2018-10

The Church On Mission || Opposition & Goodbyes || Acts 20:13-38

In this section of Acts, Paul is compelled by the Spirit to end his journey through the ancient world by returning to Jerusalem, where he doesn't know what will happen to him, other than he has been prompted that prison and hardships are waiting for him. As he finishes this journey, he says farewell to many of the church leaders he has met from Ephesus, Greece and Asia. 
Alongside Paul's farewells, he also warns these leaders of hardships that are likely to be encountered by them, but encouraging them to persevere because their relationship with Jesus is so important. Kirk unpacks these warnings in this episode.

The Church On Mission || Supper & Power || Acts 20:1-12

 In a story which includes someone being raised from the dead, you'd imagine that would be the focal point- the highlight of the story. In this passage of Acts though, this act of raising a young man from the dead is not prioritised, and instead, the act of Paul preaching the Word of God is highlighted, along with sharing of the Lord's Supper.
There is power in prioritising the Word of God, in gathering and sharing the Lord's Supper (also called Communion), and as we gather we can expect the power of God to be at work amongst us. 

The Church On Mission || Idols & Riots || Acts 19:23-41

This passage in Acts is real history, with real people, and real events in time - a good reminder that the bible is about real people, and it is a historical account. But what do we do with this story? How do we learn from it and what can we take away about God from this riot in Ephesus?
Tim examines the cause of the riot (Acts 19:23-28), its escalation (Acts 19:28-34) and its resolution (Acts 19:35-41).

The Church On Mission || Miracles & Repentance || Acts 19:11-22

During Paul's journey through Asia Minor (Turkey) and Greece, he spent a long time in specific places - two years in Ephesus alone. While he was there, he would have worked his trade, making tents. The people of Ephesus, believing so strongly in the good news he was preaching about Jesus, people began using Paul's sweaty rags to heal people. Exciting, but also weird. 
As well as the extraordinary miracles Paul and others performed in the name of Jesus, in this passage we see the most extraordinary miracle: Crowds of people repenting from their sorcery, burning their spell books, worth over 100 years wages.