Dear Class:

Today we continued our study of the Book of Acts (Part 2) as we looked at Acts 14.  Chapter 14 shows us how the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas continued following their time in Cyprus and Antioch of Pisidia.  We see here how God has an infinite number of tools at His disposal to accomplish His will.

It’s very easy in our prayer life to fall into the habit of telling God what to do and even how to do it.  We sometimes approach God with a to-do list as if He’s our personal genie in a bottle.  We know what we want and how we want to get it, but do we know what God wants?  “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4.  Does this mean that God will give me whatever I really want?  Most would agree that it doesn’t mean that, but do we understand why?

The key to understanding Psalm 37:4 is in the meaning of “Delight yourself in the Lord”.  That means to be at total peace with God, which in turn means that you want what He wants.  When I want and pray for what God wants, it makes sense that He will give it to me (in His way and in His time).
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Note:

Please note that next Sunday, Dec. 17, Willie Hart will be leading our study of Acts 13-28 with a focus on Acts 15.  In this chapter, we see how God guides the early church leadership through its first major doctrinal crisis.

Special Notes:

Because we had to cancel the class Christmas event due to the weather, please remember to bring your gifts for the Missionary Care  Ministry to class next Sunday.

There will be no adult Sunday School on Sunday, Dec. 24 and Sunday, Dec. 31.  Class will resume on Sunday, Jan. 7.

Dear Class:

Today we began our study of the Book of Acts (Part 2) as we looked at Acts 13.  Chapter 13 marks a turning point in the Book of Acts.  Whereas chapters 1-12 were focused on how the church was launched in Jerusalem and its aftermath in Judea and Samaria, we’ll now see how the church expanded to the Gentile nations through intentional missionary activity starting with the launch of Paul’s first missionary journey.

Who is the greatest user of people that you know?  You may be thinking about some great coaches or generals or politicians.  But I submit that the greatest user of people in world history is God.  He used people that we wouldn’t even consider using to accomplish His objectives.  Consider Moses, Rahab, Gideon, David, Peter, and Paul.  If we were the casting director for a production of God’s epic “Plan of Redemption” we wouldn’t have cast most of the characters that God used.  Why is that?  It’s because we naturally look for characters that possess the talents for the role.  Rather God looks for characters through whom He can operate.  He’s the one with the talent to get the job done; what He needs is someone willing to submit to His will.

As we go through our study of the Book of Acts we’ll see how God uses someone who was so diametrically opposed to the Gospel message that he actively and brutally persecuted believers – the Apostle Paul – a more unlikely evangelist for the “Way” you’d be hard pressed to name.
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Note:

Please note that next Sunday, Dec. 10, we will continue our study of Acts 13-28 with a focus on Acts 14.  In this chapter we see how Paul and Barnabas moved on from Antioch in Pisidia to three cities in an adjoining region: Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.  They encountered enthusiastic Gentile crowds as well as some fierce Jewish opposition to their evangelizing.

Reminder:

Sat., Dec. 9 (2:00-6:00pm) is our class Christmas event.  I hope to see you there.

Our class discussion migrated toward the question about how separated from the world should we Christians be.  I suggested that we might do well to ask ourselves if we spend too little time ministering to the lost because we spend most of our time fellowshipping with other believers.  Please know that I’m not suggesting that the time we spend in fellowship with saved people is wasted.  But I am asking if we’re spending enough time ministering to the lost as our Lord did.

In His prayer of intercession for His disciples in John 17 and indeed for all “those who will believe in Me” John 17:19 (that’s us), Jesus asks for their protection from “the evil one” as we go into the world.  “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16).  Is it God’s intention to only use us when we are fellowshipping with other believers?  I’m reminded of the account in Mark 2:16-17 of Jesus being criticized by the Pharisees for associating with “sinners” – “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
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Note:

Please note that next Sunday, Dec. 3, we will begin our study of Acts 13-28 with a focus on Acts 13.  In this chapter we see how Paul and Barnabas were sent out by the church in Antioch to share the gospel with people very different from themselves.  We also see how universally appealing the power of the gospel message was.

Special Note:

Please save Sat., Dec. 9 (2:00-6:00pm) as the date of our class Christmas fellowship.  Look for details in a forthcoming email.

Our class discussion migrated toward the question about how separated from the world should we Christians be.  I suggested that we might do well to ask ourselves if we spend too little time ministering to the lost because we spend most of our time fellowshipping with other believers.  Please know that I’m not suggesting that the time we spend in fellowship with saved people is wasted.  But I am asking if we’re spending enough time ministering to the lost as our Lord did.

In His prayer of intercession for His disciples in John 17 and indeed for all “those who will believe in Me” John 17:19 (that’s us), Jesus asks for their protection from “the evil one” as we go into the world.  “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16).  Is it God’s intention to only use us when we are fellowshipping with other believers?  I’m reminded of the account in Mark 2:16-17 of Jesus being criticized by the Pharisees for associating with “sinners” – “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
________________________________________________________

Note:

Please note that next Sunday, Dec. 3, we will begin our study of Acts 13-28 with a focus on Acts 13.  In this chapter we see how Paul and Barnabas were sent out by the church in Antioch to share the gospel with people very different from themselves.  We also see how universally appealing the power of the gospel message was.

Special Note:

Please save Sat., Dec. 9 (2:00-6:00pm) as the date of our class Christmas fellowship.  Look for details in a forthcoming email.