The Bible and Our Culture

Apollos was an amazing minister even though he didn't know about this second baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2, 8, 9 and 19 explain a subsequent baptism of the Holy Spirit different than conversion.  

• If you haven’t experienced the subsequent baptism of the Holy Spirit, please leave your heart open to it.

• If you have experienced this subsequent baptism of the Holy Spirit, please receive from today’s Apollos-type believers.
• This subsequent baptism is biblical, but it is not the central thrust of the New Testament.
• Please be open to what the Holy Spirit may be doing.

Riots, race and provoking the lost to jealousy.

Live an adventurous life for Jesus!  It will bring persecution.  

Make unbelievers jealous of the life you have in Christ.

Why did Paul go to the Jews first?  He didn't have a racial bias.  He had companions of all sorts of different ethnic backgrounds.  He wanted to take advantage of the Jewish people's background and worldview.

Our civil duties are important, but not as important as converting people to Jesus.

"Make Known the wisdom of God to principalities and powers."

Demonstrate the wisdom of God by your actions.

Like a professional athlete, when you struggle, go back to the fundamentals.

Perspective is everything!

 

While the New Testament was written, Judaism was the main intimidating spirit, but today in Western Culture the main intimidating spirit is secularism.  

Because of intimidation; there is a tragic decline in the percentage of people who call themselves Christians today compared to a few years ago.  

"Christians" don't want to show lost people they are lost; they want to be popular with them. 

Many Christians allow themselves to be intimidated.

Acts 18 - Divine Appointments and Divine Relationships.

Pastors have a right to earn a Salary as the serve in the Church, but it doesn't mean those who don't earn a salary are not as "spiritual" or impactful.  

Be a minister wherever your "secular" career might take you. 

Aquila and Priscilla have an amazing story the Bible hints at multiple times but never really fills us in on the details.

Have a marriage like Aquila and Priscilla!

Have a career and ministry like Aquila and Priscilla!

Political groups ought to be involved in politics.  

A sense of community is great, but community-ism is often a trojan horse to surrender liberty.

Rioting is a tactic of the Left not the Right.  

Acts 19 shows the true meaning of the biblical word "church".

Romans 1:16-19 "The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith."

Translation problems hinders us from understanding terms that come from a different time, place, culture and language.  Many words we use only in a religious, spiritual context today, were not originally religious terms at all.

The gospel delivers us from hell and death, but also any bondage we need saving from.  

The gospel starts with the righteousness of God compared to sinful humanity's unrighteousness. 

The are a lot of "unplanned" pregnancies, but never an unplanned adoption.

God is our real Father, he adopted us.

All believers can celebrate Adoption Month.

Most Christians miss some significance in the gospel by misunderstanding God's view in adopting sons and daughters.  

Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 1:4-5