Truth Encounter: Acts - Impacting Our World

It's a powerful story from the days of Elisha, an Old Testament prophet. The Syrians, have laid siege to Samaria, Israel's northern capital, cutting off its food supply. When starvation begins to turn the people into dry sticks, four lepers decide to turn themselves over to the enemy. The worst that could happen is that they will kill them, but they might just give them something to eat. They arrive at the Syiran Camp and get the surprise of their lives. There's enough food and supplies for thousands, but no soldiers. The four lepers begin to gorge themselves on the food, but then they remember the starving people back in the city. They return and share the good news. Today's message from Acts 10 faces us with the question facing the lepers, ”Will we gorge ourselves on Christ's forgiveness through Calvary or will we break out of our "in" group and share the incredible news?”

Though the baby boomers never dreamed they would become old, millions are now entering their sixties. What's their responsibility to the younger generations? It's time to grow up and mentor and the Apostle Paul shows us how to do it. Turn to Acts 16 and let's see how Paul chose a young Timothy to disciple and lead to servant leadership in the Church.

I just heard the other day that another prophecy guru has put together the feasts of Israel and some other info from the Old Testament and they know the date and time Jesus will return. It's a great way to sell books but is it the truth? Would you like to know how the resurrected Jesus answered the question about times and dates? Turn to Acts chapter one and let's listen.

Nobody wants to go to a medical doctor who makes up stories about your health just to make you feel good. If you want the truth from you doctor, why don't you demand the same from your minister? As we begin our study of the fifth book of the New Testament a first century medical doctor begins his history of the church with a strong claim—there are convincing proofs that Jesus of Nazareth rose again from the dead. Read Acts 1:1-4 for yourself, listen, and then decide for yourself what you believe about the resurrection.

One-a-day multiple vitamins--the idea is that you can pop one of these pills once a day down the hatch and you can be on the way to health and vitality. The problem with many followers of Christ is that they use this same approach in their faith, only this time it is not once a day, but once a week, Sunday, spirituality. But authentic Christianity has to become far more than simply attendance as a spectator at church. Instead, Jesus wants us to get totally involved, to be willing to risk even our lives for the fact that He is alive. How can we know this is the truth?

Death is the absolute end so it is the cessation of all feeling. As birth took place out of non-existence, so death leads us back to non-existence. Therefore everything needs to be focused on this life. One must "seize the day." This is a dominant secular viewpoint but the truth is that this was the philosophy of Epicurus who lived more than three hundred years before Christ. He taught that death ended our existence; therefore, no one needed to worry about it. But we do worry about it and this denial of the immaterial side of our existence leads not to life, but to hopelessness and despair. Isn't there a better answer? Can we find a secure basis of hope in life after death?

Forty years of experiments, billions of dollars, and 6000 physicists working feverishly to discern the data finally exposed the elusive "God Particle." It's called the Higgs Boson after Peter Higgs, the Edinborough physicist who predicted its existence along with five other physicists in some incredible theoretical physics papers back in 1964. Does this discovery prove the materialists are right when they preach that Genesis 1:1 has been proven wrong? Is God as elusive as the "God-Particle"? Turn to Acts 17 and let's find out what Paul had to say to the atomists of his own day at the University of Athens.

Life is still fragile. Right when we think our technology and the prosperity it brings have made us safe, two minutes of crazy shaking and watching sky scrapers sway tosses our security away. Is there a Creator who promises to steady things? Is there a "shaking" that believers in Christ need as we pray for all those suffering in Japan from the earthquake and tsunami and those in Northern Africa and the Middle East who now face social and political insecurity? Listen

Just when the economy began to show signs of resuscitation, an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan and the stock markets all get jittery again. What do close ties in a church family that genuinely treat each other like brothers and sisters have to do with hard times in the job market? Listen

True Grit proved that the Western is not dead and what could be more exciting in a good cowboy story than a lynching! In the first century world of the book of Acts they didn't use ropes. They picked up stones. Will we join with the mob or with the Prophet Stephen? ...Don’t jump to a conclusion. Listen. You might discover that the mob looks a lot like us.

Billions watched William and Kate make their vows and heard that Jesus Christ is the hope for life in the life to come. It's obvious that the Jesus movement didn't die out quickly in the 1st Century, but what should this tell you about who you should trust?

If the crowd that killed Jesus can be forgiven by His Father, then there is nothing that you have done that can't be wiped clean. We can know this is true because we can listen to Peter as he preaches only a couple months after the crucifixion to the crowd that yelled "Crucify him!" This message will help you learn how even murderers can dance.

Twenty days into the New Year and Christmas is long behind us. Hopefully your kids received some gifts that still work and still satisfy them. Most things that produce that initial surge of happiness soon fade away in forgotten memories. But there is a gift that keeps on giving -a gift that does go on forever?

Have you ever heard the expression "snake bit?" Every time you turn around something else catastrophic happens. Well the truth of the matter is, the entire world has been snake bit. We live in a culture that spends its youth trying to get wealth, and then its wealth trying to get youth. What is the root of all this tedious hopelessness? When we believe in Jesus does this end life's problems? Many media preachers make this promise, but examine the biblical documents for yourself. Are bad circumstances and hard times evidences of God's displeasure?

Many of you have experienced great losses in life -the bankruptcy of your business, the loss of a job, the death of a child, or the loss of a life partner. The waves of grief--the shock, denial, and numbness followed by floods of anger, fear, anxiety and depression -feel like life has become a gigantic storm at sea. How can we find solace in the storm? Can we be sure that we and our loved ones will land safe on shore?

Unbelief, agnosticism, a denial of the spiritual side of life in the market place of every day life--this is the society we live in. From public school Christmas programs that are afraid to mention that, in fact, this is the celebration of Jesus' birthday to courtrooms that deny that there is any absolute standard that determines what is right and wrong, we daily face an atmosphere which is sometimes hostile toward spiritual values, but more often just simply denies that these values have any application to life. How does this constant exposure to this anti-Jesus assumption affect our lives?

"It's just not convenient now! Another time!" It is one thing to use this excuse to ward off an over zealous salesperson, but have you used these words in your relationship with God? "Later, another time! Sure, I know that Jesus died for me! I know that He rose again! But I'll take care of that some other day!" Beware, these stalling words could put you in a spiritual haze that could keep you from ever making the right decision about Jesus Christ.

You have all heard of the Apostle Paul, the champion of justification by faith alone in the early church. But do you know about his nephew? As American believers we tend to think about the big people God uses—the Rick Warrens, the Matt Chandlers, the David Platts—but these men would be the first to admit that it is the hundreds of thousands of little people who every day are used by God to do the little right things that powerfully build the Kingdom of God.

The Cornell astronomer, Carl Sagan, devoted much of the last part of his life to using radio telescopes to listen for voices from outer space. Make the claim that you have gotten in touch with the beyond and you can generate a best seller. But is there someone who actually did see the One who can tell us what happens after we die and can guarantee that we will end up on the right side?