Know Your Bible

Notes: Know Your Bible

Acts 17

Valor Week 16

Harvest OC

Youth Pastor Adam Eaton

Pastor Adam is telling us about how he was sharing his faith and the guy claimed to be the antichrist. After Adam finished sharing, the guy told him he was doing a good job and should keep it up. Adam laughed and jokingly said, that he was even being encouraged by the antichrist to share his faith!

The biggest rules of a Christian is to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. 

Acts 17:1-21 NKJV

[1] Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. [2] Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, [3] explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ." [4] And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. [5] But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. [6] But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. [7] Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king-Jesus." [8] And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. [9] So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. [10] Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. [11] These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. [12] Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. [13] But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. [14] Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. [15] So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed. [16] Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. [17] Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. [18] Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods," because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. [19] And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? [20] For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean." [21] For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

In this chapter Paul was where the culture was, the Athenians were all about the new things. They liked being in the market getting new stuff, just like us today wanting the latest and greatest.

We can learn things from Paul. Here are 3.

1. We need to learn to identify idols.

We do have idols in our culture. For many their idols are jobs or money. For some they may be cars or cell phones.

In addition to physical idols there are ideas that are idols. Like chasing marriage or a job promotion.

For many it is ourselves, we are so self centered.

If there are idols then there are worshippers of those idols..

Romans 1:25 NKJV

[25] who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Just because people don't worship God doesn't mean they aren't worshiping something.

Everybody worships! The only choice we have is what we worship.

We should be grieved by the idols in our culture.

We need to show people the only God to worship.

We must have a relationship with Christ so strong that if anything else wants our attention it will be grieved that it can't have us.

Paul would ofter use the Socratic method to share.

2. We must engage the culture.

To engage the culture we must know and be a student of the culture.

You should not be of either extreme keeping away from all secular things or only being in secular culture things.

Our children are being preached to everyday by the television and pop culture.

You need to know what your children are listening too and what the world view is that is being promoted to them.

As a Christian we need to be the most educated in understanding the world philosophies and how to respond to it from a Biblical perspective.

John 17:14-19 NKJV

[14] I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [15] I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. [16] They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [17] Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. [18] As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. [19] And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Acts 17:22-34 NKJV

[22] Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; [23] for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: [24] "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. [25] Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. [26] And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, [27] so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; [28] for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' [29] Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. [30] Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, [31] because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." [32] And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will hear you again on this matter." [33] So Paul departed from among them. [34] However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul engages people and then he preaches the Gospel. 

You can believe in all kinds of good and positive things but if you don't believe in the Gospel then you can still end up in hell.

2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV

[2] Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching.

If we do not engage the people with the Gospel then we are not fulfilling the Great Commission.

Just because you may be able to speak of culture with anyone. Can you talk intelligently about the resurrection? 

The formula to be a better Christian is easy. Read the Bible and pray.

John 1:1 NKJV

[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

When we preach the Word, we cannot forget the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

How well do you know the Bible?

Let's go spread the Word!

Notes: Let's go spread the Word!

Men's Study

Valor Study

September 30, 2014

Week 2 of study

Speaker: Pastor Adam Eaton - Jr. High Pastor 

Pastor Adam says people put hope in lots of things.

Many put hope in money, others put it in real estate, many put hope in possessions, cars, toys, gadgets, in relationships.

Hope is put in all kinds of different things. None of these things have ever satisfied our needs or is working.

What hope does this world have? The world would say, the answer to war is peace, to poverty is charity, to hate is lov, to depression is medication.

Yet none of these things are working, they are band aids that have failed.

According to Gods word, Christianity, to follow Jesus Christ is our only hope.

In the book of Acts, Paul shows that Jesus Christ is the hope that we should have.

Acts 1:1-11 (NKJV)

1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

 

Theophilus was the person Luke wrote too.

The Bible presents to us a hope in a person, that person is Jesus Christ.

The person is Jesus Christ and his teaching is what we can follow.

1. Hope in the person.

2. Hope in the resurrection.

3. Hope in the world.

1 Corinthians 15:14-15 KJV

[14] And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. [15] Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

If Jesus Christ did not rise then we would be a joke and should be mocked.

It's Jesus Christ's resurrection did not happen then we have no hope.

How can we know that the resurrection is true?

1. Every apostle of Jesus Christ died the death of a martyr. If it was a lie, would they all be ready to die?

1 Corinthians 15:5-7 KJV

[5] And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: [6] After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. [7] After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

There was over 500 witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Then Jesus Christ taught them and remained on earth for 40 days after he resurrected.

Acts 1:8 KJV

[8] But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Jesus Christ's final words on this earth was giving us all hope.

The believer has the Holy Spirit as soon as he gives his life to Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:13 KJV

[13] In whom ye also trusted , after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

John 16:7 NKJV

[7] Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

The Holy Spirit came as Jesus Christ left. The Holy Spirit is your Helper.

Acts 1:6-7 NKJV

[6] Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" [7] And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

The disciples at this point still had a misunderstanding of what Jesus Christ was there to do.

Until the kingdom is realized, we have a job to do.

The whole purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to fulfill the great commission.

John 20:21 NKJV

[21] So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

We are sent to be witnesses, make disciples and convert.

The Holy Spirit is to give you power to be a witness to God. We receive power to accomplish God's work.

Acts is split up in the 4 locations Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

All the places we are to witness for God.

Jerusalem to you? That is saying to be a witness in your home. Are you being a witness to your wife and children.

Deuteronomy 6:7 NKJV

[7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Your home is your Jerusalem, so is work. It is the place you are at.

We are all missionaries if we like it or not. It is our job to spread Gods kingdom. Who do you work with that you need to share with?

Judea and Samaria, is equivalent to our state and our country.

Harvest America is reaching out in that area, are you a part of that?

The ends of the earth? There are over 7,000 groups of people that have no access to the Word of God. No churches, no Bibles and no access. 

We need to reach them too!

Acts 1:9-11 NKJV

[9] Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. [10] And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, [11] who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

Matthew 24:14 NKJV

[14] And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Let's go spread the Word!