Faith Bible Fellowship Church of York

Paul is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God. As the church, we need to believe that the gospel is the power of God. Only in the gospel is the sinner saved, God's righteousness revealed, and the believer declared righteous. I can stand before God because of Jesus Christ and His righteousness.

Paul prays faithfully for the church in Rome. He also longs to come to them and impart a spiritual gift. When he visits Rome, he plans to preach the gospel to the church and all who live in Rome. We need to learn to pray for the church and serve in it.

Jesus is Lord. The message of the gospel centers on Jesus Christ. As Paul tells us, the gospel was promised beforehand, it concerns God's Son who was born of the line of David, and has been raised up in power being set as King over all things. This gospel is to go to all the nations.

The Bible is God's Word and breathed-out by God. It is profitable for us for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. We need to be challenged to spend time in God's Word.

Jesus is born, the firstborn of Mary. But he has come into the world to be the Lord of all things. The angels tell the shepherds that the baby in the manager is the Savior, Christ the Lord. He will reign over all of God's creation.

The Magi come and visit Jesus. They give him gifts and worship. We too must come before Jesus and worship. We come before the one who is now exalted into heaven at the right hand of the Father.

An angel appears to Joseph to tell him that Mary's pregnancy is from the Holy Spirit. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. He is going to die to save his people from their sins.

In Isaiah, God calls out the idols which are not gods at all. They have no power and cannot tell the future. Unlike the idols, God's purposes will stand. He will do what He has promised and He declares the end from the beginning.

"Blessed are the peacemakers". We need to make peace with other because God has made peace with us. We need to reconcile with others because God has reconciled us to Himself.

Paul gets shipwrecked and God in his grace save all on the ship. Sometimes the way God protects us is taking us through the hardship not exempting us from suffering.

"Blessed are the Pure in Heart for they shall see God"

Paul defends the gospel before King Agrippa. He describes how the Lord appeared to him, that the message he preaches is from the Old Testament that Jesus fulfills it, and that Paul is to be sent with the light of Jesus. So too, we are sent as the light to take the Light.

Paul is brought again before Festus and Festus now asks Paul to testify before Agrippa. Festus finds Paul innocent but will send him to Rome to testify before Caesar.

A plot is uncovered to kill Paul. God has promised that Paul would make it to Rome to testify and so the means by which the plot is discovered and the way Paul is protected is all apart of God's sovereign hand as He fulfills His Word.

When we are interacting with others about Jesus Christ and trying to share Christ, it is important that we calmly represent Jesus Christ. In this passage, Paul shows submission to his Roman captures but in the Sanhedrin lashes out at the high priest and has to apologize.

Paul is dragged out of the temple and beaten. He gives an answer for his faith and recounts how God opened his eyes to see the gospel. We can learn to be ready to give an answer, to share our testimony, and to testify to Jesus' death and resurrection.

When Paul returns to Jerusalem, some of the Christians has misunderstood Paul's message. In order to show his love for them and minimize potential conflict, Paul enters a purification ritual. Sometimes when a brother in Christ has a weak conscience, we need to 'go the extra mile' in love for them.

When we become a believer in Jesus Christ, he also calls us to be ready and willing to suffer for him. In this passage of Acts, Paul is willing to go to Jerusalem and if necessary die in the name of Jesus. We too need to be ready to follow Jesus wherever he wants us to go.

Paul instructs the elders at Ephesus to watch over the flock. The people entrusted to the elders are the Lord's people because he died for them. He in turn puts elders over them to guard them and be on the look out for wolves who want to see us wreck in our Christian faith.

Paul's desire is to finish the race of his ministry and keep the faith. We too are called to persevere in the faith even through trials and hardships. God is faithful and gives us grace to persevere.

God has brought us from our death under sin into new life. In this new life he has gifted us for good works that we do in response. We do not earn our salvation, it is all from grace. But having now experienced grace we are gifted and called to do good works.

Demetrius is a silversmith who is threatened by Paul's preaching the gospel. He works up the crowd against Paul and the early Christians. We see the threat that the gospel is to those who worship idols. Those who come to faith in Christ turn from worshipping idols to the worship the living God.

The sons of Sceva try to cast out a demon in the name of Jesus "whom Paul preaches". They do not have a personal faith in Jesus Christ. So too, today, there are preachers who use the name of Jesus and claim to do things in Jesus name but they do not preach the true gospel.

Paul continues his ministry. He both evangelizes the lost and strengthens the churches. There are saints that need to grow in their understanding of the Word and there are individuals who need to hear the gospel. A church ministry must focus on both.

Paul goes into Corinth and continues to evangelize. While he is there God tells Paul "I have many in this city who are my people." The sovereignty of God is a motivator for election and sharing the gospel with the lost.