Dove Creek Bible Church's Podcast

Acts 28 is not, as Winston Churchill once said, the beginning of the end it is merely the end of the beginning. The book of Acts has taken us on a journey from a small huddled mass of 120 people to turning the world upside down in a mere 29 years. In today's lesson we learn how God can and will redeem the expereiences we have to further the cause of the good.

Why do we go through storms? Especially when we are trying to be obedient and follow the will of God in our lives...why do the storms still come? In Acts 27, Paul is in a storm that causes a shipwreck. Jesus said Paul was to go to Rome to testify about Him there...why this diversion? Why not just get Paul to Rome? Does God have a purpose for storms?

In Acts 24-26, Paul is examined by Felix, Festus, and Agrippa II. As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come there were two very different reactions from his examiners. We still find these same reactions today. It is still true today that unwillingness never runs out of excuses and unbelief never has enough proof.

In today's text Paul begins making his defense before the Sanhedrin; however there is a problem...his flesh has been activated so he is now self-directed and self-protective. See what the Lord does to get him back on track.

What should we do when we seem to be getting conflicting signals from the Holy Spirit about direction? How do we decipher our internal leaning and the well-intentioned advice we receive from others about direction? In today's sermon, Paul receives some well-intentioned but ultimately bad advice and the whole thing backfires...or does it?

Why don't Christians keep a Saturday Sabbath? Did the Sabbath change to Sunday? What is to be the main focus of ministry? These and other questions are answered in Acts 20.

Description: Is everything that is described in the Bible prescribed? Is it appropriate to merchandise prayer cloths and things of the like for fundraising purposes? How should we engage in spiritual warfare? Does magical thinking often masquerade as faith? These and other questions are addressed in this sermon on Acts 19.

Gospel belief is tethered to Gospel behavior.

In Acts 18, Paul arrives in Corinth a beaten and fatigued man. However, God took steps to encourage Paul in order to give him the strength to keep going forward. It is easy for us to believe when we are experiencing mountaintop experiences that God is the God of the mountains...its a little more difficult to accept that God is also the God of the valleys. What will God do in Acts 18 to show Paul the God of the mountain is still God in the valley?

Should we get our teaching from more than one well? How do we decide which teachers deserve our listening to them and which ones we should ignore? Are worldly philosophies ever truly satisfying? Today's text tells us how and why we should handle and examine the Scriptures as well as why worldly philosophies are hollow and empty.

How can we be strategic in our missionary and ministry efforts? Why is is important to establish a beachhead? How do we keep from merely reacting to our circumstances? In today's text we see how God established a beachhead in Europe and how Paul and Silas chose to be thermostats instead of thermometers.

How come Calvinist theologians have such strong disagreements with non-Calvinist theologians? How could charismatic and non-charismatic Christians reach such different conclusions? Why are there so many different opinions about baptism and the Lord’s Supper? Sometimes sharp disagreements arise among sincere Christians...so is that good or bad or does it just depend? Also how should we determine God's direction and guidance? Is the best way through outward signs and inward impressions...or is there another way?

In Acts 15, certain people suggest that for one to truly be saved they must be circumcised and for one to truly be sanctified they must obey the Law of Moses. The church forms a council in Jerusalem to discuss this matter. Ultimately they decide a supplemented Christ is a supplanted Christ.

In Acts 14, Paul is warned about the possibility of being stoned in Iconium so he escapes and then he is not warned about the possibility in Lystra whereupon he is stoned and presumed dead. Why the warning in Iconium, but not in Lystra? Should we also expect the same shade of grace? Paul was told he would suffer hardship in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles and here in Acts 14 he preaches "Through many hardships we enter the kingdom of God". That's a message that's not getting a lot of play these days now is it? What gives?

Did I choose to believe in Jesus because I became persuaded He was my only hope and source of salvation or did God make me choose to believe in Jesus by divine appointment? Some verses seem to indicate the choice is mine to make; others seem to indicate the choice has already been made for me…before I was even born. Sometimes the two concepts are presented in such close proximity that it is confusing and hard to reconcile. In Acts 13, both salvation by persuasion and salvation by appointment are presented. How can both things be true? Also in Chapter 13 we are told the leaders fasted and prayed. Is fasting a religious or spiritual discipline we should encourage? What's the difference, if any, between fasting and praying and merely praying?

Some people pray for a spouse...a child...a healing...and then they have a dramatic providential story of how that prayer was answered. However, we all know people who prayed just as earnestly and they never found that spouse...never had that child...never received that healing. Answered prayer seems so arbitrary sometimes it's difficult to pray with expectancy...so why should I pray? In Acts 12, the church prays earnestly for the Apostle James and the Apostle Peter, but they receive two different answers. The Apostle James is martyred and the Apostle Peter is released. No doubt they prayed just as earnestly for James to be released as Peter, but James was beheaded. Why did the church receive different answers to their prayers? This sermon discusses the power of unbelieving prayer.

We live in sexually confusing times and the Bible's stance on sex seems very outdated. Why should we live a life of sexual purity? How do we navigate through the treacherous waters of current opinion on sexual matters? This text addresses these issues.