acts 17

Speaking the truth

Lets get a quick glimpse of the magnitude of travel Paul and his crew have taken on at this point.

“Wheeles, … in southeast Indiana, pulled over the woman driving the vehicle for violating the state’s “slowpoke” or “move over” law…. The law …states that drivers traveling in the far left lane must move over if the car behind them is going faster.

SHOW THE MAP

After Wheeles tweeted a picture of the car with a reminder of the law on June 16 both the trooper and the tweet went viral.

My brother is a policeman in Hoopeston IL. I have had many conversation about the differences of people he encounters. When he is called, no matter what he has to go. I went on a ride along with him and we had for the most part an uneventful evening, until we got a call that someone had run into the concrete entryway to the cemetary just outside of town. The person that did this had a history of things happening in his life that brought consequences rather than benefits. My brother talked about how many times he had spoke with this individual and how it seemed as though he wanted to change at times, but it never stuck!! He never made the actual decision to change

“’I stopped this vehicle today for a left lane violation on I-65. The driver had approximately 20 cars slowed behind her because she would not move back to the right lane.’

“…The driver was given just a warning, with Wheeles saying that he didn’t ‘think she was really clear on what the law in Indiana was as far as using the left lane.’

We have to keep moving forward, despite others being stuck

1. We have to decide to keep moving forward in Christ.

“The Indiana State Police said they’ve written nearly 5,000 warnings and 331 tickets for the left lane law since it went into effect.

These are Gods seeds we are planting, not our own. The pruning and weeding efforts are made by each persons efforts in Christ, producing fruit of the spirit

“Meanwhile, Twitter users from all over the country have implored Wheeles to take a job in their own states, with the sergeant happy to field the offers.

My decisions are not everyones decisions.

This is one of my most difficult challenges. I have found that I love people easily and try to help, however I expect the same effort back and not everyone wants to DECIDE daily to practice Gods principles in all of their affairs.

To one Tennessee resident, Wheeles wrote back, ‘I love Tennessee but unfortunate- ly, my enforcement powers stop at the Ohio River…Sorry!!’” http://allthatsinteresting.com]

What we do then is crucial to the mission we have been given. Paul set a great example by deciding to continue to move forward despite other people, places, and things going on.

Paul could have stopped preaching the Gospel to avoid trouble; he did not look for trouble, but he wasn’t intimidated by it, and knew when to strategically fight back, as we talked about last week, and when to quietly slip out of town.

2. Troopers have to deal with all kinds of people. So do we sometimes.

Main Idea: Dealing with people means adjusting to a variety of responses. Some people are just nasty, bitter, agitators; some may do anything they can to sabatoge their own growth and not be mindful of it because it simply feels like I am not making an actual decision.

Some are open to the Gospel, others become adversaries to the Gospel, while yet others do not embrace the Gospel but are not hostile.

Paul had a brief, contentious ministry in Thessalonica, a district capital of Macedonia and a major port. Initial success among God-fearing Gentiles and some Jews in a synagogue agitated a mob who attacked the house of Jason where the two missionaries were staying, and since they could not find Paul, they tried Jason

The mob charged Paul with proclaiming a king other than Caesar, an act of treason against the Roman Empire. Although the charge was false, Paul and Silas fled to Berea, where several prominent Greek men and women received the gospel. However, Jewish agitators arrived from Thessalonica, forcing an end to Paul’s first Macedonian mission.

The mission had borne much fruit; three churches were established,

Paul left Macedonia and journeyed on to Athens, probably by sea, leaving Silas and Timothy behind in Berea. Athens was an epicenter for the well educated and strong minded such as Plato and Aristotle

Paul invoked Greek poets as he preached before the members of the venerable council; one member of the council, Dionysius, became a believer. However, most members of the Aeropagus scoffed at the idea of a resurrection ().

Paul invoked Greek poets as he preached before the members of the venerable council; one member of the council, Dionysius, became a believer. However, most members of the Aeropagus scoffed at the idea of a resurrection (). Paul soon left Athens for Corinth, fifty-five miles to the southwest, whether by land or sea is not stated.

2. invoking a discussion is necessary for someone to have the option to make a change

We

This is one of the most famous proclamations of Christ

We

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

We can proclaim Christ in crowds or one heart at a time. Paul did both

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ r As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

3.The message is the action, and the decision is the reaction.

We all make bad decisions. We can all improve in this.

If we don’t make our own healthy decisions, Someone else will make them for you

Each of us need to remain commited their a,b,c’s

A Admit I need help

B Believe That in Christ is where I get my help

C Commit to the decision of being Reedeemed

God provides consistent opportunity for this and one is right now.

What is your current list of challenges Loss, discouragement, complacency, impatience, resentment, self pity, to busy

right now you can change any of these and move out of problem and into solution

Be willing to hear God out