Truth Encounter: Acts - Impacting Our World Unknown

It's a powerful story from the days of Elisha, an Old Testament prophet. The Syrians, have laid siege to Samaria, Israel's northern capital, cutting off its food supply. When starvation begins to turn the people into dry sticks, four lepers decide to turn themselves over to the enemy. The worst that could happen is that they will kill them, but they might just give them something to eat. They arrive at the Syiran Camp and get the surprise of their lives. There's enough food and supplies for thousands, but no soldiers. The four lepers begin to gorge themselves on the food, but then they remember the starving people back in the city. They return and share the good news. Today's message from Acts 10 faces us with the question facing the lepers, ”Will we gorge ourselves on Christ's forgiveness through Calvary or will we break out of our "in" group and share the incredible news?”

Though the baby boomers never dreamed they would become old, millions are now entering their sixties. What's their responsibility to the younger generations? It's time to grow up and mentor and the Apostle Paul shows us how to do it. Turn to Acts 16 and let's see how Paul chose a young Timothy to disciple and lead to servant leadership in the Church.

I just heard the other day that another prophecy guru has put together the feasts of Israel and some other info from the Old Testament and they know the date and time Jesus will return. It's a great way to sell books but is it the truth? Would you like to know how the resurrected Jesus answered the question about times and dates? Turn to Acts chapter one and let's listen.

Nobody wants to go to a medical doctor who makes up stories about your health just to make you feel good. If you want the truth from you doctor, why don't you demand the same from your minister? As we begin our study of the fifth book of the New Testament a first century medical doctor begins his history of the church with a strong claim—there are convincing proofs that Jesus of Nazareth rose again from the dead. Read Acts 1:1-4 for yourself, listen, and then decide for yourself what you believe about the resurrection.

One-a-day multiple vitamins--the idea is that you can pop one of these pills once a day down the hatch and you can be on the way to health and vitality. The problem with many followers of Christ is that they use this same approach in their faith, only this time it is not once a day, but once a week, Sunday, spirituality. But authentic Christianity has to become far more than simply attendance as a spectator at church. Instead, Jesus wants us to get totally involved, to be willing to risk even our lives for the fact that He is alive. How can we know this is the truth?

Death is the absolute end so it is the cessation of all feeling. As birth took place out of non-existence, so death leads us back to non-existence. Therefore everything needs to be focused on this life. One must "seize the day." This is a dominant secular viewpoint but the truth is that this was the philosophy of Epicurus who lived more than three hundred years before Christ. He taught that death ended our existence; therefore, no one needed to worry about it. But we do worry about it and this denial of the immaterial side of our existence leads not to life, but to hopelessness and despair. Isn't there a better answer? Can we find a secure basis of hope in life after death?