Sermon Central
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The Acts Of The Holy Spirit
Contributed by Christian Cheong on Jan 23, 2009 (message contributor)
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1. The Power Of The Holy Spirit
Contributed on Jan 23, 2009
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not a ritual but real; it is the coming of a Person. It is not about a program but a power. It is not about propaganda but witnessing.
Jesus gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem…” • They need to wait. No time frame was given but they were called to wait. • Apparently this is really important. They need to receive the gift the Father has promised – the baptism of the Holy Spirit. • They are not to leave the city ...read more
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2. The Promise Of The Father
Contributed on Jan 23, 2009
We need to acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit and appropriate His power. He is the source of an overflowing life in Christ.
Acts 2:1-4, 14-21 The Promise of the Father It happened on the day of Pentecost – a Jewish festival on 50th day after Passover, also known as the Feast of Firstfruits (Harvest). • So they waited for 10 days, after Jesus’ ascension. • According to Acts 1:15, there were 120 of them. They ...read more
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3. Building Strong Foundations
Contributed on Feb 9, 2009
The Holy Spirit does not work through a vacuum but through believers, the body of Christ. The first church set us a good example: Build on the foundation of God’s Word, build a strong fellowship, and make prayer a priority.
The Spirit works through the Body of Christ This passage paints for us a very happy picture. • Earlier on, Apostle Peter preached and "about 3000 were added to the church." • It is the start of something new. Something the apostles have not done before. • But it looks like a smooth ...read more
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4. Where God's Power Flows
Contributed on Feb 15, 2009
The Lord has given us the authority to do His work through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are God’s vessels of hope for a hurting world.
This was the first miracle of healing in the Book of Acts, and a first for the newborn church. This was very unlike the Peter and John we know from the Gospels. • Here they were very confident and they spoke with authority. • We saw a paradigm shift in their understanding and ...read more
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5. Focus On Jesus
Contributed on Mar 17, 2009
We are to direct people’s attention to Jesus. We have faith in the Person of Jesus, not faith in ’faith’ or our efforts. The more you know Him, the stronger your faith.
It is not an everyday affair that you see a miracle. These men just did and they were shocked. • The people stared at Peter and John as if they were the ones who made this man walked (v.12). • Peter directed the people’s attention to JESUS. He did not explain much about the miracle. Acts ...read more
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6. They Had Been With Jesus
Contributed on Mar 17, 2009
When Peter speaks of Jesus, the Holy Spirit convicts. He was in a crisis but God turned it into an opportunity for the Gospel.
Two men plus Jesus and you have a miracle. • You do not need a lot of people to make an impact. Just two disciples plus Jesus and you can have a miracle. • And that was just the beginning. The next thing we know it caused a stir and a preaching opportunity. • The Name of Jesus was proclaimed, ...read more
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7. The Praying Church
Contributed on Apr 21, 2009
The church did not pray for the easing of persecution, but for greater courage and more miracles. They recognizes God’s sovereignty and pray for God’s will to be fulfilled.
CONTEXT • Peter and John healed a crippled beggar in Chapter 3. It drawn the attention of the crowd. • Peter took the opportunity to preach Jesus and forgiveness of sin in Jesus’ Name. At least 5000 men were saved (4:4). • The priests and religious leaders were not happy that they were ...read more
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8. Sharing What We Have
Contributed on May 15, 2009
The early church was exemplary. They relied upon the power and grace of the Lord Jesus, and in concerted prayer experience victory in a harsh environment. They expressed their love for God by a sincere love for people, in meeting everyone’s needs.
This passage provides a picture of a great church. • We see the unity of the people, a passion for God’s Kingdom, the courage to preach His Word, the power of God manifesting in miracles, and on and on. • This is what we are striving for as a church. These are our prayers for the church today, ...read more
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9. Matters Of The Heart
Contributed on Jun 24, 2009
Seek to please God more than man. Seek to bless others more than self. Seek to do everything out of love more than anything else.
THE MOST PROUD THING The President of Moody Bible Institute tells this story: A young man from school took the bus to class. It was crowded. Before the conductor came around to take the fare, he had gotten off at the school without paying. Later on, he remembered it. And he thought, "That ...read more
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10. The Rewards Of Obedience
Contributed on Jun 24, 2009
When we obey God, it does not mean everything will be fine, but it does mean God will see us through. Obedience is a choice we make. Be prepare to pay a price but it’s worth it. God will do His part; there is a divine partnership in obedience. Obedience
There is a similarity between this incident and that of Acts 4. • But this time it’s not just Peter and John being arrested, the whole group of the apostles were arrested for preaching the gospel. • Once again they make it clear that the necessity of their lives is to obey God, not men; ...read more
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11. The Power Of A Godly Man
Contributed on Jul 23, 2009
Stephen set us a good example of a committed, Spirit-filled evangelist who has a unwavering trust in God.
True life examples are inspiring because they are real and they show us what is achievable; it is not something fake and unreal. • So we are going to look at Stephen today. He was chosen as one of the first deacons of the Church, and given the responsibility of overseeing the “daily distribution ...read more
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12. The Most Unlikely Candidate
Contributed on Jul 23, 2009
See the remarkable workings of God in reaching one lost man.
No one is beyond God’s reach, unless he chooses to walk away from Him. • We are going to see today the extent to which the Holy Spirit works in order to reach someone and save him. • You can never tell what the Spirit of God can do, because He can surprise you and save the most unlikely candidate ...read more
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13. Gripped By Grace
Contributed on Jul 30, 2009
The supernatural work of God in changing Saul’s life tells us of God’s grace and hope for the lost.
In the last few chapters we saw 2 Spirit-filled deacons - Stephen and Philip who became pioneers in bringing the Gospel beyond Jerusalem. • In chapters 9 and 10, Luke tells us of 2 extraordinary conversions – Saul and Cornelius, which eventually set the mission going. Saul’s conversion marks ...read more
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14. The Insignificant Servant
Contributed on Aug 14, 2009
God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He orchestras divine appointments to accomplish His will. We are called to trust and obey Him. Be amazed at what God can do with our willingness to obey.
The obedience of one man changes everything. And he is almost an insignificant man. • In the middle of a very dramatic, miraculous story of change, a quite unknown man appears. • It’s easy to miss him, and even if you’ve heard the story of Paul on the road to Damascus many times before, it’s ...read more
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15. Overcoming Prejudice
Contributed on Aug 20, 2009
Overcoming prejudice by learning to see the way God sees, to treat others the way you want to be treated, and acknowledge and accept the differences.
We are all susceptible to this problem – prejudice. We look at people with coloured glasses. • We find it hard to relate to people who differ from us. It can be cultural, racial or simply some preferences. • It is based on a preconceived notion. We can’t run away from it. Anyone can be ...read more
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16. Carrying Christ With You
Contributed on Aug 31, 2009
The Holy Spirit is constantly working in our lives. We are always a bridge in someone’s life. Our obedience to God is a big thing. It is always worth it!
Last week we learn about overcoming prejudice. • God has no favourites. Salvation is for all men. • Israelites were chosen as a forerunner. God’s purpose was to save them and through them, the whole world. • The Jews were not intended to be the END of God’s plan, but the MEANS. • Because ...read more
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17. How Big Is Your God?
Contributed on Sep 14, 2009
Pray and expect great things from God. Have faith in the positive because God is good. Believe in the unseen power of prayer.
Peter was in a crisis. The church responded appropriately – they pray! • Yet when the news was told that “Peter is at the door!” their response was, “You’re out of your mind.” • The servant girl insisted but they resisted, and gave the excuse, “It must be his angel.” • You see, they even ...read more
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18. The Power Of God's Word
Contributed on Sep 28, 2009
The Word of God is pre-eminent. It has the power to change your life and bring down God’s blessings.
The church at Antioch (N of Jerusalem), sent off their first missionaries – read Acts 13:1-4. • There were five pastors (teachers) and they sent Paul and Barnabas out. • They moved to Seleucia, sailed to Salamis, crossed the island to Paphos, and sailed to Perga and then North to Antioch ...read more
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19. Value Your Ministry
Contributed on Sep 28, 2009
Paul is motivated to preach the Gospel, even in the midst of harsh realities. Learn to see your ministry as significant and special, and do not build your worth or significance upon the state of your ministry.
Paul did not really have a good start into the Christian life and ministry • Not like many of us, we are brought up in the church, we know Christ from young. We are placed in Christian families with good Christian environment. • But that wasn’t Paul’s experience. He fought Christianity and was ...read more
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20. Jesus Plus Nothing
Contributed on Oct 26, 2009
Christianity is all about a relationship with Jesus, and it is purely by grace. Its end is not salvation but fellowship with God.
If someone were to walk up to you and ask you out of the blue, “How can I be saved?” what would you say? • Would you know how to answer him? What is the one thing that you would tell him? • You need to know. Your answer will determine where he spends ...read more
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21. God Guides
Contributed on Oct 26, 2009
God guides. He will show the way as we take the step of faith and do His work. Adopt an attitude of dependence on God always.
God is always at work in your life. He will be there to guide you. • But He does not do that by dropping a map onto your lap, with clear markers showing you the route. • You move and He guides you. Abraham did that, Moses did that, Paul did that. • The Lord has given us the wisdom and the ...read more
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22. God Acts To Save
Contributed on Nov 7, 2009
God sent an earthquake to draw out a jailor and saved his entire family. Worship God in the midst of difficulties. Your focus determines your reality.
Amazing, God sent an earthquake to save a family. • Yes, the foundations of the prison were shaken. Yes, the prison doors were all opened. Yes, the chains were all broken. • But that was not the purpose of the earthquake. No one got away. Paul shouted, “We are all here!” Even after their ...read more
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23. The God Who Encourages
Contributed on Nov 14, 2009
God encourages Paul when he was discouraged. Ministry is hard work, but God is in it with you. Your circumstances do not determine how you fare.
THE TOOL CALLED ‘DISCOURAGEMENT’ Once upon a time, the Devil decided to have a garage sale and sell all the tools of his trade. There were envy, jealousy, hatred, deceit, pride, idolatry and many others. Each of the tools was marked with its own price tag. On the day of the big sale, all were ...read more
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24. Be A Model
Contributed on Nov 18, 2009
Paul models Christ. Who you are is more important than what you can do. Our life ought to be walking sermon that people remembers.
I learn this from Paul – don’t just do ministry, live your ministry. • Let your life be a walking sermon. People see you and they see a glimpse of Christ. • They can see hope, love, joy, and purpose in our lives, because Christ dwells in us. • WHO you are has a greater and longer lasting impact ...read more