Saul: A New Purpose
We must never let fear or pain distract us from boldly following God’s revealed will for our lives, knowing that the Lord’s fruitful plan for our lives is always best.
Acts
Saul: Fighting God
To fully appreciate the grace of Christian regeneration we need to recall the futility and plight of our pre-Christian rebellion against God.
Courage to Be Identified with Christ
Christians should boldly and enthusiastically seek to be identified with Christ in water baptism and in our ongoing and unabashed work of evangelism.
Knowing How the Scriptures Use Us
We must intently study the Bible so we are competent to guide others in God’s truth which can lead them to forgiveness and new life in Christ.
Showing Up for Divine Appointments
We ought to always be ready and willing to obediently respond to God’s sovereign direction when he leads us and prompts us to engage non-Christians with the gospel.
The Challenges of Discipleship
As we advance the gospel, we must be ready to faithfully confront and correct those we lead to Christ, knowing that everyone will be tempted to fall into costly and corrupting sins.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
We should rely on and revel in the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, who works to empower and embolden us as God’s redeemed children to effectively represent him in this world.
Calling People to Repentance
Advancing the gospel must include a careful explanation of biblical repentance which calls everyone to a lifelong penitent submission to the King of kings.
Grateful for Secondary Benefits
We are called to verbalize to our generation the saving grace of the gospel of Christ, while always promoting the preserving and enriching grace of good and beneficial deeds.
Motivated by the Martyrs
No matter how much pressure and opposition we get from our culture to be quiet about our Christianity, we must resolve to continue telling the truth about Christ and his gospel.
The Pushback Against the Messengers
We shouldn’t be surprised at pushback from people when we faithfully deliver the gospel, because God always uses it for the unpleasant work of exposing sin and guilt before he uses it to save.
The Places of Worship for Israel
We should humbly worship our infinitely transcendent God because he has mercifully reached into every corner of the world to seek and save the lost.
The Paganism of the People
It is always more costly than we think to follow our wayward enticements, and to turn away from obedience to Christ’s life-giving words.
The Provision Through Moses
We must learn to fully trust in the omniscient and compassionate triune God who has thoughtfully planned our salvation and will walk us through this life until our redemption is complete.
The Postponement for Moses
The vindication of the gospel always involves waiting, difficulties, and rejection—but God provides the resources to patiently and resolutely endure.
The Preparation of Moses
We have every reason to fully trust in God’s good promises, knowing how he has faithfully worked and is providentially working to deliver on them all.
The Preservation Through Joseph
We must be ready to endure the disapproval and hostility of many to fulfill our purpose in restraining evil around us and winning some for Christ.
The Promises Through Abraham
We ought to be gratefully reassured by the impeccable promises of God which have guaranteed us a future salvation through the work of the Jewish Messiah.
And Our Champions
A godly fear of the Lord will prompt us to sincerely love and highly esteem his fruitful servants who courageously set an example of fighting for truth.
And Our Needs
We must fear the Lord as our omnipotent Provider who will graciously meet all our needs to accomplish all he requires.
And Our Suffering
Being faithful and obedient to Christ in a fallen culture will always come with painful consequences for which we should be prepared and be willing to gladly endure for Christ’s sake.
And Our Government
When our governing authorities actively oppose the work of the Church, Christians must remember that for the good of all we must fear God and be loyal to the King of kings.
And Our Leaders
Like the early church and the Apostles, today’s Christians ought to sincerely love and highly esteem their church leaders who are gifted, called, trained, and qualified to lead them and their churches into greater fruitfulness.
And Our Behavior
We must take sin seriously, longing to please our Redeemer and fearing his discipline as we focus on our mission, doing nothing to detract from its effectiveness.
Enjoying God’s Growing Family
When the church is functioning as it ought, it serves as a strengthening and emboldening oasis for us as we venture out each day to point people to Christ in our anti-Christian culture.
Praying for Courage
We must draw together with other Christians to find strength as we ask our sovereign God to grant us courage and boldness in our evangelism.
Resolved to Keep Speaking
In view of our divine mandate to take the saving message of the gospel to our generation, we must solemnly resolve to keep speaking up for Christ regardless of the pressure to do otherwise.
Unashamed of God’s One Way
God has promised and we should expect his Spirit’s strong support in our efforts to promote his Son as the indispensable and exclusive means of the forgiveness of our sins.
Expecting Opposition
We must keep the prize of Christ’s growing and victorious church in view as we courageously incur any of the adverse consequences of engaging in the good fight of promoting the gospel in our generation.
Declaring the Blessings of Obedience
As messengers of the gospel we must fully appreciate and clearly communicate, not only the eternal benefits of salvation, but also the present benefits of being a follower of Christ.