Awake Us Now

In Acts 14:19- 22, Paul is stoned in the city of Lystra. Those stoning him thought he was dead; they dragged him outside the city, but the disciples gathered around Paul and he got up and he and Barnabas left for the town of Derbe.

It's easy to look at this story and in a human sense say, "Well, that didn't turn out well," when actually some amazing things went on there in Lystra.

In Galatians 6:17 we read Paul talking about this event saying, "from now on, let no one cause me tr...

Acts 14 is a lesson in church planting. It is a lesson on how God's people are called to call others into a relationship with Jesus, and to build congregations in homes, in unusual places, underground in some parts of the world, wherever the Spirit of God is moving.

God gives to His people strength, guidance, direction and power to carry out the mission Jesus has given us in making disciples of the nations.

The story pics up in Acts 14:1 in Iconium and there Paul and Barnabas teach both Jews and Greeks...

Acts 13:6-11 - is the story of the blinding of the false prophet. Paul uses tough words against the false prophet with the intent to heal, not destroy.

Who else do we know was blinded?  Paul himself had been blinded by the Lord in order that he would then see the truth of who Jesus is.

At the root of this event of blindness on the false prophet is God's same desire - to use it to bring the false prophet to see the truth of who Jesus is. 

Chapters 1-12 the focus has been on the Jerusalem believers, Apostle Peter

Chapter 13 and onward will be focused on the Apostle Paul (also known as Saul) and the church at Antioch. In the book of Acts Paul travels 12,000 miles (20,000 kilometers) to bring the message of Jesus to people who had never heard of Him.

Acts 13

THEN + NOW

Herod Agrippa I

Herod went from Judea to Caesarea following Peter's angelic escape from prison. Herod was quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They joined together asking for an appointment with Herod requesting for peace as they depended on Herod for their food supply. 

From writings from Flavius Josephus "Antiquities of the Jews, Book 19" (Translator: Paul L. Maier) Josephus tells us that Herod met wit...

God's word brings light into our lives, gives us direction and points us to Jesus showing us where our hope and strength are found. Today's story demonstrates this truth. Join us!

Chapter 12 is about some of the persecution Peter experienced and we will look at Peter's writings in 1 Peter in conjunction with this story in Acts chapter 12 for additional insights.

THEN + NOW

Herod Agrippa the First, encouraged by approval after arresting believers and putting the Apostle James to death, decides to arrest and...

In Acts 11:26 we read that the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. "Disciple" is the most used word in the New Testament to describe followers of Jesus. It is used 261 times. The word "Christian" is used only 3 times in the New Testament. Brothers and sisters, believers, followers are also used but "disciples" is Jesus' favorite word to describe His followers.

Matthew 29:19-20 - the Great Commission - Jesus says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, a...

God's Gospel Goes Global

After Peter told the story of his vision and going to Joppa to the home of Cornelius, we read in Acts 11:18 that "… the believers in Jerusalem had no further objections and praised God saying, 'So even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.'" And now the barriers that had existed between the Jewish world and the non-Jewish world are down in a single moment. The believers in Jerusalem that had grown up as devout Jewish people had their eyes opened to understand the new age that God pr...

Using the Bible and Roman sources, Pastor teaches us about Centurions.

In Sunday's message we met the Centurion, Cornelius. (See teaching here https://youtu.be/yjK_CB20Fk0) Acts 10:1-2 Cornelius was a centurion in the Italian Regiment. 

What we know about Centurions

Day 1 of our story

Today's story takes place in Caesarea - Acts 10:1-8. Cornelius, a Roman soldier, a Centurion, lives there. (Pastor shares pictures of this city, still visible today!) Cornelius was one who worshiped the God of Israel but was not a full convert. He and his family were devout and God-fearing. Then he receives a vision of an angel. The angel tells him to bring a man from Joppa named Simon known as Peter. We see Cornelius respond immediately to what the angel told him to do.

Day 2

Story...

We dig into Acts 9:15-16: "But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

This isn't about Saul being punished for who he used to be, but rather there is a cost to following Christ, but we see Saul understanding it is worth every penny of the cost. We see persecution taking place right after his conversion.

As Saul we...

Today's class is about how God Himself moves things, moves people, moves history, moves events to accomplish everything He desires, to fulfill His plan of winning the world into the knowledge of Living God and today we will see an amazing part of that plan coming to fruition.

Today's story is truly a story of how God ACTS - how He acts in the heart of Saul, a persecutor of followers of Jesus, working to imprison believers.

As Saul was walking on the way to Damascus suddenly a light from heaven...

We delve into Acts 8:9-12 about a man named Simon who boasted that he was someone great and so people paid attention to him thinking he had the power of God because he amazed people with his sorcery.

However....

When people believed what Philip was saying as he proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, people were baptized.

THEN…

Acts 8:13 tells us that Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip everywhere astonished by th...

Acts 8 begins with the day of Stephen's death:

Then + Now - What we learn

We dig deeper into a few specific aspects of Stephen's execution.

Acts 7:57

When Stephen completed his speech the leaders and people covered their ears and rushed at him dragging him out of the city to stone him.

Why stone him? Because they thought he was guilty of blasphemy (but he was not) and the Torah in Numbers 15:35 we read that the guilty were to be stoned outside the city. Keep in mind, though, that Stephen was not guilty of blasphemy. 

Acts 7:58

We read that...

The Bible is not ancient words. It has so much to say to us today. It is for every generation but especially needed in this generation.

Then

We dig into Acts 6:9, where we read the opposition against the disciples arose, and members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen - Jews of Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia began to argue with Stephen.  

The "freedmen" had formerly been slaves but were now freed and had also become Roman citizens. They were frustrated that Stephen was proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus and in verse 10 we read that they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave Stephen as he spoke. Then they hatched a conspiracy against Stephen. 

Ultimately Stephen is s...

Today's class looks at Opposition both then and now:

Internal + External Opposition 

Complaints + Lies

Internal Opposition - Acts 6:1-7

Acts 6:1 tells us "In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food." 

The backgrounds and cultures and languages of these two groups of Jews was different. Hellenistic Jews spoke Greek, Hebraic Jews spoke Hebrew and some of the Greek speaking jews' widows were not...

Pastor focuses in on Gamaliel's Speech found in Acts 5:34-39.

We know about Gamliel from the Bible, the writings of Josephus and rabbinical writings:

In comparing Josephus' writings with the Bible we find an issue with Acts 5:36-37 "Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it...

In Chapter 5 we see three types of individuals.

Scene 1 - (Acts 5:1-11)

Hypocrites - ("an actor" appearances matter most)

Then:

Ananias and Sapphira sold property to give to the group and made it look like they gave it all to the apostles'. But without letting the group know Ananias and Sapphira held back a portion of the sale for themselves. (This wasn't wrong - but what was wrong was making everyone thing they had given it all) Somehow Peter knew Ananias and his wife...

Pastor Dodge gives us the 5th "P" from his list of "p's from last Sunday's message. If you would like to look at that message, "God ACTS! Chapter 4" go here: https://www.awakeusnow.com/god-acts-then-now (scroll to that title). This message was a study of Acts 4:1-22. In this class we look at Acts 4:23-31.

Here's the list he shared surrounding chapter 4:

And the 5th one?

The story in chapter 3 continues in chapter 4.

Pastor reminds us of the story from last week and the miraculous healing of the lame man. After the healing the people, the healed man and Peter and John, they all gathered in Solomon's Colonnade - an area inside the Temple walls.

Chapter 4

As Peter and John were talking to the multitude teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus' name the resurrection of the dead, the priests, the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees come and they are greatly disturbed...

Pastor digs deeper into the question "where was the temple gate that was called the 'Beautiful Gate' located?"

In Acts 3:1-2 we see that there was a lame man begging for alms at the Beautiful Gate. Pastor opens with stating that we are not sure exactly where it was located, but that there are several theories on its location.

Several locations have been proposed:

Acts Chapter 3:

What we learn from this setting is that prayer and worship were important. We also see their attentiveness to the hurting as an example for ourselves.

Pastor digs deeper into being "Devoted."

Acts 2:42 "They DEVOTED themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

They understood that the message of Jesus and the biblical faith is not an "add on" in our lives. It is the heart and center of our lives and influences how we look at God, others and the world.

God broke in, in person, in the Person of Jesus Christ through His life, death, resurrection and pouring out of the Holy Spi...

The book of Acts has so much to say not only about our past but also about today and how followers of Jesus are called to live. This book also speaks to those who don't yet know Jesus as Savior, those on the fence, seekers, doubters and those questioning or interested.

Chapter 2

Acts 2:1-2 "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a soundalike the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting."

This chapter starts...

Pastor digs deeper into "Who was Theophilus?" He is mentioned 2 times in the New Testament:

The...

Acts is a book filled with dramatic events, amazing characters and has great application for the Christian life. It is a powerful book showing the acts of God through the Holy Spirit and how He acts in the lives of those He calls!

This study will take us through the book of Acts one chapter at a time with a specific look at Then - things that really happened.  It's not a storybook but a history book of what really happened. And Now - it is dramatic application for today.  It's a record of what rea...

What happens before the resurrection?  What happens to believers who die before Jesus comes back.

The Apostle Paul is Rome ca 61 A.D. He is in jail awaiting trial and he writes the following to the Philippians: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!  I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it i...

This is a question Pastor has received over and again throughout the years, "Will our bodies be resurrected?" The answer is "yes!" Even through there is biblical teaching and a recognition of the resurrection by believers throughout the centuries, there are still many questions from believers and non-believers when it comes to the future resurrection.

 Resurrection:

Pastor takes us through an exploration of one of the earliest Christian statements of faith.

1 Corinthians 15:3-5 Paul said, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve."

Of FIRST Importance is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Jesus is the sacrificial victim who pays for the...

This is a controversial topic. The Shroud of Turin is the most studied, most scientifically tested artifact in history. It has been subjected to literally hundreds of thousands of hours of intensive study by people of multiple disciplines.

What do we know for certain…. The Foundation:

1 Corinthians 15:1-5 "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to yo...

Dig Deeper - Week 12 - What did they see? Today we take a look at what John and Peter saw when the got to Jesus' grave.

John 20:3-7 ESV tells us, "So Peter went out with the other disciples, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him and went into the tomb. He saw the l...

The Shroud of Turin is a relic housed in the cathedral in Turin Italy and claimed to be the burial cloth of Christ.

The Gospels give us some details:

We will look at the two pictures of the Messiah found in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).

2 Pictures of Messiah

This double picture is what led some of the great Hebrew rabbis to suggest there might be two Messiahs that would come at different times and in different manners. And that then became the dominant tradition:

If we look at the New Testament the early fol...

This message focuses on the question: "How are minds opened today?", which is part of our ongoing series: "What's the answer?"

Pastor explores how people's lives are changed and what changes their attitudes about God, about Jesus, the resurrection, and about the power of God's Word.

Pastor takes us through Luke 24:36-47, an encounter with Jesus that His disciples have with Him after His resurrection. Jesus tells them: "This is what I told you while I was still with you; Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the...

Join us as we dig deeper into the teaching on "What's the answer: What did Jesus tell them?", found in Luke 24:13-27 - the story of 2 men "On the Road to Emmaus."

Two men are on their way, walking to the town of Emmaus are joined by Jesus.  Let's focus in on who these men were. For one of them we are given his name. Luke 24:18 " One of them, named Cleopas, asked Jesus, …"

Cleopas is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, but there is another name very similar - Clopas - and this name is...

Pastor gives us a look at the story, "On the Road to Emmaus," found in Luke 24:13-27.

We don't know the actual location of Emmaus, nor do we know the names of those walking with Jesus in this story. 

The story takes place later in the day on the day of Jesus' resurrection. Those Jesus walks with do not recognize Him. They are trying to figure out everything that had happened with Jesus and thinking about what the women had said about Jesus being alive and about the disciples having gone to the tomb and f...

Happy Resurrection Sunday - Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Today's question is "Why do you believe He is risen?"

Pastor starts today's class with a personal testimony in which the Bible changed the direction of his life at the age of 15.

Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:14 "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith."

Pastor shares the Evidence Trail of Jesus' Resurrection on the bases of writings from believers, unbelievers, recorded data, and old and new...

Luke 22:7-8 'Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.""

What we know about the Passover during the time of Jesus, is that the Passover meal had to be celebrated in Jerusalem itself.  The lambs were killed at the Temple and the priests worked hours and hours to slaughter all the lambs needed for the meals - as many as a quarter million lambs were killed.  The people came to the temple to pi...