by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: WHEN GOD’S WAYS DON’T MAKE SENSE TO YOU, REJECT HUMAN PREJUDICE IN FAVOR OF DIVINE CONFIRMATION OF GOD’S WILLINTRODUCTION:There are lots of times in life when God’s ways don’t make sense to us as believers. Even though we have a personal relationship with...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE GOSPEL OF PEACE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST BRINGS FORGIVENESS OF SINS TO ANYONE WHO BELIEVES – EVEN UNCIRCUMCISED GENTILES(:34-35) INTRODUCTION: NO PARTIALITY IN SALVATION “And opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: JESUS CHRIST OPENS THE DOOR OF GOD’S GRACE TO ALL MEN ON AN EQUAL FOOTING WITHOUT RESTRICTIONINTRODUCTION:Whether we realize it or not, we are all guilty from time to time of spiritual profiling. By spiritual profiling I mean determining based on our own...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE MIRACULOUS HEALING MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST OPENS THE DOOR FOR GOSPEL PENETRATIONTWO EXAMPLES OF CHURCH GROWTH AS THE GOSPEL CONTINUED TO IMPACT THE REMOTE CITIES OF JUDEAINTRODUCTION: In the case of the early church we are going to see the effects of...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA:PEACE AND GROWTH = THE IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR ANY NT CHURCHINTRODUCTION: In any large organization it is necessary to communicate the state of the union via periodic progress reports. We do this at our company where the CEO comes around to each branch location...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: INITIATING NEW MINISTRIES INVOLVES BIG TIME CHALLENGESINTRODUCTION:In studying the conversion of Saul, we saw the initiation of the Sovereign God at work. Salvation is wholly a work of God by His amazing grace. He draws us to Himself and makes it possible...
by Paul Apple | Apr 9, 2020 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: SURPRISING (AND DRAMATIC) CONVERSION OF SAUL (CHIEF OF SINNERS) HIGHLIGHTS GOD’S SOVEREIGN GRACE IN PREPARATION FOR EMPOWERED MINISTRY IN THE FACE OF GREAT SUFFERINGINTRODUCTION:Chapters 9 and 10 report two very remarkable and significant conversions: that...
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...
