More Ministry Principles from Paul?s Life

Ryan Lowery

Acts 18:1-18

In the ancient world, Corinth was a city known for immorality. As Paul goes there to preach the gospel, there are several lessons that we can learn: 1) Paul paid his own way to avoid accusation; 2) some people will be offended at the message; 3) many will respond to the message; 4) even Paul had great fear; and 5) you never know who will respond. Those that are willing to tell others about Christ will experience the same adventure that Paul did, and will see that God is just as active today as he was in the early church.

Spiritual Communication

Jim Leffel

Colossians 4:5-6

Paul urges his audience to live wisely in order to display and communicate God's love clearly to those around them. This involves learning to communicate effectively, to identify with people, and to move towards those who are different just as Jesus did. As we demonstrate God's love through action and speech, we can share the message of the gospel with humility and excitement!\r\n

A Message To Skeptics

Jeff Gordon

Acts 17:13-34

In the time of Acts, Athens was the center of philosophy and culture. When Paul traveled there, his strategy was to go to the synagogue and the public square to defend Jesus and His resurrection. From this story, we learn that Paul identified with his audience and described God as a the personal creator, who is both the judge and the resurrected savior of humanity.

Adorning the Gospel

Gary DeLashmutt

Acts 5:12-14

Paul's letter to Titus sets forth a lifestyle of adorning the Gospel with good deeds. Four key questions are discussed in this teaching: 1) What are good deeds? Who should do them? To whom?, 2) How important are good deeds for Christian leaders?, 3) How do good deeds affect the spread of the Gospel?, and 4) What will motivate us to embrace and sustain a lifestyle of good deeds? The success of a sacrificial lifestyle in prospering the Gospel is emphatically supported by history. This sort of lifestyle starts with the individual. Each of us should commit to being a good neighbor, volunteering in our community, and investing our resources in serving the community.\r\n

Curiosity: Answering the Knock of Relationship

Liam Atchison

Acts 5:12-14

Most of us have a natural curiosity in us, one that drives us to ask many questions as children. We are often taught as we grow up that the answer is more important than asking questions, and curiosity is often stifled. But this is really a positive skill, especially in our relationships. To show curiosity in our relationships is to seek to know people better, to ask them questions, to take a genuine interest in their lives. As we do this, we help build deeper connections with people. And in doing this, we help grow our own walks with God as we actively live it out in deep relationships, and we help others to come to know Christ as well.

Postmodernism and the Church

Scott Smith

Acts 4:13-22

Because our culture is becoming increasingly postmodern, Christians need to learn to contextualize the gospel in a way people will understand. This does not involve straying from truth, but it might mean changing the focus of our witness to action rather than words. By looking into the effects of postmodernism on the culture at large and the church, we can better understand the perspective people are coming from as well as how to more effectively dialogue with them about the gospel.

Communicating Your Faith in a Secular World

Mark Mittelberg

Acts 4:13-22

As we try to share our faith in the modern-day world, we can face many barriers. But there are beliefs and values we must hold in order to continue to strive forward in this area and see success in helping others come to know Christ. Mittelberg shares eight of those beliefs in this presentation, outlining that people matter to God and are lost. They need Christ, the need answers, they need community, they need relevancy to their lives, and they need time to soften toward the Gospel. The Church as a whole must move toward these people and help bridge the cultural chasm that exists, rather than waiting for people to come to the Church.

Communicating the Gospel without Compromise

Mark Mittelberg

Acts 4:13-22

In our culture today, it can be easy to diminish the gospel when sharing our faith, not wanting to offend others or point out flaws in their belief. But there is an urgent need to help others understand the real gospel in order for people to receive Christ's forgiveness. Some people are relativistic and believe whatever feels right, others just hold their faith because they grew up with it, and others believe because an authoritative figure has placed a pressure on them to believe. We can help people see the need to look at evidence for their faith. Through evidence and refusal to compromise, we can help those around us come to a real, sincere faith in the God of the Bible.

Lessons From the Past: The Social Gospel

Scott Arnold

James 1:27

In recent history, the evangelical church has done a poor job of being involved in meeting the needs of the poor. This only further adds to the view of evangelicals as hypocritical and judgmental. Caring for the poor is a Biblical command, however, and we must be willing to meet not just the spiritual needs of people but the physical needs as well.