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TEXT: Acts 18

*God uses every day ordinary people to accomplish His plans and purposes.

*Only God can bring unlikely people to unimaginable places and accomplish incredible things impacting the World for His glory!

*We can do the possible but only God can do the impossible!

I. NEW PLACES, NEW PEOPLE, SAME PROBLEM

*The light of the Gospel shines the brightest in the darkest places!

*Just because life has not turned out as you planned remember that this may very well be the start of God’s plan.

Proverbs 3:5, 6
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

II. A LOW POINT IN AN ENCOURAGING MOMENT

*The cure for a heavy, hurting, or broken heart is to hear the voice of God.

1. The promise of God’s presence.
2. The certainty of God’s power.
3. The assurance of God’s protection.
4. The importance of God’s purpose.

*God didn’t just save you from something he saved for something!

Quote:
I firmly believe that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and self-seeking and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Ghost will come and fill every corner of our hearts; but if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and self-seeking and pleasure and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God; and I believe many a man is praying to God to fill him when he is full already with something else.” D.L. Moody

III. PARTNERING IN MINISTRY

*Only humble people will receive instruction and help from others who come alongside them!

*God doesn’t do things in your life just for you; everything He does in your life is for accomplishing His plan which is making disciples.

*God is still using every day ordinary people to do extraordinary things for His glory!

TEXT: ACTS 17

1. Creation
2. Conscience
3. Christ

Quote: “The most important thing in life is getting to know God and nothing in life compares with getting to know the God who knows us!” David Jeremiah

I. THE MESSAGE AND THE MESSENGER ON THE MOVE

*Making God known requires that we stay on mission, moving toward those who do not know God!

II Corinthians 5:20
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

*As representatives of God we are joining Him in reconciling the world as we reflect Jesus in our conduct, character and communication.

I Peter 3:15
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

*If we are not living a Gospel centered life privately than our message will sound phony and people tend to spot a fake.

II. A PASSIONATE PLEA TO A PAGAN FILLED CITY

III. A CLEAR AND CONCISE GOSPEL PRESENTATION

II Corinthians 4:3-6
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

*The unknown God has been made known, the question is do you know Him?

TEXT: Acts 16

*The story of the Gospel is not only the most important story you can tell, it is the only story that will really matter for all of eternity!

*The Gospel message still has the power to rewrite the story of people’s lives!

*If you can’t work it out and have to walk away just make sure you keep walking with Jesus and you keep ministering to others.

II Timothy 4:11
“Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”

*Don’t allow your disappointment and discouragement to darken your spirit and stop you from obeying God when He redirects your plans!

I. A SPIRITUAL WOMAN

*We will never convince or convict anyone into salvation but we can and we must communicate the Gospel message.

II. A SLAVE GIRL

*While we cannot cast out a demon we can declare the name of Jesus and help make a difference in the lives of people who are being destroyed by sin.

III. A SOLIDER

*When life brings us pain remember that people are watching how we worship; how we worship puts on display how we value the promises of God.

Psalm 40:1-3
"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”

*When you start to really understand that your story has been totally rewritten by grace you will start singing with greater intensity!

*Only Jesus has the power to rewrite our story and unite us with one another!

TEXT: James 5:7-11

*There is not a pill for patience. Patience is something that only the Spirit of God produces in you and through you.

*We miss moments to show Christ because we are so self-consumed.

*The ability to endure for a long time whatever opposition and suffering may come our way, and to show perseverance without wanting retaliation or revenge. It is, the ability to put up with the weakness and faults of others (including other believers) and to show forbearance toward them, without getting quickly irritated or angry enough to want to fight back.

*We need to be a patient people not only for the glory of God, but for the sake of the Gospel, and so healthy relationships can be developed.

I. EXAMPLE

Exodus 34:6
“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,”

Psalm 103:8-11
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.”

Micah 7:18, 19
“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy.

He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

A. God’s Patience Revealed
B. Patience Received

II. ENDURANCE

A. Patience Required
B. Patience Returned

III. ENCOURAGEMENT

A. A Word of Warning

Poem: “To live above with the saints we love will certainly be glory, but to live below with the saints we know, well that’s a different story.”

James 1:2-4
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

*Endurance and patience are qualities we would like to possess, but we would all like to skip the process that produces them.

B. The Worth of Waiting On God

*When we are in awe of God and love Him, waiting on Him does not cause us to become irate or irritated because we know, in the end, God is always worth the wait.