by Paul Apple | Apr 10, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: GOSPEL OUTREACH DEPENDS ON GOD’S SOVEREIGN INITIATIVE IN OPENING DOORS AND OPENING HEARTS INTRODUCTION: Do you ever get discouraged in your efforts at reaching out to others with the gospel message? Do you wonder why your ministry plans just don’t seem to...
by Paul Apple | Apr 10, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE BOLD PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD AND THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST EXCITES NEW CONVERTS AND ANGERS JEALOUS TRADITIONALISTS INTRODUCTION: Same Big Idea and Outline from last week fits this passage as well; just the sequence of events are repeated in a new...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: SPIRIT-LED EVANGELISTIC DIVINE APPOINTMENTS CAPITALIZE ON PREPARED HEARTS INTRODUCTION: Our lives are heavily organized around our appointments. In the olden days of pen and pencil we used the Daily Planners; now we track our appointments on our blackberries...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: RELIGIOUS CHARLATANS (LIKE SIMON THE SORCERER) VALUE FAME AND FORTUNE BUT HAVE NO ACCESS TO THE GENUINE POWER OF GODINTRODUCTION:You can buy a lot of things in life. The rich and the powerful realize this. They are used to getting preferential treatment....
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: PERSECUTION (WITH ITS MOB MENTALITY) SHARPENS OUR VISION OF THE GLORY OF GOD AND FLAMES THE FANATICISM OF UNGODLY EXTREMISTSINTRODUCTION:What kind of a world was it back in the early church when a godly man like Stephen could be stoned to death? What type of...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: 3 CHARGES DIRECTED AGAINST RELIGIOUS PHONIES FOR RESISTING THE HOLY SPIRITINTRODUCTION:Stephen had been charged with a number of very serious offenses – against God, against Moses, against the temple, against the law, against the whole Jewish system of...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE MAJESTIC CREATOR OF ALL CANNOT BE CONFINED TO ANY PHYSICAL DWELLING PLACE MADE BY MAN OR DEPENDENT ON ANYTHING HIS CREATION HAS TO OFFERINTRODUCTION:This is the final OT history lesson from Israel’s past —summing up a long period of time from the days of...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: CLEAR CONTRAST: WILL YOU OWN OR DISOWN GOD’S APPOINTED REDEEMERINTRODUCTION:We say that we own Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior … but what evidence is there to support our claim? The Sanhedrin claimed to be the pillars of spiritual leadership for the...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE GOD OF COVENANT LOYALTY PREPARES HIS CHOSEN DELIVERER TO DEMONSTRATE REDEMPTIVE POWER IN WORDS AND DEEDS DESPITE INITIAL REJECTIONINTRODUCTION:The Providence of God is an amazing thing for us to study. God’s Providence involves His loving care over His...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE GOD OF FAITHFUL DELIVERANCE GRANTS FAVOR AND WISDOM TO THOSE LIKE JOSEPH WHO ENDURE UNJUST SUFFERING FOR GOD’S ULTIMATE GLORYINTRODUCTION:On this week after Christmas – the day after we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ – what is...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE GOD OF GLORY CONTINUES TO INITIATE NEW SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIPS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH BUT NOT LIMITED TO HIS DEALINGS WITH ABRAHAMWhat are the chances you will miss Christmas this year? Saturday will come and go and you will...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP REQUIRES A SPIRIT-FILLED SERVANT WHO IS FULL OF GRACE, FAITH, POWER AND WISDOM IN REFLECTING THE GLORY OF GOD(:1-7) INTRODUCTION:There is a lot of interest today in the activity of Profiling the criminal mind. It is interesting that in...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: POWERFUL OPPOSITION TRIES IN VAIN TO SILENCE THE PROCLAMATION OF JESUS CHRISTINTRODUCTION:The intensity of the persecution against the new gospel message picks up in this section. The Sadducees just can’t tolerate the emphasis on the resurrection of Jesus...
by Paul Apple | Apr 8, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE INTEGRITY OF CHURCH FELLOWSHIP REQUIRES SEVERE JUDGMENT OF SPIRITUAL HYPOCRISYINTRODUCTION:Halloween has been over for a number of weeks … but many people in the church of Jesus Christ are still wearing a variety of masks. The word hypocrisy comes from...
by Paul Apple | Apr 8, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: PERSECUTION UNITES THE CHURCH TO PRAY TO THE SOVEREIGN GOD FOR SPIRIT-FILLED MISSIONARY POWERINTRODUCTION:Like my family, you have probably attended many missionary conferences. You have heard the reports of those who served on the foreign field in...
by Paul Apple | Apr 8, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: SUPERNATURAL POWER OF JESUS CHRIST CANNOT BE EFFECTIVELY OPPOSED – CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY CANNOT BE SILENCEDINTRODUCTION:Persecution has never been effective in stopping the growth of Christianity and the spread of the gospel. In fact the opposite has proven...
by Paul Apple | Apr 8, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE EXCLUSIVITY OF THE GOSPEL — SALVATION ONLY COMES BY FAITH IN THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTED JESUSINTRODUCTION:Some people are name droppers … “I know so-and-so.” Or maybe: “I know someone who knows so-and-so.” There is only one name that counts =...
by Paul Apple | Apr 8, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: RECEIVING THE PROMISED BLESSING OF CHRIST AND HIS KINGDOM HINGES ON REPENTANCEINTRODUCTION:This second sermon of Peter in Acts 3 deals with a much bigger issue than the offer of personal salvation. That is certainly part of the focus — and living where...
by Paul Apple | Apr 8, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: FAITH IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST MAGNIFIES THE GLORY OF CHRIST (BY UNLEASHING DIVINE POWER THAT BRINGS GREAT BLESSING)INTRODUCTION:The greatest mistake God’s servants can make is to receive the glory and praise from men that is only due to Jesus Christ....
by Paul Apple | Apr 8, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE AWESOME POWER OF JESUS CHRIST HEALS BROKEN PEOPLE IN SPECTACULAR FASHIONINTRODUCTION:How crippled were you before you came to know the power of Jesus Christ in your life? What have you experienced of the strength of the shackles of sin; the destruction...
