The Life-Changing Power of the Gospel
Series: Back To The Basics
Dr. Ernest L. Easley
Acts 9.1-9
May 18, 2008
We are learning these days from the book of Acts how to get back to the basics of being a Christian: full of power ; and being the Church: full of praise. The early church had both: power and praise. In fact .. the early church could be described by:
-their POWER through the Holy Spirit.
.. that unified them and kept them on mission.
-their PROCLAMATION of the Word of God.
..they kept Jesus in the spot light.
-their PASSION for the lost.
.. as they went house to house .. person to person sharing the good news of salvation. They were reaping much because they were sowing much. It's no wonder they were multiplying! Having had their lives transformed and touched by the grace and goodness of God ... they started telling the difference Jesus had made in their life with everybody they came into contact with. The early church was a People Sharing Jesus!
I can see a sign posted over the door of their homes "You are now entering the Mission Field" to remind them when they walked out of their home that there were people that they were going to come into contact with that needed Jesus.
I'm afraid that today's average church is like that rural community I read about. One evening a traveler stopped at a gas station to buy gas. He asked if there was a place to eat nearby. The attendant replied, "Nope, there was only a café down the road that closed at 6:00 p.m." The motorist then asked what people did in the small town for excitement. He remarked that around this town people didn't get excited.
What made the early church exciting was that they were living under the authority of scripture ... filled with the Holy Spirit and were living out the great commission in sharing hope to the hopeless ... life to the lifeless ... joy to the joyless through the person of Jesus Christ. ...
Series: Back To The Basics
Dr. Ernest L. Easley
Acts 9.1-9
May 18, 2008
We are learning these days from the book of Acts how to get back to the basics of being a Christian: full of power ; and being the Church: full of praise. The early church had both: power and praise. In fact .. the early church could be described by:
-their POWER through the Holy Spirit.
.. that unified them and kept them on mission.
-their PROCLAMATION of the Word of God.
..they kept Jesus in the spot light.
-their PASSION for the lost.
.. as they went house to house .. person to person sharing the good news of salvation. They were reaping much because they were sowing much. It's no wonder they were multiplying! Having had their lives transformed and touched by the grace and goodness of God ... they started telling the difference Jesus had made in their life with everybody they came into contact with. The early church was a People Sharing Jesus!
I can see a sign posted over the door of their homes "You are now entering the Mission Field" to remind them when they walked out of their home that there were people that they were going to come into contact with that needed Jesus.
I'm afraid that today's average church is like that rural community I read about. One evening a traveler stopped at a gas station to buy gas. He asked if there was a place to eat nearby. The attendant replied, "Nope, there was only a café down the road that closed at 6:00 p.m." The motorist then asked what people did in the small town for excitement. He remarked that around this town people didn't get excited.
What made the early church exciting was that they were living under the authority of scripture ... filled with the Holy Spirit and were living out the great commission in sharing hope to the hopeless ... life to the lifeless ... joy to the joyless through the person of Jesus Christ. ...
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