Grace Community Church Ramona Podcast

As we have seen in our study through Acts, the Apostle Paul (along with many others) proved himself to be a faithful servant of Jesus the Messiah, devoting his life to disciple-making in "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth." As Paul neared the end of his life, he deeply desired to see those 1st-century believers remain faithful.

It is through testing that our character is revealed. What do we yell when we are cut off on the highway? How do we talk about the boss who overlooks us for the promotion? What is our attitude toward others when we are sick, exhausted, and beaten down? God can and will use these and many other difficult situations to bring about His kingdom and our transformation.

From June 57 A.D. to July 59 A.D. the Apostle Paul remained under guard in Caesarea in the palace of Herod the Great. Finally, in July 59 A.D. it began to look like Paul’s case would be revisited.

As chapter 24 opens Paul has been a prisoner in Caesarea for five days. During that time the Roman Governor Felix awaited the arrival of the prosecution team from Jerusalem. That prosecution team included Ananias, the corrupt high priest, several members of the Sanhedrin and an attorney named Tertullus.

Jesus is teaching there comes a time when we stop talking to another person (or persons) about spiritual things. When is that time? It is time to stop talking to a person about spiritual things when they clearly demonstrate they have no interest in spiritual things. They show themselves to be like dogs and pigs in their lack of capacity to discern what is holy and valuable. This does not mean we reject that person or that we stop praying for them; we just stop talking to them about spiritual things until they’re interested. In our story today, Paul himself will put this parable in practice.

Learning to love our enemies is hard in large part because we most often feel justified in hating them for what they have or are doing to us. If ever there was a man who faced that internal struggle, it was the Apostle Paul. We pick up the story in Acts 21:27.

Paul wraps up his third missionary journey by coming to Jerusalem and delivering the financial gift from the Gentile churches. Four years have passed since Paul’s last visit to Jerusalem. Paul should have been celebrated by the Jerusalem Church, but instead he was met with hostility. We pick up the story as Paul and his companions conclude their visit with the Elders of the Ephesian Church in Miletus and continue their journey to Jerusalem.

As Paul wraps up his third missionary journey, he delivers a moving challenge to the Elders of the Ephesian Church.

The "church" is most often cast in a negative light in modern literature and entertainment. But historically, wherever the gospel and the true church has spread, she brings blessing. Marriages and families are strengthened. Schools are established and people are taught to read. Hospitals are built and the sick are treated with compassion. Social morals improve. Fair business practices lead to prosperity. But wherever the gospel and church spread, there will be a fight. Satan doesn’t give up territory easily.

As we’ve followed Paul on his first, and now, his second missionary journey we’ve learned that the Apostle Paul is one tough man. Yell at him, threaten him, falsely accuse, beat him up, put him in prison, stone him to death; he just keeps coming. There was no quit in Paul.

In April 50AD, about six months after the Jerusalem Council, Paul set out on his second missionary journey. His partner was Silas. Paul and Silas started by visiting the churches Paul had planted on his first missionary journey: Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Antioch in Pisidia.

In our section today we will see a few of Paul’s strategies for his missionary journey and their varied results. Some strategies brought heartbreaking conflict, some seem confusing, some needed divine correction, some resulted in incarceration and some in conversions. Regardless of the outcome, through them all, you can see Paul’s commitment to the work God had called him to, and the power of God at work through Paul to achieve His purposes.

To better understand our study today, we must consider the role and importance that circumcision had in the Jewish community. The act of circumcising all male children on the 8th day was one of Judaism’s most essential and critical practices. It was the mark of the covenant God had made with Abraham, the Father of the nation of Israel (Genesis 17:9-14).

Whether it is the difficulties faced when presenting the good news of Jesus to loved ones, or the challenging hardwork of our own sanctification process, it is only through various trials and tribulations that anyone embarks on the kingdom life. In our section today we will see that this has been the case since the birth of the church until now.

After Peter’s miraculous rescue from the murderous hands of King Herod in 44AD, Luke fast forwards three years to 47AD. The Holy Spirit had a special assignment for the Church of Antioch, Barnabas and Paul.

Sometime between 41 AD and 44 AD, Emperor Claudius installed a new king over Judea and Jerusalem. This new king observed the animosity of the Jews towards the leaders of the Way and saw in it an opportunity to score political points with his newly acquired subjects.

The more information you have, the greater the level of clarity, resulting in a much higher level of confidence. In our study today, we will see how God clarifies a massive change in His program, and how this clarity results in unshakable confidence in the early church.

Matt & Jeannine Condon Commissioning Service

Matt & Jeannine Condon Commissioning Service

We left Peter in 8:25 when he returned to Jerusalem with John from their visit to Samaria. Now we find him, taking advantage probably of the collapse of the recent persecution, engaged in an itinerant ministry of visitation among the dispersed Christian communities of Judea. There was one such community in Lydda (the Greek name of Lod). The nucleus of this community was most likely formed of fugitives from the persecution in Jerusalem. Little did Peter know that this ministry trip would result in a radical Kingdom breakthrough.