Can we use what some believe is a pagan holiday to talk to people about the truth of Christ? The world is asking questions. BIG questions. When we look at our recent series, “New Days, Same Gods,” we saw just how many questions the world is asking! And how so many times they go to the old idols for answers! All this gives us a perfect opportunity to speak to people about Jesus! This year, we can have a unique strategy to draw people into Truth!

We finish off our short series on the book of Acts and look at what it means to be Spirit filled!

“9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.” - 2 Kings 2:9-12 At the end of Elijah’s call, God takes him up to heaven, and Elisha is tasked to finally continue what he started—this time with a “double portion” of what Elijah had. There is much to cover as we end of our series on Elijah; and we end with the simple challenge. God did extraordinary things through an ordinary man. Will we open to Him to do the same with us? Will we complete the call of God for our generation?

Acts 6 is the first time in the Bible that we see “deacons” mentioned. One of those deacons is Stephen, who is stated to be “full of grace and power”.

Many times, what a deacon is and what role they play in a local church has been confused with many other things. There will be a challenge for us on Sunday: will we let God build His church the way He wants to build it? Or will we add our own structures and processes and procedures onto it? And what is the call God has for you? What if He calls you to be a deacon in the local church—are you ready for that?

After the many despicable things Ahab and Jezebel had done, it seems the taking of someone else’s inheritance (Naboth’s vineyard) is the “last straw” that stirs God in finally pronouncing a judgement on this evil couple in 1 Kings 21:17-24. What does this say about God’s justice and the final end? We shall see.

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” - Acts 5:42

Despite persecution, the apostles continue to preach and proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Christ, the Messiah - even “day after day” - “obeying God rather than men” (vs 29).

We are aiming not for something, but for someone—the King of Kings, Jesus, the savior of the world. Being part of God’s purposes for our world is often difficult as we run counter-cultural to the world. We get so distracted with a million other purposes rather than the one purpose God has called us to.

The issue comes down to our affections. Are our affections in the things we do? Or who we follow?

JOHNSON CITY - The early church continues to shake things up in Jerusalem, causing people even in the surrounding areas to bring people in to be healed by the apostles. This is a picture of how God can use a local church. The challenge for us is this: if God calls us to do extraordinary things that we may even feel uncomfortable doing, would we do it?