Series Acts November 24, 2024 "The Gospel in the Face of Opposition" Key points about the relevance of Acts: Church growth model: Acts details how the early church expanded rapidly, providing insights for modern churches seeking to grow their congregations. Persecution and resilience: How early Christians facing significant persecution, offering encouragement to believers facing similar challenges today. Holy Spirit empowerment: The book emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering believers to share the gospel boldly, which is still considered important for Christian witness. A Scripture that has used since the beginning – Acts 1:8 Cross-cultural outreach: Acts demonstrates how the gospel was shared across different cultures and ethnicities, highlighting the totality of the Christian message. Leadership examples: The stories of key figures like Peter, Phillip, Stephen and Paul provide examples of leadership, boldness, courage and discipleship that can be studied by modern church leaders. Acts 21-28 · We see Paul’s journey back to Rome. · He is arrested in Jerusalem.. · Faces trials and defends his faith multiple times, · he is transferred to Caesarea under Roman custody, · Paul even experiences a perilous shipwreck on his journey to Rome, miraculously surviving and landing on the island of Malta. · He eventually reaches Rome where he is placed under house arrest but continues to preach the Gospel to those around him, including members of the Roman guard. Paul Kept THE MAIN ONE THE MAIN THING 1 Corinthians 3:11 Romans 8:11 Acts 26 Acts 26:1-3 Vs 2 – Paul was Happy to share his story 1 Peter 3:15 Proceeds to Share his Testimony in 3 parts HIS TESTIMONY OF HIS LIFE BEFORE CHRIST Acts 26:4-11 HIS TURNING POINT Acts 26:12-18 AFTER JESUS – THE UNSTOPPABLE CHURCH Acts 26:19-23 AGRIPPA’S RESPONSE Acts 26:24-28 You Story Matters and your Story has power Instead of Next Steps – Let’s look at some Take Aways ·Paul didn’t get defensive. He didn’t start an argument. His humility allowed the discussion to return to what matters—the gospel. ·Paul knew who his foundation was ·He had Holy Spirit Assurance ·He knew his audience ·He was prepared and ready ·Sharing your story is a non-threatening way to tell your unbelieving friends about Jesus.