Paul’s time in Athens is a masterclass in how to do evangelism. From the time of his arrival to the time he leaves, his actions are an example for each of us as we seek to share the gospel with all people. The first thing that we can notice about Paul is that he cared about the Athenians. Acts 17:16 tells us that Paul is “greatly distressed” that the city was overrun with idols. The picture that the original language gives is a pasture that is overrun with weeds. The distress

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%206%3A4-9&version=NASB

2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us what Scripture is good for. These 2 verses tell us about the perfect Word of God and then go further by telling us how we use Scripture. We don’t read God’s Word for the sake of reading God’s Word. We read God’s Word to know the perfect will of God, so that we can be ready to go and do the work of the Kingdom of God. That type of application is difficult in the world today. A few verses earlier, 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “all who want to live in a godly

Has there ever been a time you’ve stayed up all night with friends? What did you stay up talking about? On the night before Paul left Troas, he stayed up all night with the church and taught about the things of God. They came to church on Sunday and stayed throughout the night until Monday morning, talking about God. Even when a man fell out the window, died, and was brought back to life, they continued meeting and studying the Scriptures together. That’s what I call commitme

The difference between Thessalonica and Berea is striking. In Acts 17:4, we read that “some of them were persuaded,” meaning that some Thessalonian Jews became followers of Jesus. In Acts 17:12, we read that “many of them believed,” meaning that many Berean Jews became followers of Jesus. With only some Jews following Jesus in Thessalonica, the rest of the Jews ran Paul and Silas out of town. But with many of the Jews following Jesus in Berea, Paul and Silas were safe…until t

The Bereans were people devoted to study and thought. They received the message that Paul spoke and considered that message to discern whether it was true or not. After examining his words, they believed in Jesus. The Bereans should be examples for all Bible studies. Hear, examine, believe. It is hard to live like the Bereans when you are not part of a group that studies the Bible together. Yes, God can speak to you on an individual level just by reading the Bible. But the op

Acts 17:2 says that Paul “reasoned with them from the Scriptures…” Would you be able to do this with someone else? Do you have a strong enough grasp on the Truth of the Gospel to reason with someone who had questions? This is why Bible Study is one of the core values of First Baptist. We must always be ready to give a defense of the hope that is within us as 1 Peter 3:15 states. How can we do that unless we have taken the time to study the Bible individually and as a church?

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012%3A1-2&version=NASB

Has there been anything that churches have fought over more than styles of worship? Music styles, formal liturgy, sermon length, frequency of the Lord’s Supper, etc., have all been fought over for 2000 years in the church. Fighting over these issues is what happens when we let preference and performance overshadow our object of worship: God. I firmly believe that God loves all types of worship, and that means we should be able to worship in many different styles. These wonder

We close out this story of the jailer’s conversion with Paul and Silas being released from prison. They didn’t escape when the earthquake came, but God still gave them freedom. This episode is a win for the Kingdom. God is worshipped, people are saved, and Paul and Silas are free. After their release from prison, they go to the Philippian church, which meets at Lydia’s house, and encourage the members there. Do you think that the encouragement included worship of God? I think

Follow the chain of events. Paul and Silas are arrested. Paul and Silas choose to worship. God sends an earthquake. Paul and Silas remain, sparing the life of the jailer. Because of Paul and Silas’ actions, the jailer and his family are saved and baptized. None of this happens if Paul and Silas do not worship God after their arrest. Paul and Silas’ choices allow for an entire family to see the power of God and then believe in the Lord Jesus. What can your choice to worship me

As Christians, we are supposed to think of others more than ourselves. The spirit of worship that Paul and Silas were in when the earthquake came allowed them to think of the jailer above themselves. The Romans were not forgiving people. If the prisoners escaped, they would have killed the jailer for his negligence. The excuse of an earthquake unfastening their bonds was not good enough. So, when the jailer thought that the prisoners had escaped, he was going to kill himself.

For our devotions and sermons between now and Thanksgiving, we will be revisiting some of our core values. Throughout the next 6 weeks, we will examine 4 of our 5 official core values and add 2 more themes, which could very well be core values of ours. The only core value we won’t discuss is prayer because we just worked through that as we studied Jonah 2. Not only will we go through some CoreValues+ over the next 6 weeks, but we will also do so through the lens of Paul’s sec