Month: August 2019

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Sermon Audio: Reaching Your Jerusalem
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 5:12-16
Duration: 19:08
Size: 9.21 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Reaching Your Jerusalem
Acts 5:12-16

God expects His people to make a difference in the world around them.

I. God Expects His People to Believe Him for Miracles (Acts 5:12,15-16)
Do you trust God to work miracles on your behalf?
Do you trust Him to work miracles for someone else through your prayers?

II. God Expects His People to Foster a Sense of Community (Acts 5:12b)
The important thing for us to glean from this is that they all met together, building their sense of oneness.

III. God Expects His People to Build a Good Reputation (Acts 5:13)
Ask yourself, “What positive impact does my life have on my neighborhood? How can I make a greater impact?”

IV. God Expects His People to Grow (Acts 5:14)
It is about another human being finding peace with God and receiving God’s free gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

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Sermon Audio: Living A Life Of Integrity
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 5:1-11
Duration: 23:23
Size: 11.4 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Living A Life Of Integrity
Acts 5:1-11

As our merciful God is working His goodness into our hearts and lives, He requires sincerity and integrity from us.

I. God Cares about Proper Motives (Generosity or Greed?)
As far as we can tell, they were giving for the right reasons: to honor God and to help those in need.

Nevertheless, greed and pride are sins that can easily sidetrack us from doing what honors God.

II. God Requires Honesty from His People
We do know, however, that he and his wife were in on it together and had agreed on what they would tell anyone who might ask about how much they sold their property for.

III. Personal Sin Affects Those Around Us
The sin I’m talking about is the kind where we make a conscious choice to disobey God and His word, and we really don’t feel all that bad about it; at least not bad enough to repent and turn back to God.

God was not pleased, because He knew that their sin would have a harmful effect on the character and testimony of the church.

IV. God Does Not Want People to Take Him Lightly
These verses show us that fearing the Lord is a good thing. It does not mean that we do not trust Him or love Him.

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Sermon Audio: Living A Life Of Grace
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 4:32-37
Duration: 21:48
Size: 10.8 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Living A Life Of Grace
Acts 4:32-37

When we live in such a way that God’s kindness and favor spills all over everyone around us—that is what it means to live a life of grace.

I. Grace Gives Us the Proper Attitude Towards Other Believers (Acts 4:32)
Sociologists, as well as psychologists, would probably tell you that people tend to form close knit groups based on commonalities.

II. Grace Gives Us Perspective about Ownership (Acts 4:32b,34-37)
Part of the outflow of the grace that was on them and the unity they shared was their willingness to share the material possessions and wealth God had blessed them with.

What kind of return are we bringing to God’s kingdom with the use of the resources God sends our way?

III. Grace Promotes a Biblical Lifestyle of Evangelism (sharing the good news) (Acts 4:33)
One of the greatest ways for people to know that Jesus is alive is through your life!

We do not need to apologize for the gospel or for our faith in Jesus!

This is what His grace is all about! It is favor that nobody deserves, yet it is available to all. God wants us to make His grace readily available to those who need it!

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Sermon Audio: Life-Shaking Prayer
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 4:23-31
Duration: 23:25
Size: 11.2 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Life-Shaking Prayer
Acts 4:23-31

God will shake our lives in a good way, when we ask Him for courage and power to do His will.

I. Life-Shaking Prayer Recognizes That God is in Control (Acts 4:23-24)
God is our Creator and has power over everything in heaven, on earth, and everywhere in between.

II. Life-Shaking Prayer Understands that God Works Through Opposition (Acts 4:25-29a)
Now, fresh in the minds of the disciples are the names of some current leaders who have tried to oppose God.

God works through opposition! His kingdom will come and what He wants to happen will happen, regardless of the enemy’s efforts to oppose Him.

III. Life-Shaking Prayer Seeks Courage from Above (Acts 4:29)
When Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission to go into all the world and make disciples of people from all nations, He promised He would be with them wherever they went.

IV. Life-Shaking Prayer Believes God for the Miraculous (Acts 4:30)
If they know God is able to heal their bodies, or do other signs and wonders, then they will know He is powerful enough to forgive them and help them in other areas of life.

V. Life-Shaking Prayer Results in Effective Evangelism (Acts 4:31)
There are a lot of ways to do this, but if we try to do it without praying for God’s help, then we will not be effective!