Kyle Kauffman

It is often said that defense wins championships. In Acts 15 we also discover that defense preserves the gospel and the mission of the church. In Acts 15 we read about one of the first major threats to the gospel. It is inevitable that the true gospel will be threatened through addition, subtraction, or simply assumption. Often these threats come from within the church rather than outside the church. We must be prepared to recognize threats to the gospel and to defend and preserve the truth gospel of grace. If we lose the message that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, then we no longer have a mission that is worth pursuing. But if we hold fast to this true gospel that has been passed onto us and remain unified around it, then we have every reason to continue in the mission to spread this gospel to others.

Acts 15

Kyle Kauffman

God intends for all Christians to live with a sense of being sent into the world with the gospel. But God also calls the church to send out those who he specifically calls to go across geographic and cultural boundaries with the gospel. In Acts 13 we get a window into the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. We discover that God’s plan to reach the world with the gospel involves using missionaries to advance the gospel in places where it has not been heard before. In this chapter we see not only what is involved in this missionary endeavor, but also what it looks like for us to live with an awareness of being sent by God in our own individual lives.

Acts 13

Kyle Kauffman

God’s mission of making disciples is global. We can see this in the book of Acts. The gospel is spreading all across the known world throughout this book. And sometimes we can become so focused on the Big Names in the book of Acts that we forget God’s mission in Acts involved far more people than Peter, Paul, and Philip. Because God’s mission is so BIG, it’s easy for us to lose or forget what role the local church (and every member in the church) plays in this mission. In Acts 11:19-30 we get a good glimpse into how God intends to use the local church (and every member of the church) as part of the plan to make disciples. As we discover how God used the local church in Antioch to make a big difference, we might be encouraged to hope that God will use the local church in Paradise to make a big difference as well.

Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3

Kyle Kauffman

It’s easy to end up with a watered down, domesticated, tame version of Jesus. Whether that is because of our own assumptions about Jesus, all the different things we have heard about him, or the ways we have simply grown accustomed to Jesus over the years. Jesus can quickly just become a background part of our lives. But the actual Jesus, who rose from the dead and is alive today is anything but tame or domesticated. In Acts 9:1-40, we see several glimpses of who Jesus is and what he does in our lives today. And we find that just as Paul’s life was turned upside down by truly coming to know who Jesus is, so too our lives can be transformed by a true understanding of who Jesus is.

Acts 9:1-40

Kyle Kauffman

It’s easier for us to speak about the advancement of the gospel then to actually steps in advancing the gospel. We can all too easily seek comfort in the truth that God will advance the gospel in this world without being challenged by the truth that God wants you to be a part of advancing the gospel in this world. God sends disciples to go out with the message of the gospel and be a part of the spread of the gospel. In Acts 8 we see God using Philip to advance the gospel to the Samaritans and an Ethiopian. As we look together at the story of this early disciple and how God used him to spread the gospel we should be challenged to ask whether our own lives are also being lived in seeking to spread the gospel in our world today.

Acts 8:4-32

Kyle Kauffman

We know that Jesus performed miracles when he was here on this earth, but does he still perform miracles today? In the book of Acts we find Jesus performing miracles through his disciples, but should we expect him to do the same thing today? While we may not see or experience the same miracles we see in the book of Acts, we believe Jesus is still at work in this world working wonders in and through his disciples. God continues to supply and use faith in Jesus Christ to accomplish great things through Jesus’ disciples. And it’s not ultimately the faith or the wonders that are meant to occupy our attention, but rather the One who is behind all the wonders, the one who our faith rests in, that should occupy our attention and worship. It’s through faith in Jesus that we not only experience wonders in this world, but also eagerly anticipate a wonderful future no matter what may happen in this world. 

Acts 3:1-26

Kyle Kauffman

If you ask someone to do something, hopeful you also give them to the tools they need to do it. When Jesus calls his followers to be his witnesses, he gives them the POWER they need to carry out this calling. More specifically he gives them the PERSON they need to carry out this calling. In Acts 2:1-41 we are told the story of the Holy Spirit’s arrival at Pentecost and provided the impact He makes in the lives of the disciples and the 3000 people who came to faith in Jesus that day. That same POWER and PERSON that was given to the disciples 2000 years ago is present and available to every follower of Jesus today to empower our lives, embolden our witness, and transform hearts through the gospel.

Acts 2:42-47