THE CHURCH AT ITS BEST! (10 OF 16)
by Steve Wagers
Scripture: ACTS 13, ACTS 14
This content is part of a series.
The Church at its Best! (10 of 16)
Series: Church the Way It Was Meant to Be
A Closer Look at the Book: ACTS
Pastor Steve N. Wagers
Acts 11: 22-29; 13-14
Sermon Outline
1. The Distinction that Identified the Church!
A) The Task they Employed
B) The Truth they Embraced
C) The Testimony they Enjoyed
2. The Duty that Personified the Church!
A) A Primary Duty
B) A Personal Duty
C) A Prophetic Duty
3. The Difficulty that Solidified the Church!
A) Give Up
B) Go On
In 1949, Dr. R. S. Beal, pastor of First Baptist Church in Tucson, Arizona preached one of his greatest sermons to his large congregation. His closing comments are so applicable to the church of our day. He said, "Surely a world at its worst demands a church at its best."
Let me say that I am in total agreement with that statement, and if it was true in those days, how much more true is it in our day? In the day of drugs and debauchery, murder and misery, illegitimate siblings and illiterate students, as well as corrupt politicians and compromising preachers, as never before "a world at its worst demands," and may I say deserves to see, "a church at its best."
Someone has well said, "There is no fear that the church will not succeed; but, that it will only succeed in things that really do not matter."
That statement might be the case of today's church, but it certainly wasn't the case of the early church. They succeeded in the minor things, but they also succeeded in the major things as well. It was church at its best.
Today, we enter into a transition period of the book of Acts. There is a change of person, because the emphasis moves from Peter to Paul. There is a change of purpose, because for the first time, the gospel is deliberately and purposefully preached to the Gentiles. There is a change of place, because the city of Antioch now holds center stage.
The church began in Jerusalem and has spread to other cities such ...
Series: Church the Way It Was Meant to Be
A Closer Look at the Book: ACTS
Pastor Steve N. Wagers
Acts 11: 22-29; 13-14
Sermon Outline
1. The Distinction that Identified the Church!
A) The Task they Employed
B) The Truth they Embraced
C) The Testimony they Enjoyed
2. The Duty that Personified the Church!
A) A Primary Duty
B) A Personal Duty
C) A Prophetic Duty
3. The Difficulty that Solidified the Church!
A) Give Up
B) Go On
In 1949, Dr. R. S. Beal, pastor of First Baptist Church in Tucson, Arizona preached one of his greatest sermons to his large congregation. His closing comments are so applicable to the church of our day. He said, "Surely a world at its worst demands a church at its best."
Let me say that I am in total agreement with that statement, and if it was true in those days, how much more true is it in our day? In the day of drugs and debauchery, murder and misery, illegitimate siblings and illiterate students, as well as corrupt politicians and compromising preachers, as never before "a world at its worst demands," and may I say deserves to see, "a church at its best."
Someone has well said, "There is no fear that the church will not succeed; but, that it will only succeed in things that really do not matter."
That statement might be the case of today's church, but it certainly wasn't the case of the early church. They succeeded in the minor things, but they also succeeded in the major things as well. It was church at its best.
Today, we enter into a transition period of the book of Acts. There is a change of person, because the emphasis moves from Peter to Paul. There is a change of purpose, because for the first time, the gospel is deliberately and purposefully preached to the Gentiles. There is a change of place, because the city of Antioch now holds center stage.
The church began in Jerusalem and has spread to other cities such ...
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