|
Series: Unveiling the Bible Story – Seeing Glory & Walking in Grace Mini-Series on Acts: Gospel DNA – Living By the Power of the Spirit Today: The Holy Spirit & Mission, Pt 2 (Acts 13:1-4ff, for next wk Rom 1-3)
Intro:
*** Acts 13:1-4ff reveals God’s normal 3-fold ______ for ____________ the gospel to all peoples. God’s normal ______ for ____________ the gospel to all peoples:
I. … is ________ on the _______________ of a spiritually healthy local ________.
II. … is energized by the _________ _________ of disciplined, passionate worship, ____________, & fasting.
III. … is lived out when God’s people take ________ to share the good _______ & the good _______ of the gospel both locally & ______________.
Concl:
Questions for small group &/or family discussion of today’s message
1. How diverse do you think New Hope is? How like the leadership of Acts 13:1-2 are we? 1. What groups of people who live in Sioux County are missing in our church? What can we do to reach them? To develop them into church leaders? 2. How regularly do you spend time in worship & fasting? … in prayer & fasting? 3. How could our church & leadership teams in our church better participate in worship, prayer & fasting? 4. What practical steps could we take to more intentionally share God’s good deeds & good news locally? Often churches expect people to “come to the church”. What could we do to go to them? (ie … to be missional) 5. What practical steps could we take to more effectively share God’s good deeds & good news globally? (to be an “Antioch-like” launching pad for missions) 6. What “Barnabas & Saul” could God be calling us to lay hands on & send out? 7. How could we do a better job of training leaders who can’t help but extend the gospel to the nations?
Digging Deeper into today’s Bible verses & themes
1. One of the best ways to “read” Acts is as a book with “movement” that is narrated by 6 “panels” & “signaled by Luke’s little summary statements” about the “spread of the Word of God” in 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5 & 19:20 (Gordon Fee & Douglas Stewart in How To Read The Bible Book by Book, pp 296-297; see also their How To Read the Bible For All It’s Worth, chapter 6). Acts tells the story of the spread of the “Word of God” & of God’s world-wide church planting movement in 6 panels. These 6 panels (6 “progress reports of the gospel”) are thus/ Acts 1:1-6:7; 6:8-9:31; 9:32-12:24; 12:25-16:5; 16:6-19:20; & 19:21-28:31. The movement of Acts is thus from Jerusalem and the Jewish church there with Peter as the leading figure to a predominantly Gentile church with Paul as the leading figure. The book ends in Rome which is the capital of the Gentile world. 2. The book of Acts greatly emphasizes the importance of the “content” of the gospel. Luke (the author of Acts) writes in such a way as to make plain that Christianity, as a religion of revelation, emphasizes & builds itself on the Bible & on doctrinal truth. Note in particular Acts 2:14-40; 3:12-26; 4:8-12; 5:29-32; 7:2-53; 8:32-35; 10:34-43; 13:16-41; 14:15-17; 15:7-11, 13-21; 16:31-32; 17:11, 22-31; 18:28; 22:3-21; 24:10-21; 26:2-27 & 28:26-31. |