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Topic: Missions

As Paul stands trial before Governor Festus and King Agrippa, he recounts his conversion story one last time in the book of Acts, including details that he hadn't mentioned before – namely, the specific call of Jesus on his life: to be a servant who turns on the lights in people's stories, and leads them to repentance and faith.
It's the beginning of the end for Paul as he is arrested in Jerusalem. He'll never be a free man again. And the people who have stirred up the crowd and demanded his arrest (and tried to kill him) are the Jews from Asia – the very people he had just spend the last several years trying to win to the gospel.
Paul now moves into Ephesus, a place of magic and cultish worship, and goes to work like he usually does, proclaiming to the Jews that the New Covenant is now in effect. Also as usual, when darkness is confronted with the Light, it causes a stir.
With the base of operations now at Lydia's house, Paul and Silas settle into a routine of prayer with the new believers. But this new church has stirred up some opposition – both spiritual and political. Paul and Silas end up beaten by rods and thrown in prison, where we find them worshiping in the middle of the night.
Paul and Silas head north to catch up with the new believers in Galatia and Phrygia. Then apparently, they decide to not go home yet, but keep going further west. But, in one of the strangest lines of Acts, the Holy Spirit said no to Asia, and no to Bithynia. Paul gets a vision about heading to Macedonia, and the crew springs into action.
In one of the strange texts of the book of Acts, one of the great duos of the Bible breaks up, and Paul seems to completely contradict himself with he decides to take Timothy with him.
In this sermon from Sept 2024, we presented the vision for building our own facility in Riverside. This message was immediately followed by an exercise with our architect/designer, so there are references to that exercise throughout.
As Paul finishes up his sermon, the audience responds in two ways – some want to hear more, and ask him to speak again next week. Others, however, start speaking contradictions and insults against him. Some believe, some reject. And yet Paul and Barnabas refuse to let persecution stop the message. Full of joy and the Holy Spirit, they keep pressing forward.
When the Pharisees approach Jesus, they ask him to do a magic trick. And he replies with, "Like Jonah was dead (in the belly of a fish) for three days and then rose again (came back to land alive), so the Son of Man will be resurrected." What else does the story of Jonah have to say about Jesus' life and ministry, death and resurrection?