Paul's First Journey (Part 1)

Dennis McCallum

Acts 13:1-49

Paul begins his first missionary journey, starting with the church at Antioch. Led by the Holy Spirit, Paul and Barnabas set out to tell others areas about Jesus, including locations such as Cyprus, Salamis, Paphos, Perga and more. This is the first recorded missionary journey, and flies in the face of the postmodern thought that the account of the history and truth are arbitrary as God divinely orchestrated His plan to send broken people to tell others about the love of Jesus Christ. Throughout all of Paul and Barnabas' journey, they were led by the Holy Spirit and encountered much resistance and even flagrant persecution. The same principles for Christians today should stand. As we go and tell others about the love of Christ, we should depend on the Holy Spirit for guidance and expect resistance in a world that is resistant to God's revealed truth through His Word.

Into Judea and Samaria

Scott Risley

Romans 8:9

Philip the Evangelist goes out to preach the Gospel. We see how God will sometimes send us into uncomfortable situations that may lead to persecution. We see through Philip how God will use these situations to cause good things according to his will.

The Opposition Begins

Scott Risley

Acts 3:1-4:31

We learn about the healing of the crippled man by Peter and John. They preach the gospel to the crowd and are taken before the Jewish council. We learn about the miracle of healing and what it should look like.

Through the Roof Academy (Part 4)

Donna Hughes

Debra Petermann

Acts 3:1-4:31

Joni and Friends is an international disability center that focuses on ministering to people with disabilities and their families. Throughout this presentation, Debra and Donna outline the numerous programs given through the organization, which include Family Retreats, Through The Roof, Wheels for the World, and Special Delivery. They also offer equipping materials for individuals who are interested in starting similar minded ministries and programs in their own churches.

Reaching High School & College Students

Scott Risley

Conrad Hilario

Acts 3:1-4:31

Reaching and investing in high school and college students is vital, but comes with numerous obstacles. Students today have a difficult time valuing and seeing real truth, and we need to help equip them with God's truth to combat the cynicism they often feel toward it. We also need to help students see that their identity is in God, unwavering and valuable, instead of in the things that culture preaches. And we need to paint a vision for students to sell out for God, to buy into His truth, and make an investment there that will last into eternity. As we do this, we can paint a sincere vision for students that their contribution is needed and highly valued in God's kingdom.

From Old to New

Dennis McCallum

Acts 1:1-26

Luke wrote this letter to Theophilus in 60 AD to account the Acts of the Apostles during the early church. The account describes Jesus' instructions to wait in Jerusalem until receiving the Holy Spirit, who would empower the apostles to spread the gospel message outwards. The new program God was trying to introduce would be fully realized at Pentecost, where believers would be indwelt permanently by the Holy Spirit, who would become the focus of how to serve God outwardly through sharing Jesus with others.

What Can We Do?

Dennis McCallum

2 Corinthians 8

What can we do when the face of poverty is visible all around us? There are many people who barely have enough to eat and little means to turn their lives around. Giving 5 dollars to the person with a sign on the corner is just hardening our heart to the poor so we don't have to think deeper on why they are there. Jesus encourages us to treat our neighbors as the Good Samaritan does; give from the heart and from what we have. We can also financially support the initiatives of groups trying to defeat the causes of poverty.

Fear of What People Can Do to You

Gary DeLashmutt

1 Peter 3:11-22

Paul reminds that good deeds usually promote good will but that Christians should not expect to avoid all mistreatment. He addresses fear of mistreatment by encouraging them to sanctify God as Lord in their hearts rather than fearing what people can do or say. This inevitably leads to Christians sharing their faith boldly and clearly.\r\n

Mission of the Gospel

Jim Leffel

Mark 6:7-13

Jesus sends his disciples; he instructs them to adopt his values, take initiative by moving toward people, go humbly, and to take risks without taking offense. They were to present the answer to people's root issues: to turn back to God. Ultimately, his disciples were to offer freedom and healing to a broken world.