Truth Encounter: Acts - Impacting Our World

It's a powerful story from the days of Elisha, an Old Testament prophet. The Syrians, have laid siege to Samaria, Israel's northern capital, cutting off its food supply. When starvation begins to turn the people into dry sticks, four lepers decide to turn themselves over to the enemy. The worst that could happen is that they will kill them, but they might just give them something to eat. They arrive at the Syiran Camp and get the surprise of their lives. There's enough food and supplies for thousands, but no soldiers. The four lepers begin to gorge themselves on the food, but then they remember the starving people back in the city. They return and share the good news. Today's message from Acts 10 faces us with the question facing the lepers, ”Will we gorge ourselves on Christ's forgiveness through Calvary or will we break out of our "in" group and share the incredible news?”

Though the baby boomers never dreamed they would become old, millions are now entering their sixties. What's their responsibility to the younger generations? It's time to grow up and mentor and the Apostle Paul shows us how to do it. Turn to Acts 16 and let's see how Paul chose a young Timothy to disciple and lead to servant leadership in the Church.

I just heard the other day that another prophecy guru has put together the feasts of Israel and some other info from the Old Testament and they know the date and time Jesus will return. It's a great way to sell books but is it the truth? Would you like to know how the resurrected Jesus answered the question about times and dates? Turn to Acts chapter one and let's listen.

Nobody wants to go to a medical doctor who makes up stories about your health just to make you feel good. If you want the truth from you doctor, why don't you demand the same from your minister? As we begin our study of the fifth book of the New Testament a first century medical doctor begins his history of the church with a strong claim—there are convincing proofs that Jesus of Nazareth rose again from the dead. Read Acts 1:1-4 for yourself, listen, and then decide for yourself what you believe about the resurrection.

One-a-day multiple vitamins--the idea is that you can pop one of these pills once a day down the hatch and you can be on the way to health and vitality. The problem with many followers of Christ is that they use this same approach in their faith, only this time it is not once a day, but once a week, Sunday, spirituality. But authentic Christianity has to become far more than simply attendance as a spectator at church. Instead, Jesus wants us to get totally involved, to be willing to risk even our lives for the fact that He is alive. How can we know this is the truth?

Death is the absolute end so it is the cessation of all feeling. As birth took place out of non-existence, so death leads us back to non-existence. Therefore everything needs to be focused on this life. One must "seize the day." This is a dominant secular viewpoint but the truth is that this was the philosophy of Epicurus who lived more than three hundred years before Christ. He taught that death ended our existence; therefore, no one needed to worry about it. But we do worry about it and this denial of the immaterial side of our existence leads not to life, but to hopelessness and despair. Isn't there a better answer? Can we find a secure basis of hope in life after death?

Forty years of experiments, billions of dollars, and 6000 physicists working feverishly to discern the data finally exposed the elusive "God Particle." It's called the Higgs Boson after Peter Higgs, the Edinborough physicist who predicted its existence along with five other physicists in some incredible theoretical physics papers back in 1964. Does this discovery prove the materialists are right when they preach that Genesis 1:1 has been proven wrong? Is God as elusive as the "God-Particle"? Turn to Acts 17 and let's find out what Paul had to say to the atomists of his own day at the University of Athens.

Life is still fragile. Right when we think our technology and the prosperity it brings have made us safe, two minutes of crazy shaking and watching sky scrapers sway tosses our security away. Is there a Creator who promises to steady things? Is there a "shaking" that believers in Christ need as we pray for all those suffering in Japan from the earthquake and tsunami and those in Northern Africa and the Middle East who now face social and political insecurity? Listen

Just when the economy began to show signs of resuscitation, an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan and the stock markets all get jittery again. What do close ties in a church family that genuinely treat each other like brothers and sisters have to do with hard times in the job market? Listen

True Grit proved that the Western is not dead and what could be more exciting in a good cowboy story than a lynching! In the first century world of the book of Acts they didn't use ropes. They picked up stones. Will we join with the mob or with the Prophet Stephen? ...Don’t jump to a conclusion. Listen. You might discover that the mob looks a lot like us.

Billions watched William and Kate make their vows and heard that Jesus Christ is the hope for life in the life to come. It's obvious that the Jesus movement didn't die out quickly in the 1st Century, but what should this tell you about who you should trust?

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If the crowd that killed Jesus can be forgiven by His Father, then there is nothing that you have done that can't be wiped clean. We can know this is true because we can listen to Peter as he preaches only a couple months after the crucifixion to the crowd that yelled "Crucify him!" This message will help you learn how even murderers can dance.

Twenty days into the New Year and Christmas is long behind us. Hopefully your kids received some gifts that still work and still satisfy them. Most things that produce that initial surge of happiness soon fade away in forgotten memories. But there is a gift that keeps on giving -a gift that does go on forever?

Have you ever heard the expression "snake bit?" Every time you turn around something else catastrophic happens. Well the truth of the matter is, the entire world has been snake bit. We live in a culture that spends its youth trying to get wealth, and then its wealth trying to get youth. What is the root of all this tedious hopelessness? When we believe in Jesus does this end life's problems? Many media preachers make this promise, but examine the biblical documents for yourself. Are bad circumstances and hard times evidences of God's displeasure?

Many of you have experienced great losses in life -the bankruptcy of your business, the loss of a job, the death of a child, or the loss of a life partner. The waves of grief--the shock, denial, and numbness followed by floods of anger, fear, anxiety and depression -feel like life has become a gigantic storm at sea. How can we find solace in the storm? Can we be sure that we and our loved ones will land safe on shore?

Unbelief, agnosticism, a denial of the spiritual side of life in the market place of every day life--this is the society we live in. From public school Christmas programs that are afraid to mention that, in fact, this is the celebration of Jesus' birthday to courtrooms that deny that there is any absolute standard that determines what is right and wrong, we daily face an atmosphere which is sometimes hostile toward spiritual values, but more often just simply denies that these values have any application to life. How does this constant exposure to this anti-Jesus assumption affect our lives?

"It's just not convenient now! Another time!" It is one thing to use this excuse to ward off an over zealous salesperson, but have you used these words in your relationship with God? "Later, another time! Sure, I know that Jesus died for me! I know that He rose again! But I'll take care of that some other day!" Beware, these stalling words could put you in a spiritual haze that could keep you from ever making the right decision about Jesus Christ.

You have all heard of the Apostle Paul, the champion of justification by faith alone in the early church. But do you know about his nephew? As American believers we tend to think about the big people God uses—the Rick Warrens, the Matt Chandlers, the David Platts—but these men would be the first to admit that it is the hundreds of thousands of little people who every day are used by God to do the little right things that powerfully build the Kingdom of God.

The Cornell astronomer, Carl Sagan, devoted much of the last part of his life to using radio telescopes to listen for voices from outer space. Make the claim that you have gotten in touch with the beyond and you can generate a best seller. But is there someone who actually did see the One who can tell us what happens after we die and can guarantee that we will end up on the right side?

Turn on the news tonight and there is a good chance that you will see a violent mob kicking and beating an innocent victim. Where is God when this kind of violence breaks out in chaos? The first century account of the Apostle Pauls arrest in the Temple begins to give us some answers.

If everything is relative, as we often hear, then why do we still get teary eyed when an army captain is given the medal of honor for risking his life for his comrades and for his mission? If everything is relative, then the soldier who runs away is just as honorable as the one who stays to fight and protect. Deep inside we all know there is a difference; therefore, there are causes worth dying for and the Apostle Paul had a cause even greater than keeping our military oath. What was his mission worth dying for?

Whether its the last words a mom tells her kids before sending them away to camp or the last words a grandfather shares with his family on his death bed, all of us know that when its one's final address, it's time to pay attention. We must pay attention this week to the Apostle Paul's final words to the Ephesian elders because the life of our churches depends upon our obedience to what he says.

Ever hear someone say, "Those traveling evangelists are in it just for the money?" 0r "How about a church that has a teen fall from an unbarred three story window because the preacher spoke for hours and hours?" Shouldn't the long winded preacher get sued?

Religious power plays, mob violence, and crowd control -sounds like the headlines from the streets of Cairo, yet this is what the Apostle Paul encountered when he strongly explained on the streets of Ephesus how the Jewish Scriptures predicted that the Messiah would die and then rise again. Just how did Paul calm an angry mob and advance the Gospel?

"Angels and demons"—put these two words together in a title, tell a riveting story about religious conspiracies, murder, and the power of a good chase, and you've got a best seller. Many of you know how Dan Brown weaves a good story, but have you listened to a more powerful story that God tells about true and false exorcists? Acts 19 tells the truth about apostles and demons.

Ever get discouraged when people don't buy into what you are trying to get across about Jesus? Ever wonder why you don't get the same results as the high profile, media preachers who seem to be always smiling and successful? Maybe it’s time to take a look at real history in the book of Acts. When Paul came to Corinth, he wasn't exactly smiling or motivated.

Ever get discouraged when people don't buy into what you are trying to get across about Jesus? Ever wonder why you don't get the same results as the high profile, media preachers who seem to be always smiling and successful? Maybe it’s time to take a look at real history in the book of Acts. When Paul came to Corinth, he wasn't exactly smiling or motivated.

Ever been asked if you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit? How do you respond? How should you respond? Acts 19 tells the strange case of the twelve disciples who had been baptized but didn't know Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Listen to this week's Truth Encounter for some answers about belief, baptism, and the Holy Spirit.

You're sitting in church listening to one of the most powerful, eloquent messages you have ever heard -— captivating, passionate, and rooted in the Bible. Everything is great but one thing -— the message is incomplete. You're only a business person. What should you do about a gifted preacher with an incomplete message?

Heard some messages about Ramadan on the news? There's a good chance that some of your neighbors are keeping this important fast. If we believe in Jesus, how should we respond to the fact that America has an increasing number of Moslems? Anger, fear, or an opportunity to get into conversations where we can help others hear and understand the truth about Jesus? Learn how to know when we must stand against religious tradition because it contradicts the Gospel, and when we can enter into a tradition and use it to promote the Gospel.

Does a business man have the right to publicly share what he believes about biblical marriage and the present push for gay marriage? Should a mayor in Chicago block a restaurant from the city because the business man went public with his belief? This week's Truth Encounter helps us discover how the Apostle Paul handled some delicate issues of free speech, freedom of religion, and sharing the Gospel.

When my kids went to the University of Texas, there was an evangelist who yelled daily on the Quad to the students passing by, "You're sinners --immoral, drunken idolaters. You will burn in hell." There might be a more effective way to connect on a secular campus. In the first century Athens was the University town, and the Apostle Paul's witness in that city can teach us how to reach even a tough university crowd.

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Have you ever agonized through a boring sermon? Well, here is one way to inject some excitement when things get dull. Raise your hand and ask a penetrating question about what is being taught and see if you can get the preacher to argue with you. Now I know what you are thinking- “I'd get thrown out of most churches for this kind of impertinence.” Before you shelf the idea, turn to Acts 17 and take a look at how preachers in the first century got across the Message.

Belief in the reality of demons and their ability to possess a human being is viewed by many of the intelligentsia of the West as a relic of the Middle Ages. But try peddling this rejection of the world of the spirits in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Could it be that the cultural elites in the West have it wrong? What happens when the Gospel invades Serpent territory. This week's Truth Encounter discussing Acts 16 will force you to consider what Dr. Luke had to say about demon possession, fortune-telling, and the money trail.

We hear mostly bad news on the news every night. You would think that those of us who have received the ultimate Good News would be dying to share it, but the truth is that we are often hindered in our attempts. Have you ever considered that some of the blocks to sharing the Gospel could be the Holy Spirit moving you to get connected with those who will respond? Turn to Acts 16 and let’s look at an invasion of Europe that was even more liberating than D-Day.

If there were two people that you could count on to be able to work through conflict, it would be two powerful men of God used to bring thousands to trust in Jesus Christ. That's what made the unresolved disagreement between Jack Wyrtzen and Billy Graham such a challenge to the faith of a young boy and teenager growing up in the Wyrtzen home. Did this evangelist's kid abandon his faith because of conflict? Our Truth Encounter teacher is Jack's son. Listen as Dave shares how the unresolved disagreement between Paul and Barnabas helped him to keep trusting in spite of human weakness.

Rabbis and pastors--one is supposed to take care of Jews and the other is to take care of Christians. One seeks salvation in the Law of Moses and the other seeks salvation in Jesus, but what two thousand years of history has caused many to forget is that the founder of Christianity was a Jew first and that his first century followers had no problem standing up in synagogues to talk to their fellow Jews about Jesus. It's hardly acceptable in our "you have your truth and I have my truth" culture, but maybe to find the truth we should go back and study a first century talk about Jesus in a synagogue. This is what this week's Truth Encounter will help you to do.

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The gowns and tuxedos are incredible, but it's the recognition by a group of elite judges and the applause of your peers that generates all the heat in the annual Academy Awards Ceremony. We might not ever get to hold an Oscar, but how does the applause of "our" crowd influence what we say and do? In Acts 14 we get to witness a crowd moving from cheers to boos. Turn to Acts 14 and let's find out the deeper core value that kept Paul and Barnabas proclaiming even when the crowd started throwing something harder than tomatoes.

Where we live in Texas almost everyone likes the classic western cable station. The climax of a good Western from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly to Wyatt Earp is the shootout. The Old West was done by 1900, but hundreds of years earlier in about AD 49 the Apostle Paul and his sidekick, Barnabas, got in a showdown in a synagogue. The climax there moved the truth about Jesus outside the walls of Judaism and begins to explain how the Gospel has now planted its truth on every continent. Turn to Acts 13:44-52 and let's discover who received eternal life and who doesn't.

Turning points in the road -you can go one way or the other. We have all faced these decisions, but what do we do when we come to a fork in the journey that could decide our final destination? This is the kind of choice a rabbi offered his audience in a synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia in Acts. Turn to Acts 13 and check out this week's Truth Encounter. It's decision time.

Don't we have enough problems here? Don't we need our best preachers and teachers to stay at home in our churches to establish and strengthen us? When the challenge comes to take the Good News across borders and cultural barriers, reasons for not doing it multiply. The first century church of Antioch didn't listen to any of these excuses. They were too full of the Holy Spirit and He led two of their most gifted teachers to move out. Acts 13 records what happened.

Take your winner. One side had a divinely handsome king, all the soldiers, the prisons, and the executioners. The other side's only weapon was a home prayer meeting. Which side would you choose for the winner? Turn to Acts 12 and let's discover whether prayer or political power wins.

Why are some of the strongest relief ministries in the world such as World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, and Food for the Hungry rooted in the truth that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life? Because from the beginning of the Church in the 1st Century spiritual needs were not divorced from physical needs. In Acts 11 we will discover how a dominantly Gentile Church in Antioch gave to the predominantly Jewish Church in Jerusalem. Meeting the needs of others is our Savior’s DNA. It should be ours.

Dr. Robert Jeffress' claim that Governor Romney was not a "Christian" ignited a firestorm of accusations and grabbed the latest political news cycle. What do we mean today when we call someone a "Christian?" Where did the term come from and what did it mean in the 1st Century? Before we join the shouting match, why not open up to Acts chapter 11 and let's examine the first time the label "Christian" was used.

It's a poison more deadly than cyanide. It caused thousands to die in the wilderness when it infected the nation of Israel and it could be infecting your marriage, your business, and even your church. This poison almost silenced the good news only a few years after Jesus conquered death. What is it? What's the antidote that can stop it? Listen

The Raja Yoga in Hinduism claims to be a high powered road to discover the divine essence that already lives deep within. In Acts, the first century history of Christ's church, the Apostle Peter reveals the truth we need to guarantee that the true Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives. Who do you trust?

It's a powerful story from the days of Elisha, an Old Testament prophet. The Syrians, have laid siege to Samaria, Israel's northern capital, cutting off its food supply. When starvation begins to turn the people into dry sticks, four lepers decide to turn themselves over to the enemy. The worst that could happen is that they will kill them, but they might just give them something to eat. They arrive at the Syiran Camp and get the surprise of their lives. There's enough food and supplies for thousands, but no soldiers. The four lepers begin to gorge themselves on the food, but then they remember the starving people back in the city. They return and share the good news. Today's message from Acts 10 faces us with the question facing the lepers, ”Will we gorge ourselves on Christ's forgiveness through Calvary or will we break out of our "in" group and share the incredible news?”

People listen when paralytics stand and when deaconess returned from the dead. How did Jesus use miracles in the first century to spread the Gospel, is He still doing this today, and what about when the miracle doesn't happen? Turn to Acts 9 verse 32 and let’s join the Apostle Peter as he uses power evangelism to transform lives on the Mediterranean coast.