf with God the Father.

One of the causes for joy for a follower of Jesus is being counted worthy to join in suffering for the cause of the Gospel. This particularly challenges our natural desires for comfort and ease, as we usually see suffering as a negative. We live in a broken world so suffering should not surprise us. But God wants to redeem even our suffering, so that His purposes will be achieved both in our lives...

Have you ever prayed for physical healing? Are the miraculous healings we see in the early church something we should expect today? This passage raises many questions. Ultimately, we need to be careful that we are not so distracted by the sign that we miss what the sign is pointing to!

The trend for many years now has been to take involvement in church very casually - even for professing Christians. This is not God's intention. Not only does He want us in community (in formal church), He wants that community to be so radically loving that it stands out as something beautiful and attractive.

If you preach the Gospel without compromise, two things usually happen: people will oppose you, and people will come to faith in Jesus.

Sometimes, something can be so close to us that we just miss it. This was the case when Jesus entered the world 2,000 years ago. The Jews failed to see the Messiah they were expecting. But there was still time to repent and believe in the resurrected Jesus - and the same goes for those of us living in the 21st Century.

It's very tempting to think that money is the solution to all our problems. The lame beggar in Acts 3 was simply after some money. But what he got blew his mind, and shows us that from God's perspective, the answer isn't always more money.

The church has been defined in many ways, but the Biblical definition is that of a family. Guest preacher, Pastor Leonce Crump from Renovation Church in Atlanta USA, cautions against the individualistic "Jesus & Me" Christianity, encouraging all Christians to embrace being part of the family of God.

There are many good things that Christians and the church can do. But what's best? When the Holy Spirit came and filled the first disciples, their instant response was to proclaim the Gospel - telling of the wonderful things that God has done.

The significance of this event should not be overlooked. God the Holy Spirit comes to earth to empower His people to minister the Gospel into their own lives and into the lives of others. This is a game-changer: the final chapter in redemptive history begins!

The disciples were looking for an immediate consumation of the physical Kingdom of God. But Jesus said that first, there is a job to do. His followers are to be His witnesses in the proclamation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Did Gideon finish well? He's listed in the (Book of) Hebrews Hall of Fame, so his faith is certainly noteworthy. But it was his faith in defeating the Midianites that is noteworthy, not how he finished. When we are blessed with comfort, peace and prosperity we can so easily forget God and make idols of the created rather than worshipping the Creator.

You really don't want to be an enemy of God! No one can stand against the mighty wrath of God, as the Midianites discovered the hard way. What about you? The only way to change from being an enemy of God to being a friend of God is to be saved by Jesus. Either you pay your sin debt yourself, or trust in Jesus that He has paid this on your behalf in his death on the cross.

Gideon's experience of encountering God changed him from a cowardly doubter to a worshipper. The persecution his people were experiencing because of their disobedience would become peace because of the gracious deliverance of Yahweh - the LORD.

When the angel of the Lord approaches Gideon he addresses him as "Mighty hero." But Gideon seems anything but mighty and heroic. Still, God calls him to rescue the Israelites and encourages him with this promise, "I will be with you."

Something that's often overlooked is the promise of Jesus that accompanies the great commission of Jesus - I will be with you always. As Jesus calls us to participate in His mission of redemption, He is with us by His Holy Spirit so that we go in His authority, with His provision and using His gifts.

The third effect of the call of Jesus to follow Him is that you join His mission to make disciples.

Being a member of a church doesn't seem to be a high priority for many Christians, and even churches seem more interested in attendance than they do membership. There is no one Bible verse that says if you are a Christian you must be a member of a local church, but the inference of the New Testament is very strong that Jesus wants His followers connected to one another and formally under good, god...