Exploring God’s Word with Brad Thurston

Powerful Christianity

Episode Summary

Acts 18: 24-28 The move from the radical Christianity of the early church - which challenged the social and moral norms of their day - to powerful Christianity which started a movement of continual growth for over 2000 years covering the world is certainly something worthy of study. How we are affected by this and participate in the further expansion of the Gospel is a challenge the church must continually face.

Episode Notes

From radical to powerful

            Unusual and counter traditions, especially contrary to status quo when the status quo is sinful.  Radically pure and upright.  Leading young people to the Lord and getting them free of drugs, obedient to parents good in school, and having the local churches against us, parents against us, and evangelical churches unwilling to even pray with us. Fear after 9/11 and my stand to continue to work for the Lord and left on a flight to Turkey soon after.

We miss out on what Paul did on the end of his second journey and the start of his third journey, and the story continues in Ephesus, and will pick up again when Paul reaches Ephesus.  This is quite an amazing story where we first encounter Apollos. He is from Egypt, a Jew, learned and eloquent, instructed (a Disciple), teaches accurately about Jesus, and is bold!  He only knows the baptism of John!

A woman and her husband set time to discuss this with him…

  1. Correcting an accomplished minister of the Gospel: how do you do that? Using the OT: Joel 2, Zechariah 4:6
  2. Showing the importance of John‘s ministry: Isaiah 40:3
  3. What John taught: Luke 3:16
  4. What Jesus taught: John 16: 13,14
  5. Instructions of Jesus: Acts 1:4,4; 7,8

The difference between repentance and filling with the Spirit of God.

            Our act and God’s action

            Empty and filling

            Our ability, and God’s ability

            Our power, and God’s power

            Our insight and God’s wisdom, knowledge, and understanding

            We see the outside, God sees the hearts

Our surrender to God includes receiving his power to overcome in our lives.